I have gotten out of the habit of taking Morey swimming so one Sunday after church I decided to stop by the off leash swim area. There were lots of dogs there that day and Morey eagerly plunged into the water with the labs, Rottweilers, goldens and terriers. When he has his ball he almost ignores the other dogs (unless they take his ball and then he just follows them around until they drop it). It was really hot so while Morey was cooling off in the water I was roasting on the shore. I had brought water for myself but Morey was drinking from the river- which isn't clean enough for people to swim in so probably not safe to drink either.
Morey would swim and fetch until he dropped but I was starting to overheat so I called him back to me and we returned to the coolness of the air conditioned car. He then got a bath once we got home and after being outside for only a few minutes afterward he was almost completely dry. I guess there are some advantages to the heat??
The next day Morey's poop was on the soft side and later in the afternoon at work he kept standing by the door of my office and looking up at me. That isn't normal so I asked him if he needed to "hurry". He practically bolted out the door and once I put his vest on him he pretty much ran down the hallway to the elevator. Once we got outside I could see why he had needed to go out so urgently. I immediately called his vet and asked to stop by to pick up some GI food - which is excellent at plugging things up. I told them what had happened and when I mentioned swimming/drinking from the river they said if the food didn't do the trick I should bring him in to be tested for Giardia, a parsasite that causes diarrhea and is often found in contaminated water.
Two cans of food later and things were still on the messy side so I called to make an appointment with the vet. I brought in a stool sample that they sent away for testing. The vet started Morey on two antibiotics and a probiotic and gave me more canned food for him. $300 later, that turned out to be a very expensive swimming trip!
Morey
Morey, My 2nd Service Dog
Sunday, August 30, 2015
All Work and No Play
August is a busy time of year when you work at a University. You are trying to wrap up your summer projects and preparing for students to come back and classes to start. Our office is involved in a lot of trainings for RAs, new faculty, new staff at the Counseling Center and our other campus partners so that keeps us very busy and then once students arrive the amount of calls, emails and appointments is almost overwhelming.
August is also the hottest time of year in Austin so you can't really do many outdoor activities. When you mix that with a lot of work life gets a little out of balance. I am usually very conscious about making sure Morey has a few chances during the day to play, sniff or doing something fun but when it's too hot to be outside it makes it hard. The heat makes both of us feel lethargic so we don't even want to expend a lot of energy.
Last weekend I woke up and went outside and it wasn't hot enough to make me sweat yet (an improvement on previous mornings). Feeling excited, I decided to take Morey to a park that we'd never been to before. The park has a trail system so I picked a spot to start and headed off. The trail is a hike and bike trail so technically you aren't supposed to have your dog off leash but I decided to break that rule and let Morey off leash so he could wander and smell without having to stay next to me. If I saw a bike coming I called him back to me so he wouldn't get in their way. It only took about 20 minutes before we both started to get hot so we turned around and headed back. Even that amount of exercise and sniffing wore Morey out for the rest of the day.
One of my dog training friends recently told me that letting your dog sniff for 5-10 minutes in a new place provides them with enough mental stimulation for them to process for the rest of the day. That made me realize that I don't let Morey use his nose as often as I should. As a service dog he isn't supposed to sniff things while "on the job" but that doesn't mean I can't let him take "sniff breaks" every now and then. He doesn't need an hour to sniff- just a few minutes is beneficial. Especially when it is too hot to do much physical activity I need to be better about providing opportunities for him to use his nose and sniff.
August is also the hottest time of year in Austin so you can't really do many outdoor activities. When you mix that with a lot of work life gets a little out of balance. I am usually very conscious about making sure Morey has a few chances during the day to play, sniff or doing something fun but when it's too hot to be outside it makes it hard. The heat makes both of us feel lethargic so we don't even want to expend a lot of energy.
Last weekend I woke up and went outside and it wasn't hot enough to make me sweat yet (an improvement on previous mornings). Feeling excited, I decided to take Morey to a park that we'd never been to before. The park has a trail system so I picked a spot to start and headed off. The trail is a hike and bike trail so technically you aren't supposed to have your dog off leash but I decided to break that rule and let Morey off leash so he could wander and smell without having to stay next to me. If I saw a bike coming I called him back to me so he wouldn't get in their way. It only took about 20 minutes before we both started to get hot so we turned around and headed back. Even that amount of exercise and sniffing wore Morey out for the rest of the day.
One of my dog training friends recently told me that letting your dog sniff for 5-10 minutes in a new place provides them with enough mental stimulation for them to process for the rest of the day. That made me realize that I don't let Morey use his nose as often as I should. As a service dog he isn't supposed to sniff things while "on the job" but that doesn't mean I can't let him take "sniff breaks" every now and then. He doesn't need an hour to sniff- just a few minutes is beneficial. Especially when it is too hot to do much physical activity I need to be better about providing opportunities for him to use his nose and sniff.
