Baseball!

My friend Heather (who also works at UT with me) and I have tried to make an effort to go to more UT sports games this season. We work with a number of student athletes with disabilities so it's fun to go watch them compete. We got off to a good start with football in September and then had a bit of a lull but we decided to get back on track by going to a UT baseball game.

View of the UT Baseball Field

As someone who played softball growing up the start of spring is always associated with baseball and softball.The cool evenings make me want to go outside and throw the ball around. Although we had planned to go that night we hadn't bought tickets until that day (figuring a 6pm Wednesday game wouldn't sell out). You can't buy accessible seats online so we just decided to buy regular seats and make it work. That's always a risk but this time it worked out fine since the stadium had plenty of empty accessible seats.

Morey at the ball field

 Looking at this picture of Morey on the right you might think he looks happy but he was actually really stressed. Ever since his seizure certain situations seem to trigger him into becoming unusually stressed and obviously that's something I want to avoid! I know keep a few anxiety pills on hand, along with jerky strips, so I am prepared. Watching him become anxious I popped him a pill- knowing this would be a better option at the moment rather than trying to leave.

Morey laying under the stadium seat

Happy Morey

 Once the pills take effect Morey becomes super happy (and a little clumsy). It's definitely preferable than having him be super stressed but it does make me feel a little bad. Most dogs who have anxiety/fear would not become service dogs because it's not fair or safe to force them into situations that stress them out. With Morey it's a little different because this stress is acquired. I have talked with my vet and feel like because it's happening so infrequently this option is working for now. If it got to the point where it was happening on a daily basis I would obviously have to consider my options. I want Morey to be my service dog as long as possible but it is more of a priority to keep him happy and healthy!

I wanted to see if we could end up on the Kiss Cam but since Morey was laying on the ground we were never on the screen. His favorite part was taking part in the 7th inning stretch!

Spring has Sprung!

Texas Bluebonnets

In Texas spring comes early! (Technically the official start of spring is the same around the U.S. but the spring weather arrives in Texas earlier). The warm weather and budding plants makes me want to spend as much time outside as possible. It's impossible to capture the beauty of these days- warm sun, gentle breeze, vibrant colors- in a photo but I like to try to capture the memory of those feelings.

So for those who don't get spring weather until a little later, enjoy some of ours!

Morey sunning himself on the rocks

Morey "smiling"

Handsome Morey chilling in the grass

Roses growing in the yard

Morey on the deck

 It's nice to have more light in the evening- although I find myself heading to bed much later because I am outside so long and don't end up eating dinner until 8pm. Spring might be my favorite time of year as everything comes alive again!

Morey soaking up the Sun

St. Patrick's Day

I heard on the radio that the average person spends $40 on their St. Patrick's Day celebration. I'm guessing a lot of that has to be alcohol since I am not sure what other expenses are usually associated with St. Patrick's Day. This year I went all out and spent $3 dollars on a shamrock headband and tiny green sequined top hat. I consider it money well spent to complement Morey's green sequined bowtie!

 As usual, Morey was tolerant of his accessorizing and associated photo shoot. I think the green treats made it a bit more tolerable for him!

For those wondering, the reason Morey is sitting in the chair is because that's the only way I can take a picture of both of us. When he sits in the chair it puts us both at the same height.

 Apparently Morey wasn't trained how to properly sit in a chair!

Morey heard that if you don't wear green you might get pinched. Even though he has green dog bones on his collar he left the bowtie on most of the day just to be safe!

Making an Impact

I park in the same place at work everyday next to a grassy area where we usually spend time at the beginning and end of each day playing ball. The other day I was taking Morey out during lunch and an older gentleman came up to me and told me that he worked in the office building across from where I park. He said he can look out the window of his office and see us playing and that it makes him smile and gives him something to look forward to everyday. He said he wanted me to know how much that means to him and what a good dog Morey is. I thanked him for sharing that with me (only a little creeped out that now I know I am being watched as I go to/from my car each day!).

I know I have said this before but I am so humbled by Morey's ability to put a smile on people's faces and make a positive difference in their day- even from afar. I wish I could do the same simply by being my normal self! Morey is my service dog but he has touched so many lives!

Left Behind

I had the opportunity to compete in an international rugby tournament in Vancouver, Canada. I had planned to take Morey but after seeing how tired he was after his agility trial I decided to leave him home with my roommate. The last time I left Morey for more than a few days he did not do very well (started alert barking, wouldn't eat, etc.) so I was a little concerned about how he would do. Sometimes I wish they could explain why it really was better for him to stay instead of come with me!

It turns out leaving Morey at home was an excellent decision. It was cold and rainy pretty much the whole time we were in Vancouver and we saw a lot of very dirty and wet dogs! Managing a wet and dirty dog in public places and hotels would have been difficult and not enjoyable for either one of us!

The competition venue was the Richmond Olympic Oval, one of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics/Paralympics. I had never been to an Olympic venue before and it was fun to see all of the memorabilia they had on display. One of the downsides of the venue was the ice skating rinks inside that made it very cold!

