Shocking Behavior

The weather in Texas recently has been up and down with a swing of 50 degrees in 24 hours! It's hard to keep up with what to wear and what to expect each time you go outside! I'm not a weather expert but something in the air seems to be contributing to a build up of static electricity because I have been shocked numerous times a day over the past week.

At first I noticed it when I pushed the automatic door button on the bathroom door at work. Every time I touched the metal button I would get a small shock (I have also noticed with some amusement that I have been classically conditioned to now flinch each time I touch the button!). I also noticed it when I opened my car door and, sadly, when I reached out to pet Morey.

The other day I was at home and as I reached out to pet Morey he came toward me with his eyes squeezed shut and I realized he was expecting to be shocked! It made me sad to realize he was associating my touch with a shock and yet he was willing to risk it to interact with me! I am now being much more cautious about touching something to discharge the static electricity before touching Morey so he doesn't learn to have a total aversion to me!

Blustery Day

The other day the wind was blowing so hard Morey's ears were literally flapping in the breeze! I kept trying to catch them both in mid-air at the same time and ended up with some funny pics of Morey sunning himself on a beautiful breezy January day in Texas!

Bed Battles

Big dog in small bed

Camilla came over for another visit and she brought her own dog bed with her. Morey is used to all the dog items (beds, bones, toys, bowls, etc.) being for him so I don't think he understood that this bed was for Camilla.

I put her bed on the floor in my room and the next thing I knew Morey was in her bed and Camilla was laying on my bed! Big dog in small bed, small dog on big bed!

Small dog on big bed

Morey didn't look too comfortable so I told him to jump up on my bed with Camilla. We were all cozy with 2 dogs and me in my bed!

Morey in Camilla's small bed

On the day Camilla was going home I moved her bed out to the living room so I wouldn't forget to pack it. A minute later I looked over and Morey was once again cramming himself into her bed! Meanwhile, Camilla was lounging on his dog bed with more than enough room!

I'm not sure if trading beds was an agreement between the dogs or if Morey was trying to claim her bed as his own, leaving Camilla to take the empty (and much larger) bed.

Camilla in Morey's large bed

               I finally convinced Morey to move to the couch where he had plenty of room to stretch out!

Unexpected Gifts

When you are as cute and well-behaved as Morey people can't seem to help offering compliments and sometimes even unexpected gifts!

A few weeks ago Morey and I went to a friend's birthday party at Dave and Buster's (basically the adult version of Chuck E Cheese with food, games and prizes). As we were eating lunch a server came over to compliment Morey on how handsome and well-behaved he is. He told me he had a yellow lab at home and then asked Morey's name. The server responded with "Mine's Murphy" and it took me a minute to realize he was referring to his dog's name and not his!

 Later when we were in the game area the same server came over with a stuffed animal fish and asked if Morey would like it. I said I am sure he would and told him to toss it on the floor. I released Morey who pounced on it and then carried it around the rest of the afternoon. He got a prize and didn't even have to play any games!

The next week I was at lunch with another friend and one of the staff came over with some small pieces of beef jerky in a to go cup and asked if Morey could have some. I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I thanked him and took the cup. After assessing the jerky to make sure it wasn't too spicy I broke off some small chunks and gave them to Morey to enjoy.

A new toy and tasty treats, not too bad for a week's work!

Christmas Presents

Morey got a lot of Christmas presents from his family and friends! Some of his presents were just for him while others were for sharing. Yuma came over to celebrate with us so there was an extra guest for Christmas!

Morey got some tasty and adorable dog treat to share with his friends. He also got a dog treat shaped like a stocking with his name written on it. Pretty fancy! Thank you Julie! :)

Morey's personalized dog treat!

Buddy, Morey and Yuma enjoying their special treats

Side view of Morey modeling his life jacket

Morey has not been swimming since his seizure, in part because swimming and seizures can be a lethal combination. While I hope he won't ever have another seizure it's not a risk I want to take. Grandma is obviously very concerned with Morey's safety so she got him a life jacket for Christmas.

Since Morey is used to wearing a vest as his daily uniform he didn't seem to mind the life jacket at all. It's a bit more bulky than his usual service dog vest and the bright orange will help him be easily seen in and out of the water.

It will be interesting to see what he thinks of the life jacket when he gets in the water. He might like it since he won't have to work as hard in the water. We'll have to look for a swimming opportunity when we get back to Austin!

Front view of Morey's life jacket

One of Morey's favorite present was a blue dog squeaky toy from his Mama Cleo (actually Cleo's human gave the toy to our family but my mom thought it would be special for Morey to have a toy from his mama.). Morey has spent a lot of time playing with and having fun with his special toy!

Morey with his new blue dog toy

                                 Morey hopes everyone had as much fun on Christmas as he did!

December 29th: 6 Year Anniversary

Six years ago I brought Morey home to be my service dog. I went back and read through some of my first blog posts- remembering when Morey and I were still getting to know each other and some of our early adventures. While I started this blog as a way to share our adventures with my family and friends it has become a special way to document and remember my life with Morey.

December 29th is also Jessie's birthday (my first service dog). She would have been 12 this year. She's been gone for two years but I still miss her.

A relationship with a service dog is unique. The love you have for your dog is incredible but so is the hurt and loss when your time together is over. There is a touch of sadness as I realize that I won't have another six years to work with Morey but that just makes each day with him even more precious!