This is an amazing dog rescue video. It has nothing to due with Breck and me other than I'm a human and Breck is a dog. http://www.wimp.com/terrifiedrescued/

Havng a new roomate

Oh sure.  I write all the time before I get a dog, then not a peep.  The truth was that until we settled into a routine I had little extra time.  But now we are a family.  I wanted to shoot a short video showcasing some of his talents, however time and strength have worked against me.  I want you all to see him and see what an amazingly beautiful dog he is.  Don't I just sound like every new parent?

He picks up everything I drop and usually places it n my lap.   Then I often drop it again.  Sometimes by accident.  Sometimes by design. He always tries again and never gives me "the look".  There is nothing like that look a dog gives you when you goof up his hard work.   HUMBLEING.

He is so good at picking  stuff up that now we're working on discriminating between objects.  I'm placing 4 objects on the floor,  then try to teach him to pick up an object by command.  After just a few days work I'd say he's at 70%.  That's a passing grade in anybody's book.

This is a good start so far.  We all like each other which we all know is the toughest part of dealing with a new roomy.  Now if I can just keep him from playing his stereo so loud.  I'm so tired of the "Lassie" theme, "I ain't nothing but a hound dog", and the barking dogs do "Jingle Bells.'

By which I get the Keys.

The training started out with Leslie ( I got permission to use her name finale)binging Breck to a testing session at our locale target.  It was an access test by which they test my control over and Breck's reaction to many different in the "field" situations.  Of course simple control of the pup in normal situations.  Shopping, maneuvering between racks and such.  It should be noted that Breck did better than I did getting through the rack of clothes.  The turning radius of the store cart made it difficult to turn in the smaller aisles.  Note to target the big aisles aren't the only ones that carts need to turn in.  After banging into the racks I managed to turn, Breck was patient with me and stayed attentive to the turns.

There were also several special tests.  In one Leslie dropped a clipboard behind us.  Breck was momentarily startled.  He stayed under control, while he turned to see what caused the noise he stayed in the heel position and we moved on.  In the next test we had Breck meet some children.  2 very cute 2 year old twin boys helped us by meeting Breck with a short lesson from me.  Normally visits from other humans are discouraged when he is "working" but this was a special occasion. Breck and the Boys did it flawlessly.

In the finale test of the day we went to the in store café.  Breck did a "under-down" as he quietly sat at our feet under the table.  He stayed awake watching the other patrons but never lunged at them.  Even when a selection of his treats was put near him on the floor he remained laying quietly under the table.

With this last test passed Brecks leash was passed to me and Leslie left without him. I don't know how she and the other great people of can-do-canines do it.  They spend all this time and energy (both real and emotional) and just pass the dogs along. I can never express how much I love every one of you.  Thank-you.  Breck, my wife and I came home as a new family.

The really big news

Ok as some of you have guessed...  That means you Roofy!  ...  (apologies for the punctuation) Breck will be ours as of 11:00 am MONDAY.  Oh man.  Am I ready for this life change?  Is my wife ready? Is Breck ready?  I think so.  I know so.  I hope I have some time Monday night to post an update. I'll post some video to You Tube soon so you can all see the amazing things he can do.  I expect some of you will fall in love like we have.

Well you can forget that last post and the countdown calendar.  BIG NEWS COMING SOON!!!!!!!  Hint; it's good news. It's just not finalized.

Current issue of the HOWLER from Can-do-Canines    http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=9ngkvxfab&v=001HZh_ryKk0qd5tuHv8Enhb36TUKw4meX9-OKbd9PV-QEpDHRRCBHjPb6vlblOys8hHuaVX_V4UHth53N_jSWtqo_bNV34lOPKtnY_lierQ1Eoup1yuEkU2QbAJoNfTZ7Sky1_jz066eEGmcPIiA2EnSwxruTGLC_MGkBLkK9wGMVwkB4hdbkCSg426eu_uiCv_DC4mwSogZ_jbYEwPZQAa6MGr__FyCH6S9y-AEToE343NO9cKVvldY6tIW-065BCJvLbHM0Vg5st5GjHG6P0Gs3lFDX3CZGZNlmZ6Zfdb4E%3D

We're just biding our time until Breck arrives.  House cleaning and buying dog specific items. He's just big enough that his tail could sweep the coffee table clean in one swoosh.  I think he's smart enough not to let that happen.  His thus is a long way from his head and I'm not sure he know that it's his yet.  The other night at training, when it was time to go he'd get his head and shoulders in the car, but his doggy fanny was still grounded.  "It's so far from my head it must be somebody else's"

My wife bought me a new keyboard so now I can write more in my blog.   The space key was intermittent on the old one.  That made it very hard to type sentences, always going back to add spaces between words.  I gotta tell you, this is  joy.  Writing this post was more about testing the keyboard than it was about Breck and Me.  I need to add another countdown clock.

