Mom's no fun when she's sick or so busy

Mom had this terrible cold a few weekends ago. We didn't get to do ANYTHING that weekend. Boring! We didn't even play training games. Mom slept a lot and I had to just lay on my mat. Happily, I do have a bone in the bedroom that I can munch on.

Otherwise, it's been work, work, work. Mom's been super cool and hasn't been making me wear my vest while we're at the office. Yes. We cheat. But there hasn't been any real fun time. When we're not at the office Mom still has so much to do. And there isn't any sun shine. Except for when we go for our walk at lunch! Yeah sun. We didn't have to go to the store last weekend. I wonder if we're finally done there. Mom says no, we have to go back after a break, but I can keep my paws crossed.

GrandmaMom came over the other day and her and Mom did something wonderful to the house. I was a little confused while they did it but now I have this huge dance floor in the dining room where I can play games with Mom. Mom had gotten a little bit behind on the cleaning since Dad's been gone. So yeah GrandmaMom-the super hero.I promise to help Mom keep at it. I don't promise she'll listen but I'll try.

For training we've been visiting buses. A lot. Almost every day. We walk down to where the buses stop and watch them. We stay pretty far away. If we're far enough away, I don't feel a need to bark at them and make them go away. Mom says we're going to slowly move closer to them. She says I shouldn't feel like I need to bark at them. I'm not so sure about this idea.

Mom's still working with me on finding her pills to make sure she takes them. Now I'll run all the way down the hallway to touch her purse and then come back to her! I think I'm starting to understand this game.

Anyways, Lunch break is over and Mom says she needs the computer back so she can enter more numbers in it.

I found the keyboard

I have a good excuse for not writing. Our schedule got so busy after Mom got us this new job. We're at the office everyday. And at the store on weekends and 1 evening (but Mom says there isn't any more evening shifts). There is still pole on Monday night. Mom says there is only one more class. Her body is not agreeing with it again. Stupid injuries. And we visit with CoachDarlene and PsychicPam on Thursdays. And now Mom has started leaving me at home alone on Wednesday evenings for a little bit. She says she's going swimming and I can't go yet. She promises I'll get to go soon. She says she needs me to go with her but then she leaves me at home. I really don't like to stay at home without her.

I got to meet our new candidate dogs last Saturday. We have BabyHalo and PuppyVimy. They are going to grow into Wonder Dogs like me and Hailey are! I've been told that soon we'll get to take these little guys out with us. I can't wait to show them how Wonder Dogs behave.

Where we live it gets dark really early now. That means that we can't go to the park after work any more!! For a while, I wasn't getting enough running and barking time in. I need to bark or I get some sort of compression problem. But Mom found a solution! Of course she did. She will fix every problem that I ever have! There is a dog park not too far from the office so we go at lunch sometimes!!! It's so much easier to mind my manners and be professional when I get this exercise that I need.

But I'm still hoping that the sun comes back soon. Mom isn't doing really great with it being gone all the time. She tells me that I need to help her get up in the morning but I'm not a morning dog. I have a comfy bed and I like my beauty sleep.

K. Our lunch hour is nearly over. Just enough time to sneak outside for a potty break. I promise I'll get my paws on a keyboard more often! But I've said that before.

A successful first week

We’ve been at the new job for a week now. Mom is really enjoying it. I don’t think it’s all bad. Quiet like all office jobs. But there is another dog there. Spencer isn’t a wonder dog like me. He gets to come to work with us because everybody knows him and thinks he special.

After getting settled in this week, we went and saw AuntyMaigen at work yesterday. Now that we know what space we’re dealing with and such, Mom gave me an advance on my spending money and I got a new bed and bowl for the office. I took Mom’s suggestion of a spill proof bowl (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753754) so that I wouldn’t slop on the computer and such. Mom also bought me a bottle of conditioner. I think bath time may be close at hand. Seeing AuntyMaigen after work was such a treat! The shopping trip was a good way to end a work week.

But hold on: We’re at work right now. At the store. Mom says we’re keeping both jobs for a while. Something about the need for money. I’m not going to get too many down days. There may be times we’re working 7 days a week. Thankfully, the shifts at the store are pretty short. We’re going to go to the dog park and have a party this afternoon. Then Mom’s threatening that we should go grocery shopping but that’s up for debate.

Mom has promised to get some pictures of our office for everybody to see. I’ll nag her until she does.

To work we go

Mom and I went to five – that’s right, 5!! – job interviews this week. And it was a short week. But the good news: The odds worked out in our favour. If you apply for lots of jobs and end up with interviews out of 5 or 6 of them, eventually one of those interviews will result in job. Mom’s luck lined up yesterday. She woke up and didn’t want to go but still we packed into the car. As this interview went on, Mom got more and more excited. She discussed with the working lady all about me. We were all a little bit worried about if the boss guy was going to like me. Mom got the job even though there are some concerns about allergies. Yeah Mom. Now, about that fancy collar I’ve been wanting….

I had an assessment with CoachDarlene. They are trying to figure out why I like to bark. They think if they can figure out why I bark, that they can convince me not to. I think not. I like the sound of my own voice. But they think they noticed some things. I’ll let you know what crazy plans these humans have hatched.

Dad’s home this weekend. It’s been nice and relaxed this time. We aren’t rushing everywhere. We went to the movies last night. We sat where I could see the screen through the chairs. In the first movie there were these 2 guys beside who insisted on talking. I kept standing up to go and have a word with them about appropriate theater behaviour but Mom kept telling me to lay back down and not worry. Then we snuck into a second movie. Mom and Dad love catching a double feature. The first movie was funny but I slept during the second one.

Mom went for her pictures. The doctor says that all of her bones look normal and in the right place. We are able to rule out a few things that may have been causing the sore hip problems. Now it’s something with the soft tissue and that is so much harder to determine. Cross your paws that Mom gets feeling better.

