Old Friends

We were in the Fox Cities celebrating my grandma's 89th birthday. Whenever, we visit the area, it is like a trip back into the past. Four years ago when we started raising puppies in the Madison area, we experienced access issues and drew constant stares when entering establishments. History repeated itself in a few grocery stores this weekend; blatant stares and we often overheard people asking "Why is there a dog in here?"

This was one of the issues that we discussed with our old friend Banjo, his CVC partner Brooke, and her family. Monte and Banjo overlapped at our home for two weeks last May. We have found it helpful to have an older dog around when housebreaking a puppy.

I was surprised at how well the canines did when meeting each other; they were both business-like. We took a short stroll around the neighborhood where we got to see Banjo working. Although it was brief, it was clear that he was committed to his job and protective of his partner. Business ended when we returned home where they "shared" a bowl of ice water and reestablished their friendship.

Even as the dogs interacted, it was clear that Brooke loved Banjo very much, and vice versa; they were in constant contact. My lasting memory will be of Banjo stretched out on the floor snuggling with Brooke who was resting her head on his chest listening to his heart beat.

We humans chatted about our "guide dog" experiences as puppy raisers and a CVC team. We discussed the occasional access issues and how to better educate the public, but mostly shared stories about the positive aspect of having dogs in our lives.

Changing Lives - Updated

View the Graduation Video or the Photos.

After three and a half years and over one hundred training classes, we have something to show for our attempts to raise a guide dog puppy. It required a lot of help from Ernie, Marlene, and Michelle, but we were finally able to personally participate in a graduation ceremony. Banjo graduated as a Children's Visual Companion Dog.

He was rotated between three families to allow him more varied experiences and to maximize his reign of terror. He seemed to be on a mission of destruction.

Frequent readers of the blog may remember his many exploits. From weddings to the White House, he left a trail of destruction (early months) and accomplishments. He travelled the country honing his skills and teaching us be better trainers.

Banjo's new accomplice, Brooke, hails from Combined Locks. Brooke and her parents have volunteered to take on the difficult task of keeping Banjo on the straight and narrow.

His current mission is to "Change Their Lives".



Unfortunately our photos were not very good. The cause was either the low battery or moisture in our eyes.

Find Xiaohong’s, Find Home

Hi, it is Sophia again.

Almost every day, Banjo and I walk to and from one of my best friend’s house. Her name is Xiaohong. She lives about 3 blocks from my house. We love lots of the same things, like swimming, ice cream and dogs!

Our neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so Banjo takes me on the left side of the street when we go to her house. He knows the way there—all I have to say is “Find Xiaohong’s” and he goes! Now Banjo goes around any parked cars without stopping, and then goes right back to the curb.




When I am ready to come home, I tell Banjo “Find home.” He takes me home really fast! Sometimes he whines a little if he sees another dog, but usually he is very good.

My mom says the other night I started skipping while Banjo was walking me home. She says he paused and looked up at me. He saw that I was fine and we kept right on moving. My mom thinks OccuPaws dogs are amazing. I think so, too.

Later,
Sophia

Learning with Banjo

Hi, this is Sophia. Timber and I graduated in January as a CVC dog team. OccuPaws decided we were doing well together and gave us the chance to work toward being an independent team. COOL!

Timber is with the Weils now so they can teach him to be a guide dog. The Weils said I could use Banjo while Timber was away. It is fun having Banjo here! He rests at my feet when we are not working just like Timber does.

Yesterday the Weils came to my house to start teaching me how to work with a guide dog. I have to concentrate more than with a CVC dog. Even though it is more work, I feel a lot more freedom when it is just the dog and me. It feels awesome!

The Weils said soon I get a different harness with a real guide dog handle. They said it would help me feel the dog’s pull better. Right now, sometimes I want to walk faster than the dog. Mr. Weil told me I need to slow down and let the dog do his job. There is so much to think about!

Banjo now knows how to get to my best friend’s house. I also want to teach him how to take me to the library and maybe even the bait shop where we get ice cream!

I’ll write again soon.
-Sophia

Out & About

Hi all! Wilbur here.

