Some updates...

Recently, the "C" litter was born. This is the 3rd litter that Summit has bred in its breeding program. The litter includes five boys and two girls and all the puppies are healthy and good natured. You can read more about the litter and see a photo in Summit's July newsletter here:

http://www.summitdogs.org/Newsletters/2008_Jul.pdf

We have created a "Summit Assistance Dogs" group on facebook. For those of you that use facebook, please consider joining the group. facebook provides a convenient way for the folks at Summit to interact with the community of people interested in Summit's activities. By way of (great) incentive, Grant has uploaded some photos and videos of the puppies in the "C" litter to the facebook Summit group. You may join the group by following this link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7080623401

Daz

Morgan's blog for the end of March

Heyla


I had to spend last weekend alone without Alice. It was hard. I was worried and missing her. She went away without me for 4 days. Don't I look worried?
I tried to be happy with my dad person Wayne. We took long walks, and I even tried meditating with him.


Here is Alice being silly as usual with her bunnies. I tried to join in the fun with "Peeps Around the World" series of photographs of those little cultural icons in trees, bushes, wherever. But it was not much fun without my special person, Alice.


And it was an exciting time for black cat Sophie who on one of our walks(!) got treed by a barking and snapping dog. She was up there for over 3 hours. Finally Wayne had to become fireman Joe and rescue her. That's what she gets for trying to walk with us.

I still get to go out as Alice's service dog, but not always. She is talking of getting me a part-time job! I mean, haven't I worked enough already? Don't I start getting treats for just being? Ommmmm...

Later,
Morgan
Summit Service Dog
(as written through his keyboarding person, Alice)

Morgan's Blog "Movies, Sleeping and not Sleeping!"

Hey dudes,

My people took me to a movie yesterday that was so bad, all three of us ranted and raved after it was over. Wayne wrote a letter to the editor, and Alice added her two cents. It was so bad, I got up from my sleeping place at Alice's feet, and near the end  begged them by panting  my doggie breathe on Wayne, with a please-let's-leave-now-look.

They agree, they should have left the theater, but no, they stayed till the excruciating end. The name of the film had something to do with Bach, music I generally like, but the humans complained about the bad film: script, editing, photography, directing, all that stuff. And, worst of all, they had no popcorn!

Dog dancing is still fun. Some new dogs coming into the program,but I still can't play with any of them. Mary says "no freelancing." That means no nose sniffing, or no butt greeting. I mean come on! We say hello that way! It's all part of being a canine. Lighten up, Mary!

My human sister, Annie is coming to visit again. I like her. That means long walks and hikes and camping! Oh boy, camping, what fun! But we sold our VW camper bus so we currently have no vehicle to camp in, and Alice says she's too old for tent camping. Whatever! I just want to get out there in the wild and smell all the good nature things, and the campfire and stuff. It's so much fun.

To tell you the truth though my aches and pains are still around. I try not to let Alice know, but she knows anyway. I guess getting older and wiser is not all it's cracked up to be. Alice agrees: she has something called insomnia: neither Wayne nor I can figure out how she can NOT sleep.

I'm doing just fine, although I'm told I now snore when I sleep. Do not! It's probably Wayne or one of the cats making that noise. Those people always blame me for fart smells, burping noises, now snoring. I don't really mind: I get secret joy of making those sounds and smells!

It's 4:30 am: Alice has been up since 2: she's getting sleepy, and making all sorts of errors typing. I think she needs a break. Go back to bed, Alice. I need to sleep some more anyway!

Yesterday we had a big wind storm. Alice got knocked over by a gust of wind, and took Wayne down with her. I stayed on four feet. Her balance isn't what it used to be. Sometimes she let's me out in the yard, no walkies. Here I am forlorn, waiting to be let back in the house.

Well, that's about it for now. Life is pretty good:

Walkies, dog dancing, visits to the elementary school,good food, and treats! And lots of napping for this dog!

Yesterday, Alice and I practiced some dance moves. I got hotdog pieces for my reward. Way to go, Alice!

Woof!

