Morey and I have been working on a training project for several months and it's finally to the point where I am able to use this task. Even though you start out knowing that you are training a task for a service dog, it can be easy to start thinking of it as a "trick"-something cool to show off what your dog can do. However, when you actually need your dog to help you with something and you can use that new task to get it accomplished that is pretty cool.
I have always wanted to teach a dog the concept of "right" and "left". I decided this would be a good challenge for Morey and I to figure out together. I began shaping (using a clicker with food rewards when he does a behavior close to what I am looking for and then gradually getting more strict about which behaviors get rewarded) it this summer and it's been a work in progress ever since.
At first it was clicking him for simply looking left. Then I transitioned to items on the ground and clicking when he looked at the one on the left. I had to switch the items frequently so he didn't think he was getting rewarded for always choosing the glove or sock or pencil, but only for choosing the item on the left. This was sometimes a challenge when he would move around and suddenly the item I wanted was now on his right side!
I initially started teaching this task because I tend to have more than one thing in the area when I am asking Morey to retrieve. I thought it would be nice to be able to direct him to the thing on the left or right instead of having him retrieve each item until he gets to the one I really want. I started with left and we will introduce right in another month or two.
I knew we had successfully perfected the task the other night. I was in bed and wanted Morey to retrieve one of my socks that was across the room (next to a pile of other things). He went over and I said "left" and then gave him a "that's it" to get him to know he was correct. He picked up the sock, ignoring the other items, and brought it to me. Success!
Morey
Morey, My 2nd Service Dog
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Morey at the Movies
Morey accompanied me and a friend to The Muppets movie. I'm not sure if Morey had been to a movie in a theater before. As I expected, he settled down and went to sleep as soon as the lights went out. He did wake up several times and look around when a dog barked on the screen. There was also a part where one of the characters did some very high-pitched whistling and I don't think Morey's head could have tilted any further to the side!
The way the theater was designed there really wasn't any way for Morey to get out of the way. Luckily the theater wasn't very full and so he could lay out in front of our seats without causing any problems.
The way the theater was designed there really wasn't any way for Morey to get out of the way. Luckily the theater wasn't very full and so he could lay out in front of our seats without causing any problems.
A Trip to the Vet
Morey was due for his annual shots and check up so I decided to get that all done before our holiday travels. Morey initially likes it when we go into the clinic because it has lots of good smells and usually other animals to distract him. However, once we go in the exam room he realizes what comes next. My usually social outgoing dog turns into a shy and hesitant 'fraidy cat; the only time he is reluctant to go say hello to someone.
He is very cooperative about being handled by the vet staff, even if he doesn't enjoy it. He weighed 76 lbs which might be a bit more than when I got him, but it's because he "has filled out" now that he's three years old. I keep a close eye on his weight to keep him nice and trim. After all, we have ICAN recertification coming up soon and it would be embarrassing to be told my dog is too fat!
When the vet came in the room, Morey actually hid behind my wheelchair. I have to admit, that made me laugh! He cautiously went over to say hello and through the rest of the exam he did a visit on my lap, refusing to look at the vet. He got his shots and did look back over his shoulder as if to say "Hey, I thought you were giving me a butt scratch and now you're poking me with needles?"
Morey was given a clean bill of health. I'm thankful to have such a happy and healthy dog in my life!
He is very cooperative about being handled by the vet staff, even if he doesn't enjoy it. He weighed 76 lbs which might be a bit more than when I got him, but it's because he "has filled out" now that he's three years old. I keep a close eye on his weight to keep him nice and trim. After all, we have ICAN recertification coming up soon and it would be embarrassing to be told my dog is too fat!
When the vet came in the room, Morey actually hid behind my wheelchair. I have to admit, that made me laugh! He cautiously went over to say hello and through the rest of the exam he did a visit on my lap, refusing to look at the vet. He got his shots and did look back over his shoulder as if to say "Hey, I thought you were giving me a butt scratch and now you're poking me with needles?"
Morey was given a clean bill of health. I'm thankful to have such a happy and healthy dog in my life!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
A Naughty Service Dog
When you live and work with the world's best service dog, there are times when you forget that he is still a dog. He is perfectly behaved and responsive, loves to work, is fun and goofy, social yet focused on me, and all around an awesomely amazing dog.There are really only 2 things that would make Morey more perfect: less shedding and the ability to live forever.
I get spoiled by Morey. I can put him in a down stay and know he won't move until I come back, leave food in his reach and be confident that he won't get it, and let him off leash knowing he will come when I call him. Yet every once in a while Morey does something "dog-ie" and it takes me by surprise. Then I am forced to stop and readjust my expectations and realize that even though he is practically perfect in every way, he still is a dog. A domesticated and very well trained dog, but still an animal that does not think from a human perspective. And sometimes his partner has trouble thinking from a dog perspective.
Last week I left Morey at home during rugby practice. I like to leave him alone every once in a while just so he stays used to it. He always expects to go, but I just tell him "You're going to stay" and then he knows that I'm going and he's not. Usually when I get back he will just be getting up from a nap on my bed (sometimes he's waiting to greet me at the door but sometimes it takes him a while and he will poke his head out the bedroom door with squinted eyes as if to say "Oh, you're back. You woke me up.").
When I came home from practice Morey greeted me at the door and when I came inside there was trash and bits of paper and Kleenex all over the floor in my hallway. Surprised, I looked at Morey and pointed to the stuff strewn all over the floor and asked in an accusing voice "Oh Morey, did you do this?" He slunk over to me and sat down, wagging his tail just a bit.
[The dog trainer in me knows this reaction is because of the tone of voice I used. The anthromorphic human in me said this was because he was feeling guilty for his actions.]
Still amazed that my perfect service dog had done something so common and vulgar as digging through the trash, I continued, "Morey, I'm kind of ashamed of you." (And yes, I do frequently have conversations with Morey!) Hearing the displeasure in my voice Morey turned to do something that usually results in lots of praise: retrieving. He went around the room and one by one he retrieved each piece of trash and brought it to me.
[The dog trainer in me knows that Morey was thinking that retrieving=praise so if I retrieve something that will make her praise instead of scold me. The anthromorphic human in me was thinking that he was trying to apologize for his bad behavior.]
The sight of Morey cleaning up his own mess made me laugh which made Morey happy too. Only a service dog would get into the garbage and then clean it up on his own! The conflict of dog nature vs. training was clearly demonstrated in this scenario. When left alone with a trash full of goodies the dog part of the service dog may not be able to resist, but the service part will help you clean up the resulting mess!
This situation was a good reminder that my expectations for Morey may be a bit unrealistic. I will now be a bit more careful about what I leave in the trash on his level. I will also be more aware of the battle between the dog trainer side of me that views Morey and his behavior from an appropriate dog perspective and the anthromorphic side of me that tries to ascribe human emotions and thought processes to Morey's behavior and reactions (he "should know better", look how guilty he looks, etc.)
I get spoiled by Morey. I can put him in a down stay and know he won't move until I come back, leave food in his reach and be confident that he won't get it, and let him off leash knowing he will come when I call him. Yet every once in a while Morey does something "dog-ie" and it takes me by surprise. Then I am forced to stop and readjust my expectations and realize that even though he is practically perfect in every way, he still is a dog. A domesticated and very well trained dog, but still an animal that does not think from a human perspective. And sometimes his partner has trouble thinking from a dog perspective.
Last week I left Morey at home during rugby practice. I like to leave him alone every once in a while just so he stays used to it. He always expects to go, but I just tell him "You're going to stay" and then he knows that I'm going and he's not. Usually when I get back he will just be getting up from a nap on my bed (sometimes he's waiting to greet me at the door but sometimes it takes him a while and he will poke his head out the bedroom door with squinted eyes as if to say "Oh, you're back. You woke me up.").
When I came home from practice Morey greeted me at the door and when I came inside there was trash and bits of paper and Kleenex all over the floor in my hallway. Surprised, I looked at Morey and pointed to the stuff strewn all over the floor and asked in an accusing voice "Oh Morey, did you do this?" He slunk over to me and sat down, wagging his tail just a bit.
[The dog trainer in me knows this reaction is because of the tone of voice I used. The anthromorphic human in me said this was because he was feeling guilty for his actions.]
Still amazed that my perfect service dog had done something so common and vulgar as digging through the trash, I continued, "Morey, I'm kind of ashamed of you." (And yes, I do frequently have conversations with Morey!) Hearing the displeasure in my voice Morey turned to do something that usually results in lots of praise: retrieving. He went around the room and one by one he retrieved each piece of trash and brought it to me.
[The dog trainer in me knows that Morey was thinking that retrieving=praise so if I retrieve something that will make her praise instead of scold me. The anthromorphic human in me was thinking that he was trying to apologize for his bad behavior.]
The sight of Morey cleaning up his own mess made me laugh which made Morey happy too. Only a service dog would get into the garbage and then clean it up on his own! The conflict of dog nature vs. training was clearly demonstrated in this scenario. When left alone with a trash full of goodies the dog part of the service dog may not be able to resist, but the service part will help you clean up the resulting mess!
This situation was a good reminder that my expectations for Morey may be a bit unrealistic. I will now be a bit more careful about what I leave in the trash on his level. I will also be more aware of the battle between the dog trainer side of me that views Morey and his behavior from an appropriate dog perspective and the anthromorphic side of me that tries to ascribe human emotions and thought processes to Morey's behavior and reactions (he "should know better", look how guilty he looks, etc.)
Friday, December 9, 2011
The Ultimate Compliment
Today as Morey and I were coming back into our office building after taking an afternoon potty break Morey received the ultimate compliment. After jumping up and pushing the door button we went inside as usual. A man who was coming out and had seen Morey's door-opening/button pushing skill said "Wow, now that's as close to Lassie as I'm ever going to see!"
Morey, the humble service dog being compared to Lassie, who saved Timmy when he was stuck in the well and did many other heroic acts (too numerous to mention here). I'm not sure if Morey recognized the compliment he had received, but it certainly made me smile!
Morey, the humble service dog being compared to Lassie, who saved Timmy when he was stuck in the well and did many other heroic acts (too numerous to mention here). I'm not sure if Morey recognized the compliment he had received, but it certainly made me smile!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
3 is a crowd
My mom and I have the same type of van. As a result, it gets humorous to watch Jessie, Morey, and Buddy compete with each other to share the same space they normally get to themselves. From these pictures, I think you will probably agree that Morey won that contest!
I love the expressions on all the dog's face! Buddy (the shih tzu) looks digusted, Jessie looks indignant, and Morey looks all innocence. As you can see from the next picture though, the arrangements didn't keep anyone from going right to sleep!
