Last week, Belle and I doggedly manned the Helping Paws table for the Federal Campaign at the Bishop Whipple Federal Building. For three hours (we were a popular table) I answered questions, listened to dog stories (everyone has one), and Belle showed off her awesome skills. The Federal Campaign is the employee fundraising campaign for federal employees. Helping Paws was just one of many organizations that were invited to strut their stuff, hand out brochures and hopefully, convince those that stopped by our booths to put our federal campaign number on their list of organizations they want to support with their employee charitable deduction.
Belle was a terrific ambassador. Her polite greetings were so well done, the woman at the booth next to us just had to take Belle's picture. The picture above was taken while Belle greeted a K9 officer (thank-you, Paula!). She even gave him a snuggle when I gave her permission to do so.
To all who stopped by that day and signed our dance card, thank-you!
Yesterday was move-in day for my college student. With our arms laden with stuff, and Belle at my side we waited patiently for the very slow elevator in her high rise apartment complex to arrive. Belle, dressed in her pack, put on an awesome display of her best skills based on my voice cues alone as we navigated the crowds of students, parents and gear. As always, her amazing performance captivated those around us.
In situations like this one, Belle and I have a lot of informal opportunities for educating the public on her purpose and her role as a demonstration dog for Helping Paws. Yesterday, we also had a chance to address an issue that is a growing concern for accredited assistance dog training programs; the proclivity of vendors and customers that believe that the presence of the pack and a "registration card" is all that is required for a dog to be granted public access. Googling *service dog vests* results in over 188,000 links - most of which are to vendors that sell the packs.
This is what the first of these vendors had to say about assistance dog public access requirements:
Getting Started is Easy:
We simply require that a Service Dog is registered. Our company requires that you supply:
A doctor's request that this individual has a medical need for a “Service Dog”.
A Veterinarian's signed statement that your service dog is not considered to be vicious or in any way a threat to the general public.
Proof of the shots and vaccinations, etc. that are required to keep the dog in good health.
Simply click on the link below, follow the prompts, and submit the completed forms to us with your payment of $49.95 + 1.50 S/H. Your custom created ID Card Package will be sent out within three (3) business days.
Why is this a problem? The answer lies in what is NOT required in the list above. The training required for a dog to meet the exceptionally high standards essential for dogs working in public places.
A fully trained assistance dog trained through an accredited training program has spent up to three years of increasingly complex training and passed a series of public access tests before they are matched with a partner. They are taught a level of attention skills that are critical to tuning out the sights, smells, and sounds that would distract a family pet or even a dog that had completed basic obedience classes. In addition to phenomenal attention skills, the dogs are taught a wide variety of skills that meet their human partner's every day needs, but also just as important, skills that keep their human partner, themselves, and the general public safe. Once placed with their partners, the dog and their partner are required to retake the public access tests at pre-determined intervals to ensure both dog and partner continue to meet the highest standard of public partnership.
The general public has enough trouble understanding what the access laws allow. Our graduates are challenged too often when they work with their dogs in the ordinary course of their everyday lives. And so, with my arms laden with boxes, having waited a painful amount of time for that elevator, I spent several more minutes explaining to the student who remarked to her friend upon disembarking from the elevator, "oh sweet, a service dog. My boyfriend just bought a pack on line for his puppy and now he can take the puppy with him everywhere" why that statement not only wasn't true, but how harmful that perception could be to those who require these invaluable dogs and have waited and worked hard to meet and complete the highest standards of accredited assistance dog programs.
With any luck, our conversation will be the one lesson she and her friend will retain and pass on to their friends and fellow students. And they didn't even have to hit up their parents to pay for it.
Belle and I are pleased to announce that Belle successfully completed her public access test yesterday. The test was held at Southdale Mall and is intended to "ensure that dogs who have public access are stable, well-behaved, and unobtrusive to the public". This test is a requirement for all service dogs placed by Helping Paws dogs regardless of whether they are placed with a client or are part of a demonstration team. Belle and I thank all the Helping Paws examiners and volunteers who participated in yesterday's test.
