Fun in the Sun

We were at the dog park for almost two hours and Morey was in constant motion nearly the entire time. First he played ball, then he went swimming, then he joined Eli and some other dogs in a game of chase (with some occasional pauses for sniffing).

When we got home I gave Morey a bath and then had an errand to run. When I came home Morey was asleep on my bed. He stayed there for the next 4 hours! I guess all that exercise and excitement wore him out!

Pup Date

Some of my Austin friends have a Great Dane pup. His name is Eli and he is 10 months old. We have been wanting to introduce Morey and Eli and today we finally did. It was a beautiful day-65 and sunny-and we weren't the only ones heading to the dog park.

Morey had never seen a dog that big (I'm not sure I have either)! At first he was a little hesitant but soon they were running and chasing each other all over. Their play styles did quite match each other; Morey likes to swim and chase tennis balls and Eli was more interested in wandering around and meeting new dog friends, but they seemed to enjoy interacting with each other.

Canine Colleagues

The other day Morey had the chance to meet two other working dogs. The first one was a guide dog. We were out for a walk on campus and we approached a blind student with her guide dog. I always call out to inform the person that I am approaching them with a dog so they can react appropriately. Usually with dog training we focus on being proactive in responding to possible distractions or challenging situations with our dogs, but guide dog partners are too often put in situations where they can only react to their dog's behavior instead of proactively dealing with potential distractions.

We were approaching each other from opposite directions on a sidewalk that had the road on one side and a brick wall on the other and there was really no way to give each other any space. I let the student know I was approaching with my service dog and as we passed each other both dogs paused and tried to sniff each other. Both of us urged our dogs to keep going and they reluctantly parted ways and continued along. Both dogs behaved very professionally, acting like dogs for only a moment before snapping back into work mode.

The second dog we came across was a K-9 police dog. The UT Police Department does have several canine cops as part of their force, although I have never come across one of them before. Morey noticed "Spike" first. He was in a police car that had dark tinted windows and was parked along the street. The officer was in the car and the windows were down slightly. My first indication that a dog was close was when Morey began to sniff the air. Then Spike smelled Morey and started barking, sounding quite ferocious. We quickly continued along our way and as we passed the car Morey's ears went back and he kept great eye contact with me (what he typically does when he is uncertain or scared of something).

Morey's experiences with the guide dog and the K-9 police dog were quite different, but in both situations he acted like a cool and calm professional. He doesn't often come across canine colleagues and but it's good to know he can make a good impression when he does!

Fan Base

No matter where we go, Morey gathers a large fan base. We are a good team; I attract attention on the court and he attracts it off the court. : )
Although he stays in his pup tent during our games, in between games, Morey comes out to socialize. Once one person comes over to pet him then everyone wants to pet him. As you can see from this picture, he can gather quite a crowd!

Pup Tent

Morey brought his "pup tent" to the tournament. We leave our chairs and equipment in a separate room from where we compete and when I put Morey in his tent I don't have to worry about him (it's more a matter of not worrying about other people bothering him rather than him bothering people). I usually don't close the door because it's a bit too small, as you can see by his nose and paws sticking out. He has almost all the comforts of home, including a water bowl and a tennis ball and my teammates were joking that Morey is a pretty spoiled dog to have a recreational travel home!

Couch Surfer

This is where I found Morey after leaving him alone in the hotel room while I took a shower. I guess he has generalized his "bed privileges" to include couches as well. Luckily his fur matched the color of the fabric quite nicely!

On the Road Again

This weekend was our 3rd rugby tournament in 4 weeks. Luckily it was in Dallas which meant we could drive. So, once again we loaded up and hit the road. I had an evening work meeting and we left after that. And when I say loaded up, I mean we really loaded up. Thankfully one of my co-workers helped because I'm not sure I could have done it on my own. I was riding with a teammate and we put 3 rugby chairs (with 12 wheels), two everyday wheelchairs, Jeff, me, and Morey, and all our gear in his minivan. Needless to say, we were pretty cozy for a 3 hour trip that ended up lasting for 4.5 hours after accounting for all the traffic and construction!

When we arrived at the hotel at midnight, Morey was really tired-it was definitely past his bedtime. While I unpacked my roommate invited him up on her bed, which he did and then promptly went to sleep. And he stayed there the whole night! When it comes to our sleep schedules Morey and I don't mess around!