Morgan,
Summit,graduate of 2002,
(as helped by his human counterpart. Alice.)

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser

Hello everyone.  I have good news - my hoped for, and expected new puppy to train for Summit is 'in utero' and should be born middle to end of this month.  That means I'll get her towards the end of May.  The mom is a lab and the dad is a collie.  Their first two litters have been very successful in the training program, so I'm looking forward to some good results.  So far, I have had mostly standard poodles, and Summit feels, (I agree) that they are not the best breed for service dogs.  None of mine have graduated.  They are a little too alert, curious, and into their own agenda for a service dog.  As a personal pet, I think they are the best.

I have been going to weekly obedience classes with my Summit pups in training.  I go in Gig Harbor to Jeanne Hampl's class which is for basic obedience, but she gives me more specific service dog  tips during the lesson.  She started the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound which is for people partnered with assistance dogs.  It is a support group, a training group and a social fun group.

The club will be having a very good workshop on May 31, a Saturday.  It will be held in Gig Harbor and I'm sure it would be worth your time to attend it.  Sue Meinzinger will be presenting on canine temperament for program dogs.

I'll be there and hope to see you there, also.

Donna

Suzanne and Gusto

Many of you know that I lost my precious Sadie (my dog) last summer - well, this guy

was a service dog for a wonderful place called Summit Assistance dogs and the human he was with for the past couple of years died a few months ago and Summit decided not to place him back into service.  They knew about Sadie and contacted me to see if I would be willing to take Gusto - a 4+ year old male, who, like me, was rather a lost soul.  So, Gusto has joined the group and he performed spectacularly for his first snowshoe trip ever.  He quickly learned about not stepping on the back of your shoes!  He is quite well-behaved.  I think he was as ecstatic to be out with us as we were to have him along!  You will be hearing more about Gusto.  I can't thank Summit enough for being so caring for me and Gusto.

By now, it had warmed considerably from our start of 22 degrees and the snow was getting soft.  So soft, that it was balling up terribly on Gusto's belly and legs, making it hard for him to climb and plow through the deep stuff.  We decided that with another 900' of gain to make Teanaway Ridge, we would call it good.  Besides, we had probably already come a good 4 miles and with a decent amount of gain and this was Gusto's first snowshoe.  I didn't want him exiting quite this soon!

All-in-all, a great day in the mountains.  It had "warmed" up to 35 back at the car.  Someone had a good day!

Morgan's Blog "Woof, woof! It's Spring"

Woof, woof!

It's spring , kinda. The birds are singing, the new smells are everywhere.

Alice is happy. She works in her garden when it's warm and sunny. Sometimes it's still cold and windy, and snowy. I go with her to her class on Tuesday mornings. It's like the old days when I was at the college, soaking up the knowledge.

This is a gardening class. She's is learning about gardening in New Mexico which is a whole new ballgame compared to gardening north of Seattle.

She also took me with her to the community college for a workshop. There were about ten people in the room and about ten service dogs. I was not allowed to greet any of them, just watch and be the veteran service dog. I got a little upset when she was interacting with some of the other dogs (they call it interviewing.) I mean what's up with that? I'm her service dog!

I really like going out with my humans. When Wayne takes me for walks he usually takes the camera along. Here 's a picture he took recently of the sky.

Alice and Wayne left me behind on Valentine's Day. I stayed with my Auntie Wendy, and though I got to sleep in her bed, I  know I missed a good trip. They saw horses, and llamas and dogs, all sorts of things. I wish I could have gone too.

Just a few more months of healing my knees. Then I can run and play again.

Alice is a good groomer. She's downright picky. She grooms me a lot! I get my teeth brushed (I like that), my ears cleaned (I don't like that),get clipped and brushed , and get my nails trimmed (don't like that, but I let her do it.)

Sometimes the cats butt in and want to be brushed too. Lately Sophie, the black cat goes along for our walks. What's with that? Who does she think she is? A dog? She just wants to see where we go when we take off . She's expanding her world, I guess. Who can blame her?

