She's not a fluffy puppy anymore!

Wow! Time has flown without me taking the time to write a blog entry. The beginning of the school year, Hurricane Irene, and life have gotten me away from blogging about the baby girl. And boy is she growing up!
She's losing that puppy look and filling out like a shepherd. Her coloring has changed from the tan and sable puppy coat into a dark back, tail, and snout. Oh the stories I have to tell!

The latest story happened just this weekend...While letting the dogs back in the house early Saturday morning (my son's 17th birthday!), my golden retriever, Harley, took off into the woods. I decided that the fastest way to get him back was to trick him. Usually, whenever I drive out of the driveway, Harley comes sauntering back as if to say, "Where did she go? Now how am I going to get back into the house?" So I let the black lab in the house, grabbed my car keys, loaded Halo into the car, and pulled down the driveway. I did a quick turn in the road and pulled back up the driveway. No Harley. On to Plan B.

Harley loves my son. I could call him all day long, but as soon as he hears Mitchell call his name, Harley comes a-runnin'. Therefore, I left Halo in the car (running) while I went in the house to ask my son to yell for Harley out of the second story bathroom window. Success! Harley came right back; I put him in the house and went back to the car. Which was locked. Running. With Halo in it. And I only have one key -- the one in the ignition.

The police department wouldn't help. My son's AAA card was expired. I don't have AAA myself. So I asked my son to do what any mom would -- I asked him to break into my car. The good news is -- my son is a terrible car thief. He could not get the door unlocked with the standard wire coat hanger. The bad news is that we had to break a window to get in. Thank God for full glass coverage. East Coast Auto Glass will be at work tomorrow to replace the window.

The moral of the story is: unless you are going to teach the guide dog to both lock and unlock car doors with power locks, do not leave her in the car alone with it running. She's smart, but not that smart.

One Month Anniversary: The good, the bad, and the waste of $10

Today marks one month since Halo came to live with me! It's hard to believe that so much time has already past. But it seems like times are a-changin'...I think we've hit the equivalent of the "terrible twos."

We've had a few celebrations and tribulations in the past two days. Yesterday, I worked at the SERC library and decided to try leaving Halo out of crate all day. I used her blanket to create her "place" next to my chair, and she was fantastic all day! I had the crate in my car, but never needed to go out and get it. Not only did she sleep the day quietly away, she spent most of the time lying on her back:

While yesterday included the first time out of her crate all day at work, it also included this:

Halo's first time on the couch. (I know it's a dark picture, but I think you get the point.)

I had gone into the kitchen to do something, and when I came back to the living room, Halo was nice and comfortable, smack dab in the middle of the couch, gnawing on a nylabone. Furniture is a Fidelco no-no. Since we don't know whether the guide dog user will want the dog on the furniture or not, we train them not to. It'll be a lot easier to allow Halo on the furniture later if the user wants to allow it than to try to retrain her to stay off the furniture later. I had to snap this picture quickly before shooing her off the couch, just to capture the moment in time. She's already jumped up twice again tonight; literally vaulted straight off the floor, all four paws in the air, flying onto the couch to get Harley. At least I'm getting some exercise too when I jump up off the recliner to drag her back to the floor. I hope this phase passes quickly. (Forget it, she just ran from the kitchen and dove onto my lap. It's like she's showing off her new jumping skills. GRRRRR.)

Today was another good news/bad news day. Halo spent the day crate-free again. And -- drum roll, please -- she peed on command! When I took her outside mid-afternoon to get busy, she walked straight toward the grass and laid down. She loves lying in the grass. I looked at her, said, "Get up and get busy," AND SHE DID! Fidelco expects that the pups be fully housebroken and get busy on command by six months old, so we're on track to meet that expectation.

However, we seem to be following a new pattern. Good things happen at work, naughty things happen at home. Do you see any problem with this picture?

I'll give you a hint. Before I took this picture, Harley and Halo were on the same side of the gate...on the other side of the gate!

I received a phone call at dinner time tonight when the dogs were wound up, so I stepped out onto the back deck to talk in a bark-free environment. Next thing I know, I see Halo's little face every few seconds as she jumps up to look out the screen door. The door she shouldn't be able to get to because the $10 baby gate is up to keep her out of the kitchen. Since the gate wasn't knocked down, she has obviously learned how to clear it by jumping over it. To answer my own question: Yup, I wasted $10 (see my Friday, August 29 post) .

