Summit Assistance Dogs

Service Dog Allows Man to Live on his Own

2009-10-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

"Titus' main job is to open and close doors, pick up objects that Rea drops — such as a computer mouse or phone — and other tasks, as well as provide companionship. At the office, Titus sits on a dog bed under the desk and can react to Rea's commands so Rea's co-workers don't have to be interrupted.

“It's a disruption. It puts me in an awkward position. I have to ask people to do a lot of things for me,” Rea said." Read more about Titus and Eric http://www.enterprisenewspapers.com/article/20090909/ETP03/709099843&template=ETPZoneEDart.

Shiloh Comes Through When it Really Counts!

2009-10-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

(Originally published on Service Dogs: A Way of Life) This morning I woke up with severe pain in my neck and right shoulder(again). At first I wasn't even sure I could get out out of bed, but with a little persistence I managed to make it out of bed. As I tried to transfer into my chair my shoulder gave way and I ended up on the floor! I tried a few times to get up, but quickly realized my right shoulder was not going to weight bare at all, so even using Shiloh to brace a bit was out.I tried Plan B yell, for my roommate Leslie, no dice, since she sleeps like the dead.
Time for plan C, get Shiloh to roust my still sleeping roommate from her bed. My roommates and I have been working on getting Shiloh to find them by name and Shiloh loves my roommate's room, so time to put it to the test. I asked Shiloh "Where's Leslie? Go Get Leslie!" She went to my roommate's door and found it closed ( I could see her and the door from where I was on the floor), so I cue her to touch the door with her paw again and again. She would come back every few times, and I would send her back again. After, a few minutes Shiloh finally succeeded in waking my roommate's Guide Dog, Cammy, who I heard come over to the door and sniff. Shiloh continued to paw the door, while Cammy (deciding that it was time to be up) went over and stuck her nose in Leslie's face, finally waking her! She then heard Shiloh pawing away at the door. Disoriented, and still half asleep, I see her come out of the room saying "What the hell?!" Now I tell her I need help I can't get off the floor! She being the wonderful friend and good roommate comes in immediately to fish me off the floor.
Even if my roommate had not been there and I would have had to wait for someone to come help me, or until I felt it might be safe to attempt to get myself of the the floor having Shiloh there, knowing the that I was not alone she could get the phone and show the people who came to my calls where I was kept me from slipping in to that fear that I could be here on the floor until God knows when! Not falling into that fear left me able to more logically process the situation and stay calm. Shiloh is my constant companion and between the two of us we can figure out a lot of really difficult predicaments! Even it the best thing to do is wait, I am not so vulnerable with Shiloh around she will patiently wait with me.

Celebrating One year as a Team

2009-10-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone who works, volunteers, and/donates to Summit Assistance Dogs for making this last year possible for Shiloh and me!
In this last year, I have gone from being unexpectedly laid off and a person whose world had drastically shrunk following the retirement of my first service dog and an increase in disabling pain to a person one again working near full time and traveling again.I especially want to thank Sue Meinzinger, who loved and trained Shiloh for nearly a year. She was a hard one for you to let go, I know.
It has been a long, hard journey and I invite everyone to follow all of our adventures here http://servicedogsawayoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/anniversary-celebrating-one-year-as.html.

Come Meet Summit Dogs, Trainers, Stff and Volunteers

2009-09-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dog Days of Summer Festival
Lake Padden Park, Bellingham, WA
September 6
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Summit will have a booth.
Harbor Hounds
Gig Harbor, WA
September 26
Summit will have a booth.

Meet Jaskson and Taysen

2009-08-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Taysen, his mom, and Jackson a Summit Assistance Dog, have a busy life together. You can follow their adventures at The Story of Taysen. Jackson is a big love of a Chocolate Lab with a a calm, gentle personality; though he is always ready for an adventure with his boy.

Titus and Eric Featured on Q13

2009-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Seattle Service Dog Changes Paralyzed Man's Life

Eric Rea of Edmonds says he was brought out of depression and is leading a more fulfilling life thanks to his assistance dog Titus. Watch Video

