Hey look, a real blog post!  Didn't know I was capable of it -- and on a Monday night to boot!  But, in all seriousness, Moray has had a busy week, months, and year so far!  

One of Moray's most exciting things of the last few weeks has been a road trip with my family.  We traveled 12 hours in the car each way, and he was a fantastic traveler and sidekick.

Hanging on his pillow.

 

Pit stop and water-drinking.

This was his first big trip, and actually his only one besides a trip for our CCI puppy raiser workshop last summer when he was only 14 weeks old!  It really stretched him as he had a lot more "working time" than he is used to, and every single place we went to was new for him.  

"Hotels are fun!"

Moray got to visit with several of our friends' dogs and have play time with them.  Although, making sure he had enough play time and down time was definitely a challenge since the weather did not always cooperate.  We got creative!

Like running between my mom and I up and down 3 stories of stairs in the hotel!

And Fetch in the room!

A friend's dog, Lola, and Moray.

We did have one set back for the week.  Moray had been running with a friend's dog in their yard, which is partly concrete.  We are always careful, and he seemed fine when he was running and even when we left to go to lunch.  Once we got back to our hotel, however, we were noticing blood all over the carpet.  Moray plays hard, so hard that I haven't had to cut his back nails for months becasue he wears them down himself.  It turned out that he had worn four of them down so far they started bleeding uncontrollably.  Thankfully, the hotel was fantastic about it, and even though they were not a pet-friendly place, they were so nice and felt so bad for Moray.  Some styptic powder and "new skin" for slightly scraped paws, and he was fine.

Moray thinks "Dancing with the Stars" is a good way to unwind!

One of the things that was so funny was Moray's complete and utter LOVE for my brother in law.  Moray is always friendly and happy to meet people, but I have never seen him take to someone like he did Curtis.  He was so cute (and a little naughty!) following him around, and trying to figure out what his beard was! It was so instant, and so precious!

The rest of our week there was filled with visiting at friends' houses, going to restaurants, stores, and even the mall.  Moray was very good the whole time!  This was by far his biggest challenge.  While he is confident, he is also pretty laid back, and doesn't necessarily need -- or want -- to be "working" all the time.  He was so good on all his outings, and showed he is capable, and becoming much more reliable in his good behavior. Yay Moray!  I will admit I was kind of nervous to see how you would do, but you really proved yourself!  he is well on his way to becoming an amazing assistance dog!

"Look how small and out-of-the-way I can stay!"

We also got to do some educating on service dogs and laws that give them public access.  Yay for open business who want to learn, and a perfect little ambassador in Moray!

Sleepy head after a loooooooong day!

"Where we headed next?"

AWESOME job in a crowded coffee shop.

Cutie Patootie at the mall!

"Under!"

"Up!

So stinkin' cute!

Nice loose leash, Mor!

Bowling is boring!

So focused and good!

SO sleepy on the way home!

Awkward Moments

I think that any puppy raiser, or dog person for that matter, has their moments of awkwardness.  While this list is not at all conclusive, I think it is a good start.

That Awkward Moment When...

•  ...You spend several minutes trying to convince a stranger that the Gentle Leader is not a muzzle, and that it doesn't bother your puppy at all, and on cue, your puppy starts rubbing his face up and down your leg before melting into a puddle of unhappy, face-rubbing puppy.
• ...A stranger waves his had in front of your face because he thinks you're blind.
• ...An employee yells from across the store, "Why do you have a rubber band on its face?"
• ...The man in front of you at the grocery store compliments your puppy's looks, then turns and says to his companion, "He's okay for a furry, shaggy one that is."
• ...You wave to your neighbor, forgetting about the freshly-filled poop bag in that same hand.
• While we're on the subject... You run into the store, and forget about the volume of your voice as you describe the consistency of your puppy's poop to your mom, and any unidentified objects in said substance.
• ...Your puppy is giving you The Eyes because he wants ice cubes from Starbucks, and the man sitting next to you says, "If my dogs were in here, they would actually be happy."
• ...A group of people gather around and start gushing over and talking about your puppy without saying anything to you.  Do I engage, or walk away???
• ...Your puppy has a UTI, and you have spent the last two days cleaning up messes every seven minutes.  You wake up the next morning and realize that your entire dream was cleaning pee off the kitchen floor.
• ...You're giving a presentation about Canine Companions at a school, demonstrating some of your puppy's commands.  You put out your hand like you're about to ask for a "shake," but instead say "speak" to show how we can test if they are really listening to us.  Your puppy instead shakes your hand.  Everyone laughs, so he does it again and again... and again for the attention.

 What funny and/or awkward situations have you and your puppy been in lately?

Let's be Clear

I am a puppy raiser.  That means that I do not get to keep this dog that I raise, train, socialize, and take with me nearly everywhere I go.  Oh, and I also love him.  Very much.

