Sunday, December 30, 2012

Icy Sunny Day

Good morning yawn, Louie's butt hovers above the icy pavement.
Oh, the Holidays
Christmas has come and gone this year and now, new years eve is tomorrow. It's hard to believe another year has gone by. Louie doesn't seem to notice anything out of sorts, except that he was late getting his dinner on Christmas day because we were over at families house. Human fail.
 
This morning is the first sunshine we've seen in the Pacific North West in almost a month.
It has rained, poured, drizzled, misted, and sprinkled. We have had fog, wind, ice, rain-snow mix, and a downpour or two. Today I woke up to a frozen wonderland sparkling in the sunshine! Oh, how I wish Louie could see this. Well, he seems to know something amazing has happened because going out to potty this morning wasn't as much of an emergency run out and go as fast as you can, as it usually is. Louie doesn't like rain, or cold. This morning he felt the cold, but knew something was different and he instinctively went out to find a sunny spot and sit.

Steam rolled off of the big frozen stump in the yard.
It looks amazing against the glare from the sun. Everything sparkled, even Louie.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

A Christmas greeting from the Blind Louie Family! xoxo
Tomorrow is Christmas eve.
This is a time when I feel closest to my family and loved ones, including my four legged family members. Louie even slept under the covers last night, I just couldn't say no. Well, I did say no about 4 or 5 times but then at about 4am when he was trying again, I let him under into his little cocoon of heat and security. He loves that.

My husband and I are hosting Christmas eve dinner at my Grandmother in laws house.
Our home is so tiny we can barely fit two people in the kitchen, let alone feed and entertain 13 people, so to Grandma Barrett's delight we suggested hosting at her house and it seems like a wise idea. I've been cooking today, on and off. I did manage a two hour afternoon nap, that of course, included Louie and a kitten. Having my usual weekend off work is great, but knowing I have two more days to enjoy my family is amazing.

Louie is always interested in what I'm making in the kitchen.
Like I said, the kitchen is TINY, I mean tiny. Standing room is roughly about 4 foot by 6 foot. The space I am using does not include room for a nosy 100 plus pound dog. Sorry Louie. I know he just wants to 'see' what I'm doing in there, and since he can't just peek in around the corner like our seeing dog Snorp does, he has to follow his nose to the source of interest. The phrases 'out of the kitchen' and 'back up' have been said dozens of times today. He always starts out well, and I get busy and before I know it, I turn around and trip over big Blind Louie. 'Back up buddy, out of the kitchen. Scoot scoot scoot!'. His reverse is pretty cute. Rear legs: step step, front legs: jump back! and repeat.

Louie's models his cool hat as Snorp gives him 'bunny ears'
So after a few of those I decided we could practice something else instead.
Since we didn't have class yesterday and we won't again next Saturday because of the holiday I thought this would be another great opportunity to practice 'lay down' and the long stay. Staying in place for quite a while and just relaxing will really help us when we do the final CGC test, because he will have to stay with strangers while I am out of the room for three minutes. After today I am more confident than every that he will have no problem with this. The first few times I asked him to stay, he would sneak back up on me, but then something miraculous happened. I finished a task and turned around and Louie was still out of the kitchen! I looked at the clock and it had been six whole minutes! He was still awake and in the same position I had left him. He was still listening intently to what I was doing but he was not whining and was staying in place. Success!

Meatloaf Kitty tries on Louie's new hat!



I have written before about Louie having a hard time with the 'lay down' command.
This is getting much better, but he seems to be following the 'third time's a charm' rule. I say 'Lay down', he looks at me and sinks his shoulders a tiny bit. I say again, 'Louie, lay down'. He scoots his front feet forward a step each. This makes him look like he's doing some yoga move, I think it's actually called the downward facing dog, so it's quite fitting. One more time, same tone and delivery 'Louie, lay down.' The front feet scoot forward and he lays down. Success! Now, I have to ask our instructor if this will count against us during the test, having to ask him multiple times. This is a pass/fail test, so this is very important.

I hope you enjoy our festive photos, Louie's cool hat was made by Grandma Barrett. He loves it, Meatloaf kitty, not so much.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Here, Hold this Food on Your Face.



Louie is a very good dog when he has food on his nose. He can sit there like that for an hour. He'll just keep waiting until you tell him 'GO!'.

After a little while, a calm comes over him. Total zen.
Blind Louie meditation.
   
A few times, I've made Louie wait so long, that when I told him 'Go!' he just tilted his head to the side inquisitively. 'What?' He had forgotten there was anything there at all.

The treat slid off of his nose
When he heard it hit the ground, he jumped a bit!
but excited to find, there on the floor, a treat!

Oh, Louie.



Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Lou Lou Gets a Boo Boo

Louie asking to get on the bed (on the right side of the bed)
Lou Lou got a boo boo.
Louie is a smart and capable guy, so much so that sometimes I forget that he's blind. He navigates around our tiny cluttered house no problem. With just a few whispered verbal cues he can navigate his way up, over and through a big bunch of fallen logs in our front yard, so when it comes to getting around nowadays, I just let Louie figure it out mostly by himself. I've always got an eye or an ear out for him, but I think it's important for him to be confident and be able to explore for himself. When Louie is sleepy this is not a good idea.

