Another Expression of Disbelief (aka: eejits) . . .

Well, it is time to share another 'desbeliever' experience.  This person was more of a disbeliever who challenged Cura's ability to perform her job. Now, let me begin by saying that there are a number of people who, for lack of exposure, do not understand how a dog can help a person with a mobility/balance problem. This lack of understanding is not what landed this particular individual on my rant list. It was this person's refusal to give any consideration to the validity of my points after I explained how Cura was able to help me. This person challenged me about my status as a disabled person (because I "didn't seem to have a disablity" or "appeared to be fine"). I will not even get into the fact that one of the reasons I appear to get around so well is BECAUSE I have a Service Dog -- HELLO. Instead, I will point out the obvious fact that not all people that are legally disabled have a disability that is visible to the casual observer. Just as you can't tell that a person is subject to seizures or panic attacks by looking at them, you can't necessarily tell that I have difficulty with my balance and movement. Just because the casual observer is unable to tell that a person is disabled does not mean that they don't have one!

Even after I pointed out that not all disablities were visible to the naked eye, this person continued to be confrontational, but in a passive aggressive way. Okay, let me be honest here -- this is my personal interpretation of this person's body language and facial expression. So, to be fair, I must acknowledge the possibility that I have misinterpreted things -- it is certainly possible that I was feeling more sensitive than normal and read more into things than was intended. On the other hand, I think it is fair to recognize that this person's reaction to my explanation was less accepting/more resisting and critical than many that I have received in the past, and could very easily be placed in the 'antagonistic' category. I interpreted this person's expression to be one that showed disbelief, and I determined that there was no inclination by this person to consider the validity of my experiences over the past year. (After all, let's look at the facts, prior to Cura coming home, I fell at least once a month -- sometimes twice -- causing continual irritation/damage to my chronic back condition. Since Cura came home I have not fallen ONCE -- when did Cura come home? March 26, 2009 -- you do the math! Even if Cura did NOTHING else, she would be performing a very positive and beneficial service to me by preventing constant and recurring aggravation of a chronic condition. Amazingly enough, she does more than just this simple task -- as many of you who have been following our journey know.

So, forgive me for getting a bit bristly when confronted with various eejits that rear their obnoxious, ill-informed, intolerant, and confrontational ways.  Sometimes I wonder why they bother to ask the questions if they are not willing to accept the answers!  Ah, well -- at least eejits have become the exception to the rule.  Most people who approach me are quite nice!

Looks can be deceiving . . .

One of the things that Cura has to do a lot is lay quietly at my feet (or some other out of the way spot) and wait.  This is something that she has become very good at and she can lay quietly for up to two hours, provided she is on a comfortable surface, without needing to get up and stretch.  This comes in very handy when I am teaching in a classroom, attending a lecture, in training classes, or in a restaurant.  Frequently, Cura just puts down her head, shuts her eyes, and dozes (or the doggie equivalent).  To the outside observer, it looks like my beloved companion is out for the count, blissfully sleeping the time away.  This is simply not the case, but you would have to know her to realize this.

As I sit here typing, in my comfy chair in front of my laptop, Cura is on her fluffy, round, blue bed . . . snoring.  She did budge a little bit when I took this picture, but soon returned to her nap.  (I love the way the camera picked up the brown in her fur in this shot!)  

Usually she has the sweetest, delicate, little snore (though on one or two occasions it has reached the chainsaw level).  Frequently, depending on the surrounding sounds, no one even knows that she is snoring.  I appear to be the only one who usually notices.  My guess is that there are a couple of reasons for that.  First, I am usually the person closest to her; second, I am hyper-aware of her at all times when I am awake and frequently even when I am not; and third, there is something about her that changes when she is truly asleep and snoring -- I just 'know' that she is not keeping tabs on me.

Cura never truly sleeps (or snores) when we are out.  Even if she appears to be asleep, the moment I move her eyes are open and she is ready to jump (sometimes literally) into action.  Frequently, even if I am just shifting my position, she will look up at me -- waiting for a further signal that we are ready to move.  Actually, that is a development in her behavior.  Previously, she would just jump up whenever I moved.  Now, while she still anticipates my needs, she has learned to double check instead of assume -- it has saved her from getting up for no reason on several occasions because I need to shift my position fairly frequently when sitting for any period of time.  I too am starting to develop a new habit as a quiet way to let her know I am ready to move -- just a little tap on her shoulder blades lets her know it is time to go!  Of course, she is not always in a place where I can reach her -- but it is an addition to our 'vocabulary'.  