Pay It Forward
Each year, one of my rugby teammates holds a fundraiser called Pay It Forward. The event raises money for the LoneStar Paralysis foundation which focuses on research, recovery and recreation for people with spinal cord injuries. Different restaurants and chefs from around Austin bring in some of their specialty foods to sample, there is live music and a silent auction. I always enjoy it because it's a great opportunity to see folks from the wheelchair/adaptive sports community and to meet new people. I am used to being around lots of people in wheelchairs from all my sport involvement but they are usually mostly guys. At this event I see more women in wheelchairs than I do the rest of the year! It's nice not to stick out for a change.
They had a photo booth this year and Morey and I have kind of made a habit of frequently photo booths. We of course had to dress up in cowboy hats since it was nearly our 5 year anniversary of being in Texas. Morey kept wanting to put his head down but then he would be out of the picture so I had to prop his head up. As you might imagine, we got a lot of compliments on our photos!
Morey does not enjoy the event nearly as much as I do. Since it is directly after work I always have him with me but he would much prefer to stay at home. There are lots of wheels and high heels moving around and no real place for him to get out of the way. The music can get pretty loud for me so I know he is probably not enjoying it. He is also exposed to a lot of food on nose level- on people's laps, on serving tables and on the floor. While sometimes he does lean closer for a sniff, he is a very good boy and never tries to steal a bite.
This year he did have a run in with a pair of very high heels. One of the support staff on our rugby team accidentally stepped on his tail and Morey let out a very loud cry. Normally when he gets stepped on I think he yelps more out of surprise than out of pain but I could tell this time it had really hurt. Our staff member felt horrible but it had been a complete accident. Morey's tail was actually a similar color as the floor and most people aren't looking for tails as they walk by. Morey gladly accepted all the attention he got from the people feeling sorry for him and he was acting his normal self in just a few minutes. For the rest of the evening he did keep his tail tucked quite close to him which is what I wish he had done from the beginning!
I am honored to be able to attend events like this with such a handsome guy by my side!
They had a photo booth this year and Morey and I have kind of made a habit of frequently photo booths. We of course had to dress up in cowboy hats since it was nearly our 5 year anniversary of being in Texas. Morey kept wanting to put his head down but then he would be out of the picture so I had to prop his head up. As you might imagine, we got a lot of compliments on our photos!
Morey does not enjoy the event nearly as much as I do. Since it is directly after work I always have him with me but he would much prefer to stay at home. There are lots of wheels and high heels moving around and no real place for him to get out of the way. The music can get pretty loud for me so I know he is probably not enjoying it. He is also exposed to a lot of food on nose level- on people's laps, on serving tables and on the floor. While sometimes he does lean closer for a sniff, he is a very good boy and never tries to steal a bite.
This year he did have a run in with a pair of very high heels. One of the support staff on our rugby team accidentally stepped on his tail and Morey let out a very loud cry. Normally when he gets stepped on I think he yelps more out of surprise than out of pain but I could tell this time it had really hurt. Our staff member felt horrible but it had been a complete accident. Morey's tail was actually a similar color as the floor and most people aren't looking for tails as they walk by. Morey gladly accepted all the attention he got from the people feeling sorry for him and he was acting his normal self in just a few minutes. For the rest of the evening he did keep his tail tucked quite close to him which is what I wish he had done from the beginning!
I am honored to be able to attend events like this with such a handsome guy by my side!
Back to Reality
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and that was true of our summer vacation in Indiana. We left the 80 degree weather in Indiana to go back to Austin's 100+ degree weather. Summer is not my favorite time of the year to live in Texas!On our first flight we sat next to a man who had had a stroke and had some speech difficulties as a result. He wanted to chat with me about Morey and seemed to enjoy it when Morey laid his head on his leg for part of the flight. Our other seat mate was an Asian man who did not have English as his first language. He also seemed interested in Morey and would smile and point to him whenever Morey moved or changed positions. As we landed and the man got ready to leave he pointed at Morey and said "He is a wonderful creation." I smiled and told him that I thought so too. Even though I think he might have meant creature, not creation, I liked his mix up.
Morey is special and even people who only know him for a short time can tell!
Vacation
Morey seems to enjoy his life as a service dog but he also really enjoys vacation! It is fun to watch him run, swim and play and thoroughly enjoy himself. A lot of his job requires him to do very un-dog like things (not sniffing the ground, ignoring people who want to pet him) or be in places that aren't really enjoyable (laying on hard floors, squeezing in tight spaces). It is nice to be able to give him time to be free and do the things he loves the most. While he still needs to behave himself, he is far less restricted on vacation than he is in normal life and he seems to enjoy it!
