Six Weeks

Over the last six weeks I have sat down to write on my little blog more than once.  Sometimes I got a few sentences in and erased it all; sometimes I couldn't bring up any words at all.  These past six weeks have brought a lot of change.  Some good, some hard, but all God's perfect plan. A post like this will never be how I envisioned chronicling these events, but life doesn't always play out how you envision it either.

Before turn in, Moray had one last adventure with my family.  We did some traveling which included a visit to New York City, and his first flight to Orlando:

November 7th was my last day holding Moray's leash as a puppy in program.  That afternoon, I gave my little buddy one last kiss goodbye as he entered Professional training.

Two-and-a-half short weeks later, on the day before Thanksgiving, our puppy program manager called with the news no puppy raiser wants to hear.  Moray's release from training was not a complete surprise, but much of what she had to say was hard to process.  Moray decided that being a service dog just was not for him, and has been adopted by my grandparents to live as a spoiled Change of Career pet.  

From when he was still a PIT

Moray, 

You were a joy, always.  The sixteen months that I was blessed enough to have you were some of the best in my life so far.  I don't know all that God has in plan for you or I, but I know it's going to be pretty amazing.  Thank you for loving so freely and always knowing how to make everyone around you laugh.  I will always be proud to have been your puppy raiser.  I love you forever.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Congratulations! 

Today is your day.

You're off to great places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose. 

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.

 About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

You're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any

You'll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

You'll head strait out of town.

It's opener there

In the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

And frequently do

To people as brainy

And footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,

Don't worry.  Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

Who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.

Wherever you go, you'll top all the rest.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
As you already know.
You'll get mixed up
With many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact.
And remember that Life's
A Great Balancing Act. 
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes!  You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
Or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea
You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So... get on your way!

**All text taken from "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss.  Copyright by Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. 1960**

Today

Today.

Today marks fifty days until Moray says goodbye to Tennessee.

Today marks fifty-eight days till I say goodbye to my best little buddy.

Today is the day that those first tears have slipped out from under my eyelids.  

When you pick these bouncy, rolley-polley puppies up at not-quite-eight weeks old, eighteen months seems like a lifetime away.  Before you know it, they finally can hold their bladders until you get them outside, they learn not to howl in their kennels, they "sit," "stand, " "heel," "jump," "roll," "under," and so much more with only the whisper of a word.  They prance next to you with that coveted "J" in their leash, not even tugging at that grown man whistling at them across the isle, rather, looking up at you as if to say "take that.  I'm so good, aren't I mom?"  All the while they are wiggling their way into the deepest parts of your heart.

And all too soon, you find yourself with an email glaring at you in your inbox entitled "November Matriculation is Approaching."  

No.

Just no.

I'm not ready for this.

But then you look down at the almost-seventeen month old puppy snoozing on your feet and you realize that he is ready.  

All his commands have been learned (more or less).

All your worries about his behavior in public have disappeared, and he can handle just about anything with confidence and ease.

But most importantly, he knows how to love.  He knows how to laugh.  He knows a simple game of fetch should be the highlight of your day.  He knows he can make friends wherever he is.  He knows mornings are greeted with wiggles and happy dances, and nights are ended with a kiss.  

He's ready.  

You just need to catch up.

Moray's Nemesis

Every Monday for the last fourteen months, Moray and I have sat in the driveway to do his grooming.  He cradles to trim nails, stands to have his shiny black fur brushed out, and sits to flush his ears with cleaner before it's back inside to clean those pearly whites.  

But every time the bottle of ear cleaner comes out, Moray does the same thing.  He looks at me, back to the bottle, and jumps back to the end of his leash.  

 Of course I'm armed with kibble.  And believe me, kibble is a step-down from having used pieces of cheese for a while.

Moray looks at the bottle.

"Yes!"  I mark his behavior.  Moray locks eyes with me, pleasantly surprised for the praise.  I deliver a treat.

Moray looks at the bottle again.

"Yes!  What a good boy! This is fun!"

He's not quite believing me, but hey, there's food so he's in.  

Moray looks at the bottle again, then back at me.  By this time he's gotten the rules of this game, which means it's time to take it a step further.

I wait.  Moray shifts his focus back and forth a few times before taking a hesitant step toward the bottle that sits a few feet away.

"Yes! Nice job!"  More treats.

A few more reps, and he is touching the bottle with his nose before receiving his precious piece of kibble.  Time to amp it up some more. 

I pick up the bottle.  Moray steps back.  

I hold a treat about a foot away from the bottle, give Moray the "okay," and he steps forward, able to push the limits of his comfort for a single piece of food.  He's certainly a labrador through and through.

"Yes! Oh you're so brave, Moray Man!"

A few more minutes and I touch the bottle to the outside of his ear. Several more, and ear cleaning in over with.  'Till next time...

Birthday, what?

On April 14, 2014 Moray turned one year old.  I guess I could say how I can't believe he's a year already, but the truth is, he's now fourteen months.  Yes, FOURTEEN MONTHS OLD.  Where has the time gone?   I seriously want it all back.  My time in months left to raise Moray can now be counted on a single hand.  Where did this 20-week-old-swimming-in-his-big-boy-vest go?