End of the road, middle of nowhere

Mom took me for a really long drive this weekend. We went and saw Dad up where he’s working right now. We were in the car for 5 hours, each direction! On the way out on Friday night, Mom had an energy drink. She said it’s the first time ever. And she says she’ll never do it again. She says it felt the same as when she is really manic: rapid thoughts; uncontrollable emotions. She felt much better in the morning but has a lot more respect for stimulants and will be more careful when she uses them.

Mom and I hung out for most of the weekend just the two of us. Dad and his co-workers were away working during the day. Mom made supper for them both nights we were there. The guys (and one girl) thought this was a great treat. She cooked these chicken on the bbq that smelt so good. I tried so hard to con one of these guys to give me some. But Mom laid down the law. No chicken (or potatoes) for the dog. Dad snuck me a bite though. It was SO good!!

Mom’s hip has been acting up again. I’ve had to be an extra help around the house. When things fall on the floor, I get them. I don’t like to pick things up in my mouth but I make an exception for when Mom’s hurting. I have picked up her purse, jacket, papers, recycling. You name it and I’ve done it in the last few days. I learned to put my paws up on a chair so that Mom can do my leash without having to bend over. She pays me really good for doing this one. Yummy dog chocolates! Mom went and had some special pictures taken this morning. AuntyMaigen went with us to hang out with me in the waiting room because I couldn’t go with Mom for some reason. Hopefully this helps the guys in the white coats figure out what’s going on with Mom and then they can make her feel better. Last night Mom was sore enough after the 5 hour drive home that we stayed home and watched tv instead of going to pole. Mom being sore also means that I get to wear the Halti a lot again. Not because I’m being extra bad but because if I pulled at full strength, I could really hurt Mom. I don’t want to hurt Mom and the halti helps with my self control.

They think my job is easy

People walk past me all the time and say how easy my job is. If only they could spend a day in my vest. They would realize that it’s a lot of work to go everywhere with Mom. We have appointments where I have to wait quietly, meals out where I don’t get to eat anything, hours at work where I have to be calm and can’t say hi to anybody while Mom is busy and doesn’t have time to pay attention to me, and don’t even mention the shopping. It’s not as easy as it looks but I wouldn’t trade my job for anything. I love going everywhere with Mom.

Fries and other things

I would like to think that I’m pretty good with my “leave it” command and the concept behind it. But I can't help myself. I just have to smell the forbidden things. Around campus, lots of people drop chicken bones for me to smell. I never pick them up but I can sniff them out at 30 feet. (I don’t know if the measurement is right but I think it’s a saying). This morning I found a french fry. I tried to explain to Mom that I had to move it off the grass in order to be able to smell it best. The grass was just clogging up the smell. But I dropped it and walked away as soon as she asked what I was doing. You want to know the hardest one? Movie theater popcorn. It just smells so tasty!
I met CoachDarlene for the first time last week. Mom had me do a few things to show her where we were and what I know but we didn’t really play any games. *Sad Puppy*. We did go outside and she gave Mom some ideas to help me with walking. Since then, I haven’t worn that Halti thing. I like that idea. Mom still carries it with her but I haven’t seen it.
We went to the hospital with AuntyMaigen the other day. She got her back hurt at work. Some silly dog was flailing around while getting their nails cut. While we were waiting in the room with lots of chairs, AuntyMaigen had a really bad panic attack! I was worried about her. So was Mom. Mom managed to hold onto herself and not have a panic attack as well. When they were ready to actually take Aunty back, they said we couldn’t go with her at first. I was so confused and upset as to why we couldn’t go with her. After a while, Mom found a way for us to go back. I was so relieved to see AuntyMaigen. So was Mom. Since everybody seemed to be stopping with the freaking out, I just laid beside the bed and rested for a bit. I really hope that AuntyMaigen will be okay
In other news: Dad’s home for a while again. He’s hard to trust. He’s home and then he’s not. It always takes me a couple days to get used to him being home and just when we’re starting to have fun again, he leaves. *Sad puppy*

Home Alone

It was completely terrible. I don’t know where she went but she left me home alone for a whole evening. The last time I had to stay home alone…. I can’t even remember. I was so worried about her.  She was so relieved to see me when she got back. She says she went to a “concert”. No idea what that was. But she told me that there were a couple of points where she needed my help. She says she has to teach me how to go to concerts. And football games. And a few other places still. Then I won’t be home alone any more. She says there will always be a few things that are dog inappropriate. “Paint ball” for example. But I will be with her 99% of the time.

That was Friday evening.

Saturday we had a bunch of stuff to do with Hope Heels. I got to see Haylie and Vimy. We met a lady who is going to be the next trainer with us and the first one with the Bravo K9 side of the program. She’s just waiting for her dog.

All day Saturday my tummy was upset. I think it was because I was so stressed out from being left home alone. I really don’t like not knowing where Mom is. And we played a game that confirmed this yet again. They ran me through the “RADISH” test. Something that they are using to screen candidate dogs. At first I couldn’t see where Mom was so I didn’t want to play. We she came and sat where I could watch her, I played a long with their game. They made me do all sorts of silly things. Walk on different surfaces, Look at little wind up toys. Fetch a ball of paper. Investigate a hair drier. Try not to trip on these orange cones. They said that I did pretty good at the game until they tried to walk a dog past. What can I say? Dogs break my brain.

Speaking of dogs breaking my brain: When we first got to the office, Vimy was already there. I wanted to go and say hi so bad but Mom had put my vest on me and didn’t want me too. She worked with CoachSJ for me to be able to get closer and closer to Vimy while in control of myself. We made it to the sitting area without out too many complications. I’m very proud of Mom. She stuck with it and got through it even though she was having a bad day.

We were still sitting there when Haylie came in and sat down kind of close to us but still pretty far away. I wanted to say hello to my bff so bad! I was squirming and trying to get out from my “under”. Mom worked with me with some really tasty treats until I calmed down. Once I calmed, Mom took my vest off me. It had twisted around me as far as it could go and was so uncomfortable. We had to stay there, nice and calm, for a little bit more and then we, all the dogs and trainers, went outside to say hello.