Wendy and Dixie Visit Eugene

2009-05-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Dixie is a member of Summit's D Litter. She was born along with her two brothers last October while Shiloh and I were Team Training. Wendy brought Dixie and her 11 yr old collie mix, Chaihuly, with her to do a follow visit with Shiloh and me. Shiloh has been partnered with me for six months now, though in the grand scheme of both of our lives that is a very short time period. Each day we grow and gel as a team. We were happy to welcome Wendy, Dixie and Chaihuly to our home turf to show them how we are doing and share some of our favorite activities. Dixie and Chaihuly got to experience Eugene's wonderful dog parks. Shiloh and I also took Dixie to her first ever open air Farmer's Market. The farmer's market is a wonder of sights, sounds, smells, people, and temptations for a mere seven month old pup like Dixie. Dixie had a mind (mostly) only for Wendy and the treats she new she had. Like any smart, curious pup Dixie found it hard to be good wanting to investigate all these new people and things. Knowing this Wendy carefully balanced letting her investigate some of the odd things like the wind chimes made from silverware and asking for calm, controlled behavior. Having raised and trained my own first service dog, I know an environment like this is demanding for both pup and handler. After about twenty minutes it the outing was declared a success and we took Dixie home. It is very important when working a young pup like this to keep new outing fun and interesting while taking care not to overwhelm the pup. When Dixie started showing sign that she was mentally tired by yawning and having difficulty focusing it was time to go. Working a dog whether pup or adult past what they can handle serves only to show the dog working is not fun. Since service dog work is very demanding it is paramount that the dog want to do it and early experiences be as positive and fun as possible.
This day was also the first time Dixie had walked next to a wheelchair. Having Shiloh to model after and cookies to earn (Wendy pushed my wheelchair while we walked to the market.) Dixie fell into a very nice heel easily. Though once she wasn't paying attention and got her toes clipped. It did not stop her from trying everything she could to get the elusive cookie from me. Every dog who works with chairs gets their toes clipped once, because they are not used to this metal fortress being around a person and are trying to get closer or they simply weren't paying attention. This is why wheelchair dogs are also introduced to manual chairs first and power chairs second. Getting clipped by a manual chair only startles, but allows the dogs to learn the best space to walk and why they can't crowd a chair. I was happy to see Dixie doing so well. She is bright, happy, willing and sweet. I hope she will make a great service dog one day, maybe for someone who uses a wheelchair. Come visit us again sometime!

Meet Shiloh and Melissa 2008 Graduates

2009-04-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

My name is Melissa Mitchell. I went to Summit when my first service dog, Bastien, was ready to retire. I had taken on the monumental task and risk of raising and training my first service dog myself. In the near decade of our partnership I experienced many changes in how my disability, cerebral palsy, affected me. Yes, I know they say it doesn't get worse, technically, I suppose that's true. The brain damage doesn't get worse, but the body wears out in surprising ways that, for me, lead to increased physical limitations. I went to Summit because I knew I needed to retire my first dog and I just did not have the energy and emotional stamina to both retire my boy and raise and train a new service dog for myself. I knew I would most likely fail and I needed the assistance I knew a carefully chosen, well trained service dog would provide. I chose Summit for many reasons, not the least of which was their use of rescued dogs whenever possible. Summit also put a lot of time an effort into getting to know me and my life in order to find the dog I needed and who needed me.(you can read about my life with Shiloh on my blog) Shiloh and I have been together for nearly five months and each day we learn, grow, and live together. While life with a service dog is not the right choice for everyone, I know in my heart I have made the right choice for myself and Shiloh. Shiloh is an exceedingly bright, sweet girl who has blossomed from the shy, unsure young dog she once was into a wonderful partner who will only continue to become an indispensable part of my life.

Some updates...

2008-07-26T08:59:00.001-07:00

Recently, the "C" litter was born. This is the 3rd litter that Summit has bred in its breeding program. The litter includes five boys and two girls and all the puppies are healthy and good natured. You can read more about the litter and see a photo in Summit's July newsletter here:

http://www.summitdogs.org/Newsletters/2008_Jul.pdf

We have created a "Summit Assistance Dogs" group on facebook. For those of you that use facebook, please consider joining the group. facebook provides a convenient way for the folks at Summit to interact with the community of people interested in Summit's activities. By way of (great) incentive, Grant has uploaded some photos and videos of the puppies in the "C" litter to the facebook Summit group. You may join the group by following this link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7080623401

Daz

Morgan's blog for the end of March

2008-03-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Heyla

I had to spend last weekend alone without Alice. It was hard. I was worried and missing her. She went away without me for 4 days. Don't I look worried?
I tried to be happy with my dad person Wayne. We took long walks, and I even tried meditating with him.

Here is Alice being silly as usual with her bunnies. I tried to join in the fun with "Peeps Around the World" series of photographs of those little cultural icons in trees, bushes, wherever. But it was not much fun without my special person, Alice.

And it was an exciting time for black cat Sophie who on one of our walks(!) got treed by a barking and snapping dog. She was up there for over 3 hours. Finally Wayne had to become fireman Joe and rescue her. That's what she gets for trying to walk with us.

I still get to go out as Alice's service dog, but not always. She is talking of getting me a part-time job! I mean, haven't I worked enough already? Don't I start getting treats for just being? Ommmmm...

