A Puppy of Many Skills

ACT ONE:  LOADING

The fact that we are moving seems to have no impact on FLD Gus.  He follows us upstairs and downstairs and back up again as we cart cardboard boxes full of stuff collected from years of living resourcefully in a small space.  He decides to help.

Gus, what do you have?  I ask, hearing a strange metallic noise coming from his direction behind me on the stairs.

I set my box down and look back when I reach the landing.  FLD Gus stands at the bottom with Andy's red and black handled flat-head screwdriver hanging out of his mouth like a long cigar.  Gus, give, I say, descending to him.  He lifts his head as if to hand it to me.  I take the tool.  Good give, Gus.  Thank you for helping.

FLD Gus is like this all day.  Following.  Bringing me things.

As I judiciously select items from the upstairs medicine cabinet to take (we'll still need some things because we'll be coming back to the city a couple times each month), I notice Gus juggling something in his mouth.  What do you have, now, Gus?  He stops juggling.  I can't see what he has; a huge dust-bunny is stuck to his wet nose.  I reach down to check with a finger-swipe but before I get to him he purses his puppy-lips and spits out--what is that?  A DIME!  I can't believe it.

Picking up a dime (especially on hardwood floors) is a commendable skill, frequently taught to assistance dogs.  Yet FLD Gus figures it out, all by himself!

Another dime and one penny later, our upstairs rooms are clean of all errant change.

Eventually, the U-Haul gets loaded.  The townhouse is not quite empty, but empty enough to echo with our footsteps like the hollow sound when you tap a dried-out gourd.  We spend a "camping" night here before driving north the next morning--sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor, realizing too late that we've packed all of our clothes.  No clean clothes for the morning...oh well, we'll just be sweating it out again at the other end, unloading.

ACT TWO:  UNLOADING 

Andy's son-in-law kids us about moving to a rural setting in northern Michigan.  "Just back up to the garage, open the door, and floor the truck--everything will dump out into the garage!"  He says that's an example of the saying, "You know you're a redneck when..."

Some hours later, our new place is in such disarray we might just as well have floored the truck.  I wonder how long it will take to find anything, and then how long it will take to relearn where we put it!

I'm behind the couch reattaching the reclining sofa backs when FLD Gus brings me Andy's yellow work glove.  Gus, give.  Good boy!  I take the glove into the foyer where we've been leaving our assorted winter gear as we come in, but I cannot find the matching glove in all the mess.  I set the lone glove on the shelf and return to the living room.  I get back to work and nonchalantly say to Gus, Where's the other glove, Gus?  Find it!

A few minutes later, FLD Gus trots jauntily over with what looks like a yellow rooster comb hanging from his mouth.  Gus, how did you get that?  The foyer shelf is shoulder-high and I hope he didn't jump up to get it.  Gus, give.  Again, he readily complies.

In the foyer, the glove I placed on the shelf is right where I left it.  Gus found the missing glove! 

Good find, Gus!

This is what I mean when I remark that FLD Gus is "scary smart."  He learns skills on his own.  He understands more than I realize.  If one day he decides that the job of guide-dog doesn't suit him, I'm sure another service dog position will!

(As evident, we are in the process of moving, so my posts might be sporadic for a little while.  I hope you don't mind!  Stay tuned for further adventures of FLD Gus in the beautiful north.)

 

DECISIONS AT BEARY WOOD LODGE

Fellow-blogger Sharon, at "After / Gadget " started an Assistance Dog Blog Carnival last fall.  Sort of like a quarterly collection of blog postings about a specific theme, but somehow concerning assistance dogs.  

Follow this link to the FIRST Assistance Dog Blog Carnival, hosted by Sharon, the theme of which was an Assistance Dog "First."  (To read my contribution, click on My FIRST: Future Leader Dog Puppy.)

Coming up next week is the second "issue" of the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival, this time hosted by L^2 at "Dog's Eye View."  L^2 selected this quarter's theme, DECISIONS.

