Hellooo out there!

So, to start by stating the obvious...haven't updated in ages!  Time to fill you in on what's been going on -- and a fresh look on the blog to go with a new season. 

Hey, anyone out there still remember me??

The purchase of our new home went through smoothly.  Now we're proud owners of a great house that, due to much deferred maintenance, falls squarely in the "fixer-upper" category.  There's a lot to be done before we can move in:  new heating and air, new floors and paint, as well as various exterior repairs.  By the time we're done it'll feel like a brand new house!  The great thing is, since it's just a couple of doors down from Mom's, it's easy to supervise the repairs from here.

In the meantime, I've also been busy doing freelance editing work, as well as getting in gear with the new year for homeschool. Things are hopping!


I love the neighborhood -- very friendly.  Of course, people are always more friendly when they meet you out with your dog, don't you think?  This is the first time I have met all my new neighbors, including those across and down the street, before we've even moved in!  Alfie loves his dog neighbors:  Missy the toy poodle on one side, Baxter the Norwich terrier behind us, and schnauzers Winston and Bosley, the self-appointed neighborhood watch, rounding out the field.  Across the street there is little Molly...she looks a lot like a bichon to me although I can't say for sure.   Anyway, you know the type:  a sweet, smiling ball of white fluff.  Alfie mainly meets her out on walks, and he is absolutely smitten!  Two doors down we have Reesie, a sweet but shy Jack Russell terrier who was rescued from an awful life caged as a puppy mill breeder.  It's so great to see her now, happily going for walks and playing in her yard -- what  a difference!

Went to the doctor for a checkup recently and they asked me, Did I exercise?  I said yes; I walk just about every day.  For how long, they wanted to know?...Well, I explained, about 45 minutes to an hour every day -- see, I have this dog...

The nurse grinned as she scribbled on my chart.  "You have a lot to thank that dog for!  You better keep him."

Smile. Couldn't agree more.

First Aged Trail

So far Alfie and I have been working "runaways," where he actually watches his target run off and hide, and "fresh trails," where he cannot see the target run off, but still goes right to work on the trail as soon as the target is hidden.  Today was our very first "aged trail," where the target lays the trail and then we wait, allowing the scent to "age" before allowing Alfie to work it.  For today's assignment, Charissa was our target and we allowed the trail to age just 20 minutes before we began.

Alfie knew we were up to something but was very puzzled when Charissa left the house alone and I went back to my other activities.  Twenty minutes later, I harnessed him up, took him out, and gave him the scent item with the "smell" command.  He was definitely up for the challenge and responded to the "find" command by practically dragging me across the lawn!  (Mental note:  check with Charissa to see if she actually crossed the front lawn, or is Alfie taking shortcuts?)

Soon he slowed down and began to work much more carefully.  He decided to lead south, but kept glancing west across the farm road with increasing frequency.  We came to a church parking lot, which he gave a cursory check before definitively crossing the farm road west, into a cemetery. 

After that he seemed puzzled, sniffing the ground in wide circles, then totally stopping to air-sniff.  I figured it was time for encouragement:  stopping him, I showed him the scent item again and excitedly cheered him on with, "find this!" That was just what he needed -- with typical Alfie enthusiasm, he not only sniffed the little gauze scent pad, but grabbed it and licked it and tossed it around before beginning to circle purposefully once more with a "We can do this!" sort of attitude.   He widened the circles more and more until...yeah!!...he settled in again, leading me right to where she was.

Good dog!

...And, yes, she crossed the front yard.  And went pretty much exactly the way he led me.  What a dog.  We're having so much fun!

Found You!

This week, Alfie got to find his very first canine "target":  Hickory, a spunky and adorable mini dachshund.  We started off by using gloved hands to rub a sterile gauze pad all over Hickory to get a good scent sample.  Then off he went to hide with his handler (this time, Charissa), while I covered Alfie's eyes. 

After several minutes, I snapped the tracking line to Alfie's harness, his signal that work (or is it play?) is about to start.  Then I give him the scent item and the "smell" command.  At this point in training, that's a little superfluous...Alfie had already seen AND smelled Hickory and is smart enough put two and two together!  Still, keeping to the procedure is important for later, when I'll ask him to trail a target he's never met before.  Finally I give the "find" command...again it's hardly necessary, but hey, I like to feel like I'm doing something! 

