Morey meets Clifford

My church recently had another "Go! Sunday" that involved a service project in the community. Morey and I volunteered to help inventory the library at a nearby elementary school. Morey was very surprised to find another dog already in the library and he and Clifford got along well while I worked on the books.

I don't know if Morey has ever been in a real doghouse (spoiled dog that he is) but after seeing the dog houses belonging to two high profile dogs like Clifford and Spike, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts wanting one of his own!

Morey at the Museum

There are a lot of great museums on campus at UT and while my evenings are not occupied with homework, Morey and I are spending time enjoying what Austin and UT have to offer. The other evening we went to the Blanton Museum with my friend Heather to see the "Lifelike" exhibit. This exhibit has everyday objects either larger or smaller than in real life and it was fun to see the different perspectives of these common objects.

Going to museums is not one of Morey's favorite activities. There is a lot of standing around and then moving 2 feet and standing around again. Just when Morey decides to lay down, it is time to move on. Sorry Morey!

Please tell me I don't have to squeeze in there!

Morey's favorite display was a tiny elevator bank. The elevator doors opened and closed and had lights and a tiny bell. Morey provides a little perspective on how small they actually are. Since he was right on the same level when he was laying down, he expressed some curiosity about them when the doors opened and closed.

We stayed until the museum closed and once we stepped outside we found that it was pouring down rain. It doesn't rain often in Austin, but as the expression goes, when it does rain, it pours! As you can see from the picture, everyone who had left the museum was waiting just outside rather than braving the rain.

Heather, Morey, and I waited for a while but when the rain showed no sign of stopping, Heather offered to go get my car which we had parked a block or two away. I gratefully accepted her offer and even with being picked up as close as possible we still got soaked.

Nothing like a fun-filled adventure!

Pet Expo

Austin hosts a Pet Expo every year and this year Morey and I decided to attend. I left Morey's vest at home and just let him go as a dog. Because Morey tends to get excited around other dogs I wasn't exactly sure how it would go but I figured it would be a fun event for both of us.

The Pet Expo was held at the Palmer Event Center. As we approached the entrance and Morey saw all the dogs he started to get very excited. I knew there would be even more dogs inside so I sat outside for a while to let him adjust and calm down a bit. A group of people sitting outside with their dogs laughed at Morey's obvious excitement and they offered to let him meet their dogs. Once Morey has met a few dogs and is reminded that they don't all want to jump and play with him he usually settles down and so I gratefully took them up on their offer. Morey met a very large Tibetan mastiff which looked like a Great Pyrenees, a very calm Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, and a small fluffy dog. These introductions did seem to calm Morey down and so we bravely ventured inside.

There were tons of booths, exhibits, dogs, and people in a rather crowded area and I spent the first few minutes with my eyes on Morey, trying to make sure he was behaving himself and looking for any potential triggers. When Morey decides he wants to pull and go somewhere (which doesn't happen often under normal circumstances) I am pretty powerless to stop him and so it is important to be proactive and engaging to keep him focused on me. In this environment, even the tastiest treats don't have as much value as all the stimuli around him so I relied on my voice and my chair to keep Morey's attention. It took about half an hour before Morey settled down to the point where I could actually take my eyes off of Morey long enough to look at what was around me.

There was an agility course in the center of the exhibit booths and you could wait in line to go through the course with your dog and a trainer from one of the dog training companies in Austin. I thought Morey might enjoy agility so we waited in line. We were right behind a bulldog and Morey kept sniffing its face. Maybe he was trying to figure out if it was a dog! When it came time for our turn, Morey got very excited, especially when he figured out there were treats involved! The trainer held his leash and let me call him through each part of the course. I think Morey had done some basic agility work during his training in prison. Agility helps dogs build confidence and exposes them to new sensations so it can be a great thing for service dogs.

Morey seemed like a bit of a show off as he went through the course. He did excellent at the jumps, clumsily weaved through the weave pulls, awkwardly balanced on the teeter-totter, and willingly went up the A-frame (although he scrambled a bit on the way down). It took him a few tries on the tunnel before he realized that I wanted him to come through the tunnel to get to me but once he got it he ran through several times. Compared to a lot of the dogs who were scared and unsure, Morey took on each obstacle like a champ. The trainer was quite impressed and I admitted that his service dog training contributed quite a bit but still felt proud of my Morey!

It was so fun to watch Morey do this event. (Sorry there are no pictures; I was too busy going through the course and Morey was in motion so he would have just turned out as a yellow blur). Morey is really a "trainer's dog"; he loves to learn and is willing to try just about anything. I often feel bad that I don't make it more of a priority to work with him on training games because he enjoys it so much.

After the agility excitement, I met up with a friend and we wandered around for a while longer. At times, Morey would break out in some spontaneous barking and my friend expressed his surprise, as Morey usually acts like such a perfect dog. I was also surprised, but attributed it to the overwhelming excitement of the environment and Morey's enjoyment freedom from acting like a service dog.

I had parked across the street from the Event Center, in the place where I usually take Morey swimming. He was looking so hot after our walk to the car that I decided to let him take a quick dip before going home. Morey found the pond and waded right in, wandering around and cooling off. It looked quite enjoyable and I wished I could join in! When I became too hot, I called him out of the water and we went back to the car.

                               Here is a tired, wet, and very happy Morey on the trip home!

(He wasn't too happy about the bath that came afterward!)

Patience at the Pool

Now that summer classes are over, Morey and I have been enjoying the second half of summer vacation. To celebrate, I went to the pool with a friend for some swimming (about the only type of outside exercise that is possible in 100+ degree heat!). Unfortunately, the UT swimming pool does not allow dogs and so Morey had to sit on the sidelines.

I wasn't actually sure how Morey would do with being told to "stay" while there was a swimming pool in front of him, especially when I got in and started swimming. I settled him in the shade with his bed and a bowl of water and then stayed close to the edge at first to see how he would react. Although he watched me intently (probably hoping to hear the "release" command) he stayed right where I had left him. Once he seemed to figure out that he was not going swimming, he turned his back and took a nap.

I felt kind of guilty engaging in his favorite activity right in front of him but because I was coming straight from work there wasn't really another option. I did make sure to take him swimming a few days later (while I sat roasting in the sun) so I guess it all evens out!