We have a DATE!

October 11th

It may be a few weeks away, but what is that compared to a lifetime of fuzzy companionship?  Our trainer will be indisposed  for a few weeks on important
 family business. We can be patient.

We had a good training session tonight.  We went to "Fleet Farm" which for lack of a better description is a mega hardware store, a mans mall.  We had to obtain a scooter when we got there which amounts to leaving your drivers license and getting a key.   While we were picking up the key to my wheels Breck and the trainer walked in.  It took a few minutes for him to notice us, but when he did the started to wag and his face lit up.  It was clear that "my dog" was excited to see me.  The feeling was mutual.

We shopped all over the store for about an hour.  He did an excellent job and met each challenge like a pro. He made it through the dog food section twice with only one little very controllable tug. While leaving, Sandie dropped the key which he promptly picked up.

We left the store and drove to a Mexican restaurant.   The ride over was a breeze as Breck laid down and  never moved a muscle.  He did the same inside.   He just calmly laid there waiting for us to leave.  Another great outing with Breck.

Oh yeah, the Mexican food was good too.

A good day for Breck

Wow, talk about doggy Christmas.

Breck came over today right after lunch. His trainer ( I keep forgetting to ask her permission to use her first name) brought  along with her many items donated to Can-do-canines for their dogs. A wire kennel, some other grooming items. A bag of dog food, which we donated back, and from 1 specific donor a bunch of toys. 

We met this donor at a meeting of the bear supporters (long story) and she out bid us at a silent auction for the toys.  After she bought the toys and much later found out we were bidding for our service dog she saw to it that we got the toys.  We are talking about a bunch of toys.  Squeaky toys, balls and bones,  tug toys, a nice stretchy leash,  Nylabones , and more.    A cool thing is I can tell him to clean up and he will put the toys away in his toy box.

After getting all the gifts it was time to go to meet "grandma" my mom.   Mom lives near us in a building tall enough for elevators. It was a time to work on many skills.  hitting door access buttons, riding in new cars, meeting new people and getting on the elevator.  Breck met each challenge like a pro.   What a dog.  Btw he and "grandma" hit it off right away.

We just keep getting closer with every meeting.

Some splainin to do.

It was brought to my attention that my dog blog posts sound so negative that it seems I am having second thoughts.

Let me be CLEAR...  I WANT THIS DOG.  I have been expressing the realization that it was going to be more difficult than I expected.  I've been trying to convey to anyone reading this that adding a fuzzy family member, no matter how well trained he may be, will be work.  Anything worth having is worth working for.  I thought that someone considering a service dog might read this someday and be able to temper their judgment.

So bring it on.  By the time he's ready we will be too.

Training at home

Well it finally happened. Our trainer brought Breck to our house.

I was a nervous wreck.  You'd think I never had a dog before. I was so concerned that something he had access to would be poison to him.  He didn't get poisoned but true to a dog's nature he had his nose in everything,  given the "leave it" command he left it. I found out rather quickly how difficult keeping an eye on him with my limited mobility was going to be. Tougher than anticipated.

Speaking of tougher than anticipated we went for a walk with my scooter yesterday.   All went exceptionally well until he got "busy". The leash was to short so he was straining.  Let me tell you that dog is strong.  So strong in fact I was worried he was going to pull me over.  That would be a very bad thing.  I can't lift myself so I'd be stuck on the ground needing rescue.

It was fun having him in the house, But as usual that excitement had to be tempered with a dose of reality.

Btw,we also found out that Bali (the dog of the friend that suggested we apply to Can-do-Canines) is Breck's aunt. Very cool, we love Bali.