Just shy of 5 months

Moray can be a little slow to catch on to things in some areas, so while it seems progress goes at a snail's pace sometimes, days like today come where his behavior is impeccable on an outing that is several hours long in a crowed mall, and I never had to use a single piece of kibble to regain his attention.  Wowza! It hits me that he could have NEVER done that even a few months ago.

13 months old

Moray Man, as he is affectionally called in our house, has been such a joyful puppy to raise.  We have had our ups and downs and drama, but he is so happy and willing to please.  He has now mastered 29 of his 30 commands (still perfecting that last one), and many of his outings are old hat: i.e., it take some work to find new and challenging places for him to work.  

We have a couple things that we are still working through, and sometimes I get overwhelmed by "how much he can't do," and pressure to check "x," "y," and "z" off my list of Things to Do Before Turn In.  Sometimes *I* just need to step back and look at the long road already behind us and, for once, take my cue from Moray to just live here and now, enjoying every moment on this puppy raising journey, because before we know it, he will be of to his next greatest adventure.

Discovery Park of America

Back in April (yes, we're working our way backwards) Moray came on a field trip to Discovery Park of America.  This is a pretty new museum that is about two hours from where we live and has pretty much anything you can imagine a museum can have.  It is a really cool place, and an awesome training outing for Moray!

Entrance to the park

During the latter half of March and all of April, Moray had a skin infection on his face that started as a result of an abrasion from his gentle leader.  This meant we were not allowed to use a head collar at all for over six weeks.  We got permission to use a martingale collar with him during this time, but if you have any experience with training collars, you know that a martingale doesn't offer nearly the control that a head collar does; which in turn means that the dog has to work harder and show a lot more self control than with a head collar.  It was kind of frustrating at times to have that option taken away, but it was a great time for Moray to really develop his self control all on his own.

Our field trip landed right in the middle of this, and with it being a popular spot for school tours, and lots of people and kids there that day, Moray was pushed to his limit and really stretched in his ability to stay focused on me.  But he proved himself well and did fantastic all day. The museum only opened last November, and one of the docents told me that Moray was the first service dog he has seen come through and that we set a very good example for all the rest.  Yay!  I don't think there's a higher compliment for a raiser and puppy in training than that. 

The first thing that Moray saw was a mini aquarium.  This was the first time he has seen fish tanks, and he was so interested, but still collected himself well.

In the bubble!

We took a few minutes to just sit and watch all the busyness going on.  In new places, its often most productive to let them take it all in before you ask them to participate and work throughout the crazy.  

There were TONS of school field trips there and lots of kids running around.  I'm not a fan of doing these types of things because kids often try to get all over Moray without permission, but I was pleasantly surprised by their behavior and we only had a handful of drive-by pettings that we had to deal with.  

One of the coolest things they have there is an earthquake simulator.  Moray got to go in with us and it was really good for him!  He was slightly startled at the movement at first but, did well, as I praised him throughout.

In the earthquake simulator with my mom

Moray also got to learn about glass elevators, stopping frequently to look at exhibits while weaving through lots of people, playing dress-up, waiting (with my mom!) for me at the bottom of a huge slide, and even aquatinted himself with several dinosaurs! 

Can anyone name the object in the picture?!

"Up" on a meteorite! 

Heat sensor, anyone?

There was also a huge section of the museum that was outside that we got to explore.  Moray was a little distracted by some geese and ducks he saw, but did very well, and was so exhausted by the time we headed home!

Uh oh...

A "challenge" started by our friend Monica!

Dear Moray

Dear Mor,
You are such a sweet boy!  I love your joy and zest for life, and I also love that you, unlike others in the household, don't roll your eyes when I call you funny names like Mor, but come bounding over to walk through the house between my legs anyways.  

 I love how much you adore your "big brother" Dante, and how you are always trying to be like him.  But I also love how you haven't picked up his bad habbits no matter how many times he yanks that gentle leader off your nose "for you," or tries to make it look like you were the one who stole that dish towel.  I especially love when you dance your Happies (yes, we have coined a new word for Mor's level of joy) after every meal, and how you never get tired of jumping up and wagging your tail in response to anyone's laughter.

First snow.  Yes it's just a dusting, but that's all you can expect from the south!

I love your sweet, innocent heart and love of life.  Bless your heart, you may not be the fastest learner I've ever met, but by golly you love to learn and work!

And as much as I correct you for being distracted, I do love how you are not afraid to make everyone your new best friend, and let them know they are special.

As much as I tease you about how much goes unnoticed while you lead your happy-go-lucky life, I have a love/hate relationship with how you always seem to know the difference between when I'm testing you intentionally, and when challenges just happen to pop up.  I love how you are teaching me to be a better puppy raiser and handler.

Ignoring cookies like a pro.

And I love how you forgive over and over when I do make mistakes.  I love how you let me know if I've pushed you too far, and how you are always happy to backtrack and try again; whether by your fault or mine.

perfect "up" and "wait."

While some times over the last nine months have been rough, I consider it a true privilege to be your puppy raiser and cannot believe our time together is already halfway over.  I look forward, although slightly sad, to our next nine months and everything we have to explore and learn about together.