Belle and I will be strutting our stuff for Helping Paws today out at the Volunteer Expo at the Mall of America. With all the puppies arriving we need to replenish our foster home roster from the fertile sources provided by the Expo.
We will be on the Best Buy Rotunda stage at 12:30 with Molly S talking about the program and delivering our cues, Belle's beautiful (little) sister Skye, and the gorgeous Rio. Come join us!
(Helping Paws dogs from previous Expo's can be seen in the following video @ 1:03 and 1:40)
Belle and I participated in our third State Fair Demonstration yesterday held at the Pet Center. The Perfect Puppies were Trooper, Liberty and Rio . Margie, Belle and Hemi represented the Big Dogs and Kona, Rusty, Pride, Noni and Juni were the Graduate Gurus.
It was a beautiful day for the demonstration and this year, for the first time, it was held outside. Unfortunately, the outside venue was a little rough to negotiate on wheels for the graduates and their partners.
In honor of the event, both Belle and Cody were fluffed and buffed and had puppy pedicures. No grinchy feet for these pups.
Belle even spent some time practicing her parade wave. 'cuz she is a beauty queen after all - even if her clean coat just felt like butta, not carved in it.
***My thanks to the B Man for taking the slideshow photos for me!
Belle and I have been taking the chair up to Macalester the last couple of nights. Helping Paws provided the chair with a right side leash mount for Belle and I to practice the various skills she will need to do from that position. From the first, we foster homes are constantly encouraged to train with every possible permutation of people, places and events. Silly me, I never tried a non-motorized chair on a college campus with lots of dogs and people and squirrels and smells as distractions. So, with less than two months to go before Belle graduates with her person, we're beginning a refresher course in:
a) Loose leash walking - it's amazing how little it takes for Belle to pull the chair off course. b) Flexi-leads - when it's okay - and when it's not to stop and sniff just because she can. c) Attention - squirrels really aren't that interesting, seriously! d) Get it - wow, who knew it was so hard to accomplish such a simple thing when the ground smells so tantalizing. e) M & M's: Heel, side, front and behind are somehow totally foreign now that I'm in the chair. f) Finally - door work. Go ahead, around, back - and then back to side.
Compared to some foster folk, Belle and I haven't done tons of demonstrations, but we've done enough to be comfortable with each other. Enough to know what to expect from each other. Until Monday night, when we did our first demonstration outdoors.
Let me step back a bit. The resort we're staying at has a "No Dog" policy. A few weeks back, I contacted the owner and explained Belle and her training and asked if it would be alright to bring her with us on our vacation. I also offered to do a demonstration with Belle for the lodge guests if he thought that would be a good idea. He did and we set the date for the Monday Night "Welcome New Guests" Picnic.
This being Belle's first time in real wilderness (as opposed to Ft. Snelling's pseudo-wildness), there are tons of new smells, critters and feelings she's never experienced before. Anticipating this, we headed down to the beach about 45 minutes before the picnic was scheduled to start and practiced "Attention" and the cues she would be performing.
When the guests arrived, we all had a wonderful dinner. Granted, it was simple picnic fare - but it always tastes like the finest gourmet when cooked on a grill, at the beach, and shared with lots of wonderful folk who, like us, are there to enjoy a restful week "up north".
Then, after the welcome speech and thanks to the chefs, came time for our demo. Belle was excited as usual. She's a born ham and loves to show off her stuff. The demo was going swimmingly until the heckling began. In the form of Mr. Chippy (or Ms. as the case may be), the resident woodpile ground squirrel who thought he'd just dash under the picnic table to check on any scraps that might have been dropped. Trouble was, neither Mr. Chippy nor Belle were expecting to see the other. As he sauntered right past her, Belle caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and did a double-take, broke her sit and swung around to get a better look at the rascally rodent. Belle's fast movement startled Mr. Chips and he responded in classic cartoon fashion - springing up and releasing a fearsome squeak - before dashing back to the safety of the woodpile.