Morey's Grandma
Morey has a special connection with his "Grandma". If you remember, Morey has had a connection with her since he was born (and way before she was officially his grandma). Although she did much of his earliest training-starting when he was only a few days old- most recently visits with Grandma have meant all fun and games. When he is at Grandma's house he is pretty much "off duty" and get lots of treats, toys, and attention. However, Grandma is very good at respecting the boundary between Morey as a professional and Morey her granddog.
It's amazing to me how quickly dogs form habits and put together patterns and sequences of events. This Thanksgiving was only the second time Morey and I have flown home, although we have flown lots of other places together. However, as soon as we exited the airport and were on the curb waiting for Grandma's taxi, Morey started looking around, putting his nose in the air and getting excited. He has never done this when we have flown anywhere else, so he must have remembered that this is the place where fun things happen. I asked him if he was looking for "grandma" and he looked right at me. When Grandma arrived, he bounced up and down and did an entire body wag. (It works out well because while he is greeting Grandma, I am greeting Jessie. Then, once we have said hello to the important dogs in our loves, we say hi to each other).
I'm thankful Morey is such a beloved member of our family. He and Jessie get along well, although there is some competition for pets, treats, toys, and bed space. Morey's "aunts" also like it when he come home to visit. They also like it when I come to visit too ; )
It's amazing to me how quickly dogs form habits and put together patterns and sequences of events. This Thanksgiving was only the second time Morey and I have flown home, although we have flown lots of other places together. However, as soon as we exited the airport and were on the curb waiting for Grandma's taxi, Morey started looking around, putting his nose in the air and getting excited. He has never done this when we have flown anywhere else, so he must have remembered that this is the place where fun things happen. I asked him if he was looking for "grandma" and he looked right at me. When Grandma arrived, he bounced up and down and did an entire body wag. (It works out well because while he is greeting Grandma, I am greeting Jessie. Then, once we have said hello to the important dogs in our loves, we say hi to each other).
I'm thankful Morey is such a beloved member of our family. He and Jessie get along well, although there is some competition for pets, treats, toys, and bed space. Morey's "aunts" also like it when he come home to visit. They also like it when I come to visit too ; )
The Price of Fame
When you have a service dog, it's hard not to be noticed or recognized. It seems like at least once a week, usually when I am on campus, I will have someone say "Oh, I saw you at the gym/library/parking lot the other day". I would be a very bad criminal-people tend to remember when they see a person with a dog someplace where they aren't expecting it. Sometimes it comes from someone I know, and sometimes it's a relative stranger-a student who has seen me in my office (we have over 1,800 students registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities office at UT so although I try, I still don't recognize all of them) or a staff member who attended a presentation I gave. Each time it happens I am reminded that whenever Morey and I go out we are ambassadors for all people with service dogs. No pressure there!
Sometimes these encounters happen in places where you would never expect. When I arrived at the Indianapolis airport at 11pm for my Thanksgiving visit, I was waiting at the curb for my mom to pick me up. All of a sudden a car pulls up in front of me and the person rolls down the window and says "I was at the ICAN golf outing this summer when you spoke. Enjoy your trip in Indiana!" Wow! I hadn't been in Indiana for more than 20 minutes and Morey and I were already recognized. I guess that is the price you pay for being "famous"!
: )
Sometimes these encounters happen in places where you would never expect. When I arrived at the Indianapolis airport at 11pm for my Thanksgiving visit, I was waiting at the curb for my mom to pick me up. All of a sudden a car pulls up in front of me and the person rolls down the window and says "I was at the ICAN golf outing this summer when you spoke. Enjoy your trip in Indiana!" Wow! I hadn't been in Indiana for more than 20 minutes and Morey and I were already recognized. I guess that is the price you pay for being "famous"!
: )
Bark in a Bag
Traveling with a dog never gets boring. Even though I would now consider both Morey and me to be experienced travelers, there are always new elements and adventures being thrown at us. Luckily we are both good at being flexible and rolling with whatever punches come our way!
We went home to Indiana for Thanksgiving and started out the trip by taking the bus to the airport. Morey tucked nicely under the seat and got several compliments from other passengers. Even though he can be a goof ball at home and sometimes even in the office, he is very good at snapping into official service dog mode.
In our flights over the past few months, I have noticed more people flying with little dogs. People will be walking the dogs, carrying them in their arms, or transporting them in soft-sided crates. through the airport. I'm not sure if these dogs are pets, emotional/psychiatric support animals or service dogs. (Under the Air Carrier Access Act, emotional/psychiatric support animals are allowed to fly with their partner, while under the Americans with Disabilities Act these types of animals are not granted public access).
Whatever the case, as Morey and I were making our way to our gate after going through security, we both were startled by several sharp yaps that quickly turned into incessant barking. I usually try to be aware of my surroundings and I hadn't seen a dog anywhere. Morey hadn't either and I could tell by the way his ears were pulled back and how he was glancing around that he was trying to find out where this piercing noise was coming from. Finally, I saw a woman bending down beside a bag on the floor next to her. Inside was an agitated fluffy white dog. The bag looked like a regular duffel bag but as I looked closer I could see that parts of it were mesh instead of solid cloth.
Neither Morey or I were expecting the barking to be coming from a bag. As we kept moving to our gate we could still hear the dog barking behind us. Now we know to look out for dogs in bags!
We went home to Indiana for Thanksgiving and started out the trip by taking the bus to the airport. Morey tucked nicely under the seat and got several compliments from other passengers. Even though he can be a goof ball at home and sometimes even in the office, he is very good at snapping into official service dog mode.
In our flights over the past few months, I have noticed more people flying with little dogs. People will be walking the dogs, carrying them in their arms, or transporting them in soft-sided crates. through the airport. I'm not sure if these dogs are pets, emotional/psychiatric support animals or service dogs. (Under the Air Carrier Access Act, emotional/psychiatric support animals are allowed to fly with their partner, while under the Americans with Disabilities Act these types of animals are not granted public access).
Whatever the case, as Morey and I were making our way to our gate after going through security, we both were startled by several sharp yaps that quickly turned into incessant barking. I usually try to be aware of my surroundings and I hadn't seen a dog anywhere. Morey hadn't either and I could tell by the way his ears were pulled back and how he was glancing around that he was trying to find out where this piercing noise was coming from. Finally, I saw a woman bending down beside a bag on the floor next to her. Inside was an agitated fluffy white dog. The bag looked like a regular duffel bag but as I looked closer I could see that parts of it were mesh instead of solid cloth.
Neither Morey or I were expecting the barking to be coming from a bag. As we kept moving to our gate we could still hear the dog barking behind us. Now we know to look out for dogs in bags!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Caught in the Act
My flight left at 7am on Friday and rather than dropping Morey off at a horribly early hour and then having him stay alone at Stephani's house by himself, she suggested that I bring him to the office like usual and then she would take him home with her at night.Morey is used to spending all day in my office and I sometimes leave him there alone so I was fine with that idea. I knew he would have lots of visitors throughout the day and would probably get more attention than if I was there!
Now, just to clarify, by himself, Morey does not have any legal rights as a service dog. I am the one who has the right to be accompanied by a service dog. Without me (or a person with a disability), he is just a regular dog and has no public access rights. But, since he was just going to be hanging out in my office all day, Stephani felt comfortable suggesting that option and I liked it as well.
So, at 5am I left Morey in my office. At 9am I got a text that contained the picture included here. This is where my co-worker found Morey when she arrived at the office. Morey has NEVER EVER gotten up on my couch either at home or in my office. I've never even seen him try. I guess he decided that if he had to wake up at 4am and then be left in an office by himself he was going to try to salvage the day by getting a few extra hours of sleep.
When I picked him up from Stephani on Sunday, she said that he had gotten up on her couch as well. She never saw him do it, but somehow there was yellow dog hair all over her red couch...Morey might be sneaky but he isn't sneaky enough to remove the evidence he leaves behind!
Today at work he tried to jump on the couch while I was working at my desk. I gave him the command "off" and he quickly got off. I'm going to have to watch him carefully to make sure that this habit is not one that continues! Sorry Morey, but your couch surfing days are over!
Make New Friends
I have to say, I have been fortunate to have always worked in jobs where I really like my boss and my co-workers. At UT, I work with an awesome group of people. It's amazing how much of a difference that can make in creating an environment where you look forward to going to work everyday (well, as least most days!).
My boss Stephani, offered to watch Morey for me over the weekend. She has a black lab named Lucy (apparently a popular name for female black labs) and we have talked many times about getting them together for a play date at the dog park. But because of schedules, weather, etc. we hadn't gotten the chance to make that happen yet.
I took Morey over to meet Lucy for a "trial run" . Morey was very excited to see her and did a lot of bouncing and running and bowing and prancing, which made Lucy a little overwhelmed. Stephani said that she would be fine once Morey settled down. Lucy likes to play with other dogs once she realizes they aren't going to hurt her. Morey was not acting like his usual calm self (the one that Stephani usually sees at work) but Stephani realized that once he got over his initial excitement they would get along well together.
She watched Morey over the weekend and when I picked him up he had a big "doggie smile" on his face. Stephani said that after 10 minutes he and Lucy had gotten along great and had alternated being playing together and having their alone time. Morey had also gotten to meet the neighbor dog, a St. Bernard.
It made the weekend much more enjoyable for both Morey and me for him to stay in Austin. Although he could have come with me, it would have meant a lot of travel and laying around the gym or hotel, when instead he could be running and romping with Lucy. I'm very glad Morey found a place to stay!
My boss Stephani, offered to watch Morey for me over the weekend. She has a black lab named Lucy (apparently a popular name for female black labs) and we have talked many times about getting them together for a play date at the dog park. But because of schedules, weather, etc. we hadn't gotten the chance to make that happen yet.
I took Morey over to meet Lucy for a "trial run" . Morey was very excited to see her and did a lot of bouncing and running and bowing and prancing, which made Lucy a little overwhelmed. Stephani said that she would be fine once Morey settled down. Lucy likes to play with other dogs once she realizes they aren't going to hurt her. Morey was not acting like his usual calm self (the one that Stephani usually sees at work) but Stephani realized that once he got over his initial excitement they would get along well together.
She watched Morey over the weekend and when I picked him up he had a big "doggie smile" on his face. Stephani said that after 10 minutes he and Lucy had gotten along great and had alternated being playing together and having their alone time. Morey had also gotten to meet the neighbor dog, a St. Bernard.