When Louie is sleeping and wakes suddenly, he's like a crazy drunk man who doesn't realize he still has his hat pulled over his eyes. Louie acts as if he can see and just goes for it. If Louie's asleep and our other dog, Snorp, barks at something, this can trigger Louie to 'get up and go!!' without thinking it through at all.

Louie sleeps on our bed, often.
Louie knows that when he needs to get down from the bed, he needs to get off of the right side of the bed. This keeps him aware of where he is and the right side of the bed is a clear landing. The foot of the bed has a small cabinet with our TV on it about 16 inches away from the bed and the left side has hour dresser about 2 1/2 feet from the bed. The right side is a clear 5 foot area where he can get off and turn around and decide where to go next. When Louie is fast asleep and he wakes up quick, you never know what will happen next.

Saturday night, Paul went to town for a show.
He didn't get home until about 2:30am. I was sleeping with Louie on the bed and Snorp was waiting for his Daddy by the front door all night, as usual. I was dead asleep when I opened my eyes and saw Louie launching himself off the foot of the bed while barking. Paul had just walked in the front door and Snorp was excitedly greeting him. Louie heard the commotion and went into autopilot and jumped off the foot of the bed instead of the right side and dove head first into the cabinet with the TV on it. It made a pretty good thunk, but he still managed to turn and drop his back legs down and trot over to go and happily greet Paul. The sound of his head hitting the wooden furniture sent shivers up my back and down my arms, the hair standing up on the back of my neck.

Louie lays facing his exit. Behind him is the cabinet he crashed into.
I always try to stay calm when Louie hurts himself.
It's really hard to do. Sometimes I think the sound of him bonking his head hurts me more than it hurts him. He did not whimper or whine. He did not let out a squeal or anything at all. If I didn't see what he did, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. I let him finish the 'power petting' he was getting from dad and I turned on the light and sat on the floor and cradled his big stupid head in my hands. Sure enough, there on his forehead was a little nick, barely bleeding. I got out the first aide kit and a bit of disinfectant and dabbed it in there. Louie sat and waited so patiently. If it stung at all, he did not let on of his discomfort in the slightest. I patted a bit of antibiotic ointment and was just happy it was in a spot where he wouldn't try to lick it off.

Looking at the cut now, I see it might leave a scar.
It's not very deep at all, it looks like he just hit the small metal handle on one of the doors of the cabinet and it just shaved a little spot on his forehead. It's not deep at all, just hairless and white now. My mom said 'Oh, he looks tough now. People are going to think he was a fighting dog.' We both pause and look down at Louie with his goofy carefree smile and wagging tail. We look back to each other and we both shake our heads. No, no one would believe that.

This poses a question that is worth looking into.
Should Louie not be allowed on the bed because he might hurt himself? Should Louie have to sleep in a kennel or a crate to prevent something like this from happening? Should Louie only be allowed on leash, constantly tethered to his mommy or daddy? It's worth asking myself. This is how we all learn from our mistakes, and from others mistakes as well.

Our cozy and colorful tiny living/dining room
Normally, I wake up when Louie starts to stir and I help him off the bed.
Louie figures it out all on his own most days without any help at all, but, 1 in 1,000 times he leaps into the wall instead of onto the floor. Should he be caged, leashed and guarded? I think of what his quality of life would be like if he wasn't allowed to be free to explore and learn on his own and I say: No. He should not be caged, guarded and leashed 100% of the time. We do take precautions, don't get me wrong. That's why we don't have our bed next to our 4 story balcony window where he could smash through and sail off into the cold night. I don't have a glass table with a narrow ceramic vase holding a precariously perched anvil. My house does not resemble an 'Angry Birds' set up or a wicked game of dominos in the slightest. Actually, we are quite thoughtful when decorating or arranging our home. We keep all our family members in mind when setting up, including our pets.

Think about this same scenario, only with a young child, toddler or baby. We know our kids need to explore and try things to be able to learn. Telling a kid not to jump on the bed because they could fall off and get hurt is one thing, but actually falling off the bed and getting hurt is a lesson that no one else could teach as well as gravity does. I firmly believe we are here to cushion our kids fall and kiss their boo boo's, but not to cage or leash them. Because then, when they are inevitably set free, they will not know how the world works or how to figure things out for themselves. Louie is a lot like a toddler, but without the sassy mouth. I definitely handle him with kid gloves, but I do not hold him back from learning from his own mistakes. I know Louie will not accidentally leap off the wrong side of the bed again for a very long time. He's moving slower when he's on the bed and putting more thought into it. He is also looking to me to support and instruction, and I am there and happy to give it.

6/4/2015 UPDATE: I reread this today and wow, now that I'm a mom this last paragraph is great parenting advice! I had no idea when I wrote this post that two month later I would find out I was pregnant! Funny how it all works out. More importantly, Louie does not have a scar from this little misstep! Thanks for reading.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 2

The best shot from all day. Nice.
Today was the second of six classes Louie and I are taking to become CGC certified.
Today went pretty well. Louie and I got to class about an hour early and just parked and walked around the 'neighborhood', if you can call it that. It's more of an industrial park than a neighborhood really. Big metal buildings, the humane society is there, a tire shop that services semi's and delivery trucks, a couple of construction supply warehouses and our county's second jail. Not a usual fun place to chose to go for a stroll on a nearly freezing rainy day but it's great practice.