Well, that's about it for now. Alice and I were interviewed for the local paper recently. Hmm, fame is nice, but bones are better.

Woof!
Morgan, Summit Service Dog, class of 2002(and his human, Alice)

Morgan’s Winter Blah Post

Alice is growing tired of all this cold weather. I like it. The snow is great, but I still need to take it easy, and heal my stretched out ligaments on both knees. She takes me with her some of the time, for which I am eternally grateful, since I love going out among people, working, and smelling all the nifty smells.

Alice and Wayne took me to the movies this weekend. Alice fed me some of her popcorn. I just lie down and sleep or put my head on Alice’s leg.

She’s pretty cool for a person. She walks me and gives me treats, and even though I am supposed to be on “Bed rest,” I am well enough to dog dance every Saturday morning. This Saturday we won a prize for making the best circles. I do that really well. Also backing up and side steps and high fives. When she says, “spin” I think she is going to say, “speak” instead, so I bark. I think she is going to change the command. No more ”sp” words.

Like me, Alice is a party girl. She is already planning a dog party for me around May or June, (my birthday; I’ll be eight). She is going to invite all my dog buddies in the neighborhood (that would be Ai-shan, Tara, Carlos and Paco, Wendy the new greyhound, and other dogs), to the tennis court where we will chase cheeseballs and bob for hot dogs in a plastic swimming pool. Oh, and of course my dog dancing buddies will be invited. That would be Bryce, Gunther, Angela, Razz, Zach, Gabe and the little Sheltie, Sable. And my county dog buds, Chelan and Scout. I don’t know how well the dogs will get along with each other. But they will have their person with them.

And maybe Luna and Auntie Sarah will be in Santa Fe for the big event. I hope so! I haven’t seen Luna in ages. And we have a history, you know.

Alice has me wearing a red bandana for February. She’s such a Valentine person.

On another note,

Service kitties:

Would say things like

” Me? Work? Nah, I don’t think so. I need to nap first.”

Or

Me? Catch that mouse? Nah, I just want to play with it.”

Or

“Treats involved? No thanks, yawn, yawn.”

Or

“Me? Work for you? Uh, don’t you have that backwards?”

They just don’t have the same hardwired brain; if they have a brain, it must be pea sized. Where do they get off? Sleep and eat, sleep and eat. And they even get to poop inside the house in a special box. I don’t believe the easy lives they lead.

Ah, well, I’d rather be a dog. Man, everything I do is my favorite thing.

Have dinner? My favorite thing.

A car ride? My favorite thing.

Work in public with Alice? My favorite thing.

Get brushed all over? My favorite thing.

Take a nap the sofa? My favorite thing.

Cheese? My favorite thing.

Walkies? My favorite thing.

Dog dancing? My favorite thing.

You see what I mean?

Every new day is an adventure around here filled with goodies!

It’s the little things that count. Just ask Alice. She’ll say the same.

Woof!

Morgan Lee

(As dictated to his human) Summit graduate, 2002

Alice

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser

Hello everyone - You haven't heard from me in quite a while.  I don't have a Summit puppy to raise right now, so I'm feeling like I'm on a bit of a break from very serious training.  I've heard that the mother of 'my' prospective offspring is in season right now, so Hopefully that should equate into a puppy for me 4 months from now, or at least that's my best guess.  No promises!

My own little puppy, Chloe, is 11 months old now. (My husband is going out on a errand now, and just kissed only the puppy goodbye, and not me! I squawked!!! and I got my kiss. Status!) So little Chloe is learning many of the things that an assistance dog needs to know, just because I like training her, and because she can do demonstrations for kids and adults. The command 'tug' lends itself to many tasks. Her big sister, Maya, could do all these things using 'tug' - open doors and drawers (tug handle attached) take off socks and gloves, unzip and pull off jackets, etc. Chloe is working with a tug rope so far. The other good command I'm teaching Chloe is 'hold'. I use this command a lot when I am taking photographs for our books. Big brother, Eddie, used 'hold' for a telephone, a paintbrush, a wooden block, a puppet in our "Eddie Goes to Kindergarten" book. It's also good for holding a wallet, going paws up on a counter and handing the wallet to the clerk ('give'). Once a dog has retrieved an object for his person, he should 'hold' the object and deliver it to the partner's hand on the 'give' command.

