Introducing.......

Scout, CGC

Some people (you know who you are) who met me a couple of months ago probably thought this day would never come, but after two months of Puppy Boot Camp at Kelsey's house I've gotten my act together and passed my Canine Good Citizen test.  Since I'm now a perfect puppy, o.k. maybe perfect is a relative term, I am finally allowed to return to the fun house and spend a few weeks with my buddy Barry.  [This is the nice way of saying Kelsey is replacing me with a younger, cuter puppy.]  However, I come with strict instructions of "Don't screw him up!"  Apparently Kelsey would prefer that I not return to my counter-surfing, house-running, greeting-jumping and excited-spinning days ... Ahh, the good ole days.

I also have to congratulate my fellow trainee and boot camp sympathizer, Gypsy, on passing her CGC test.  Great job!     

New Girlfriend

Meet my new girlfriend.  Her name is Nala.  This week I am helping watch her house while her humans are away.  We get along great because she lets me have all her toys, sleep in her bed, and sometimes I can even convince her to play with me.  She is the perfect height for me to run underneath her; I don't even have to bend over.  Unfortunately since she has about 20 lbs on me, she can ward off my offenses by sitting on my head.  No fair!  The best part of living with Nala is that at the end of a hard day's work, I have a buddy to curl up and sleep with.

Lessons from Tiny Humans

Everything important I've learned in life, I learned while babysitting tiny humans.

Lesson 1 - The best toys are the packages in which toys come in.  Why play with cars when you can simply wear the box?  Tiny humans sure have a funny way of accessorizing.





Lesson 2 - Never wage war with a two-year-old tiny human; they are neither rational nor relenting.  They may be smaller but they're a lot faster, stronger, and more persistent than they look.  However, if all else fails you can outwit tiny humans by dragging them across the floor until they eventually succumb to rug burns.



Lesson 3 - Furniture is not for sitting on; couch cushions, blankets, and pillows are far better suited for building forts.  However, when you eventually need to take a break and relax - pick the warmest, softest, and cutest location - plop down and take a load off.






Lesson 4 - At the end of a hard day the only good place to sleep is next to your best friend.  Who needs a bed when you have a puppy to snuggle with?

Cry for Help

Day 2 in the disappearance of the magic food bowl...I am officially in mourning.

I was forced to earn my breakfast this morning by laying still while strangers at the mall tortured me with pets, hugs and kisses.  I worked hard for my rations but my Uncle Barry, whom I might add is still in possession of his magic food bowl, attempted to sneak some of my meal.  I vow to body slam him the next time we are loose in the yard.  I earned an extra large handful of food after a very kind and generous woman made a large and unexpected donation to OccuPaws after petting me.  While, I thought my performance at the Boston Store Community Day sales would have earned the return of my magic food bowl; no such luck.

I spent the evening earning my dinner by sitting quietly outside the dog park and watching other dogs play.  Admittedly, I haven't quite mastered the whole quiet part but on the rare occasions that I stopped barking and whining, I earned a piece of food.  I also earned my dinner by performing recall exercises and long STAYs.  I even did a COME when Kelsey videotaped me.  Will wonders never cease!

If you happen to find my magic food bowl, could you please return it to me?  This whole 'working for every bite' is really hard and takes a lot of patience and focus for a puppy like me.  If you find my bowl, I promise we will be bestest friends forever and ever.

Long-Line-Life

After my "I think we learned a lot about which dogs perform the recall exercise well, and which do not" performance (Spoiler Alert: I was in the 'not' group) at last nights' Madison Puppy Class, I have been sentenced to life-on-the-long-line.  Tonight I was forced to earn my dinner one piece of kibble at a time as I performed recall exercises (both while wandering and from a STAY).  Ok, maybe it was three or four pieces at a time since the latter would take all day and Kelsey is a wimp when it comes to cold/windy weather.  At any rate, I miss the old days of the magic food bowl and meals for free.  I think it's finally sinking in that if I do something right the first time I get a good reward and I'm done, but if I don't do what I'm supposed to Kelsey will just make me repeat the skill 10 more times.  It's much easier to just do what I'm told, when I'm told!

Can you spot me?

Kiddie Chaos

Today, Kelsey and I took a field trip to the Madison Children's Museum.  It was a crazy place with kids running everywhere, loud noises, and strange objects I had never seen before.  I took it all in without hesitation and learned that I am definitely a hit with the 8 and under crowd.  I think over 100 kids came up and pet me.  I laid nicely on the ground and resisted the urge to taste test all the small children while Kelsey talked to many people about my mission in life and all the wonderful things I am learning.  I got to meet a buffalo, watch a cow hoisted up and down and see children running in a large hamster wheel (boy, humans are weird sometimes).  My favorite part of the trip was meeting the chickens on the rooftop.  They made lots of noise and taunted me from behind the fence.  I just wagged my tail really hard and grinned from ear to ear; bet they wouldn't be so brave if they ever came out of their coop.  In the end I proved that even amid the kiddie chaos, I still have a brain in my head.

The brain statement has been redacted, as I just stood up and hit my head on the bottom of the coffee table.

Dear Diary,

 4:00 am - I started the morning as a super hero by acting as Kelsey's personal alarm clock.  I roused her by spinning repeatedly in my crate and yawning really loud (a trait I learned from my brother Meadow).  Kelsey appeared very angry with herself for having overslept, as she kept grumbling about Spring Break and pulling the bed sheets over her head.  She seemed a little frustrated with me, which is silly since I saved her from being late for crew practice.  Funny thing is, we didn't go to practice but instead spent the morning cleaning our room and doing laundry.  I coughed up half my breakfast on my crate blanket just so I could contribute. Yum!

10:30 am - INVADER!  A scary woman (Marlette) knocked on our door, obviously here to steal my dog food.  I let her know in no uncertain terms that I was prepared to protect my house by running into my crate and wagging my tail really hard.  Suddenly, Kelsey appeared with a big black dog she called Promise.  I tried to show her all my toys, but she just kept putting her paw on my head and pushing it to the ground. Grumpy old lady!


1:00 pm - I was forced to abandon my PLACE in the living room, as a giant cat appeared and demanded I move out of the prime sunny patch.  If I've learned one thing while at Kelsey's house, it's to never mess with the cat!



4:00 pm - Spent the afternoon at the mall.  It was a hard day; Kelsey kept making me walk on these really slippery floors.  I'm not a fan of these floors; the faster I try to get off them, the slippery they get.  Tricky, tricky.  The mall people are very thoughtful.  They leave many treats all over the floor.   I don't want to seem ungrateful, but perhaps they could leave a few more of those yellow sticks lying around; they are awfully tasty.  However, it is a most unpleasant experience when Kelsey catches me; she keeps sticking her hand in my mouth and taking away my prize. Pout!

9:00 pm - Sat down to watch TV, though I am not allowed on the couch I do like to rest my head on Kelsey's lap until she rubs my ears.  Finally, she moved to the floor and let me snuggle in her lap (If anyone asks, we were practicing proper relaxation for nail clipping). ;)

Ahh, a day in the life of a Guide Dog in Training.