 This was actually good because Louie got some try walking on some different surfaces than he is used to. There aren't any sidewalks, just sloped edges, driveways and big drainage grates. There is also lots of gravel on the pavement which sounds and feels different. All in all a good experience for Louie. I like to walk before class because Louie is much better behaved around other dogs when he's already had some exercise. Also, that way he most likely won't have to go out during class. As far as getting the toots out, well, all I can say is I hope no one thought it was me. Lou let out a couple of SBD's during class that were so thick you could choke on them. Classy AND sophisticated Louie, I know.

We worked on a few more basic things.
That is the beauty of this test. It is so basic. It really is just good manners. This is what Louie and I have worked on together since he came home with me at seven weeks old. He has come a long way. This class, and this test, is just a way to help hold me accountable and not let Louie's good behavior start to slip in his old age. It is also helping me realize some areas where he could use some work and where I can use some work as well. For instance, how I keep Louie at my side without Louie being able to see me? He can't get too far away from me, because the leash needs to stay loose during the test. I have to make noise, talk to him and call him. He needs to sit by my side when we stop, not in front of me. I am also super clumsy with my delivery of treats. Between me being bad with my left hand Louie blind as a bat, it's often that I will miss his mouth and drop the treat on the floor. I may use treats more sparingly, I feel like I have been force feeding him because 'everyone else is doing it' and I'd never been to class before. Everyone else there has had their dogs in classes before and the oldest one there is only about 3. Louie is an grown man and I'm an adult and I don't know the ways of the dog school, will I be allowed to not use treats? Now that I get the whole class thing a bit more, I think I'm going to lay off of the treats. We'll try that and see how that goes. Fewer could be better, we will see.

Louie stays, Snorp does not.
The CGC test will cover the following:
1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Out for a walk - keeping a loose leash
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and down on command and Staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reaction to distraction
10. Supervised separation

Today we hit on numbers 1, 3 and 10.
The separation will get easier the more we practice the longer sit and stays, just as our instructor said. That is something we practiced all week and he keeps getting better and staying for longer. I think this will really help for the test, the supervised separation will be three whole minutes long.

Accepting a friendly stranger Louie has this down pretty well. He's just a calm and friendly kind of guy. He has a bit of a hard time stopping when I stop, but with some cues we learned today we're going to get better at it with practice.

Louie has never been to a groomer.
I brush him regularly, because he loves it. His coat is so short and velvety, it shines up real nice when you brush him. He'll put his head back and close his eyes and just enjoy it. Cutting his nails is another story. Cutting a nail will make a sound come out of him in which you may think he was being murdered. This one is also really hard for me, because I am not confident on where to cut because of his black finger nails. I always have our vet cut them when we go to see him. This is something I hope to overcome as well. Ears are another easy one. I keep them clean and he doesn't mind them being touched. You can have a look in his mouth too, he won't mind a bit but I will admit I haven't done the best with his dental care. Everything is still intact but I don't brush his teeth and as he's gotten older his breath has gotten stinkier. Maybe instead of just telling him, 'Louie, you're breath is stinky', I should do something about it. After overhearing a conversation about teeth brushing between the instructor and another student, I've been inspired to give this tooth brush thing a try. I bet Louie will like that too. I'll let you know how it goes.

My loving husband Paul, fast asleep on his favorite living meat pillow.
Overall, I think we're sitting pretty (pun intended).
The next two weekends we will be without class because of Christmas and then the New Year. This means we will have three full weeks to practice and improve.

I look forward to improving myself, maybe even more than Louie. I know if I get better at leading him, he will get better at following. I can always improve the way I interact with others, people and animals alike. Sometimes it can be hard to take instruction from another person, especially about something that you care deeply about. I love Louie with every ounce of my being. If I let myself, I might be very defensive about his behavior and any instruction I may get in that regard. This would only make me frustrated and hold Louie back. This class is great practice for me. It will help me continue to be open to learning and instruction. It will encourage me to be open and honest with myself about my actions. It will also help all of us, both pets and people, look at myself and my family objectively and allow us all to learn from what we see.
Win Win Win and WIN!
Since I didn't get much today in the photos department, I will leave you with this intimate close up. Last night, I found my husband had fallen fast asleep on a very beefy pillow. I love my life.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Downed Tree Front Yard Adventure

Louie and I have been practicing.
Everyday we put his harness on and go outside to practice simple commands. For the first time in Louie's adult life, we are doing this with treats and he loves it. I've never seen his butt hit the ground so fast when I say sit. He's even starting to sit on his own when I stop which is really cool. The weird this is he'll step in front of me and tun 90 degrees toward me before he sits. I don't exactly get why that is. It's his reset point? He still stays in the sit position when I step back in front of him and give him the treat.

We have really been practicing 'stay'.
To pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test at the end of this class, Louie will have to sit and stay for three minutes. Three whole minutes. That is like an hour in dog time. So we practiced 30 seconds at a time for a while yesterday, then a minute at a time, but with treats every 30 seconds. He's getting better at staying seated when I'm approaching. Before he'd get excited when he could here me coming back because he knew that meant a treat. Now he's understanding better that he doesn't get that treat if he gets up and we have to start over again. Louie is a pretty smart guy.

