Have Faith, People, Have Faith.......

I thought that after I'd made such a big deal about Tippy's size and speed, or lack there of, it would be only fair to include a picture of The Great Tippy On The Trail! Actually, it's obviously taken at the same time and place as last night's, but he's using the "shnozz" I spoke of. That's something to see! He may take his time following a command in order to do it just right, but I'm willing to bet he'd be a great tracking dog, even without the usually necessary drive! Once again today, while exercising in the training room, he found every last morsel of "treats" that was left behind.....I'm sure of it!!! He'll chase after the ball or rope, and on his way back he'll spy the bit and after delivering the toy, he turns, goes right to the spot, checks out the area so as not to miss anything scrumptious, then comes back to have a chase again! Sometimes he'll stop mid-run, put the toy down, devour the tidbit, pick up the toy and come bounding back. Today I watched him figure out that if the ball is rolling and he puts his foot on it, it stays put. And, when he takes his paw off and nudges the ball it will roll again so he can once again put his paw on it to stop it! It really was hilarious! With his massive paw on the tennis ball, he would bend down and check out all around the ball, before releasing it and repeating the steps. It really is funny how you can really tell the dogs personality and temperament by watching closely! When Brian said he was analytical with a very low prey drive, he meant it......but, I would add, unless he catches a really good scent! Yesterday when the ball rolled under some of the wheel chairs in the room which are next to the Big Wheel I told you about, I watched him slowly move from one side to the other seemingly studying each of the possibilities before choosing the best option and proudly carrying it back. **(The proudly part didn't really happen, he just brought the ball back, but it sounds better with the addition!)

We had our ADI test today, testing us on the skills we have learned in tandem with the dog. We both did great......except for one BLARING error on my part. Mr. Slow Mo was with us today(Tippy, for those who haven't been reading daily) and at one point a little girl asked if she could pet the dog. I remembered what Brian said to do, and told Tippy, aka MSM, down. So, I thought he was just going down veeeeerrrrry slowly again and then realized that he had stopped. I got flustered and corrected Tippy(with Brian telling me to do so.....) by tugging down on the lead. I then remembered I'm supposed to give the lead a quick "pop" up, and then a good tug down as a correction. Well, Tippy did eventually go down, and all turned out well, but, as Brian has told us it's better to have the dog in a down stay when children want to pet them because it puts them in a more submissive position and they are not able to reach their paw out for more attention,,,as Tippy sometimes does....and scratch the child's face. Chalk it up to "Lesson 5,349, learned"....at least I hope so!

Tonight is our "Meet and Greet". This is when we meet the dog's "Weekend Puppy Raiser" and any one else we may have put on the list. I don't expect many, if any, of the people on my list since they are now doing it on a weekday evening and most of my "people" live near me, 2 hours away, or further. But, I am looking forward to meeting the puppy raiser. In any case, it should be interesting!

Now......today is Alli's birthday. She is turning 4. I bought a card yesterday with Tippy's help. I just told him it was for the other woman......he was fine with that. I was sitting in the main lobby at the end of a delicious lunch when Sherrie Forest walked up to me and said, "Today is Alli's birthday". I said I knew and told her about the card. She then said to me, "Do you know why I know?" and I said no. Sherrie told me that Elizabeth, Alli's new "mom", had called and made a donation in my and Alli's name in honer or Al's birthday. Okay, Okay, I cried...... Does the kindness and compassion of this couple never end? I cannot tell you how awesome I felt. I just continue to be thankful that Elizabeth and Andy were in Alli's life and could love her as much as I do.....and not forget that! Truly faith in our fellow man must be possible when you are blessed to know and have a connection with individuals like Elizabeth and Andy. Alli is soooo special, and definitely deserves to be in a home such as theirs surrounded by their love........ OH, MY, GOD, TRULY SPECIAL PEOPLE!

There is nothing more to be said.........

What A Day!!!

Once again I have been entrusted with a "stunner"! He's handsome, has a wonderful heart, and shows you just what unconditional love is....... How blessed am I to have received two amazing, awesome gifts...... I felt my life change the first time, change for the better. Not that there was anything wrong before, just beginning to feel my freedom slip away a bit, not comfortable being out and about on my own. Alli changed all that, and I've missed that sense of strength she gave me. Now, with Tippy, I realize just how much that means to me. I'm not saying I took Alli for granted, quite the contrary. I probably told her hourly how special she was, and how lucky I was to have her in my life. I don't even think I understood the depth of that strength until I began to feel uplifted once again. I again feel like I can speak up for myself, and if necessary, for others.

