Invisible Disabilities

It occurred to me yesterday, while Archie and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping, that people always view me as a "dog trainer" with a "dog who is in training". I wouldn't call myself a trainer, because I'm not certified and don't have any other experience than with Paws, but just the fact that they call Archie a "dog in training" means they're making assumptions that they shouldn't necessarily be making. They assume that since I am an "able-bodied" person that Archie is being trained. (And they make an assumption long before they bother reading the words on his vest that identify him as a "puppy parent", and the same goes for when Archie and my other two were in "future assistance dog" vests) Well, what about assistance dogs for those who are hard of hearing/deaf? What about seizure-response dogs? Brace Dogs? Autism Assistance Dogs? It shows me that the public definition of disability in our country is very restricted. I would feel comfortable from my experience saying that most people assume that a working dog is being used by a person who is blind or a person who uses a wheelchair; and that's it.

By the way Archie acts now, since he's much older and calmer in public, he gives off no indication that he is in training. He heels, stares at me, and will do whatever I ask him to the first time. Yet I hear countless times people telling their children, or conversing among themselves, that "you can't pet that dog, he's in training to help someone who can't see". The reality is, I can't imagine how it feels to be someone who uses a service dog for an
'invisible" disability. When people say "that dog's in training" to a person with an actual service dog, how should they respond? They shouldn't have to disclose their certain medical/physical/social needs to everyone, but when outsiders start asking questions about training a future assistance dog, it must be hard to say "actually, he works for me" without having invasive questions thrown at you. They may get accusations from people saying that they don't need a dog because it doesn't look like there's any disability. I would think they would have a harder time with public access rights too, just proving that their dog is in fact allowed by the ADA into public places.

Hopefully by having Paws Puppies out and about, raisers will be able to spread the word that Assistance Dogs are used for many different things. Passing out pamphlets, stopping constantly when people have questions, and taking the extra time to bring the Paws dogs places will hopefully pay off in the long run.

Half-way there!

We're finally half way done with the semester! I can't believe how much work senior year is! I knew it would be difficult, but all of the work is really getting to me! On top of hours and hours of reading, papers, research, lesson planning, and field time, our professors seem to have made a resolution to act like their class is our only class. News flash; I have 16 credits! That's been a normal load for me, but considering these are all 400-level classes with field work and projects...it's rough. Luckily, I have Arch to keep me sane! Even though I know I sometimes say he drives me crazy, he really keeps me calm most of the time. When I'm reading, he had his head on my lap snoring away. When I'm writing papers, he's laying on my feet. When I need a break, he's ready to go for a long walk. And we all know he's always wearing a dorky face!

He's been able to come to lots of events with me in addition to classes, such as club meetings, dinners, and the homecoming parade (well, he got to go to the parade with Kim, but I don't think Archie had a problem with that!). I don't know what to do without him! When he was gone for a few hours for the parade I had no idea what to do! It's funny how I don't notice how much my life revolves around him until he's not here. I kept doing weird little things, such as looking before I stepped off of my bed (to make sure he wasn't in the way), closed the bathroom door (so he wouldn't splash around...), and double checking that he was in his kennel before I left (even though I knew he wasn't there).

We've also been working on his exercises that he should be doing to strengthen his muscles. One of them is for him to "sit pretty" on his back legs (begging), and let me tell you, I've never seen a dog fall over so many times! I want to laugh at him and cry for him at the same time! Every time he falls over he gets up quickly, shakes, and kind of looks around like "who pushed me!". Nobody Arch, you manage to do that all by yourself :)

Oh, and Archie really likes to play the piano...yep, little mister hits the keys with his paws, then looks at the keyboard like "what's going on?". It's most definitely one of the funniest things I've seen him do!

So we're doing well! Insanely busy, but who needs free time anyway?

My little Cuddler

So in our new apartment, it's been really cold. I don't think my roomate and I are quite ready to turn on the heat, because that means the weather is really cold for good. I keep thinking back to last summer, when I first got Archie at a cute little 8 weeks old. He was so small, so soft, and so not in the mood to cuddle; ever. I didn't get cuddle time with him, because he could barely stand any attention from me. It's weird to say looking back, but I don't think he liked me. The only person he would willingly flip over for was my dad, and even then he didn't like human contact for long.

Then after 3 or so months, something clicked and he started to like me! I don't know why, but we have speculated (as a total joke) that he started to have a change of heart after his "mean mole" was taken off. He had this mole on his leg that had to be removed because he kept scratching it, so until he was able to get it removed he had to wear a long-sleeved turtle neck. It was absolutely hilarious! After he got his "mean mole" removed, I sat in the back seat of the car with him for the hour and a half ride home. This was the first time he had cuddled nicely with me...probably because of the anesthesia, but after that something changed. He started to like his hand held, and that still continues. He also likes to cuddle up very tightly with me now, and uses the inside of my arm as a pillow. Sometimes he just lies there and stares at me, and when I look back his tail starts to slowly wag. So instead of the heat at night, I have an Archie to keep me warm :)

I always think of what a long way he's come since he was a puppy. From not liking me at all, to following me around the house as if he couldn't survive if he didn't see me is a huge change. Not going to lie; I love that he loves me! It makes taking care of, training, and loving him so much easier!