There is a tree that we cut down in our front yard.
It was old and dying and down she went. The trunk and branches are still in piles around the stump. Louie has avoided that area all together since the day there was all that racket with the chainsaw. Smart guy. So we went on a front yard adventure out to the tree stump. Louie navigating around fallen limbs and tree trunks is a pretty amazing sight. He follows blindly behind me, lifting his legs high, squeezing his eyes closed tight and putting his best paw forward. When we got to the stump, Louie was hesitant to step up. So I stepped onto the stump first and Louie climbed up right behind me. It reminded me just how much Louie trusts me. It could be a scary and dark world in there. If Louie wasn't in a place of kindness and understanding, he could be a fearful, Un-trusting dog. When it hits me again, the magnitude of his love and trust for me, it makes me so happy to be alive. Patients, understanding and love has created a safety net for Louie to live happily and function while completely in the dark.

Louie is working well with distractions.
As we practice, we're being tailed by three other animals. Snorp, our other dog, races happily around us. Full speed ahead! 'What are you doing, where are you going, can I have some, what next' he bounces merrily from place to place. Following just behind Snorp and attempting to finally catch and murder his swinging dog tail is Meatloaf Kitty, swiping for that pesky tail, her arch nemesis and most treasured friend. Louie hears the weird little kitten squeaks and squirrel noises she makes as she darts from side to side at max speed. How something so little can pad the ground so hard with their tiny feet and make such a racket, I will never know.

The third 'animal' in question, and the most challenging distraction is Grandpa Chuck, my dad. He's stepped out onto his porch to watch Louie try and climb over he branches to the stump, his eyes glistening with the pride he has for his grand dog. He loves us so much that he just can't help but try to stir things up. So he gets Snorp to start barking by staring him down and stomping his feet, the Meatloaf goes racing away and Louie starts barking too. Louie starts to move like he is going to run, he was so excited he almost forgot but here I am a foot away to remind him to slow down. He's so excited but he lets me guide him back over the logs and limbs onto the grass and he trots away too. He wants to find my dad. I hope Louie will get better at working with distractions, all of them, even the 'bad dog enabling grandpa' distractions, which  are the toughest by far. I know one thing, I won't have Grandpa Chuck there for CGC test day for Louie, but I will use him as the ultimate gauge of Louie progress.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Snuggley Sunday

Today was a good day.
It was just a warm inside, snuggley, relaxing and productive day. I woke up early, put on coffee, let the dogs out and tidied up a bit. I fed the dogs breakfast on our porch, their food it kept in an small outbuilding attached to the house my parents house next door. Our place is so tiny, there just isn't the room anywhere. It was really cold and it was just starting to sprinkle a tiny rain snow mix. It was quiet except for the chickens.

After breakfast I put Louie's harness on.
He knew it was time to work. I grabbed a handful of treats and headed outside. I've never used treats before when training with Louie, maybe just a few times when Lou was a puppy. We practiced everything that we had practiced in class about 10 or 15 times each. Louie had a blast!

We went to visit my folks next door.
Louie warmed up by the fireplace AND practiced a 'sit stay' for about a minute and a half. Plenty of time to snap a few good pictures.

After, Louie went upstairs to wake up my mom.
When I found him, he was practicing being a therapy dog, all on his own. He's a natural. Even my mom, who doesn't normally want dogs on furniture, lets him up to lay with her. He's just such a good snuggler. He makes a great pillow. He's gentle and loving and sweet. I fall in love with Louie again everyday.

Today we lazed around. I wrote, Louie practiced good manners and got in lots of snuggle time. I'll say that is a successful weekend! Tomorrow is Monday again and like always, it seems to have come to soon.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 1



And away we go!
Louie and I had our first day of class today. We are taking the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class at a local doggy day care and dog training center called 'Tails-a-Wagging'. I got Louie ready by taking him on a walk about an hour before we had to leave to go to the class. A great way to get him to take a big giant dump and get some of the wiggles out. We walked downtown and found a big empty parking lot, he did a big poop on the way. When we got there, I just thought I'd practice a real official 'sit and stay'. We hadn't done that old trick for no reason in a really long time. We use it around the house and in the yard, but Louie and I haven't practiced basic commands just for the heck of it for a few years. I found a white line of a empty parking space and had him sit. I walked away from him. I didn't look back, my mind was elsewhere really. I have total confidence in this with Louie. When I turned around I was surprise in how far I walked and far he was away from me. 'Good boy, come!' I shouted and he did!


'Running' as fast as he could.
You may picture a handsome Louie bounding toward me. It's more like a strange march really. His form is much different that sighted dogs. He sets his head low, lifts his front legs high and swerves a bit from side to side. I just keep talking, softly. He can hear so well. He speed marches toward my voice. I stretch my hands out to cushion the landing and tell him 'stop'.  Wiggle wiggle wiggle! Yay! He found me! Louie is excited. This is fun for everyone! I think we're going to do okay.

When we got home, Louie knew more exciting things were still to come.
I didn't take off his coat and harness. He was following me so closely because he didn't want to accidentally get left behind. I borrowed my moms car because mine is in the shop. I went over to her house and got her keys and borrowed an old blanket to cover the backseat, mandatory keeping the moms car clean. 'It's not a dog car', whatever that means, I don't know. The sound of the keys left Louie almost bouncing in place.