It would have been tough to have Morey there because two teams had the same equipment area in a room separate from the gym. It's a public place and I wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving Morey unattended and out of sight but there wasn't any room on the playing court for him either.

I got home from my trip at about 1am. Normally when I come home Morey greets me at the door enthusiastically but this time he just started at me as I came in the door with very little response. I took him back to bed and he wagged his tail very slowly. I think his body had woken up but his mind hadn't quite processed my return yet!

Later I found out that my roommate had been concerned about Morey so he put some of his anxiety meds in his water. Morey has a huge water bowl and it takes him a few days to drink it so I doubt the pills had any effect on Morey but they seemed to do the trick for my roommate's peace of mind! :)

Sharing Office Space

Occasionally I meet with students at work who have their own service/guide dog. Rather than trying to manage two dogs in my smallish office I usually relocate Morey to somewhere else during our meeting (I have a number of co-workers to fight over the privilege of hosting Morey in their offices!).

The other day I had a potential blind student and his parents and guide dog Duffy who were visiting from Canada. I moved Morey into a co-worker's office who had gone home for the day and told him to "stay" before shutting the door and inviting the student and his family back to my office. I informed the family that I had a service dog so they knew why Duffy immediately started sniffing the floor when he laid down in my office.

They had the usual questions about academic accommodations, getting around Austin, etc. The student also wanted to know about surviving the heat with Duffy. Where he lives they get tons of snow but not as many hot days. I explained about being careful about the pavement getting too hot for their paws and the options of putting boots on them (which Morey hated).

At the end of the meeting the mom gave me a hug. Sending your child to another country to study is a big step and there are even more considerations when your child has a disability. I was glad I could help them feel more confident about the supports and access they have available at UT!

After they left I brought Morey back to my office and he immediately began sniffing the spot where Duffy had been laying. He kept looking up at me like "why did you let another dog in here"? I assured him our relationship had been strictly professional and that if the student chooses to come to UT he might get to meet Duffy himself!

High in Trial

At the NADAC agility trial different people can sponsor awards called "high in trial". Anyone with the most Qs in that category will win that award and prize. There are various different categories including tailless dog, rescue dog, etc. Morey and I entered the Novice Handler and Intro Dog and we won both!

In addition to ribbons we also got prizes. Morey was most excited about two new toys and liver treats while the human prize was a book and gift certificate to an agility store.

It's not every dog who keeps winning even after the competition is over!

NADAC Trial

Morey and I love competing in agility. We go to class every week but we are more about having fun rather than competing. Our club hosts a North American Dog Agility Coucil (NADAC) trial every spring and Morey and I have competed the past 2 years. This year we entered 10 events which was rather ambitious but hey, we like a challenge!

Morey's happy agility face

We entered all Into events which is the beginner class. These courses usually involve 7-9 obstacles and aren't too tricky. Each course must be completed in the correct order in a specified amount of time. Dogs are judged by speed and accuracy. If a dog completes a course with no mistakes (taking an obstacle out of order, missing an obstacle, etc.) and within the time limit it is called a Qualifying Run or Q. Dogs are judged by speed against dogs in their same height class (different size dogs jump at different heights).

Morey has so  much fun with agility. He gets his "happy face" on when I pull out the treats and we get ready to run!

Agility Venue

The trial was held in the same venue as last year, an indoor horse barn with a dirt floor. Last year it was really hard for me (and others) to get around on the soft dirt so this year the organizers asked if the facility could pack down the dirt. I still needed my FreeWheel but it was so much easier to get around. I suppose there isn't a lot they can do about the strong scent of horse!

Morey holding his ribbons from First and Q in Intro Weavers!

Morey and I ready to go!

 In Morey's first event of the trial he won 1st and Q in Weavers. Morey still isn't super skilled on the weave poles so I was very surprised we got through the whole course on time and without a mistake!

 There was a large crating area where people "camp out" between their runs. Some people who trial a lot have super fancy set ups with rugs, crates, chairs and various amenities to make a long day at the venue more comfortable for the humans and canines! Morey and I kept it simple with his collapsible crate, a bag full of supplies and a rug. 

Morey in his collapsible crate

 

Morey chilling on his rug, looking distinguished with his paws crossed

 I have to put Morey in the crate when I can't directly supervise him but most of the time he preferred to lay on his rug and watch the activity going on around us. When I do put him in his crate he likes to keep an eye on me as much as he can!

Morey peeking out the window of his crate

Morey power napping in his crate

Morey modeling his Title Ribbons

 In order to earn a Title in a specific event you have to earn 3 Qs (or 30 points). Morey's runs this weekend earned him his first two titles in Intro Regular and Tunnelers! More ribbons to add to his collection!

All in all Morey earned Qs in 9 out of his 10 events! We missed a Q in Jumpers because we took a bit too long but we still won first place based on speed. 

If you want to see video of our runs they are posted on Morey's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rHjKOJttf1RzWWRmEIOmg . I think the quality is better than trying to embed them in this blog.

It's fun for Morey and I to learn to work together in new ways. We've improved a lot in agility over the past year and it was fun to see our work pay off! Now it's time to start training for next year!