I always love to hear Cura snore . . . to me it signals her complete relaxation.  It means that she feels that we are in a safe place and she can let her guard down a bit.  I also find it comforting when I see her dozing at my  feet in public.  It means that, although she is still alert to any need I may have, she is sure enough in her abilities and surroundings that she doesn't have to watch everything around her.  Instead, she can put her head down, shut her eyes, and doze . . . but don't think she isn't aware of everything that is going on around her -- especially if it pertains to me!

Filling a niche?

Recently, I began to focus some energy towards making some additions to Cura's Corner. I have attempted to add to Cura's Blog List AND embraced the concept of Blog Buttons, creating Cura's Button Exchange. This has resulted in a number of additions to both lists. Apart from the realization that there are a number of people checking in on Cura and I on a regular basis, this process also made me realize that there are very few current Service Dog Blogs out there.  I have conducted several searches and most of the hits that come up are at least a year old --  and many posts are older than that.  If you find an active blog that I have missed, PLEASE share -- post a comment with the link and I will GLADLY put it on one of Cura's lists!  Also, if you have a favorite doggie site or blog, let me know and I will check it out.

So, it makes me wonder why many of the Service Dog Blogs that were out there do not have any recent posts.  Based on my statistics (at least as far as I can interpret them -- STILL struggling with Stat Programs), there is an audience out there . . . so why did so many other blogs on the subject fail to thrive?  My guess is that the key is to make it more than a 'dry' and 'practical' blog -- while it is important to address issues that Service Dog Teams encounter, I think that it is also important to share the joys, successes, trials, and tribulations that any person with a dog in their life may encounter.

Sure, Service Dog Training requires more precision than the average pet owner finds necessary, but the basic challenges do apply -- one of the main differences is that a pet is not required to get over their challenges because they do not necessarily have to deal with them . . . they can just stay home.   I hope that some of the things that Cura and I experience, combined with the guidance that we receive, will prove helpful to many of you, whether you are blessed with a Service Dog or a beloved Canine Companion  (both provide vital roles).

It is my hope that I will ultimately include all my followers in at least one of my two lists.  If you have a button, please let me know if you are not already included in the banner marque to the left and I will add you!  If you don't have a Blog Button, but still follow Cura's Corner, I will be happy to add your URL to Cura's Blog List, just let me know that you are out there!  Leave a comment  and I will be happy to check out your blog and add you to one of our lists!


Now that the technical post is over, check back later today or tomorrow for Cura's weekly adventures . . .

Quiet Week -- sort of . . .

Well, usually after a week there is at least one or two things that REALLY stick out as topics to blog on . . . not so much this week.  It was a rather uneventful week, at least a far as big things go.  But there have been a lot of little successes that could very easily be overlooked on those weeks where something exceptional happens.  So, this week will be about the minor goal posts . . .

The weather has gotten colder and Cura has been ravenous.  She just can't seem to get enough food.  It must be the cold so, as an experiment, I have upped her food a bit instead of supplementing her diet with various treats.  The treats (think doggie junk food -- even if I DO go for the healthier options) combined with a couple of days where she didn't get her run, and Heather noticed that she was looking a little heavier than normal -- still within the healthy range, but not her normal svelte self.  We decided that giving her a bit more kibble, returning to a 'normal' treat schedule, and putting her coat on when she was out working might solve the problem.  It seems to be working, she isn't looking at me like she is starving so I am back to, at most, one treat per day and she is not looking around for more food.  She actually likes her coat when she is out and about.