I have had many people imply that they think I may not love this puppy because I can give him up, but never so bluntly as today.

I made a quick stop at Petco to get some High Value Treats for Dante.  Since it only took me five minutes, I left him in the car with my sister and just ran in myself.  The cashier was asking me about my dog and such, and I told him about Dante and how I was raising him for CCI... my typical spiel.  He asked about what I do in training and such, and I said that I have him for about 18 months, teach basic house manners, commands, and socialization before I give him back to finish training and hopefully be place with someone who needs him.  "So you don't get to keep him?"  He asked.  "No I don't, but someone needs him more than I do," I replied.  "So I guess you don't get attached to him.  I am a real dog lover and could never do something like that to my dogs.  It must be sooo hard on the dog emotionally to just be ripped apart from the one person he loves."  I wish I could say that I educated him on how CCI puppies are so well monitored and how we make sure that they are comfortable with different people and in different houses, and how each of the dozens of people who are involved in their lives loves them to pieces, and they have the most amazing lives of any dogs I have ever heard of.  But I was caught off guard by his bluntness, and was at a loss for words, besides a small amount of defensiveness.  I said something along the lines of how much I do love Dante and that he would do great, and also stressed again that he has an important job to do.

Even though in hindsight I know I could have said something better, I now have thought through it and have an answer for the next person who asks.

But I am writing this to make something clear: I love this puppy with all of my heart.  Yes, we butt heads at times, but when Dante leaves, he is going to take a big chunk of my heart with him.  And as I have said before, that's okay.  You know what?  I am a huge dog lover too.  I have always had a soft spot for Goldens especially.  To be a puppy raiser you have to be a dog lover - more specifically a puppy lover.  But first and foremost you have to be a people lover.  It is the only reason you can give them away, because someone needs him more than I do, and - as much as I am leery about it - will love him as much, if not more, than I do.

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 ;-)

On Education

(Warning: this is my soapbox.  I try my best to write this as nicely as possible, but it is the truth and it really happens.)

Dante and I went to the library just like any other time.  I wanted to look at some stuff and brought some work that I had to get done.  I thought this would be a perfect time for Dante to get some "chilling out" practice.  

I was looking at some books at the end of an isle, about four rows in from the back corner.  I was just inside the isle, and Dante was on my left, just outside the isle. There is a huge table at this back corner that was currently filled with a group of high school students.  Now, I will try to write this sensitively, but from first glance, they did not seem like the most mature group of young adults I have ever met.  

I mind my own business, with my back to them, and then I hear what I think is someone barking.  I ignore it, but hear it again.  This is where I say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" to myself.  

Now, I have stood speechless on more than one occasion where grown men have made kissing noises at Dante.  Most of the time if you ignore them, they move on, but on one occasion he did not, I turned and politely explained Dante's training and asked him to stop, and he did.  

But this was not the same.  At all.  It is one thing to try to distract and get my dog's attention: he is already amazing distinguishing when someone is distracting him and I don't want him to give his attention to them, and when someone wants to greet him.  But it is completely different when you deliberately and insistently try to egg him on, work him up and try to get him to react.  I have spent FAR too much time teaching this pup NOT to bark in public for you to ruin it in less than 2 minutes.  You see where I'm heading, right?

By the fourth time, I decided that I could not let it go.  Reminding myself of Whom I represent, I did not lose my temper, but you can imagine that I was rather annoyed.  I commanded Dante to "let's go," and we walked determinedly to the last isle where the teenager was "hiding" behind the last shelf of books.  A chorus of "Oh"s from the table to our right, meaning that the rest of them were not expecting me to confront him.  

We came around the corner and I asked, "excuse me?"  In a you are the person I'm looking for, right? (sarcastic) tone.  I then gave a rather lengthy educational talk on service dogs, their jobs, and why you cannot distract them.  Including "distracting (insistently barking at) service dogs is harassment" statement. I would say that I was rather calm and composed, considering.  

You know what his answer was?  Apologize, you say?  I wish.  He then stated, "well, I didn't know he was still in training.  I thought he was yours."  (soapbox)  Like thinking that I was disabled and my dog was currently helping me, any more justifies your actions!!!

A few words on why it can be so detrimental to a service dog team, and I left.  Hearing, "did you see what happened with  _____ (teen's name)?"  "She actually came over and said something to him. . ."  following me as I walked away.  

As a puppy raiser, one of my most important jobs is educating the public.  And doing so in a manner that reflects well on myself and CCI.  I am always happy to talk to people about service dogs who genuinely want to learn about them.  But it is so much harder to keep the same positive mindset when educating more ignorant (for lack of a better word) individuals.  My goal in education?  That one less person will bark at a working team.  And if that is accomplished, then I have done my job. 

Dante asleep under the table at the library