Morey the Model

A few weeks ago I got a "freebie" at work- a reusable lunch bag from the Wellness Network (a campus-wide initiative to engage students, faculty and staff in different aspects of wellness). The bag looked like the perfect size for Morey to carry and a quick test proved that theory to be correct (he looks pretty cute carrying it as an added bonus). I sent a picture of him holding it to the Director of the Wellness Network and she, of course, loved it and asked permission to share it on the Wellness Network's Facebook page.

     

 I figured it would be good for Morey to do some "pro bono" work to start his modeling career and it looks like he is off to a good start!

Road Trippin' to Houston

There are times when I wish Morey could talk to me. I want to do what is best for him but sometimes it's hard to figure out what that is. For example, last weekend I had a rugby tournament in Houston. My roommate was working all weekend so my options were to leave Morey home by himself for 8 hours 3 days in a row (which he isn't used to) or bring him with me and subject him to the stressors of travel and rugby. I finally decided to bring him with me, for better or worse.

My Mazda doesn't have as much space as my old Astro did. Usually Morey sits on the back bench seat but when I have my rugby gear loaded up he has to move to the floor. He still has plenty of space and I put down a blanket for him but he seems to act like it is the worst thing ever to have to lay on the floor. It's about a 3 hour drive to Houston and I had to look at this face every time I checked on him!

What have I done to deserve this?
 

We were competing at a Natatorium and Recreation Center that was really nice. It had some big open stretches of grass along the building and between games I let Morey run, sniff and play ball there before putting back in his "house". I'm sure he would have liked to try out the Natatorium but I decided to save the swimming for another time!

Morey knows the rugby routine and he willingly goes in his den where he stays during our games. When I let him out he likes to go around and visit with each of the team members. He often attracts attention from the other teams and support staff and usually makes a few new friends at each event.

 

When I make hotel reservations I never tell them I will be bringing a service dog with me. I don't feel there is any reason to tell them and have never had a problem when I show up with well-behaved Morey. However, when I checked in at this hotel I did have a "first" when I was told that they had to change my room to one on the first floor. The woman told me they always put people with dogs on the first floor because they want to avoid people who are afraid of dogs having to be in the elevator with a dog. I didn't really care- it's actually easier not to have to bother with the elevator- but it seems like strange logic to me. If someone who is afraid of dogs sees a dog in an elevator couldn't they just wait for the next one or take the stairs? And just because my room is on the first floor doesn't mean that I wouldn't take Morey on the elevator to other floors. That often happens at tournaments when we have team meetings in our coach's room that might be on a different floor. However, I wasn't on the mood to debate the sensibility of that policy and so I just accepted my room key and went on my way.

 

 

One of Morey's favorite things about traveling seems to be the hotel beds. Because he doesn't sleep much during the day (even when he is in his "house" I don't think he gets much rest), he usually crashes as soon as we get back to the hotel. I have to be careful about where he settles down because if he goes to sleep before I do it is sometimes hard to get him to move and make room for me!

 

 

Creative in the Cold

This has been a hard winter in Texas. I realize those of you who live farther north will probably be laughing at that, but sometimes "winter weather" is a matter of perspective. In 2014 we've had 3 days that UT has closed for "inclement weather" and have had 4 delayed starts. Most of this has been because of ice or predicted ice. Because no one here is used to driving in winter weather the whole city pretty much shuts down. It's been kind of nice to have those unexpected days/hours off!

Morey doesn't mind the cold at all. He grew up in Indiana winters and enjoys the cold and snow. I also grew up in Indiana but somehow the cold and snow just isn't as enjoyable for me anymore (hence the move to Texas!). That means when it gets cold Morey gets frisky and energetic and I just want to hibernate. It has been challenging to figure out how to balance both of our needs in cold weather but we've come up with some creative options.

One is to use what we have available. I might not want to sit outside for 20 minutes throwing the ball for Morey to chase but I have no problem doing that inside. At my internship there is a long hall way and we take advantage of that to play some inside ball. Luckily everyone in the office likes Morey and doesn't mind if he pops into their office on his way back down the hall!

 

We also play more hide and seek/"find" in inclement weather. I will hide Morey's toy or ball somewhere inside and he goes and finds it. He's not very efficient in his search skills so it sometimes takes him a while. He is very persistent and uses a lot of energy running around and looking for his toy.

 

Another way to give Morey some stimulation is through interactive toys. I have several different options including a Kong Wobbler and a Buster Cube and getting a meal or treats out of those often wear him out.

 

Hopefully we'll have a few months of nice weather to enjoy being outside before we have to resort to these options again because it's too hot !

Passing Through El Paso

As I was going through my pictures, I realized I forgot to share about our trip home from Phoenix in February. Typically we have a direct flight from Phoenix to Austin but this time we had a connection in El Paso. I had never been out to West Texas before and enjoyed having the chance to see it (even if my view was mostly from the airplane).

