Happy Birthday FLD Scout!

FLD Scout when we first brought her home from Leader Dogs for the Blind.

One year ago today, Scout was born. She was the last puppy born of a litter of six to Leader Dog "mom" Reese and "dad" Kasey. Reese was also the mom of my second Leader Dog puppy, Mike, who went on to become a working Leader Dog.

FLD Scout, sporting the same smile on her one-year birthday!

Scout had a very fun day today. We started with a romp in the woods with Gus and Gypsy, and ended with a hike on the property of some friends. Needless to say, lots of treats in between!

A romp in the woods with cc'd Gus.

But I can see...

"You will want to wear this," Bev says at check-in as she hands me a plastic credit-card sized room key on a blue lanyard. Student Room #23. The values of Leader Dogs for the Blind are printed on the back.

• Respect and compassion for people and dogs
• Passion for the work
• Safety in all we do
• Do what is right
• Innovation in our field
• Teamwork

The hallways of the Polk Residence Center at Leader Dogs for the Blind are gleaming white. Sparkling tiles beneath my feet, painted block walls with bumper-like handrails at my sides. A wide royal blue stripe above the handrails and narrow stripes on the floor in the same shade of blue guide me to the room that FLD Scout and I will share for the next three days. She is still in the kennel for now, until I get settled.

Each blue-rimmed doorway is identified with a room number at the side of the door and in a blue square above the handrail directly opposite. In Braille.
 

#23. That's my room.

Arms loaded with my duffle, Scout's supplies and bed, my camera backpack, and laptop bag, I stand on tippy-toe at the black-box sensor on the left side of the door. The key hanging at my belly changes the red light to green for entry.

The room is large, and starkly antiseptic. The same bright white walls and floors as the hallway is made even brighter by the florescent lights imbedded in the ceiling. The ceiling tiles are white too. There are no hotel-paintings screwed to the walls. I have the sense that everything was designed for the safety and efficiency of the blind or visually impaired client who usually occupies this room.

I can see the three shelves in the bathroom that have one-inch lips on them to keep things from falling off. I can see the red numbers on the digital alarm clock that speaks when touched. I can see the small screen of the TV atop the dresser at the end of the bed. I can see the special flip-up light on the end table, and another one at the desk next to the dresser. I can see the tie-down for the dog in the corner. I can see the second door opposite the entry, the door that exits to a covered "park" area.

I think of the person who travels to Leader Dogs alone, the person who can't see, who stays in this room for 26 days of learning and teambuilding. If all goes well, he or she will leave with new eyes--a Leader Dog.

The itinerary for our three-day puppy-counselor training is non-stop from breakfast at 7:30 a.m.  to an after-dinner lecture that ends at 8:00 p.m. I imagine trying to keep a schedule like this for 26 days, like the person who can't see, all while trying to bond with a young dog who is probably wondering why he is in this strange room and "who the heck are YOU?"

I imagine that those three and a half weeks could feel a little bit like boot camp. I hope that isn't so for FLD Scout and me!

FLD Scout on her bed in the corner by the tie-down.

Not a good start...

Stuck at a standstill on southbound I-75, mile marker 126, and no way to tell what was happening. The temperature gauge on the van read 86. It was only 10:18 am.

After the first hour, people started getting out of their vehicles and walking around. I thought about the evacuees in Colorado ditching everything to outrace the wildfire. Apocalyptic. That's how it was described.

When FLD Scout sat up from her spot on the passenger side floorboard, panting, I took stock. Half a bottle of cool water, another bottle in back that had been in the van for who knows how long, a handful of salty pumpkin seeds. Luckily the van wasn't overheating.

I kicked up the air-conditioner fan and poured most of the cool water into Scout's collapsible water dish. I drank down the rest. We'd be okay, I thought.

Luckily, we were. An hour later we inched along the left shoulder, the three other lanes blocked by state trooper cars, a fire engine ladder truck, and a fire rescue vehicle. A surveyor's tripod stood rooted in the middle lane blackened with tire marks that veered off past the right shoulder and into the ditch. A gaggle of tired firemen, looking weary in their full gear, caught a bit of shade beside the rescue vehicle. They must have gotten most of the mess cleared up--what was left of a crinkled mini-van lay rubber-side-up in a burned patch of ditch grass. Windowless. I think it was blue. Hard to tell with how badly scorched it was.

Not good.

An instant later we were free and 70 miles an hour flying back to the city.

I had made arrangements to drop FLD Scout off at the kennel at Leader Dogs for the Blind for a few hours while I visited my parents. I'd be back at 5:00 to check in for "Puppy Counselor" training...three days of intensive training for 48 volunteer puppy counselors. Those of us from out of town got to stay in the Polk Residence Center, just like the blind or visually impaired handlers who come here to learn how to work with their Leader Dogs each month.

When I walked FLD Scout to Bay 1 and into her designated kennel, it felt like a rehearsal for what will happen in a short two months. Scout is due to return to Leader Dogs for her formal training before September 30.

With a toss of a few morsels of chow, FLD Scout scooted into the kennel. I had her leash off and the door closed before she gobbled them up. Three other dogs in the bay barked in typical Lab hysteria. 

I didn't look back as I walked away, but I did peak through the window as the door eased shut. FLD Scout was silent. She stood, stood looking calmly at the door after me.

I hope we both do as well in September.

I will try to post updates of our time here at Leader Dogs, but I suspect my brain might be too full in the evenings. So, posts might have to come later...

Lab-wrestling break--FLD Scout (on the right) hangs with her sister, FLD Anie.

Quiet now in our room, FLD Scout snoozes on her bed brought from home.

ADBC--it cometh again!

The 8th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival (ADBC) has just been announced by Brooke, at her blog "ruled by paws".  (For background information about the ADBC, and links to past issues, visit this link: About the ADBC.)

Brooke works with a guide dog and her blog is about her adventures with all of her pups. She is hosting this edition of the ADBC and her choice of topic is...drum roll please...

"Marchin' to Your Own Drum"

Brooke listed some examples on her post to help us get started. Here they are!

• Does your assistance dog fit the traditional mold? (does he or she have any special quirks or behaviors?)
• Does your dog do things differently from past partners (or the partners of friends)?
• Why did you choose to go with a program dog after your owner-trained one retired? (or vice versa)
• Why did you choose a non-traditional breed for your partner?
• Did you have to overcome any sort of resistance from family, friends or employers when deciding to partner with an assistance dog?
• Have you witnessed any unique or special assistance dogs in action? (what made them stand out?)
• Did you have preconceived notions of what an assistance dog should look like, only to have them changed by witnessing one in action or reading about one?

As a puppy-raiser, and not an assistance-dog handler, I might add a few more ideas:

• If you've raised multiple puppies, how have they been different?
• Are there "required" techniques that you struggle with? (For example, loose-leash walking.)
• Have you ever experienced a conflict for your decision to raise puppies (either within yourself, family members, or at work?) How did you handle it?

Visit Brooke's post (ADBC Call for Submissions) to submit your entry to the Carnival. You will need to comment on her post with the name of your blog, your name, the name of your post, and a URL to your post. Deadline is "7:47 pm" on July 29, 2012. Brooke will compile and "publish" the 8th edition on July 31st.

Thank you Brooke, for hosting!

Stay tuned for my entry!