Today was Morey's first time to ride the bus to work. He had ridden it with me the night we arrived to Texas, so it wasn't too new or exciting. He curled up beneath the seat, very nicely tucked out of the way. I'll have to get a picture to post.
I got a rug for him to lay on to give him some traction when the bus turned or stopped; the slippery floor had him sliding all over on our trial run. I am working on training him to retrieve the rug on cue of "rug" and he had a great start last night (we were shaping and after offering many different behaviors including bowing, laying down, scratching the rug, and retrieving anything that was on the floor in the general area, we had the breakthrough of "oh you want me to retrieve the rug...got it!") Practice makes perfect, so we'll keep at it.
Going back to the bus ride, most of the buses here have ramps to get on, so he hasn't experienced riding on a lift. That's still on the to-do list. Jammer, Morey's dad, was the first dog I taught to ride a wheelchair lift and I'm hoping it will be a "like father, like son" training experience. In the meantime though, Morey is doing his part to be "green" by being a public transportation commuter.
Morey
Morey, My 2nd Service Dog
Monday, January 31, 2011
Morey's at Work
Morey has settled back into work nicely after his "vacation". He is already starting to take on some volunteer therapy work in our office. We are right down the hall from Student Emergency Services, which, as you might guess from the name, has to deal with some high stress situations. Last week one of the staff came down and asked for some "Morey time". When other staff members heard the squeaky toy they came down to join the party and soon Morey had 4 people admiring him and giving belly rubs. They were all very grateful for some stress relief time and of course Morey loved the attention. I'm thinking Morey might need to have his own "office hours" (it would have to be on Tuesdays so we could call it Tuesdays with Morey ; )
My co-workers are great about ignoring him when he is working, but before/after hours it's all fun and games. He is learning who gives the best butt scratches, who throws the tennis ball the farthest, and who talks in silly voices to him. He has impressed everyone with his serious nature on the job and charmed everyone with his goofy side when he is off duty. That's my boy!
My co-workers are great about ignoring him when he is working, but before/after hours it's all fun and games. He is learning who gives the best butt scratches, who throws the tennis ball the farthest, and who talks in silly voices to him. He has impressed everyone with his serious nature on the job and charmed everyone with his goofy side when he is off duty. That's my boy!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Together again
I got back to Austin at 1am last night so I went and picked up Morey after work today. I was very proud of myself as I only asked twice how he was doing while I was gone. (Both times the answer was "good"-not exactly the detailed update I was looking for!)
When I went into the house he came over slowly to say hi, but when he realized it was me he did a full body wag and walked in circles around me-very similar to the way his mom Cleo shows excitement (without the need to grab something in his mouth and do a low happy-growl).
From all reports, he had a great time. Norm asked if he would ever stop playing ball and said they had played for hours over the weekend. Apparently he could throw the ball on the roof and Morey would jump up and catch it in the air as it bounced down. Norm also confessed that they played ball in the house.
He got to sleep in Norm's bed and continued his habit of sleeping as close to you as possible.
I had given Norm a list of Morey's commands, but had left off most of the working words (Tug, Push, etc.). Norm told me that Morey was helpful around the house, closing doors, tugging off his shirt, and retrieving. I asked what words he used and he said "Well, I said pull and he pulled my shirt off and then close for the door. It seemed to work". Since the real commands are "tug" and "push" I guess that demonstrates how much context plays a part in service dog commands!
Norm said he was welcome back anytime. Morey seemed very happy there, but he kept a close eye on me while I packed his stuff.
Our Las Vegas trip was cancelled, so I will be home in Austin until March. It will be nice to have a month and a half without any travel. Maybe Morey will actually figure out where he lives now!
A rugby update: the team I was playing with in Florida was the developmental national team. We won 1 game against Switzerland and came in 6th place. That was the last time that team will be together. There will be try outs for the next team in May. It was cold in Florida-40 degrees in the mornings! Brr! That's the last time I travel without my hoodie!
When I went into the house he came over slowly to say hi, but when he realized it was me he did a full body wag and walked in circles around me-very similar to the way his mom Cleo shows excitement (without the need to grab something in his mouth and do a low happy-growl).
From all reports, he had a great time. Norm asked if he would ever stop playing ball and said they had played for hours over the weekend. Apparently he could throw the ball on the roof and Morey would jump up and catch it in the air as it bounced down. Norm also confessed that they played ball in the house.