Mom has decided to use Haylie’s super retrieve to her advantage. Haylie is really good at getting her own leash so Mom is teaching her “get Paige’s”. Now if we’re hanging out together, Haylie is going to get both of our leashes so we can go out.

I’m a star!

We went for a photo shoot at the mall. Check out the hh website to see me and Mom in action. www.hopeheels.com
Also, Mom is uploading a bunch of videos of me strutting my stuff on to YouTube. Some of them will be linked on our facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hope-Heels/152261748180562 Don’t forget to like the facebook page to keep up with all that Hope Heels and Bravo K9 are up to.
My YouTube address is www.youtube.com/user/melrhansen

Rabbit convention

The other day I saw 7 – that’s right, 7 – rabbits in one field! And I managed to walk past them fairly calmly. Mom let me watch them because I was being so calm. It was pretty cool.

Today I was shopping with Mom. She was looking for pop. When the store had every type of pop except the one she wanted, she started to wonder around. I think she was starting to get dizzy. She bent down and put her arm around me and started to rub my chest. I knew something was wrong. I let her hug me like that while she fed me kibbles. Yum. I leaned against her but just a little. You have to be careful not to knock dizzy people over. When she started to feel better, I laid next to her and we just hung out until she was feeling better. Then we carried on and went to a different store and got her the pop she wanted. Who knew pop could be such a big deal.

The Monthly

Last night we all got together at headquarters. The first Thursday of every month us collies get together. We have big things to discuss. The humans seem to do a lot of talking too but I doubt it’s important. Then again, Mom always spends tons of time on the computer and shuffling papers after these meetings.

Yesterday was AuntyMaigen’s birthday. Happy Birthday AuntyMaigen!! Mom made special cupcakes for her because she’s allergic to eggs but Mom didn’t make any goodies for us dogs. Maybe she honestly forgot. She has been pretty busy lately.

Today was our last day of that boring temp job. I tried my hardest to convince Mom that we should play hookie but she said we had to go. She had to practically drag me in there under protest. The good thing about last days is that I get to say hi to some of the people that I’ve worked with. It’s a nice treat.

CouncellorPam came over today. She is totally one of my favourite people. There is just something about her even if she only pats my head instead of scratching me good. They keep trying to convince me that she’s there to talk with Mom but they must be wrong. All the HH people come to visit with me.

Now we’re at the store. Mom’s working 2 jobs in 1 day! The things she does for money.

A change in the look

It’s now becoming fall. And for reasons that are unusual, it is really cold here in the beginning of September and the leaves are changing. I decided that I was sick of the neon green so I’ve updated the blog to match the seasons. Ah…. Much better.

The dangers of working in an office

It's been a busy week. But not really - don't tell Mom I've said that because she says she hasn't had a down moment. We're still working at this terrible temp job. I'm so bored and the floor here is particularly uncomfortable. The people love to look at me and I can't wait to say hi to the lady we come in to replace tomorrow. Mom always lets me say hi to a few key people on our last day at a temp position. She says it's a reward for the people for ignoring me all week but we all know who's really getting the reward.

Yesterday I had the worst luck while at the office. A guy came by to deliver some stuff in boxes. He went to take the slip that needed to be signed to Mom and he didn't see me laying beside her past the stuff he was carrying. He stepped on me. Right on me. I'm okay but it did hurt. I showed him my teeth and everything just to let him know how unhappy I was about this. I promise I just showed them and I didn't use them. As soon as his weight was off me, I jumped up and Mom helped me calm down. I've had some trouble feeling quite safe and confident here today but Mom keeps encouraging me. I barked at a guy today. *blush* There was one guy who was doing something weird at the counter and then this other guy came around the corner and surprised me. I tried to tell Mom that I didn't mean it but she was disappointed in me.

I got to go to the park with Hailey yesterday. My favorite. We played and we played. It was collie day at the park. We ended up meeting up with a whole bunch. They were chasing Frisbees and balls. Such fun.

Mom says she has more fun planned for me for tonight. She won't let me know ahead of time but I'll tell you about it.

And something gross: One of the cats is failing at the potty training and pooping in the bathtub. Yuck!!! Mom has been putting a little bit of water in the tub for the last little bit in order to stop this behaviour.

Also, Dads STILL in town. It's so wonderful having him here. I've missed him. But he was supposed to leave again a while ago. He's getting annoyed at his work for not knowing when he's going away again. I hope he never goes away. I like him here.

Planet of the Apes

Dad came into town again yesterday. That meant that it was movie night. This time we went and saw something about smart apes. Mom was so impressed with me. There were monkey sounds through out the entire movie and at one point there was a dog barking. The dog barking made mom anxious but I really didn't care. I got told I was such a good dog for not caring. You want to know the hardest part about going to the movie theater? The popcorn. That yummy, smelly, delicious movie theater popcorn. It's so hard to ignore but I have to. Otherwise, I'm getting the hang of movie theaters. I wait until Mom puts my blanket down and then I lie on it for a couple hours while the room is really dark and loud. And then we leave. No big.

Mom's still trying to potty train my silly cats. The other day, one of them managed to have a pop right in the hole that's in the training pan. Mom threw a little party. Since Sam was right there, he was the one that got all the congratulations even though Mom doesn't know which cat actually did it.

Mom has a temporary office job right now. The first while we were there, I was really awake. New situation and all. Now that Mom and I are used to it, I spend a good chunk of the afternoon having a nap. I know I can nod off because Mom is feeling safe. The worst part of this job? I got a tickle in my one ear while having a nap the first day that we were there and I can't get rid of it. Mom has checked it every day and can't see anything wrong so she took me to the vet today. She says it's just to be sure but I swear that she just felt a random need to torture me. The vet filled my ears with solution and a cream. I ended up covering my own fur in this solution when I shook my head. My beautiful hair. Mom says it made me look oily. Bath time I guess. But not for a bit. Mom doesn't have time right now. With a temp job and everything she has to do for HH, going to have to wait for a day when she has an afternoon. She says another week and a half before she can fit it in. No idea how long that actually is but it sounds like I get to oily for quite a while yet.