Going to Target

 

I love this picture

 

Today was a good day.  We worked with a distraction, another younger service dog.  Breck could not have acted better.  We went to the pet food aisle.  Breck could not have acted better.  We went to the pet toy aisle.  Breck could not have acted better.  He did give the stuff, whether food or toys, a sniff,  but on the command "leave it" he immediately relented.

 

I know we have a long way to go, but tonight was the first time we acted as a TEAM!  He listened to me,  but even more importantly I listened to him.  The work seemed more natural even our trainer noticed the improvement.  I think we'll make this work.

Breck at the Mall

We met our trainer at the mall.  She had Breck with her.  Being a Tuesdays afternoon  the mall wasn't too busy.  This made it the perfect time for our first outing.

Breck behaved well. He watched me as we walked, checking in so often it was  hard to praise him as he did. One of the major differences is my increased responsibilities. Besides keeping in touch with the dog, I had to keep track of other patrons especially  children, scan the floor for items the dog might find edible which is almost anything of a size he can swallow, and watch where we were going.

We worked on going through doors and navigating elevators. We didn't have any major problems although in the elevator I forgot how to control him. He did fine but had there been trouble would not have remembered what to do. I know he'd behave but I'm not comfortable with him knowing what to do and me not. I think that's a setup for him to feel he's the boss and become the leader.

All in all we are getting along fine, my confidence is building but new challenges are at every turn.

Reflectons on Rocky

Rocky

Rocky was my dog in the mid 80s.  He was a springer spaniel.

A coworker came up to me one day saying "your a dog person right?"  I was once again living by  myself, this time in a home I owned.  She said she had a dog that needed a good home.  I had a home that needed a good dog. The next day she brought the dog to work.  I took him home that night.

It was obvious that he had never been in a house. He entered very cautiously. He didn't know how to climb a staircase. He didn't understand his boundaries.  But that first night he convinced me what an extraordinary dog I had.  I left a steak on the cutting board and left the room.  A few minutes later I heard a plop.  It was my steak hitting the floor.  A natural thing for a dog that had been living on his own and getting by.  I yelled "NO" from the other room, sure that I was learning an expensive lesson and my new dog was having the meal of his life.  When I returned to the kitchen Rocky was sitting just  staring at the steak. He had listened to me and despite the massive self control he was resisting the steak. That was  a 'good boy'. He didn't get the steak but he was lavished with "Dairy queens" my fun term for ice cubes.

I never give a dog people food.  The exception being a small piece of cheese on very special occasions. To create that small piece of cheese I used one of those metal cheese cutters with the wire and roller. The device, when shook, made a tiny metallic rattling noise.  Whenever I got that cheese cutter out the small noise had the dog come running.  I lived in a rural area where " rocky was free to run. No matter how far he roamed, rattling that cheese cutter was his signal to come now. And he always did.

More on rocky at a later date.  This blog is supposed t be about Breck.

Is this a cool dog or what?

AHHH   The second training session.  I became a little less confident in my abilities,  Breck is still fine though still a little distracted by other dogs, I can't seem to remember commands.  I thought I could,  but I was proven to be wrong.  The dog is so smart and knows so much I was frustrating him by giving him the wrong instructions.  Since I was confused it left him confused and less confident.  I have to get this before we can take the test for certification. 

Heel, get it ,bring it, give it, doesn't sound too tough.  It was confusing to me. Thinking of them outside of the "moment" isn't too tough, but in the training room, where I'm require to perform, it's another story.  I have no idea of the command,  it could be grape jam as far as I know.  Especially when someone else needs me to do something or Breck needs me to do something I don't have enough time to "rehearse" my role in my mind.  My reactions are NOT automatic.

Then there were the distractions.   Other dogs were brought into the room.  Well we heard Breck bark for the first time. It was not possible to bring him back mentally to me.  Even though we were connected by the leash we might as well have been a mile apart.  Breck had no interest in listening to me.  This looks to be our biggest challenge.

So the second session ended with me being very tired, discouraged and apprehensive about ever passing a distraction test,  I still love the dog though.

What's in a name?

Breck?  Where in the world did that name come from?

Can-do-canines sometimes lets donors, both corporate and individual name a dog.  Breck is such a dog.  He is named for a local private Episcopal school.  Breck has a reputation for college prep academic excellence.  It is also a common name in the high school hockey tournaments.  It's hockey success is why many of us Minnesotans know the Breck name.  We will be proud to carry that name forward and have instantly become a fan of Breck Athletics and academics.



