Dog Den Blast

Woof fellow black dogs...we rule!!!!

Shepherds and Goldens quake in our dust!!!

Oh, wait, water-break...ahhh.




We all had a great time playing at the Dog Den Saturday morning. Pictures were a little difficult as most turned out to be blurry streaks. We were all pretty well behaved with only a few "unnecessary roughness" penalties and time outs. Poor Harley and Louie were on injured reserve...Harley was just neutered and Louie had a bit of a limp so he didn't get to play either. The humans just stood around and blah blah blah until a pack of labs broke up the talking.





I'll admit, I'm no Lab either and enjoyed some quiet time with Kotah.



There are some more pictures posted here.

All for now,
Wilbur

Pool Party

Today was Cinder's first pool party. She wasn't too interested at first, just licking and nosing the water from outside. Once she got her paws wet we couldn't keep her out of the water. She looked like a drowned rat most of the day. This is the only picture showing one of the pools. You have to look close to see Cinder.

The hosts of the party were Kane, seen here, Sable, and Buddy. Cinder shows great respect for the three big dogs. Also in attendance were Victoria, Snickers, Arie, and Keira. Keira, a six month old boxer puppy was her favorite playmate; they spent the day chasing, wrestling, and biting each other. The older dogs didn't enjoy the puppy nuisance.

Buddy makes a guest appearance on the blog. He and the rest of the canines were well behaved among themselves. Their only issues were food related. Each dog has its own style of trying to extract food from the overindulging pack leaders: simple begging, table surfing, oops I bumped the table, or watch my tricks.



Cinder and Keira had an issue sharing. Not toys, one of them did not want to share their doggie ice cream with the other. Cinder was carrying her frozen treat around the yard and thus was the last to finish, so I think it was her. Not knowing which dog initiated the disagreement, both were reprimanded. Cinder was forced to share the second helping - no doggie bags.


Eventually even the puppies tired out and had to rest. Every time she was dry, she would dive into the pool to get refreshed. Needless to say Cinder has not moved all evening except to eat and go outside to potty. Note: one serving of doggie ice cream is probably sufficient for a puppy.

House

We were busy last night gathering Echo and Buddy's medical records, paperwork, and supplies. Buddy's was officially transferred from us to his new owners. He will share his new home, just a few blocks away, with two dogs, a cat, and two humans.

Since the Puppy Coordinator was in town, she stopped by to get Echo. He will stay at her home, with seven other dogs, a cat, and two humans. Echo's future plans are not definite at this time, but she said that there are a few possibilities.

Bones chewed on the ends, a surplus of bags.
Leash hangs on the door, no jingle of tags.
Toys all picked up, the crate put away.
No barks to alert, very quiet today.

We don't see another dog in our immediate future, so I will be back in a month for Echo's bithday, unless we get an update sooner.


“For me a house or an apartment becomes a home when you add one set of four legs, a happy tail, and that indescribable measure of love that we call a dog.” -Roger Caras

New Journey

Buddy will be embarking on a new journey, once Echo decides if he wants to be a guide dog or hunting dog.



This morning, we worked with Echo by playing musical bone. Facing each other, each dog was given time to chew and when the "music stopped" we switched players. No possessiveness, they were each very tolerant.

I think that Echo is going through a phase and will work through it. He is not an aggressive dog, just going through a stressful period.

My White Shadow

Echo and I had an opportunity to play with bubbles. Just wanted to verify that his phobia has been cured. He literally attacks them as Buddy watches and wonders what the big deal is. They can't taste good, but he enjoys it so we may delay teaching him to to LEAVE them alone.

Since Lisa has assumed the leadership responsibilities for Echo, I have more time to work with Buddy. We took two hour long walks to work on HEELing, not crying when he sees other dogs in the park, and recalls off leash. He learns very quickly when I can focus. Too much walking for Buddy though, he slept all evening.

While Buddy slept, my white shadow followed me from room to room all night. Every time I got up I felt guilty. I tried walking out quietly, but he always heard me. Eventually I reverted to telling Echo to STAY if it was a quick trip. After brushing him, I cradled him until he went to sleep. Unless I remove myself completely, it's going to be difficult for Lisa to break our bond and become his pack leader.

Relax

A normal dog day for Echo. He went for a few walks and rested most of the day. He did get to see his buddies Victoria, Kane, and Sable at the park. For the most part Echo and Buddy were just relaxing today.

Final Post - Buddy

First, I want to thank all of the faithful readers. There are about 60 of you that read the blog periodically. Hopefully you found it entertaining. It was fun writing about Buddy's experiences and it captured many fond memories for future reference - the good, the bad, and the amusing.