He got to sleep in Norm's bed and continued his habit of sleeping as close to you as possible.
I had given Norm a list of Morey's commands, but had left off most of the working words (Tug, Push, etc.). Norm told me that Morey was helpful around the house, closing doors, tugging off his shirt, and retrieving. I asked what words he used and he said "Well, I said pull and he pulled my shirt off and then close for the door. It seemed to work". Since the real commands are "tug" and "push" I guess that demonstrates how much context plays a part in service dog commands!
Norm said he was welcome back anytime. Morey seemed very happy there, but he kept a close eye on me while I packed his stuff.
Our Las Vegas trip was cancelled, so I will be home in Austin until March. It will be nice to have a month and a half without any travel. Maybe Morey will actually figure out where he lives now!
A rugby update: the team I was playing with in Florida was the developmental national team. We won 1 game against Switzerland and came in 6th place. That was the last time that team will be together. There will be try outs for the next team in May. It was cold in Florida-40 degrees in the mornings! Brr! That's the last time I travel without my hoodie!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Morey's Vacation with the boys
After only 3 weeks together, I had to leave my new baby for 5 days. (Just for the record, I am aware that Morey suddenly went from my significant other to my baby...it's a complicated relationship ; ) I have a rugby tournament in West Palm Beach, FL with the national development team and it's just easier and better for both of us if he stayed behind.
Two of the guys from my Texas rugby team love dogs and dog-sit for other people, so Morey is staying with them. We went over for a visit last week and he explored the whole place. Norm (one of the guys) let Morey up on his bed, so I think they will get along fine!
I packed all his bags-toys, bowls, food, etc. and dropped him off the night before I left. He was watching me carefully as I put all his stuff out but Norm distracted him with some petting while I slipped out. It was weird to be at my apartment and work without him. It's amazing how quickly Morey has become such an important part of my life.
I waiting 2 days before asking how he has been doing and got the news that he is fine. I'm really not worried about him...it's me who has the harder time being away from him.
Two of the guys from my Texas rugby team love dogs and dog-sit for other people, so Morey is staying with them. We went over for a visit last week and he explored the whole place. Norm (one of the guys) let Morey up on his bed, so I think they will get along fine!
I packed all his bags-toys, bowls, food, etc. and dropped him off the night before I left. He was watching me carefully as I put all his stuff out but Norm distracted him with some petting while I slipped out. It was weird to be at my apartment and work without him. It's amazing how quickly Morey has become such an important part of my life.
I waiting 2 days before asking how he has been doing and got the news that he is fine. I'm really not worried about him...it's me who has the harder time being away from him.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Morey Hits the Road
Well, Morey went to his first wheelchair rugby tournament this weekend. It was in Dallas, a 3 hour drive from Austin. His trip involved a van ride sharing his space with 3 rugby chairs, staying in a hotel, and hanging out at the gym. And, as usual, he added even more fans to his ever-growing fan club! I took some pictures to illustrate parts of the trip.
I brought a collapsible crate for him to stay in while I was playing in games. We have a guy from Japan playing on our rugby team this season and he was amused by the crate, which he called Morey's "house". It was nice to know that Morey was safe while I was crashing around on the court.
Between our games we had several hours and so we used some of the time to play and train. We played fetch in the gym and the guys on the team all wanted to take turns throwing the ball for him. I also had him play "find" with his tennis ball. I was impressed by how good he was at this. There was a large area to cover and lots of things to hide the ball in, but each time he kept going until he found it. We do this at my office, but there is a limited number of places I can find it. At the gym it was more of a challenge. At times, it took him up to 5 minutes to find, but he kept searching and using his nose to sniff it out. He drew quite a crowd of people watching him do his search for his favorite possession.
At the hotel, Morey walked right in like he owned the place. He approved of the bed and as the picture will show, he was quite comfortable. He was really tired both of the nights because I don't think he slept much during the day. He is still kind of a bed hog, so that is an issue we are still trying to work out.
Morey's first rugby tournament was just another adventure he handled with the confidence and poise of a seasoned service dog. Good thing, since in 2 weeks we will be flying to Las Vegas for a tournament.
For those who were wondering about our rugby results, we went 3-3 during the weekend and came in 3rd place. (Lost a heartbreaking game by 1 point at the last second and during our game playing for 3rd/4th place we beat the Utah team who had beaten us the night before.) This was the first really challenging tournament our rugby team has been to, so it was exciting to see how we measured up. Unfortunately I re-injured my ribs that are still healing from a rugby injury in December and so I wasn't able to play in the final game. Hopefully I will be up and rolling again soon!
