Nice Warm Campfires

Had another campout with the Cub Scouts this weekend.  This time we went to a wilderness park about an hour away from home.  Joey should have had some good exposure to deer while we were walking around, but he was too interested in the sticks and acorns we were walking over.  He never looked up long enough to see the deer we encountered.  By the time I could get his head up, the deer would be gone.  He did get to see some armadillos.  He would see them before they could see him.  As soon as Joey would change position to get a better look, the little armored gophers would spot him and turn away into the trees. 

This time, Joey got to experience a camping tradition he didn’t get at the previous campout; campfires.  Last time, he was in the tent with mommy while most of the kids and parents were sitting around the fire.  This time, I was still nursing the last days of a bad cold and stayed close to my tent and my own little fire while everybody else was at a big central campfire.  Joey loved sitting at my feet and at times was fascinated by the fire.  We stayed close enough to the fire to keep the skeeters away from us, but far enough to keep Joey from sticking his nose on the metal fire ring, or waving his tail over it when turning around.

Joey accompanied me on a little excursion to pursue a hobby I have not spent much time on since getting a puppy; geocaching.  This is like a high-tech easter egg hunt.  We use GPS coordinates to find small caches hidden by other people.  These are usually ammo cans or other waterproof containers with small toys and stuff.  If you see something in there that you (or your kids) may want, you take it and leave something else in it’s place.  No matter what else may be in the cache, there is always a log book to sign with your distinct username and date you found it.  I was hoping that Joey’s hunting dog heritage and keen nose may help me find them.  He didn’t get to  help me too much.  One cache was in a big pile of dead timber that I had to climb around in after tying him to a tree.  Another one we just couldn’t find.  It was too well hidden I guess.  Joey’s fascination for sticks, leaves, and acorns overpowered his search for human scent on a tupperware  container hidden in the woods.  Or, maybe I am just not capable of recognizing his reaction when he does get the proper scent.  I guess I will forget about trying to use him as a tool, and just stick with having him as a companion out on a nice hike.

You Said We Were Going to a Party

 Nov 4

On one of our walks a while back, Joey and I went down a small dead-end road that I had never been down before.  Near the end of the road, a group of peacocks crossed the road in front of us and congregated in the front yard of a house.  Yesterday, we found ourselves going down that road again and the peacocks were still there in the same yard.  Joey’s hunting dog heritage was prominent, as he watched them intently, but never broke stride on our walk.  A small tug on the leash easily got him turned back to the front, but only for a couple seconds.  He liked watching them.  As we walked, I started wondering if a flock of peacocks had a distinct name, like a gaggle of geese, covey of quail, or bevy of swan.   At home, I went on-line to do a little research.  I found a group of peafowl, (peacocks are male, peahens are female) is called a “Party”.  It can also be called a muster, pride, or an ostentation. 

I always ask Joey if he wants to go for a walk and ask him where he wants to go.  This morning we went back to see the party of peafowl.  Yep, there they were, in the same yard as always.  Across the street, a man was working in his driveway.  I stopped and asked him if the peacocks were pets, or a wild flock that just seemed to have adopted that yard.  He told me that several years ago, the old Ukranian “Dr. Doolittle” that lived there, fed a couple that somehow wandered into the area.  Nobody knew where they came from, but they never left. 

The guy I was talking to said he had seen us walk down his road before and asked me if Joey was a guide dog puppy.  Joey was not in his coat, so the question took me by surprise.  He said he thought so by the way Joey walked that specific distance ahead of me on a slack leash.  Then, when we were talking, he could see that Joey was still a puppy, and not old enough to have been career changed.  He also noticed how well behaved Joey was and that I put him in a sit when the guy asked to pet him.  I asked him if he had raised a guide dog puppy before.  He told me his daughter and son-in-law had raised a bunch up north. 

Joey, your cover has been blown.  People that know guide dog puppies can recognize you quickly.  But don’t worry about it, it’s a good thing. 

Joey---- little kangaroo?