Morey is glad he doesn't have to be "crated for shipment" when he travels!

The problem with layovers is that it typically adds a few hours to the trip. We left Phoenix around 3 and weren't scheduled to land in Austin until 10pm. I know Morey could make it that long without going out, but he also had dinner during that time and I felt bad not at least giving him the opportunity to go out.

Since pretty much all of the relief areas at airports are outside the secured area, it means you have to go back through security on the way back in. When I am traveling with someone else I can leave all my carry on items in the airport with my traveling companion so I don't have to bother getting it rechecked again. Since I was traveling with the rest of the rugby team I left my backpack with them while I took Morey out.

On my way out of the airport I asked an airport staff person where the animal relief area was. He gave me directions that were rather difficult to understand so I headed off and hoped there would be signs pointing me in the right direction. No such luck. I exited the airport and all I saw were roads and parking lots. It was dark and I didn't have a ton of time so I didn't want to spend too much time wandering around. I saw a raised bed filled with rocks and cacti and decided if Morey really had to go he would have to make do with that spot. I told Morey to "jump" ,which confused him at first, and then "hurry". Although he usually doesn't like to "hurry" on rocks, that night he didn't have a problem with it. He also ended up pooping on the rocks and because of the height and arrangement of the bed I couldn't clean it up. Guess that area might not be as decorative any more!

On my way back into the airport I saw a table with a Comment and Suggestion box. I took a moment to fill out a card suggesting they have better signage pointing people to the service animal relief area. If we fly through there again I'll have to see if they took action on my suggestion!

Gym Dog

The Phoenix tournament was held at a great new facility built specifically for people with disabilities. The entire place is accessible and it's a tournament I look forward to every year. The "staging area" for the teams to store equipment and our wheelchairs while we are competing is down in the basement. Often these staging areas are in the same area as the gym so you can keep an eye on your things. This is especially important to me when I bring Morey as I don't like to leave him unattended in a public place. Since the basement isn't really used by the public I felt comfortable leaving him downstairs in his collapsible crate.

Morey hadn't been in the crate for more than a year. Rugby tournaments are the only place I have ever used it and since Morey has been staying home while I travel there wasn't any need to use it. As I was setting it up I hoped that he hadn't forgotten the strange way that it wobbles and adjusts to his movement. There was no need to worry as Morey walked right in and made himself comfortable.

I put Morey in the crate more to keep other people from bothering him than to keep him contained. Because of that I didn't bother zipping the door all the way and when I came back down to the basement after our games, this is what I found.

 

Apparently I need an extension on the crate so all of Morey can fit in it!

 

Fun in Phoenix

Ever since I moved in with my roommate, I haven't traveled with Morey as much when I go to rugby tournaments. I don't really need his assistance when I'm traveling and it's easier for both of us when he stays home. Travel is often filled with long days, venues that aren't always dog friendly and various modes of transportation and I sometimes have to put Morey in less than ideal situations. When I bring Morey along I also have to make sure to take care of his needs which is just an extra thing to think about during a busy weekend.

Last week we had a rugby tournament in Phoenix. My roommate was also going to be out of town that weekend so Morey came along with me. I brought Morey to the Phoenix tournament two years ago and we had some problems because of the lack of grass for him to "hurry" so I was a little concerned about his comfort on this trip.

Thankfully the hotel had a very nice grassy area which Morey and I ended up visiting a lot. It was behind the hotel where there wasn't much traffic so I felt comfortable letting Morey play ball of leash. Since we spent long days at the gym I made sure Morey got a good play session in the morning and evening.

 

Morey appreciated the other dog friendly amenities that included dog bowls filled with food and water at the entrance to the hotel. I didn't want him eating the dog bones in the bowls but did let him have a drink of water. Although he sniffed the bones he left them alone when I gave him the cue "leave it".

 

 I always get my own hotel room as the only woman on the team and Morey seemed to appreciate the king bed. However, even though the bed is much bigger than ours at home somehow I still ended up sleeping on the very edge....

 

 

Puppy Bowl!

Morey has taken a liking to watching TV that involves dogs or animals. The other night Marmaduke (featuring real dogs) was on TV and he watched most of it. I turned the volume down and was doing some work on my computer but Morey kept watching.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday but it is also the day of the Puppy Bowl. I thought Morey might enjoy watching it and he definitely did!

 

At first he watched from the couch but he soon got much more involved in the puppy antics

 

Somehow a picture just couldn't capture Morey's interest in the Puppy Bowl so I caught some on video. As you can tell, he wanted to participate and was disappointed when I told him he was too old to be in the Puppy Bowl.

 

 

I think next year Morey will host his own live Puppy Bowl!