Whether it is swimming, playing with other dogs, getting a new toy or just hanging out in the yard with his ball it is fun to see Morey being happy and carefree. 
Morey the Mentor
It is not uncommon for there to extra dogs at my mom's house. Whether they are former foster dogs who are vacationing with us while their human families are on their own vacation, furlough dogs from ICAN, or friends' dogs, Morey always looks forward to meeting new friends and seeing old ones when we come home. This time was no exception and Morey got to meet two new friends as well as visit with some of his other canine friends.
Roscoe is an ICAN dog in training who is currently taking a break from prison to get over some fear issues. He has lots of energy and enthusiasm and loved playing with Morey! Morey enjoys playing with other dogs but he didn't have the stamina that Roscoe did so after a play session Morey would be ready for a nap. Roscoe, not wanting to stop, would try to engage Morey by grabbing on to Morey's body parts (ears, leg, ruff, etc.). Instead of establishing a boundary and letting Roscoe know he didn't want to play Morey would yelp and run to the nearest person for help. We would then have to separate them or distract Roscoe with a toy or bone so Morey could have some rest. I was hoping that after a few days of this Morey would growl at Roscoe to tell him to cut it out but he never did.
Roscoe loved playing tug and he and Morey destroyed several toys with their vigorous tugging. The sounds they make while tugging sound very ferocious but their body language was relaxed and you could tell they were both in the "safe play" zone.
They also both liked retrieving balls but they always wanted the ball that the other dog had. Morey can get quite particular about "his" ball- he isn't possessive he just picks one ball and that is the only one he wants to play with.
Roscoe didn't seem to care so we did a lot of trading when Roscoe would end up with the ball that Morey wanted.
We set up the kiddie pool in the yard so Morey and Roscoe could have some outdoor fun. Morey loves the water and enjoyed soaking himself while holding onto the ball. Roscoe preferred to get in the water to fetch the ball and then splash around with it. Seeing both of them in the pool reminded me how much more maintenance golden retrievers require when it comes to their coats!
Morey and Roscoe did get to enjoy some down time after they were worn out from all their exercising. Neither one of them have issues with personal space and it was cute to see them choosing to lay next to each other or using each other as pillows. Even my mom's shih tzu got in on the cuddling!
L-R: Yuma, Buddy, Roscoe and Morey
L-R: Roscoe, Yuma, Morey
Morey had a great time playing with all his friends but they sure wore him out!
Roscoe is an ICAN dog in training who is currently taking a break from prison to get over some fear issues. He has lots of energy and enthusiasm and loved playing with Morey! Morey enjoys playing with other dogs but he didn't have the stamina that Roscoe did so after a play session Morey would be ready for a nap. Roscoe, not wanting to stop, would try to engage Morey by grabbing on to Morey's body parts (ears, leg, ruff, etc.). Instead of establishing a boundary and letting Roscoe know he didn't want to play Morey would yelp and run to the nearest person for help. We would then have to separate them or distract Roscoe with a toy or bone so Morey could have some rest. I was hoping that after a few days of this Morey would growl at Roscoe to tell him to cut it out but he never did. 
Roscoe loved playing tug and he and Morey destroyed several toys with their vigorous tugging. The sounds they make while tugging sound very ferocious but their body language was relaxed and you could tell they were both in the "safe play" zone.
They also both liked retrieving balls but they always wanted the ball that the other dog had. Morey can get quite particular about "his" ball- he isn't possessive he just picks one ball and that is the only one he wants to play with.
Roscoe didn't seem to care so we did a lot of trading when Roscoe would end up with the ball that Morey wanted.
We set up the kiddie pool in the yard so Morey and Roscoe could have some outdoor fun. Morey loves the water and enjoyed soaking himself while holding onto the ball. Roscoe preferred to get in the water to fetch the ball and then splash around with it. Seeing both of them in the pool reminded me how much more maintenance golden retrievers require when it comes to their coats!
Morey and Roscoe did get to enjoy some down time after they were worn out from all their exercising. Neither one of them have issues with personal space and it was cute to see them choosing to lay next to each other or using each other as pillows. Even my mom's shih tzu got in on the cuddling!
Jamie Young's dog, Yuma, also got to spend time with us while we were home. Yuma is ten but you would never guess that by how she looks or acts. She is very good with the other dogs but wasn't interested in running and rough housing with the boys.
Morey had a great time playing with all his friends but they sure wore him out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)