Later,
Morgan
Summit Service Dog
(as written through his keyboarding person, Alice)

Morgan's Blog "Movies, Sleeping and not Sleeping!"

2008-03-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Hey dudes,

My people took me to a movie yesterday that was so bad, all three of us ranted and raved after it was over. Wayne wrote a letter to the editor, and Alice added her two cents. It was so bad, I got up from my sleeping place at Alice's feet, and near the end begged them by panting my doggie breathe on Wayne, with a please-let's-leave-now-look.

They agree, they should have left the theater, but no, they stayed till the excruciating end. The name of the film had something to do with Bach, music I generally like, but the humans complained about the bad film: script, editing, photography, directing, all that stuff. And, worst of all, they had no popcorn!

Dog dancing is still fun. Some new dogs coming into the program,but I still can't play with any of them. Mary says "no freelancing." That means no nose sniffing, or no butt greeting. I mean come on! We say hello that way! It's all part of being a canine. Lighten up, Mary!

My human sister, Annie is coming to visit again. I like her. That means long walks and hikes and camping! Oh boy, camping, what fun! But we sold our VW camper bus so we currently have no vehicle to camp in, and Alice says she's too old for tent camping. Whatever! I just want to get out there in the wild and smell all the good nature things, and the campfire and stuff. It's so much fun.

To tell you the truth though my aches and pains are still around. I try not to let Alice know, but she knows anyway. I guess getting older and wiser is not all it's cracked up to be. Alice agrees: she has something called insomnia: neither Wayne nor I can figure out how she can NOT sleep.

I'm doing just fine, although I'm told I now snore when I sleep. Do not! It's probably Wayne or one of the cats making that noise. Those people always blame me for fart smells, burping noises, now snoring. I don't really mind: I get secret joy of making those sounds and smells!

It's 4:30 am: Alice has been up since 2: she's getting sleepy, and making all sorts of errors typing. I think she needs a break. Go back to bed, Alice. I need to sleep some more anyway!

Yesterday we had a big wind storm. Alice got knocked over by a gust of wind, and took Wayne down with her. I stayed on four feet. Her balance isn't what it used to be. Sometimes she let's me out in the yard, no walkies. Here I am forlorn, waiting to be let back in the house.

Well, that's about it for now. Life is pretty good:

Walkies, dog dancing, visits to the elementary school,good food, and treats! And lots of napping for this dog!

Yesterday, Alice and I practiced some dance moves. I got hotdog pieces for my reward. Way to go, Alice!

Woof!

Morgan,
Summit,graduate of 2002,
(as helped by his human counterpart. Alice.)

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser

2008-03-09T11:57:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. I have good news - my hoped for, and expected new puppy to train for Summit is 'in utero' and should be born middle to end of this month. That means I'll get her towards the end of May. The mom is a lab and the dad is a collie. Their first two litters have been very successful in the training program, so I'm looking forward to some good results. So far, I have had mostly standard poodles, and Summit feels, (I agree) that they are not the best breed for service dogs. None of mine have graduated. They are a little too alert, curious, and into their own agenda for a service dog. As a personal pet, I think they are the best.

I have been going to weekly obedience classes with my Summit pups in training. I go in Gig Harbor to Jeanne Hampl's class which is for basic obedience, but she gives me more specific service dog tips during the lesson. She started the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound which is for people partnered with assistance dogs. It is a support group, a training group and a social fun group.

The club will be having a very good workshop on May 31, a Saturday. It will be held in Gig Harbor and I'm sure it would be worth your time to attend it. Sue Meinzinger will be presenting on canine temperament for program dogs.

I'll be there and hope to see you there, also.

Donna

Suzanne and Gusto

2008-03-06T18:51:00.001-08:00

Many of you know that I lost my precious Sadie (my dog) last summer - well, this guy

was a service dog for a wonderful place called Summit Assistance dogs and the human he was with for the past couple of years died a few months ago and Summit decided not to place him back into service. They knew about Sadie and contacted me to see if I would be willing to take Gusto - a 4+ year old male, who, like me, was rather a lost soul. So, Gusto has joined the group and he performed spectacularly for his first snowshoe trip ever. He quickly learned about not stepping on the back of your shoes! He is quite well-behaved. I think he was as ecstatic to be out with us as we were to have him along! You will be hearing more about Gusto. I can't thank Summit enough for being so caring for me and Gusto.

By now, it had warmed considerably from our start of 22 degrees and the snow was getting soft. So soft, that it was balling up terribly on Gusto's belly and legs, making it hard for him to climb and plow through the deep stuff. We decided that with another 900' of gain to make Teanaway Ridge, we would call it good. Besides, we had probably already come a good 4 miles and with a decent amount of gain and this was Gusto's first snowshoe. I didn't want him exiting quite this soon!

