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.