Morey's Vacation

While I was in Europe for two weeks, Morey was spending time at Grandma's. He had plenty of friends to keep him company during his visit, including Buddy the Shih Tzu.

More pictures to come soon of Morey and his Indiana friends!

Medicated Morey

I picked up Morey's anxiety meds at the pharmacy and was amused to see the usual warnings about drinking alcohol, operating heavy machinery and becoming pregnant. Luckily none of those are part of Morey's regular routine so I don't think it will be a problem for him to avoid those activities!

Morey on Meds!

I wanted to give Morey a dose before we actually needed it so I could gauge its effects. I needed it to relax him enough to allow him to be calm throughout our trip but yet still have him alert enough to function. I gave him a dose and back we went to the airport to try it out. One of the Southwest employees saw us walking around and asked "Weren't you here yesterday?" I explained the situation and he asked if I wanted a pass to go through security. He explained that he had worked with a service dog in the past and understood how important it is for them to be able to do their job. I was so grateful for his understanding and very relieved to be able to take Morey through the whole security process. I kept the beef jerky flowing freely and much to my relief Morey seemed quite alert and happy as we walked through the airport. Several people even commented on how how happy he looked! We stayed until I was running low on beef jerky and on our way out we stopped back by the Southwest counter to thank the staff member again. I told him we were both feeling much better about our upcoming trip thanks to this field trip!

On the day of our flight I was feeling like I might need to take one of Morey's pills to reduce my own anxiety! I was traveling for rugby so I had all my gear with me in addition to all my luggage. My flight was going to Indiana where I was going to drop off Morey with my mom before heading to Europe the next day. Thankfully our flight was very uneventful but I don't think I have ever been so relieved to have a plane arrive at our destination!

Airport Trauma

I had another flight coming up and after Morey's seizure at the airport I was concerned about how he might react next time we went to the airport. Since we only live 20 minutes away from the airport I decided to take a field trip and see how Morey responded when we didn't have the pressure of actually getting on a flight. I had tried to see if I could get special permission to go through the security line since that was where Morey had his seizure but the airport staff member I contacted said they were still working on a process to allow service dogs in training access to the airport and that it wouldn't be ready for a few months. I figured we could at least walk through the unsecured areas so armed with some tasty treats and tennis balls we went into the airport, trying to be optimistic.

I was watching Morey like a hawk and at first nothing seemed off. We walked over to the security line and that was when Morey began panting and shaking excessively. He was still accepting beef jerky but he was in obvious distress. We quickly retreated back to a place where Morey seemed to calm down a bit but we were both shaken by the experience. I had been hoping that Morey might not even remember his seizure and so wouldn't have any negative associations with the airport but that hope died when I saw how he reacted. It broke my heart to see Morey so distressed and since flying is a regular part of my life it also made me fear for his future as my service dog.

Austin has three security lines and after "striking out" at the first one I wanted to test out the other ones to see if Morey's reaction would be the same. I waited until Morey had calmed back down and then we cautiously approached the next security line. To my surprise, he remained calm as we walked through the line as far as we could. Seeing how that went, we proceeded to the last line which was the one where he had actually had the seizure. I was anticipating more of a reaction to that line but again he didn't seem to respond in a negative way.

Given Morey's extreme reaction to the one security line I knew that our next flight was going to be a bit trickier than I had hoped. Last time I ended up cancelling my trip after Morey had his seizure but this time I was going to Europe and cancelling wasn't an option. Neither was letting Morey get so stressed that he had another seizure. Over time I knew we might be able to make some progress with exposure to the airport but that would take time I didn't have.

I called my vet and explained the situation, asking if she could prescribe some anxiety medication for Morey. She agreed that it might be a good option and so I got some doggie Valium for Morey. Medicating Morey wasn't my first choice but under the circumstances it seemed like the best option.

Sleep Over

Morey's friend Camilla came to stay for another week since her human was out of town again. Camilla seemed excited to be back but as you can tell by this picture, Morey was a little less enthusiastic!







This time Morey and Camilla were better about sharing with each other. They spent a good deal of time sharing Morey's big dog bed and I made sure there were always enough toys to go around!








However, there were some times when Camilla decided to take over and collect all the toys and bowls to keep on the bed. Morey is such a gentleman he just laid nearby, allowing her to have the whole bed for herself and her stash of hoarded items.

It's kind of fun to have another dog around- except when they both want to sleep on the bed with you! Although we were sometimes crowded at night, you can't beat waking up to these happy doggie faces in the morning!

Happy Halloween!

On Halloween Morey and I had to report for Jury Duty. To make a long story short, I was excused immediately after arriving because (as I found out later) the courtroom wasn't accessible. This is the busiest time of year for us at work so I was glad to be able to go back to work but I was annoyed that I was basically being denied the opportunity to participate in my civic duty just because I used a wheelchair. I guess that is a battle I will fight another time!

The good news was that while Morey couldn't wear his costume at Jury Duty he could definitely wear it at work! As you might imagine, he got lots of compliments by everyone who saw him!

 One of my co-workers also dressed up for Halloween. We joked that Vanessa the witch would make the students cry and then Morey would be the one to make them smile!

Morey found out that his hat could double as an eye mask and hide him the camera flashes from all his paparazzi! He didn't realize that it makes him even more adorable when he plays hard to get!

We went to visit one of Morey's biggest fans in her office. She has a nice comfy couch and asked if Morey could jump up on it to get a better background for the photo! Morey didn't mind this one bit and he make himself quite comfortable!

I love seeing how Morey puts smiles on people's faces. He loves the attention he gets when he wears costumes so it seems to balance out for him! Despite the lack of costume planning, Morey's Halloween seemed to be a success!

Costume Dilemma

This year I had big plans for preparing Morey's Halloween costume but his seizure threw these plans off track. I also found out I had to report for Jury Duty on Halloween so he wouldn't be able to wear his costume during the day like he usually did so I lost some of my motivation for planning his costume. Nevertheless, I felt like Morey's costumes had a reputation to maintain so I knew I had to do something when Halloween rolled around.

I was going to help with my church's No Fear Celebration the Saturday before Halloween so that was my deadline for a costume. I ended up going to Petsmart on the way to the event to see what his costume might be. I suppose there is something to be said for spontaneity! Unfortunately there were no costumes large enough for Morey. I guess size discrimination is a thing for dogs too!

Luckily there was a Party City next door so we went in with an open mind for finding something that could easily be transformed into a costume for Morey. It didn't take long to find the perfect thing!

A red bowler had with a rainbow band and fake flower seemed like it was made for Morey! A giant multi-colored polka dot bowtie competed his clown costume. He wasn't thrilled about it so he decided to be a sad clown!

 I got tiger ears and a tiger tail for myself. No pictures to share but you can see the shadow of my "ears" in this picture with Morey! I got to help with sand art at the No Fear Celebration. Unfortunately a car next to us was doing an activity involving popping balloons. Morey obviously did not appreciate this sound and eventually crawled under the table we were using in an attempt to escape. Sorry Morey!

As you might imagine, Morey was quite popular with the kids!They all wanted to pet and admire his costume

 Wouldn't you want to come to this event if you got greeted by a clown like this??