I brought a collapsible crate for him to stay in while I was playing in games. We have a guy from Japan playing on our rugby team this season and he was amused by the crate, which he called Morey's "house". It was nice to know that Morey was safe while I was crashing around on the court.
Between our games we had several hours and so we used some of the time to play and train. We played fetch in the gym and the guys on the team all wanted to take turns throwing the ball for him. I also had him play "find" with his tennis ball. I was impressed by how good he was at this. There was a large area to cover and lots of things to hide the ball in, but each time he kept going until he found it. We do this at my office, but there is a limited number of places I can find it. At the gym it was more of a challenge. At times, it took him up to 5 minutes to find, but he kept searching and using his nose to sniff it out. He drew quite a crowd of people watching him do his search for his favorite possession.
At the hotel, Morey walked right in like he owned the place. He approved of the bed and as the picture will show, he was quite comfortable. He was really tired both of the nights because I don't think he slept much during the day. He is still kind of a bed hog, so that is an issue we are still trying to work out.
Morey's first rugby tournament was just another adventure he handled with the confidence and poise of a seasoned service dog. Good thing, since in 2 weeks we will be flying to Las Vegas for a tournament.
For those who were wondering about our rugby results, we went 3-3 during the weekend and came in 3rd place. (Lost a heartbreaking game by 1 point at the last second and during our game playing for 3rd/4th place we beat the Utah team who had beaten us the night before.) This was the first really challenging tournament our rugby team has been to, so it was exciting to see how we measured up. Unfortunately I re-injured my ribs that are still healing from a rugby injury in December and so I wasn't able to play in the final game. Hopefully I will be up and rolling again soon!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Rugby 101
Morey was introduced to the great sport of quad rugby this weekend. This was one of my areas of concern, because I spend so much time at practices and tournaments. Some of the dogs I have had have gotten very worried when they hear all the crashing and banging and see me out on the court in the middle of all of it. However, like everything else, he just took it all in stride.
When we first arrived at practice, Morey was off leash and walking next to me. When he saw one of the other players he hurried up to walk next to him. I think he was confused by seeing so many people in wheelchairs! Everyone was very impressed by how calm and obedient he is, just adding to his Texas fan club!
Once we starting rolling on the court, he was very attentively watching everything going on. The first few crashes made me very alert, but I came over every few minutes to reinforce his down stay and then he settled back down. Two of the women on our support staff went over to sit by him, so for most of the practice he had unlimited belly rubs, ear scratches, and cuddling. Not a bad introduction to rugby!
At one point, I came over a few feet away and could tell he was watching out on the court looking for me. Once again, too many wheelchairs for him to keep track of! He will be going to our tournament in Dallas next weekend with 6 teams (approximately 50 wheelchair users) so I will have to keep his leash on him so he won't lose me! I'm just kidding really, even with all the distractions and people, Morey remains focused on me and responsive to whatever I ask of him.
My coach asked when he was going to get some UT gear...guess that's next on our shopping list!
When we first arrived at practice, Morey was off leash and walking next to me. When he saw one of the other players he hurried up to walk next to him. I think he was confused by seeing so many people in wheelchairs! Everyone was very impressed by how calm and obedient he is, just adding to his Texas fan club!
Once we starting rolling on the court, he was very attentively watching everything going on. The first few crashes made me very alert, but I came over every few minutes to reinforce his down stay and then he settled back down. Two of the women on our support staff went over to sit by him, so for most of the practice he had unlimited belly rubs, ear scratches, and cuddling. Not a bad introduction to rugby!
At one point, I came over a few feet away and could tell he was watching out on the court looking for me. Once again, too many wheelchairs for him to keep track of! He will be going to our tournament in Dallas next weekend with 6 teams (approximately 50 wheelchair users) so I will have to keep his leash on him so he won't lose me! I'm just kidding really, even with all the distractions and people, Morey remains focused on me and responsive to whatever I ask of him.
My coach asked when he was going to get some UT gear...guess that's next on our shopping list!
First Week on the Job
Well, Morey has been officially welcomed as a part of Services for Students with Disabilities at UT! He worked a full week and is very settled in to "his" office and is already a favorite with all the staff. He enjoys socializing on his lunch breaks and exploring the campus. He's always such a gentleman to open all the doors for me!