Mom says I shouldn't be blogging on the work computer so I have to go. *Sneaks away from the computer*

The Monthly

Last night we all got together at headquarters. The first Thursday of every month us collies get together. We have big things to discuss. The humans seem to do a lot of talking too but I doubt it’s important. Then again, Mom always spends tons of time on the computer and shuffling papers after these meetings.

Yesterday was AuntyMaigen’s birthday. Happy Birthday AuntyMaigen!! Mom made special cupcakes for her because she’s allergic to eggs but Mom didn’t make any goodies for us dogs. Maybe she honestly forgot. She has been pretty busy lately.

Today was our last day of that boring temp job. I tried my hardest to convince Mom that we should play hookie but she said we had to go. She had to practically drag me in there under protest. The good thing about last days is that I get to say hi to some of the people that I’ve worked with. It’s a nice treat.

CouncillorPam came over today. She is totally one of my favourite people. There is just something about her even if she only pats my head instead of scratching me good. They keep trying to convince me that she’s there to talk with Mom but they must be wrong. All the HH people come to visit with me.

Now we’re at the store. Mom’s working 2 jobs in 1 day! The things she does for money.

My beautiful hair

Mom took me to the dog spa yesterday. She’s been trying to learn how to do my baths herself. AuntyMaigen happens to be a professional spa person. I love it when she pampers me. She’s been teaching mom. Yesterday, Mom tried to do it on her own for the first time.

The bath went great. I’m squeaky clean and had a whole bottle of furminator conditioner put into my coat. That stuff always makes me so soft. I had to back into the tub once because Mom managed to not rinse one of my spots really well.

Then it was time for the blow drier. They usually have a good blower where we go but it was broken. So mom had to use a smaller one that only had half the power. And the nozzle didn’t found it. And it was so hot. So Mom lined brushed me while drying each tiny chunk. It was so much heat for so long that it dried my coat out entirely.

Then it was time for the trimming. Mom got a new tool: an shedding rake. After a time, Mom started to panic. This fancy new tool took out way too much coat. Mom totally over did it. So she didn’t do the other side. She called AuntyMaigen instead. AuntyMaigen met us back at our place and they took me out on the balcony and Aunty tried to straighten me out. She took out the proper amount of undercoat on the other side and trimmed it down so it nearly matches mom’s mess.

The good news is that my coat is supposed to grow out evenly with some time. And there was an agreement that AuntyMaigen will do the spring grooming that will take out my winter coat from now on. That means that Mom will probably never use the shedding rake ever again, and that’s fine by both her and me.

And my feet never even got trimmed.

Mini Golf just isn’t my kind of game

On Friday Mom and her friends took me to play mini golf. Well, I didn’t get to actually play. But I did good and held my stays and didn’t chase the balls or follow Mom around too much. I actually let her play a lot but by the last few holes I needed her beside me instead of playing. She was okay with this. I think she was done playing mini golf anyway.

OH MY COLLIE!!!!

I have a new best friend. Mom, AuntyMaigen, and I took a long drive a while ago and picked up a new dog who is going to be AuntyMaigen’s service dog. Her name is Hailey. She’s another collie and significantly bigger than me. But I always knew I was tiny. Our friendship was meant to be. She loves to chase balls and isn’t deterred by me chasing her. Just my kind of friend.

There has been a little bit of tension between us. She’s new and is glued to MY AuntyMaigen and is taking up some of my Mom’s attention. They also bring her over to my house and stick her in my car with me. I’ve snipped at her a few times and feel really bad about the time that I punctured her cheek. Yep. I’m a bad dog. But I still like her and we’ll figure out our differences.

Here is a picture of me and my home girl. With AuntyMaigen acting as a leash holder. Sorry about the picture quality. Mom took the picture with her phone, uploaded it to facebook, and then downloaded it to her computer. She has promised to take better pictures later. If you want to follow some of our adventures with our service dog group, like the Hope Heels page on facebook.

3D Specs

So Mom started taking me to the movies a while back. They’re not terrible but I hate that Mom is always crowding my foot room. She won’t believe me that being under the chairs isn’t much fun. This time we went to see the new Harry Potter. It was in 3D so we all had to wear this silly glasses.

I tired to tell Mom that they didn’t fit me very well and didn’t help my movie experience any. They really need to make a service dog version of the 3D glasses. Then we could enjoy the movie too. Since the glasses didn’t work, I just had a nap instead.

Those Darn Rabbits Are Just So Exciting

We go for a walk every evening before bed. And good thing too since we live in an apartment. For the last couple of nights, there have been rabbits sitting in the parking lot of the funeral home. Our route takes us right past them if they’re there. Since it’s late at night, Mom is working with me on my self control so I don’t bark at them. Mom says it’s not polite to wake up the neighbourhood.

The method that we’ve found that seems to work for me is to move slowly. Mom lets me stop and look at the rabbit. She touches my collar and talks calmly to me as a reminder. If I start to get too excited and start to talk she turns me so I can’t see the bunny past her. Once I’ve calmed down some I get to look again. We make our way past the bunny very slowly. A couple steps at a time. Once I get past a certain point, I can easily walk away. Not calmly but I can do it quietly.

It’s a good thing the rabbits in my neighbourhood are so smart. They sit there like rocks. I would not be up to this exercise if they were running away. That’s way too exciting.

Blog Colour Change

I have decided to edit my colour scheme. Hope Heels has colours picked and I feel a need to match them. So a bright green and a gold are in order. Ok. I have no gold on the page but it clashes with my fur. We have a logo too. I'll show it to you soon.

Second Job Interview

I took Mom to a job interview this morning at one of the local universities. Mom was so nervous for the interview that she was actually shaking. At the beginning of the interview, I kept telling Mom that she was getting to worked up. And I kept getting chocolates for it. I love me some dog-friendly chocolate. I would like to try the human chocolate too but Mom says it’s no good. I kept poking Mom and licking her hand and huffing at her. At one point she actually gave me the “shhh” command (finger to the lips). Two of the people holding the interview knew I was there but the third one gave her a really weird look. Mom was expecting the people to ask about me but they never did. I’m insulted. They didn’t want to interview me. They asked after Mom expressed her surprise that they hadn’t asked. Mom says this is the question that she feels solidly confident about. She feels good about the rest of the interview too but only time will tell. She’s supposed to hear back from them later this week. Cross your paws!

