2007 Blog Review

This posting will be the 70th posting to the Summit Dogs blog. We started the blog in the middle of July and have averaged around 14 postings - or almost one posting every other day - over the 5 months of the blog existence. I think it's been a great start and we've received lots of positive feedback from our readers.

I will take this opportunity to thank Donna and Alice who are the biggest contributors to the blog; between them they're responsible for around half of all the blog's postings. Thank you!

October's graduation was one of the highlights of the year for everyone involved in Summit's work and we will be posting the recent graduates' stories alongside those of previous graduates on the Summit web site early in 2008. I hope that in amongst the other wonderful stories, we'll be able to post some more updates on the progress of Danny, Summit's Assistance Horse.

Above all, I wish everyone involved in Summit Assistance Dogs and everyone who reads this blog my very best wishes and, for those of you that use the Gregorian calendar, a very happy new year!

Daz

Morgan’s Holiday Blog, 2007

Greetings, all you canines and humans. I thought I’d let you all know how it’s going in the Lee household. Well, it’s winter time and we have snow, which I love to play in and snuffle. But I am still not supposed to run or hurt my healing knees. Bah! Humbug!

It’s also what the humans refer to as holiday time. It doesn’t mean all that much to me, except that we have a green tree in the house (!), and I can’t use it for a marking spot. It’s by the back doors where the sun comes in, and all us animals like to nap and stretch in the sun. Here’s one of the cats I live with looking out at the snow. No way would they go out and try something new! I don’t know if it’s the black cat or the grey one from the photo; they are both so rotund. (All they do is eat and sleep, eat and sleep.)

Here are shots my human took out the back window, one of the sunrise and one at night with snow and lights in the tree with farolitos. I know what those are: they are like plastic lunch bags with lights, all the thing in Santa Fe. I think in other places they are known as luminaries. Ho hum, lights don’t really do much for me, but Alice likes them.

Me, I like presents. I know there are some under the weird-looking tree with my name on em. I can smell them. Why we have to wait is beyond me.

Hey guys, don’t eat plants like mistletoe, poinsettias, or holly. You’ll wish you hadn’t. Also don’t indulge yourself like the humans do with chocolate, cookies, rich eggnog, stuff like that. Taking off pounds is not fun. You want to keep svelte (like me). It is better for your health.

For the New Year people also make something called resolutions. Alice made two: Go slowly and ask for help. She doesn’t want to do either, but her physical therapist told her that. I was a witness. I like Corina lots. She’s cool.

Alice is also letting me go to the elementary school on Mondays. Like a king I get to walk in and out of the car on a ramp. All it needs is a red carpet. Can you imagine 25 little kids (multiply that by two for their little hands) all petting me at once? It happened last week. I just sigh and let them get their thrills. Ever seen a dog in school?

Well as they say, happy holidays.
I might add peace and goodwill to all humans and dogs.
Peace!

Morgan (as dictated to his human, Alice)

Teaching something new to Apollo

Video: Teaching something new to Apollo

Well I know it seems like forever since I’ve posted anything on the blog, but it seems like our life is so routine that there really isn’t anything new to say.  However, I thought I might share a short video of Apollo learning to turn on and off the light of the ceiling fan in our bedroom.  I just put a little extra chain and a baseball pull on the fan for him to tug on.  Right now he is learning to just do it by me saying “Up” “Tug”.  I am hoping to transition that to an actual command, but I need to talk to the trainers about how to do that.  I have also been working on getting him to tug off my winter hat, but I haven’t got a video of that yet.  I sure hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Peggy

December

Here’s a cool quote I found on Alice’s desk. “I’d rather be a dog and bay at the moon.” Shakespeare wrote that a long time ago. Pretty cool huh? He sure knew his stuff. Alice is very literary; she knows a lot of that kind of thing.

Life is pretty boring around the house with nowhere to go and no one to see. I’m on house bedrest, with a few outings now and then. No cavorting or frolicking, jumping, running, doing donuts, etc.

I did get a couple of get-well presents from people who LOVE ME (ME! remember, it’s all about ME!) And lots of well-wishing emails! New toys are like new books or new CDs or new movies. You get tired of the same old same old.


I um, have a pretty full laundry basket full of dog toys. (see photo). Sometimes I take them out and scatter them all around the living room. Sometimes I line them up in front of my bed in the living room. Sometimes I’d like to line up those two cats who act like top dog around here. I’m top dog! And they better not forget it!


I got a visit from my Auntie Sarah who brought me get-well presents, including an armadillo. I’ve never had a stuffed armadillo. Now I can add it to my collection of stuffed penguin, stuffed mallard, stuffed frog, and copper colored stuffed lions. My humans all call them my puppies. My favorite puppy has had his neck sewn up so many times with different colored thread he looks cool. Sometimes his brain-guts come out when I shake him in my mouth. Alice just picks it up off the floor and stuffs it back in his skin and sews him up again. This guy has been around since day one. Do you other dogs have any special toys you are fond of?


Here are the names of some of the books Alice is reading now; maybe she will learn something new about dog
language that she doesn’t know already. It could happen!

I like the first part of this title: Bones Would Rain from the Sky, Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs, Suzanne Clothier.