It made the weekend much more enjoyable for both Morey and me for him to stay in Austin. Although he could have come with me, it would have meant a lot of travel and laying around the gym or hotel, when instead he could be running and romping with Lucy. I'm very glad Morey found a place to stay!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Friends and Enemies
One of the disadvantages of living so far away from my Hoosier family and friends is that I don't have as many options for the rare occasions when I need a Morey-sitter. When I travel for rugby I usually prefer to leave him behind-it's easier and more enjoyable for both of us. Morey usually stays with Norm when I travel for the National team, but Norm is on the Stampede so Morey has no one to stay with when we go tournaments with the Stampede.
I have 2 friends in Austin who had offered to watch Morey, but they were both going to be out of town the same weekend that I needed someone to watch him. Naturally. There is a family from church who love Morey and so I asked them if they would be willing to watch Morey. One of their dogs, Lucy, had already met Morey and they were fine together, but they had another dog who wasn't really friendly with other dogs. We decided to introduce them to see if they would be able to make a truce with each other.
The meeting did not happen under the ideal circumstances. I went over to their house at night which meant that A) the meeting was not on neutral ground and B) they couldn't meet outside first and do some gradual "getting to know you" sniffs. They had put Lucy and Princess outside so Morey could sniff around the house first, but unfortunately they pushed the door open and barged inside. To his credit, Morey did very well. Two strange dogs rushing toward him barking and growling was rather intimidating, but he just backed up and put his ears back.
They managed to put Princess away so Morey could become reacquainted with Lucy. Unfortunately, Morey's excited growling came back out and it took Lucy a while to figure out that he really did want to play. Once they got over their initial introduction, they played and romped for 2 hours. It was fun to watch! They raced around the backyard, played ball, wrestled, chased, and played tug. Morey was exhausted and finally laid down to play tug-out of energy but not wanting to stop playing.
His meeting with Princess did not go as well. I was grateful to have my dog body language experience because I could tell when things were going well and when they were going not well. Princess growled and snapped and was obviously not happy that Morey was in her house. She is eleven and I respected her decision to not accept Morey into her house and family.
Overall, Morey had a great evening playing with his new friend Lucy. Meeting Princess was not quite as enjoyable, but he behaved very appropriately toward her; sending calming signals of yawning and looking away. I was proud of how well he did interacting with her.
Oh yes, one other embarrassing comment on the evening. When Morey first came in their house he went over and peed on a potted plant. I was shocked. Morey has never had an accident inside (or as my family calls them "on purposes") but then again I'm not sure if he has ever been exposed to an indoor plant. In his experience, plants are to pee on and so he must have been thinking that his family was pretty cool to have an "indoor outhouse".
I have 2 friends in Austin who had offered to watch Morey, but they were both going to be out of town the same weekend that I needed someone to watch him. Naturally. There is a family from church who love Morey and so I asked them if they would be willing to watch Morey. One of their dogs, Lucy, had already met Morey and they were fine together, but they had another dog who wasn't really friendly with other dogs. We decided to introduce them to see if they would be able to make a truce with each other.
The meeting did not happen under the ideal circumstances. I went over to their house at night which meant that A) the meeting was not on neutral ground and B) they couldn't meet outside first and do some gradual "getting to know you" sniffs. They had put Lucy and Princess outside so Morey could sniff around the house first, but unfortunately they pushed the door open and barged inside. To his credit, Morey did very well. Two strange dogs rushing toward him barking and growling was rather intimidating, but he just backed up and put his ears back.
They managed to put Princess away so Morey could become reacquainted with Lucy. Unfortunately, Morey's excited growling came back out and it took Lucy a while to figure out that he really did want to play. Once they got over their initial introduction, they played and romped for 2 hours. It was fun to watch! They raced around the backyard, played ball, wrestled, chased, and played tug. Morey was exhausted and finally laid down to play tug-out of energy but not wanting to stop playing.
His meeting with Princess did not go as well. I was grateful to have my dog body language experience because I could tell when things were going well and when they were going not well. Princess growled and snapped and was obviously not happy that Morey was in her house. She is eleven and I respected her decision to not accept Morey into her house and family.
Overall, Morey had a great evening playing with his new friend Lucy. Meeting Princess was not quite as enjoyable, but he behaved very appropriately toward her; sending calming signals of yawning and looking away. I was proud of how well he did interacting with her.
Oh yes, one other embarrassing comment on the evening. When Morey first came in their house he went over and peed on a potted plant. I was shocked. Morey has never had an accident inside (or as my family calls them "on purposes") but then again I'm not sure if he has ever been exposed to an indoor plant. In his experience, plants are to pee on and so he must have been thinking that his family was pretty cool to have an "indoor outhouse".
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Refresher Course
Last week the weather got down to the 40s here. Quite a difference from the 90 degree weather from a few weeks ago! With this change, it was time for a change in wardrobe as well. I brought out my sweatshirts and jackets that hadn't been used for quite a while and realized that it was time for Morey to have a refresher course in one of his "seasonal tasks".
I sometimes struggle with taking my coat off. To avoid this problem I usually just avoid wearing a coat all together, but this week I wasn't quite ready to face the "frigid" temperatures (how quickly I have turned into a southerner!). So, it was time for Morey to step up to the plate and help tug my coat off.
The command "tug" can be used for several different things including tugging a door/drawer open or socks or coat off. I have Morey tug my patio door closed sometimes, but other than that, I don't use the tug command much. But, he quickly remembered what to do when presented with my coat sleeve, although I had to make sure he was doing a slow controlled tug (I need him to tug my sleeve off, not pull me out of my chair!). He helps first with one sleeve, then the other, and looks quite proud of himself when he's done. Morey likes to work and I am glad I have such a cheerful helper to help me face the challenges of cold weather.
I sometimes struggle with taking my coat off. To avoid this problem I usually just avoid wearing a coat all together, but this week I wasn't quite ready to face the "frigid" temperatures (how quickly I have turned into a southerner!). So, it was time for Morey to step up to the plate and help tug my coat off.
The command "tug" can be used for several different things including tugging a door/drawer open or socks or coat off. I have Morey tug my patio door closed sometimes, but other than that, I don't use the tug command much. But, he quickly remembered what to do when presented with my coat sleeve, although I had to make sure he was doing a slow controlled tug (I need him to tug my sleeve off, not pull me out of my chair!). He helps first with one sleeve, then the other, and looks quite proud of himself when he's done. Morey likes to work and I am glad I have such a cheerful helper to help me face the challenges of cold weather.
Multi-Tasking
When I get to work in the morning I usually play ball with Morey before we go into the office. There is a nice grassy area (well, now it's mostly dead grass now because of the drought, but you get the idea) next to the parking lot where he can play. If I arrive early enough in the morning, I will let Morey carry his tennis ball up to the office. It's amazing how happy he is when he gets to hold on to his ball for a few more minutes.
One of the everyday tasks Morey does for me is push the automatic door button to get in our building. He enjoys this job a lot and seems to have his feelings hurt if someone else holds the door open for me.
When Morey had his tennis ball in his mouth, he was faced with the dilemma of multi-tasking. Although it was completely possible for him to jump up and touch the button with his nose while he kept the ball in his mouth, Morey couldn't figure out how to make that all work. So, he would jump up on the wall, pause for a minute, reluctantly drop the ball and touch the button as fast as he could, and then jump off the wall and grab his ball again. It took several weeks of doing this before he finally figured out how to open the door with the ball in his mouth. Success!
Changing the Rules
I think I have created a monster. Well, not really, but I can say that I allowed Morey to develop a new habit that I am not too fond of. Once again, it is completely my fault for not nipping it in the bud the first time it happened. What is the new habit?
My bed is the only furniture Morey is allowed on and it is by invitation only. I usually invite him up when it's time for bed or if I'm having a lazy afternoon or evening and watching a movie or reading in my bed. But, Morey has to wait for an invitation and he has always been good at respecting that rule. Until recently.
One night after a late rugby practice, I got out of the shower to find that Morey had already jumped up on the bed and had gone to sleep. I was faced with a decision. Should I wake him up and make him get off the bed, since I hadn't invited him up, or should I let a sleeping dog lie? I decided to do the latter which opened the door to a whole new setup when it comes to Morey and the bed. Now, he thinks nothing of jumping up on the bed whenever he wants to. In fact, at about 8pm, he will get up from his dog bed in the living room and go jump up on the bed! There are several downsides to this (the reasons I established the "by invitation only" rule in the first place).
I sometimes use my bed as a "dumping ground". Meaning at any given time there may be clothes, books, papers, etc. on my bed that preferably need to avoid being smashed or covered with dog hair. Morey likes to use things for pillows so now anything on the bed is subject to a a nice layer of yellow hair. It hasn't rained for such a long time that I have kind of forgotten what rain+dirt+dog equals. Today I was reminded that it equals a muddy mess. I left Morey at home while I went to rugby practice and in order to protect my bed, I just closed the door to my room.
I take full responsibility for allowing Morey to change the rules. It seemed like such an innocent exception to make one time, but from there it was a slippery slope. I am once again reminded of the need for consistency, consistency, consistency when it comes to dog training.
My bed is the only furniture Morey is allowed on and it is by invitation only. I usually invite him up when it's time for bed or if I'm having a lazy afternoon or evening and watching a movie or reading in my bed. But, Morey has to wait for an invitation and he has always been good at respecting that rule. Until recently.
One night after a late rugby practice, I got out of the shower to find that Morey had already jumped up on the bed and had gone to sleep. I was faced with a decision. Should I wake him up and make him get off the bed, since I hadn't invited him up, or should I let a sleeping dog lie? I decided to do the latter which opened the door to a whole new setup when it comes to Morey and the bed. Now, he thinks nothing of jumping up on the bed whenever he wants to. In fact, at about 8pm, he will get up from his dog bed in the living room and go jump up on the bed! There are several downsides to this (the reasons I established the "by invitation only" rule in the first place).
I sometimes use my bed as a "dumping ground". Meaning at any given time there may be clothes, books, papers, etc. on my bed that preferably need to avoid being smashed or covered with dog hair. Morey likes to use things for pillows so now anything on the bed is subject to a a nice layer of yellow hair. It hasn't rained for such a long time that I have kind of forgotten what rain+dirt+dog equals. Today I was reminded that it equals a muddy mess. I left Morey at home while I went to rugby practice and in order to protect my bed, I just closed the door to my room.
I take full responsibility for allowing Morey to change the rules. It seemed like such an innocent exception to make one time, but from there it was a slippery slope. I am once again reminded of the need for consistency, consistency, consistency when it comes to dog training.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Bath time!
Last week Morey and I got together with our friends: my human friend and his dog friends, Maggie and Ace. We hadn't gotten together for a while and so we took them swimming in the lake, which they all enjoyed. If you want to see a happy dog, just watch Morey at the lake chasing a tennis ball with his dog pals. I think that is his idea of heaven!
