Conference Confession

This week at work I attended a conference on campus. There were about 200 people there and we were all in a large ballroom set up with round tables for lunch and the keynote address. I pulled up to a spot at the table right next to the legs and so there wasn't much room for Morey to get underneath the table. We were at the front of the room where there weren't going to be many people walking by so I decided to put him in a heel next to me instead of under the table.

Lunch was a buffet so I left Morey at the table while I got my food. Coming back to the table, I had my plate on my lap and my drink between my legs and was concentrating very hard on not spilling either. Unfortunately, I was focusing so hard on what was on my lap that I wasn't focusing on where Morey was. I ran right over his tail, causing him to jump up with a loud yelp. His yelp echoed throughout the ballroom, causing people to turn and look for what had just happened.

I quickly went into the jolly routine to get Morey over his fear, saying "oh dear, did I run over your tail? Poor Morey" over and over again in a happy silly voice. It took a few minutes before I could get him back to his normal happy self and then I rearranged the table settings so I could settle him under the table (something I should have done since the beginning).

He eagerly went under the table into his safe dark den. The following pictures illustrate the only parts of him that were exposed for the remainder of the session.

 

Morey is a little more jumpy around my wheelchair and I have to say it is with good cause. It will take him a while to build up trust that I won't accidentally run over a tail or paw again. I felt bad about running him over and will definitely make more an effort to be aware of where he is in relation to my wheels. However, it is also good to know that he is a resilient dog and that he was able to quickly bounce back into working mode, despite having his tail tweaked.

Library Lab

When your arms are what you use to get around, you have to figure out other ways to carry and transport items. The usual substitute for wheelchair users is their lap. You'd be surprised by the amount of things I can pile on me to move from one location to another!

Balance is a key factor when you are carrying items on your lap. Any slight change in the surface you are rolling on can cause items to shift and then fall. To avoid this, I often put individual items in a box or bag to make things a little easier.

 Now, hills add an interesting twist to lap carrying. Uphill usually isn't a problem because the bag/box will shift against your body and still be secure. Downhill presents a whole different challenge. As you go down, the item on your lap typically wants to do down as well. Trying to grab a bag that is slipping off your lap while going downhill is a recipe for disaster.  

My office is located at the top of a giant hill.The other day I had to return library books at a drop box that was at the bottom of the hill. I hadn't brought my backpack and so I was trying to figure out how to get the 3 books down the hill. I had an old paperbag in my office and the books fit perfectly inside. I knew the bag wasn't going to stay on my lap and so I had only solved half my problem.

Enter Morey the service dog. I gave him to bag to carry and it didn't seem to heavy for him.  I was so proud when he carried it the entire way (about 2 blocks). He gets so happy when he is working-he carried his head high (in part so the bag wouldn't drag on the ground) and his tail wagging. He naturally got a lot of comments and compliments on our way and he seemed to know that he was doing a good thing. After dropping off the books, I let him carry the empty back all the way back to my office, where he got lots of praise and butt scratches.

                                     Morey makes my life happier and easier in so many ways!

Bath Helper

During some of the nice weather (referenced in a previous post), I took Morey to the dog park for some playing and swimming. The water was still a little chilly so most dogs were playing instead of getting in the water. Not Morey! He jumped in again and again after his ball and didn't seem to notice the water temperature. There was a golden retriever who was also enjoying the water with him and when I saw all the beautiful long golden fur dripping with water and mud, I was thankful for Morey's short coat!

After swimming, Morey is subjected to a bath. Although he tries to hide once he realizes what is about to happen, he is very cooperative when he realizes he can't escape. Bathing Morey is not the easiest thing for me and I typically drop the shampoo bottle at least once. Of course, it usually falls where I can't reach it and Morey was very obliging to pick it up for me. What a good bath time helper!

Spring has Sprung!

It's hard to believe that part of the country is experiencing a blizzard right now because in Austin we have had several weeks of 70 degree weather. It is still strange to me to have this type of weather in February, but I am taking the time to enjoy it because soon it will be too hot to be outside. I have been home on the weekends instead of traveling for rugby and as you can see, Morey thinks a good portion of my time should be spent outside with him playing ball!