My submission follows:

DECISIONS MADE AT BEARY WOOD LODGE

Gypsy sprawled out on the daybed; FLD Mike curled up at my feet on the rug under the kitchen table.  I enjoyed a long drink of cold water.  Our 2 1/2 mile "slog" (can't really call it "jogging" I'm so slow) on the sandy dirt roads surrounding the Beary Wood Lodge tired all of us out.  And September still held plenty of summer.

Unexpectedly, the phone rang.  Cell-phone coverage at my brother's cabin is non-existent due to being surrounded by the Huron National Forest, so Andy had a phone-line with DSL Internet installed.  I forgot that before we lost "bars" on the drive up I programmed my cell to forward all calls to the cabin.

"Hello, Patti?"  It was Sandy, from Leader Dogs for the Blind.  Yes.

"I wanted to give you a choice for next week."

FLD Mike was going back to Leader Dogs the next Monday to begin his "formal" guide-dog training.  A month earlier, Sandy wanted me to "overlap" and take another puppy before Mike returned, but our townhouse rules prohibit more than two "fur-bearing" animals.  Leader Dogs is desperate for puppy-raisers (hint, hint).  Instead I agreed to take my third puppy five days after returning Mike.

"I know we have next Saturday already scheduled for you, but we have a male puppy ready that you could take home the same day you bring Mike back," Sandy explained.  She went on to tell me what breed-stock this puppy came from, but as a fairly-rookie puppy-raiser, I wasn't familiar with his parents.  "Or, you can keep the Saturday appointment.  I just wanted to give you the choice."

I wasn't quite sure what Sandy was asking of me.  When you apply to raise a puppy, you can specify your preference for sex and/or breed; once a puppy becomes available, you schedule a pickup time that works for you.  Beyond this, the specific puppy you receive is totally random.  Did Sandy want me to take this returned puppy?  Was there an issue with him that she thought I could handle?

"There's nothing wrong with this puppy," she said.  "The family that took him realized they were in over their heads--they have small children and this was there very first puppy.  Ever."

Well, I thought as I stood up from the table and began pacing around the cabin, better to return him early, than risk future problems. 

I guess I would rather wait until Saturday, I said.  I think I need a few days to get over Mike.  After I returned my first Future Leader Dog puppy, Rosie, in July of 2009, I waited until November to get FLD Mike.  It IS a sad day when you bring your puppy back, and I didn't want to jump right in with a new, demanding bundle of fur.  Andy and I took our big bike ride to Green Bay, Wisconsin in August of 2009, and besides, if Rosie were to be career-changed, I wanted her back; I wanted to keep my options open.

"Oh, I understand that," said Sandy.  "Okay.  But.  There is something else you should know.  The yellow-lab puppy that's coming in for you is from a donated litter.  The breeder told us she is worried about him, something about him being too small or something.  We won't know for sure that we'll take him until we check him over."

If you don't, does that mean I'll have to wait longer for another puppy?  Or can you hold the returned one until Saturday?  I asked.  I had to admit that I wasn't excited about taking a couple-of-weeks-older puppy--they grow SO fast.

"If you want a yellow-lab, you'll have to wait.  But we do have another black lab male you could take Saturday, from Sy and Sienna's litter."  Another breed-stock pair I didn't know.  "I just wanted to give you a choice." 

I hesitated, paused in my pacing.  Okay.  Well, what will be the most helpful to you?  I still wondered if there was something else behind Sandy's call, but maybe she didn't want to come right out and say.

"Whatever YOU want," she said.  "I just wanted to give you the opportunity to decide." 

I started pacing again.  Why was this becoming so difficult for me?  I suppose it didn't really matter.  I agreed to raise a puppy and whatever helped Leader Dogs would be fine with me.  This wasn't so when I applied for Rosie and Mike.  I requested a female black lab the first time (and waited nine months before I receive her); I never owned a male dog.  Part of my reason to raise a puppy for Leader Dogs was to practice my own "dog" skills, so the second time I requested a male.  Of any breed.

I think it might have been my puppy-counselor who told me, "If you don't care what sex, you'll always get a male."  I guess most people want females!  This third time the sex of the puppy didn't matter to me, but my niece Natalie thought it would be neat if I raised a yellow lab.  So I requested a yellow lab.