After going back to my friend's house with 3 wet dogs, we decided to give them all baths in her front yard. She washed and I dried and it worked out pretty well. I don't know if Morey had ever gotten a bath outside in a yard and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. While Maggie and Ace submitted to their fate once they realized what was happening and stood still while they were washed and rinsed, Morey wasn't quite as well-behaved. Because his collar was off, my friend had a hard time holding him still. Several times he broke away and dashed around her yard-soap suds flying everywhere! At one point he came over to me and looked at me as if to say "Can you see what she is doing to me? Are you really going to let this happen?"
Finally he settled down and my friend was able to finish his bath. A bath is the price he has to pay for going swimming but I think it's probably a good trade off for him. The weather is getting colder so I'm not sure how many more times we will be able to go swimming this year. I'm sure he will miss that this winter.
After going back to my friend's house with 3 wet dogs, we decided to give them all baths in her front yard. She washed and I dried and it worked out pretty well. I don't know if Morey had ever gotten a bath outside in a yard and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. While Maggie and Ace submitted to their fate once they realized what was happening and stood still while they were washed and rinsed, Morey wasn't quite as well-behaved. Because his collar was off, my friend had a hard time holding him still. Several times he broke away and dashed around her yard-soap suds flying everywhere! At one point he came over to me and looked at me as if to say "Can you see what she is doing to me? Are you really going to let this happen?"
Finally he settled down and my friend was able to finish his bath. A bath is the price he has to pay for going swimming but I think it's probably a good trade off for him. The weather is getting colder so I'm not sure how many more times we will be able to go swimming this year. I'm sure he will miss that this winter.
Happy Halloween!
One of the things we brought back from Indiana was Morey's Halloween costume. Morey tried on several (a cow, pumpkin, alien, and devil) but because he likes swimming so much he wanted to be a shark. Well, not sure he really wanted to be one, but if he had to wear a costume, I think that is what he would choose.Morey wore his costume to work. I had intended to only leave it on while he was greeting people a the start of the day, but he really didn't seem to mind it so I left it on most of the day. It could help that he got tons of attention and had his picture taken by several people.
I'm sure it felt strange when people petted his costume instead of him and each time Morey would rub up against the person, trying to get it off. He also kept turning his head to bite at his fins which was rather humorous to watch. For the most part, he tolerated the whole thing very well.
Our church had a "No Fear" Halloween celebration and Morey and I attended, with Morey in costume of course. He got tons of compliments-naturally! There were other people in costumes as well and it was funny to see Morey's reaction. Some of them were people he knows but he didn't recognize who they were until they spoke. Wigs seemed to throw him off the most. He also approached kids wearing fairy wings cautiously. Sometimes I wonder what Morey thinks of his life. We've been to church many times and the building and people are familiar to him, yet that night everything was completely different. Thankfully Morey has been well-socialized and takes things all in stride.
I posted a picture of Morey in his costume on Facebook and it has 20 "likes" so far. I have to admit that's one reason I haven't broken down and created a Morey fan page on Facebook...I'm afraid that he would end up having more friends than me and that might create some tension between us! It's pretty hard to compete with such a smart and handsome guy!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Worn Out
Morey was tired after a big day of partying and his other new toy worked nicely as a pillow.
Birthday Presents!
Morey had a "woodland/country" themed party. He got to run through piles of leaves, chase corn husks, and trip and fall on walnuts in the yard.
One of his birthday presents was a duck that he likes to retrieve. It brings out his natural duck hunting instincts. ; )
Because Morey spends a lot of time laying on hard floors, Grandma bought Morey a self-inflating bed to take on the go with him. Notice the burnt orange color! It was a challenge to fit the bed into my suitcase for the return trip home, but we made it work. So, now thanks to Grandma, Morey is hanging out in style by the sidelines of the rugby court!
Party Guests
At his party, Morey had several human and canine guests. He was very excited to have a clown (Jessie) show up to provide entertainment.
Morey's Birthday Trip
For Morey's 3rd birthday he got to take a trip back home to Indiana to celebrate with his "grandma" and "aunts". I got to come along as well. The trip started out with someone objecting sitting next to Morey on the plane, saying "It is intolerable to expect me to sit next to a dog." That's the first time that had happened-most people are excited to sit next to Morey. The man was traveling for business and I guess I can understand not wanting to show up to a meeting with your dress pants covered in dog hair...although for me that's a common occurrence! Thankfully a dog lover offered to switch places and so the rest of our trip continued uneventfully.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Longhorn Morey
I finally did it. After 6 months of threatening to buy Morey a pair of longhorns I finally made good on it. While I like to think Morey looks dignified in this picture, I have to admit it might be slightly more accurate to say he was traumatized (not really- he got lots of treats and attention from it-but he really isn't a fan of dressing up).
This picture was taken at work by my co-worker who loves to take pictures of Morey. She sent it to all of our staff and I got comments from almost everyone about how good Morey looks as a longhorn. Hook 'em!
Service Dog... or Slave Dog?
At rugby practice Morey becomes everyone's service dog. With a whole group of quads there is a lot of stuff that ends up on the floor and Morey is very willing to work for anyone who gives him a butt scratch or throws his tennis ball in return.
Today, one of the new players on our team was watching me direct Morey to pick up pieces of trash that were on the floor. Morey was very dedicated in crawling under bleachers to grab empty water bottles and pulling pieces of tape that had gotten stuck to the floor. After a few minutes my teammate commented "I wish I had a slave dog."
I have to admit, I don't think I've ever heard a service dog referred to by that name and it made me laugh. I guess it kind of makes sense; I do "own" Morey and expect him to work for free- in return I provide him with food, shelter, and other necessities. He doesn't really get days off and he has to give up his natural dog instincts and behaviors in order to do what I ask of him. However, I prefer to think of our relationship as a partnership; with each of us providing things we can't get on our own. I don't think the name "slave dog" is going to replace "service dog" anytime soon (I can just imagine a vest that says "Slave dog-please do not pet") , but it certainly gave me a good laugh and made me do a careful evaluation of how I am putting Morey to use!
Today, one of the new players on our team was watching me direct Morey to pick up pieces of trash that were on the floor. Morey was very dedicated in crawling under bleachers to grab empty water bottles and pulling pieces of tape that had gotten stuck to the floor. After a few minutes my teammate commented "I wish I had a slave dog."
I have to admit, I don't think I've ever heard a service dog referred to by that name and it made me laugh. I guess it kind of makes sense; I do "own" Morey and expect him to work for free- in return I provide him with food, shelter, and other necessities. He doesn't really get days off and he has to give up his natural dog instincts and behaviors in order to do what I ask of him. However, I prefer to think of our relationship as a partnership; with each of us providing things we can't get on our own. I don't think the name "slave dog" is going to replace "service dog" anytime soon (I can just imagine a vest that says "Slave dog-please do not pet") , but it certainly gave me a good laugh and made me do a careful evaluation of how I am putting Morey to use!
Rugby Season
Well, it's that time of year again! Rugby season has officially started with our first two practices this weekend. After spending most of my recent training time on the track or in the weight room it was nice to get back out on the court and give-and take- some hits! : ) On Saturday I left Morey at home during practice. I hadn't left him alone for a while and like to do that every so often so he doesn't develop separation anxiety. Everyone on the team was asking where Morey was and so today he got to come.
He was very excited and pranced right in the gym. I brought his tennis ball and he took turns letting people throw it for him. The gym we practice in has 3 courts in a row and so he can get some really good exercise chasing down the ball. The floor is a rubbery surface and when Morey tries to stop he slides a few feet which is very funny to watch.
Once practice started he hung out with our volunteers, being sure to keep his ball right beside him. We were doing drills out on the court and at one point our catch yelled "Everybody go get a ball". Well, that is a phrase Morey knows quite well and he grabbed his ball in his mouth-ready for whatever action was coming next. The rugby players had their balls and Morey had his...what a team player! He was very sad when I told him that he had to lay back down while we did our drills. He kept his ball in his mouth for most of the practice just in case we changed our minds and decided to let him play.
He was very excited and pranced right in the gym. I brought his tennis ball and he took turns letting people throw it for him. The gym we practice in has 3 courts in a row and so he can get some really good exercise chasing down the ball. The floor is a rubbery surface and when Morey tries to stop he slides a few feet which is very funny to watch.
Once practice started he hung out with our volunteers, being sure to keep his ball right beside him. We were doing drills out on the court and at one point our catch yelled "Everybody go get a ball". Well, that is a phrase Morey knows quite well and he grabbed his ball in his mouth-ready for whatever action was coming next. The rugby players had their balls and Morey had his...what a team player! He was very sad when I told him that he had to lay back down while we did our drills. He kept his ball in his mouth for most of the practice just in case we changed our minds and decided to let him play.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Ants in His Pants (well, kind of!)
I had a "first" experience as a service dog partner the other day. We were out on campus and I stopped to let Morey have a potty and sniff break in a landscaped area covered with some bushy vines. He "hurried" and sniffed and then without warning bolted away from me-with enough force that I was almost yanked out of my wheelchair. Thankfully I was holding the leash loosely, but even still it was the closest I have ever come to being pulled to the ground by a dog. I yelled Morey's name out of surprise, fear, shock, and astonishment at what he had just done. He slunk back to me looking apologetic and then instantly bolted away again, running in circles around me and acting rather insane/demented. I was still confused about what was happening and tried to get him back under control, but he kept twirling and biting himself to the point where I was getting really concerned about what had happened to my dog. Then I saw the ants.
Texas has fire ants that I have heard many people complain about. As a wheelchair user, I am spared this experience for the most part (I suppose ants could crawl up my chair and sting my feet-not that I'd even know-but that's rather unlikely) but other people suffer bites/sting that hurt, sting, and itch...as Morey now knows. I'm not sure if he actually got bitten, but his potty/sniff spot was crawling with ants that I hadn't noticed before. I think poor Morey had ants crawling on him and that's what made him act crazy as he tried to get away from them. Once I realized the problem I took him away from that area and tried to brush off any that I saw. He was kind of antsy (pun intended) the rest of the day.
I learned 3 things from that experience:
1) Never ever wrap the leash around your hand where it won't come off if pulled
2) Look for environmental reasons for a dog's strange behavior
3) Always look for ants before releasing your dog to hurry!