Once again, my mom says that I have not been writing enough. Well, I tried to tell her that I have been too busy to write!

Did you know that we are having a Scavenger Hunt with motorcycles in August? What do we do try to find the motorcycles?? Wednesday last week we went to Quaker Steak and Lube in Middleton to tell everybody about it! Motorcycle people are SO nice.

On another day, mom, dad, Harley and I rode around in the car for miles - - stopping and writing down questions on pieces of paper - - something about “That’s a good question”. On the route, we went all the way to Finn’s and had a GREAT lunch on the deck. At Finn’s there were these cute little duckies with writing on them. Something about a rubber duckie race down the Rock River. All I know is I did not get ANYTHING to eat. (Grrrr) We did our usual meet and greet at Mounds on Saturday. Lots of nice people. Our table is set up right next to a display of bones. But, mom would not let Harley or I have any.





Then yesterday (Sunday) we went back to Finns and saw more of those cute little Duckies. Casey, Marlette, Amy and Hailey drove down with us too.

Guess what? At Finns, we met MORE of our friends: cute little Lori, Timber, Banjo, Sonni, and Monte. We were all trying to ask people to buy the cute little duckies and to come for the race August 28.

Ta Ta for now!

Wilbur

Harness Training 101

Hi it’s Banjo here and I just wanted to tell you how it’s been going since I moved to Doug and Caroline’s house and started my formal harness training. Promise and I have been very busy; there is always stuff for us to do like obedience, playtime, naptime and trips to different towns all over the place to learn guide work. I think that harness training is kind of hard (you know not all dogs can do it), but Doug and Caroline are very patient and understanding. They always tell us when we have made a mistake, then they show us how to do it right, and then we get another chance try again. I like that last part best because then we get to show them how smart we are and we get lots of praise and pats and sometimes hugs and treats.

I was surprised at how many of my friends from class have come over to my new house to visit – well I think they have been coming for lessons with Doug but it is fun to see them even if they do have to work some while they are here. Casey came here and boy was she naughty! Promise and I tried to tell her that she should behave but she didn’t listen right away. She is much better now and has learned a lot from Doug & Caroline.

I haven’t been on any social outings yet because I have been bonding with Doug and Caroline, but I heard them talking the other day and they said that tonight I get to go to Quaker Steak! I hope I see some of my friends from class there. I even get to go to class tomorrow night and show everyone the trick I learned! I am so excited!!!!! It only took me 2 days to learn my trick so I am pretty proud of that!

Oh Oh Oh I almost forgot to tell you that Promise and I got our very own training van!!! It’s big and white and has lots of windows, nice big crates and lots of room. So now we are traveling in style!

Signing off for now,
Banjo

Promise & Banjo in harness training

Two more of OccuPaw's Best move on to formal harness training.



PROMISE

BANJO

One of our newest puppy raisers, Meghan Whalen found this that says it all....

My Foster Puppy

I gave my puppy up today
with unwanted tears of sorrow.
There is a job that he must learn.
We Won't play ball tomorrow.

I knew this day would have to come
While he was yet a pup.
And though I know his useful need.
It's hard to give him up.

I must keep thinking everyday
What he will soon become:
The eyes of one who cannot see,
A partnership begun.

He isn't just a dog, you see.
He's meant to be a guide,
To walk with one who needs him more,
Now I must step aside.

~Unknown

Ducks for Dogs

On Sunday Maddi went to Fin's in Newville and sold rubber duckies for the Ducks for Dogs on August 28th. There were a lot of dogs there. We had a great time selling duckies and meeting all the people. We also got to meet the newest puppy, Lori. She is a sweetie.

All Grown Up

Banjo has started basic harness training. He looks all grown up, yet he still displays a bit of a "puppy sit".

Correcting his sit position, controlling his licking, and eliminating his canine fixation may be the most difficult tasks for the trainers. As you can see we still have some improvement to make in our puppy raising skills.