Enough of the melancholy, we had a busy day today. We reviewed some of the skills from the past few days. "Fetch", "Fetch phone", "Find phone", and the one that has driven me crazy, "Fridge". Since kind of "bombing" yesterday I ran it over and over in my head. I know I needed to set Tippy up for success. I mean really, if I'm not giving him the opportunity to perform the behavior correctly then whose fault is it. MINE!! And, when you have a dog that really wants to perform well, and do everything "right", then you have to help him achieve it so when you're out and about he has the confidence to "go for it". So, when it came to our turn....I chimed right in on this one and wanted to go first.....to get it over with.....and because I also needed to perform correctly for MY confidence. Wouldn't you know, the first time the door wasn't open far enough so Tippy backed out before getting hit.....so would I! But, here's the difference between Tippy and Richie. Tippy thinks to himself, "something's coming at me I better get out of the way". Richie thinks, "go ahead, make my day", (sorry Clint, I couldn't resist!), in other words Richie wouldn't worry about the door, just the job at hand. Tippy was so concerned about getting it right that as soon as the door opened, he released the rope and went for the dumbbell on the fridge shelf. Here comes the door! And, wouldn't you also know, the next couple times the rope came off the door because Tippy grabs it so high that it comes unhooked. I'm sure you've heard of "Third time's a charm", well, Tippy thought it was "Fourth time's a charm"!! Needless to say we did it just about perfect, so he was rewarded with a "special" treat and we ended on a positive note.

Fetching the phone went off pretty much without a hitch, and finding the phone was even better. When "finding" the phone Brian put the black phone on the black seat of a Big Wheel. We stood with our back to the big wheel and the dogs in front of us and told them to "Find the phone". Tippy is constantly lifting his nose to the air and catching some sort of scent, as well as being able to find every piece of dropped kibble on the floor of the training room. In other words, he's got a great "shnozz"(?)! I really wasn't surprised that Tippy had no trouble finding the phone. He also did well with "nudge door". When the door was wide open, he took the chance to stick his nose behind it to begin nudging it closed. Brian said that is said a lot for how Tippy trusts me that he was willing to take a chance.

Brian told us that we have gone so quickly through the material, and the dogs have done so well that he'll be letting us go after lunch on Thursday! I think it's a testament to how quickly Andy has caught on to the routine, and working with a dog as your partner. It's really been fun working with him.....we've had ample time to sit and talk here at the house. I'll say it again, he's a very nice young man, and truly a gentleman. We had nearly 1.5 hours for lunch before heading out to Stop and Shop again.

When we got to S&S, Brian said that he just had to watch for a few things on our part, having to do with how we worked with the dog, and we could pretty much go anywhere in the store, but it would be better to observe if we went together. The dogs did "under" at one of the bakery tables, something they both do quite well. Then Andy said he needed to get some juice so we meandered over to that isle. While all this is going on, we should be talking to the dogs, praising and encouraging them along the way. I joke that my problem is that I probably talk too much to the dog, but I'm not sure there is a "too" much. Anyone who knows me knows that I've never had a problem when it comes to talking! My dad used to joke that that's why my children spoke clear words and short sentences at such a young age. After the juice, I wanted to head down the card isle. Tomorrow is Alli's 4th birthday and, yes, I wanted to get a card I could send to her(aka Elizabeth). Jack and Barbara were back again today to take more "action" shots, as well as our class photo. Right, our BIG class of two! They followed us through S&S taking pics here and there.

We returned back to NEADS and we were done for the day. Andy and I decided to let the dogs play together again and we were not disappointed! How laughter makes the world a brighter place! While we were there, I got a call from the President of my local Rotary,(Essex, CT). I was stunned to hear that it was voted on and approved that they would donate $8,500.00 for Tippy! Now, I was told that although the funds would be needed for Tippy, I was not responsible for doing any fundraising personall. Any monies that came in in our name would go toward Tippy, and other donations as well could also help to defray the cost. NEADS usually asks the client to help raise $9,500 toward their dog. I know that a donation came in from someone who also donated for Alli, but now this is just AMAZING!!!! He asked that I help with some publicity for the club and it's donation, in the form of a story in our newspaper, and also that they might like to have Tippy and me come speak to them as a group. I absolutely said certainly!! How kind and generous of them to help me with Tippy! Something I will always be greatful for.

