Budde the Puppy is Nine Weeks Old

Budde playing on the stairs.

1/26/13
Budde the Puppy 9 weeks old. This little fella is growing fast! Everyday is a whole new ballgame.

Louie, for the most part, keeps his distance. This puppy is just too unpredictable to been enjoyed yet. Louie is absolutely more than tolerant of Budde, but if he has the option of being away from the pup, he'll take that. Everybody goes outside, Louie tries to sneak back in before the door closes without anyone knowing. I think of what it was like when I was a kid, when you still think hide and go seek is really easy and boring because to hide all you have to do is close your eyes and no one can see you. Until you learn that just because your eyes are closed and you can't see anyone else doesn't mean no one else can see you. Louie is still learning.

Budde is everywhere, and into everything. It is nonstop puppy time. I have to admit, I'm happy this is just my father's puppy, my neighbor and not my own. Caring for a puppy is a full time job. It takes a huge amount of patients and a great sense of humor. It also takes up all of your time. Night and day. I tried to remember how I handled it, how did I take care of Louie while I was working and being a 22 year old kid? How did I fit in work, friends and fun while successfully raising a dog? Not to mention a dog with special needs. It has been so long, six and a half years to be exact, since I have had a puppy in the house. It's hard to remember what it was like.

Innocent look, as he steals the blind dog's bone!

Then I remember, sleepless nights. I would set my alarm to buzz once every hour and I would take Louie outside. I did this for the first few weeks. Then I had him sleeping in a closed area, an improvised kennel made from a baby gate and an empty closet. Louie would whine if he woke up because he wouldn't want to go to the bathroom in his bed! I would wake up and let him out. I totally developed 'mom ears' and any little whine, movement or stirring from the puppy would perk my ears up and I'd be wide awake. During the day I followed him around everywhere. I would play with him outside and clean up after my roommate so that Louie couldn't get into anything he wasn't supposed to. On work days I would drive Louie out to my dad's house for dog sitting. My dad could be with him all day and take him along to any work he had to do. Louie rode along with Grandpa Chuck and his dog Poncho and was always happy to follow along.

Budde shows off his huge paws.

I would pick Louie up after a long day of work in a restaurant, on my feet. I would be tired and Louie would be rearing to go! Party time! After our car ride home, I would practice walking on the leash with Louie, feed him, pet him, play tug of war and then fall asleep with him in my arms. Every annoying thing he did was countered by his cuteness, his kindness and his hilarious clumsiness. Oh little Louie, I'm glad I had that experience. I'm happy we have bonded since he was so little but I would never wish for that time back. I know all that hard work paid off with an amazing dog, and this is my reward.

I know Budde will be a good boy. He doesn't have good manners, he doesn't know where it's okay to go to the bathroom and he is nonstop annoying the big dogs and the cats but all of this is just him figuring out how things work. He is testing his boundaries, trying things out. Looking back on Louie's little puppy time, I realize how quickly this phase will go by. So instead of being frustrated by Budde's lack of listening skills, I will gently remind him of the right thing to do and laugh at his silliness because that will soon change.

Louie listens to Budde enjoy his bone.

Already, Budde is showing signs that he is actually a dog. His paws are huge compared to his body. Now he is tripping over those big things and soon enough they will suit him. Budde running is a funny sight, because it usually means he is tripping over himself and doing somersaults and flailing about. While watching Budde run yesterday, I said aloud "Nice form, Budde". He's running and bounding up the steps. Two weeks ago he couldn't climb the stairs at all. He is fearless, optimistic and carefree. I love Budde. He needs lots of exercise, love and guidance. The most important thing an owner of a young pup can have is patients. No sense in getting upset or angry. Roll with it and things will keep changing, just as fast as you could keep up with it.

I look forward to sharing more stories of Blind Louie and the puppy. Soon enough I'm sure they 'll be playing. This week, Louie got a big bone as a reward for passing his CGC test. It was only a few minutes before Budde found the bone and Louie backed away. Louie sat close by listening to the little dog gnawing on his bone. Louie wouldn't take it back, just in case. He can't see so he's never sure if he's overstepping a boundary and starting a fight. So he just waited until the pup was distracted and he took it back. Good dog Louie.

CGC Class, Day 6 - Louie Passed the Test!

