Playing Keep-Away for a Good Reason

Last blog, my PR mom was "teaching." This week, I guess I am. But first... I'll show you how we celebrated Easter Sunday here. My PRs had told me about my Creator's resurrection... but I had an idea that there was also supposed to be a little springtime-and-flowers ambiance. Right?



I ask you! Does this look like springtime???

Well, all right. I'll put on my teacher's hat now.



(How embarrassing. But at least it isn't my Gentle Leader.)













Mom picked up a little booklet at the vet's office when she was getting me some Heartguard. It's called, "101 Things You Didn't Know Could Harm Your Pet." Although the booklet sells pet insurance, it also warns about things Mom says dog people should know. Dogs, too.

As marvelous as we canines are - especially CCI dogs - there are actually things out there that can hurt us! Can you imagine? So, my fellow four-footies (including MEE-YOWs, I guess), let's keep away from these things this summer. Happily for you, I'm not going to list all 101! But here are some of the good ones:

HOME, SWEET HOME: Maybe we'll never get into the medicine cabinet (it's too high up), but if we find a pill on the floor we're liable to check it out with our tongues. So don't let us find aspirin, ibuprofen, or other such things. Keep us away from vitamins and any kind of people medicine. Keep us away from diet pills and insulin. To us, the stuff looks like doggy treats!



(...These are dog treats.)








(On the other hand, these are not....)



Keep us away, too, from detergent, fabric softener, drain cleaner, any kind of bug spray, mouse (or rat or snail) bait, and mothballs. (What the moths are doing playing with balls I don't know.) Keep us away from paint thinners, tobacco, and liquid potpourri. Whew! I mean, let us have carrots, puppy biscuits, and peanut butter (yeah!), but not Drano, cigar butts, or dryer sheets!


NOW GROWING IN A YARD NEAR YOU: I'm (ahem) much too grown up to nibble on plants... except that little one over there. Oh, and that one looks interesting, too.

So this is part of the HUGE no-no list: lilies, ferns, ivy, bittersweet, morning glories, daffodils, hyacinths, honeysuckle, iris, lantana, lilies of the valley (they're cute), oleander (nasty!), privet, tulips, wisterias, and yews. They look great, but plant 'em where we can't get to 'em.


FOODIE WARNING: Like most Labs (and lots of other pups), I'll do almost anything for food (except have my nails trimmed)! But we get very sick if we even try out chocolate, coffee (I almost tried that the other day!), garlic, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, salt, tea leaves, booze, wine, avocados, raw yeast dough, anything with xylitol (like gum), food with a lot of fat on it, or food that's moldy. I've never tasted chocolate (my mom kindly eats it for me). I hear I'm getting a cake for my birthday next month... but not a chocolate one!


THESE ARE NOT GOOD TOYS... but if we find 'em, we'll play with 'em! Keep us from finding batteries (chew toys!), twist-ties, coins, rubber bands, socks or nylons (I've heard hospital stories about those!), string, dental floss, jewelry (ouch!), pins, cotton swabs, buttons, plastic wrap, paper clips, or little bitty balls. They're small enough to chew and swallow, but once they get inside me I'm in trouble. So are you.


CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION... toilets are not good for us to drink from! So give us lots of fresh water in beautiful, big, clean bowls (preferably in gorgeous colors with our names painted on them), and keep the toilet lid down, thank you.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS... won't be great for me if I get stuck by the neck in a broken fence (or lattice), or if I run out an open gate or wide place in the fence. Don't let me get into gasoline or (shudder) anti-freeze - it's sweet but even a tiny bit can kill me! - weed killer, bug spray, or compost (made out of stuff that smells good to me), especially if it's moldy. Remember, we delightful dogs try out anything we find interesting. We just can't help ourselves.

Don't invite me to your yard if you have COCOA-BEAN SHELL MULCH around your trees or in your flower beds. It'll smell good and taste good, but it's related to chocolate - it can make me so sick you wouldn't believe it.

Don't ever leave me alone in your POOL or HOT TUB! No dog can swim that well! Do you know how hard it is to get out if you're weighed down with wet fur? Scary.


Speaking of scary, a reliable source (my cousin Zebrina - I'll write about her visit later) told me INDEPENDENCE DAY is coming up this summer. She says Fourth of July is all about scary decorations in the sky and scary noises on the ground (just down the street!). When she was a little pup she was so scared she couldn't even stay in the back yard, and had to go inside and hide in a corner. My mom says many dogs run away and get hurt because fireworks are so scary. They'll thank people who protect them from all that, no matter how much fun the people have with it.