I am working with Cura off-lead more now -- though always in a fairly controlled environment.   She has been working off-lead for some time at the doctor's office and now we are doing the same during evening classes.  The building is pretty secure so she is not going to get outside, but  she could certainly run me a very merry chase if she chose to -- so far, so good.  Also, at Rick's suggestion, I purchased a no-jump harness (the person who invented those things must have a sense of humor -- it is just one big puzzle until you get the hang of how it works -- I would show you a picture, but it is downstairs and I just don't feel like digging out the camera).  It allows her freedom of movement but prevents her from jumping by stopping her from fully extending her legs.  I have started taking her in the back yard after her run in the morning and letting her spend a bit of time off-lead back there with the harness.  Again, so far, so good -- she has not even tried to jump the wall again.  At our next training session, we are going to test the true freedom of the harness and work with Cura on Rick and Heather's property.  Hopefully, she will want to let go and run full out for a bit so we can verify that the harness does really give her complete freedom except for the jumping.  We will also be working off-lead. 

Cura is responding well to the recall using the whistle -- provided that she is on the extend-a-lead and distracted.  We think we may have worked out why she is not having the same response when off-lead or inside -- only time will tell if our strategy to solve this glitch will work.  But, the main reason for the whistle recall is to get her to come back if she is distracted -- and that seems to be pretty solid -- most of the time she is even enthusiastic about returning (thanks to that 'special' spot she LOVES to have scratched).

Mondays are going to be another 'official' training session -- at least on those days that we can make it.  The class is smaller and the venue is larger and more varied with additional challenges.  Cura is so comfortable at the usual class location that even the noisy heater cycling on for the first time didn't really phase her.  She looked up and tilted her head, then went back to sleep!  Yes, she is finding the whole thing VERY challenging -- not (at least not until another dog is allowed to get withing a couple of feet -- then she is not happy)!  So, it is time to give her other environments to practice in -- though the Sunday classes have more dogs in a smaller place so they are still very good for getting her used to working with other dogs around.

We had a bit of a surprise this morning -- and Cura did great!  We were out for her morning walk/run and while we were in the field, a jack rabbit bolted from cover about 20 feet in front of us.  Cura's initial reaction was to take a few bounds after the rabbit (she is on the extend-a-lead for this portion of her morning activities).  But she immediately stopped moving forward at my command, pranced in place, and came right back to my side when I called.  Despite the fact that she clearly wanted to 'play' with the bunny, she stuck with me.  She may have been a bit bouncy and barked a couple of times -- but she did what I told her.  When she was released to continue walking, she was obviously working hard at ignoring the direction that the jack rabbit had gone.  Excellent self-restraint -- well done! 

Sometimes, I think that the little successes are the best successes!

All Work and No Play . . . NOT

Yikes! How time flies when you are swamped! I must apologize for the posting delay. Being in education, the lead up to the start of the academic year becomes a bit insane. Before I knew it, over a week had gone by with no new installment! While there are a number of things that have taken place in the past month or so that I would LOVE to share -- I have not finished writing on them. Besides, a wonderful development has occurred that I simply MUST share . . .

Up until now, Cura's response to toys and play in general was either tentative or non-existent. The last 48 hours has seen a significant change in that behavior. Two nights in a row now, she has whole-heartedly engaged in play. She does play with me, but because of my disability, there are games that we simply can not play together -- our play needs to be more sedate. Since she is not overly keen to play fetch (after a few throws, she loses interest), there is really no form of play that I have come up with where she can just let go. However, Cura appears to have found a solution -- she plays with Fuzzy Face! There are no 'rambunctious' limits with him (at least not yet).

It was very funny the first time Cura really engaged Fuzzy Face in a game. After only a few days of being home, Cura began welcoming Fuzzy Face home enthusiastically (at least once he addressed her -- she is good about not bouncing around like a crazy puppy when people come home). You could tell that she was happy to see him. This particular time, Cura greeted him with a stuffed toy, nudging it into his hands and encouraging him to play -- he promptly obliged with a huge smile on his face and laughter in his voice.

