Farmer's Market

Out hotel was conveniently located a few blocks from Little Italy. This is also the location of the largest Farmer's Market in San Diego. The market was several blocks long (unfortunately along a very steep hill which made things interesting) with a variety of booths. Navigating through the crowds was challenge but it was definitely worth the effort.

The only damper on the whole experience was Morey's reaction to the other dogs we encountered. I thought he had gotten over his growling in greeting to other dogs, but it reappeared that day. When he saw a dog he would pull toward it with his hair raised and growling. He would then do a play bow and try to engage the other dog, but they interpreted his approach as threatening. Morey redirected back to me quickly, but it was embarrassing and frustrating to have this happen every few feet.

Luckily I had my Lickety Stick with me. This is a great treat that works well for me when I'm on the go with Morey. It looks like roll on deodorant only instead of deodorant, the bottle is filled with bacon-flavored goodness. As the dog licks the ball on top they get more of the yumminess. It has a really strong smell and gets Morey's attention instantly.

When we approached a dog I allowed him to lick the stick. This was more appealing to him than the other dog and it also paired the approach of a dog with something delicious.We have practiced this behavior before so he quickly got the hang of the pattern-dog=treat. Soon he was looking at me when we saw another dog-success!

This experience made me aware of the importance of keeping Morey well-socialized with other dogs. He loves to play and interact with other dogs and he hasn't had much of an opportunity recently. We will definitely be making a trip to the dog park soon!

Longhorn Morey Finds a Friend

 

As we were exploring San Diego we ran across this cow-shaped bench outside an ice cream shop. As a Longhorn, Morey has gained a new appreciation for bovine and he wanted to have his picture taken cuddled up with the cow . I like how he posed, creating a nice profile comparison!

Wedding Time!

I think Morey and I make a pretty good couple! He did get more compliments than I did, but it's pretty hard to compare to that cuteness!

 

I love the look of devotion in this picture. It kind of looks like Morey is making his own vows...til death do us part.

 

The wedding was outdoors and Morey couldn't quite figure out what was going on. He wasn't wearing his vest, we were in an open grassy area and yet I wouldn't let him off leash to play. I had to stop him from rolling around on his back because I was afraid he would get grass stains on his bowtie. He finally settled down at my feet and was good throughout the ceremony.

All Dressed Up

I've never been one to dress my dogs up. Sure, I'll put on bunny ears or a birthday hat for a few pictures, but I've never been that into clothing for dogs. However, Morey was going to be attending his first wedding and I felt he should be properly attired for the occasion. I wanted to get him a bowtie and had to call several pet stores before I found one that carried them. I brought him in for a "fitting" when I bought it since I wasn't sure exactly what size he wears.

Handsome, cute, and dapper are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe him in his bowtie. I would agree with all of them!

San Diego!

The week after Nationals I headed to Alabama for a rugby camp with Team Force. Morey was still tired from the excitement from Nationals so I gave him the weekend off. He stayed with Norm and enjoyed catching up on his beauty sleep (wish I could have done the same thing)!

The next weekend we were off to San Diego to celebrate a wedding. These friends used to live in Austin and moved to San Diego last summer. Morey and I were/are very close to them and I thought it only fitting that Morey come along to celebrate.

We arrived early and got to spend some time exploring the city. Morey got very excited when he saw the ocean and didn't understand that he would drown if he jumped off the pier because there was no way to get back up. He was whining and looking at me, expecting me to throw a ball for him to go retrieve. I kept him safely away from the water...just in case! As you can tell, he still had a good time even if there was no swimming involved.

As we were on our way back to the hotel we randomly found a jar of dog bones and a bowl of water sitting on the sidewalk. I sat there for a moment trying to decide if I should let Morey partake (I didn't know where it came from and wasn't sure if it was up to the standard of water Morey is used to ; ) A woman came out of  one of the stores along the street and said that several of the employees in the stores along the street brought their dogs to work and so they kept the bones and water available. Once I knew these were placed outside with good intentions, Morey was allowed to get a drink and sample the bones. He thinks San Diego is a pretty cool place where you can randomly run across free snacks on the sidewalk!

 

During Nationals I injured my wrists in a fall and was icing them after our games. We were going back to the hotel after a game and I wanted to bring my bag of ice but didn't want it to freeze my legs by having the bag sit on my lap while I pushed. So, Morey helpfully carried it for me. He only dropped it once because the knot he was holding slipped through his teeth. Morey loves to eat ice and I think his expression in the second picture illustrates his feelings about carrying his favorite treat and not being allowed to eat any (don't worry, he got rewarded with several pieces when we got back to the hotel!).

Best Buddies

 

I am glad my two service dogs get along so well! These pictures are from our weekend in Louisville at Nationals. It is funny to see them jostle for position in the petting department or try to beat each other to the item needing retrieved. But overall they are good friends and I love having the opportunity to have them both together. I only wish it could happen more often!