THEN.....I got a call from a gal with a media group who has spoken with me before, and arranged for Alli and me to meet with a reporter for a CT tv station concerning a bill to ban "STEP THERAPY" in CT. This time she asked if I would be willing to speak with another reporter who is doing a story on "tiers" with regards to insurance companies and how they classify drugs.

I will speak more on this tomorrow.....I'm in an awful lot of pain tonight and we have our ADI (Assistance Dogs International) test tomorrow. Wish us luck, although I think Andy is a "shoe-in" to succeed! I'm pretty confident that Tippy and I will perform well, too.......but I need to be able to get my words out, and not get mixed up. I think that this pain will still be around tomorrow, so we'll see if I can shut it out until we're done..... I hope......

Peace,
Wendy

I HAVE A HORSE FOR A SERVICE DOG!!!

I'll get to that eventually........!! No picture tonight. Once again, it would be of a sleeping Tippy. So this morning the photographers were there to take our pics for our ID cards, and also for some "action" shots. Now I know some of you are not familiar with the comings and goings of a service dog. You hear "action" and picture some rollicking and frolicking.....WRONG!!!! Especially if your service dog is named TIPPY! I think the better phrase would be shots of service dogs working. Now I make comments about Tippy being slow and deliberate. That's not a bad thing, not by any stretch of the imagination! It's the perfect pace for me now. I relish the thought he puts into every motion, every moment. I adore the look he gives me as he follows the command...."am I doing it right, huh, huh?". I just get a kick out of it. Sometimes it's really hard not to chuckle, especially when he's told, "down". I LOVE IT, I LOVE HIM!!!!!

Today we worked on "Fridge". Ideally and eventually that one command will be the culmination of a series of commands. We need to keep practicing it since Brian said it will be one of the first commands they forget if not used/practiced. It begins with the command "fridge" at which point the dog grabs the rope hanging from the refrigerator door and tugs. Next, when the door is open far enough the command "fetch" is given.
The dog lets go of the rope and goes to the fridge shelf to retrieve the item which is always in the same place. For the sake of practice, an orange "dumbbell" was used. The dog picks of the item with their mouth and you tell them "hold". Next you tell the dog "nudge" and they go to the outside of the door and nudge it until it is closed all the way. You can tell them to "hold" again and they bring the item to you at which point you say "give" when you have a hold on it. As soon as you take the dumbbell you say "yes!" to let them know they have done it correctly and a "special" treat is used as the reward. I'm sure that if I was better at setting it up for success we would not have had to repeat it as many times as we did! I needed to have my self positioned properly so that when Tippy tugged on the rope the fridge would open up enough to give him the chance to "fetch" before the door began to close on him..... I'm also having a little trouble with my word retrieval. I'm sure it is in part due to my age, alas yes, but also due to my "neuro-whatever"! I actually drew a blank on Tippy's name the other day in training! YIKES!!

After we were done with the "fridge" debacle.....Brian gave us a break and then we headed off to the mall. We needed to get some lunch at the food court so that we could demonstrate that we could have the dog's "under" or beside and they would wait patiently while we ate. No problem. YAY! Next we walked a little bit in the mall before Brian had us go into a store to walk around. Now, both Andy and I have large dogs so you can imagine what went through my head as I looked into the small shop crowded with racks of clothes and shelves with trinkets! Both Tippy and Richie, however, maneuvered the maze just fine and we were out without any mishaps..... especially from the "tail zone". One wag of the tail in the wrong direction in the wrong store can spell certain embarrassment, and financial ruin. Thankfully they neither wagged in the wrong direction, nor was it the wrong store....interject HEAVY SIGH here!!!

We next took turns going into a children's play area with our dogs and had them in a "sit/stay". Richie did great, Tippy also did very well but I need to remember to use "watch me" more instead of "leave it". Tippy was just a little unsure of the children moving around and by saying "leave it" at times, I was reinforcing the idea that it was something undesirable. Other than that, it was an extremely positive experience for both handler and dog.