Now, it is important to know that Fuzzy Face has never met a dog that didn't bit him . . . Okay, that is an exaggeration, but not a huge one. He has managed to get bitten on a number of occasions, and not always by strange dogs. So, here is Cura, stuffed toy in mouth, mouth VERY close to Fuzzy Face's hands -- the two of them merrily playing. Then, all of a sudden, Cura began making play noises . . . anyone who has owned a dog knows what I mean. A non-dog person would consider this noise a growl, and in some ways it is but not a menacing one. But, that first Fuzzy Face observing that Cura had 'big teeth' and, given the fact that they were very close to his hands, he was not prepared to 'risk it'. Despite reassurances that Cura was not vocalizing a menacing warning (I have heard Cura's warning growl and that wasn't it), Fuzzy Face stopped playing. Poor Cura watched him as he ascended the stairs, stuffed toy in mouth . . . (Cura's mouth, not Fuzzy Face's)

But, the next time Fuzzy Face was prepared and was not daunted by Cura's play noises. In fact, he appeared to take pleasure in them. I think this is going to be kind of his own little thing with her -- as I said, Cura just can't play like that with me. At a certain point, I have to stop the game if she does not drop her level of play enthusiasm. But with Fuzzy Face she can be much more bouncy and rambunctious. It gives her another outlet for her energy. Although her golf car runs, play dates, lessons, and work keep her very busy and constantly releasing any pent up energy, it is a different release than pure, unadulterated play. I really enjoy seeing Cura play with puppy enthusiasm. Prior to a couple of days ago, she didn't. But now it appears that, after 21 weeks, Cura is no longer all work and no play! May the games continue . . .

Welcoming Access

I have alluded to the fact that Cura and I are frequently warmly welcomed by most businesses. There are a couple of incidences that I would like to highlight at this point -- particularly since I have posted on my difficulties in this area before (without identifying the businesses, of course, given our litigious society). Some information will be very specific while others will be less detailed. However, unlike my posts dealing with negative experiences -- I will happily provide specific information about those businesses that, in my experience, have either welcomed or encouraged my patronage as a person with a service animal.

I have frequently been met with smiles and compliments at the Walmart on Unser in Rio Rancho as well as the one on Coors in Albuquerque -- there was one incident of a challenge, but most times I was welcomed right off the bat. I frequent both of these locations often and have almost always been welcomed warmly initially and am convinced that the only 'challenge' that I experienced was either an innocent or a legitimate concern by an employee that had not registered Cura's vest (I still find this a baffling, but legitimate reaction) or was overly exuberant about their responsibilities since, once it was brought to the employee's attention, we were welcomed without further protest.

Hello Deli on Jefferson NE in Albuquerque on Monday 27 July: We descended upon them with several challenges: a grandmother using a walker, a service dog (Cura), AND a pet dog (Skye). They not only welcomed us all to their patio, they graciously volunteered to bring the dogs a bowl of water! After the initial offer, at least two other members of the staff came out and asked if anyone had brought the dogs water -- this was a rather hot day (somewhere in the 90's) so this attention was very appreciated. While I always attempt to insure that I have Cura's needs taken care of to the best of my ability (yes, I manage to forget things once in a while), it is VERY pleasing when a business is willing to provide for my service dog while they are providing a service to me. Hello Deli certainly managed to do this when we were there -- thank you very much!

Scalo on Central SE in Albuquerque 28 July: OH MY GOODNESS! What a lovely experience! Once again, we were on the Patio, but only because the person who arrived first thought that Skye would be with us in addition to Cura. But, because of our plans for the day, Skye was not with us -- while there is a possibility that Skye will, eventually, become an assistance animal, that decision has not yet been made and she is not in a training program as of yet, so does not have the same access as Cura. First, I would like to compliment Scalo on the patio environment that they provide -- despite rather high temperatures, the patio is quite pleasant. On top of that, our waiter graciously asked if he could provide Cura with some water. Unfortunately, I neglected to note the name of our server (something that I have now vowed to remedy when I am out and about from now on because I want to give credit to individuals when it is warranted -- and this server DEFINITELY warranted it!). All I can do is try to give as much information as possible in the hopes that this individual will be recognized by his employer for his excellence. Prior to my disability, I was a server at a restaurant and I am both sympathetic to the stresses of the job and I also have very clear expectations of what warrants exceptional service, and what we received that day was, without a doubt, exceptional (even my father of Scottish descent, who frequently conforms to the monetary stereotype, loosened his purse to acknowledge the service we received this day). As I am sure you have already figured out -- our server was male. In addition, he sported a closely shaven/bald head and a crucifix around his neck. We were the only party on the patio at the time. There were four of us in the party along with Cura -- one of which was my grandmother who, while physically challenged, is very decisive and alert. In addition to making sure that Cura's needs were taken care of, our server also gave me ample opportunities to reinforce Cura's training. Not only is she supposed to be friendly in public when given permission, but she is also supposed to avoid contact and distraction. Our dog-loving server gave me the opportunity to reinforce both responses to public overtures. Thank you!

