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

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

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

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser - Maya and Chloe

Hello All - You might remember that Maya moved up to Anacortes in September. We went up for Summit Graduation in October and Sue said that Maya was doing really fantastic. But.......several days ago I got some not-so-good news about her. As she became more comfortable with her new people and environment, she started barking, a habit we had worked hard to correct around here. Sue has not given up on her, but is concerned that she might not be able to stop the barking, in which case Maya would not be suitable for work as a service dog. There is another career waiting for her if she does not graduate. Sharon, her breeder, would like to offer her the job of Motherhood! She would have a happy and fun life with her family in Montana. So either way, she will be a working dog!

Chloe, Maya's little sister, is now eight months old and happily exploring the world around her. Today she went to the elementary school to celebrate Halloween with the Kindergarten classes. Everyone had on a costume - Chloe was a horse with a teddy bear cowboy on her back - and we all paraded through the classrooms in the buildings. She also was on stage last week in a program put on by the primary grades on the topic of cooperation. The classes each took a nursery rhyme and presented the traditional version and the cooperative version. Chloe was one of the horses in Humpty Dumpty, and I'm happy to report that they did get that egg together again using cooperation.

Donna

Graduation Photos

Peggy takes Apollo's leash from puppy raiser Lisa:


Anne receives Scout's leash as Debbie and a young helper watch. Scout did not have a puppy raiser as he was an older rescue and went directly to advanced training:


Maggie takes Alki's leash from Zander who was his puppy raiser along with Peggy and receives a special quilt made for Alki from Wendy:



Donna

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser - Maya and Chloe at graduation

Hello everyone - Peggy posted on the Summit graduation from the point of view of a graduate, or two grads, because Apollo deserves heaps of credit for 'making it'. I know that it is not at all easy for a dog to do all the things we ask of her, especially when they don't make sense to her. I am posting from the puppy-raiser point of view.

We went up to Anacortes on Friday. Sue - Summit's Executive Director - said we could have Maya, my "Service Dog in Training" (SDIT), for the weekend, so we wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. We met at the Fidalgo Care Center where I was able to watch Sue work with Maya. I was so pleased to see Maya's attention and devotion to Sue. It really let me know that Maya was happy there. Of course I took a lot of photos, as there will be another book coming out, this one about Maya - her life with me, with Sue, and on and on.

When Maya saw Chloe and us, we got a huge welcome, and Chloe and Maya could not hold still. They soon fell into their familiar relationship and Chloe chewed on Maya and Maya washed and washed Chloe's ears. "Who's been taking care of you?" she wondered. "Your ears are definitely not clean enough!" We stayed in our motor home and had lots of long walks and free play time. We met with some of the other Summit or former-Summit dogs and their people.

On graduation day, Chloe had to stay in the RV, but Maya sat in the first row and watched the ceremony with interest. At one point she even jumped on the stage to get a closer look! What does she understand about her life, and where she is going?
The ceremony was great, and a bit of a tear-jerker, as usual. Peggy did a great job as class speaker. "Kudos to you, Peggy!" When we came to the part about the puppy raisers handing over the leash to the graduate, I could only wonder who would be on the stage next year. Would Maya and I be up there? Would I hand over a leash to someone who would love and cherish Maya for the rest of her life, and need her like nobody else? Maya is the fifth dog I have puppy-raised. If she graduates, she will be my first. This is no easy job to ask a dog to do. Sue is very happy with her so far, but we'll keep our fingers crossed and wait and see.

After the ceremony, we brought Chloe in to the reception for a brief visit. And then it was time to leave. Maya left first and went into her van. As we were leaving, Chloe was looking around for her. "It's time to go. Where are you?" I buckled her into her seatbelt harness. We started up the engine, and she knew that Maya was not coming with us. She cried and cried - something she has never done before.

It was a wonderful weekend, one that I will not forget.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Cheek Licking Delicious!

Hello everyone - Chloe and I went to school today. First we went to kindergarten and had a quick introduction. The kids sat in a circle and each child held a piece of kibble. Chloe nibbled her way around the circle as the kids petted her. Then we were off to second grade to work on our book, "Chloe is in Second Grade". We were doing a sequence about a girl who is sad, and Chloe comforts her. We had them both sitting on the rug, with the girl looking sad and crying. But then, Chloe was supposed to kiss the girl on the cheek as she started cheering up a little. How could we make that happen? Poultry flavored tooth paste to the rescue! As the girl was not delighted to have the toothpaste on her face, the teacher stood at the ready with a wipe as soon as we had shot the scene.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - The visit

Hello out there - You know that my Summit trainee, Maya, has moved up to Anacortes for her advanced training. So far the reports are very good - such as "Lovely Girl", "Well mannered", "Quiet...not pushy....settles nicely...gets along well with people and dogs...sweet, quiet, and well behaved, ...easy to handle" OK so you get the idea of so far so good. Of course a dog can be released from the program at any time, if some unexpected behavior shows up, so I have learned not to expect her graduating next spring, but I do have high hopes.