Texas has fire ants that I have heard many people complain about. As a wheelchair user, I am spared this experience for the most part (I suppose ants could crawl up my chair and sting my feet-not that I'd even know-but that's rather unlikely) but other people suffer bites/sting that hurt, sting, and itch...as Morey now knows. I'm not sure if he actually got bitten, but his potty/sniff spot was crawling with ants that I hadn't noticed before. I think poor Morey had ants crawling on him and that's what made him act crazy as he tried to get away from them. Once I realized the problem I took him away from that area and tried to brush off any that I saw. He was kind of antsy (pun intended) the rest of the day.
I learned 3 things from that experience:
1) Never ever wrap the leash around your hand where it won't come off if pulled
2) Look for environmental reasons for a dog's strange behavior
3) Always look for ants before releasing your dog to hurry!
Mistaken Identity
The other day Morey experienced a case of mistaken identity. As we were leaving the office one of the student workers, who has a complexion similar to Sabaa, one of Morey's favorite co-workers, came out of Sabaa's office and walked by us. When Morey first saw her open the door and come out he perked up and got very excited (Sabaa had been out of the office for several days prior to this and so Morey hadn't seen her for a few days). The student worker doesn't really know Morey and so she walked by him without saying anything to him. He watched her walk by with a look of consternation on his face-not understanding why one of his favorite people was ignoring him. I laughed when I realized what he was thinking and took him over to the student worker so he could see it wasn't Sabaa. Once he sniffed her and realized that it wasn't her, his ears went down and he walked away. Just a case of mistaken identity, not his favorite person ignoring him. Whew!
Working Behind the Scenes
The other day I had a very interesting revelation. The entire staff in our office had to go to a division-wide staff meeting across campus. We went over together and Morey was polite enough to push the door button for us (one of his favorite tasks). Once we were outside one of the women who works at our front desk said "Wow, that was really neat. I hear him squeak his toys in your office but I didn't know he could open doors." We continued on to the meeting and rode the campus bus to get there. Morey got on like a pro (the bus driver was scared of dogs which made things a little interesting) and quietly settled down in a small space in front of me. As we were getting off, the same co-worker said "He is really well-behaved."
I realized that most of my co-workers had never really seen Morey work. They don't see him open the doors to the building, retrieve the things that fall under my desk, or, a rare event now that I live in blazing hot Texas, help me take my coat off. These are all things that Morey does to help me at work, but all of it happens out of sight of most of my co-workers. What they do see is Morey playing ball after hours and squeaking his squeaky toy. None of them have ever said anything about it, but I realized that based on what they do see, Morey appears to be just a pet that I bring to work. Now that I am aware of this, I will try to be more cognizant of how Morey's role appears to my office. Not that I feel the need to prove Morey's helpfulness to me, but I think it's an interesting point to think about how much work Morey is doing behind the scenes that never gets seen or recognized by anyone but me.
I realized that most of my co-workers had never really seen Morey work. They don't see him open the doors to the building, retrieve the things that fall under my desk, or, a rare event now that I live in blazing hot Texas, help me take my coat off. These are all things that Morey does to help me at work, but all of it happens out of sight of most of my co-workers. What they do see is Morey playing ball after hours and squeaking his squeaky toy. None of them have ever said anything about it, but I realized that based on what they do see, Morey appears to be just a pet that I bring to work. Now that I am aware of this, I will try to be more cognizant of how Morey's role appears to my office. Not that I feel the need to prove Morey's helpfulness to me, but I think it's an interesting point to think about how much work Morey is doing behind the scenes that never gets seen or recognized by anyone but me.
Show Off
The last office behavior I will mention for now is Morey's attention seeking behavior during meetings in my office. Typically Morey just hangs out under my desk while I am meeting with students or staff and acts like a model service dog. But lately (as the pendulum has swung in the other direction-read my post Confessions of a Service Dog Partner for reference), he has begun to display some attention seeking behaviors that I have quickly responded to.
After a few repeated instances of this, I once again began to realize a habit in the making and have already put steps in place to eliminate it. When I have meetings, usually with people who like Morey and have a history of past affection/petting him, Morey has started to roll around on his back making moaning noises, going to get squeaky toys and make them squeak, and rubbing his face on the floor with his butt in the air. All amusing behaviors, but not in those circumstances. He seems to be wanting us to stop talking with each other and focus on him, the motivation behind most attention seeking behaviors.
This type of behavior has resulted in Morey being ignored or sent to his "bed" aka under my desk. He responds quickly to both and I don't think this will be a long-lived problem. But, it does make me aware of the repercussions of allowing people to give Morey so much attention when he is "on the job". Over the next few weeks I will be making some changes in Morey's office rules to get him focused back on acting like a service dog instead of a circus animal. He excels at both, but since I am currently needing a service dog so we will work on developing those behaviors and eliminating the circus behaviors...at least at work!
After a few repeated instances of this, I once again began to realize a habit in the making and have already put steps in place to eliminate it. When I have meetings, usually with people who like Morey and have a history of past affection/petting him, Morey has started to roll around on his back making moaning noises, going to get squeaky toys and make them squeak, and rubbing his face on the floor with his butt in the air. All amusing behaviors, but not in those circumstances. He seems to be wanting us to stop talking with each other and focus on him, the motivation behind most attention seeking behaviors.
This type of behavior has resulted in Morey being ignored or sent to his "bed" aka under my desk. He responds quickly to both and I don't think this will be a long-lived problem. But, it does make me aware of the repercussions of allowing people to give Morey so much attention when he is "on the job". Over the next few weeks I will be making some changes in Morey's office rules to get him focused back on acting like a service dog instead of a circus animal. He excels at both, but since I am currently needing a service dog so we will work on developing those behaviors and eliminating the circus behaviors...at least at work!
Mystery Behavior
There is another office habit that Morey has picked up that has me puzzled. I currently have no working hypothesis and am still in the information gathering phase. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Observed behavior: Whenever a co-worker comes into my office, Morey goes and gets a drink before going to greet them. A long drink, not just a few laps. After he has completed this behavior, which is now almost a ritual, he will go and eagerly say hello (usually timing his after- drink drool flinging until he gets close enough to "share" it with them). Lovely.
Facts:
Only does it with co-workers, people he is familiar with and likes, not with any other people who come in my office
Has access to water at all times of day
Possible motivation: ?
The people he does it with are my co-workers who love him and give him lots of attention. Possibly he feels overwhelmed when they say "hi" and goes to get a drink as a way to calm himself before greeting them?
-Seems unlikely, as my co-workers always interact with him very appropriately, not in a way that seems overwhelming (at least from my perspective)
He sleeps under my desk most of the day. Maybe when he gets up to say hello to them he remembers that he is thirsty and goes to meet that need before getting petted.
-I might be exaggerating Morey's laziness and his lack of motivation to meet his physical needs
Any other opinions/theories would be welcome. I'll post updates on this mystery once I have done more research and have more information to report!
Observed behavior: Whenever a co-worker comes into my office, Morey goes and gets a drink before going to greet them. A long drink, not just a few laps. After he has completed this behavior, which is now almost a ritual, he will go and eagerly say hello (usually timing his after- drink drool flinging until he gets close enough to "share" it with them). Lovely.
Facts:
Only does it with co-workers, people he is familiar with and likes, not with any other people who come in my office
Has access to water at all times of day
Possible motivation: ?
The people he does it with are my co-workers who love him and give him lots of attention. Possibly he feels overwhelmed when they say "hi" and goes to get a drink as a way to calm himself before greeting them?
-Seems unlikely, as my co-workers always interact with him very appropriately, not in a way that seems overwhelming (at least from my perspective)
He sleeps under my desk most of the day. Maybe when he gets up to say hello to them he remembers that he is thirsty and goes to meet that need before getting petted.
-I might be exaggerating Morey's laziness and his lack of motivation to meet his physical needs
Any other opinions/theories would be welcome. I'll post updates on this mystery once I have done more research and have more information to report!
Joining the Conversation
Morey has picked up a few office habits that took me a while to realize. One of them is bone chewing. For the most part, he ignores the bones that I have in my office for him to chew on. However, when someone comes into my office to talk with me, Morey will get up and bring his bone over to where we are sitting and settle down for a nice long chew...as long as our conversation continues. Once the person leaves, Morey gets up and shows no more interest in the bone until the next time someone comes in.
After several times of this I realized this was not a random event. It's so predictable that my co-workers have commented on it. While I was analyzing possible motivations for this behavior, I have come up with the hypothesis (research has not been done to date : ) that it's Morey's way of "joining in the conversation". As a kind of calming behavior, he likes to bring his bone between me and the person I am talking to and chew away. Although the sound of bone chewing can get somewhat distracting, it also does have somewhat of a calming effect for the humans.
If any one else has a theory about Morey's bone chewing habit, I would be happy to hear it!
After several times of this I realized this was not a random event. It's so predictable that my co-workers have commented on it. While I was analyzing possible motivations for this behavior, I have come up with the hypothesis (research has not been done to date : ) that it's Morey's way of "joining in the conversation". As a kind of calming behavior, he likes to bring his bone between me and the person I am talking to and chew away. Although the sound of bone chewing can get somewhat distracting, it also does have somewhat of a calming effect for the humans.
If any one else has a theory about Morey's bone chewing habit, I would be happy to hear it!
Confessions of a Service Dog Partner
As with any relationship with a living creature, a service dog partnership is always changing, developing, and adapting-on both ends of the leash. That's why I like having a breathing, thinking, reacting dog to help me rather than a robot. My partnership with Morey is continually growing and changing, which keeps me from becoming too stuck in my way.
As a service dog partner, the rules I apply to my dog have sort of a pendulum swing to them. I tend to start out very strict- enforcing sitting while being petted, perfectly straight positional commands (heel, front, etc.), and requiring a down to be in a close, curled up position. Then, over time I tend to relax more and lower my standards. And accordingly, Morey lives down to those lower standards and starts seeking out attention, doing sloppy commands, and sprawling out all over the place when asked to do a down. When I finally come to realize how far we've slid, I have only myself to blame. My dog has done what has worked for him and received no instruction to do something different. Then, it's time for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction for a while to tighten up some of the slack that I have allowed.
Thankfully, I'm a dog trainer and so I know how to fix my own mistakes in this area. Morey will be finding that it's time for a mini-boot camp to get back into working condition and he enjoys training so this won't be too much of a challenge. Consistency is important with dogs and I need to be better about finding a midway point between my extremes. But until then, we'll just keep ticking away, back and forth, back and forth.
As a service dog partner, the rules I apply to my dog have sort of a pendulum swing to them. I tend to start out very strict- enforcing sitting while being petted, perfectly straight positional commands (heel, front, etc.), and requiring a down to be in a close, curled up position. Then, over time I tend to relax more and lower my standards. And accordingly, Morey lives down to those lower standards and starts seeking out attention, doing sloppy commands, and sprawling out all over the place when asked to do a down. When I finally come to realize how far we've slid, I have only myself to blame. My dog has done what has worked for him and received no instruction to do something different. Then, it's time for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction for a while to tighten up some of the slack that I have allowed.