Bye Banjo

A final decision regarding Banjo's future at our house was dependent on our getting one of Cinder's half sisters. We thought that Cinder was such a smart girl that we were looking forward to working with a puppy from a similar gene pool. And if we were going to start with an eight week old puppy this weekend, we wanted to employ Banjo as her mentor for another two weeks.

We had a pretty good idea that Banjo would not be returning home with us because we hadn't heard anything about Cinder's half sister. Tonight at OccuPaws training, we were told that the new puppy will be placed with another puppy raiser. It was bittersweet because we get to keep our character, Monte, but we had to say Good-Bye to Banjo and we won't get to work with "mini Cinder".



As we prepare for bed, the house seems empty. With only one dog there isn't any gnawing, wrestling or romping. Banjo was a good mentor for Monte, but our little pup needs to fly on his own and bond with humans more than canines.

With each puppy that passes through our lives, we are forever changed. They take a piece of our heart with them and they leave behind a piece of theirs to remind us and hopefully make us better trainers.

Groceries, No Butter

We finally made it to the grocery store to restock the refrigerator and pantry. However, we left the butter at home, no Mantequilla. We just didn't think he was ready for a marathon shopping experience. Banjo tagged along and we left the little guy at home alone. He was crying when we left, but quiet when we returned home. Both dogs earned a cool treat - frozen bones.

Their puppy raisers need some remedial training on reinforcing the hand bump; both our dogs are licking our hands, not bumping. We were obviously rewarding the wrong behavior and now are attempting to correct. Struggling with that, we moved on to Thread the Vest and Puppy's Choice.

Thread the Vest shows the two different personalities. Banjo slowly enters the vest while Monte almost leaps into it to win reward.

Being the demonstration dog last week for Puppy's Choice, we knew Monte was going to need extra work, so we have practiced everyday to prepare for a second attempt. At home he learned this bahavior much faster on a full stomach and observing Banjo's treat "winning" behavior. He will even moves away from the temptation.

Can we transition Monte from Class Clown to Big Man On Campus?

One Week with Monte

Our first weekend as a pack started with puppy playtime at The Dog Den. It was Monte's first time there and he was bit apprehensive meeting all the new dogs. His fear only lasted a few minutes, then he spent the rest of the hour jumping in the pool, chasing, being chased, and wrestling with twenty-five of his best friends. At eleven weeks this is the best training.

The second playgroup was for puppies under a year, so Banjo was working and we made him watch the younger dogs run around. One dog in particular took a liking to Banjo, a little black and gray dog that challenged/tormented him. He did really well remaining calm with all the high energy activity and greetings.

The rest of the weekend was spent traveling and visiting new environments. Monte endured 2 two hour car rides, stayed in a different house, met my grandmothers, and visited the Blue Moon farm. At the farm, Monte's prey drive was in high gear. He lunged at the chickens and wanted to chase the pigs. He kept a watchful eye on both species as we walked around the farm; he remembered where each was located. Both dogs were on their best behavior and received plenty of attention from the other CSA members.

Monte's Week One Summary: he knows his name and will COME when called, ascending/descending stairs, climbs into the car, lured into a DOWN, hand touch and gets dressed, go to BED, handles nighttime walks well, through repetition he has learned the meaning of "NO", he cries during nail trims
Lisa/Jeff: getting Monte out to potty at prescribed times (usually - we are almost trained), struggling to allocate enough time for Banjo

We may see if our trainer wants to start training Monte and we will keep Banjo for another year.

Two Down - 363 To Go

After forty-eight hours Monte has made himself at home. He and Banjo are getting along well after a few corrections (human and canine administered).

We survived Monte's first night. Lisa and I were waking up every three hours, so we would take him outside. Not that he needed to go out, because he and we slept for seven hours on night two without any mishaps. We were just overly cautious and worried.

On day two, Monte, Banjo and Riley had a private training session. They focused on some initial clicker training, then Riley and Monte got to play.

Our little golden boy has quickly surpassed our last puppy, in stair climbing ability, but not in sweetness. Neva had an initial phobia which she conquered after a couple months. It's only been two days and he has already ascended and descended our twelve stairs. Monte still has a mentor in the house.