One month has passed. Halo has gotten bigger. She has adjusted to "working" at SERC and has wound her way into the hearts of my co-workers. Best of all, she has brought a lot of joy and happiness to me and her foster dog siblings. Let's just hope that the next month isn't full of mischief!

Super Halo!

Meet Super Halo, in her new "cape" that shows the world she is a Fidelco guide dog puppy!

(Isn't she cute??)



We went for our first walk with her new jacket on today, and it was a huge success. I had to fight the urge to take her to the Crystal Mall. They told us to start small and make it fun without overwhelming the poor puppies, so I took their advice and went to the Norwichtown Mall instead. (This mall has only a few tenants left, as they are demolishing it to change it to a strip mall this fall.) There were a few stores open and some customers going in and out. A security guard was talking to some people, but Halo walked right past them without sniffing, hesitating, or trying to play. As a matter of fact, one of the customers said, "Oh, look at the dog," and I didn't need to say a word...the security guard said, "It's a service dog and it's working, so you shouldn't talk to it." Wow! The power of Super Halo's cape!!

We did a few laps around the mall, and I decided to go for the big guns. There is a Super Stop and Shop attached to the mall, so I got brave and figured I'd take her in. Just walk through the front of the store past the registers, and out the doors at the opposite end. When you think about a grocery store from Halo's point of view, there are all kinds of different (potentially scary) sights like carriages, noises (beeps from the registers, squeaky wheels, people talking, music), and a scary amount of two-leggeds (people) of all sizes and shapes. Neither one of us was ready to go up and down aisles together! However, after checking the sign outside the door to make sure Halo would be welcome, we entered, walked past all of the registers, and out the other end without a hitch! I was so proud. We stopped at McDonalds (confession: mom needed a Rolo McFlurry) after that. She came in with me to order and promptly flopped down on the floor exhausted. I got my ice cream and we went back out to the car, where Halo curled up on the floor of the back seat and fell asleep. Just enough for one day! (Again, isn't she cute???)

The thing you see on her nose in the picture above is called a "gentle leader." It's a different kind of collar that makes it more pleasant for both the human and the dog when walking with a leash!  It is a device that slides over her nose and clasps behind her ears which allows me to control her head when we're walking. If you've ever walked a dog with just a flat neck collar, you know how a dog will pull, and pull, and pull until the only one who is tired is YOU! Their necks and shoulders are so strong that they can continue to pull against you. But with the gentle leader, I can direct her head (or should I say, nose, since it's always sniffing!). It gives me more control and gives her better feedback about what I want her or don't want her to do. It does not muzzle her -- she can eat, drink, bark, lick (or bite) with it on if she needs to. She isn't completely comfortable with it yet because as soon as we stop walking she will scratch at it to try to get it off her nose. But once we get moving, it's like she forgets it's even there. She's on a mission!

This week has been an exciting one for her. She spent four work days with two of my coworkers, Dawn and Linda, who were great substitute foster moms while I worked! It seems like everyone at my agency is getting used to seeing Halo around, and Halo seems to be adjusting well, too. Some of the people who have shared that they are afraid of dogs even appear to be getting over those phobias thanks to this sweet little girl!

Our Fidelco class yesterday was different from the rest. We went to The Good Dog Spot, an indoor doggie play area, for an hour. Everyone from Halo's litter was there as well as a bunch of other dogs, from labs to spaniels to bulldogs to chihuahuas. Part of the purpose was to expose the pups to different breeds and let them play and socialize. But the biggest purpose was to start interrupting their play to get them to attend to us. So as the dogs played, we were encouraged to talk to our puppies to get them to pay attention to us, stop them from playing to do bodyhandling, see if they would follow a command or even follow us amidst all of the chaos of playing dogs and distractions. Quite the adventure! At first, the Fidelco dogs seemed to all hang out together. Elitism? Maybe. As time went on, they started interacting with the others. Halo explored, did a little playing, but spent quite a bit of time interacting with the people instead of the dogs. For a while, she was following me around and I had to try to lose her in the crowd. Inevitably, she found her way back. By the time the hour was over, she was just lying under the resin lawn chair I was sitting in. I can't figure out if we "passed" or not, but I can tell you that she had no trouble playing with any of the dogs, bigger or smaller, and clearly found me and obeyed me in a crowd.