He loves riding in the car.
Louie has always been a good passenger. One of the first things we did together a few days after I took the tiny puppy home was to take a trek about five hours east of here to tiny A frame cabin on a little lake near Omak, WA. Louie has always been such a happy camper.

I snapped a few good pictures of Louie in the car, but don't worry, I was always stopped. I had very precious cargo.


I'm always a tad nervous when I arrive to a new place.
Actually, that's downplaying it a bit. I get really nervous when arriving, front door jitters I call it. Having Louie with me for an appointment for school was the best thing ever. I felt so much more comfortable than if I was headed to take a class on my own for the first time. Look at this therapy dog in training already getting to work!

Watching where I last said 'stay'

The class was an extreme success!
The space was very nice and we got there with plenty of time for Louie to 'look around'. We did our usual 'smell the perimeter' routine until he was comfortable and then just explored around. Okay, big empty room with plastic chairs lining the walls, got it? Got it.

There were five dogs total in the class. Pretty small class but that is pretty cool. Louie acted curious each time someone new would arrive. The classroom was upstairs and the hallway was very narrow and echo-y with wooden steps that had rubber no-slip strips on them. The sound would alert Louie and he would listen intently until he could hear who or what was coming. Then he would give the air a good sniff until he got it was a dog and a couple of people and then it was back to hanging out.


Watching where my voice came from

When class started, Louie was on his best behavior.
First we just practiced sit for a while. Then lay down. That is harder for him for some reason. It seems like he's uncomfortable to get into that position. I've put a lot of thought into it. He knows what I mean when I say 'lay down' but he always hesitates. I have to put my hand down and tap the ground or snap where I want him to stretch out. I think it's because otherwise he doesn't really know if he's going to bump something. When he lays down on his own he always does a few circles first and clears a place. When I was first understanding he was going blind and started training him as a blind dog, I thought of every space as a 'runway', or a 'landing'. Runway could be a rug or a path we always kept clear or the trail he blazed into the grassy yard. A landing could be the rug at the bottom of the staircase indicating no more steps and time to turn to the right. For 'lay down' in class, I don't have a landing. No dog bed or towel. I guess leaning down and snapping will have to do. I think he'll get better at it with all the practice we'll be doing.

As for sit and stay, he smoked it!
He did a great job for the first day of class. Sit and stay for about a minute or so with me walking around and him just waiting there so patiently. He only got up twice after a pretty long time considering all the stimulus around us. I know with more practice we are going to be awesome! A couple complimented us when we were leaving saying Louie was the most well behaved. Me, beaming inside.

Louie zen after a nice walk and an hour class
Thing is...
Louie and I may have never taken a training class before, but we have done a lot of work. A LOT of work over the years. I had to. He was going blind as a six month old bundle of playful puppy energy. Zing! What would stop him from going full speed into a tree?! I wanted him to be able to be like any other dog, I didn't want him to have to be on leash constantly. The only way around that would be having a dog that would respond so well to your spoken commands that your voice could be your leash. We worked and worked and have a ton of strange cues and Louie does great. The awesome thing about this class is that we get to practice in a controlled environment, with others around as distraction and someone there to look to if I get stuck. Someone there to watch and gauge our progress. This is the beginning of a beautiful thing!




Prepping Up for the Dog Class.

Last Saturday, Louie and I went into town for a few errands.
First we drove to our vets for a Bordetella shot. Since we start our Canine Good Citizen class next week we have to be current on all vaccines. I guess they never gave it to Louie because he's never been boarded, to a class or to a groomer. They need the certificate of all his vaccines faxed over before we can go in and check the place out. I'm pretty excited to see how Louie handles all the dog smells when we get there. I plan to arrive about a half hour early so he can get a lot of sniffs out of our system before we start the class.

I was hoping to take Louie to Tails-a-Wagging, where the class is being held, sometime this week so we could get used to the place a bit, but my car broke down and it just didn't work out with a 45 hour work week in there, and living a half hour drive from work and where the class is and home. So now it's Friday night and tomorrow is the class, so going early will have to do. Hopefully they're open, if not we can sniff around outside for a bit.

Louie maps a place out pretty quickly.
Having one walk around the building before we start will be great. I can ask some questions, Louie can say Hi to some employees and maybe sniff some dog butts too.

After the vets we went to Farmers Co-op.
We needed dog food. Also, on the instructions for the CGC class, it said we're supposed to bring '40 plus semi-soft dog treats, Your dogs favorite toy...'. First off. We don't have dog treats around here. Am I now an evil dog owner? Will I be UN-friended by hundreds of fans? Well really the reason is, Louie's reward is always pets and loves. He likes it so much and we've never really used treats so he doesn't know he's missing anything. The other thing is Louie has a really sensitive tummy. When he was younger, I would let him stay a day with my dad while I was working sometimes. My dad cannot stop himself from feeding doggie's table scraps. He is the 'bad dog enabling grandpa' as I lovingly call him. Louie almost always came home with raging diarrhea, and no one likes that!

The other thing on the list was 'favorite toy'.
Historically, Louie's favorite toy has always been a tennis ball. Nothing else really lasts that long. Louie is a power chewer. No toy is left in one piece. Even tennis balls will eventually be scalps and left bald with tiny blankets of green fur strewn about the house. However since Louie because step dog brothers with Snorp, everything changed.