More than a few weeks behind

I have been telling Mom that I need to use her computer as much as I possibly can and finally she walked away from it for just long enough for me to sneak on. I don’t know how long I’m going to get to write this so I’m going to cover a lot of stuff pretty quick.

I went to the movies. Now you get to listen to my reviews.

Bridesmaids – With TrainerMarni. The people laughed and laughed. It seemed like the people were having a good time. I had a good nap. Kicked my blanket out from under me. Mom wasn’t too impressed with that. Turns out she thinks those floors are kind of yucky.

Fast Five – With Dad and his friend. There were explosions in this one but Mom gave me cookies when ever the sounds got really loud so they didn’t bother me too much. But I could sleep.

Pirates of the Caribbean – With AuntyMaigen and a large group of other people.  Mom’s opinion was “it’s a sequel”, what ever that means. There was some funny sound effects so I got cookies. I was sitting next to AuntyMaigen. She was having a few anxiety symptoms. At one point I had to remind her that she was okay and I was watching out for her too. People kept getting up during this movie and stepping over me. I think the people found it more awkward than I did.

Hangover 2 – With Dad when we went out of town to see him*. The people laughed. There was a monkey in this one. He was making all sorts of sounds. I was sceptical when Mom told me that the monkey talk was nothing to worry about but I had to trust her.

*(Dad works out of town. Mom was starting to not do too well with him being gone. She wasn’t sleeping and was not being very functional so we took a short vacation to the town he was working out of. Since she’s spending most of her time with her computer, she could do that there. It helped her a lot and she’s doing much better now)

While we were staying in the hotel with Dad, Mom took me down to the pool when there was nobody there. That’s a weird place. Mom had me lay down on a towel so that there wasn’t hair on the deck or chlorine on the dog. She splashed a bit and I got a treat. And right away she was swimming in the pool but I didn’t care. She wanted to try it again when there was actually other people there just so I could watch but the chance never came up.

There are my new adventures from the last little bit. I will try to kick Mom off the computer a little more often to keep you up to date a little bit better.

Not much to say

Hey all. I know I haven’t written much lately but I don’t really have any tales to tell. We haven’t had much going on. Mostly, Mom’s going through a bit of a funk. Dad is out of town. Mom says he’s working and will be home soon but I don’t know. So Mom’s taking it pretty easy. We’re going to the park everyday and stuff but we aren’t doing any real outings. Turns out outings cost money usually and Mom doesn’t have any so we’re staying home. I’ll check in later if we do anything exciting.

I'm a super shopper

This morning I was under the bed when mom woke up. How I got there is a super secret. I'm not telling. But I was so far under that I was actually under mom. The only problem with this plan was that I couldn't get out. I had to give mom great big help me eyes. How embarrassing! But I laid calmly on my side while mom grabbed all my legs and pulled me out. Was I ever glad to get out of there. I have no idea how long I was under there because I can't tell time but was ever glad to be out.

This afternoon I went grocery shopping with mom. What a long shop! I swear we bought half the store. But mom looked ahead at the store flyer online and planned out what she was going to get ahead of time. With the planning to buy stuff that was on sale mom's savings came to over $50 and she only paid $260 in total. That's ... A large percentage. I'm no good at the math stuff. Dog. Mom was so proud of herself. But back to me because this is my blog. Mom says I did great. It was a very long time to be so focused. There were a few times that I really wanted to say hi to somebody but I was able to contain it. And I needed to be reminded to not smell stuff a couple of times. Mostly bread. Yeasty bread just smells so good! We took a short break part way through while mom picked out my flavours of jarred dog mush. The people keep calling it baby food. They are a little bit confused. The break helped a lot. Mom also got me yogurt and pumpkin. No plain breakfasts for this dog.

This evening we braved the wind, you would not believe how crazy it is out there, and went to the dog park. I showed off for mom and went to her when she called instead of running full tilt into the big field. When we got closer, I couldn't help it. I had to go join in the races. Mom let me run and play for a long time. I even had to break up a couple dogs who were playing too rough. The walk back to the car always seems so long. Mom parks far away from the field so we have a long walk. At least most of the walk is still in the park so I don't have to lead mom with the leash.

All in all, it was a very good day. Mom moved my bed so it's back beside her. It'll be close enough so I don't have to lie under mom tonight.

I need more than 4 minutes to type each day if I’m going to keep you up to date.

When I last left off we were headed over to AuntieMaigen’s for the evening (last Saturday). The people watched a movie – I can’t figure out why they enjoy this activity but they do a lot of it. It’s so boring. KittyKyo ran around like a maniac. Silly Kitty. Part way through the movie, Mom and AuntieMaigen decided that they should go shopping. AuntieMaigen needed food to last a couple of weeks until her man came back to town. Shopping is much better than watching movies. Shopping is fun! So off to the grocery store we went. Mom did bad and bought junk food but she also bought fruit to eat so I guess it wasn’t all bad. Mom and I made AuntieMaigen laugh because we were practising our dance steps in the ailses. Nobody was there and they had a good song on. When we got to the check out Mom couldn’t find her wallet. She hunted through her purse a number of times but a purse can only hide so much. She started to panic. She couldn’t think of where it may be. I hated seeing Mom distressed so I poked her with my nose. It took a second to register with her what I did but then I got cookies and she calmed down. AuntieMaigen was quite impressed because she noticed that Mom was about to have a melt down too.

Hanging out with AuntyMaigen

I finally pushed Mom off the computer for long enough to write this post for you. It should have been up yesterday but those damn FaceBook games. I don’t understand!