At any rate, I was overwhelmed with all the options.  In the long run, it really didn't matter.  Whatever puppy I took home wasn't going to belong to ME.  In less than one year the puppy would return to Leader Dogs for the Blind to fulfill his destiny.  My role was just his beginning.

I decided to raise my first Future Leader Dog puppy to strengthen and test my own skills.  My decision to raise a second Future Leader Dog puppy came on the heels of a thoughtful sermon by  my brother, Reverend Jim.  (See my post from May 19, 2010.)  I HAD to raise a second puppy--because I COULD and someone needed me to.

At the annual "Puppy Days" at Leader Dogs for the Blind last July, Jim Platzer and his Leader Dog Maddy inspired me again.  (Read my post from August 5, 2010 to learn about "Maddy's letter.")  There was no way I could NOT raise another puppy after listening to Jim explain how Maddy changed his life.

Really, Sandy, it doesn't matter to me.  I'll do whatever helps you.

"It's your choice," Sandy replied.

We weren't getting anywhere!

Eventually, we decided that if Sandy couldn't find another raiser for the returned puppy, I would take him the Saturday after I returned Mike.  If she found him a home, I would hold out for the donated yellow lab puppy.  If Leader Dogs decided not to accept the yellow lab, I'd be happy with the black lab male from Sy and Sienna's litter.

Whew.

I didn't know that making a decision like this could be so difficult!

Which puppy did I end up with?  Sy and Sienna's little black lab puppy, dubbed "Mr. Blue" by the host family of his mother, Sienna.  (The host family ties colored ribbons on the pups to tell them apart.)  Sandy found a raiser for the returned puppy, and the breeder never brought the little yellow lab to Leader Dogs.

Looks like my decision about any future puppies I raise will be easier--I'll just get male black labs!

FLD Gus, formally known as "Mr. Blue."

Tuesday's Training TIP: PUBLIC MEET & GREET

FLD Gus needed a walk; his morning energy had nowhere to go.  

In spite of snow shards slapping our faces, I walked him up to the corner pharmacy.  I had to pick up a prescription anyway.  (Did you know they give tetanus shots every 5 years now?!  A nasty cut on my knuckle got infected and now it's antibiotics time.  Rats.)

I'm not sure that Gus's future handler would want to brave the out-of-doors and slippery sidewalks on such a wintry day, but it is important to expose this Future Leader Dog to every kind of weather, just in case.

Nippy wind and snow-dust didn't deter FLD Gus, but he forced me to walk backwards a bit as we approached the entrance to Walgreen's.  A little too eager!  Once inside, Gus morphed into a patient puppy, a fine ambassador for Leader Dogs for the Blind.

We practiced our RIGHT and LEFT turns up and down the aisles, taking the long way to the rear of the store.  Gus.  SIT, I commanded when we finally arrived at the pharmacy counter.  Gus sat, but soon slid into a DOWN.  I faked a step forward to get him up; then helped him back into his SIT.

On our way out, I paused at a display of $10 pet beds.  We finally disposed of Gypsy's old bed, tired of pulling puffs of stuffing from Gus's mouth.  A woman with an armload of items approached and asked, "We can't pet them, can we?"

Thanks for asking, I said.  I decided to test Gus.  Why don't you help me train him?  Let me get him into a SIT and then you can pet him.  If he gets up, or tries to put his mouth on your hand, just take your hand away and step back.  He needs to learn how to sit nicely when people come up to us.

Gus.  SIT.  FLD Gus looked up at me and immediately sat.  The woman juggled her purchases and stepped forward with one arm stretched toward Gus.  He raised his nose in anticipation, but did not get up.  After a few attempts at licking her (she removed her hand each time), he settled in for a nice round of petting.  Good boy, Gus!

The woman and I had the usual talk about "how hard it must be to give them up," and "such a good thing for you to do," and "he is SO precious!"  Then it was time to brave the winter storm and walk home.

Gus.  HEEL.

If Gus seemed a bit reluctant to leave the warm store and go back out into the weather, once he "parked" and we were on our way, he heeled comfortably at my side.

FLD Gus didn't start out behaving this well for a "public" MEET & GREET.  We started out practicing this at home with family and friends, and in puppy-class at Leader Dogs for the Blind.  (Read my post from November 9, 2010 to learn how to introduce a proper Meet & Greet to your puppy.)