I have been spending a lot of time recently out in the back yard, trimming trees, pulling weeds, etc.  Joey is enjoying this cooler weather outdoors.  I made a mistake when I picked up a stick and chucked it toward a garbage can I was using for yard waste.  Next thing I knew, that same stick was laying by my feet again and Joey was shaking with excitement.  I picked it up and threw it again and he took off after it.  He ran about halfway to it, then started hopping like a kangaroo.  I threw it a couple more times and he did the same thing, running halfway, then did the kangaroo hop.  He was having too much fun with that stick, so I went inside to get a kong toy.  He ran after the kong, but didn’t do the roo hop.  I tried holding on to the kong and threw the stick again, and the roo hopping came back.  Threw the kong-- he just ran.  Threw the stick, Do the Roo!   I figure that he only did the kangaroo hop with the stick, because it didn’t bounce around after it landed.  The kong was still bouncing around different directions when he was running after it.  I guess the roo hop makes it too hard to concentrate on where it is going. 

I don’t want him to get too fixated on the stick, so I only throw the kong now.  I know there will be plenty of sticks around if I want to see him Do the Roo again. 

Meeting the Graduates

Oct 23

We had a wonderful puppy raiser meeting today at the SEGD campus.  We met some graduates and the special people at the other end of their harnesses.  The people shared their stories with us and answered our questions about how they work with their dogs.  This meeting was particularly special for our family because one of those persons holding the harness of one of the graduates was Joey’s sponsor.  We got to spend some time with Jimmy and Stefanie, and their vizsla, Rusty.  It was weird to see that Joey is now a little taller, and outweighs Rusty by several pounds. 

Although we didn’t work our puppies at all at this meeting, they got some very important experience with “under, down”.   They stayed under the tables for three hours, a fantastic accomplishment for all, considering their very young age.  OK, so the collie was a little vocal for the first part of the meeting, but she quieted down very nicely after a while.   The discussions were very interesting and informative, but there were a few people anxiously watching the clock, wanting it to be over.  Who could blame them?  They were picking up their new puppies as soon as the meeting was over.  We now have two more goldadores in our group, one black, and one gold.  The rest of the group will be anxiously awaiting the next meeting to meet the little cuties.

Meanwhile, back at home, Joey is still growing larger by the hour.  We see him growing several different ways.  He lays on the floor in front of the couch.  When he stretches or rolls over, the couch gets pushed back against the wall.  I found one of the small nylabones we got him the first day.  I gave to him yesterday and in a few seconds, he bit it in half.  When he is getting a drink, it sounds like we now have a horse in the house.  He walks away from his dish leaving a big enough water trail to float a canoe across the kitchen.  OK, I admit, THAT one is a slight exaggeration.  But the others aren’t.  At the SEGD open house last month, one of the trainers commented that Joey had “quite the off-road package”.  (For those of you not familiar with that term, it means oversized tires.) 

Now, something that most puppy raisers and other people that just love dogs, can relate to. Joey loves ice cubes.  Did I say “loves”?  I mean he “LOVES”  ice cubes.  I think he could actually rip apart a cooler or tear a hole in his metal crate to get to an ice cube.  The sound of the ice dispenser in our freezer door would be able to wake him from a coma.  Now that Joey is big enough to easily reach the dispenser, I know it is only a matter of time before he figures out how to get his own ice.   We have the lock-out feature on it, but I want to see if he actually does start to get his own ice before we use that. 

Joey's First Campout

Joey had a very exiting weekend.  Our son had a Cub Scout picnic Saturday, so some of the scouting families took the opportunity to do some camping at the park.  I took Joey to the park Friday morning to get the campsite set up.  He did not enjoy being tied to a tree while I attempted to set up our giant tent by myself.  Our boys were in school and couldn’t help me.  Joey was very eager to help.  He kept jumping back and forth at the end of his rope, trying to get to that tent and show me how much he could help, if I would just allow him to.  I managed to get the tent up under his watchful eye, and then the rest of the campsite.  After he was satisfied that the campsite was set up properly, we went for a nice looooong walk around the park.  Then, we headed home in time to pick up the boys from school.   We got back out to the camp in time to cook dinner, and then sit around the campfire waiting for mom to get off work and join us around 9 pm. 

We had a portable kennel for Joey to sleep in while in the tent, but Cindy thought he would be just fine on a blanket in the middle of the floor.  She took Joey inside and let him explore every inch of our huge three room tent.  One of the cub scouts chose that moment to run past our tent and of course, Joey took off after him.  Now, this is Joey’s first camping trip and he is about a half second away from learning about bug screening in tents.  Thank goodness he didn’t get a chance to build up any real speed before he hit that screen.  He just bounced off the screen.  By the time Joey figured out where he was, the kid was gone.  He sniffed around the doorway a little bit, watching for any more kids that might appear, then trotted over to his blanket and laid down.   