The rest of the demo was rough. Try as she might, Belle had a tough time keeping her focus while simultaneously keeping one eye on the woodpile.
The funny thing is, the next day I received our homework e-mail from our awesome HP instructor. Our homework assignment for the week? Working on Attention in lots of different places. I told her we're all over it. Could Mr. Chippy have been an HP spy, perhaps?
Belle and I had the privilege of meeting with officials from two separate but related vets organizations yesterday - Dean Ascheman, the Executive Director of the Disabled American Veterans of MN Foundation and Gilbert Acevedo, Deputy Commissioner Veteran Health Care, State of Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. A good friend of mine, Johnny D had worked with Dean and thought a meeting between us would open doors for both Helping Paws and their organizations. Even better, Johnny D went beyond thought and took the time to arrange the meeting for us.
Minnesota has been at the forefront of developing programs for returning vets to insure their healthy assimilation back into civilian life. Among his responsibilities, Mr. Acevedo is charged with developing a one-stop process to meet veteran's needs. From tax assistance, to healthcare, to housing and everything in between. In the "in between" he sees a place for service dogs (and therapy dogs) for vets.
Prior to coming to Minnesota, Mr. Acevedo was administrator for the California Veterans Home at Chula Vista. On a daily basis, he saw the positive effects for the residents from the therapy and facility dogs that worked and/or lived at the facility. Intrigued with the possibilities, he spent seven years training therapy dogs and was impressed with the skills that Belle demonstrated for him. He also provided a great synopsis for Mr. Ascheman of the difference between service and therapy dogs.
Belle did a great job demonstrating her technical skills, and I talked about her greatest intangible skill - her ability to bridge the gap that opens for an individual when they first find their physical skills compromised. Returning to civilian life is a major adjustment for any vet. For a vet, young or old, that finds him or herself trying to return to civilian life missing a limb(s) or with injuries that compromise their balance and stability, the process is even tougher. Helping Paws dogs have so much to offer these vets. I hope our visit will be the start of an incredible partnership.
A walk with Belle at Ft. Snelling State Park is always an adventure. Today, Memorial Day, we actually had a great opportunity for training.
The waters of the Mississippi have receded leaving large fragrant mudholes behind on Pike Island. The deer, sensing there were a few too many humans about, also receded to a less traveled part of the Island. Luckily for us, we chose the road less traveled and were rewarded with lots of animal tracks and finally, the motherlode - a herd of deer. Just as we spotted the herd, two dogs off leash spotted us. As the one dog approached at a trot, I walked out to greet the dog (and provide a barrier if need be from Cody - who suffers from leash anxiety). The dog's owner hurried to catch up, shouting at the dog to "come", "stay", "sit" none of which the dog heard or obeyed. Fortunately for her, Belle's quiet interest in the dog kept the dog from moving further away from the owner until she arrived to releash the errant pooch. As she leashed the dog, she told me the dog was her daughter's and not very well trained. I hope the cartoon bubble above my head wasn't shouting my thoughts at her. Thoughts that ran along the line, "then why the h*&! is the animal off-leash in a state park posted with Pets Must Be Leashed At All Times , you bumpkin"! With the noisy human so close, the deer receded further into the afternoon shadows ending our moment of peace in the woods.
In reflecting on what was lost I instead recognized what was gained. By moving toward the loose dog and allowing Belle to invite the dog to sniff and greet her we most likely prevented the dog from spotting and potentially chasing the deer - an activity dangerous to both dog and deer and an expensive fine if observed by a ranger. Even more interesting was Belle's invitation. Somehow she knew this was a serious situation. She was as calm as I've ever seen her with a dog approach. There was no bouncing invite to play - she simply stayed in her heel position at my request and gently sniffed noses with the other dog. I doubt the woman will thank us or even recognize what we did - but Belle acted as a true partner with me today. I'll take that as recompense for missing the deer any day.