Satellite on Alameda in Albuquerque (several instances): While there is nothing overly exceptional here -- it is just as important to me to have a 'normal', 'uneventful' experience as it is to have an exceptional one. Every time I have gone to Satellite, I have had a very calm, normal, unstressful, experience. We have always been on the patio because Skye has been with us, but I have always been the one to go in and order and not once has anyone reacted to Cura's presence. Thank you, Satellite, for helping me to feel just like any other customer!

Flying Star in Bernallio on Saturday 25 July: Very similar to my Satellite experiences, this breakfast at the Flying Star was very mundane. But it is VERY important to realize -- from my perspective, having a rather mundane experience is actually desired. Ultimately, I wish to have the same service as any other customer at a restaurant -- the difference is that "I" includes both myself AND Cura. So, making sure we both have a comfortable experience goes a long way in my book. Flying Star managed to provide a pleasant experience for both Cura and I when we visited. While it was not an exceptional experience, it WAS a normal one and, in my life, normalcy is warmly embraced!

These are some of the local businesses that are providing me with normal or exceptional experiences. Thank you so much. Regardless of whether it is a "normal" or an "exceptional" experience -- BOTH are greatly appreciated. I will gladly recognize future positive experiences with details and share less than positive experiences by providing ambiguous details -- just stay tuned!

Keeping up with the Training

I have mentioned that consistency and persistence are important for this whole training process and you would think that such common-sense characteristics would be easy to implement . . . think again! Even though I consider myself a rather well organized and reliable person who (for the most part) is balanced and diligent -- especially when it concerns things that are important to me or close to my heart, it has become clear to me how much I can fluctuate and even 'give up' on a daily basis. When training, letting something 'slide' is not really an option. Well, it is an option, but it means that I have just created additional work for myself because I didn't reinforce the 'rule'.

So, you say, just enforce the rules all the time . . .

Well, that is easier said than done. Let me give you an example . . . Ideally, Cura is to walk beside me (slightly ahead, actually -- essentially the base of her neck/start of her shoulder is at the seam of my trousers -- so her nose is in front of me), looking either straight ahead or at me. No 'foraging', as Rick calls it. This means that, in the event that Cura gets out of place (either to far forward or too far behind) I should correct her, and if her nose/ears are wandering all over the place, I should also correct her.

Challenge #1: My timing -- if it is off at all and I end up letting Cura get too far out of place before correcting her and I am telling her that she needs to reset to a position that is incorrect because she will reset to the position she was at the point where I corrected her. If I correct her when she is too far forward, she will think that she should maintain a position that is forward of the position she should actually be. If I don't correct the wandering attention immediately, she will think that short breaks in focusing on her job are acceptable (definitely NOT good if I happen to fall during one of those lapses of attention!).

Challenge #2: Repetition -- on a good day, how many times do you calmly repeat instructions to someone before you finally give up or blow up??? Well, giving up is counterproductive, so if I chose to give up, I am essentially shooting myself in the foot. Blowing up is at least as counterproductive as giving up and it may be worse! So . . . patience, patience, patience -- that is the key.

Since I have my good days and bad days, there are days that I am better at these things than others. So, what have I learned? Don't take on something that I don't have the ability to follow through on that day. If it is a bad day, I try to limit the amount of 'new' stuff I work on with Cura and concentrate on the skills she is more familiar with. Of course, it is best to practice every day so that Cura can learn the skills faster -- and I pretty much work on everything each day. But, some days we focus on the new skills with less time spent on the skills Cura has been working with longer while other days we concentrate on the older skills and only spend a short time on the new skills. All I do is make sure that we end on a success -- and on a really bad day, that could be a VERY small success indeed!