Secondly, a huge thank you to the OccuPaws staff and other puppy raisers for their support and guidance. You helped us through the challenging times and shared the joy of our many accomplishments.



At this time we are not sure what the future holds for Buddy, only that he will make some family very happy - it may be ours. I do know that we will have a dog in our life.


Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

Decision?

Lisa and I have made our decision to keep Buddy in our home as a pet. We wanted him to succeed, so that we wouldn't have to make this choice. A couple of friends from the park were happy with the decision, they all love Buddy. However, I have been reconsidering ...


We got into this because we did not want a full-time pet, but we ended up getting a pet and so much more. We enjoy the benefits of a pet with the freedom that a guide dog in training allows us.

The bond with Buddy is obviously strong and we let ourselves get too attached. At times he seems more like a child than pet because he spends all day everyday with us. We knew it would be difficult to say good-bye, but weren't planning on being the ultimate decision maker to terminate our relationship. We don't want to betray him.


Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

Dog Jog

We woke up way to early this morning. We volunteered to help with the OccuPaws Jog for Guide Dogs and had to be to DeForest by 7:30. That didn't leave much time to sleep, walk, and eat. Weily only got the basic potty walk this morning. We made him work for his entire two cups of food using the food dispensing toy - Busy Buddy.

Weily was returned to his foster parents, Kathy and Theresa. He has only been with us for a week, but we will miss having his puppy love in our home. Then Kristen brought us our new pet, Buddy. The three of us spent the rest of the day playing with other dogs, "jogging" and eating. We saw ourselves on the news story at 5:00. Unfortunately we were dancing to the Banana Lady's song - not very flattering.

Heidi's mom has comments on the dog jog which are a must read for all puppy raisers.


Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. - Roger Caras

Failed

Buddy flunked his mandatory physical and is no longer an OccuPaws puppy. He and one of his sisters both showed dysplasia on their x-rays: Buddy's elbows and Bella's hips.

Our decision is pending on whether to keep Buddy as a pet or continue raising puppies. We don't feel that we can appropriately care for two dogs.


A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. - Ogden Nash

Heidi's Update

An update on Buddy from Heidi.

Puppy Guest1

After getting his hips x-rayed, Buddy left for a six week excursion. He will be visiting the homes of other Occupaws puppy raisers and experiencing new activities with them. Each puppy raiser will provide us with feedback to work on when he returns.

Buddy's first stop will be in Beloit with Heidi. Heidi has worked with every dog except Buddy. View her thoughts. Hopefully she will have good things to say about Buddy.

We welcome Weily to our home. Weily is almost 18 months old and will be progressing to formal harness training in June. Since arriving this afternoon, he has already gone for three walks. We met a little white dog on our walk and Weily was incredibly gentle and tolerant of the "annoying" little dog - she wouldn't leave him alone.

It's now playtime before our nightly walk before bed. He has already destroyed two toys. It looks like he will keep us busy sewing.

Here is Weily as a puppy.











We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. - George Eliot

Fear

After recovering from his minor bout of kennel cough, Buddy is now current with his bordatella. We had thought it was effective for one year. Our Vet Tech said that it is very effective for the first nine months and then is drastically decreases it's effectiveness. He received his nasal injection and about a dozen treats from the Veterinarian.

Buddy worked on one of his fears today - the lawnmower. His first introduction to the lawnmower last year when he was a puppy went well until it started. Ever since he has been skittish around small engines.

A neighbor was mowing the lawn today. She stopped and came over to talk. Buddy stared across the street and the mower and growled at it. So we took this opportunity to "Make Nice" with the lawnmower. First with it sitting inactive and when Buddy was comfortable, she started it up and we "Made Nice" to the powered up lawnmower.

This is Buddy's last night with us. Tomorrow we will see how influential we are; we start our puppy rotation.

If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around. - Will Rogers

Photos

Didn't do much today. So here are some pictures of Buddy.



Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. - Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Bike

With the warmer weather, my routine has changed and so has Buddy's. I started biking to work this week, so the walk in the morning is shorter than usual. Leaving for work out the basement door, Buddy barks at me as I as magically emerge from below the dining room window.

Upon returning home, later than usual, Buddy barks if he sees me coming and races downstairs to greet me. However, he needs to be calm down before receiving any attention. Not sure if he is barking at the bike or the helmeted intruder. Either way, it needs to cease.

Our before dinner afternoon walk has been replaced with a before bedtime evening walk. A good way to end the day for both of us. It's also much cooler for the big black dog. He enjoyed the tiled floor in the basement all evening.


Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend. - Corey Ford

More Stores

Didn't get much sleep last night. Buddy was crying at 1:00 am because he needed to go outside. He went out on his tie-out, did his business, and came back in. Since he was working on the thigh bone in the afternoon, I was worried that he was having digestive issues. So I never really got back to sleep. No digestive problem, we just didn't take him out late enough last night.

Since we couldn't decide on furniture over the weekend, Buddy was forced to go to the furniture store again today. The salesmen didn't have much to do on a Monday, so he received a lot of attention and Lisa fielded a lot of questions.

One more stop at the Home Depot before sitting through another town meeting. He met all the neighbors at the meeting and behaved wonderfully. No issues except for barking at the cat as she walked past the window this evening.
It's garbage day tomorrow. On our evening walk Buddy wasn't frightened or concerned with any of the cans.


There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. - Bern Williams

Yardwork

Last year when we worked in the garden and Buddy was tied out, he would bark and cry.

Our first day in the garden this year and Buddy passed his test. He didn't bark or cry even when the neighbor dog started barking at him. I told him DOWN and he stayed there silent.

Buddy's reward was a walk by and through the creek. We watched him frolic in the water and finished with a game of fetch in the water. He would run down the hill, jump into the creek, and up the other hillside to get the stick (and return). He has gained an appreciation for the water.


To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace. - Milan Kundera

Stores

Buddy's day started with a walk and ended with a walk. We walked to the post office this morning but it was closed. Our evening walk was through the park where we met a few dogs. In between the walks, it was a very busy day.

Bank, Post Office, Hardware Store, Home Improvement Store - sitting quietly in line and at the counter

Furniture Store, Electronics Store - plenty of walking around looking at all the choices, Buddy had the usual interactions with sales people and customers

Pet Store - Buddy wanted to play with a few cats that didn't want anything to do with him, met some dogs and puppies, one puppy was being walked by a little boy with a plan to walk the puppy so no one else could adopt him

Electronics Store - Buddy met many dog lovers here

Mall, Restaurant - finally a chance to rest and hydrate, met another real working dog (WAGS) that barked at Buddy, Buddy did not respond :-)

Furniture Store, Furniture Store, Electronics Store - made friends with salesperson and a few customers, quality time with a couple kids, Buddy barked a few times when he was awakened by some pounding noises

Ice Cream Shop - initially denied entry, opportunity for some education, cool tile floor = great place for a nap

Grocery Store - Buddy was hungry by this time and was focused on the lettuce, not sure why the lettuce caught his attention


Children are for people who can't have dogs. - Author Unknown

Chaos

Another opportunity to meet a visitor this morning. It went good, but we are finding that the visitor needs to behave properly. It's difficult to explain to a stranger how to act when they just want to get their work done. Today's visitor provided positive reinforcement when Buddy broke for him. He needs more repetition with knowledgeable visitors.

The afternoon walks in the park have been going really well. The other dog owners have been assisting with Buddy's training. A side benefit is that their dogs are getting some training also. The last few days Kane and Sable have been sitting and staying as we approach which allows us to correct Buddy and back away when he is overly excited. He only gets to greet them when he and they are calm.

The greetings went well today and the pack walked differently. They seemed to be more cohesive and calmer. We walked as a group which is very different than the usual chaos - "dogs being dogs".

As we prepared to leave for the grocery store, Buddy knew it was time to go and got himself ready. He didn't want to be left behind. If he would have known it was to the grocery, he probably would have stayed home. The only time he perked up was when we passed the meat section. He was very attentive as I carried the fifteen pound of pork chops to the register.

A quick stop at the restaurant to order some take-out and then home to watch the Dog Whisperer. Well we watched the show while Buddy slept. Good for him because we picked up a few more lessons tonight, it will be a hard day for him tomorrow.


We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. - George Eliot

Playground

We practiced greeting visitors this morning. He needs more repetition, so feel free to stop by anytime to practice.

This evening we walked to the park. Buddy's friends weren't walking today. They were all playing fetch and chasing each other. This was a good opportunity to first practice our calm dog greeting. Then after greeting everyone, he worked on his DOWN STAY. It was quite a test with dogs running past and over him. He did well, not perfect, so we let him play for a couple minutes before returning to a work - more DOWN STAY.

The party broke up and we walked past the busy soccer fields to the playground. Buddy hasn't been on the equipment for some time. No problem with the steps. Slight hesitation on the shaky bridge. He really didn't want to stop on the bridge, but he did STAY. He will not do the wobbbly plank.


Happiness is a warm puppy. - Charles M. Schulz