Cramped Quarters

On the flight to DC we were given the front row which provided a little extra room for a sixty-five pound guide dog and were not asked for paperwork. However, on the return flight we were not offered the extra room, kept our assigned seats in row eleven, and were asked for proof of vaccinations. We had verified with the airline before booking that a health certificate was not required.

Banjo wasn't phased by the cramped quarters and he may have actually had more room, if you include the area under the seats in front of ours.

We were all tired from the long week and Banjo slept through most of the flight. The deployment of the landing gear didn't even wake him from his slumber.As we exited the plane one of the flight attendants commented that she didn't even know he was on board.
The day's trip was only half over as we landed in Milwaukee. Next stop was Beloit to pick up our next assignment. As we start our fourth cycle, Mantequilla (aka Monte) has officially joined our pack. On the way home, Monte shared the front seat with Lisa while Banjo stretched out in the back, his reward for a long hard week of work.

Reflections

Our final day in Washington DC was spent getting Banjo in shape. We hiked from monument to memorial during one of the hottest days this summer. Our challenge was keeping Banjo cool and hydrated. As walked the mall we were reminded of the sacrifice made by others to protect our freedom. The two most poignant reminders are the Korean War Veterans Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.



The Korean War Veterans Memorial 's message is that "Freedom Is Not Free".





The Vietnam Veterans Memorial visually depicts the high cost of freedom. The black granite wall contains a seemingly endless list of soldiers that paid the ultimate price or are still MIA/POW.

Run For Your Lives....

The Dog That Ate the Washington Monument...EEEK!! I was looking for photo ops Wed, but certainly could not have TRIED to set this one up! Too funny. Being without a camera yesterday made me snap happy today so Banjo and I headed down to the Mall to walk among the monuments...again, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Viet Nam wall with names that go on and on and on, they will take your breath away by their enormity. The American History museum houses the HUGE flag that inspired the National Anthem (the flag itself was actually called "the star spangled banner," that's your trivia tidbit for the day!). You can view the actual Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights in the National Archives...There is something to be amazed at around every corner in this city. However, I digress...

Lincoln's Favorite Pet--we thought Abe could use a friendly Lab sitting at his feet, plus he makes Banjo look so small!

The friendly ducks around the mall were a distraction for Banjo especially since most had a brood of fuzzy baby ducklings toddling and chirping behind mama Duck as well. So, we worked on being around the ducks but getting his focus back on me, which he seemed to get. We'll see if he remembers his lessons today. --Oh, and a side note to our entry about our visit to the White House, if you saw press coverage of the Mexican president's visit, the door where the Obamas are greeting President Calderon and his wife for the state dinner last evening, is the very spot where Banjo stood the day before as we exited the home of POTUS! And the state dinner was held in the gold room where we were also the day before right in that room, and if you watch CSPAN to see the guests arriving to the White House for the dinner, that is exactly the route Banjo took, down the same hallway of the east entrance, past all the photographs and paintings--what a kick to see that!
--Lisa & Banjo

Home of POTUS

Yep, we actually made it~Banjo and I in the home of the President Of The United States. Again, it does not really matter your political beliefs,walking into that residence knowing who has resided there since 1800 has to give you a bit of a shiver as you walk in. I know it did me. The tour itself was pretty abbreviated, kind of a self-guided meandering through a few select rooms and artifacts, but I tried to take it all in. Banjo, of course, was less than impressed, though he was happy to be out of the cold rain (me too) and out of the line that seemed to move 5 feet and stop over and over, which obviously made no sense to him.

The tour ends with walking out the front door, the same one you see whenever a picture of the White House is televised or published. I would love to show you a picture of Banjo sitting at that door, but no cameras are allowed (along with a very long list of other things). Banjo does now have a pin on his vest of The White House commemorating his trip.

Our guide dog in training and I managed to make our way to our destination, on our own, & back, not even asking anyone along the way for directions. Banjo has also learned the route from the lobby, to the elevator, and ending at our room, so there may be hope for both our guiding skills yet!