The Good News is - we will be going up to the Summit Graduation this coming Sunday and Maya will be staying with us for a 3 day weekend!!! We are very excited about this. Her little sister, Chloe, is not excited yet, but she sure will be when she sees Maya. She's only been away 2 1/2 weeks, but we all really miss her. So I'll take lots of pictures and bring you all the news of the event as well as all the doggy news of the area.

In the mean time, and for the next 6 months, I ask that all you in the blogosphere keep your fingers crossed for Maya's success as a service dog.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Chloe

Hello! Chloe is not a Summit dog, but my own forever dog.

Today we went to second grade. Did I tell you that we're writing a book called "Chloe is in Second Grade"? I know I told you at least once! Well, today was a great day for the book project. The class was doing a lot of math, partly because we were there. We started off the visit on the rug playing math games with cards. Then we did weighing and measuring. The teacher, Mrs. Simmons, likes the kids to do a lot of problem solving, and you'll see that they did plenty today. She measured the height of the kids and a helper checked their weight. They each wrote out a paper saying: "I weigh _____ pounds. I am _____ inches tall."

When it was time to measure Chloe, we discussed where you measure a dog, and the need to have consistent measurements, then we measured her at the shoulders. She was 24" tall. When it was time to weigh her, of course she would not fit on the bathroom scale. Another problem to solve. How can we find out how much she weighs. One second grader came up with the answer, and we proceeded to weigh the teacher, #128 and the teacher holding Chloe, #178. What math problem did we do to find out Chloe's weight?

After everyone had their papers ready, they each added Chloe's height and weight on them. As a group we found out - Who is taller than Chloe, or shorter? Who weighs more, less, the same?

We will save the papers and weigh and measure in a few months to compare. What do you predict: "I think that ( I / Chloe) will grow more. " We'll see.

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Maya

That's All Folks - She's gone now.

I delivered Maya to Alice this Friday, Sept. 14, and she brought her up to Anacortes the next day. When she left me, I had just about 8 tears to shed as I had used up so many in the past two weeks. Chloe, her little sister, is now getting a super abundance of hugs and attention.

Maya is staying and training with Sue M. and will be there for about 6 months. Sue says that she has settled right down and is doing well.

The day before she left, I gave her the final haircut at my house. Poodles take a lot of grooming, and the Summit staff has lots to do, so I gave Maya a 'working girl' cut. I cut short all her body, tail and head fluff, trimmed down her ears, and just left a little fluff on her mustache area. She looked like a sleek hunting dog with a beautiful body - not cute, but beautiful.

So I guess my future posts to this blog will be about Chloe for a while, as I don't have another Summit dog yet.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Maya and Chloe

Yesterday I went to my elementary school with Maya and Chloe. They had both visited quite a lot last year, but this was the first visit of the new school year. We went to second grade where they had spent a lot of time before. I brought Maya there once a week and left her for a few hours with the teacher and kids so she would become accustomed to being away from me and would not be stressed by it.
Many of the kids in the class were the same ones that were in the kindergarten class when we photographed 'Eddie Goes to Kindergarten", so I brought the book to read to them without saying anything about it. Of course for a 7 year old, 2 years ago was probably not in their recent memory box, but it was fun to see a few of them start to catch on that the book was about them and their school. What really triggered it was "Pikachu", the Kindergarten guinea pig. Then they knew.



I told them about our new book project, 'Chloe is in Second Grade' and that we were going to pretend that Chloe was one of the students and would do lots of the same things they do, like shaking hands with the teacher on entering the class. They were pretty jazzed about the idea. Then we played a game - button button, who's got the button. The kids sat in a tight circle on the floor, and Maya and Chloe sat on a 'stay' in the middle. Instead of a button, we used two pieces of smoked salmon treats. The kids secretly passed the treats behind their backs, and then at the signal, brought their closed fists in front. I told Maya, 'Go find it' and she was eager to search for the treat. Of course, Chloe didn't know what was going on, so she just watched. After Maya found her treat, we helped Chloe find hers.