Speaker wishes to apologize for being so remiss in her blog updates. It's really hard to find time for updates when there's a puppy whirlwind underfoot. The Whirlwind blew out with the April snow late Monday, and life is almost back to normal.
But enough of the pup, this blog is supposed to be about me!
Yesterday, Lu celebrated her new found freedom by taking me with her while she went stool shopping with her friend (no, not that kind of stool - I give her those for free!). We went to this great place shaped like a giant pool table and tried out lots and lots of chairs. I was on my very best behavior - I practiced "step", both up and down, on the circular staircase. I sat for greeting, and even offered shake without leaving my seat or wiggling my butt around for a scritch. I picked up Lu's keys for the gazillionth time - honestly, Lu should really look into getting a collar on which she can clip those things. I practiced "back" through the aisles and aisles of chairs and learned that it's best to do back while keeping my tail still. I was so happy to be working again, my tail never stopped wagging. Unfortunately, it kept getting stuck in the rungs of the chairs I was passing. I guess I proved the adage "one step forward, two steps 'back'".
After the fun we had with the chairs, Lu and Lisa took me to lunch at Potbellies. Whoa, did I put on an awesome display of Super Duper Service Dog Skills! The restaurant was jammed. While we waited in line to order sandwiches, I practiced "across" and Lu even tried to teach me to tuck my tail in because it was in danger of getting stepped on by the starved masses ahead of us in line. But I really showed my moxie when Lu and Lisa sat down to eat. The table was so small that there was no place for me to "under". I had to drop/stay right in the aisle. During lunch, at least five people stepped over me - and I never even raised my head. Impressive, if I do say so myself.
After lunch, I made my first trip to Costco and met my first official non-Helping Paws service dog. Wow, was he awesome! He was a beautiful yellow lab and his mom asked if I could greet him. I was so excited, I started to do my happy wiggle, but Lu told me to watch how he was waiting so still and calm. I so wanted to be like him that I managed to calm myself enough that Lu allowed me to touch noses with him! Oh, rapture! (Doze, if you're reading this, don't worry. I still love you best of all!) I really liked his mom, too. She said some really nice things to Lu about how grateful she is for what Lu is doing with me.
Finally, this party girl topped off her perfect day by going to the Wine and Cheese party at Helping Paws and celebrating Dozer, Titus, Thor, Rocky and Laker's upcoming graduations. It was so much fun to see all my pals. Eileen even let me give her a snuggle! Whoo, what a perfect day!
Last night, the Helping Paws Big Dogs made the Tuesday night commuters feel as if they'd stepped into a canine version of the Steve Martin spoof, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". Sixteen dogs and twenty or so humans gathered at the Fort Snelling train platform to give the dogs experience riding a different form of public transit - light rail.
Charlie and Judy . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill and Thor, Sue and Mischa
On the train, the dogs got a great chance to practice their "unders", experience the motion of the moving train, and hear the soft "whoosh" of the automatic doors. Once we arrived at the airport, we took the airport tram to the terminal to practice various cues in the airport baggage and ticketing areas. We rode elevators, took stairs (practicing "step"), retrieved objects, loose leash walked, and as a special bonus, put smiles on many a weary travelers face.
Sue/Mischa, Marie and Dozer ... Brio and Sue, Hemi and Cathy
We even had time for a group photo on the stairs in the airport tram boarding area. A big thanks to Lynn and Judy!
Belle and I headed off to the Mall of America on Saturday to participate in the Helping Paws booth at the Volunteer Expo. Our hope is that we have recruited enough new foster homes to house and train the new puppies to be born to Tiga (yes, that Tiga!) and Peaches in late March and April.
Belle and Shannon were also the demo dogs that showed off their skills on the MOA stage while Lynn G. did a fabulous presentation about Helping Paws, who we are, and what we do. Belle did a fabulous job showing off her skills. At one point during the demo, I looked up and saw some familiar faces grinning at me across the crowd. Uncle J and Aunt J were shopping - noticed the show - and stopped to watch. They were as surprised as I to recognize someone they knew.