Sigh. This one isn't in the booklet, but my PRs said to tell you. Learn NOT TO COUNTER-SURF! (Counter-surfing is higher-up hoovering. You know what hoovering is, right?) Sorry, guys! It's fun, but we feel so smart standing tall and reaching up to the counter that we're not always smart about what we take off it. We should not practice our "up" command on the kitchen or bathroom counter without supervision (my new word). Yes, I know the commercial where the dog takes the man's sandwich off the counter and puts the MEE-YOW there, but that's make-believe.

Do your people want to know more? Tell them to talk to your vet. (You don't have to be there.)

We dogs - our Creator's finest work (ahem) - are so wonderful that of course people will want to keep us safe and happy. We need to wag our tails even more, and let them pet us more, when they do. We could even take them for more walks. (That's good for them, too.)

Playing Keep-Away for a Good Reason

Last blog, my PR Mom was "teaching." This time, I guess I am. But first... let me show you how we celebrated Easter Sunday here. My PRs have told me about my Creator's Resurrection... but I had an idea that there was also supposed to be a little springtime-and-flowers ambiance. Right?



I ask you! Does this look like spring?

Well, all right. Now I'll put on my teacher's hat.



(At least it isn't a Gentle Leader.)

Mom picked up a little booklet a the vet's office when she was getting me some Heartguard. It's called, "101 Things You Didn't Know Could Harm Your Pet." Although the booklet is selling pet insurance, it warns about things Mom says every pet owner should know. Every pet, too.

As marvelous as we canines are (especially CCI dogs), there are actually things out there that can hurt us! Can you imagine? So, my fellow four-footies (including MEE-YOWs, I guess), let's keep away from these things this summer. Happily for you, I'm not gonna list all 101. But here are some of the good ones:

HOME, SWEET HOME: Maybe I'll never get into the medicine cabinet (it's too high up), but if I find a pill on the floor I'm liable to check it out with my tongue. So don't let me find aspirin, ibuprofin, or any such thing. Keep me away from vitamins and any kind of people medicine. Keep me away from diet pills and insulin. To us dogs, the stuff looks like doggy treats!

(These are dog treats.)

(These are not.)

Keep us away from detergent, fabric softener, disinfectants, drain cleaners, any kind of bug spray, mouse (or rat or snail) bait, and mothballs. (What the moths are doing playing with balls I don't know.) Keep us away from paint thinners, tobacco, and liquid potpourri. Let us have carrots, puppy biscuits, and peanut butter, but not Drano, cigar butts, or dryer sheets!

NOW GROWING IN A YARD NEAR YOU: I'm (ahem) much too grown up to nibble on plants... except maybe that little one over there. Oh, and that one looks good, too. This is part of the HUGE no-no list: Lilies, ferns, ivy, bittersweet, morning glories, daffodils, hyscinths, honeysuckle, iris, lantana, lilies of the valley (they're cute), oleander (nasty!), privet, tulips, wisterias, and yews. They may look good, but plant 'em where we just can't get to 'em.

The TRUTH about CCI Dogs!

Yawwwwwwn! I'm not writing today. Here's why: I have a friend named Gamay. She is famous as the only CCI puppy being raised in Buena Vista, Colorado. Her PR Mom threw out a question for all the PRs around here to answer, and my mom answered it. It's far too grownuppy for me. In fact, I don't even think it's about me. It's about some dog named Rover. Does anybody really name a dog Rover?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why do you spend hundreds of dollars, and invest a year and a half of attention and energy, to raise a puppy you'll give away once it is well-behaved and a huge part of your life - knowing all along that there's no guarantee the pup will 'make it'?"


This query has three questions in it: Why part with your dog? What happens to the dog? What's in it for you?

First things first. Canine Companions for Independence puppy raisers take CCI puppies into their homes, raise them, teach them basic obedience, socialize them thoroughly, and then send them away for advanced training, preparatory to their becoming service dogs and helping persons with mobility problems.

But this conflicts with popular ideas about Rover. After all, isn't your dog your pet, your property? Existing for your pleasure is Rover's job description. (Rover may not see it that way; he may see you as existing for his pleasure. Maybe you're his pet. More likely you're his wait staff and play partner. But let's not go there.)

So people ask me - sometimes in tones of reproach - "How can you get rid of that dog?" As if I had no heart and no sense!

My answer is: "Sending my dog to advanced training is not like sending him to the pound. At the pound, his future and even his life are in jeopardy, and he'll feel abandoned because he has been. Here's what it's really like: sending your child to college. And, like that child, I hope he'll graduate and get a job!"

Once in a while, there's a second question: "But aren't you attached to that dog?" The answer is really too rude to say out loud, but here it is: "Yes! What does that have to do with it?"

