Dante is in the Building

Outside the FedEx Forum

This past weekend Dante got to experience his first professional sporting event.  

One thing that should be noted is that not every puppy should be brought to such a busy venue.  Dante is very confident and I am not that into watching basketball, so I knew I could spend the whole time really working him, and could leave if he got overwhelmed.

The most annoying thing in the world fun part was before we even got in the building.  We were standing on the sidewalk while our friend went to go get the tickets.  This is when the parade of security started.  I don't really know why they were obsessed with us, but it seemed like they were just excited that they finally got to use what they had been taught on how to treat service animals.  We were the lucky recipients of this "enthusuism."   

Enter Security Guard #1.

Security #1: "Is that one of those service dog?"

Me: "Yes, he is a service dog in training."

Security #1: "Are you gonna take him inside?"

Me: "Yes, I am."

Security #1: "In to watch the game?"

Me: "Yes."     

Security #1: "Well, before you go in we are going to need to check and verify that, and will need to see and document all of its paperwork and stuff."

 Now I am getting a little annoyed.  The thing about service dogs and dogs in training, is that fully trained service dogs do not need to have any kind of identification.  Puppies in training do, as we go on the goodwill of business owners. This arrangement can get a little messy, because people generally don't get the difference between the two, so it leaves me in an awkward spot of having to comply, but still educate, so that the next service dog team that comes through their doors is not met with the opposition that "the last dog had ID, so you should too."


Security Guard #1 walks away.  Three minutes later Security #2 and #3 come over.

Security #2: "This is the service dog, right?"

Me: "Yes, he is in training."

Security #3 looks at his vest: "Ok, can I see his paperwork."

Me: hands over ID card and tries to educate them.

Security #3 proceeds to read the entire card front and back, and then...PEOPLE!  She copies every. single. word. on that card onto her little notepad. "11703...this is his tattoo number?"

Me: "Yes, do you need to see it in his ear?"

Security #3: "No.  (reads my mom's name) That's you?"

Me: (points to my name right under my mom's) "No, I'm Hannah"

Security #3: "OK.  Oh, this card is expired."

Me: "No it is not. It doesn't expire until August when I return him to Canine Companions."

Security#3: "Oh, I read it wrong.  Can I see you tickets?"

my mom hands over my ticket.

Security #3: "This is your ticket?  You are sitting in this exact seat?  And you're gonna have the dog?  In this exact seat with you?"

Me: "Yes."

(The funny thing is, I only sat in my seat for about 15 minutes.)

Security #2: "Ok, thank you." 

Security Guards #2 and #3 walk away.  My mom, Dante and I go to sit on a half wall to wait for the rest of our group to come back.  And then... Security Guard #4 comes over.  We are still OUTSIDE the building.  He starts the same thing as #1, and I tell him we did it all already, at which time Security #3 yells to him that she "Got it all already."  "Ok," he says, and walks away.

We get through the actual security, and make our way inside, where another plethora of security are heard radioing about "the dog in the building."  Add in the dozen or so (literally) screaming people because this is the last place they expect to see a Retriever, and we have made quite the entrance.  

Now we can get to how Dante did.  He was a rock star.  This dog is amazing.  We took a few minutes to sit and take it all in, and he was great.  We sat in our seats for a little, but it got too loud for him, so we spent some time at a table in the hall/concession area, and walking around with some friends.  It was a lot to take in, and aside from a few distracting moments, Dante did fantastic.

One thing about this crowd is that there were no drive-by petting attempts (petting while walking by, without asking), but full on trying to embrace him, and running up head-on with outstretched arms.  This was probably the busiest place Dante has ever been, so I said no to all questions about petting and to everyone else who didn't ask.  

 By half time, Dante was starting to wind down, and we decided to leave on a good note and while he was still doing well.  So proud of this boy and the situations he has proven he can handle!

 

View from our seats | People watching | Watching from our seat

Kindness

When you have a puppy tag along with you to various public places, you get to meet a lot of people that you may otherwise never have.  Sometimes they can be rude, like when I walked into an empty sporting complex, past a sign that read, "No Dogs Allowed Except Service Animals." and the man walking in behind me sarcastically asked if I knew how to read.  