I get the feeling this is gonna be one awesome guide dog.

Did I waste $10 on this?

After only two and a half weeks, Halo's fascination with watering my kitchen floor has gotten old. The only way to keep her from scooping all of the water out of the dog dishes and lying in it has been to tether her to me in the living room. Forgive me if I sometimes need a bit of peace and quiet without a puppy attached to me at the ankle (literally). I finally broke down and bought a baby gate.

I actually bought two. One is for the bottom of the steps to prevent her from running up the stairs and getting busy (#2) in the bathroom. (Please note that I think Halo is rather clever to do her "business" in the bathroom. After all, that is where the humans in the house do so. But unless she is going to learn how to go on the toilet, flush, and spray...she really needs to get busy outside like a regular dog.) That gate seems to be working very well. Now that she is confined to the downstairs, I can see the tell-tale signs of needing to get busy, so she isn't doing that in the house anymore!

The second gate is to block off the kitchen from the living area. She hates it. I love it. It isn't going to last. First, take a look at this:

How long do you think this is going to last??? Halo has already learned to take a running leap and throw herself at the gate. Her little 18-pound body hits the gate just below her front paws. Give her another week or two, and she'll be able to clear it. Once or twice, when I didn't have the gate secure enough in the doorway, she's managed to knock it right down.

Do you think I wasted $10 on this gate?

I'll let you know in a few weeks.



Halo's first day at SERC

Today didn't turn out the way I planned it to. Then again, it rarely does. But today it turned out well, because Halo came to work with me!

I got a phone call saying that Halo was barking and crying a lot, probably due to the painting that was going on right outside of the condo at which she stays during the day. She was quiet by the time I arrived, but I decided what the heck -- I'll just bring her to work with me for the rest of the day.

I tried to keep it low-key for her first time there and didn't go around showing her off, but as the afternoon went on the word started to spread! At first, she was just lying in her crate next to my desk but then the parade began! My colleagues started come to see her, and everyone absolutely loved her. She was very well behaved for being in a whole new place with so many people around. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the work world! My coworkers were so conscious and respectful of her status as a working dog in training and helped me make sure she wasn't jumping up or misbehaving. I had quite a few volunteers to help me with puppysitting when needed! Dawn Gosselin and Matt Dugan made it a point to come to our office building to visit Halo even though they were down the street at the library building. Nothing like a cute puppy to liven up the day.

By the end of the afternoon, she was lying under my desk like a fully trained service dog, just keeping an eye out for me and awaiting my next move. Who could ask for more out of an 11-week-old puppy that has only been with me for a little over two weeks? She is going to make on awesome guide dog!

I was so proud of Halo's behavior and friendliness, but mostly I was impressed with the way in which Halo's presence created smiles, laughter, joy, and happiness. The way that she lifted the spirits of everyone who saw her was completely priceless.Everyone keeps asking how long I will have her, and how I'm going to handle having to give her back. Today was just a glimpse of the future; it won't only be me who has to give her back, it will be all of SERC.

Our first class together

Halo went to her first class at Fidelco on July 9, but I was flying back from South Carolina so I wasn't with her. That made yesterday our first training day as a team, and we rocked!

Until Halo is about 6 months old, we have to attend class three Saturdays a month. The class is made up of only puppies from her litter, the "H" litter. All of the dogs have names that begin with H: Harper, Hugo, Harpo, and Hunter are some of her littermates. We bring the dogs fifteen minutes before class begins to give them a chance to play together (and get busy) before the work begins. While they play, all of the foster families get a chance to chat, and check to see if everyone else is having the same issues! I found out that most of this litter:

• likes to bark!
• likes the same heat-beating activities (see yesterday's blog entry)
• are play biting a lot
• have a black marking on their tails about 1/3 of the way from their rear ends.

Seeing them all in the fenced area playing was like watching sextuplets -- it was hard to tell them apart! They ran, tumbled, sniffed each other, and got reacquainted. Then it was time for class.