Once FLD Gus seemed to get the idea, it has been fun to solicit strangers (who ask to pet him) for their help.  Now I am proud when Gus sits so nice!

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING A PUBLIC MEET & GREET

• If you've worked on MEET & GREET in a controlled setting first, try asking someone in public to help you "train" your puppy.  They are typically eager to help, and it becomes another opportunity to educate the public.

• Explain what you are going to do and how they can help.

• Get your puppy into a SIT, and then ask the person to approach.

• Don't say anything to your puppy if he or she gets up.  Ask the person to step back and calmly put your puppy back into a SIT.

• Repeat.

• If your puppy gets too excited and just won't hold the SIT, tell the person that your puppy isn't able to stay calm today.  Don't be afraid to ask them to refrain from petting your puppy.  Because you've explained everything, they will readily agree that it isn't a good idea!

• Try to get your puppy into a SIT with the person a few steps back.

• Thank the stranger for helping you.  This is a good opportunity to have your puppy hold the SIT for a few moments, with the distraction moved away.  Even though it may seem that your puppy did not succeed, remember that your puppy is still LEARNING.  He or she will do better the next time!

(Oops!  I missed posting this yesterday, on TUESDAY!  Well, I hope that it is better to post  this TIP a day late than never.  Now, out to have some fun in the snow...yesterday's storm dropped a lot more than the four inches the weather reporters predicted!)
 

Pet Blogger Challenge

Edie Jarolim, of "Will My Dog Hate Me," and Amy of "Go Pet Friendly Blog," thought it would be a good idea to look back on our blogs with an eye to the future.  They started a "Pet Blogger Challenge"--a series of questions about our blogs.  

Even though my blog, "plays with puppies," is not so much about my "pet," I still thought I would participate.  Thanks Edie and Amy, for giving me something to think about!

1. When did you begin your blog?

March 31, 2010, shortly after Rosie, the first puppy I raised for Leader Dogs for the Blind, was career-changed. Rosie was an eager, too-fast-paced black lab that made it through all of the training at Leader Dogs, but had to be held over three times for failure to find a good match.  (To read more about Rosie, just click on the label "Rosie" or the "Rosie Road.")

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

I wanted a personal challenge and discipline to help me write daily.  I started my blog about my experiences raising Future Leader Dog puppies because I am interested in dog training and Leader Dogs and I thought it would be a good "niche" topic.  I wanted to integrate photography and poetry in my blog, as well as providing "training tips" for other dog-owners, or new puppy-raisers.  Ideally, I hoped my blog might inspire others to become puppy-raisers, or to become a resource for other puppy-raisers.

3. Is your current purpose the same?

Yes, although now I am raising my third Leader Dog puppy, Gus!

FLD Gus, snowboarding!

If not, what’s different?

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?

Keeping this blog rolling has indeed helped me to discipline myself to writing daily, well, at least five days a week.  I'm not sure how much of a resource it has become to new puppy-raisers, but my readers seem to enjoy keeping up with my puppies!  I admit that it sometimes is frustrating to come up with fresh ideas every day.  Writing proves to be a bigger challenge when other things in my life demand attention.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

I have a self-imposed deadline to post five days a week.  Sometimes the spirit is not so moving!


5. Are you generating income from your blog?

Nope.

If so, how (e.g. sponsor ads, affiliate relationships, spokesperson opportunities)?

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?

Blogging, in general, has expanded my exposure to others who benefit from assistance dogs.  Knowing the difference I can make in someone's life by raising a Future Leader Dog keeps me inspired to keep raising them!

One of the things I like about my blog is that it enables some of my friends to "keep track" of what I am doing.  It's a fun way to stay connected.

7. What do you like least?

I don't like posting something I've written that really needs more work!

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2011?

Of course, I will continue writing about FLD Gus, my current puppy.  Next month I hope to report that my second puppy, Mike, will be placed with his new person.  He is currently in Phase IV training at Leader Dogs and if all goes well, he is scheduled to graduate next month!  That will make my year!  

And then...a fourth puppy?