Wednesday, AuntyMaigen called Mom on short notice and wanted her to go to a condo board meeting as a rep for service dogs. And who could possibly be a better rep than service dog extraordinaire, yours truly. So of course I got to go. And it’s a good thing I did. While AuntyMaigen and her man were discussing with the group why the condo board won’t let Aunty get her own SD, Aunty started to have a panic attack. It got to the point where she had to leave. Mom and I weren’t stay at this boring meeting if she wasn’t. On the way out, she collapsed! I had to go and see her and Mom didn’t stop me. I kept checking in on Mom while helping AuntyMaigen because she wasn’t doing so well either. Aunty’s man carried her outside because it’s easier to recover when not so many people are watching. Aunty sat on the ground while I put my head in her lap. Mom provided a bunch of cookies which Aunty gave to me. Guess I was doing the right thing. Aunty was amazed at how much quicker she recovered with of my help. We all hope she can get her own wonder dog soon. I sat in Mom’s lap in the car so that she could get feeling better too. And what do they do to repay me. They left me at home so they could go to a movie!

On Thursday, AuntyMaigen came and picked us and took me to the big tub. Bath time *groan*. And then she made me stand on a table for over and hour while she brush and cut my hair. But did I ever feel and look good when she was done with me. And she used a shampoo that made my white pieces so white. Mom says I glow in the dark.

After some shopping and the humans grabbing some supper, it was off to our final CGC class. There was a dog next door to the hall we were using and we barked at each other. I know that Mom doesn’t like it, but it just feels so good to bark!

And now, we’re off to AuntyMaigen’s for the evening. I wonder what the humans will get up to. I bet it involves a whole lot of lying around for me.

Working the election

Mom took me for a good walk this afternoon up and down the hills in the river valley. It’s been a long time since I have seen anything that looks like a hill or done much past going shopping. I had so much trouble keeping up. I kept talking Mom into breaks. She said she didn’t need them but I think she was glad to have them.

Now onto a general update. I’m sorry I don’t write more often. I have trouble getting my paws on the key board because Mom is addicted to a facebook game. It really is very stupid.

We’ve been working the local election that’s happening right now. I’m not sure who they’re electing or why. The ladies that we were working with this weekend suggested that I should run and I told them about my bad knee. Mostly, I’ve decided that elections are boring. Like most other things it involves a lot of laying beside Mom’s chair. While I do get in some good naps during stuff like this, a dog can only sleep for so long. Mom says that it’s important that we do this because somebody has to pay for this den and to keep my kittens fed.

TrainerMarni came over yesterday. And not just as Mom’s friend. They took me out training. Turns out that Mom is getting really frustrated with all this barking that I love doing. But barking is so much fun and it feels so good. And I’m pretty good most of the time and don’t bark when I’m in my vest. So TrainerMarni showed Mom some ways to help me be calmer. Mom tried them last night when I saw a rabbit and it works. I didn’t get nearly excited and rabbits are so exciting. I barked a little bit but didn’t try to chase the rabbit when he decided to run away. Guess I’m going to have to practice because this seems to be really important to Mom.

This week gets longer and longer

Mom is getting more and more and more stressed. She packed all day Saturday and all day Sunday because of the bed bugs. Mom had a final last night (Monday) which she finally got to start studying for yesterday morning. Dad had his last English paper due on Monday as well. They were supposed to spray our suite yesterday but evidentally we didn't pack well enough and they are now scheduling it for Wednesday morning. We were supposed to be able to go home today but nope. We get to go to the apartment and pack some more and move stuff around some more in the hopes that we will pass inspection enough that we get to go home by Thursday afternoon. In the mean time, the cats, the people and I are staying at Mom's Mom's house (GrandmaMom - I'm not supposed to call her Grandma. But this works and I'll call Dad's GrandmaDad. You'll all understand what I mean eventually).

Sam, one of my cats, is making our stay at GrandmaMom's house less easy. I got into the cat food last night. I know I'm not supposed to but cat food is just SO good. *drool* Mom didn't realize this before bed so at 4AM Sam decided to let everybody know he was hungry. He stood outside our bedroom door and meowed and meowed in his biggest voice. He woke up GrandpaMom (see above for explanation as to why this works although it just sounds goofy). Bad idea. But he woke Mom up at about the same point and Mom went to see what was wrong. They danced to the food bowl to show Mom how empty it was. After feeding the short ones, Mom tried to go back to bed, but Sam started crying again. Mom went and camped out on the couch. We're already imposing on Grandma&GrandpaMom. The last thing Mom wants is for the cats to act up and for us to not be allowed there anymore. I know that Mom will do anything to ensure that the cats attempt to behave themselves.

Mom and Dad have talked about moving for quite sometime now. They're going to get me a yard. They were going to wait a few more months but they have figured that they should look around since the house is packed more moving anyway. So add one more thing to the pile.

I think that all I've got for now. Woofs and Tail wags
Paige the wonder dog

Bed bugs

We've had some nasty news around my den. The neighbor below us has something called bed bugs. I guess their kind of like fleas, which I've thankfully never had. Mom and dad are ripping the house apart. Everything is being put in boxes that are lined with plastic bags. Mom packed up most of her clothes and all of her books, except the ones she's going to lend to AuntyMaigen on Monday. Dad rearranged all the furniture in the living room. I keep trying to tell them that this isn't okay but they keep telling me it is. I hope that everything is going to be okay and we can get back to normal soon. Aside from having to pack the house up like we're moving, dad has a paper due Monday and mom has a final on Monday evening. The stress is so high in my den. I keep reminding them to smile.

In other news, mom's pulled out the clicker for walks again. I'm not sure what she's trying to get me to do. I really enjoy barking at dogs and people. Anybody I can't meet and inspect personally may be a threat. But mom doesn't seem to like it. Also, she's making me wait at open doors until she says some words. I'm just not sure which words I'm looking for. Humans and this silly language stuff.

Crochet and TV series

Mom has gotten mildly obsessed with her crochet projects lately (she finished one poncho, is nearly done the blanket, and has started on a shall. She even has plans and yarn for a sweater). Didn't help that Mom and Dad had borrowed the "Vampire Diaries" series from the library. When they get hold of a tv series they watch the thing beginning to end. I swear they would watch it all in one day if they had nothing else to do. But since life gets in the way, it typically takes a little under a week and nothing else gets done during that time. That is what Mom is blaming the lack of blogging on. I don't quite understand why I can't play on the computer if she isn't able/willing to supervise.