Halo was a star! The trainers reiterated that, at this point, we are still supposed to be "luring" behaviors. This means that we position a treat in such a way that the dog will do the behavior we want, then we "mark" it as soon as they do the behavior by saying, "Good (sit, down, touch, or whatever the behavior is" and giving the treat. This reinforces the behavior with food, positive/excited voice, and helps the puppy start to attach a word to a behavior. We spread out around the room to go through the puppies' repertoire, which gave me the chance to speak with one of the trainers. I told her that Halo is already obeying spoken commands without a treat and from a distance. She seemed happily surprised and said that it is ok for me to stop luring and use the words! My puppy is obviously gifted. We also practiced walking on the leash using the gentle leader with the pup walking in the right area (next to us on the left, making eye contact every few steps), and Halo did almost perfectly with that, too! We even got some praise from the trainer for a perfect "recall," which is the fancy word for calling the puppy to you and having her actually come! Halo came right to me, I grabbed her collar, and she sat and made eye contact exactly the way she is supposed to. I feel like a proud mom.

I also overcame a huge hurdle yesterday. I am scared to clip dogs' nails. I once clipped my shepherd/golden mix Butterscotch's nails so short they seemed to bleed forever. I literally had to use clumped cornstarch to stop the bleeding (I had to call the vet to get that trick). I have never cut doggie nails since; and that was about 10 years ago! Yesterday, the very first activity was....you guessed it, nail clipping. I immediately asked for help. Don't be misled -- it wasn't Halo that was the problem! Part of our daily body handling activity is for me to touch her paws, extend her nails, touch between the nails and pads, etc. to get her used to being handled. No problem on her end! But the sight of nail clippers led to instant anxiety on my end, which is not something I want to share with my baby girl Halo! A volunteer came over to hold Halo still for me (not a problem there...) while I just clipped the very tip of her nails. I'm proud to say that I cut four nails on one paw without a single drop of blood. Or drama. Mission successful. I even came home and did 2 more nails from another paw last night. All by myself. I'm a big girl now.

First class: A+. I have the smartest dog in the class.

Halo beats the heat

You know it's hot when even a puppy doesn't want to play outside.

We've just been through a short heat wave here. All week, it's been hot and humid. Yesterday was 102 which put the heat index at about 110. Needless to say, every living thing was miserable -- including the cutest Fidelco puppy in the world, Halo.

It's been hot enough that my son finally pulled the dogs' pool out of the garage loft. We have one of those plastic kiddie pools for Harley, who loves to wade or lie in it during the summer. Halo went in it with Harley for the first time two nights ago and seemed to enjoy it, but in last night's heat she only wanted to drink from it! She wasn't interested in swimming, she just wanted back in the house where it was air conditioned! Harley spent a couple of minutes in the pool retrieving dive rings one by one; he hates having things in the pool that don't "belong" there. But even after getting the dive rings out of the pool and onto the deck, he wanted to go inside as well. I think I was the only one enjoying having my feet in the cool water! So we went indoors where we moved on to Halo's other favorite cooling techniques.

She has some pretty cute (?) habits for beating the heat. One of her favorites is playing with ice cubes. She will lick, crunch, throw, chase, and carry around ice cubes to cool off. Unfortunately, the automatic icemaker in my freezer is broken, so we're back to using the old fashioned plastic ice cube trays. Between Halo and the other two dogs, we use up an entire tray every evening. Cheap entertainment!

It's probably a good thing Halo eats ice cubes, because she certainly isn't getting her hydration from the water in the dog dishes. That's right -- she doesn't drink from the dog dishes. Not because she is picky. Not because I forget to fill them. It's because of her other favorite way to keep cool. You see, Halo likes to approach the most full water bowl in the kitchen, stick both front paws in the water, and splash the water out onto the floor so she can lie in it. When one bowl is empty, she moves on to the next...wet floor, wet puppy, wet feet for mommy.

The first couple of days that I had her, I left water in her bowl inside the crate during the day. when I would let her out to walk her midday and before going home, I was wondering if she just spilled her water bowl or had an accident in the crate. It only took a few evenings of seeing her escapades at home to realize that this is just her way of cooling off. Or maybe she is doing it to keep clean, though that would be kind of like letting the bathtub overflow and then rolling around on the bathroom floor. I'm guessing it's more about cooling off than keeping clean.

After talking to some of the other puppy raisers who are fostering Halo's brothers and sisters, it seems that the entire litter loves ice and does the same thing with their water bowls. Could it be genetic?

Regardless, it's pretty doggone smart.