A brisk breeze made conditions challenging and caused Alfie to work slowly, circling and weaving as he went along.  He did not follow their exact path, often preferring to trail along a hedgerow where their scent had no doubt collected against the windbreak offered by the vegetation.  After about a quarter mile across a field, a path, and through a semi-wooded area, he plunged sharply left through some brush to find Hickory in a cement drainage culvert. Yeah!

Miss Me? (by Alfie)

Well, if you've missed me here the last couple of weeks, it's 'cause I've been super busy taking care of Mom.  First she goes and steps in a mole hole and twists her ankle despite the fact she's only got 2 feet to keep track of!  Poor clumsy thing. 

She got better and I knew right off I had to get her back going for walks again.  With the weather nicer, we've been going all kinds of places.

Can't believe she let me sit on this bench!

Oohh...tadpoles.

It's hard to look noble and inspiring when your paws are muddy.

Duck-watching!

Sometimes when you get real happy...you just have to dance!

Just when things were getting back to normal she gets sick again!  This time a sinus infection.  I took good care of her though.  When she's sick she just lays there so I figure she needs entertainment.  I try to provide this by bringing her things...socks, my ball, a pencil, gum out of Grandma's purse, whatever I can find!  I've heard that people need lots of mental stimulation to keep healthy so I try to provide that for her.

Whew, Monday she said she was feeling better!  Uh-oh...guess what that meant?

Let's put the camera away, shall we?

And the very NEXT day...out came the clippers!  I guess she really IS doing better.

Then TODAY...off to my new vet!  Unlike some people I know -- according to the vet I'm "the picture of health."  Woo hoo!  I took full advantage of the chance to make a bunch of new friends -- people, dogs, and cats.  Some of the dogs in the waiting room were not quite as happy as I was about being there, I wonder why?  When I sat nicely on the scale to be weighed the vet tech just sighed and said, "Wow, I wish ALL my patients were that good."  I gave her a big kiss for that!  Since I was so nice for my exam and shots, she asked Mom if I could have a treat.  Mom said yes, and I tried to help matters along by sitting nicely as soon as I heard the word "treat."  That sure made the lady laugh!  If there's one thing I can tell all you young pups, it's this:  Do what you have to, to impress the people with food!

That's it for now, I've gotta check and see if Mom needs another walk. 

Wag. Walk. Repeat!

--Alfie

Simple Joy

There's absolutely nothing like an early morning walk.  I love the cool, invigorating air; the birds; the sky; and just the way it makes me feel glad to be alive (not to mention the exercise)!  Somehow, though, without a walking buddy it's hard to have the discipline to take time for myself like that.   I think of all the things I have to do for everyone else, my agenda fills up, and I figure I'll squeeze a walk into my afternoon somewhere...maybe! 

Why is it so easy to put off doing something you know is good for yourself?  That's the great thing about Alfie: he gives me motivation to get out there first thing in the morning, totally guilt free.  Good dog.

Good Thinking

I LOVE to work!

Had to laugh during today's walk when I noticed Alfie was paying better attention to our work than I was!  We were working at a new location (Sports Authority) and came to the section where they had row upon neatly arranged row of bikes for sale.  Great place to practice turns and "watch me."  So we were working our way through this rubber-tire-smelling maze and Alfie was doing great when I asked him to turn left into the next row.  He snorted loudly and refused, giving me one of his...well...looks.  I thought he was just being stubborn and repeated my command.  He refused again, this time sitting down rather decisively to emphasize his point.  That's when I actually took the trouble to look down that aisle...to see that way down the opposite end of that row, someone had pulled one of the bikes out into the aisle and it effectively blocked the path.  Since the aisles were so narrow (no room to turn around), I'd have either had to roll the bike out of the way, or we'd have both had to back out the way we came.  I had to laugh out loud at myself for missing that...and was pretty happy with Mr. Alf for avoiding the obstacle!

I can't say that all Alfie's mental activity is quite that commendable, though.  One of the things I worry about is his poor tolerance for boredom.  I was down with some type of virus for a couple of days and was treated to such attention-getting pranks as this...

Heh heh, look who's got your Chips Ahoy now!

He didn't actually try to chew the can of cookies open or anything, he just wanted to flaunt it at me so I'd notice and play with him.  Not exactly what you want when you're in bed snuffling and sniffing...sigh!  So for the next day or so Charissa gave him some extra backyard training sessions, and we made sure he was stocked with chew toys to keep him busy.  That seemed to work pretty well.