We had our first CGC class last night. TrainerMarni is running it for all the pooches who want to be service dogs in the area. I'm going along because Mom has never attended a CGC class and TrainerMarni is teaching Mom how to be a coach so that she can help people train their dogs. Mom feels so special that TrainerMarni is willing to have Mom help coach her class. All went well at the class. I met Maggie, a bull mastiff/future seizure response sd. I saw Asker. I got to see Annie again. Haven't seen that little one since I did a puppy class when I first came to Mom. We also met an other dog, I swear I have her name in the back of my head, who is training to be a therapy dog. Maggie's Mom and Dog-without-a-known-name's Mom haven't ever done clicker training before. The people have to get them straightened out because clicker is the way to go.  We didn't do anything fancy. Everybody put on vests so that we knew it was time to focus on our Moms. Then TrainerMarni went around to everybody and shook hands with the Moms and walked around us and "brushed" (no brushes present) us and checked our ears and checked our teeth. At one point, Mom was feeling a little bit shaky so we had us a snuggle. Turns out if you snuggle with your Mom in a certain way, you get cookies. AuntyMaigen was supposed to come to the class but she forgot. I hope she remembers to come next week so I can play with her. I get to teach her how to click properly.

AuntyMaigen almost got the dog that was going to be trained for her SD. Mika. She brought Mika over for visit and we went to the dog park together. Mika had to stay on her leash but I had the best time playing dirtiest dog. (read further down for more about this game). But Mika isn't staying with us. The breeder wasn't upfront with the humans about Mika's history. Turns out Mika has been known to be dog and human aggressive. Bad Mika! So Mika got sent home and AuntyMaigen is left waiting for another dog to come.

Okay. The story about "dirtiest dog". If you have never played this game, you have to. It's the best! The rules: You go with your friends to the dog park in the spring or after a good rain when there is water and mud everywhere. You run, you play, you smile, you have a great time. The humans usually decide that all the dogs win and take us for a bath. The bath isn't a great prize but the game is just so much fun! Mom took me somewhere new for my bath this time. There was a big tub and other dogs who were getting groomed and the big blow drier and everything. And Mom was thrilled because it wasn't pay by the minute. So I got a longer, better bath than I usually get and Mom saved TONS of money.

There is of course other stuff that has happened since last I posted but I don't want to bore everybody. Hopefully now that the tv series is done, I can work on making sure I update every day, two at most. I just have to get in the habit of it. And then the posts won't be so long.

Visit from Asker

I know, I know. I didn't write yesterday. I was so tired, not that we really did anything. We slept in, probably way later than we should. We putzed  around the house. Didn't really get anything done. We worked in the evening. Just a waste of a day.

Now I'm at work again. The evening shift isn't so bad as the afternoon. At least I'm not spending my sunshine hours trapped inside. Since I'm at work, I figured it was a good time to get on the computer and do my update. There isn't ever anything interesting that happens around here any way.

My new buddy, Asker, came over for a little bit. My cat, Marissa, is too brave around her. One day she's going to get to close to that dog before Mom and her mom get her settled and my kitty is going to get hurt. Mom says Asker did good today around the cats compared to last time but there was still one point where I had to chase my cat away from harm and then help Asker get calmed down again. Hopefully soon we'll be able to play indoors when Asker comes over but not yet. While Asker was over, I had to make Mom pay attention to me (she's always so taken with the idea of training a new person and a new dog) so I practiced sitting right in her lap. Curled up and stayed there so she had to pay attention to me and tell me how pretty and good I was. But a dog can only stayed curled up like that for so long before it becomes uncomfortable. Eventually I moved and curled up against her instead. Before Asker left, we went for a group walk. Of course all the Moms could talk about was service dogs, service dog behaviour, service dog tasks, and on and on and on. Silly people. Mom showed how I do a lead and a follow (I'm still working on the follow but my lead is getting pretty good if I say so myself). She also advised about what might be the most useful commands for Asker to know. Eg. Leave it, heel, wait, go through, back, forward, focus/watch, quiet (surprising important - especially since Asker tends to complain out loud), get busy. Once we walked Asker back to her van, the Mom's talked forever. I know my Mom wants Asker's mom to be able to handle the transition from pet to service dog well but did they have to talk for so long? Mom mentioned some of the things that we dogs will need to do to pass our public access tests. Why does everybody make such a big deal out of taking the bus? It's boring but not hard. Mom also revealed her master plan for us to go swimming. Except I don't think the dogs get to go swimming, just the people. I think we have to do something boring while, once again, the humans get to go and have fun. We'll see. Maybe we can change their minds. But Mom said we are going to do it as a group.

Mom is attempting to get me all brushed out again. Since it's taking her at least 30 minutes to get through the matts in my elbow she doesn't finish brushing me before it's time to start at the beginning again. But with me starting to blow my coat she's trying so hard to keep at it every day. But it sucks. De-matting hurts! No matter how much leave in conditioner Mom uses. It hurts. Here's hoping that as the weather dries up and my coat gets shed, that she won't need to brush me quite as much.

Mom started a facebook group for our local dogs. Search Service Dogs Edmonton. No matter what disability you have, what breed of dog you use, or what program you're with, Mom says you should join.

Ok. I think that's all I got.
Woofs and tail wags
Paige

From the phone

It's crazy late here but I'm required to check in so I grabbed mom's phone which has a blogger app on it. So between paws, phone auto correct spelling and an app that doesn't seem to be working right, please read more what I mean than what I may actually write.

Mom got a phone call this morning and we had to go in for a little bit to work. Yuck! I hate Mom's job! But we did it. Think of the cookies that 3 hours of work can buy. Think of the cookies. Or at least that's what I tell myself to get through.