Banjo has continued to show great manners, and we get lots of compliments on his behavior, and every time we walk through an x-ray machine, make Banjo sit and wait and then call him forward to walk through by himself, it never gets old to hear the security people express how impressed they are--you would think he stood up and danced through on 2 legs! It makes us smile.

Capitol Idea

We started our day with a train trip to the senate office building and the office of Senator Kohl. We went mainly to thank his staff in person for being so helpful in making appearances at the Capitol and White House for Banjo possible. One particular staff member was especially helpful and kind in keeping up communication with us, and she agreed happily to sit for a Kodak moment with Banjo even though it had been raining and Banjo was still a little wet. We are making it a policy not to include people's names in the blog if we have not asked their permission specifically to do so. Our new friends in Sen Kohl's office also provided us with tickets to the gallery to watch senate and house in session.

We visited the Capitol on a tour where one little girl, maybe age 2, was squealing in delight to see the puppy before the tour started & though we have routinely been telling people they cannot pet the dog because he is working, we could not refuse this tiny little soul. Not sure who enjoyed the interaction more, her or Banjo. We told her daddy somebody needed a puppy because she was great with him!

We used the gallery passes to get into the House chamber, which was not in session at that time, and then over to the Senate chamber where a little more was happening. We saw Sen Harry Reid and Sen Chris Dodd and speaking was Sen Kyl from Arizona, I believe. I think it is an honor, regardless of your political beliefs, to view our nation's congress at work. Banjo, of course, was bored with the whole thing and slept at our feet, no snoring this time. He does look majestic with the Capitol rotunda in the background though doesn't he?

Because of the rain and because we all needed a short day, we went back to the hotel early for a change today. Banjo is becoming a real master at escalators and elevators. We are on to more big adventures tomorrow. Half the battle will be just maneuvering our way around the city as Jeff goes to work tomorrow and Lisa and Banjo are going exploring, unfortunately both of them are orienteering-challenged!

Fitness

Since our head trainer mentioned that Banjo was "fat", we have started a fitness routine. It just happens to coincide with our trip. We only brought 30 cups of food that needs to be rationed over the eight days. Today we walked from 11am to 3pm; started at George Washington University and ended up on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Only day two and he already looks lean and mean.

After our hike, it was time for dinner, we descended into the caverns to catch the subway. The Thai Palace has a "NO Dogs Allowed" policy, so we fought to get a seat in the empty restaurant. It was an educational opportunity as Banjo was well behaved, sleeping through dinner.

We headed back to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Neither Banjo nor Lisa appreciated the trumpet and live electronics duet. But we all found the vibraphone and piano pieces enchanting. Once again Banjo fell asleep and this time he started snoring.

We arrived home late for a Sunday and had to take a taxi home; there really isn't much room in the backseat. We had to do a little cajoling to convince the cab driver to take a dog. Back at the hotel, Banjo scarfed down his three cup dinner ration. Breakfast has been changed to one cup to avoid potential accidents.

Plane, Trains, Escalators, ...

We are now in the nation's capital and Banjo is resting peacefully at my feet. We just completed an evening potty excursion in our new surroundings and he is ready to sleep after a long restless day.

First, we interrupted his slumber at 4am to potty, pack and leave by 4:30. His rest in the car was interrupted to board the plane. On the plane we worried about his ear pressure; we gave him some ice to chew. He wasn't phased and curled up for a nap to catch up on missed ZZZs only to be awakened by the landing gear deploying under him.

His afternoon consisted of a bus ride, two train rides, a few escalators, two van rides, and a cat nap during our lunch. After lunch, we took another train back into DC. Our train ride is about forty-five minutes, not sufficient for a good puppy nap.

Exploring the city, we walked over a lifetime supply of sidewalk grates - they are everywhere. After all the escalators, Banjo would stop and wonder why they weren't moving.

We walked past the White House on our way to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where Lisa and I listened to the PUFF Quintet from The Julliard School. And Banjo Slept. We had to interrupt his sleep again when he started to bark during a dream. One final train ride/nap back to the hotel for a well earned dinner and an uninterrupted good night's sleep (8 hrs).