All-in-all, a great day in the mountains. It had "warmed" up to 35 back at the car. Someone had a good day!

Morgan's Blog "Woof, woof! It's Spring"

2008-03-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

Woof, woof!

It's spring , kinda. The birds are singing, the new smells are everywhere.

Alice is happy. She works in her garden when it's warm and sunny. Sometimes it's still cold and windy, and snowy. I go with her to her class on Tuesday mornings. It's like the old days when I was at the college, soaking up the knowledge.

This is a gardening class. She's is learning about gardening in New Mexico which is a whole new ballgame compared to gardening north of Seattle.

She also took me with her to the community college for a workshop. There were about ten people in the room and about ten service dogs. I was not allowed to greet any of them, just watch and be the veteran service dog. I got a little upset when she was interacting with some of the other dogs (they call it interviewing.) I mean what's up with that? I'm her service dog!

I really like going out with my humans. When Wayne takes me for walks he usually takes the camera along. Here 's a picture he took recently of the sky.

Alice and Wayne left me behind on Valentine's Day. I stayed with my Auntie Wendy, and though I got to sleep in her bed, I know I missed a good trip. They saw horses, and llamas and dogs, all sorts of things. I wish I could have gone too.

Just a few more months of healing my knees. Then I can run and play again.

Alice is a good groomer. She's downright picky. She grooms me a lot! I get my teeth brushed (I like that), my ears cleaned (I don't like that),get clipped and brushed , and get my nails trimmed (don't like that, but I let her do it.)

Sometimes the cats butt in and want to be brushed too. Lately Sophie, the black cat goes along for our walks. What's with that? Who does she think she is? A dog? She just wants to see where we go when we take off . She's expanding her world, I guess. Who can blame her?

Well, that's about it for now. Alice and I were interviewed for the local paper recently. Hmm, fame is nice, but bones are better.

Woof!
Morgan, Summit Service Dog, class of 2002(and his human, Alice)

Morgan’s Winter Blah Post

2008-02-05T19:40:00.001-08:00

Alice is growing tired of all this cold weather. I like it. The snow is great, but I still need to take it easy, and heal my stretched out ligaments on both knees. She takes me with her some of the time, for which I am eternally grateful, since I love going out among people, working, and smelling all the nifty smells.

Alice and Wayne took me to the movies this weekend. Alice fed me some of her popcorn. I just lie down and sleep or put my head on Alice’s leg.

She’s pretty cool for a person. She walks me and gives me treats, and even though I am supposed to be on “Bed rest,” I am well enough to dog dance every Saturday morning. This Saturday we won a prize for making the best circles. I do that really well. Also backing up and side steps and high fives. When she says, “spin” I think she is going to say, “speak” instead, so I bark. I think she is going to change the command. No more ”sp” words.

Like me, Alice is a party girl. She is already planning a dog party for me around May or June, (my birthday; I’ll be eight). She is going to invite all my dog buddies in the neighborhood (that would be Ai-shan, Tara, Carlos and Paco, Wendy the new greyhound, and other dogs), to the tennis court where we will chase cheeseballs and bob for hot dogs in a plastic swimming pool. Oh, and of course my dog dancing buddies will be invited. That would be Bryce, Gunther, Angela, Razz, Zach, Gabe and the little Sheltie, Sable. And my county dog buds, Chelan and Scout. I don’t know how well the dogs will get along with each other. But they will have their person with them.

And maybe Luna and Auntie Sarah will be in Santa Fe for the big event. I hope so! I haven’t seen Luna in ages. And we have a history, you know.

Alice has me wearing a red bandana for February. She’s such a Valentine person.

On another note,

Service kitties:

Would say things like

” Me? Work? Nah, I don’t think so. I need to nap first.”

Me? Catch that mouse? Nah, I just want to play with it.”

“Treats involved? No thanks, yawn, yawn.”

“Me? Work for you? Uh, don’t you have that backwards?”

They just don’t have the same hardwired brain; if they have a brain, it must be pea sized. Where do they get off? Sleep and eat, sleep and eat. And they even get to poop inside the house in a special box. I don’t believe the easy lives they lead.

Ah, well, I’d rather be a dog. Man, everything I do is my favorite thing.

Have dinner? My favorite thing.

A car ride? My favorite thing.

Work in public with Alice? My favorite thing.

Get brushed all over? My favorite thing.

Take a nap the sofa? My favorite thing.

Cheese? My favorite thing.

Walkies? My favorite thing.

Dog dancing? My favorite thing.