Okay.....now to the "horse" thing. This afternoon we had went through our dog's health file/record. Dan talked to us about their immunizations, Date of birth, microchip information and weight. What to look for when checking out how your dog looks regarding his weight. ***Just an aside, Andy found out that Richie was born the day before he was "blown up" in Afghanistan. Fate? I think so. I think Richie was meant for Andy all along. I think in the grand scheme of things they are destined to do "good" for others. They certainly belong with each other.......their bond is almost palpable. It's kind of interesting, don't you think???? When Brian called to tell me about Tippy he said that her was about 78 lbs. We were talking yesterday and he said that he could see Tippy at as much as 81-83 lbs., but mentioned that he had gotten up to 85 at one point and it was obvious that he was overweight. Brian also mentioned that he could tell that both dogs had lost weight while they were at NEADS, before and during our training, Richie a bit more than Tippy. Andy said that he was told that Richie was about 70 lbs. when he came for training. He weighed in today at, I think, 67.6 lbs. He was in the kennel longer than Tippy, Tippy being here just 11 days prior to training. (they were in the prison prior to that) Tippy was weighed today, and, he weighed in at...........82.6 lbs!! Oh my gosh!!!!! I really didn't think there would be that much of a difference. Richie does look a bit leaner, with Tippy looking quite solid. But, they are pretty close to the same height so I figured maybe an 8-10 lb. difference. Wow! Put that together with the idea that Brian told us both dogs like to check out the garbage, Tippy more so, and that means very careful monitoring of what goes in. I've been very good in the past, switching to carrots when Alli proved that she could pack on the pounds. I think it's all, as Andy said, pretty much common sense. There's no need for the dogs to have "people" food other than some veggies and maybe some fruit here or there. They are supposed to have 1/8 of a cup of veggies every day anyway.

I guess it's time to put the horse in the stable for the night and I'll be turning out the light in the bunkhouse as well......

Peace,
Wendy

Amazing Grace......

Tonight will be just a brief post. The internet connection keeps going. That's why NEADS is in the running to win a technical make-over. Hopefully I can get through this quick note. Eventually I'll get a good picture of him NOT sleeping.....but right now I don't think of the camera until I'm going to bed and have time to get my wits about me! The way it is, this is from my cell and obviously doesn't do Tippy justice!

Today Tippy came to church. I spoke to the congregation last week to remind them that this is just like when Alli came home. For the time being I'm not releasing Tippy with "Say Hello" when someone asks to pet him. Sometimes I say that he's working, and other times I have him in a sit/stay and he watches me while someone pets him.
He did quite well, and while he doesn't snore as loud as Alli does, he tends to moan and groan in his sleep I'm not sure which is worse....! Needless to say he did a great job when I told him "through". That's when he goes ahead of me, turns around, and sits in front of me looking up at me for the next command. After I had him sitting in front of me,(I had positioned myself so that when he came around he would be sitting with his back towards the entry into the pew. Next I told him "back". He stood, took one step back, and sat. I repeated this until he was far enough into the pew that there was enough room for me to come sit next to him and still have room if anyone else wanted to sit there. He lay there quietly....he was quiet because he was out cold sleeping....until the end of the service. He then looked up at me and waited while I got myself together and was then ready to leave. He really did quite well considering this was his first time to church with me! I feel like a proud "Mama", collecting the comments of praise for my "little one"....okay, my BIG one!

Tomorrow's a new day, and a new week! It's hard to believe that in just 5 short days we will be leaving NEADS as an official team. Today felt like we'd been together forever.....Tippy fell right into step with me, noticing when my pace changed and changing his right along with me......

I SOOOOOOO LOVE THIS PUP! I think we're going to make a great team. I can't wait for him to meet Alli! Maybe this spring or summer. Tippy will be meeting Lucky and Maggie on Friday. Ellen is about halfway between NEADS and my house so it will be a nice break from the driving, and I'm sure a great visit!!!

The internet is still connecting and disconnecting so the very next time it says it's clear, I'm hitting "Publish Post"!!!! I'm not even checking for any typos or spelling errors.....SORRY!!!!

Peace,
Wendy and Tippy

"Home Again, Home Again......"

After a long day of errands, a couple of visits, some practice, etc.....Tippy is ready for bed! Despite the fact that I say he has two speeds, slow mo', and no mo'.....he does keep up with my day. I was such the proud "Mama" while we were out and about. Tippy keeps pace with me, slow if it's a bad day and slightly quicker if it's a "normal" day.