Thankfully, I'm a dog trainer and so I know how to fix my own mistakes in this area. Morey will be finding that it's time for a mini-boot camp to get back into working condition and he enjoys training so this won't be too much of a challenge. Consistency is important with dogs and I need to be better about finding a midway point between my extremes. But until then, we'll just keep ticking away, back and forth, back and forth.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Back to School
It's hard to believe it's been one year since I moved to Texas! It's certainly been an exciting one!
Morey and I attended the Gone to Texas event welcoming new students to UT. Yes, that's right, I am heading back to school and will be working toward my MSSW from the School of Social Work at UT. So, in addition to being a staff member at UT, I will also be a student.
UT is big on tradition and school spirit, so a lot of the event focused on the history behind school traditions. The tower was orange in honor of the event and a huge Texas flag was displayed on the front of the main building.
It was 100 degrees at 8pm when the event started. They were providing ice water to everyone and I shared mine with Morey: I drank the water and he got the ice. Once that was gone we both got even more hot and miserable so I went back for some more. One of the girls working there asked if I wanted a cup of ice for Morey and I eagerly accepted. He enjoyed crunching on ice cubes the rest of the evening, which helped him stay somewhat cool.
Tons of students were taking pictures afterward and I decided to take some of my own. Several girls asked if they could have their pictures taken with Morey-he's such a celebrity!
Morey and I attended the Gone to Texas event welcoming new students to UT. Yes, that's right, I am heading back to school and will be working toward my MSSW from the School of Social Work at UT. So, in addition to being a staff member at UT, I will also be a student.
UT is big on tradition and school spirit, so a lot of the event focused on the history behind school traditions. The tower was orange in honor of the event and a huge Texas flag was displayed on the front of the main building.
It was 100 degrees at 8pm when the event started. They were providing ice water to everyone and I shared mine with Morey: I drank the water and he got the ice. Once that was gone we both got even more hot and miserable so I went back for some more. One of the girls working there asked if I wanted a cup of ice for Morey and I eagerly accepted. He enjoyed crunching on ice cubes the rest of the evening, which helped him stay somewhat cool.
Tons of students were taking pictures afterward and I decided to take some of my own. Several girls asked if they could have their pictures taken with Morey-he's such a celebrity!
Gone to Texas!
Pictures from Gone to Texas event. Notice the tower in the background is lit with orange lights and the lights are lit with the number 15 to represent the Class of 2015
Morey's Trance
This is a picture of Morey getting put into a "trance" by Sabaa. He looks forward to this every day!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Night on the Town
I am coming up on my one year anniversary of living in Austin and there are some important "Austin things" that I haven't done. So, the other night I crossed two of them off the list.
Austin is known for its food trailers. Scattered around town, they are similar to the carts/trucks at fairs that sell elephant ears, etc. Here, though, they sell everything from burgers to ice cream to cupcakes to different ethnic foods. In several places there are food trailer parks, with several trailers in the same lot so in a sense you can have a progressive dinner. I hadn't been to a food trailer yet, so after work Heather, Morey, and I headed out. We had Thai food and then I got green tea ice cream from another trailer. (I also tried a tiny spoonful of Wasabi ice and that was plenty!)
It's still 100+ degrees in Austin and as you may have figured, at food trailers you eat outside. We found a place in the shade but Morey was still hot. A man (wearing a cowboy hat with shorts and sandals-gotta love Texans and their cowboy hats!) was watering his grass with a hose and asked if we wanted some water for Morey. We had already gotten him a bowl filled with ice, but Heather asked if we could hose Morey down. The man laughed and agreed and so Morey got a nice cool down. Afterwards he shook and pranced around with a huge doggie smile on his face. You could tell he felt much better!
Our next stop of the evening was "Blues on the Green", an outdoor concert that happens weekly at a park during the summer. We have been meaning to go all summer and finally made it to the last one! It was extremely crowded and we had to park pretty far away. As with most outdoor events in Austin, lots of people brought their dogs and at first Morey was very distracted with everything. He wasn't wearing his vest, but even without that he is expected to behave and not pull on the leash. We had to do a lot of stop and gos at first, but then after a while he settled down. I'm glad he has gotten to the point where I can have him around other dogs without him getting overwhelmed or overexcited.
There were booths advertising and selling things around the edge of the concert area. We stopped by the Humane Society booth that had kiddie pools around it. I thought Morey might want to cool off again, but apparently he wasn't hot or the water was too dirty because he passed up that opportunity. We found a place in the grass to sit and I enjoyed my first outdoor live music concert in Austin. Sad that it took me almost a year and I now live in the live music capital of the world!
The rest of the evening was enjoyable and we stayed until after dark. After the concert was over we waited for some of the crowd to leave before we started back to my van. A man (who had probably had a few drinks before, during, and after the concert) stumbled by us and jumped back when he saw Morey. "I thought that was a rock! But it's not-it's a dog. A giant dog. Wow, he's huge!" (His sense of perception might have been a bit off!) He asked Morey's name and I told him and then he said "Well, big Morey, have a great evening!" And then he continued on his way. Heather and I had a good laugh about that and Morey's new nickname is Big Morey!
It's fun to give Morey opportunities to just be a dog. I always get a lot of compliments about his looks and his behavior-and of course I agree that in both areas he is pretty exceptional. He's a pretty special dog and it was fun to be able to have him join us for some Austin adventures!
Austin is known for its food trailers. Scattered around town, they are similar to the carts/trucks at fairs that sell elephant ears, etc. Here, though, they sell everything from burgers to ice cream to cupcakes to different ethnic foods. In several places there are food trailer parks, with several trailers in the same lot so in a sense you can have a progressive dinner. I hadn't been to a food trailer yet, so after work Heather, Morey, and I headed out. We had Thai food and then I got green tea ice cream from another trailer. (I also tried a tiny spoonful of Wasabi ice and that was plenty!)
It's still 100+ degrees in Austin and as you may have figured, at food trailers you eat outside. We found a place in the shade but Morey was still hot. A man (wearing a cowboy hat with shorts and sandals-gotta love Texans and their cowboy hats!) was watering his grass with a hose and asked if we wanted some water for Morey. We had already gotten him a bowl filled with ice, but Heather asked if we could hose Morey down. The man laughed and agreed and so Morey got a nice cool down. Afterwards he shook and pranced around with a huge doggie smile on his face. You could tell he felt much better!
Our next stop of the evening was "Blues on the Green", an outdoor concert that happens weekly at a park during the summer. We have been meaning to go all summer and finally made it to the last one! It was extremely crowded and we had to park pretty far away. As with most outdoor events in Austin, lots of people brought their dogs and at first Morey was very distracted with everything. He wasn't wearing his vest, but even without that he is expected to behave and not pull on the leash. We had to do a lot of stop and gos at first, but then after a while he settled down. I'm glad he has gotten to the point where I can have him around other dogs without him getting overwhelmed or overexcited.
There were booths advertising and selling things around the edge of the concert area. We stopped by the Humane Society booth that had kiddie pools around it. I thought Morey might want to cool off again, but apparently he wasn't hot or the water was too dirty because he passed up that opportunity. We found a place in the grass to sit and I enjoyed my first outdoor live music concert in Austin. Sad that it took me almost a year and I now live in the live music capital of the world!
The rest of the evening was enjoyable and we stayed until after dark. After the concert was over we waited for some of the crowd to leave before we started back to my van. A man (who had probably had a few drinks before, during, and after the concert) stumbled by us and jumped back when he saw Morey. "I thought that was a rock! But it's not-it's a dog. A giant dog. Wow, he's huge!" (His sense of perception might have been a bit off!) He asked Morey's name and I told him and then he said "Well, big Morey, have a great evening!" And then he continued on his way. Heather and I had a good laugh about that and Morey's new nickname is Big Morey!
It's fun to give Morey opportunities to just be a dog. I always get a lot of compliments about his looks and his behavior-and of course I agree that in both areas he is pretty exceptional. He's a pretty special dog and it was fun to be able to have him join us for some Austin adventures!
Office Rivalry
Morey is a well-loved by the staff at work. They are all very respectful of his role as a working service dog, but once the leash comes off it's all play time. In the past few weeks a friendly rivalry has popped up between three of our staff members about who is Morey's favorite (of course, they know that I am his real favorite, so it's really just a competition between the three of them).
The first contestant is Heather. She was Morey's first friend at the office and since she works at our front desk she sees him first thing in the morning and last at night. Morey greets her by turning around and offering her his butt, since he has learned that she gives really good butt scratches! This is not one of her favorite habits, but she's a good sport and always gives him a good rub. She'll come into my office sometimes with a question and Morey often comes out to say hello. We sometimes go out on lunch breaks together and she is willing to throw the ball again and again for Morey.
Contestant number 2 is Sabaa. She started working in our office full time in April. Ever since we moved into our new space she stops by almost every day to spend some time with Morey. She has figured out a way to scratch his belly when he is laying on his back that almost puts him in a trance. After the office closes she'll take his ball and play fetch or chase with him, which he loves! When I have a student come in with a guide or service dog, Morey goes and stays in Sabaa's office. She is quickly becoming a favorite in Morey's life!
Contestant number 3 is Justin. He is a late-comer to the game and is starting at a disadvantage. When he started working in our office he was living with 2 female dogs. His dogs got bitchy when he came home smelling like Morey, so he hasn't interacted much with him. However, Justin's living arrangements changed recently and now he doesn't have any dogs. So, he is much more interested in becoming Morey's friend. Morey, however, seems to have taken it personally that Justin ignored him for so many months and is now playing hard to get (Disclaimer-I may be attributing some human emotions/thinking into this post!). When Justin talks to him, Morey will just look at him and then walk away. Justin has vowed within a week Morey will be his best friends-even after I told him that food bribes are not allowed!
This rivalry is quite entertaining and I'm glad my co-workers have made Morey part of our team. I sometimes have to run interference and remind them that Morey has a lot of friends, he doesn't have favorites (well, maybe a few...) Morey could end up getting pretty spoiled if they continue to "one up" each other in terms of toys, attention, and sweet talk!
The first contestant is Heather. She was Morey's first friend at the office and since she works at our front desk she sees him first thing in the morning and last at night. Morey greets her by turning around and offering her his butt, since he has learned that she gives really good butt scratches! This is not one of her favorite habits, but she's a good sport and always gives him a good rub. She'll come into my office sometimes with a question and Morey often comes out to say hello. We sometimes go out on lunch breaks together and she is willing to throw the ball again and again for Morey.