You see what I mean?

Every new day is an adventure around here filled with goodies!

It’s the little things that count. Just ask Alice. She’ll say the same.

Woof!

Morgan Lee

(As dictated to his human) Summit graduate, 2002

Alice

Notes from a Volunteer Puppy Raiser

2008-01-22T18:25:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone - You haven't heard from me in quite a while. I don't have a Summit puppy to raise right now, so I'm feeling like I'm on a bit of a break from very serious training. I've heard that the mother of 'my' prospective offspring is in season right now, so Hopefully that should equate into a puppy for me 4 months from now, or at least that's my best guess. No promises!

My own little puppy, Chloe, is 11 months old now. (My husband is going out on a errand now, and just kissed only the puppy goodbye, and not me! I squawked!!! and I got my kiss. Status!) So little Chloe is learning many of the things that an assistance dog needs to know, just because I like training her, and because she can do demonstrations for kids and adults. The command 'tug' lends itself to many tasks. Her big sister, Maya, could do all these things using 'tug' - open doors and drawers (tug handle attached) take off socks and gloves, unzip and pull off jackets, etc. Chloe is working with a tug rope so far. The other good command I'm teaching Chloe is 'hold'. I use this command a lot when I am taking photographs for our books. Big brother, Eddie, used 'hold' for a telephone, a paintbrush, a wooden block, a puppet in our "Eddie Goes to Kindergarten" book. It's also good for holding a wallet, going paws up on a counter and handing the wallet to the clerk ('give'). Once a dog has retrieved an object for his person, he should 'hold' the object and deliver it to the partner's hand on the 'give' command.

I am also trying to teach Chloe to 'read' or recognize a few words on flashcards. I've read that Morgan can do this, and we are waiting for information from him on what he reads and how he learned, because we need a bit of help here. The kids in Chloe's Second Grade (her book) love the idea that Chloe is working with flashcards. She is a very welcome student in their class and we all have a great time creating her book, "Chloe is in Second Grade".

That's All For Now, Folks, I'll try to check in with you more often.

From Donna and Chloe

Further Travels of Morgan and Friends

2008-01-19T17:22:00.001-08:00

Well, it’s been a cold winter here in northern New Mexico. But the sun shines nearly every day on the living and dining room floors, and those two lazy cats and I just soak it up.

We (Alice, Wayne and I) just returned from a plane trip to visit Molly, one of my sisters (human kind). We flew on four different planes coming and going.

My checklist:

Travel blanket	X
Dog food	X
Kongs	X
Leash	X
Vest	X
ID and papers	X
Poop bags	X
Snacks (treats)	XX

Here I am on the floor of the plane, doing what I am supposed to do: make myself small and sleep. I don’t know what Alice’s boot is doing there and where is Alice?

A sign we especially liked at the hotel said I was allowed to stay there. Now that is good service dog communication!

We did a lot of riding in this new smelling rental car. Here’s a picture of Molly and me in the back seat. We had to share the seat, but I didn’t mind. I would just rest my head on her lap

This is a photo of Molly on her 19th birthday. You can’t see me, but I’m working, under the restaurant table being Alice’s unobtrusive helpmate.

All in all, it was a good trip.

Hey, I am racking up the states with all these trips.
Alice just has a few (five or so) states to visit (Mid-Atlantic, she says) and then she will have visited every state in the US.
I have also been to Mexico and Canada!

I was glad to get home and sleep on my spot on the sofa and see all my toys…. Life is good.
Woof!

Morgan
(As channeled to his human partner, Alice)

Morgan’s Blog, New Year, 2008

2008-01-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I suppose you will be disappointed if I don’t write about resolutions. Okay, let’s get this part out of the way. Alice has a few this year (the first two recommended to her by Corina, one of my favorite humans!) Remember what they were?

Go slowly.
Ask for help.

As if…

Also she wants to be mindful; and practice loving kindness. She’s pretty good at being kind to me. Never a harsh word. Okay, sometimes there is a “NO!” when I’m in a mischievous mood, or when I get into the cat food.

And when we go for walkies if I forge ahead (so many good smells), she says “Hup!” and I know what that means. Stop and walk along side of her with a loose leash. Auntie Sarah taught us that one.

And number 3 (which I find a little disappointing since I am left out in the cold) is ta-da… Play with the cats everyday so they lose weight. (See low-rider Willow visiting me outside in the snow).

Now that is a good idea, but what about ME?

I could do with a resolution to make sure I am exercised daily to keep my shape, and maybe something about food, cheese, Gromit! I resolve to go on walkies at least 2x daily, and work for the best treats out there. (That would be cheese for me.)

I suppose I could resolve to be the best ever service dog to my person, Alice, but that wouldn’t be that hard, because I already am.