A little bit about our day yesterday first. It was a very bad day for me with regards to pain. My back was so bad that I had to use both of my Canadian Crutches to keep myself as upright as possible. The slightest "slouch" and the pain was so bad that it made me nauseous. I was moving very slowly and deliberately to minimize my discomfort. It really didn't help much, and really, no position was ideal. It's a good thing I have "Mr. Slow Mo", for he didn't require me to make any major corrections to his behavior and I was thankful for it. We worked on "tug" in training. Tug is used when you want the dog to tug a rope on a door. You walk/roll up to the door with the dog positioned to come head on to the rope. still holding the lead you give the command, "tug", and the dog grabs the rope in his mouth and tugs it stepping backward thus opening the door. When the door is adequately open, you give the command, "hold", and the dog stops moving back and stands firm holding the door open. As you move through the open door you support the door slightly and give the command, "give". The dog releases the rope and follows you through the door. We also worked on "Fetch", and "Fetch Phone". Brian placed several different items on the floor of differing textures. We moved around saying "are you ready" in an upbeat, higher voice and "fetch" when we arrived at an item. The dog picks the item up in his mouth and then you say "hold". The dog brings the item to you and, if necessary, you give the command, "closer". The dog brings the item as close as possible. You then tap or tug slightly on the item to be sure the dog is indeed "holding" the item. Once satisfied, you give the command, "give" while holding onto the item. We reward them with a treat, a "higher" value treat when the item is either metal or difficult to grab. For "fetch phone", the phone has been scented with vanilla. You move over to the phone and give the command. The dog picks the phone up with his mouth, and then you follow the commands for "fetch". Then, Brian hid the phone out of sight, but not too difficult, and the dog has to "scent" for the location when given the command "find phone". This is in case the phone is not in it's normal location. Again, once the dog has the phone you follow the "fetch" commands. We also reviewed Level 1, and Level 2 Recall. We also had a visit at the house from Sherrie Forest to discuss how to know when the time comes to "retire" your service dog, and what your options are. Debbie picked us up to bring us home and I left my car at NEADS. That way I wasn't driving all the way home, and a day and a half driving back. It's just about a 2 hour drive and I'm sure it would have been too much driving in too short of a time span. We went to a "Texas Steakhouse",(or is it "Roadhouse"?), and we both had a prime rib dinner.....it's been way to long since I've had it.....it was amazing! I also ordered one of the Sam Adams spring ales, but since I hardly ever drink alcohol anymore I didn't even finish a third of it. It was good, but I just don't enjoy it any more. Tippy was great at the restaurant, and rested quietly under the table, then slept the entire way home! Great day....so glad to be home!

Today was our first day on our own. We started by exchanging some shampoo at Walmart. He gives me goose bumps as he constantly checks in with me as we walk. Tippy seems to almost know what my next step is. As I come to an aisle that I want to go down I of course slow a bit. Tippy does the same and is right in step with me as I make the turn. He stands patiently......though probably thinking, "Does it really take this long to find the right shampoo?" I drop the shampoo in the hand basket, and turn to head for another item all the while with my new partner right alongside. Tippy waited in the check-out line very patiently as well, watching me for the slightest command. We went to my favorite pet store, "All Pets Club", so I could introduce Tippy to the manager, Mark. They were all so kind to me and Alli every time we went and they still ask how she's doing. Of course......I had to get Tippy a new stuffy that squeaks. It's in the shape of a bone, is cream in color, and it has the look of lamb's wool. He loves it, yay! No matter what store we went into, or how long we were there, Tippy gets an A+!!!! It feels so good to have a new partner! It's also great to have company in the car that I can talk to and he looks like he actually enjoys listening to me.....except when he fall asleep and snores or groans! I do that to humans, too, so it's nothing new....oh, well. My day ended with a wonderful visit with Cindy and her grandson, Dylan, who has been so excited to meet Tippy ever since he found out I was to receive him!

Tomorrow we will be going to church. Since Tippy is taller and more solid than Alli, it will be interesting to see what the best way will be to get him into the pew with the least amount of commotion! I am on the "Membership" committee, and I'm pretty sure we're hosting "coffee hour" for new members. So that means after the hour service, it will be another 45 minutes to an hour for the coffee hour. It will also be interesting since my back is still not letting up at all. I really hope that the 2 crutches are not a fixture in my life. I try to go about as if everything is fine. I don't complain very often and I try to keep myself busy whether home or about. Well, it is what it is, so I guess I'll make lemonade with my lemons......

Have a good night,
Peace,
Wendy and Tippy

Great First Night, Great Day Today.........

I was going to post another picture that I took tonight, but it would look almost identical to last night's except he's curled the other way....so I didn't!