Lesson Learned

While I was at Nationals, I had a good reminder of why it is bad to let Morey develop bad habits, even if they are habits I personally don't really mind. Morey loves to get his butt scratched. When someone starts scratching him he will lean up against their legs and push into them, showing obvious enjoyment. When he does this to someone in a chair he will sometimes push them backward. If you tell him "settle" he will, but it's not something I mind so I have allowed him to practice that behavior.

At Nationals, one of the directors of the tournament had recently had knee surgery. As she was petting Morey he began to lean in on her-not a good situation for her. He was not responsive to my "settle" command and I put him into a sit so he would stop leaning against her injured leg. I realized that while letting Morey lean and push against people may be harmless most of the time, it is not a good habit to encourage. In the future I will be more strict about having him stand on his own four feet or be in a "sit" position before he gets petted. As a service dog who interacts with a variety of people, I need to make sure his behavior is socially acceptable. Even if I personally don't mind a behavior, I need to remember that other people might not enjoy it.

Nationals

Morey's trip to rugby Nationals was quite exciting. Because Nationals were held in Louisville, my family was able to attend. It was so fun to have them on the sidelines cheering for me and even better to be able to spend part of the weekend visiting.

Morey and I flew to Louisville by ourselves and the rest of the team met us there later in the day. Obviously Morey wasn't expecting to see our teammates in a totally strange place so he was extra excited in his greetings.He also got to see several other rugby friends, including Mike, his buddy from our trip in January.

Later on in the evening, my mom and sister arrived. As we were waiting in front of the hotel for them to arrive, I asked Morey where Grandma was. He knows that name and began to look anxiously around for her. Needless to say, he was quite excited when they arrived! Jessie had accompanied them and it was sweet to see Morey lick her face and interact with her. He wanted to play but accepted that she wasn't interested at the moment. He was content to walk beside her and lick her face every few steps (which she graciously tolerated). I was excited to see Jessie and my mom/sister were excited to see Morey and so we traded dogs for most of the weekend.

Because of my sister's schedule for her final exams, they had to leave to go back home for 24 hours. My mom had asked (pleaded) to let Morey go back with her for some special "grandma time". Since I was going to be busy playing rugby I didn't mind and knew he was going to have more fun with her than he would laying around the gym all day. I was slightly jealous that he got to go home and I didn't! While he was home he got to see Jamie, his breeder, and I was told that he obviously recognized her from his excitement when he saw her.

It was a fun, but odd weekend for all of us. Morey got to see almost all of his favorite people-which is unusual since they live in several different states. Morey's only complaint about the trip was the lack of grassy space in Louisville. Most of the grass that was around was elevated so I couldn't get to it or it had a fence around it. Luckily there was a park-like area next to the Convention Center where we were playing and so we visited there quite often!

We came in 6th at Nationals, not quite the finish we were hoping for. I played without a sub and got plenty of rugby time. I also got an impressive bruise that I still have (two weeks later). The Stampede's season is over now, so there may not be any Morey/rugby stories for a while.

It's a Small World

I was at the store with Morey this week when a woman approached me and asked if she could pet Morey. I gave permission and she said "I know to always ask before I pet a working dog. I used to work in a prison in Indiana and there was a program called ICAN that trained the dogs there." I looked at her in surprise and said "Morey graduated from ICAN! We are both from Indiana and he was trained in the prisons there!". She went on to tell me that she had worked at Rockville for 13 years and had seen the amazing different the dogs made in the offender's lives.

Wow, if that isn't a coincidence I don't know what is! What are the chances that we would meet someone in Texas who used to work with ICAN dogs in the prisons?! Morey spent some time at Rockville, so there is a possibility that she had actually met him before. It really is a small world...

Carded

Morey got carded for the first time at the airport last week. We were on our way to the USQRA (Rugby) National Championships in Louisville. As I was checking my rugby chair, the airline employee asked me why I needed Morey. I assumed she was asking out of curiosity and gave my standard answer of "retrieving, opening doors,and pulling my wheelchair" She then asked if I had certification for Morey because I would need it before I could get on the plane. I informed her that identification is not required, but that I did have an ID card. I have never been asked for any type of identification before since it is fairly obvious that I have a disability and Morey is dressed in a vest that clearly identifies him as a service dog. I showed her my ICAN ID card (the first time I have ever been asked to show it to someone) and she said it would be good enough.

I don't think she had much experience working with people with disabilities because she also told me I wasn't allowed to bring two wheelchairs (my everyday wheelchair and my rugby chair) which is also not correct. I have learned to be polite, but insistent, when working with airport personnel and eventually my service dog and wheelchairs were "approved" to fly with me at no extra cost.

Once we moved on to security, we had no additional questions asked-although the TSA agent was unsure whether to have Morey go through the metal detector or be given a pat down. He got a pat down in the end. I always wonder if Morey has flashbacks to his prison days when we go to the airport with the security screenings...