I am also trying to teach Chloe to 'read' or recognize a few words on flashcards. I've read that Morgan can do this, and we are waiting for information from him on what he reads and how he learned, because we need a bit of help here. The kids in Chloe's Second Grade (her book) love the idea that Chloe is working with flashcards. She is a very welcome student in their class and we all have a great time creating her book, "Chloe is in Second Grade".

That's All For Now, Folks, I'll try to check in with you more often. 

From Donna and Chloe

Further Travels of Morgan and Friends

Well, it’s been a cold winter here in northern New Mexico. But the sun shines nearly every day on the living and dining room floors, and those two lazy cats and I just soak it up.

We (Alice, Wayne and I) just returned from a plane trip to visit Molly, one of my sisters (human kind). We flew on four different planes coming and going.

My checklist:

Travel blanket	X
Dog food	X
Kongs	X
Leash	X
Vest	X
ID and papers	X
Poop bags	X
Snacks (treats)	XX

Here I am on the floor of the plane, doing what I am supposed to do: make myself small and sleep. I don’t know what Alice’s boot is doing there and where is Alice?

A sign we especially liked at the hotel said I was allowed to stay there. Now that is good service dog communication!

We did a lot of riding in this new smelling rental car. Here’s a picture of Molly and me in the back seat. We had to share the seat, but I didn’t mind. I would just rest my head on her lap

This is a photo of Molly on her 19th birthday. You can’t see me, but I’m working, under the restaurant table being Alice’s unobtrusive helpmate.

All in all, it was a good trip.

Hey, I am racking up the states with all these trips.
Alice just has a few (five or so) states to visit  (Mid-Atlantic, she says) and then she will have visited every state in the US.
I have also been to Mexico and Canada!

I was glad to get home and sleep on my spot on the sofa and see all my toys…. Life is good.
Woof!

Morgan
(As channeled to his human partner, Alice)

Morgan’s Blog, New Year, 2008

Happy New Year!

I suppose you will be disappointed if I don’t write about resolutions. Okay, let’s get this part out of the way. Alice has a few this year (the first two recommended to her by Corina, one of my favorite humans!) Remember what they were?

Go slowly.
Ask for help.

As if…

Also she wants to be mindful; and practice loving kindness. She’s pretty good at being kind to me. Never a harsh word. Okay, sometimes there is a “NO!” when I’m in a mischievous mood, or when I get into the cat food.

And when we go for walkies if I forge ahead (so many good smells), she says “Hup!” and I know what that means. Stop and walk along side of her with a loose leash. Auntie Sarah taught us that one.


And number 3 (which I find a little disappointing since I am left out in the cold) is ta-da… Play with the cats everyday so they lose weight. (See low-rider Willow visiting me outside in the snow).


Now that is a good idea, but what about ME?

I could do with a resolution to make sure I am exercised daily to keep my shape, and maybe something about food, cheese, Gromit! I resolve to go on walkies at least 2x daily, and work for the best treats out there. (That would be cheese for me.)

I suppose I could resolve to be the best ever service dog to my person, Alice, but that wouldn’t be that hard, because I already am.

She is talking about making me the elder dog and showing some pupster the ropes. Hmmm. I’ll have to think on that one, and up the ante on treats too.(Was that part in my contract?)

I don’t know what the big deal is about celebrating the New Year, January 1st or February 7th (Chinese New Year) or winter solstice. We canines celebrate seven new years for every one for humans.

Are we party animals or what?

What are your human and dog resolutions?

Walkies? Treats? Naps? Presents to open?

I love ripping paper off my presents. I do it every chance I get. (Notice my sly smile in photo of ME unwrapping my pumpkin-flavored “Wet Noses” biscuits.)




Woof!

Morgan (as dictated to human partner, Alice)