We have high expectations of the kids when the dogs are present, and they are so eager to have the dogs there that their behavior is remarkable. They are quiet and sensible, and are able to do their work with the dogs walking around. Of course, if they get too excited, then the dogs get excited too and it's all over.
This morning when the kids came to school, the first thing they said was, "Where's Chloe?" as they were expecting her to be a full time student. We came in later in the morning and took some pictures of her with the kids. Here are some pictures of our morning's work.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Eddie and the Walrus

I've been hearing a preview of a report on NPR about work and what motivates people to do it. A walrus trainer was talking about the fun of training walruses when they 'get it' and have an 'ahah!' moment. This reminded me of a time when I was training Eddie. I had been 'falling down' and then asking Eddie to 'get the phone' for me. This is a very important, even life-saving task that assistance dogs regularly do. The partner has a dedicated cordless phone which is always in the same place, and may have a handle, or a cover on it for easy carrying.

After doing this for a week or so, I 'fell' in the living room within sight of Eddie. He gave a little jump and I'm sure he smiled as he 'said' - "I know what to do. I know it! I'm supposed to get the phone right now. I can do it!" And he ran, got the phone and brought it to me with such joy, that the lightbulb over his head lit up my day, and continues to do so even now. It's kind of interesting when you think that a dog has no idea of what a phone is or what it's good for. He takes our word for it that we need it; that it's important to us, and so it's important to him. Dogs are so amazing. I suspect other animals are also amazing, and so is all of life if we only take the time to look and understand.



The photo of Eddie with the phone was taken in kindergarten in the fall of '05, and is in the 'Eddie Goes to Kindergarten' book.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser - Maya and the haircut

We're down to the wire here with Maya. We have 10 more days with her before we need to hand over the leash to the professional trainers. We went to Ft. Flagler again the past 4 days for her last vacation with us. Our RV was in prime waterfront position and we had many beautiful views, starting with a bald eagle circling overhead for some time. Sunsets were fantastic, as was the weather.




Maya is now wearing a bark collar, as she has been getting too talkative. She quickly figured out what was going on with the citronella spray. There is a tiny microphone in the tiny spray box which is positioned at the front of her throat. When she gives a good bark, it releases a fine mist of citronella which is harmless but unpleasant to dogs. She has learned to give one quiet, low bark instead of the usual energetic barking. It's quiet enough that it doesn't trigger the spray. She doesn't bother barking at the neighbor dogs any more - what's the fun if you can't do a good job of it?

I'll keep you all posted on her progress, even after she's gone, because Sue promises to do the same for me.




The picture of the two dogs and the haircut is a puzzle. There is really only one dog in the picture. What is the second "dog"?

That's all for now, folks, Donna et al.

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser - Maya and the Attack Dog

Video: Maya and Chloe Playing

I took this movie of our puppies playing together because they are so much fun to watch. But as I watched it several times, I started to understand the interaction between the two of them. The noise is all from the puppy, Chloe 6 mos. Maya, 18 mos. is quietly and happily tolerating it all. Watch how Chloe repeatedly goes after her and Maya puts her in her place.

Donna

Out and About

This year we have had our 'South Sound Summit Booth' set up at various events.  The first was the Mother's Day Best of the Northwest Art and Craft show in Magnuson Park.  Peggy, Scottie and I and our pups manned the booth and got a good response.  Next we did the King Co. Adoptathon, the Pierce Co. Dogathon, and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts Festival.  People are delighted to hear about the work we are doing with the Summit dogs.  We hang a sign around the dogs necks, "Hugs & Kisses - $1." which gets a great response.  I found one young woman kneeling with the dogs arms on her shoulders, and into a big schmooze.  "Hey! That's really going to cost you!" I said, and she laughed and stuffed some money into the donation jar. It's a lot of fun, but more importantly, it's getting the word out about Summit so we can gain greater support in the community.

Donna

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser - Maya at the beach

Last Tuesday, a cloudy day again, but we headed down to the beach anyway.  It's a long walk down a hillside under tall maples on a switchback road.  Maya and her little sister, Chloe, frolicked and sniffed all the way down.  I had thought of practicing recalls on the way down, but it was useless.  The pull of the wild was too strong.  When we got to the beach, the neighbor dog, a female black lab, joined us.  Our grandsons from Calif. threw sticks for the pups to fetch and we all enjoyed the cool, fresh air.  After disturbing a fisherman who wasn't catching anything, we proceeded along the beach, finding jellyfish, starfish and other tasty oddments. Maya has never been in swimming, but today wasn't the right day as I will have to go in the water first and coax her in.  I'll take a warm, fresh water lake, please!

After the dogs all had a good run, we headed back up the hill, this time practicing our loose leash walking, as the dogs were tired enough to cooperate. By the time we were back at the car, they were dry enough and we all went happily home.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser: Maya

Maya is 17 months old now.  At 18 months of age the dogs usually move to Anacortes to live with the professional trainers for their advanced work.  They will meet with a group of prospective partners and choose and be chosen.  Summit will find out what the prospective new partner needs for help from her dog, and train the dog accordingly. This sounds like a good plan.

