Fur Ball 2009

What a great night! And what made it so great? Funnily enough it was the normalcy of the entire evening and the fact that I was actually out and about 'on my own' socially (and by that I mean just Cura and myself) for the first time in YEARS! Cura and I have been building towards this activity since she came home and it has actually happened!


In the spirit of honesty, this was not a completely unsupported venture and not everyone was a complete stranger -- but it was a good compromise . . . considering. Rick and Heather (our trainers for those who are new to the blog) were there -- they were providing pet sitting services for those who chose to bring their animal companions to the animal blessing before the event and stay for the fundraiser. Also, since it was a fundraiser for Watermelon Mountain Ranch No-Kill Shelter, there were a few people from the Ranch that I 'knew' to some extent because they have either been involved in Cura's care (when she was Whoopee!!) in some way or have taken an interest in Cura's post-adoption life. But I was seated with none of these people so, to some extent for at least part of the evening, we were on our own (though we had the option of fleeing to familiar shores, if needed).

Before I go much further, I feel compelled to call your attention to a couple of the first pictures of both Cura and me taken that night -- some of the first pictures of the two of us out and about together. I believe the pictures should be credited to Heather -- though both she and Rick took photos that evening. It is nice to have some photos of both of us together -- doesn't Cura look great?! Smiling and cheerful in one and seriously working in the other . . . What you don't see is the numerous other dogs that were either in crates or on leash around her at the time -- what a star (yes, I am biased -- so sue me!).

Now, back to the lovely evening . . .

I have had about a week to digest the experience and I am still just as happy about the evening as I was when I got home that night -- which, by the way was rather early by many people's standards. But since our day out began with several errands before a morning committee meeting (another 'new' thing since Cura's arrival), followed immediately by more errands and a dash home to change and make it to the animal blessing at 4pm -- I think that 9:30pm was a very respectable time to get home. Besides, we stuck around until the dancing and loud music got underway. I figured if the music was a bit too loud for me, it must be BLARING for Cura and decided that it was a good time to excuse ourselves.

I mentioned that one of the best things about the night was how normal it was . . . let me explain. We got to the blessing just a bit early but it did not start anywhere NEAR on time! When I tried to check in, no one could find me on the list. Once I was found -- 30-40 minutes later -- I was seated at a table that ended up being over-booked and was asked if I minded being moved to another table. Having been involved in the planning of things like this on a MUCH smaller scale, I know that things like this always happen -- I was the lucky one at this event, so I just took it all in stride.

I ended up being moved to the same table as the Mayor and a 'local' celebrity, both of which were very friendly and were enjoying the evening immensely. That was a treat, of course, but was even more amazing for me was the fact that I finally got to meet another of the wonderful people whose actions enabled Cura to come into my life and I found out a little more of her back-story. So, it is story time . . .

Rick and Heather introduced me to Lady Liberator at the beginning of the evening and I was able to speak with her on several occasions during the evening. Apparently, she had been involved in a Pet Adoption and Cura (a.k.a. Whoopee!!) was one of two dogs that had not been adopted by the end of the event and would be returning to the City Animal Welfare Shelter (YIKES!). Fortunately for both Cura and me, Lady Liberator took a liking to this lovely black dog that reminded her of one of her own and called up Watermelon Mountain Ranch to see if they could take her (as she told me the story, Lady Liberator admitted that she was tempted to take Cura home, but there was no room with all her other four-legged friends). Ultimately, the Ranch agreed to take her (the exact events leading to this decision vary depending on the storyteller -- but the result is the same) and Lady Liberator whisked Whoopee!! off to the Ranch, rescuing her from what was possibly an early death since the City Shelters are not live-exit organizations (though that is their goal according to the advertising). So, without the efforts of Lady Liberator, Whoopee!! would never have been at Watermelon Mountain Ranch to adopt in the first place. Of course, the willingness of WMR to take on another animal should not be overlooked in this series of happy circumstances -- thank you, thank you, thank you!

Lady Liberator was thrilled to see Cura, just as most everyone who had a hand in her care and adoption was. The only difficult thing about the evening for me was that everyone kept referring to her as Whoopee!! So much so that by the end of the night, I was occasionally using her pre-adoption name -- and not always intentionally!

One final thing to note -- since this is getting a bit long winded -- by the end of the evening, Cura was doing great around the crowds of people. I have mentioned before that she does not particularly have patience with meaningless drilling of commands but, instead, does much better when I incorporate what she needs to learn into everyday activities. It is almost as if she needs to understand that there is a reason she is being asked to do things -- once she does, she is much more likely to perform the tasks when asked. One of the things we have been working on is the 'Behind Me' command -- meant for narrow spaces where we can't walk side-by-side. By the end of the night, she was automatically falling back every time we had to wind ourselves through the crowds. It was as if this intense environment helped her to focus more clearly on the job at hand. This concentration appears to have lasted beyond that evening so it looks like we may have taken another step toward eliminating Cura's tendency to forage . . . more improvement . . . YAY!

And how did I do? Hmm . . . my first response to that question is 'pretty well'. But for an honest assessment, I will have to give it some further thought. I have long been thinking that it was time to reveal some of the internal ways that I have benefited by having Cura as my Service Animal -- maybe it is time to go below the surface elements of this experience -- then again, maybe it is a bit too soon for THAT little rollercoaster . . . stay tuned to see if I suck it up and spill some emotional beans!