So yeah, ups and downs...but overall I think he's coming along!

In the GREAT NEWS category for GDTx...their 1st ever brood, yellow lab Poppy, gave birth this morning to a fantastic litter of 8 gorgeous puppies.  5 girls and 3 boys, the "A" litter is getting the GDTx breeding program off to a great start!

Mixed Feelings

After a fantastic week out of state with family, it was good to get home...even nicer to see my buddy again!

Nice to be home...how about a walk?

Of course we were all excited to get Alfie back.  My supervisor Larry was nice enough to bring him over in the morning and Alfie nearly wagged himself in two when he got in!  Sounded like he did pretty well on his vacation too.  Apparently he started off the first few days restless and testing the limits (why does that not surprise me?!)...but then he settled in, and since the Reimers said he was welcome to come back I assume all ended on a good note!  Larry told me that when he met the Reimers for a training walk one day, he was very happy with Alfie's work.  Yay!!  It turned out when they arrived at the mall for their walk, some of the guide dogs in advanced training were already there working.  Larry said that Alfie was distracted at first, but then settled right in and worked well despite the other dogs' presence.  That was good to hear!  He also did well working past a security guy on one of those segway vehicles...sounded like a pretty good outing for him!  It really meant a lot to me to hear that he did so well working for a different handler.

After Larry left I settled down to a game of fetch with Mr. Alf and a couple favorite toys...and I suddenly realized how very much I'd missed him.  Yet it was ever so slightly bittersweet, because of course I know he'll be leaving for good before too long.  I was thinking about that, and then comforting myself with the thought of what a great help he'll be to some lucky person as a guide dog...then I thought, oh well, I think I'll do something nice for Alfie to make myself feel better.  I thought:  I'll fix him a kong, and have him go to his "place" (doggie bed), and sit and wait for it...then I looked at Alfie...and he was halfway to his bed already.  He just sat there waiting calmly, like, I know what you're going to do!  I seriously don't know how he does stuff like this.  I mean, I know he reads my body language and facial expressions all the time, but this one really puzzled me (as he often does!)  It's not a routine I have to randomly fix him a treat after a game of fetch; I didn't get up or even look that direction.  Alfie just seems to have this knack for guessing my next move.  As usual, it had what was probably, for Alfie, the desired result:  it made me laugh!

Love you, Alfie, you rascal!

Rainy Day

Our days have been so full lately...work, school, training...but today, had to take time out for a bit of fun in the rain.

With the rest of his fur plastered down, those long eyelashes really stand out!

Alfie loves to wander leisurely around the yard snuffling when it rains...even when it's really pouring.  He doesn't mind getting wet at all.  He'll even stick his head under the down spout where the water is gushing off the roof...funny to watch!  Everything must smell better to him in a rain shower.  I know for sure one thing that smelled very interesting to him in the rain today:  a dead bird.  Actually what happened was, I saw him with something under a big bush...thinking it was a toad (despite their nasty venom/poison/whatever, he still likes to pick them up)...I asked him to "fetch" it to me.  When he got closer I could see...EWWW, SOGGY DEAD BIRD and involuntarily let out some exclamation about how disgusting it was!  Now Alfie was all set for me to PRAISE him for bringing it and when I reacted negatively his tail went down and he started to back off, like, "Oops, never mind, I'll just keep this since you don't want it and I do!"  I caught myself just in time, squelched the gross-out feeling, and put on a big show of how HAPPY I was, decomposing birds are AWESOME, and GOOD BOY, FETCH IT!!!  ...Which brought him cheerily indoors where he dropped it happily and lay down for a nice treat!   What a good dog, he got lots of liver in exchange for the deceased, which was hastily double bagged and put out in the trash...no pictures, I'll leave that to your imagination! 

Such a thankless job I have!

Mom keeps all my best finds to herself!

As a tropical storm meanders across the state, I understand the rain's not going anywhere soon...we'll definitely have to go for a walk in it this afternoon, a good training challenge! 

Can I come in and roll on the rug now?  Pleease??

There's A Treat For That

Ever seen those commercials selling apps?  That's what comes to my mind whenever Alfie does something really good.  He just looks at me with this proud, expectant expression:  "Hey -- there's a treat for that!" 