When my husband and I applied to be puppy raisers, we went through three interviews. Invariably, the first question was, "Are you going to be willing to give the dog back to us?" This still reminds me that Rover is my puppy only temporarily (and with strings attached). I'm privileged to have him as part of the family for a while. But he isn't my dog - he's CCI's.

Happily for my peace of mind, CCI's breeding program makes a difference. CCI breeds Labs (yellow ones and black ones), Golden Retrievers, and mixes of the two. While other dogs may - and do - serve people well, Labs and Goldens are known for their ability to adjust their loyalties. They will love you all to pieces! But when you're not there, they will love somebody else all to pieces. (Dog treats help.) Given good treatment, they're perfectly willing to adapt, not pine.

Some of the training we give our puppies is socialization. We take them to public and private places appropriate for their age and degree of training. (CCI gives us a list of places where they may and may not go.) The idea is to make them feel comfortable, not frightened, wherever they are. Since there are many puppy raisers where I live, we trade pups with one another to give them even more experience.

By the time Rover's ready for advanced training, he's so socially secure that "going off to college" isn't a big deal. When he gets there, he's surrounded by trainers and volunteers who make sure all the dogs are happy and healthy as well as schooled. Monthly "report cards" let us know how Rover's doing. If I have questions, I can call the training center. We are treated with respect and support.

If our pup does indeed "make it," we'll be told at first that Rover's in the running for a job. If all goes well, we'll hear that he has been matched with a person. That's not a guarantee that he'll graduate, but it's close enough to make plans to go to the graduation in California, where we'll meet the person Rover's going to work for and present Rover at the ceremony.

It would be hard to describe a graduation in high enough terms. To know your dog is going to change someone's life - well, it's humbling and exhilarating at the same time. You can't help but be proud of Rover, and excited that the pup you raised is going to have such an impact - and such a future - because you had the guts to do the work and then say good-bye.

But that's a success story. What about the ones who don't make it? What if Rover's a failure?

Well, Rover's definitely not a failure. He's just not cut out to be a CCI dog after all (you can't tell when he's a puppy). But most dogs aren't. A CCI dog's life is more physically demanding than the average dog's. Hip and elbow problems are common in large breeds; even if they may not be serious enough to handicap Rover's average doggy life, they may be too much for him as a service dog. A CCI dog needs to be emotionally unflappable; many dogs have fears built into their genes, as it were, that would make service work too stressful for them. Some haven't the placid nature to snooze by their person's side for three hours if that's where they're needed. And some dogs just can't say no to a passing cat, bunny, or tennis ball.

Since more dogs are released from advanced training than graduate, what happens to them?

CCI doesn't let release dogs fall through the cracks. Many go right back to the people who raised them ("Hooray - Rover's coming home next week!"), and many of those dogs serve their communities in some way or other when they get back home.

Some qualify for other jobs; CCI also has a hearing dog program, and some dogs go into training for drug-sniffing or customs work.

In addition, there's a waiting list of people eager to adopt a release dog, and why not? Wouldn't you want a dog who is already house-trained, obedience-trained, and as loving and friendly as can be? Adopting a release dog means agreeing to certain conditions that ensure Rover a happy life - and plenty of folks are willing to meet those conditions.

Is Rover a failure because he doesn't wear a blue cape? No - he has simply made a wise career change.

Not every pup in whom we invest our time and energy (and dollars) will become a service dog. But every dog will serve in some capacity - even as a beloved, um, family superintendent. Consider all the dogs turned over to shelters because of behavior problems - either their owners' or their own. CCI release dogs, on the other hand, have a tremendous record for staying with the families who adopt them. Isn't that in itself worth time and energy?

I'm Trying to Be a Lady

In my endeavor to become absolutely the best CCI Service Dog I can, I've been doing a lot of "out and about" stuff. I go out here, and I go about there. Nobody takes pictures of me doing it, but I do it anyhow.

We have to be willing to go anywhere and do anything with anybody. No, nothing silly like climbing trees with a MEE-YOW! But since I must use my wonderful manners everywhere I go, I go everywhere to practice them.

I need to get used to sleeping in different houses. I need to go up and down different steps, travel in cars and on buses, sit quietly in noisy rooms. I need to boldly go where no dog has gone before, or - this is harder - where lots of other dogs already are. Can you believe that there are some places where I am not the center of attention?

So I vacationed a few days at the house of some puppy-raising friends, and got to go with them for long walks. VERY long walks! That was a lot of fun. They have dogs but I still behaved like a lady (except, um, when I was playing like a dog).