Snorp is a really good dog, but he's a real dog.
While Louie is our loving pet, Snorp is such a real dog. Snorp doesn't really like toys, but if Louie has one he wants it. Snorp will wait and watch Louie just loving joyfully tearing apart a stuffed animal. He will wait close by. Patiently. Silently.

Louie has great move, when he's playing with a toy he'll stop chewing for a second to grab it and shake it. Really hard. Sometimes he knocks stuff around if he's laying closer to furniture than he realizes. Sometimes he will accidentally let go mid-shake and let the toy go sailing through the air. Even if it's just a foot away, it gives Snorp enough time, quick ninja stealth mode - fast as lightning he snatches the toy and moves away, undetected. Louie, sniff sniff sniffs around 'looking' for his toy. He knows it was just right there one second ago! Sometimes it will take ten minutes, but Louie will always then realize that he has been duped, and cool dude Whoopie Snorp stole his toy right out from under his nose.

...and then the crying. Oh, the crying. The whining, the sobbing, the quivering bottom lip. Louie will not, under any circumstances take a toy from Snorp. He will sit a few feet away, 'staring' in Snorp's general direction and cry. His cry is so pathetic. So sad like a little kid's. If I can catch it on tape, I will post it I promise. He even sticks his bottom lip out and it quivers. Snorp will guard the toy until I come over and take it and hand it to Louie and give Snorp some pets.

Louie won't just go and try to take the toy, he's not sure enough of himself and another dog to approach them like that on purpose. If he bumps into a growling dog that's staring him down, that's another story. Whoops! Louie knows Snorp has the toy but can't look to his eyes to see if he's staring at him or if the toy is just laying next to Snorp as he sleeps. Sometimes I'll hear the crying in the other room and go to find Snorp sleeping on the dog bed with the toy laying a foot away from the dog bed and Louie will be crying because he wasn't sure if he could take it. What a sad sight, and adorable, and smart. Louie knows his boundaries. I just wish Snorp could be trained to give him a toy, and Louie to stop crying like that, it's heartbreaking.

Anyway... back to the toy thing.
Toys don't last around here unless they're just outside toys. So when choosing Louie's 'favorite toy' to bring to the class we went to the store to find a new favorite toy! Louie helped pick two out, as well as trying to use the open box of bulk dog treats like his own personal feeding trough. I keep him on a short leash because although harmless, he does follow his nose. We got a bag of dog treats and two toys.

Both toys we chose came with the promise of being 'built tough' and 'for power chewers'. One package even had a big Rottweiler modeling the toy on the package. It took about 2 hours before Louie had methodically chewed through and removed all three of the tiny squeakers out of each corners of the toy in the pictures. The other one he pulled out one part and I took the rest away to save for another day. He's been happy to carry around and fling about the chewed up squeakless toy anyway. So now we get to bring a stinky old ripped up chew toy that is supposed to be his favorite toy, and currently it is. Snorp is always good about letting me take the toy and give it back to Louie. I think he is bothered by his crying too. Also, I think Snorp's favorite part of the toy is watching and waiting and snatching it away from little Blind Louie.

So we're off! Like a herd of turtles in a rain storm!
So me, my blind dog with the 'rull weird looking eyes', our chewed up stinky toy and our bag of diarrhea inducing dog treats will dive into town in a borrowed car and take a class to be better citizens. Both of us will learn today and I am excited.



Thursday, December 6, 2012

Meet Barb & Tina!

Hello Life with Blind Louie fans! This is Barb and her dog Tina. Tina has cataracts and is blind.

Please introduce yourself and your Tina. 
My name is Barb and I would like to tell about my sweet Tina girl. We live in a suburb out side of Pittsburgh PA. I am recently disabled after 30yrs as an RN. Tina and I now have a lot of time to work on quality life together. We share our life with my husband and a chihuahua rescue named Ike. In fact he came from a puppy mill and due to poor nutrition and care, he too is developing age related cataracts. Ike is Tina's "guide dog" as she uses him as a reference point when outside for a walk. We also have a cat, Lucy, who rounds out our family. They all interact well but honor each others boundaries. Tina likes to be "alpha" in the house but has been hanging more with Ike as she follows his scent to find her way at times.

That's great. Louie has his reference point at home too, our other dog 'Snorp'. The sound of his collar keeps Louie close by. So, how did you and Tina find each other?
I adopted Tina from a local rescue. She was just over a year old but had endured a life of abuse before I came along. We bonded immediately and I as a nurse saw that Tina needed love and compassion to get over her traumatic beginnings.

How did you discover Tina was different?
Tina started with a cataract formation in her left eye. We just noticed that the pupil of her eye looked opaque inside. We took her to our vet for a checkup and she tested her for glaucoma, retinal problems but could only find a dense cataract. Knowing her abuse history, which involved some head trauma, she said that the quick formation of the cataract usually meant there was scar tissue that led to her left eye becoming blind. Nothing to do unless she was in pain, which she hadn't shown signs of. So we took her home to love. She was getting around without problems. But about 8 months later, I noticed her bumping into things and missing the mark when jumping up onto furniture. Then I saw that the right eye had changed- looking just like the left. But it happened quickly. Took Tina to the vet and when checking her out, I mentioned that she had recently had a seizure, longer than the infrequent ones in the past. Vet thought that was probably what brought this cataract on so quickly
Was there anything you could do for her?
We tried some oral vitamins like OcuVite that people take. But really since my vet and an ophthalmic vet she conferred with, felt this was due to neurological causes, there wasn't much to try. Plus Tina had a severe case of pancreatitis a few years ago and almost died so they felt it was better not to add meds to her system.