Ugh...Weather Changes

I'm again, reminded of all the wonderful things that come with the weather changes...like the mud, the rain, the puddles, the moving leaves...and you can bet Archie is all over all of it! I try to take him on our 45-min walk every day (which usually turns out to be 4-5 days a week with such a busy schedule), and today he went full out puddle diving. A leaf was blowing on the street, and he was on the flexi, so I "freed" him so he could go have some fun with it. Well, the leaf landed in a huge puddle and so did Archie. He was so happy he got the damn leaf though, it was too hard to be upset. Thank goodness it was a nice day! He was pretty much dry by the time we got home. Funny thing is, I don't even know where that puddle came from? It was the only one around...must've been a big one left over from yesterday...waiting nicely just for us :)

The puppies are here!

So do I sound like a character from 101 Dalmatians yet? That's what everyone keeps telling me!

Archie's puppies are here! They arrived Wednesday, September 22nd, and are all doing well! He's now a proud daddy of 8! (Ok, I know he has no idea, but I'm really excited!) I've heard that some of them are almost white, just like he was when he was little :) I can't wait until I get to go visit them, and of course take pictures to add to this blog/scrapbook. I know Archie can't visit them, but maybe someday I'll be able to get a picture of him and his whole first litter.

It doesn't seem like that long ago since Archie was a little baby, laying in the playpen to keep him contained. Once in a while I miss being able to have a tiny puppy to snuggle with, but I know I can easily cure that by doing puppy swaps. For now I'm content with having an adult dog, and just watching the cute little puppies he makes go through the program :)

Here comes a new season...and new puppies!

So it's that time of year when the weather's changing...I'm a big fan of it, and so is Archie (he likes to chase the leaves!) but one thing I forgot about were the messy paws! We had a huge storm yesterday which left the ground muddy, and of course Archie knew how to step in the biggest puddles...can you blame him? Splashing's fun! The cooler weather also makes our walks much easier. For those of us who take our dogs most places, the summer is particularly hard because I'm always making sure Archie isn't too hot, did he have enough water, did I leave him in a cool place in the house when I went out by myself, etc. But bring on the fall! We can walk on campus comfortably, and play outside in our fenced in area without worrying about the heat.

I'm also getting excited because Archie's officially going to be a Puppy Parent! As part of the breeding program, we're not able to have a "tell all" approach to which dogs are bred to each other when, but eventually we'll be able to talk about which ones are "Archie" puppies. I keep wondering about how many of them will look like him, how many will act like him, etc. I have been graciously invited to the host house for the breeding stock female to visit the puppies after they are born, before they are placed with their foster families, and am really excited to be able to witness this part of a Paws dog's journey. What I am realizing, that I didn't before, is how much work the hosts of the female breeding stock actually do! These families are incredibly committed to starting these pups off on the right track from day 1. Being a host mom for Archie has its challenges, but nothing like what the families of the females do. It's pretty much a 24/7 job for 8 weeks. I have had enough trouble in the past dealing with my 8-week old foster puppies, let alone lots of new little puppies! For my foster puppies in the past, I always thought their journey started when I picked them up at Paws, but now I know how much effort was put into them before I even knew about them.

I can't wait until I get to see my "grandpuppies", and hopefully I'll be able to document names and pictures for all of them so I can follow them through their training, and see where they are eventually placed. It will be fun in a couple of years to see how many working service dogs came from Archie...I guess only time will tell.

Fall Semester 2010...it begins again!

Today was the first day I brought Archie back to school with me. I like to take the first class to forewarn my professors and TA's that I'll be bringing a dog with me to class, and most are very nice about it. I assure them that he won't be a problem, and that if he becomes a distraction for some reason I will take him out of the classroom. Fortunately, everybody thought Archie was an angel, despite the occasional whines or scratching. I, on the other hand, realized that I can't expect to bring him back to class without keeping up with his "sitting still" training. His eye contact was lacking, he was fidgety, he liked to pretend he didn't know what "stay" meant...all of this I know is my fault, as much as I'd like to blame him for being a bad dog. We'll have to work between classes on better classroom etiquette, and have him sit in down-stays when I'm doing homework to practice.

I find myself wondering when he'll settle down? He has never fell asleep in class, even when we've had it for hours in a row. I know he's tired, because like a little kid rubs his eyes, Archie fidgets and whines. I'm going to look forward to the day when I can tell him to lay down for a while, and he falls asleep. He's also really jumpy, even if others start moving or I change positions in my seat he's ready to get up and go.

He also likes to rest his head on my feet though, which is adorable and makes me melt, even after he's thrown a tantrum because I put his gentle leader on. He also LOVES the CATA bus! I can't walk past one without him trying to hop on it! When our bus arrives he tries to beat me on it, and his reaction is hilarious because his tail starts wagging really fast and he's so happy to get on. He looks at me with really excited eyes, and of course tries to sit on the seats (which I can't really blame him for because he rides on the backseat in my car, so why should he know any different?).

With school starting, we'll be getting used to another new schedule. My other dogs have adjusted to this fine, but I'm pretty sure Archie needs about 2 months before he can start to anticipate what's going to happen...I think he was purposely given to me to teach me patience. If you're the kind of person who thinks you have lots of patience, I'll give you Archie for a few days and then we'll see what you think! He is a VERY good boy overall though, even if he pushes my buttons sometimes :)


All in all, it's been a pretty positive beginning to the semester. Books are bought, dog treats are ready to go in the bait bag, and his selection of leashes is hanging by the door so we can take a pick in the morning :)