But more often than not, you get to interact with really sweet people who genuinely want to learn about Dante, and are cheering on his success.  When we were out to lunch on Sunday, I had the privilege of meeting two more of these.

Every single table in the main area was full, so they had opened up the private room (that can be reserved) for everyone.  There were two rows of table along each wall, with a narrow isle in between.  There was only one table left, right in the middle.  Because service animals do go pretty much everywhere, they need to be able to scrunch up small and stay out of the way, but the tables were so close that there was literally no where to put Dante where he wouldn't protrude into the isle.  A sixty-six pound Retriever does not fit completely under a chair, but in an attempt to get him as out-of-the-way as possible, I commanded Dante to go "under" my chair.  He did, but as he scooted around to get more comfortable, he moved the chair too.  It was really quite pathetic to watch, and I think everyone who saw him had pity (but trust me - he has those puppy eyes down pat!).  

There were two women at the table behind us who saw him and exclaimed, "Aww, poor baby!"  I replied that he would be OK because he does need to get used to it.  Their table was in the corner, and therefore had some extra space up against the wall.  They said, "Let's switch tables.  He will have so much more room over here."  Before I could protest, they were gathering up their drinks, food and laptops and moving tables.  While it is important for Dante to be able to stay small, he does it well when asked to (and it is a pain to worry about someone stepping on him), so I thanked them profusely.  

 You never really know how people will react to a dog in public.  We have had multiple people roll their eyes and act disgusted at a the sight of a dog in the produce isle - and there is that one cashier at Kroger who always screams and refuses to check us out because she is afraid of dogs.  It is not every day that someone goes so out of the way to show kindness to a stranger.  But I was so appreciative for these sweet ladies.  

Usually I say no to petting as Dante is very people-oriented and will seek out attention.  But he had been great this day, so as we got up to leave, we said goodbye and one last "thanks" to them, and I asked if they wanted to greet him.  They told me that they didn't want to ask, but were so glad I offered.  Dante soaked up the attention and we parted our ways with smiles all around.  

So, today would you show kindness to a stranger?  It is such a blessing and goes farther than you think!

On Public Outings

I do not know how many times I have heard from people, "I wish I could bring my dog everywhere too."

Once you get past the "it is illegal unless they are service dogs," and into the it is "cool to have a dog with you at the movies," one really can not blame them, seeing that they have little-to-no experience with service dogs and the effort that it takes to get them comfortable in public.

 And it does take a lot of effort, and sometimes a good dose of embarrassment to traipse around with a puppy.  Once Dante got past the I-am-going-to-bark-my-head-off-because-I-am-bored phase, it has become a great deal more enjoyable.  While most of the time having Dante in tow adds a whole new level of fun and interesting, I leave him in his crate on a regular basis because I just need a break.  And I haven't even touched on the million things you bring in your doggy diaper bag: poop bags, treat pouch, clean-up supplies, water bottle, poop bags, vest, extra leash, pamphlets to hand out, oh and did I mention poop bags?

 There are some places that a puppy raiser does not enjoy taking their puppy to for one reason or another, but they do it anyways because it is good exposure.  Mine is Whole Foods.  Don't get me wrong, I actually like this store, but it is hard for a puppy.

It starts before you even get inside.  It is in the city, which means noise, noise, and lots of distractions.  Oh, and the train that comes through right across the street.  The only spot to "hurry" is the concrete strip between parking space rows.  This, in reality, isn't bad because puppies in training need to be able to relieve anywhere, but with all the distractions, and even though Dante is awesome about going on any surface, it takes a looooooong time to get business done.

Inside the store, the aisles are narrow, and it is always mobbed with people.  Again, this is a good thing for Dante to be able to work through, but it is inevitable that someone always bumps into him.  The fact that the floor is the same color as Dante's fur, does not help matters much either.