2) Merle’s Door, Lessons from a Freethinking Dog, by a guy named Ted Kerasote.(a freethinker!)

And a third one called On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, by Turid Rugaas.

If you are interested in dog-talk vs. people-talk take a look at these books.

Well it’s the time of year to hibernate for some creatures. Dogs don’t do that but we do like sleeping by the fire, and taking it easy.

Hey, life is pretty good. I get my meals on time every day, and walkies and treats for when I work. I have dog buddies (Aishan, the big wolf dog) and I sort of like all my dog dancing buddies, although we are not supposed to visit much with them. I have a new way to get in the car now I just walk up this ramp and go lie down.

Today, Alice left me in the car while she ran inside a place to pick up a thing. I could see her from the window. It helped to get in the front seat. There was a ---can you believe this?--- cat in the car next to mine!

I need to help Alice see where she is going. I like to put my head between the front seats right next to my person. I would sit in her front seat if she would let me, but it’s probably not safe.


Later, Woof!
Morgan, Service Dog to Alice

Here comes Christmas, ready or not!

I love this time of year, with the lights, music and people out walking. I would enjoy much more snow though. Hayden got to play in some at the Alternative Christmas Fair this past Saturday and LOVED IT!

I realized that this is his second Christmas with me. Last year at this time, he was still getting used to traveling with me to Lake Oswego, Oregon, to stay with my family. Both he and my nieces were getting to know each other, with Hayden being much more accepting than Charley and Jessie. He was taller than both and they were a little nervous about him.

This year, they love Hayden and he, them. Charley, the 3 year old loves to boss him around. She’s constantly telling him to “leave it”, whether he’s around something or not! He loves when she plays ball with him, telling him to “Dop (drop) it”, which he does, then she tells him to sit, which he does. At this point she’ll pick up the ball and throw it, either forward or accidentally backwards. He is very gentle and patient with her.


Jessie, who is 1, loves to take his toy, which causes him to look at me pleadingly. He doesn’t go and take it back until she drops it and I tell him to get his toy. She also loves to poke his eyes, put her fingers up his nose and grab at his tail when he walks by. He is very patient with her and in return, loves to clean up under the table when she has finished eating in her high chair. (I can sense all of the trainers groaning at this point.)


It seems as though Hayden has always been with me. He brings my morphine pack to me so many times a week, I take it for granted and seldom think about the days I had to go without, if no one was with me. He’s always at my side, helping me walk and navigate my way through life, increasing my independence and abilities to go out on my own without worrying.
I love this dog so much and can’t explain to others what this relationship is like. He’s not a pet, he’s not just a dog, he’s a true partner. He makes me laugh, experience joy and love in a way that entwines him into the fabric of my own being. I have a sticker on the bumper of our car that reads, “Dog is My Co-Pilot”. Many people have this sticker, but for me, it is true! Without him, navigating is much more difficult.


Needless to say, this holiday season I find myself thankful for so much in my life. My partner Jeaneen, my family and friends, Summit and my co-pilot in life.

2007 Holiday Blog by Morgan

This week I am going to have this fancy whiz-bang therapy for my stretched out knee ligaments. Alice and Wayne have agreed to this treatment, and we hope it will be successful. Alice is kind of squeamish about knees. You see, when she lived in Beijing, China, (before me), she got pushed down by a mob of subway boarders and landed on her knee. By the time she got home, her knee had swollen up to twice its size. She went to a Chinese doctor at the German clinic, and he said----

Oh hey, I don’t want to write about this now. She said it was the worse pain she ever experienced, although humans have no memory for pain. Alice has no memory, period. And did I tell you she has no short-term memory left? It’s very selective. Usually she claims Wayne never told her about some planned activity. They certainly are an old married couple: Bicker, bicker, but all in fun.

Thanks to all my faithful readers out there. I want to mention a special thanks to C. about the reference to the special kind cheese (Wensleydale) mentioned in the Wallace and Grommit videos. I did not know that. Alice said she would check out Whole Foods. YUM!

And to Chloe, the SDIT, about reading: one of Alice’s good dog buddies says, “Slow is fast.” It took me much time to learn to read. But every time Alice gets out the flashcards, I know there are special treats involved. The same goes with practicing dancing. Treats, treats, treats!

Remember my motto: Will Work For Treats.

Some dogs out there would rather have praise or a toy, like a ball. I can’t see that. It’s food for me that makes me want to do a good job. But did you want advice on the “sit” and “down” command? I don’t like to do downs. I will do them, but I take my time.

When Alice asks me to do something, sometimes she rewards me with a treat, and sometimes it is praise. I never know when I will get rewarded, so I guess I had better do it, just in case!


Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving.


Alice put a red bandana on me, so they could tell us apart. We are all the same copper color, and Chelan, the golden retriever, and I are about the same size. The little runt is a red heeler named Scout. She’s fun to play with. Here we are running in the snow, play fighting, or stallion-leaping. I get to get up on their sofa too. Neat, how well trained my humans are. And I love to burrow in the snow. It’s fun and I love the snow.



Happy holidays! Woof!

Morgan, Summit Dog, Class of 2002,(as channeled to his human partner, Alice)