She is talking about making me the elder dog and showing some pupster the ropes. Hmmm. I’ll have to think on that one, and up the ante on treats too.(Was that part in my contract?)

I don’t know what the big deal is about celebrating the New Year, January 1st or February 7th (Chinese New Year) or winter solstice. We canines celebrate seven new years for every one for humans.

Are we party animals or what?

What are your human and dog resolutions?

Walkies? Treats? Naps? Presents to open?

I love ripping paper off my presents. I do it every chance I get. (Notice my sly smile in photo of ME unwrapping my pumpkin-flavored “Wet Noses” biscuits.)

Woof!

Morgan (as dictated to human partner, Alice)

2007 Blog Review

2007-12-30T11:38:00.001-08:00

This posting will be the 70th posting to the Summit Dogs blog. We started the blog in the middle of July and have averaged around 14 postings - or almost one posting every other day - over the 5 months of the blog existence. I think it's been a great start and we've received lots of positive feedback from our readers.

I will take this opportunity to thank Donna and Alice who are the biggest contributors to the blog; between them they're responsible for around half of all the blog's postings. Thank you!

October's graduation was one of the highlights of the year for everyone involved in Summit's work and we will be posting the recent graduates' stories alongside those of previous graduates on the Summit web site early in 2008. I hope that in amongst the other wonderful stories, we'll be able to post some more updates on the progress of Danny, Summit's Assistance Horse.

Above all, I wish everyone involved in Summit Assistance Dogs and everyone who reads this blog my very best wishes and, for those of you that use the Gregorian calendar, a very happy new year!

Daz

Morgan’s Holiday Blog, 2007

2007-12-24T10:07:00.001-08:00

Greetings, all you canines and humans. I thought I’d let you all know how it’s going in the Lee household. Well, it’s winter time and we have snow, which I love to play in and snuffle. But I am still not supposed to run or hurt my healing knees. Bah! Humbug!

It’s also what the humans refer to as holiday time. It doesn’t mean all that much to me, except that we have a green tree in the house (!), and I can’t use it for a marking spot. It’s by the back doors where the sun comes in, and all us animals like to nap and stretch in the sun. Here’s one of the cats I live with looking out at the snow. No way would they go out and try something new! I don’t know if it’s the black cat or the grey one from the photo; they are both so rotund. (All they do is eat and sleep, eat and sleep.)

Here are shots my human took out the back window, one of the sunrise and one at night with snow and lights in the tree with farolitos. I know what those are: they are like plastic lunch bags with lights, all the thing in Santa Fe. I think in other places they are known as luminaries. Ho hum, lights don’t really do much for me, but Alice likes them.

Me, I like presents. I know there are some under the weird-looking tree with my name on em. I can smell them. Why we have to wait is beyond me.

Hey guys, don’t eat plants like mistletoe, poinsettias, or holly. You’ll wish you hadn’t. Also don’t indulge yourself like the humans do with chocolate, cookies, rich eggnog, stuff like that. Taking off pounds is not fun. You want to keep svelte (like me). It is better for your health.

For the New Year people also make something called resolutions. Alice made two: Go slowly and ask for help. She doesn’t want to do either, but her physical therapist told her that. I was a witness. I like Corina lots. She’s cool.

Alice is also letting me go to the elementary school on Mondays. Like a king I get to walk in and out of the car on a ramp. All it needs is a red carpet. Can you imagine 25 little kids (multiply that by two for their little hands) all petting me at once? It happened last week. I just sigh and let them get their thrills. Ever seen a dog in school?

Well as they say, happy holidays.
I might add peace and goodwill to all humans and dogs.
Peace!

Morgan (as dictated to his human, Alice)

Teaching something new to Apollo

2007-12-24T10:00:00.001-08:00

Video: Teaching something new to Apollo

Well I know it seems like forever since I’ve posted anything on the blog, but it seems like our life is so routine that there really isn’t anything new to say. However, I thought I might share a short video of Apollo learning to turn on and off the light of the ceiling fan in our bedroom. I just put a little extra chain and a baseball pull on the fan for him to tug on. Right now he is learning to just do it by me saying “Up” “Tug”. I am hoping to transition that to an actual command, but I need to talk to the trainers about how to do that. I have also been working on getting him to tug off my winter hat, but I haven’t got a video of that yet. I sure hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Peggy

December

2007-12-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here’s a cool quote I found on Alice’s desk. “I’d rather be a dog and bay at the moon.” Shakespeare wrote that a long time ago. Pretty cool huh? He sure knew his stuff. Alice is very literary; she knows a lot of that kind of thing.

