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)

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