He doesn't get a treat every time.  He'll almost jump over the moon just for "Good dog!" in that happy "high voice."  But every so often, and when he's done something especially good, I'll give him a dog treat.  We had a couple of those moments today.  One's pictured below...Charissa spotted the animal crackers on the store floor so we set him up to practice "leave it."  I gave him the command pre-emptively and he did great.

I'm leaving it...leaving it...leaving it...

Yay!  There was a treat for that.

I guess I lowered my guard after that, because at the end of the aisle we unexpectedly met up with more animal crackers...he scarfed one...aaack!  DEFINITELY no treat.  Bad dog!  Bad raiser for not noticing it before he did!  So it was go back and rework so he'd get it right.  Sigh.

A few minutes later he was standing at my side, I was distracted doing some price shopping, and he got "surprise-attacked" from behind by a little 2nd or 3rd-grade kid.  Alfie flicked his ear to acknowledge the hit-and-run petting on his rump...all the time keeping his position, eyes locked on me as if to make sure I noticed his self-control.  Wow, it actually surprised me that he didn't try to lick the boy's face!  You're right, Alfie, there's a treat for that!

Escalators

Different schools may have different policies when it comes to escalators, I'm not sure.  At GDTx, puppy raisers don't take dogs on moving escalators.  Alfie used to try to go on them when he was little, and I had to stop him!

Looks fun, let's go!

  Still, there are times when the escalators are stopped and you can use them like stairs.  We were at the mall with puppy raising supervisor Larry last week and the escalators were stopped, so he had us work them.  Here's what Alfie thought at first:

Um...now that I'm older and wiser...that thing looks dangerous!

Charissa was with us, so we had her walk up the escalator first, followed by Larry.  When Alfie saw they were getting on okay, he was willing to try.  His face looked tense and his tail was down, but he gave it a brave effort despite the odd footing.  All the praise and attention he got for it must have made it worthwhile though, because the second time around he went on with much less reluctance.  By the third time, his head and tail were high again and he seemed quite pleased with himself.  He's a showoff and shameless attention seeker -- when he learns new stuff he seems proud and wants you to make a fuss.  That can be good or bad, depending on the situation...on this day, I just thought it was funny!

Here's how it's done, folks!

Expect the Unexpected

I've gotta be prepared for anything these days!

Strange things have been happening to us on our walks lately.  Yesterday I was at Hobby Lobby and as I got my card out to pay I put Alphini into a down/stay and dropped the leash, pretty confident he'd just take a snooze til I was done.  As I waited for my receipt, a lady walked by, distractedly talking on her cell...with a flexilead attached to a little dog who was, shall we say, "flexiwalking" about 6-10 feet from her (yes, inside the store)!!  Alfie saw this too, and was at least as surprised as I was.  He picked up his head, looked at them, then looked at me, with "??" written all over his face!  What a good boy, he never got up or anything despite it all.

Then today, we were off to pick up some items at Target and as we headed toward the counter to pay, 2 kids somewhere in the 5-7 age bracket careened around the corner, racing full tilt toward us.  The little boy wasn't even looking up, but down at a toy in his hands...before I had time to think "where's your mother" we'd collided, while his sister screamed at the sight of Alfie and dashed to the other side!  Now that was a real test, even for a well-trained dog, let me tell you!  But this is where not only training, but also Alfie's good temperament, came to the rescue:  his typical response to the odd, unexpected, or even frightening things that pop up on walks is a great one -- he stands still and just sort of watches, taking it in and I suppose, trying to figure it out!  That's just how he's always been, and I love it.  Pretty soon Mom and Grandma had shown up with effusive apologies...phew! 

After that came an episode I'd rather not go into, but suffice it to say I found it odd to encounter what seemed to be an entire bag of Doritos spilled on the floor of the bathroom stall at the library!  Hmmm...talk about a training challenge...

Then at the store this afternoon I had a rather unusual exchange with my checker, who wondered (in a sincerely concerned voice) why I talked to my daughter as if she were a dog (you know, giving little commands, kissy noises, etc.)...only to find that, really, I was talking to my dog...oh dear!  It's been quite a day. 

The good news is that with all the strangeness going on, Alfie's been a real trooper.  Larry from GDTx came to visit and do a short walk with us and was very pleased with his progress...hooray!

On that note, let's walk into the sunset...