Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Corn Maze of Fun

For our guide dog meeting this week, we joined the SLC puppy raising club at a local corn maze for some fun chatting as we walked through the maze of corn.  I'm not sure anyone except the front couple were even paying attention to the maze!  We talked about future puppies, their possible names, and other guide dog stuff.  After 1-hour+ walk, we exited the maze to darkness, a light rain falling, big crowds, and the promised farewell cake for Crosby, Farley, Kasha, Radison, and Casey, who all leave Sunday morning for formal training in Oregon.  I think I enjoyed the cake a little extra knowing it was also my birthday-a big one to boot!

Little M accompanied me and did quite well considering the condition I realized her diaper was in about 15 minutes into the walk!  Keiko walked with a future raiser from our club.  He was a good boy, and I'm always happy to share.  Keiko is such a sweet boy.  I will forever remember him for his amazingly soft, velvety ears! 

Thursday, the Puppy Truck will deliver Miss O and Mr P to our club.  Looking forward to the "babies" again!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Service Dog Access Issues

Yesterday was a very frustrating day when it comes to public access for service dogs here in Utah.  It is frustrating to me because I know how much the partnership between service dog & handler creates independance and freedom that might not be possible without that relationship and the dog's task oriented training.  Obviously, in order to shape these amazing dogs, we must train them to appropriately handle different public settings.  Fortunately, for guide dog puppy raisers in Ut, we have state laws that provide us with the same access to public places the same as for a fully working service dog.  Unfortunately, some people don't get this!

First off, the secretary to the assistant to the superintendent of Wasatch County School District seems to be refusing to dialogue with us again about guide dog puppies-in-training attending public school with our puppy raisers,  While it is fully within our legal right, we desire to create a partnership with the school, and would like to address and ease any concerns about the dogs being in the classroom.  This woman does not return my phone calls, avoids meetings, and really is refusing to be educated on what a service dog is (she called them a "basically a pet" at last meeting).  With the evidence of all the puppies that do attend school in her hand, it is rediculous that she won't even entertain the idea that this is legit.  My CFR has a plan that I believe will at the least get her attention, if not gain the dogs "permission" to attend school.

My second incidence of the day happened at the Lindon Artic Circle, when my son who was handling Keiko, was asked to "stand to the side" of the counter before we ordered!  What?!!!!  There were a handful of children, standing with their parents, who quite naturally, were excited about "a dog in the restaurant".  The woman who said this appeared to be the manager, and even though she understood that Keiko was a service dog, and had the right to be there, she was giving him (and therefore my son) the second-hand treatment.  I think I would have been less upset were she ignorant to the service dog law, in general.  We ended up ordering food, with Keiko at my side at the counter, and then "ate in", in spite of my stomach churning.  My children were very upset.  How can you become manager of any place without understanding this law? 

I have been raising guide dog puppies for about 7 years.  I can recount only 3 incidences, in that time, of irrational people "in charge".  2 in 1 day just frosts my cupcake!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Guide Dog Puppy Update

There is a new member in our home- a big, black Lab named Keiko.  He is a 16-month-old guide dog puppy who needed just a little more time before his October recall.  Since our home is lonely quiet without a guide dog puppy, of course we could not deny him those extra 6-weeks.  Keiko has been fantastic.  He is so sweet, and absolutely incredible on leash, and outings.  He is overweight and grossly out of shape, so we will make sure those things improve before the rigors of being a guide dog.  Keiko has fit in so well and seamlessly into our household that I am more seriously contemplating another transfer before we raise a 10-week-old puppy with needle teeth on the same level as Baby M, who is just getting mobile.


Janetta has moved on to phase 2 of training where she has many difficult challenges including leading a blindfolded instructor through an obstacle course, learning up-curbs, and passing heavy distractions.  It has been such a relief to see her move along now that she has recovered from her entropian surgery.  We miss you, Janetta, but can't wait for you to do what you were born to do!  

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Agility Trial-SUCCESS!

Friday's runs were fanatastic!  I was a bit worried about Open, but we had clean runs that were 10-20 seconds below SCT, thus earning a JWW leg and Std leg, as well.  Saturday was equally as good with a minor hiccup that was so sweet, who could really be disappointed.  During our JWW class, we were off to a fantastic start, on a course that had caught many dogs (or maybe it was the handlers) off-guard due to the skew of the jumps (leading to many dogs going around).  Rudy had stayed on course with great speed when we went over a jump into the corner pocket and who should be just outside the ring and coincidentally cry?  Little Miss M!!!!  Big brother was holding her and she fussed at that moment leading Rudy to stop dead in his tracks and find her among the people.  I was able to call him back (but that was considered a refusal), and then after we had finished the weaves, baby M protested again, causing Rudy to distract, and me to re-cue him (therefore another refusal and NQ).  But, we finished with great speed and no other faults.  Gotta love the GSD who loves his family so much that no other activity would have stopped him like that.  Many spectators commented later that they knew exactly who the baby belonged to after seeing his reaction.  Rudy seems to have a mini fan club!  Lesson learned- baby M must stay away from ring when we run unless she's asleep! 


Sunday, we went to the International Invitational Sheepdog trial at Soldier Hollow and did a small GDB Presentation.  Pretty uneventful, but I think there may be at least one more Puppy Raiser (not my county), as a result!  Woo Hoo!


Labor Day, back to agility, where I think we all suffered fatigue from so many days of being on the go, and I could not wake Rudy for his Std run.  We got a refusal going into the weaves, and then he missed the last jump and another refusal- NQ.  All throughout, we felt like we were struggling, and Rudy was s-l-o-w.  Turns out, had he not missed the last jump, we would have Q'd.  I thought it was over long before so I wonder if I quit "handling" and therefore he didn't take the jump.  Later, had a clean run in JWW and another leg.  So, we ended up with 2 JWW and 2 Std legs from the weekend.  Excellent, we are almost there!


Fun weekend, albeit very exhausting when you have an infant along, and "babysitter" children that require frequent deposits into their bottomless bellies, in return for their childcare services. ;)


Next trial- Oct 7-9!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Agility Trial Jitters

Now that Rudy has moved on to Open Jumpers and Standard, I am already feeling the jitters of 3 days of trialing, starting in only 2 days!  The sweltering 90 degree temps don't help a hairy dog who whithers in heat to the speed of a Basset Hound on a mission (no offense to any Bassets doing agility!).  Added to my worries is bringing my baby (without a sibling helper the first day), who is not known by her loved ones for being "easy".  Fortunately, the trial is in a beautiful outdoor location which baby M will love.  So, as long as she can get her naps, I hope this will be a fun getaway from our daily routine!

I have begun to work through Linda Mecklenburg's Handling Skills book.  So far, Rudy is reading my handling well.  The one exception would be rear crosses (which we've NEVER done).  It is fun to have a training "plan" when I head out to work with him.  I look forward to the more complex handling issues that will pop up in the next few lessons.  Unfortunately, I must take the next few days off of practice in order to increase Rudy's drive/desire to play agility.  He loves it, but absence definately makes his heart grow fonder!