Contestant number 2 is Sabaa. She started working in our office full time in April. Ever since we moved into our new space she stops by almost every day to spend some time with Morey. She has figured out a way to scratch his belly when he is laying on his back that almost puts him in a trance. After the office closes she'll take his ball and play fetch or chase with him, which he loves! When I have a student come in with a guide or service dog, Morey goes and stays in Sabaa's office. She is quickly becoming a favorite in Morey's life!
Contestant number 3 is Justin. He is a late-comer to the game and is starting at a disadvantage. When he started working in our office he was living with 2 female dogs. His dogs got bitchy when he came home smelling like Morey, so he hasn't interacted much with him. However, Justin's living arrangements changed recently and now he doesn't have any dogs. So, he is much more interested in becoming Morey's friend. Morey, however, seems to have taken it personally that Justin ignored him for so many months and is now playing hard to get (Disclaimer-I may be attributing some human emotions/thinking into this post!). When Justin talks to him, Morey will just look at him and then walk away. Justin has vowed within a week Morey will be his best friends-even after I told him that food bribes are not allowed!
This rivalry is quite entertaining and I'm glad my co-workers have made Morey part of our team. I sometimes have to run interference and remind them that Morey has a lot of friends, he doesn't have favorites (well, maybe a few...) Morey could end up getting pretty spoiled if they continue to "one up" each other in terms of toys, attention, and sweet talk!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Beginner's Mistake
The other day I committed a beginning service dog partner mistake. I was at fault for being in a hurry and focusing on things besides the needs of my dog. Thankfully the consequences weren't really that bad, but it was a good reminder for me to slow down and pay attention to what Morey is telling me. I guess this is my confession....
Morey and I were on our way to a meeting on campus and for some ridiculous reason I decided it would be nice to push there instead of drive. I guess I forgot that it was 100+ degrees outside so my idea of a nice stroll for some exercise turned into a sweaty miserable experience. Oh well.
We were running a bit late and so I was going along at my extra-fast speed. Morey usually enjoys trotting along beside me, but for some reason he kept pulling on the leash. I assumed it was because the pavement was hot and he was trying not to burn his paws. There really wasn't any way to get him off of it except by moving forward so we just kept moving.
All of a sudden Morey stopped and with my momentum the leash was jerked from my hands. (That's why you never ever wrap the leash around your hand!) I turned around to see what had happened and saw poor Morey pooping on the sidewalk. Oops!
I had obviously misinterpreted the reason behind his forging. I thought it was because his paws were hot, but it was because he was trying to find some place to stop and "hurry". Poor guy! He is usually on a pretty regular schedule and so I was not expecting that to be one of the causes for his unusual behavior. Because it was outside and I had my trusty poop bags handy to clean up it wasn't too big of a deal. But, I was sufficiently shamed for not taking a moment to think about ALL the possibilities for why Morey was suddenly acting strange. Lesson learned!
Morey and I were on our way to a meeting on campus and for some ridiculous reason I decided it would be nice to push there instead of drive. I guess I forgot that it was 100+ degrees outside so my idea of a nice stroll for some exercise turned into a sweaty miserable experience. Oh well.
We were running a bit late and so I was going along at my extra-fast speed. Morey usually enjoys trotting along beside me, but for some reason he kept pulling on the leash. I assumed it was because the pavement was hot and he was trying not to burn his paws. There really wasn't any way to get him off of it except by moving forward so we just kept moving.
All of a sudden Morey stopped and with my momentum the leash was jerked from my hands. (That's why you never ever wrap the leash around your hand!) I turned around to see what had happened and saw poor Morey pooping on the sidewalk. Oops!
I had obviously misinterpreted the reason behind his forging. I thought it was because his paws were hot, but it was because he was trying to find some place to stop and "hurry". Poor guy! He is usually on a pretty regular schedule and so I was not expecting that to be one of the causes for his unusual behavior. Because it was outside and I had my trusty poop bags handy to clean up it wasn't too big of a deal. But, I was sufficiently shamed for not taking a moment to think about ALL the possibilities for why Morey was suddenly acting strange. Lesson learned!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Welcome Back!
I'm a little late in posting this picture, but I wanted to share the welcome back sign my co-workers had on my office door when we returned to work. Notice the picture of Morey at the bottom. : )
The Blue Line
When I first got Morey, I trained him to not leave my office unless he was given permission. This allows Morey to have free reign in my office while allowing me to leave my office door open. Win-win for everyone. In order to help him understand the rules, I put a strip of blue tape across the threshold of my office door to give Morey a visual of where his boundary is. I had a lot of people ask what the blue line meant and most of them were very impressed by the idea of Morey respecting an invisible boundary. To me, this is a simple thing to teach, but it's something that you have to be very diligent about the first few weeks so the dog never crosses the line without permission. It didn't take Morey long to learn it and soon I took the blue tape away.
While we were back home in Indiana, our office moved locations. Our department now has its own suite of offices which has been very nice. I set up my things and got Morey settled and that was that. Morey understood that he wasn't supposed to leave my old office and so he understood the same rules applied to the new office. Wrong! Morey is a wonder dog, but he is a dog and dogs do not generalize well. Expecting Morey to make the connection of boundary training from one office to another was unrealistic in my part. The first day that he ran out of my office and down the hall I realized my mistake. So, once again I have a blue line of tape across my door and am answering questions about boundary training. And, once again, I am reminded that when it comes to dog training, I am usually the one making the mistakes, not the dog!
While we were back home in Indiana, our office moved locations. Our department now has its own suite of offices which has been very nice. I set up my things and got Morey settled and that was that. Morey understood that he wasn't supposed to leave my old office and so he understood the same rules applied to the new office. Wrong! Morey is a wonder dog, but he is a dog and dogs do not generalize well. Expecting Morey to make the connection of boundary training from one office to another was unrealistic in my part. The first day that he ran out of my office and down the hall I realized my mistake. So, once again I have a blue line of tape across my door and am answering questions about boundary training. And, once again, I am reminded that when it comes to dog training, I am usually the one making the mistakes, not the dog!
Bobbing for Ice Cubes
Since playing fetch out in the heat isn't a safe option for Morey, I have had to get creative in coming up with other ways to keep Morey busy. One activity I discovered accidentally is bobbing for ice cubes. I was dropping Morey off at Norm's house before heading to Alabama for rugby camp. While I was getting Morey settled I filled up his water bowl. Norm suggested I add some ice cubes so I tossed a handful into the bowl.
Morey immediately went over and began bobbing for the ice cubes that were floating in his bowl. He would push one all the way to the bottom of the bowl with his nose (overflowing the water bowl in the process) and then grab it with his teeth. When he "surfaced" from the bowl (jowls slopping even more water on the floor-a trait he inherited from his father) he would crunch the ice cube, sneeze the water from his nose, and then go back under to catch another one.
It was highly entertaining to watch this game and I think Norm and I enjoyed watching it as much as Morey enjoyed doing it. However, this game is probably best played outside unless you don't mind a minor flood occurring on your floor!
Morey immediately went over and began bobbing for the ice cubes that were floating in his bowl. He would push one all the way to the bottom of the bowl with his nose (overflowing the water bowl in the process) and then grab it with his teeth. When he "surfaced" from the bowl (jowls slopping even more water on the floor-a trait he inherited from his father) he would crunch the ice cube, sneeze the water from his nose, and then go back under to catch another one.
It was highly entertaining to watch this game and I think Norm and I enjoyed watching it as much as Morey enjoyed doing it. However, this game is probably best played outside unless you don't mind a minor flood occurring on your floor!
Texas Summer
It's been too hot to do much of anything lately, unless it involves water or AC (or both!). We've had over more than 30 days of 100+ degree weather and over a week of 110+. In order to survive this intense heat, Morey and I have retreated indoors and limited our energy expenditure as much as possible. This has cut down on our normal adventures, which also means less blogging. Hopefully we will get a break from the heat soon so we can continue to entertain our growing fan base.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
My Work Out Partner
Usually when I work out at the gym I leave Morey at home or in my van. The past few weeks I have been working out directly after work and it's obviously way too hot to even consider leaving him in my van. So, Morey has become my work out partner. He's not great at motivation, but he is faithful. He watches my everyday chair while I push in my rugby chair. When I do laps around the gym he will lift his head up to watch me go by and then put it back down when I leave again. Although, last week I pushed a mile (which is 7 laps) and after the 4th lap he didn't bother to pick his head up to watch me. That kind of hurt my feelings...
This week I was practicing passes and the ball accidentally rolled under the bleachers where I couldn't reach it. Morey to the rescue! I've worked with him before on getting the rugby ball (similar to a volleyball) back to me, but never really had much success. Obviously he usually uses his mouth to retrieve but he can't get his mouth around the ball and I don't want him trying in case he pops it. So, I encouraged him to use his nose or paw. He batted it around for a while, but the direction of the ball was hard to control and he ended up pushing it farther away. In confusion, he kept picking up his leash so finally I took it off. He kept trying but couldn't quite figure out how to get it to me. As I sent him under once again I was getting ready to admit defeat and go get someone else to help me when in a burst of frustration he gave a huge paw swipe and batted the ball to a place I could reach it. YAY MOREY!! We had a huge celebration in the middle of the gym and by his body wiggling I could tell he was very proud of himself. After some excitement and bouncing, I sent him back to lay down so I could finish my work out.
Instead of going to find someone else to help me, I was able to rely on Morey. That's independence! When people ask what Morey does for me, I usually say retrieving. That one task can be put to use in variety of ways and I guess now I have one more example to use when I talk about how my service dog makes my life easier!
This week I was practicing passes and the ball accidentally rolled under the bleachers where I couldn't reach it. Morey to the rescue! I've worked with him before on getting the rugby ball (similar to a volleyball) back to me, but never really had much success. Obviously he usually uses his mouth to retrieve but he can't get his mouth around the ball and I don't want him trying in case he pops it. So, I encouraged him to use his nose or paw. He batted it around for a while, but the direction of the ball was hard to control and he ended up pushing it farther away. In confusion, he kept picking up his leash so finally I took it off. He kept trying but couldn't quite figure out how to get it to me. As I sent him under once again I was getting ready to admit defeat and go get someone else to help me when in a burst of frustration he gave a huge paw swipe and batted the ball to a place I could reach it. YAY MOREY!! We had a huge celebration in the middle of the gym and by his body wiggling I could tell he was very proud of himself. After some excitement and bouncing, I sent him back to lay down so I could finish my work out.