Overall, I give Belle a "C" for her work. She had one not so shining moment when a dad with a small toddler in his arms stooped to greet Belle. Belle came over and very gently said hello. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the stuffed animal (a little golden retriever pup, believe it or not) clutched loosely in the little girl's hand. Even more unfortunate, Belle did notice. As the little girl reached out to pet Belle, Belle took the pup right out of the little girl's hand. I immediately returned the pup to the little girl, but not before she burst into the most broken-hearted toddler tears. I desperately hope we didn't traumatize her for life.
Back to the drawing board. I guess I'll have to find some folks with toddlers and toys to practice "leave it" with so this won't ever happen again.
Belle, barking her fool head off every time the doorbell rings.
A new cue that Belle and I are working on is "Go To The Rug". This cue is used when someone knocks or rings the door bell. The trouble is, how does someone who receives as few visitors as I do, practice this cue in real time?
I asked Mr. Postman to help.
Every day when he delivers the mail he rings the doorbell. On or about his usual time, I practice the new cue with Belle. When the doorbell rings, I tell her to "Go To The Rug". Yesterday, I completely lost track of time and when the doorbell rang taking us all by surprise, not one dog noticed! Hey, it would have been really cool if she had gone to the rug, but baby steps, right? Not going postal at the sound was huge, really huge!
And isn't there something about "odd requests from postal customers" somewhere in the postal motto, "neither rain, nor snow, nor odd requests, shall keep the carrier from their appointed rounds?" If not, there should be. After all, how else can we teach these dogs to be a carrier's best friend?
Now just because Lu's been too lazy to write about my travels I don't want you thinking that I've been sitting on my paws, too.
I made an appearance at the 2008 Land O' Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show with my dog mom and a few of her friends, including Calvin whom I haven't seen in ever so long. In addition to giving those dog show beauty queens a run for their money, I also showed off the beauty of my service dog skills.
_________ Me (Belle), Jessica, Calvin, Jeanine, Laker, Maisie (Mom!), and Nancy
It's been a big week for Belle and I. On Friday night we attended the Fall 2007 Graduation and celebrated as Claudia and Koda, Sammi and Maddy, Janice and Kona, Starr and Cooper, and Deb and Trixie launched their new lives together.
The graduation speeches given by the human partners are always so eloquent, so heartfelt. But one thought in particular has stuck with me all week. So much so, that I used it in a demonstration Belle and I did yesterday for the National Guard Federal Campaign kick-off. The theme of the graduation speech was that giving is receiving.
The purpose of my demonstration yesterday was to give members of our National Guard examples of how the funds that they contribute to the Federal Campaign will be used. As I looked out at the faces of the men and women who give the ultimate in personal service, I wondered how I could ask more of those who give so much already. And so I didn't ask. I let the beautiful video that Helping Paws recently produced tell our story. I asked Belle to do what she does so well; entertain, enthrall, educate and charm. I thanked the group for all they do to keep us safe - at home and abroad. I also told them about Claudia's graduation comments. How for me, as a Helping Paws foster home for Belle, giving really is receiving.
On a beautiful September day, Belle, Cody and hundreds of golden retrievers, and their dog and human friends gathered at Snail Lake in Shoreview for the RAGOM Get Your Tail In Gear Fun Run/Walk and Picnic. It was a day for meeting old friends and new, loving and true.
Belle met a fellow Helping Paws friend, Koda with his foster mom, Lynn. Cody had a wonderful reunion with his first foster moms and dad, Jenny, Marie and Jim (Jenny, Marie and Cinder with Cody above). He also saw his brother Ollie for the first time since their rescue. Ollie's folks and I had a great time comparing notes of the brothers new lives with us and found that the two of them share a great many familiar traits.
