The Ears Have It

If you've seen Halo lately, you've noticed that she's all ears. Just look at these things:



Kinda makes you wonder if she'll ever grow into them, doesn't it?


Those ears are starting to get Halo's mouth in trouble. This normally quiet puppy has found her voice and is using it to let me know when she hears  something she doesn't recognize. Sometimes she just does this little "woof, woof" in a low, quiet voice, and other times she starts into the territorial, protective, "I-don't-know-what-that-is-but-I-don't-like-it" bark. When she does it at the office, everyone takes note!

Some things she's heard and barked at:

• my co-worker, Terry's, ultra-deep voice
• geese and other birds
• a 3-hole punch
• some cell phone ring tones
• reverse beepers on trucks
• and, of course, other dogs.

This past weekend, an episode of "Cops" came on my tv. A K-9 officer had subdued a suspect and was barking at him while the arresting officers caught up. Look at Halo watching tv! It's the first time she's ever seemed to notice that talking box in our living room. She sat there so attentively for a minute or so...

 then moved closer to take a look. I think she was disappointed that she couldn't smell the dog through the screen....

Remember Curious George, the monkey?

Well, I've got Curious Halo, the dog.

No Halo Allowed!

Well, it finally happened. It still has me flabbergasted. Halo was not allowed into a public place for the first time today. And the most disappointing part of it all is -- it was in a school.

I've been bringing Halo to work with me at SERC for over two months now, and I've also started taking her to schools with me. Mind you, this is all with the blessings of the agency (as well as the law). SERC has been incredibly supportive of this whole adventure. Even when some employees had concerns about dog allergies, SERC worked to create a plan that would safeguard those with allergies while allowing Halo to continue her training in our office. Some spaces at SERC are dog spaces, and some are "no-dog" spaces; we've compromised in a way that allows everyone to do what we need to do. When I have reached out to schools to let them know that I am training a guide dog and would like to bring her with me to their schools, I've received an overwhelmingly positive, welcoming response. Until today. May I vent? I'll tell you what happened, but I refuse to reveal the school; don't even ask. I need to protect the guilty.

I didn't find out until 15 minutes before our meeting started. I had sent out an email last week to all of the  schools I have not visited yet this year to let them know about Halo and give them an opportunity to ask questions, bring up problems, etc. (Again, a number of positive responses came back right away!) I didn't get a response from today's school, but physically saw the principal last week at a training and they (sorry, grammar freaks -- we have no gender neutral singular pronoun in English to hide the person's identity) didn't mention it. Neither did I, for that matter, but I was busy doing the training. Anyway, I called the principal on Friday and left a voicemail because they were busy, but never got a return call. Even though it was Columbus Day weekend, I checked my email last night at about 7:00 PM -- no email. So I erred on the side of the law, "no news is good news," and the fact that schools are supposed to be welcoming places for the public and people with disabilities -- and I brought her. Only to be told at 8:15 that she couldn't stay because of district policy. The principal did apologize for not letting me know sooner than the Columbus-Day-8:00 PM-email I didn't see yet.

I could have left her Aunties Dawn, Linda, and Shital back at SERC. But now I am 30 minutes away (an hour round-trip) with only 15 minutes until start time. I could have left her at home and had Mitch feed and walk her after school. But now I am 45 minutes away (an hour and a half round-trip). I could have had a hissy fit, put on my lawyer hat, cited the law, or left to take her to SERC or home and just been late for the meeting. Fortunately, it was cool today so I was able to move my car into a shady spot with the windows down for Halo to spend the day.

I think I handled it well. I didn't let my frustration and irritation show. But, more than anything, I am disappointed. Schools should know better.

I did get the email that was sent at 8:00 PM last night when I got home today. I replied; I complimented our work today, then stated that I will make other arrangements for Halo in the future when I have to go to that school. I can accommodate that, since I don't actually need Halo myself. However, I encouraged the principal to discuss service dogs in the schools with the central office administration. I nicely said that what happened today is illegal, and it is highly likely that a service dog will become part of their school community at some point. Service dogs aren't just for visually impaired; there are service dogs for hearing impaired, physically/mobility disabled, seizure alerts, and the newest service is assisting those with autism. They aren't pets. It's the equivalent of telling someone to leave their glasses, hearing aid, crutches, or wheelchair outside.

On a positive note, a paraprofessional found out that Halo wasn't allowed in; she was visibly upset by the situation and actually confronted the principal! She was incredibly helpful by going out to give Halo water and walk her several times during the day. I intend to send her a thank-you note. She was the bright spot of the day; she completely understood!

I didn't think I'd ever have this issue in a school. It saddens me. All the more reason to continue doing what I'm doing. It's the best way to educate people.Thanks for listening.

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.