Life is pretty boring around the house with nowhere to go and no one to see. I’m on house bedrest, with a few outings now and then. No cavorting or frolicking, jumping, running, doing donuts, etc.

I did get a couple of get-well presents from people who LOVE ME (ME! remember, it’s all about ME!) And lots of well-wishing emails! New toys are like new books or new CDs or new movies. You get tired of the same old same old.

I um, have a pretty full laundry basket full of dog toys. (see photo). Sometimes I take them out and scatter them all around the living room. Sometimes I line them up in front of my bed in the living room. Sometimes I’d like to line up those two cats who act like top dog around here. I’m top dog! And they better not forget it!

I got a visit from my Auntie Sarah who brought me get-well presents, including an armadillo. I’ve never had a stuffed armadillo. Now I can add it to my collection of stuffed penguin, stuffed mallard, stuffed frog, and copper colored stuffed lions. My humans all call them my puppies. My favorite puppy has had his neck sewn up so many times with different colored thread he looks cool. Sometimes his brain-guts come out when I shake him in my mouth. Alice just picks it up off the floor and stuffs it back in his skin and sews him up again. This guy has been around since day one. Do you other dogs have any special toys you are fond of?

Here are the names of some of the books Alice is reading now; maybe she will learn something new about dog
language that she doesn’t know already. It could happen!

I like the first part of this title: Bones Would Rain from the Sky, Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs, Suzanne Clothier.

2) Merle’s Door, Lessons from a Freethinking Dog, by a guy named Ted Kerasote.(a freethinker!)

And a third one called On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, by Turid Rugaas.

If you are interested in dog-talk vs. people-talk take a look at these books.

Well it’s the time of year to hibernate for some creatures. Dogs don’t do that but we do like sleeping by the fire, and taking it easy.

Hey, life is pretty good. I get my meals on time every day, and walkies and treats for when I work. I have dog buddies (Aishan, the big wolf dog) and I sort of like all my dog dancing buddies, although we are not supposed to visit much with them. I have a new way to get in the car now I just walk up this ramp and go lie down.

Today, Alice left me in the car while she ran inside a place to pick up a thing. I could see her from the window. It helped to get in the front seat. There was a ---can you believe this?--- cat in the car next to mine!

I need to help Alice see where she is going. I like to put my head between the front seats right next to my person. I would sit in her front seat if she would let me, but it’s probably not safe.

Later, Woof!
Morgan, Service Dog to Alice

Here comes Christmas, ready or not!

2007-12-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year, with the lights, music and people out walking. I would enjoy much more snow though. Hayden got to play in some at the Alternative Christmas Fair this past Saturday and LOVED IT!

I realized that this is his second Christmas with me. Last year at this time, he was still getting used to traveling with me to Lake Oswego, Oregon, to stay with my family. Both he and my nieces were getting to know each other, with Hayden being much more accepting than Charley and Jessie. He was taller than both and they were a little nervous about him.

This year, they love Hayden and he, them. Charley, the 3 year old loves to boss him around. She’s constantly telling him to “leave it”, whether he’s around something or not! He loves when she plays ball with him, telling him to “Dop (drop) it”, which he does, then she tells him to sit, which he does. At this point she’ll pick up the ball and throw it, either forward or accidentally backwards. He is very gentle and patient with her.

Jessie, who is 1, loves to take his toy, which causes him to look at me pleadingly. He doesn’t go and take it back until she drops it and I tell him to get his toy. She also loves to poke his eyes, put her fingers up his nose and grab at his tail when he walks by. He is very patient with her and in return, loves to clean up under the table when she has finished eating in her high chair. (I can sense all of the trainers groaning at this point.)

It seems as though Hayden has always been with me. He brings my morphine pack to me so many times a week, I take it for granted and seldom think about the days I had to go without, if no one was with me. He’s always at my side, helping me walk and navigate my way through life, increasing my independence and abilities to go out on my own without worrying.
I love this dog so much and can’t explain to others what this relationship is like. He’s not a pet, he’s not just a dog, he’s a true partner. He makes me laugh, experience joy and love in a way that entwines him into the fabric of my own being. I have a sticker on the bumper of our car that reads, “Dog is My Co-Pilot”. Many people have this sticker, but for me, it is true! Without him, navigating is much more difficult.

Needless to say, this holiday season I find myself thankful for so much in my life. My partner Jeaneen, my family and friends, Summit and my co-pilot in life.

