Happy Monday to all! We had a relaxing yet productive Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was International Dog Day. IN the morning we did a route in Mount Kisco. Just for fun, I’ll include a link for anyone who wants to learn more about the town:
Lyons did well. It was a nice day, so lots of people and activity. I’ve realized he does not like to step on manhole covers, so he takes me around them. That’s all good unless there’s a sign and a person he has to negotiate around. We reworked it and he did well. We have two instructors now, and four students, so each instructor works with two of us. One instructor is in training, so the class supervisor is also with us. We have not really done doubles, meaning two people per route. It’s been one on one. I’m wondering if that will happen this week at any time. So, while we waited for our instructor to work with the other student, we hung out at Starbucks—what a sacrifice! I had a nice chat with my classmate, and an iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte. Seems like pumpkin comes earlier and earlier each year! It was yummy and got me in the fall spirit.
After lunch, we took the dogs out for playtime again. I have a short video of them playing that my instructor took, though by the time she took it, they were not running around like crazy as they were in the beginning. One of the dogs was so funny! She ran around and riled up all the rest of the dogs, then hopped up on the bench and laid down to chew her bone and watch the mayhem that ensued. She is super vocal while playing too, though we didn’t catch that in the video. Here is a Dropbox link to the video, which if you’re reading this in a few months, probably won’t work, but at least it’s good for now:
Note that you don’t have to create an account to listen to it. You can just cancel out of the dialog box and you’ll be able to play it. I think you probably have to accept/decline the cookies as well. Too bad those cookies aren’t white chocolate macadamia! 😉
Once the dogs were tired out from all the play, we all gathered to talk about booties and put them on our dogs to see how they would do. These are used to protect the dogs’ feet when it’s too hot, too cold, and from the salt used for melting ice and snow. If I were a betting person, I would’ve bet money that Lyons was going to be wiggly and not thrilled with them, as he doesn’t seem to love having his feet handled, and doesn’t like stepping on metal grates. However, I would’ve lost that bet, because my boy did awesome! He laid there and let me put them on, then got up and started heeling with me as if nothing was different. He didn’t even hesitate when I told him to sit. I’ve learned that sometimes dogs act really funny with the boots on, even doing commands that are no big deal, but now with the boots, they have to be reminded that their feet are still there and they can still sit, back up, etc. I will include a couple of pictures of Lyons in his cute red booties! For those who are not familiar and can’t see them, they are like little sneakers. They are red with I believe a gray sole and a black strap. Someone correct me if that’s wrong.
The rest of Saturday was pretty low key. I’m a little worried about my boy’s ears, because he is acting like they’re uncomfortable when I look at them, which was not the case a couple of days ago when I cleaned them. I’m very gentle, and he even whined a couple of times. I have had I think all the instructors look at them and they don’t see anything, but the vet appointment is this afternoon, so I should get some definite answers then. After dinner, a couple of us had a nice conversation with one of the nurses who is only per diem, so she doesn’t come to class much. We were originally going to play cards, but ended up just shooting the breeze for a couple of hours. It ended with chocolate pretzels, coffee and biscotti from Trader Joes—thanks Christen!
Yesterday there was no official class stuff, because no instructor in the building. We did have an instructor assistant, Caleigh, and she was great, answering our questions and generally making sure all ran smoothly. I did laundry, and a few of us went to the gazebo in the afternoon—it was such a nice day! Lyons and I continue to bond and just become more comfortable together. I took him out to the play area and he had a blast. He also started chewing up a Kong, so I’ll have to watch him with toys for a bit to see what he can have. We practiced navigating obstacles, both naturally occurring and some that were set up on purpose. A couple of observations:
I think it’s helpful for Lyons to know that there are consequences for the clearance errors. ON Friday when he was going to run me into the sign, the instructor stopped us, which she has tended to do. When we reworked it, I asked her not to warn me, to just let us run into it. I want him to realize what happens if he doesn’t clear us or stop for obstacles. Of course, we have to balance safety and all, but as long as it’s not a huge safety risk, I would like to just start running into stuff if it’s going to happen. Yesterday as I was leaving the grooming room and I asked him to head toward the door, we ran into a crate, which had another collapsed crate leaning against it, so it made lots of noise. It was great! He seemed to take notice. That’s what I mean about getting the message across that there are consequences if he does run me into something.