 You may be asking, "Then why do you go there?"  Because it is so good for Dante's training.  He may end up with someone who lives in the city and so he needs to be comfortable there and not get distracted.  He needs to learn how to stay focused on his handler when there are sooo many good things very close around him.  And he has already learned not to be startled and whip around when someone brushes up against his side.  So, we will continue on these, our not-so-favorite outings, loaded with treats! ;-)

If it weren't for the bright yellow vest, I don't think we would risk it ;-)

Road Trip

11 days.

2200 miles.

32 hours in the car.

2 different hotels.

2 different houses.

A little crazy.

A lot of family time.

Oh, and a couple of cats, too!

Dante came on his second big trip with my family.  We went up North to visit family.  We spent four total days driving, two of which were twelve-hours each.  I have said it before, and I will say it again: this dog is an awesome traveler!  It was a great trip for Dante because he had a ton of new experiences: new places to stay, new people, new stores, new animals to live with.  It could have been very overwhelming, but Dante did great.

On the way up, we stopped at Cabella's (outdoors store).  In the past, Dante has had trouble with taxidermy (barking at them in a museum, oops!), but this place was taxidermy heaven, and not a peep was heard!  Yay!

While we were there, there was lots of time with family and friends, lots of outings to new places, and lots of exploring my grandparent's farm and long walks.

Just a fraction of the damage that Sandy caused.

"Please let me go swimming!"

On the way home, we stopped in Nashville where we explored the replicated Parthenon.  I will admit that I was worried about Dante's behavior in a museum as we had been in the car for thirteen hours the day before, but he was very good, and no tantrums were had.  I do have to give him credit for saving his worst moments for the privacy of home.  ;-)

Totally oblivious - at least Dante is aware of these things :-)

Me, Dante, and Rebecca in front of Athena

You Could Do That

"So you have to give them back?  I could never do that."

 This statement is probably one of the most-heard to puppy raisers.  Honestly, it annoys me a little bit.  Two things can be implied when this is said.  One, I don't love my puppy enough because I can just pass him along to someone else, and two, genuine admiration for what we puppy raisers do.

We can get the former out of the way quickly.  How could you not fall completely in love with a puppy that sticks to your side almost 24/7 for 18 months?  I can quite confidently assure you that every puppy raiser loves their puppy so much it hurts.  To be able to give them to someone who needs them, I believe, shows that you love them enough to let them go, and live the happiest and fullest lives - even if that life is away from you.

The latter is harder.  You could do it too.  Can I ask you a few questions?  Okay, good.  How often do you get to have such a cute, furry "service project" that involves every part of your life, not just a few set-aside hours per week?  It is a pretty special and humbling experience.  Yes, it is hard at times, but the fun far outweighs the rough.  How often can you invest so much into ONE life?  Pouring your love into a dog, so that they can then pour that out into someone else?  It is humbling.  My "standard" short answer is that someone else needs him more than I do.  While I love this dog so, so much, he has the chance to make a difference in a life.  And that life is of great value, so how could I not do it?

 No, I have not had to turn in a puppy yet, but I can pretty much guarantee you that my heart will be shattered on August 16, 2013 when I say goodbye to my baby boy.  But can I tell you a secret?  That's okay.  There are so many good things I could list as to why you should raise a puppy, but I am not known for dancing around with words, so I will put it bluntly: not everything we do in life is about ourselves.  My happiness (or lack thereof) is not the most important thing in the world.  I know Someone who has done so. much. more. for me.  It is okay to be broken sometimes.  It is okay to do hard things.  It is great to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Blast from the Past

A few weeks ago, I got in contact with Dante's grandma's Breeder Caretaker (still waiting to get in contact with D's mom).  He was so nice and turns out he did the D litter's weekly litter shots up until 8 weeks when the went out to their raisers.  He sent a bunch to me and they are too cute not to share!  (P.S. CCI color codes their puppies to keep track of birth order, etc.  Dante is the one with the hot pink collar.)

This is Dante's great grandma, grandma and mom.  Dante is the spitting image of his mom.  I can't get over how much he looks like her!

6 weeks litter shot.  Dante is second from right, sitting up.

7 week litter shot.  Dante is second from left, sitting up.

Thank you, Mr. K for the great photos and allowing me to share them!