Saturday at the scout picnic, I was giving a demonstration on camp cooking for the new scouting families.  So, Joey was back on his rope, just out of my demo area.   Cindy came over to get him and take him for a walk in his coat.  I have been his primary trainer and he does pretty good with me, but won’t behave for anybody else.  So, Cindy is starting to work him more.  He takes one look at her at the other end of the leash and he thinks it is play time.  When she puts the coat on him, he knows he has to get down to business and he is easier to handle.  There is a big difference in our strides, but Joey doesn’t recognize that yet.  He tries to walk at my stride when he is with her and ends up pulling ahead too much.  Not a big problem; by the end of their walk he seems to be doing very well.  Saturday night I took Joey on a night walk around the camping area of the park.  I realized something I never thought about before on our walks.  Speedbumps.  How is Joey supposed to handle speedbumps?    I have just been walking over them without thinking about it until I tripped on one in the dark.  Will he be taught to handle them just like a curb after he is in for training?  Do I need to walk him around them?  This is a question I will bring up at our next puppy raiser meeting. 

On Sunday morning we packed up and headed home.  Everybody, including Joey, got a nice bath to remove the several pounds of camp dirt and smoke we were covered in.  We got to relax a bit before the puppy party scheduled for later in the afternoon.  A member of our puppy raiser group, Tina, invited us all over to her house with our puppies and personal pets.  The dogs had a great time running around in the fenced yard.  I figured it wasn’t a party without balloons, so I blew up a bunch and started tossing them in the middle of the riot.  The kids were all ready to rush in to pick up popped balloons before they could be eaten.  Most of the dogs ignored the balloons completely.  Joey played with a couple of them, but lost interest quickly.  None of the dogs showed any fear when the balloons were popping.  They got their exposure to balloons, but were much more interested in each other.

Not the Letter We Were Hoping For

9/30/10 

I got all excited today out by my mailbox. There was a letter from SEGD.  Could this be the letter we have been anxiously waiting for?  The letter that will put an end to the raging hormones running around our house disguised as a dog?  The letter that will save our young sons’ virtue?  The letter that will put Joey one step closer to becoming a real guide dog?  PLEASE, let this be the letter telling us to take him in to be neutered!  I didn’t tear into it like a madman out on the street, I maintained a degree of decorum while I was out where the neighbors could see me.  Once I got in the house, I tore into that envelope like Joey trying to get a treat out of his kong toy. 

I got the letter out and unfolded.  I started to read.  I heard somebody screaming “NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO”!  It may have been me.  My youngest son, Colby, asked me what was wrong.  It must have been me.  I looked at the letter again.  I read it very slowly and carefully, but it still said the same thing.  Joey is being considered for the breeding program.   

Now of course we are very proud that Joey is special enough to be considered to sire offspring for SEGD.  We are happy to do our part in raising him to do what ever they determine is best.  Joey is also very anxious to do his part.  We just have a personal preference to see him actually bring light into somebody’s dark world.  Yea, yea, I know he could help a lot more people by having pups as great as he is, but we are selfish.  We want to see him help just one. 

Congratulations, Big Joe.  You get to keep them for a while longer.

Slip Sliding Away

Joey is so much fun to watch around the house these days.  We have been making a few design changes, one of which, really affects him.  We have removed the carpeting from the living room, dining room, and hall, and installed hardwood flooring.  I think you can picture an energetic six month old puppy, especially one as big as Joey, suddenly deprived of the traction properties of carpeting.  It is almost like the old cartoons, where he runs in place for a few seconds before he actually starts moving.  Now we get to the old physics law that states that an object in motion, stays in motion.  That law is providing a lot of entertainment right now.  We see a big black blur sliding across the floor, appearing to be back-pedaling til it slams into a fixed object.  Non-fixed objects, like Cindy or the boys coming home from work or school, tend to fall over when he slams into them.   
Since we have the new flooring, we have to install new baseboards, which, I have learned, means we have repaint the walls.  Joey just loves to check out that funny smelling stuff in the trays, and since he seems to have his own version of a paint brush, he is spending more time on tiedown or in his kennel.  But then we go out for longer walks while the paint dries, so it all works out OK for Joey.