The other thing I noticed is that sometimes he takes me up to the people instead of going around them. Not quite sure how to address that other than telling him to hop up. I’ll talk to my instructor about this today. He did do it correctly when I reworked it though. I spoke with Melissa Smith, our Regional Guide Dog Mobility Instructor (GDMI), or my local field rep, as they used to be called. I appreciated getting her perspective on things, and we have an appointment to work together soon after getting home. That makes me feel better. I value her knowledge and experience very much, and I look forward to problem solving with her a bit as needed.
Guiding Eyes gives us a slicker brush and a comb. Yesterday I borrowed a Zoom Groom, which for those who don’t know, it’s a rubber brush with little nubs that is used in a circular motion to get out the loose undercoat. I was able to get out a bunch of hair while grooming him with it, but he totally thought it was a toy and he wanted to play with it! We eased into it and he settled down pretty quickly.
I began writing this entry this morning before our shorelining route. This can also be called sidewalkless or country road. Basically, it’s when you and your dog walk somewhere with no sidewalk. We are taught to walk along the left side, with the dog closest to the edge. This way you are walking against traffic, and the more visible member of the team, the person, is on the traffic side. There may be other reasons. Those are just what I’ve heard over the years. Lyons aced this particular exercise. He was awesome, staying close to the curb, and not even getting distracted much by the good grass smells. I was super proud of him!!
Before lunch, we started the “going home” lecture. After lunch, we talked about flying, TSA, etc. They lined up seats to simulate airplane seating so we could practice positioning our dogs under the seat. Some of us were more comfortable than others, and it was a good opportunity to practice. The instructors have a ball role playing security people at the airport—it’s so funny! They should have their own YouTube channel.
This afternoon we had our vet consult. My boy is very healthy and has had minimal medical issues. He had chin acne when he was younger, so there’s this little spot on his chin where he has no hair. Of course, I noticed it the first day. Most people probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. In the past, he had hotspots from being in the kennel, but the vet said it was only on the side of his head where probably his kennel mate chewed on him or something. It was only in that spot and nothing serious. I did notice a little dry scabbing there when I got him, but the instructors said it was totally dry, and it came off in a day or two. The vet said they see that pretty often. As for his ears, they seem perfectly fine. Perhaps he is just sensitive, but I’ve never seen that reaction before, and he wasn’t doing it when I cleaned his ears on Thursday. I will keep an eye on it. My boy was evaluated to be a breeder, but they found he had Tricuspid valve dysplasia, which wouldn’t prevent him from being a guide since it’s a mild case, but they would not want that in a breeder. Tricuspid valve dysplasia is an inherited heart defect that is characterized by an abnormally formed tricuspid valve on the right side of the heart. They recommend doing a cardiac ultrasound in 12-18 months to make sure all is well. GEB has a couple of different funding sources for vet care assistance, so this would not be an expense I have to cover. By the way, since most dogs would not have a cardiac ultrasound unless they are being considered as a breeder, this condition might be present in dogs and one wouldn’t be aware unless an issue arose. One other dog in our class was in the same boat, tagged for breeding and was not able to because of this condition. My boy weighed 60.4 lbs. Oh, and his birthday is August 5, which I knew on the first day because I bugged my instructor. 😊 It’s something that’s important to me so I like to know right away. I also found out from someone else that Lyons is both a Pathfinder dog and a Special Name dog. Both designations indicate that someone donated money and was able to name him. Pathfinder means someone included Guiding Eyes in their estate planning. Special Name means they made a donation to GEB of $5000 or more. IN both cases, they are able to name a puppy.
After the vet consult, I met with Jessy DiNapoli, Admissions Manager, to fill out the Department of Transportation (DOT) form for our flight this week. We found out that United does not make you upload the DOT form. They have a similar questionnaire that we fill out instead, pretty much the same as the DOT form. So nice that GEB fills it out with us for our return flights. They say it’s good for a year. We got an electronic copy in our emails and also two paper copies.
Today ended with a night route. Lyons did excellently—he worked like a pro and didn’t seem phased at all. He slowed down a bit when it was completely dark at one point, but it seemed he was just being cautious. We did also go out to the play area right before the night route. Lyons did a bunch of loops and played with some of the toys. We also had a nice game of tug. He really needed the playtime after our busy day, and I’m glad we got to have that time.
Lyons is zonked out in his crate, and I’m headed to bed. It’s been a long, full, but good day for us all. I’ll write again soon. Adios!
Judy's Dog Blog 