Breck School's home page

We met him !

He's wonderful.  All we could have hoped for.

  We got to Can-Do-Canines early of course and despite the 90 degree heat, we sat outside waiting for our punctual contact to get there.  A stiff breeze out of the south made the warm weather bearable.  We were sitting outside the vestibule, I on my mobility scooter and Sandie on the bench provided, when our contact came walking out sporting a huge smile.  We had warmed  to her on her initial visit almost a year ago and we were grateful that she remained our contact.

She escorted us inside and sat us down in a large sterile tiled floor room.  She spoke to us about the literature she was giving us that was full of dog information.  I already knew chocolate was poison to dogs, but did you know that many other common things including grapes and avocados are also.  More surprising info on dog poisons can be found here ...  Humane society info.  We got our copy of the contract which talks about our responsibilities and conditions that would cause them to take Breck back.  I haven't seen him yet but I can't imagine us losing him.

Our contact leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with 59 pounds of pure black joy.  Breck is amazing.  In the blink of an eye the hard work of prisoners and his foster family(ies), transforms into my dog.  We love him.  The boundless energy of a puppy tempered with the control and seriousness of  2 years of training  Breck starts to show us some of what we can do together.  With a minimum of specific  instructions and me with a pocket full of treats Breck shows us a myriad of his useful "tricks".   From  the simple "sit" and "stay" through "heel"(stand on my left) and "side"( stand on my right) to retrieves and opening automatic doors we have so much to learn from him. This is a life changing event that holds the promise of fun earned through hard work. We can't wait to get started.

Tribute Shirt to Al Peters founder of CDC

http://www.zazzle.com/hand_drawn_we_love_al_peters_t_shirt-235385990768641218?rf=238738608023184103

a portion of any profit  goes to CDC

Things I'm expecting

With tomorrow being the day I meet Breck,  my assistance dog I thought it a good time to look ahead.

1st of all I expect to work.  This may in fact be the most useful gift from the dog.  The gift of purpose.  To make this work I need to work. I need to become his care taker and his best friend.  We live in a townhome community where the winters are bad and there is precious little grass.   Get the picture? 

Breck will learn my specific needs.  Picking up things I drop, getting me water from the fridge, getting in touch with Sandie when we need more help.  Opening doors and getting lights.  The trainer said one of my potential problems will be finding things to keep the dog busy.  I wonder If I can teach him to draw? *grin*

We all need to learn how to travel together.  I don't go much day to day (currently)but we do travel on the weekends which can be very hard on me.  We take long semi annual trips to see our family.  BTW our grandkids are very excited about the dog.

I'm sure there is so much more that I've barely scratched the surface. Those stories will unfold here in the weeks to come I hope we all enjoy the experience.

Woofaroo This is an ad for a CDC upcoming fund raiser.

DO YOU WOOFAROO? 19 days left to the Woofaroo! Have you registered online yet?  Sign up NOW We have collected $21,100 so far - 42% of our goal.   Help us finish strong by registering, collecting pledges, or donating to the Can Do Woofaroo. Can't join us that day? Go ahead and register! Tell us on your registration form that you will be a "virtual walker". Raise funds and then take a walk in your own community. You are still eligible for all the Woofaroo prizes! Join us for a fun afternoon celebrating all our canine friends and raising money to train more assistance dogs for people who need them.  Learn More    Dress your 4-legged friend up and enter the Doggie Costume Contest   (sign up on site at event)   Meet Katie K9 from mytalk 107 radio   Listen to Live Music by 6:4 devotion and Seldom Herd Bluegrass Band   Meet McGruff   See life-sized puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater   See demonstrations of Can Do Canines assistance dog skills   Watch an explosive detection dog sniff it out   And much more!   See you on September 7!

We have a date!!

Saturday.  I get to meet Breck on Saturday.  Today is Wednesday so my wait is very short.  This journey that began last fall is almost moving on to phase 2.   I don't get to keep Breck yet but Ii finally get to put that hairy face with his name.  We have a 2 hour meeting Saturday.  We'll introduce him to my wheelchair and me.  HOW EXCITING!!
Then after this first meeting I work towards full ownership.  We will have sessions at the mall, some stores, restaurants etc. to see how we react to lots of situations.   When we have learned how each other reacts he will eventually come home with me.  We will still be on "probation" until we can work together here.  Pictures to come soon!!