We got off to a great start today! Tippy was still so tired from our play session yesterday, that I woke up before him! Now that the dogs are with us full time, we're responsible for exercising them twice a day for at least 30 minutes each time. I woke him, put his Gentle Leader on with leash, and took him out to....well you know!?! Success! Next, I fed Tippy at about 6:45 am. This morning he got just 3/4 of a cup in his bowl because I was to put 1.5 cups in my "treat pouch" for the day's training. At the end of the day I can add the unused food to his 3/4 c making the day's ration 3 c. After he ate we sat on my bed and "talked" while he checked out the room and I was petting him. He came with me into the bathroom(a requisite),while I showered, then into my room to dress, and then I was ready for my breakfast! I skipped my nebulizer treatment because it startled him last night and I wanted to get feedback from Brian, or Erin as she filled in for him for an hour or two. We had another great "play" session before our morning training began. Erin had us do the Level 1, and Level 2 "recall" again, and then we started some new stuff using "Shaped Behavior". A shaped behavior is the type that you can't physically make the dog do, like light switches and handicapped door pads. The dogs have no idea they're turning the lights on or off, or that they are making the doors open. They just know that when they're told to "nudge", they're going to press their nose on a square or circular spot, and when told "paws", they're going to jump up and paw at those same areas. Behaviors like "sit", "down", "stay", and "stand" are examples that you can make the dog do. The "nudge", and "paws" commands are taught in steps, beginning with rewarding the dog each time he does a desired part of the behavior you're aiming for. If you want to teach him to "nudge" the light switch on, each time he goes in the direction you want you say "Yes", and he's rewarded. Next time he know that if he goes that far he'll get a treat and maybe he'll move a little farther at which time you again say "Yes" and reward him, and so on, and so on. Erin had us practice the recalls again outside and then we broke for lunch. Brian arrived back at that point and he, Erin, and Andy w/ Richie came into the house and Brian advised me on the best way to introduce Tippy to the nebulizer.....great help! After lunch we headed to a Walmart for a field trip and practiced more "leave it", "up", walking through isles and check-out lines.

We returned back and worked on "fetch" with Brian in the training room. Tippy LOVES to "fetch"! He's been bringing anything on the floor to me w/out being asked since lunch time the other day. Even though I know the procedure, I didn't practice "fetch" with Tippy until we went over it in class He's even taken my Canadian crutch from where it's leaning on the wall when we're in my room and brought it to me!!! I know this will really come in handy..... It's one of the only things he does a bit faster. I've begun to call him Mr. Slow Mo, for his slow, deliberate motion. Brian says he's an analytical thinker. He's also sometimes Mr. No Mo!

Tonight he didn't have any problem and I'm sure it's because I followed the routine Brian suggested. He actually ended up with his head on my foot, sound asleep and snoring.

We had another great play time and after a couple of hours he ate his much appreciated 3/4 c along with the added food he didn't use as treats.

Tippy is now snoring, and groaning in his sleep, and it makes me realize that I'm exhausted......And sooooo thankful that NEADS has been able to be such a positive force in my life, the quality of which has most definitely improved since becoming a part of the NEADS Family ........

Good Night To You All,
And Thank You Tippy!
Peace,
Wendy

***It is now 9:59 pm, and I have no idea why it says I posted at 6:03pm!!!!!!!

"Tonight You're Mine, Completely....."

And he.....gives his love so sweetly.... All I keep thinking of in my head, tonight, is Carole King's great "Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow".(or something like that....I've never been very good at song titles) I'm not worried about the loving part....once again it was almost instantaneous love! But what I do keep thinking of is that Tippy is not going back to the kennel again. This is our first night together, and we shouldn't have to miss any more from here on out.

This is actually going to be brief because I left my power cord out in the living room, and had already made several trips back of other items. It's kind of like "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". Plus, I took Tippy's Gentle Leader off and while we're at NEADS, the dogs need to have it on anytime they're not playing or in our rooms, and they have to remain "on lead" with us anytime we're out of our rooms in the house. The main thing today was practicing "Leave It" when an "unruly" dog is in the area, and greeting another dog while watching the dog's body language. All this, while necessary to learn before our two weeks of training in done, was done now since there are other dogs(well behaved/trained) living with the gals upstairs who help with anything needed, and also because we will be coming home for the weekend and we need to know how to deal with different situations. We also had a first aid for dogs discussion with Cathy, and John spoke to us about graduation.....SUNDAY, MARCH 18!

Well, Tippy out cold from a busy day and the afternoon's play time and my battery is about to die! So until tomorrow with a full battery plus being plugged in, I bid you adieu!

Peace,
Wendy