Trick or Treat

I always enjoy having trick or treaters at our house because it is really the first time I have lived in a neighborhood where more than 5 kids come by. It's fun to see their costumes and how they take the candy- whether they carefully pick one piece or reach in and grab a handful.

Last year Morey came to the door with me the first few times and then quickly lost interest when no one came in or gave him attention. This year I decked him out with his hat and bandana and he came with me to answer the door. It was fun to see his reaction to the costumes. One kid had a giant horse head on and Morey couldn't figure what it was. He stood in the doorway and stretched out sniffing the person and looking at the head, obviously trying to figure out what he was seeing. Other costumes that interested him were a gorilla and werewolf.

Morey was a good sport to put up with what he thought was a Halloween trick but I gave him plenty of treats in return!

Happy Halloween!

Morey has a tradition of impressive Halloween costumes so this year I felt pressure to maintain the standard we set in prior years. I didn't have any good ideas but thankfully Grandma came through and gave Morey a very impressive cowboy hat. Paired with a black vest, bandana and badge, Morey became the rootin'-est, tootin'-est sheriff around!

At work, one of our staff members was very excited about Morey's costume and when I told him earlier in the week what Morey was going to be he began his own search to be "costume buddies" with Morey. Michael found his own bandana, badge and hat and even wore some spurs to complete the look. Everyone in the office was on their best behavior with these two sheriffs on the job!

Yard Work

 It was beautiful weather while my family was visiting and so in addition to all our fun, they graciously agreed to help with some outdoor chores. Morey agreed to supervise just to make sure we all kept on track!

 One of Morey's outside chores is carrying the hose. We have a very heavy duty hose but that makes it really heavy to drag around the yard. It's especially challenging when you need both of your hands to push your chair so that doesn't leave any hands left for the hose. Thankfully Morey is happy to lend a paw (or really a mouth) to help carry the hose wherever I need it.

Our garden was in full production with tomatoes, jalapenos, okra, green peppers and the last of the zucchini. We also had planted some lettuce and cabbage that will be ready in a few months. Despite all these tasty vegetables, Morey just prefers to nibble on the grass!

Family Weekend at UT

UT hosts a Family Weekend in October every year where students can invite their families to come and participate in a variety of events around campus. It just so happened that my mom and sister were visiting that same weekend and although we didn't participate in any of the formal activities we did spend some time on campus showing off some of our favorite places.

 For my graduation gift my family bought an engraved brick for me that is in front of the building where I work at UT. I get to see it every day as I go to work but it was fun to be able to show them "our brick" in person. What a special way to remember my time at UT as both a student and a staff member!













I had recently purchased a frame for my diploma but hadn't put it up in my office yet. Since hanging pictures is not my best skill I asked my mom and sister to help. Together they did a great job of centering and hanging my diplomas so now my office accurately reflects all my degrees and accomplishments!

 Morey was a little confused about why we were at work. He went under my desk to his usual spot but he could tell that it was not a typical work day. He thinks work would be a lot more fun if Grandma and his aunt came everyday!

I spend a lot of time on campus but most of my time is spent in very functional ways- going to meetings, checking out accessibility problems, etc. It was fun to spend some time showing off campus to my family and taking some pictures of the places and scenes I see every day.












I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had at The University of Texas at Austin! Hook 'em!

Morey's 7th Birthday

It's hard to believe but this year Morey turned seven! I still remember the day he was born; I was playing in a rugby tournament in Indianapolis and kept checking my phone between games to see if his litter was born yet. Of course, I had no idea that one of the puppies from this litter would eventually be mine. I was just excited because Cleo, his mom was a puppy we had raised and Jammer was a dog I had worked with since he was a pup. Morey will always be extra special to me because of the connection I have with his parents.

My mom and sister were visiting for Morey's birthday so we made sure he had a great day. He got to play some ball out in the backyard, open his presents and then end the day with a walk in the park and some birthday cake, complete with 7 cheese candles. Morey rarely gets canned food or people food so he could barely wait for us to finish singing Happy Birthday before he tasted his cake!

 Because Morey's birthday is close to Halloween he had a Halloween-themed party. He enjoyed his new squeaky bat toy but was a little scared of the ghost toy because the ghost pops out of the tower when you squeeze/bit it. Morey would stand at a distance and bark at it before rushing forward and grabbing it. He is a brave boy to try to conquer his fear of scary squeaky toys!!

Instead of a birthday hat Morey got a cowboy hat which became the inspiration for his Halloween costume!

 One of Morey's most unusual presents was a Himalayan Yak Milk bone. The only ingredients are yak milk and salt but Morey thought it was pretty tasty!


I still think of Morey as my "new" service dog so it is hard to believe he is seven. I hope Morey has many more birthdays that we get to spend together!

 Last year right around Morey's birthday we planted a new tree in our backyard. We took pictures with Morey when we first planted the tree so this year we decided to make it a tradition and take a birthday picture with Morey and "his" tree.

Fall Break

Morey and I don't get an official fall break but since my mom and sisters came to visit it sure seemed like one! We had beautiful weather and did lots of outdoor activities that of course were centered around Morey.
I live right down the street from an elementary school which has a large fenced in play area. On nice days I will push with Morey down to the 7-11 and get a frozen slushy and then sit and drink it while he plays ball at the school. My mom and sister like to join us for this adventure and we all had a good time enjoying the day.

 Another favorite activity to do together is taking Morey swimming. There was a quite a crowd on the day we went so there were lots of other dogs to play with. One of them kept taking Morey's ball so he just followed the dog around until he dropped it so Morey could rush in and grab it again. Morey never wants to stop swimming so we had to give him a few breaks to catch his breath.

There was a paralyzed Corgi who went swimming- its owners put on a life jacket and it paddled around with its front feet. On land it has a set of back wheels to get around but in the water it was bobbing and floating around. It was nice to see humans and dogs with disabilities enjoying the day!

Unfortunately for Morey, after swimming comes a bath. He is only allowed in the bathroom when he gets a bath so when I call him he knows what comes next. He will very slow walk into the bathroom and climb into the tub. I am thankful he is so cooperative because there is no way I could bathe him myself if he was resisting.

 The only part of the bath Morey likes is being rubbed with a towel afterward. It must feel like a massage to him! I am very thankful he knows the cue "wiggle", which means to shake his whole body, so he can shake off some of the water while he is still in the tub. Once I let him out of the bathroom he gets the zoomies and runs around the house, shaking and rubbing himself on the carpet. I guess he doesn't like smelling like an apricot! :)

Blessing of the Animals

Every year my church hosts a blessing of the animals but the last few years I had class that night so I wasn't able to attend. This year I made sure to mark my calendar so Morey could go be blessed!

At church Morey is usually working so everyone is used to seeing him on his best behavior. At this event I decided to let him go vest free so he could participate as a regular dog instead of a service dog. He enjoyed meeting the other dogs and people enjoyed being able to interact with him without his usual working rules. Several people commented on how "normal" Morey was- sniffing people, barking at some of the dogs and eating treats when they were offered. People sometimes don't realize that service dogs are still dogs and that they like to engage in regular dog behavior when they aren't working.


I made sure I brought some tasty treats to maintain Morey's attention and focus on me. When he sees other dogs he often thinks he is going to get to play with them and although it was ok for him to sniff and greet the other dogs it wasn't an event where he could run and play.

I am thankful to have a church that recognizes the special role that animals play in our lives. Morey is truly a gift from God and I am thankful for each and every day we get to spend together.!