WE have a name!!!

Breck... his name is Breck.  That is a wonderful name. He was born 12-6-2011 and I couldn't be more excited.  I start next week I think with the first meeting and a ton of paperwork to fill out.  A few 2 hour sessions at their facility then we move to public places for a few weeks.  After that he gets to come home and work with me here and in places we frequent.  Oh my gosh this is going to be a lot of work but I think the challenge will be worth it.  How exciting!!  I can finally put a name with the dog. Breck.

Unexpected Support

Last night I had a call from a former co worker and friend.   A company that I worked for 25 years ago that is very community supportive has donated about 4k to CDC.  This is not unusual for the generous employees of that company, however my friend that does some of the coordination of  those charitable efforts is looking for a way to tie their donations to my situation.  There are few people there that I worked with directly, but the fact that they can tie helping a former employee to the donations makes the donating more personal.

 I'm reasonably sure that none of those good people read my blog,  but I want to thank each and every one of  them for their support.  When you choose to donate any of your time or money you just hope to help someone that needs you.  I wish it wasn't me that contracted MS and thus needed you, but I am happy for your generosity.  Thank you so much for your support of Can-do-canines over the years.  Without you and people like you CDC could not exist.  You can be confident that your donations will be utilized with the utmost care.


Control Data,  Imprimus, Seagate employee from 1981 to 1990

Prep

CDC recommended I read several books. The one with the most new information was "The other end of the leash".  The book was helpful except the author spent much of her time trying to prove her qualifications rather than teaching you something new.  I think much of her book was taken from her thesis.  I'll need to come back and correct the authors name although I think it was Middleton.

We recently moved.  When we moved here we already knew  we were getting this dog, so much of the work was done with that in mind. When you bring a dog into our home it's much like bringing a child.   You need to be aware of what poses a hazard,  Electrical cords and medicine that may have fallen unbeknownst to you.  I am an electronic geek so wires are an issue.  I also take medications for my heart and for my MS.  we need to be vigilant and cautious.

The first dog found me.

This post is not about an assist dog. If you want the news on my assist dog check out another post.
I'm no stranger to dogs.  When I was in college I had a miniature   poodle for 17 years.  Ok I wasn't in college for 17 years but I did have "dynamo" that long.  She found me.  I was living by myself in this huge old rental home.  Feeling sorry for myself one evening  I sat on the front steps watching traffic go by.  A small white poodle came bounding down the sidewalk.  She had a collar but no tag.   I called the human society several days in a row,  But I get ahead myself.  I gave the dog some water but did not feed her.  That night I left her outside in the hope that she would go home. The next morning when I got down stairs she was sleeping on my front stoop.  Still I did not feed her in the hope that she would find her way back home. I had no business taking care of a dog,  I could barely take care of myself at the time. I had obligations so I left her outside free to go back to her home.  I got in my old car to drive to work.  As I drove away I looked into the rear view mirror.  I was a block away from home.  There was the yet to be named "dynamo" running after me as fast as her little legs would take her.   I stopped in the middle of the very busy street, opened the car door to our future and she hoped in without hesitation.  As I said we were together 17 years.

This new (8-12-13)blog was created to share my experience with my new assist dog.

I have MS. As a result I no longer drive, work, or walk without aide.  Mainly because of my mobility problems but also because of other problems I applied for an assist dog. This dog, if I was to received one, was to come from Can-do-canines.  CDC is a Twin Cities based organization that provides fully trained assist dogs to challenged folks in our area.

Most of these dogs are from a line bred by CDC for their temperament, ability to learn,
willingness to please, and size among other attributes which I have yet to learn.  It has been a long process that  was started about 9 months ago when I first applied.  Several home visits later We were approved for one of these exceptional dogs.

I have not gotten or even met mine yet but here is what I know so far;
The dog is a male Black Lab.
He is 1.5 years old.
CDC has a sickness in their kennel delaying new pups going out the door..
I should get to meet mine around the 21st of august.
One of my mother's friends has distant relative of his, also from CDC.  The line of smaller labs are so smart and sweet.

I don't know his name.
I have not seen him or even a picture yet. 

                I draw dogs.   This is as black lab but not my black lab.