After a short rest at home, a girl needs her beauty sleep ya know, it was off to a busy afternoon and more exercise than I've had in a very long time. We walked to the post office. Mom had a new book to pick up. Since we were just a few blocks from her mom's office, she decided to stop there. I love going to see grandma, even though I'm not supposed to call her that. :-) Then we walked to the library which is just a few blocks further. Nothing major to report.

Then came the hard stuff! We got on the bus and went to a place that's kinda like a vets office. After mom filled out some paper work, they took me to a little room, pulled on my leg, put some wet stuff on it, and poked it with a pin. They took 2 tiny samples of my blood. Oh my. But it was okay. Mom was there with me and I trust her.

So I was back to chilling in the waiting room. There was these 2 other dogs there that were showing their energy and their desire to dance. Mom made me lie down next to them and practice my relaxation and stay under distraction. I must have passed my first blood test because it was into another vet room we went. This one was bigger with lots of people. Mom lifted me up onto the table nd had me lie down. On my side. They shaved a patch out of my neck, got a big needle, and poked me. They poked me 4 times and evidently didn't find what they were looking for because they flipped me over and tried the other side. So I ended up with two bald spots, 7 needle marks and nothing happened. They were look for something. Blood maybe. They said I was too relaxed and had no blood pressure so they couldn't find my vein. So everybody gave me treats and suggested I come back in a month to try again without the relaxation exercises.

After some outside sniffing, we went across the street to the mall so mom could grab some supper. Mom wanted to look for a pair of jeans so we went to one store. The fit was horrid! So no jeans. We ended up in sellers and mom had to buy yarn. Had to. Complete compulsion. So I ended up sprawled in the middle of the aisle, right were I'm not supposed to be. Mom hunted and hunted and Finally decided on some factory ends. Since she has no idea what she's going to make with it, it was the cheapest way to go. We ended up spending way to long at the mall and came out with a bag of yarn that mom didn't really need. Mom has no idea how that happened but it did.

Then we came home and I slept. And now that my paws are sore from typing on the phone I'm going back to sleep. Good night.

The take over

Hi everybody,

Mom set up this wonderful blog and has failed to write in it, so I’m taking over. Not sure why she doesn’t but I’m going to. We need to keep a diary of my training and Mom has done horridly. *Tisk tisk* I’m going to try and write every evening and tell you about my day but we’ll see. Some days Mom won’t let me near the computer.

So today:

We woke up late. Ate breakfast. Checked email.

And then Marni came over. Marni is such a great person. She always brings my favourite treat – turkey jurkies!  We played all sorts of games when Marni was here. Snuggle with Mom. Jump on Mom’s lap. Lay my head on Mom’s lap. Pick stuff up – today they kept asking me to pick up a tissue and then pick up the box. I’m not sure what they quite want there. They click and treat when I bring the tissue and they giggle at me when I try to pick up the box. Marni almost fell off her chair when I picked up the box while I was stepping in it. I guess it’s kind of funny but I just am not sure what they want. I’ll figure it out and get back to you.  They also kept handing me a can and asking me to put it in the bin. They were doing this last week with a bottle. I keep missing the bin. I drop the can/bottle beside the bin. I’m not sure why they want it in the bin. They’re so picky but we throw a party if I do get it in the bin. Bin = Party. Guess I’ll have to practice.

Mom and Dad went out tonight WITHOUT ME!!!! They went to the “movie theatre”. Mom says she’s going to take me there soon but she has to wait for the right day.  She keeps promising me this but we’ll see. I was so happy to see her again when she got home.

And now it’s bed time. I’m going to go get Mom to open the bedroom door so I can go lie on my big bed. Good night

I'm on a list serve for people who live with and use a PSD. We were having a discussion about the doubts that people face when they are starting to consider living and working with a PSD. This is the response that I wrote for the topic and I wanted to share it with open cyberspace because it may ring true with some other people.

For me there were a few hurdles to get through in this process. Now I'm helping the new handler with my organization to get past them as well.

1. Accepting myself as disabled.

I have a disability that limits my life and the way that I live it. I couldn't go out all the time. I was missing a lot of school and work. I couldn't go to a mall or grocery shopping by myself. Never mind being able to go somewhere fun by myself.

2. Paige is a medical devise.

People without legs need wheel chairs. The blind need a cane or dog. The hard of hearing need hearing aids. Lots of people need glasses. I needed a companion to accompany me in public so that I can get done what needed to get done. Service humans are unreliable at best and are busy with their own lives. Many of my friends who I discussed this with would comment how better functioning I was after I took a mental break at home with the cats for a couple of days. A service dog would let me get through life on my own.

3. I have the right to bring my medical devise out in public with me.

Nobody apologizes for needed a walker, wheel chair, cane, or guide dog. I now refuse to apologize for needing Paige. But this was the hardest step for me. It actually took me going out with Paige a few times and realizing what a difference it made in my life. When I started public access training with Paige, we started with walk in the doors and walk straight back out. Once this had gotten far enough for me to be able to make a quick purchase in the grocery store, I suddenly realized what this dog was going to open up for me. I wanted to go to the museum, the art gallery, go for tours of the parliament buildings here, go on the historic trolley car and now I can. I never ask for access to a store or bus with Paige. I have the right to be there. I will inform them that she is a working dog and then I carry on because I belong there and she belongs at my side. I'm careful to not leave a bad taste in anybody's mouth from them meeting with me. I always smile. I always say thank you for any accommodation that may be made (eg. People giving up their seat on the bus for me). I also block people from touching my dog. Yes my devise is fuzzy and cute but you wouldn't walk up and grab an old lady's walker. I explained it to my coworkers that they should picture Paige as my new purse. I still have one who says to me every time I see her "I love your beautiful purse." We both laugh and it's a running joke.

Once you get past these mental hurdles, you won't believe how much your life will open up. Where have you really always wanted to go? Can you go there with other people? Can you find people to go with you again, and again, and again if that is what you want? Does it suck to be tied to service humans? Imagine getting to go there as many times as you want and as often as you want, on your own, with a piece of medical equipment who also happens to be your best friend. Then smile, sigh, and go take your SD for a walk.