Then I went to another friend's house, and her dogs and cats declined to play! It's their loss. This lady - Mrs. Gorman, who works at the CCI office - also took me to a meeting so I could help her talk about Canine Companions for Independence. Since lots of folks ask about the four-footed caped wonders they see around town, I was able to show them what I can do now... and then Mrs. Gorman told them what I'll learn later on so that I'll be able to help someone with a mobility problem.

A demo (short for demonstration) like this is a great way to get attention. Of course, you have to behave yourself to get the right kind of attention. Otherwise my PRs get comments and I have more practicing to do at home.

As any teacher of etiquette - that's my new word; be impressed - will tell you, you need to be a gracious hostess as well as a gracious guest. So when my PRs' daughter let us take care of her kitten for a few days, I was all set to make her feel welcome.

Well.

She fussed and yowled and spit and growled! Her tail got as big as my pink loofah toy (do you see me in the background with the distressed-hostess look?)...





...and she was using words she never learned at home. She didn't like me, she didn't like the other MEE-YOWs, and she didn't even like my PRs! She would look at us and growl - impressively, up and down several octaves - and then she'd go hide and growl some more.


If this is MEE-YOW etiquette, I don't think much of it.

After a couple of days, the girl must have thought, "Hey, I'm not dead yet." So she started "prowling around, just prowling around," like Sneakers the Rapscallion Cat in the stories.


Pretty soon she was going after tails. (That's the back of Nonny. He's healthier than he looks.)



Then she was popping out from under furniture - to try to scare us, I think.


I guess that's what kittens like to do, so I was a good hostess and let her do it. She still growled at me, but it was under her breath, like, "No matter how I look, I'm bigger than you, you silly-looking cat substitute, you." Good manners is not correcting your guests' opinions even if they need it.


So I let her alone.






A service dog does not offer help unless requested (well, commanded)... so I'll keep quiet about what I think of her!

I'm Trying to Be a Lady

In my endeavor to become absolutely the best CCI Service Dog I can, I've been doing a lot of "out and about" stuff. I go out here and I go about there. Nobody takes pictures of me, but I do it anyhow.

We have to be willing and able to go anywhere and do anything with anybody. No, no anything silly like climbing a tree with a MEE-YOW! But since I must use my wonderful manners everywhere I go, I go everywhere to practice them. I need to get used to sleeping in different houses. I need to go up and down different steps, travel in cars and on busses, sit quietly in a room full of noisy people. I need to boldly go where no dog has gone before or - and this can be harder - where lots of other dogs already are. Can you believe that there are some places where I am not the center of attention?

So I vacationed for a few days at the home of some puppy-raising friend, and got to go for long walks. VERY long walks! That was a lot of fun. They have other dogs, but I behaved like a lady (except, um, when I was playing like a dog).

Then I went to another friend's house, and her dogs and cats didn't want to play! It's their loss. This lady - Mrs. Gorman of the CCI office - also took me to a meeting so I could helpher talk about Canine Companions for Independence. Lots of people ask about all the four-footed caped wonders they see around town. I was able to show them what I can do now, and then Mrs. Gorman told them what I'll be learning to do later on, so that I can help someone who has a mobility problem.

This is called a demo (short for demonstration), and it's a great way to get attention. Of course, you have to behave yourself in order to get the right kind of attention. Otherwise my PRs get long notes and I have more practicing to do at home.

As any teacher of etiquette - that's my new word; be impressed - will tell you, you need to be a gracious hostess as well as a gracious guest. So when my PRs' daughter let us take care of her kitten for a few days, I was all set to make her feel welcome!

Well.

She fussed and yowled and spit and growled. Her tail got as big as my pink loofah toy and she was using words I don't think she learned at home. She didn't like me, she didn't like the other MEE-YOWS, and she didn't even like my PRs! She would look at us and growl - impressively, up and down several octaves - and then she'd go hide and growl some more.

If this is MEE-YOW etiquette, I don't think much of it.

After a couple of days, the girl must have thought, "Hey, I'm not dead yet." So she started "prowling around, just prowling around," like Sneakers the Rapscallion Cat in the stories.

Pretty soon, she started going after tails. (That's the back of Nonny. He's healthier than he looks.) And then she was popping out from under furniture to try and scare us.

I guess that's what kittens like to do, so I was a good hostess and let her do it. She still growled a little at me, but it was under her breath. It was like, "I'm bigger than you, you silly-looking cat substitute, you." Good manners is not correcting your guests' opinions even if they need correcting. So I let her alone.

A service dog doesn't offer assistance unless requested (well, commanded), so I'll keep quiet about what I think of her!