As the picnic was winding down, I overcame my fear of letting Belle and Cody play in the water. We had watched as dogs and their owners had a great time with the complimentary tennis balls that were provided in our race packs. Finally, Belle and Cody's whimpers and whines and pleading eyes wore me down as ball after ball went sailing over the water with packs of enthusiastic hounds in hot pursuit. I waited until just the die-hards were left still playing. Everyone knows the type - the dogs that would sleep in the water if you'd let them. And then I released just Belle. She took off for the water and never looked back. She chased every tennis ball that was thrown, often with one in her mouth. If one hadn't been thrown in a while, she raced back to me, gave me a ball, and bolted back for the water. She chased the other dogs - their great bounding leaps through the water a blurry mass of wet gold shimmering in the sun. Meanwhile, Cody laid down in sorrow at still being at my side. What could I do? With a prayer I released him and before I could blink he was at Belle's side bounding and splashing and frolicking with all their other golden (and one black) friends.
My fears that they wouldn't return to me were totally unfounded. With some regularity, they raced back to me to be sure I was still there. Thanks to the Pet Chef's wonderful samples of Cat Fish Kibble, their trips back even began to increase in frequency. After forty-five minutes of the time of their lives, they came back one more time and I could tell they were tired. Happy, too! I slipped their gentle leaders on and we headed to the car, shimmying every few steps. Sadly, Belle stopped to squat every few steps, also. By the time we got to the car, she had stopped at least 10 times and had begun to whimper each time. I called Eileen, who, incredibly was able to give me the U's emergency vet number from memory. We stopped at the U on our way home, and an hour later, with Clavamox in hand, we headed for home. As tired as they were, the rest of the night was very quiet. What a great day!
I brought Belle with me to the golf tournament on Monday. Although she had been to one once before, it was over a year ago. She did wonderfully on the "whole", but I also witnessed some behaviors that surprised me - and that we will need to work on.
Long Drop/Stay: Belle normally does this cue very well. During class at the Training Center, she manages this cue despite the distractions of other dogs and other people. At home, she stays in place when I leave the office to go downstairs. At the golf course, however, staying with the cart when I went to take my shot made her miserable. She got up, she whined, she tried to follow, and horrors, once or twice she even barked. I guess we need to work on this cue in a wider variety of places.
Greetings: This is my ongoing nightmare as Belle's trainer. People would see her and walk right up to her, ignoring her pack. My focus was often on someone else at the time and the first I would know of the approach was Belle's tug on the leash. Even after I explained that she was working - many had a tough time keeping their hands off of her - and she wasn't helping either. I was in a bit of a dilemma - I could not be as firm as I would normally be as my primary role for the day was as ambassador. Still, Belle and I need to continue to work on this most troublesome of cues. She so loves people, it is difficult for her to maintain her focus on me in situations when others approach and my focus is elsewhere.
Get it: The tournament format was best ball. All four members of a team take their shots from the same place. The next shot is then taken from the best of the four shots, and so on until the team holes out. This often meant that I would have to pick up my ball from where it landed. I thought that retrieving my ball would be a good opportunity for Belle to practice get it, bring it, and give. The trouble came with her thinking I wanted her to pick up every ball, whether I gave her a cue or not. As a consequence, we ended up practicing leave it also.
Heel: The course rules require the use of a cart. Belle felt more comfortable walking/trotting next to the cart rather than sitting next to me in the cart. Thus, I pretended the cart was a "scooter" and had her at heel while I moved the cart from place to place. At times, she was perfect. At other times, particularly when she saw the other carts ahead of us, she wanted to "catch-up" to them. Again, this seems like a focus issue primarily. If she's truly focused on me and my needs, I would expect that she would ignore the other carts.
The neat part was I was the only one that really seemed to notice that Belle was not behaving as I would like. To the other golfers and guests - particularly at dinner - she was a model service dog in training. But the day really seemed to zoom in on what Belle and I must accomplish together if she is to graduate in nine short months. Belle needs more practice on attention in places with a variety of distractions to become the well seasoned pro she will need to be to be a Helping Paws Service Dog.