Since Tina's condition wasn't causing pain and there weren't other side effects besides vision loss, it actually isn't TOO bad of a senario considering. Most dogs can adapt quiet well when the lights get turned out on them. How did Tina dog deal with blindness?
She seemed fearful at first, when bumping into things. but once we got some verbal cues down pat, she actually seems happier and "proud" when she makes it outside and back in without a problem!




How does Tiny get around?
Tina uses her ears and nose a lot more. She has learned also to proceed slowly when she senses she is near an object, and gently uses her nose to "discover" it. She still has her excited moments that she forgets she is blind and bumps into things more, but that too has improved- she has learned to "put the brakes on" while still enjoying the moment she is in! Her biggest challenge is going into a full tirade of barking when my hub or a visiting friend moves from a chair or makes a noise. He is trying to tell her "it's ok" before he moves but not consistently, So this continues to be a trial and error thing.




Can you tell us one story of a time you were really impressed with Tina's navigation ability?
Tina used to come and sleep in our bed each night, but she wouldn't let us bring her to bed. She would wait until we shut the lights out before she would come in. When Tina lost her sight, she still didn't want us to bring her to bed, and she could not longer see if we shut the lights out, I figured that she would no longer be sleeping with us. One morning I awoke to her wiggling body and her in my face! She had found not only her way to the bedroom but jumped into the bed without even being shown where and how! My guess memory and scent played a big part in her finding us, oh and maybe a snoring husband! Also Tina surprised me with how quickly she learned verbal commands"step up/down". It was like a light bulb came on for her! And an added plus is that she would use "pee pads" more before her blindness, fearful to go outside at times. Now she insists on going out to do her business!





I love watching Louie figure things out on his own, I do sense some pride when he gets it and watch out for that swinging tail! I know you are currently still dealing with medical issues. Are the risks and struggles, both emotional and financial, worth enduring? What are some things that make it worth the struggle?
Tina, as each dog or cat that has been part of the family, has more than made up any financial cost of her health by the love and devotion she shares with us. You can't really put a price on "family"! Emotionally, I may feel sad that she is blind and feel pity for her, given her abuse history as well. But I am learning so much by her resilience and continued adjustment to her new world.



That is it Barb! Resilience. That is why I started to write about Louie, I am learning so much I just had to share! Humans can fly into a panic like the world is ending at the simplest of things, myself included sometimes. We can feel sorry for ourselves and indulge our pain, or we can choose to persevere, be happy and live in the moment if we want to. Dogs don't have to choose, they just do. Louie is just here now, he doesn't think about how he used to be able to see and now he can't and he doesn't worry about what is going to happen tomorrow. He just deals with it and gets along just fine. If we could all hope to be a little like Tina and Louie.

Tell us about your site and where we can contact you and follow your story?
---right now I am telling Tina's story at www.blinddogsupport.com

Thanks to Barb for sharing her story!


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

That Dogs Eyes Are Rull Weird Lookin'

Gorgeous blue marble right eye
I think this is the most beautiful photo of Louie.
Look at his shiny, velvety coat, his floppy ears, his gorgeous blue eyes... wait, eye. We can only see one.

Well that's right ladies and gentlemen.
Louie's eyes do not look the same. Louie's right eye, that you can see in the photo, is blue in the light and still has much of it's shape. Notice that there is no pupil in this picture. I have not modified this photo in anyway. It was taken on a really sunny day in front of a window with the sunlight streaming through. Louie was basking in the heat of the sun shining onto the bed, his favorite. The sunlight shining into his widely open eye makes it look bright blue. That in itself is strange, because if Louie could see, he surely would be squinting from the light in this photo.

Sunken, sleeping, bad left eye
Louie's left eye is a whole other story.
Louie's left eye has always given us more trouble. It was the eye that had a white spot on it when I brought him home at 7 weeks old. It was the eye that caused him pain when the pressure spiked, and he was blind in that eye by time we got him to the vet the next day. It was his left eye that didn't respond well to the surgery at first, and we had to redo the surgery in only his left eye. Now it is his left eye that has shrunken and receded much more than his right eye. It is still weepy, runny and gooey and it doesn't match his other eye at all.

When Louie sleeps, his eye rolls back in his head.
His left eye is already sunken and when he sleeps hard, it rolls back in his head. Since it is sunken in, it doesn't hold the eye lids closed and they are always open a crack when he sleeps. Without a flash, a camera will pick up a small opening with only darkness inside. With the bright flash of my camera we can see the pink second eye lid that covers his sad, useless little eyeball.

Fact is, Louie doesn't need either of these eyes, beautiful or not. He is completely blind.
Louie's eyes are just for show. They trick people constantly into believing he can see. Some insensitive individuals have called me out on lying about his blindness. 'Well look at him.' they say. 'He's staring right at me and he can move his eyes.' Why yes he can move his eyeballs, and he will follow sound with those eyeballs, but he cannot see you with those eyeballs. He can 'see' you with his ears, nose and he can sense you and your ignorance from a mile a way! I've never really said that... inner thought. It's sad though, because Louie is blind and still has his useless eyes, so it calls for a lot of questions.