2007 Holiday Blog by Morgan

2007-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

This week I am going to have this fancy whiz-bang therapy for my stretched out knee ligaments. Alice and Wayne have agreed to this treatment, and we hope it will be successful. Alice is kind of squeamish about knees. You see, when she lived in Beijing, China, (before me), she got pushed down by a mob of subway boarders and landed on her knee. By the time she got home, her knee had swollen up to twice its size. She went to a Chinese doctor at the German clinic, and he said----

Oh hey, I don’t want to write about this now. She said it was the worse pain she ever experienced, although humans have no memory for pain. Alice has no memory, period. And did I tell you she has no short-term memory left? It’s very selective. Usually she claims Wayne never told her about some planned activity. They certainly are an old married couple: Bicker, bicker, but all in fun.

Thanks to all my faithful readers out there. I want to mention a special thanks to C. about the reference to the special kind cheese (Wensleydale) mentioned in the Wallace and Grommit videos. I did not know that. Alice said she would check out Whole Foods. YUM!

And to Chloe, the SDIT, about reading: one of Alice’s good dog buddies says, “Slow is fast.” It took me much time to learn to read. But every time Alice gets out the flashcards, I know there are special treats involved. The same goes with practicing dancing. Treats, treats, treats!

Remember my motto: Will Work For Treats.

Some dogs out there would rather have praise or a toy, like a ball. I can’t see that. It’s food for me that makes me want to do a good job. But did you want advice on the “sit” and “down” command? I don’t like to do downs. I will do them, but I take my time.

When Alice asks me to do something, sometimes she rewards me with a treat, and sometimes it is praise. I never know when I will get rewarded, so I guess I had better do it, just in case!

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving.

Alice put a red bandana on me, so they could tell us apart. We are all the same copper color, and Chelan, the golden retriever, and I are about the same size. The little runt is a red heeler named Scout. She’s fun to play with. Here we are running in the snow, play fighting, or stallion-leaping. I get to get up on their sofa too. Neat, how well trained my humans are. And I love to burrow in the snow. It’s fun and I love the snow.

Happy holidays! Woof!

Morgan, Summit Dog, Class of 2002,(as channeled to his human partner, Alice)

Holiday Time

2007-11-29T19:47:00.001-08:00

Hello Friends,

I thought it was a good time to stick my head out of my hole and communicate again (c:

We are here at Christmas and I thought I would share a bit of my experiences over the past 6 yrs. that I've been with Summit. This is the season when most everyone is happier and more touchy/feely about things which means more distraction for your dog. I'll give you an example.

I went into the store with Krypton and just had to pick up a couple of things. So, I finished my shopping and went to the end aisle to be out of the way. Well, as I was putting the basket on the belt, I heard a little kid say "DOGGY!" In that split second, Krypton got up from a sit and was turned completely around to lick that little girl. Her parents were all gooey and trying to explain to this youngster what kind of a dog he was. It followed that the parents said, "What can he do?" Well, I didn't have my doggy kit with me (because I thought it was going to be a quick trip) but I did have a slipper on my foot so I proceeded to have Krypton pull it off. He did and they were amazed and asked what else he could do? Remember, all the time I'm trying to communicate with the checker about my groceries and keep an eye out for any people who may be in line and not that impressed with the situation that is causing them to have to wait. I decided to put the slipper up on the shelf and K could get it and then give it to me. Well, as my brain was quickly trying to figure this out, the slipper fell on the floor. K picked it up and my purse fell down and I was soon to lose the 2 grocery bags in my chair. It was a little like the Keystone Cops for those of you who are not too young to be familiar with them. I put the slipper up on the shelf, he upped on the counter and did just what a could assistance dog does....gave it back to me. The courtesy clerk was trying to help me put my slipper back on but I went ahead and did it. All I wanted was to get out of that place because in all the action that was taking place at our check stand we had drawn the attention of the whole store.

Now, I've tried to go over it in my mind and wondered if I could have done anything differently and because of my interest in sharing my dog because he gives people smiles, I don't think I could. We were ambushed by that sweet little girl and couldn't resist. I write this to let you know that you may come in contact with this sort of situation. What will you do? Can you handle your animal if he gets distracted? Do you need to take someone with you to help? Is it necessary that you go to the store? Can you send someone else? The answer to all of these questions is whatever you answer them with. What it did for me was to remind me that the season is upon us and I am going to have to be more diligent and decide how much I can take on my outing. If I'm tired and/or hurting, I've decided to allow people to help me like they are always asking to. I will make the plan before I leave, on how I'm going to behave to be constructive to all involved, be productive and let K do what he does best, and.........decide to gently talk with the people who are wanting my attention at the moment I am busiest and trying to keep my mind on myself, my behavior, my dog's behavior and the people who see us.

It sounds like a lot because it is. But, it really doesn't take away from my season. I have just learned with age that often times it's good to just roll with the punches. People are goosey this time of year so just be prepared and have a ball. See you next time. wq