My favorite demonstration of all was yesterday. Belle and I went to the Minnesota State Fair to participate in the Helping Paws shows held in the Pet Center at 3, 5 and 6 PM. The crowds were huge as the weather was perfect for a day at the fair. Balmy, no humidity, a soft breeze, blue skies and sunshine called to the millions of Minnesotans that live here just for such days.
Last year, the State Fair was the first demonstration that Belle and I participated in. She was only nine months old at the time, but looked more like a full grown dog than a puppy. The format was the same. Nancy H., the Director of Foster Homes for Helping Paws gave the oral portion of the demonstration while those of us with dogs demonstrated the cues that our dogs know well. When the foster homes are done with showing off their dogs in training, the pro's come out. The working dogs that have graduated from our program and are now out in to the real world.
How wonderful for the crowd that these dogs and their partners come and show their tremendous skills - and the human/dog bond that is so precious between them. Spontaneous applause kept breaking out as the crowd was newly amazed with each skill the dogs displayed. Two of the biggest crowd pleasers were Josie performing "Get Help" and Dillon performing "open wide". I had never seen the "Get Help" cue performed and I was as fascinated as the crowd. Belle too, went in to high alert at Josie's loud directed bark at the closest human she found to help! Josie is a beautiful silver-gray standard poodle, and when she got help, you knew she meant business. The volunteer who she "got" really had to act fast before Josie was satisfied that help had indeed been got. What amazed me was how Josie picked the one human in the ring that did not have a dog - and how quickly she decided on the one she wanted to help. Everyone who witnessed Josie's work knew that something needed to be done, now. Belle didn't settle down until Josie did.
Dillon's unique cue of "open wide" was a little less dramatic, but impressive none the less. His partner had taught him this cue and she would trigger his action by wiggling her fingers directly in front of his snout. He would then open wide enough for her to get her entire fist into his mouth - and he held it open until she released him. Now why is this such an impressive cue? Well, if you've ever tried to brush a dog's teeth or get them to swallow a pill, or just hold their mouth open long enough for the vet to examine their oral health, you know what a wonder it is that a dog can be trained to open wide so willingly. Really cool stuff!
My only disappointment of the day was that there weren't more puppies. The one pup that came was simply magnificent - and the crowd was the biggest at the show in which the pup performed. I appreciate though, how tough a demo like the fair can be. There are so many people, and so many dogs, and so many smells, it's an amazing pup (and human) that can hold attention long enough to get through the show. I remember also, how exhausted both Belle and I were after our experience together last year - and we only did one show.
Belle and I had such success practicing with the wheelchair at the clinic that we took our show on the road again - this time to Molly's hair appointment downtown in the Gaviidae building. Since it was a Saturday morning, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The salon was hopping - Bruegger's was busy but the hallways and elevators were ours to practice whatever skills we felt like.
After we worked on her positioning with the wheelchair and moving around and up and through the skyways, we went into the salon itself to see how Molly's new look was progressing. It (her look) hadn't gotten very far yet - she does have a lot of hair to deal with, so Belle practiced her "long drop" for the duration of the cut - almost an hour and a half. It was the best LD she's ever done. I positioned her perpendicular to the side of the wheelchair but directly in front of the sofa that the salon provides for waiting clients. The sofa is in the middle of a long room with cutting chairs all along the perimeter. By positioning ourselves like this, customers and stylists could get past both the chair and Belle without tripping on either of us.
And get by us they did. Despite the steady stream of stylists and stylees walking past her, Belle didn't so much as raise her head during that long, long, long drop. Once in a while, she would look up at me as if to ask, "how much longer?", but she ignored the many feet that stepped within inches of her beautiful self. I was really proud of her!
The wait was worth it - Molly is all set to start college with a great new look, complete with her own set of layers and feathers and gorgeous gold locks.
"A few proviso's, quid pro quo's,...." Genie, Aladdin - 1994
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the blog author. The contents of this blog have not been reviewed or approved by Helping Paws, Inc.
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