One of these things is not like the other...
Oh gosh! Is he okay!?
Yes, Louie is fine. In fact, he is nearly pain-free now. His eyes may look bruised and painful. They may weep and ooze and look yucky, but Louie is just a happy handsome guy. No big deal. People look to each others eyes to judge character, to see if a person notices them, to assure attentiveness, and to see into another soul. People look to dogs eyes to see if they are friendly, submissive or aggressive. Dogs look to each others eyes to find their place in the pack, to see if they are being challenged and to see if the other dog is about to attack.

You will get none of these answers from Louie's eyes unless you are looking with the knowledge that he cannot look back at you. Other dogs will often attack Louie, misjudging his vacant stare for a intimidating glare. Louie will only be trying to 'find' the dog that he clearly hears and smells and suddenly he's attacked. Louie's only defense is to bark really loud! It's sad, because of how he looks and how Louie's bark sounds, the owner of the other dog will often come over blaming Louie for attacking their dog. I will explain Louie couldn't even find them, and he just barks really loud. People don't like confrontation, nor do I or Louie like it, but sometimes it's part of life. No one wants their dog to be at fault in a scuffle, but that is just part of being a dog. Small wrestling matches and barking contests, no one is hurt. That is how we know where we stand.

Example of Louie's Ferocious Nature
So next time you are out and see a dog with 'weird eyes'.
Remember it's okay to ask questions, but don't believe you know more about it than the owner of the dog. It's okay for dogs to 'argue' and it's not necessary in most cases to place blame. Also, when you see a dog that 'looks mean' ask yourself how you came to that opinion. What about a dogs looks make them 'look mean'? Is it the color of their coat? The size of the dog? The deepness of their bark? The size of their head? Is it because they look like a 'Pit Bull' or 'Rottweiler' that you saw on the news, killing little kids?

None of those are very good indicators. Try to read the body language of the dog, you can do this even when you can't look to their eyes. Is the fur standing up on their back? Are they snarling? Growling? Moving slowly toward you with their head down? No? Is their tail wagging while the bark or howl loudly with their head up? Are they bounding toward you? Big differences. If you love dogs, and you like to pet them when you see them on the street. If you frequent dog parks or dog socials. Please study up on these signals, lose your stereotypes and allow yourself to be surprised. Dogs want to be good.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Bed Office, Dog Table

One Queen Bed, Plus One Big Dog
So, a queen bed is pretty darn big. Two adult humans can fit comfortably. Picture an adorable medium sized dog all curled up at their feet. What a beautiful image. Now look at this photo. This is Louie. I said, 'Ah, Sunday. What a nice relaxing rainy day. I think I'll lay down on the bed with our little laptop table and write for a bit. I walk into my room after starting the crock pot and washing up. I turn on the light and there it is, giant Louie. He finds a way to get comfortable and make it impossible for any other person to lay down on the bed in any kind of normal fashion. The only way it will work is if you don't mind lying right on top of Louie. One thing I do know is he sure wouldn't mind.

So, I still want to write. 
How can this work? I need Louie for my inspiration, but I also need to get comfortable enough to type. Well, I'll just try to nudge him over and get comfy. Louie is a pretty heavy sleeper and I don't even think he'll wake up if I push him over.

He didn't move too far over at all.
Louie stood up, turned around and plopped back down and passed out, instantly snoring. There was enough room for me, but not enough room for the little laptop table. What to do? Looks like I won't need that laptop table any more? Just looks like Blind Louie doesn't mind having the laptop sit on him. It's warm and he's a heavy sleeper. So here I am writing this on my dog. What a tolerant guy.

Louie didn't get like this on his own.
Louie and I practiced extreme tolerance when he was a puppy. I knew that people had really bad ideas of what a pit bull would be like and I wanted Louie to be able to break those stereotypes. When he was little, I would lay him on his back in my lap. The first time I did this he made awful noises like a squealing piglet! It was like I was murdering him. My gut reaction was to immediately release him but I didn't, I held on gently until he stopped squealing and squirming and then I told him he was such a good boy. I pet his little pig belly and let him lick my face.

With Louie still on his back I grabbed one of his paws and held it firmly in my hand without squeezing it. He squealed again and tried with all his tiny little might to free his leg. I waiting patiently for him to stop, when he did there was more good boys and kisses. This became a daily occurrence. It was good I started early because Louie was growing so fast! Soon he would be able to get away from me if he really wanted to, but with all of this practice that wouldn't be an issue.

Louie learned to trust me, to trust all people.
He also learned that if he relaxed and just went with the flow that life would be pleasurable and he would be rewarded. Little did I know that I was training a blind dog. This was so important! He needed to trust people and be tolerant of being touched when he wasn't expecting it. Because anytime you pet Blind Louie, he didn't see it coming! The more amazing lesson is that I needed to learn this too. Like will be pleasurable if you take the path of least resistance, try your best and wag your tail a lot.

The final outcome is a dog that you could use a forklift to move and it wouldn't even interrupt his nap.