So now, imagine that you have been living for the past 15 months with the very best, most wonderful dog you have ever had in your life.  That's saying a lot because I've had quite a few dogs in my life. None of them come near her for personality, willingness to learn, to work, to cuddle, and of course, to play at everything.  She is a great agility dog - really fast, a great therapy dog - sweet and gentle with children. But it's time for her to go.  How will I manage to say goodbye to her?

I was in my pottery workshop today thinking about all this. People often say to me, "I don't know how you give them up"  or "Isn't it hard to give them up" and I say something silly like, "Well, you know from the beginning that it's not your dog and you don't get to keep it, so you just do it."

I've found that if I can feel a little angry, I can keep myself from crying about all of this. I was in the workshop imagining her leaving as tears were dripping down my nose and onto the clay fish that I was cutting out.  I tried out several sentences to say to people in my angry voice, like, "This topic is OFF LIMITS!" or "We're NOT talking about this, so just STOP!" It didn't work out very well, and I dripped away. Maybe writing this blog will be therapeutic and will help me get it out. But I have to tell you that giving up a dog that you love as much as I love Maya is just awful, crappy and horrible. AND I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!  So don't tell me you've read my blog and how you felt so sad, or how can I do it, or anything like that because THAT TOPIC IS OFF LIMITS!  You can send me an email if you want and I'll read it in private, but I don't want to be a public drip-face.

I'm glad I know Peggy and Michelle who are partnered with Summit dogs, because it makes it a little easier to see them working with their dogs and know that that's what it is all about. I've got about 5 weeks or so left with Maya, so excuse me while I get another cuddle with the world's best dog.

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser: Eddie the forager

Eddie was always a good eater, never fussy.  One spring day he discovered that there was good food to be had in our yard.  I caught him with his head poked under the 'bird' netting over the strawberry bed, eating away.  He visited it regularly. Soon the snow peas were ready and he would stand by the rows eating. Next came the blackberries.  He stood in the driveway with his head poked into the bushes.  He stood there a long time. His final endeavor was the plums that had fallen off the tree.  He ate them, seeds and all.  This did not work out very well, or perhaps too well, as they were prune plums.  Need I say more?  I had to start raking under the tree and put an end to his free lunch.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser: Maya

That brings up to dog #5 who is my current dog, Maya. She is Eddie’s half sister and looks just like him, but a bit smaller. She is very exuberant and confident, but cooperative and helpful. To help ease the stress of moving to Anacortes, I bring her visiting families and classrooms, and leave her there, to see that life goes on quite happily without me. She was a weekly guest at a second grade where the kids really loved her. They gave her a crackerjack birthday party when she turned one – handmade cards, gifts, party hats, treats, the works.

She has great public access skills and does well in markets, big crowds, very noisy places. Her breeder, Sharon, works very hard with her pups before she sends them into the world. She does early neurological stimulation with them just after they are born, desensitizes them to hats, umbrellas, gunshots, surprises as well as socializes them to a variety of folks. Maya is not comfortable with balloons flying over her head, but not much else bothers her.

She now has her baby sister, Chloe, who is her full sister and just a year younger, living with us. One of Maya’s self-appointed jobs is cleaning Chloe’s ears whether they’re dirty or not. And, of course, Maya is a great chew toy for Chloe who attacks her with a ferocious vigor. They were both with me at the Pierce Co.Humane Society’s Dogathon where we had our Summit booth. Maya worked, did demos, and schmoozed for five hours without complaint while Chloe waited patiently behind the booth. I couldn’t ask for two better girls.

Maya will be moving up to Anacortes in September for her final training, and, hopefully, graduation. You’ve seen that my other 4 dogs had ‘career changes’, and I am no longer so confident to think that just because I work hard to train the dogs, that they will ‘make it’. It’s an awful lot to ask a dog to do the job of a service dog, and most of them just aren’t made for that type of work. But I am hopeful about Maya. Either way, she will be a working dog: either she graduates the program and gets a life partner, or she goes back to her breeder to begin life as a mother dog, another job that she could do very well. I’ll keep you all posted on her progress. That’s all for now.

Donna

Notes from a volunteer puppy raiser: Charley

Very shortly after Eddie moved up to Anacortes, I received dog #4 - Charley - another black poodle but from a different breeder. He was a really sweet guy, but very fearful of too many things, like the hot air coming out of the wall heater and the onions frying on the stove. Needless to say, I didn’t have him very long, and he is now a very happy pet in a home with children, and brings the family much joy.

Donna