Instead of going to find someone else to help me, I was able to rely on Morey. That's independence! When people ask what Morey does for me, I usually say retrieving. That one task can be put to use in variety of ways and I guess now I have one more example to use when I talk about how my service dog makes my life easier!
Morey's Not-So-Good Day
Last weekend I spent the afternoon at a friend's apartment hanging out with a group of friends. Morey came too, naturally, but I don't think he had as much fun as I did for several reasons.
Reason #1: One of the people there is the best balloon artist in Texas. His balloon creations are amazing; he has made full-sized cars, manatees, and movie characters-all out of balloons (http://www.nate.balloonhq.com/ is his website if you want to see some of his creations) Another friend who was there is learning balloon artistry and so the two of them spent a good portion of the afternoon blowing up, twisting, and popping balloons. Morey was fine with all of it except the popping part. Oh yeah, and the part where a balloon monkey was designed to ride on his back...
Reason #2: My friend has a bark park at her apartment so we took Morey to visit it. We wandered over and started a game of ball with Morey. Unfortunately, after only a few tosses, the ball bounced over the fence and rolled down a steep parking lot that is next door to her complex. Morey kept running in circles trying to find his ball and we finally had to leave so he wouldn't keep focusing on his lost ball. : (
Reason #3: We spent part of the afternoon at the pool and at first Morey thought it was going to be his dream come true. Water and kids throwing balls in the water! What could be better? And then I put him in a down and told him to stay, crushing all of his swimming dreams for the day. There was a No Pets policy at the pool and I thought it might be pushing the line a bit to say I needed my service dog in the water with me. For the first 10 minutes he whined and quivered, barely able to control himself. He kept creeping closer to the edge of the pool (obeying the down command, not so much the stay command) and several times he dipped a paw in the water.
I don't think Morey has ever seen me in the water and this made him even more alert. All the people sitting around the pool were laughing at his obvious conflict between what he wanted to do and what he had been told to do. Several of them said that it would be fine to let him in the water because the management wasn't there and although I was tempted, I made Morey stay. I half expected him to accidentally-on-purpose fall in the water but he didn't. All the kids at the pool thought the circus had come to town: a balloon artist and a dog had come to their pool! Morey was showered with attention and at one point attacked by a balloon sword and then introduced to a balloon flamingo.
Like always, Morey handled everything like a pro. I felt bad for exposing him to so many difficulty and un-enjoyable experiences, but sometimes it is hard to predict what is going to happen and then it's too late to do anything about it. But, I did promise Morey that he will get another swimming trip soon!
Reason #1: One of the people there is the best balloon artist in Texas. His balloon creations are amazing; he has made full-sized cars, manatees, and movie characters-all out of balloons (http://www.nate.balloonhq.com/ is his website if you want to see some of his creations) Another friend who was there is learning balloon artistry and so the two of them spent a good portion of the afternoon blowing up, twisting, and popping balloons. Morey was fine with all of it except the popping part. Oh yeah, and the part where a balloon monkey was designed to ride on his back...
Reason #2: My friend has a bark park at her apartment so we took Morey to visit it. We wandered over and started a game of ball with Morey. Unfortunately, after only a few tosses, the ball bounced over the fence and rolled down a steep parking lot that is next door to her complex. Morey kept running in circles trying to find his ball and we finally had to leave so he wouldn't keep focusing on his lost ball. : (
Reason #3: We spent part of the afternoon at the pool and at first Morey thought it was going to be his dream come true. Water and kids throwing balls in the water! What could be better? And then I put him in a down and told him to stay, crushing all of his swimming dreams for the day. There was a No Pets policy at the pool and I thought it might be pushing the line a bit to say I needed my service dog in the water with me. For the first 10 minutes he whined and quivered, barely able to control himself. He kept creeping closer to the edge of the pool (obeying the down command, not so much the stay command) and several times he dipped a paw in the water.
I don't think Morey has ever seen me in the water and this made him even more alert. All the people sitting around the pool were laughing at his obvious conflict between what he wanted to do and what he had been told to do. Several of them said that it would be fine to let him in the water because the management wasn't there and although I was tempted, I made Morey stay. I half expected him to accidentally-on-purpose fall in the water but he didn't. All the kids at the pool thought the circus had come to town: a balloon artist and a dog had come to their pool! Morey was showered with attention and at one point attacked by a balloon sword and then introduced to a balloon flamingo.
Like always, Morey handled everything like a pro. I felt bad for exposing him to so many difficulty and un-enjoyable experiences, but sometimes it is hard to predict what is going to happen and then it's too late to do anything about it. But, I did promise Morey that he will get another swimming trip soon!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Comfort Dog
Morey is comfortably settled in my new office at work. My desk is an L shape and he likes to lay under it...earning it the name "Morey's fort"(pictures to come soon). Sometimes he stays under it when I meet with students and sometimes he comes out to say hello. It's always interesting to try to predict which students he will make the effort to get up and greet.
The other day a student came into my office and Morey came out to say hello and then laid down on her feet. We continued talking and when we were finished, she carefully slid her feet out from under him so she wouldn't disturb him. I laughed and apologized for Morey. "It's ok." She said quietly. "It was actually kind of comforting...I usually get nervous when I have to come here [the Disability Services office]". Go Morey! Apparently we are not only a great service dog team, but we are a great team at work too; he comforts and puts students at ease while I try to answer their questions and help arrange their accommodations. Hmm, maybe I should see if he can get put on the payroll...
The other day a student came into my office and Morey came out to say hello and then laid down on her feet. We continued talking and when we were finished, she carefully slid her feet out from under him so she wouldn't disturb him. I laughed and apologized for Morey. "It's ok." She said quietly. "It was actually kind of comforting...I usually get nervous when I have to come here [the Disability Services office]". Go Morey! Apparently we are not only a great service dog team, but we are a great team at work too; he comforts and puts students at ease while I try to answer their questions and help arrange their accommodations. Hmm, maybe I should see if he can get put on the payroll...
Blessing of the Animals
This week my church had a blessing of the animals at our outdoor chapel. Morey looked surprised to see other animals at church (and may have been a bit put out at having to share the attention he usually gets!). Most of the other attendees were dogs, including labs, goldens, several dachshunds, a chiahuahua in a grass skirt, a bloodhound, and several mixes, but there was also a hamster and some hermit crabs. Morey greeted them all very appropriately although when a giant wolfhound showed up he did join in barking with all the other dogs who were obviously saying "what on earth is that???!!!"
It was very hot and for some reason, Morey decided he was going to sit on the benches instead of on the ground with the rest of the dogs. As I have referenced before, his body awareness is not the best and while trying to lay down on the bench he fell off...and decided the ground was good enough for him for the rest of the service.
Morey's swimming buddies Maggie and Ace came and after everyone else had left we let the dogs off leash to do some running. There was a kiddie pool filled up as a water bowl, but the water-loving pups thought it still should be used as a pool. Maggie and Ace just stepped in it to cool their paws, but Morey dove into it. I wish I would have had a camera because he was absolutely hilarious! He looked like his goal was to splash all of the water out of the pool and he was quite successful at it. He would jump in it and roll around in the water, then get out and run a lap around the chapel, then make a flying leap back into the pool. After several repetitions, Morey just laid down in the pool, a huge doggie grin on his face. He obviously thought he was a pretty blessed dog at the moment! : )
It was very hot and for some reason, Morey decided he was going to sit on the benches instead of on the ground with the rest of the dogs. As I have referenced before, his body awareness is not the best and while trying to lay down on the bench he fell off...and decided the ground was good enough for him for the rest of the service.
Morey's swimming buddies Maggie and Ace came and after everyone else had left we let the dogs off leash to do some running. There was a kiddie pool filled up as a water bowl, but the water-loving pups thought it still should be used as a pool. Maggie and Ace just stepped in it to cool their paws, but Morey dove into it. I wish I would have had a camera because he was absolutely hilarious! He looked like his goal was to splash all of the water out of the pool and he was quite successful at it. He would jump in it and roll around in the water, then get out and run a lap around the chapel, then make a flying leap back into the pool. After several repetitions, Morey just laid down in the pool, a huge doggie grin on his face. He obviously thought he was a pretty blessed dog at the moment! : )
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
4th of July Fun
Morey and I celebrated our first 4th of July in Austin. My sister was here for the first part of the day and we went to the Texas State Cemetery, which was actually pretty cool.
After dropping my sister off at the airport, I took Morey for a walk on Lady Bird Lake so he wouldn't be too sad about her leaving. When we got there I remembered that part of the Hike and Bike Trail includes an off-leash dog area with a place for dogs to swim. It was ~102 degress and Morey was hot so I decided to let him enjoy his holiday and join the pack of dogs that was already in the water. He absolutely loved it! First he splashed in a small pond with a fountain and then we moved on to swimming in the lake. There were probably about 10 dogs already there of all shapes, sizes, and breeds.
Most of the dogs had tennis balls and were fetching them from the lake. I couldn't get close to the water, but Morey quickly realized that any of the people standing ankle deep in the water would be happy to throw the ball for him. He had some confusion about which ball was his and whenever he saw one being thrown he would drop the one he had and race the other dog to get the ball. And most of the time he got it too. I had to keep apologizing that Morey was stealing the other dogs' balls but no one really seemed too bothered by it. It was a very fun way to spend a hot afternoon and Morey had a blast!
After dropping my sister off at the airport, I took Morey for a walk on Lady Bird Lake so he wouldn't be too sad about her leaving. When we got there I remembered that part of the Hike and Bike Trail includes an off-leash dog area with a place for dogs to swim. It was ~102 degress and Morey was hot so I decided to let him enjoy his holiday and join the pack of dogs that was already in the water. He absolutely loved it! First he splashed in a small pond with a fountain and then we moved on to swimming in the lake. There were probably about 10 dogs already there of all shapes, sizes, and breeds.
Most of the dogs had tennis balls and were fetching them from the lake. I couldn't get close to the water, but Morey quickly realized that any of the people standing ankle deep in the water would be happy to throw the ball for him. He had some confusion about which ball was his and whenever he saw one being thrown he would drop the one he had and race the other dog to get the ball. And most of the time he got it too. I had to keep apologizing that Morey was stealing the other dogs' balls but no one really seemed too bothered by it. It was a very fun way to spend a hot afternoon and Morey had a blast!
Back to Texas
Unfortunately, our time in Indiana came to an end and it was time to head back to Texas. Grandma made sure that Morey was well-supplied with several new toys, including a lobster, a gecko, and a green frog wubba. Morey’s grandma and aunt are planing on coming to visit Morey on his third birthday, but that is still several months away. Morey and I enjoyed our time in Indiana with all our family and friends and are looking forward to our next visit to the Hoosier state!
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