Although he likes being at work, he isn't sure how he feels about getting up at 6am each day (and usually goes back to sleep for another half an hour while I am getting ready...sleepyhead!). Since we get there before the office opens, we take advantage of the long hallway for some "fetch" and "find" time. We also do some training; boundary training at the door to my office and sending him to his "bed" on command are the first things on the list. Who knows what we'll move on to after that...I'm thinking answering the phone or typing emails so then I can be the one to take the afternoon naps!
Being able to take your best friend to work makes it so much more fun! It also makes me much more popular in the office! : )
Although he likes being at work, he isn't sure how he feels about getting up at 6am each day (and usually goes back to sleep for another half an hour while I am getting ready...sleepyhead!). Since we get there before the office opens, we take advantage of the long hallway for some "fetch" and "find" time. We also do some training; boundary training at the door to my office and sending him to his "bed" on command are the first things on the list. Who knows what we'll move on to after that...I'm thinking answering the phone or typing emails so then I can be the one to take the afternoon naps!
Being able to take your best friend to work makes it so much more fun! It also makes me much more popular in the office! : )
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Traveling to Texas
After 5 days of bonding with Morey's at my family's home in Indiana, it was time to head back to Texas. Leaving Jessie behind while Morey went with me was bittersweet; signaling the end of my partnership with Jessie and the beginning of new adventures with Morey. I know both dogs will be happy with this arrangement as Jessie has adapted well to her retirement and life with "grandma".
I had never flown with a dog before, but was confident in Morey's ability to handle the trip. And he more than proved me right!!
He was great going through security (not really a surprise, since he is used to going through pat downs at the prison). He attracted a lot of attention and an Asian couple stopped to take a picture of him. Morey's got paparazzi already!
He didn't have any problem loading onto the plane, but because he is so long, he had to curl up in a ball to keep his paws from sticking out in the aisle. We were seated in bulkhead with no one sitting next to me so there was plenty of room. He awed the flight attendants by his excellent focus on me. Go Morey! He enjoyed some ice cubes and then slept through most of the flight. He didn't even wake up when we landed!
I had to take the SkyLink train to get to my connecting terminal in Dallas. The speed and turns made Morey scramble a bit to keep his footing, but as with everything else, he took in all in stride. We made our flight and this time were seated next to a boy who was thrilled to share his foot space with Morey. Once again, Morey acted like a pro and was the perfect service dog ambassador.
The last leg of our trip after arriving in Austin was to take the bus to get back to my van. That made the 3rd new type of transportation Morey was introduced to in one day! (Not something I would normally do, but under the circumstances, I didn't have a lot of options).
By the time we got back to my apartment, my confidence in Morey had skyrocketed! He handled every new situation perfectly and he definitely left a positive impression of service dogs on everyone we encountered. His attention and focus on me were amazing, as was his willingness to follow commands in new situations.
We're off to a great start with many more adventures to follow! Stay tuned...
I had never flown with a dog before, but was confident in Morey's ability to handle the trip. And he more than proved me right!!
He was great going through security (not really a surprise, since he is used to going through pat downs at the prison). He attracted a lot of attention and an Asian couple stopped to take a picture of him. Morey's got paparazzi already!
He didn't have any problem loading onto the plane, but because he is so long, he had to curl up in a ball to keep his paws from sticking out in the aisle. We were seated in bulkhead with no one sitting next to me so there was plenty of room. He awed the flight attendants by his excellent focus on me. Go Morey! He enjoyed some ice cubes and then slept through most of the flight. He didn't even wake up when we landed!
I had to take the SkyLink train to get to my connecting terminal in Dallas. The speed and turns made Morey scramble a bit to keep his footing, but as with everything else, he took in all in stride. We made our flight and this time were seated next to a boy who was thrilled to share his foot space with Morey. Once again, Morey acted like a pro and was the perfect service dog ambassador.
The last leg of our trip after arriving in Austin was to take the bus to get back to my van. That made the 3rd new type of transportation Morey was introduced to in one day! (Not something I would normally do, but under the circumstances, I didn't have a lot of options).
By the time we got back to my apartment, my confidence in Morey had skyrocketed! He handled every new situation perfectly and he definitely left a positive impression of service dogs on everyone we encountered. His attention and focus on me were amazing, as was his willingness to follow commands in new situations.
We're off to a great start with many more adventures to follow! Stay tuned...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)