Today was the big day.
The test for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification was today and I was nervous. I just don't like the idea of a test. I never did well at testing. I didn't like the feeling of being put on the spot and expected to do well. I took care of this in school the easy way. I had it all figured out by the sixth grade. If they tested me, I did not try. I did not try to succeed therefore I could not fail. See, I'm a winner! So, as you probably guessed I did not finish high school. Everyone said how smart and promising I was but, such a shame, what a waste.

I didn't like tests because they have made me nervous in the past. I have had poor testing experience in my adolescence. Today felt similar. I thought about how I'd be nervous and in front of people. Everybody watching, judging, hoping for me to fail... oh, wait. That's only in my mind. Test day. It wasn't that bad at all. Actually, it was quite fun!


I may have been thinking all of that negative stuff in the back of my mind. To be very honest, negativity is my default setting. I am also a very creative thinker. That makes for extremely interesting and exciting scenarios that play out vividly in my mind when I worry. Very in depth short films. What I have learned to do to survive is this: I found  a great way of making those thoughts into funny movies instead of realistic worries. It replaces my self doubt and morbid pessimism with confidence and a bright outlook. I'm such a deep thinker. Ha.

So as my mind was imagining me falling and Louie crapping on the floor, and maybe even me falling into his crap,  I laughed at it. That is ridiculous! There is no way that is going to happen. Well, maybe I would slip, but then I would make a hilarious joke that would break the tension and make everyone laugh at me and we would be fine. The floor there is made out of old tires! I'd bounce right back up, but seriously I knew we would do great. All of theses thoughts racing through my head as I get ready to leave and I look over at Louie, leisurely licking the empty coin purse between his legs, he is fine with all of this. Louie is totally at ease and completely oblivious to my obnoxious worrying. I love him. I relax my shoulders and take a deep breath. It's good to be alive and spend time with the ones I love.

Today is my birthday.
Louie and I left for the class and arrived with a few minutes to spare. This gave bit to let Louie and I to get used to the new layout of the room. The chairs were on the apposite side of the room than they usually were for a usual class day. There was also some big orange traffic cones places around the room. It may not seem like much but this is a kinda of big deal for Louie. It's not that he's in a place he's never been before, but he's in a familiar location with the landmarks switched around. Two very different things.

Let me give you and example of Louie's mapping skills.
On the way to class we drive down the freeway at 70mph for a while, then down to 60. When we veer right and take the off ramp, we slow down and make a left. We drive 35mph for a long time then....take a right on to Irongate road and... Louie sits up, he starts to whine. Drive 25mph just a little on a bumper road and make a right... Louie starts to talk, a yawn and a rooroorrrooooo!. We take another left he's dancing on the seat as we pull to the right into a parking space. I know if Louie could talk, he could give me directions to Tails-a-Wagging from our house out in the county.

Louie has our living room mapped out and memorized, but not before having the way he gets there memorized first. He has paths in the yard he frequents so often there is a visible trail worn in the grass. If we move our furniture around he has to remap that area out as it fits with the preexisting map already around it. It's fun to watch him figure out this new puzzle.

So to familiarize ourselves with the new arrangement in the classroom, we just went around the room and back to where we came in a few times. Louie gets it quickly. He lets me know because he stops sniffing the ground and lifting his front legs high. He relaxes  and holds his head up higher.

The test was just like a class. We did the same things we'd been practicing. I forgot about the word test and remembered the word fun instead. I really enjoyed our time at Tails-a-Wagging and I don't think we could have had a more perfect instructor for our style than what we had with Michael. He really let Louie and I do our thing while still giving us guidance. He helped me remember to practice often and be consistent in the way I talk to Louie and how I ask him to do things. That is extremely important. Louie wants to do what I ask of him, but he has to understand what I'm asking of him to be able to.

We passed the test. We win. Great job.
There were ten things we needed to do and we did them all correctly. I could still see some room for improvement on a couple of things, it will be fun to keep up on it and continue working together. Louie is going to do so well if we can do this therapy dog thing.

As a treat we stopped at our local farmers co op on the way home and Louie picked out a big old bone. Okay, two. One for Snorp also, but Louie earned his today. I am really proud of him. He doesn't allow himself to be scared or defensive because he can't see. He would have a fine excuse to be. Louie loves life and I love Louie and he inspires me to be a better person. Everyday.

Louie enjoying his bone. happy!

Louie listening to Budde enjoy Louie's bone. sad.

Budde the Puppy is Eight Weeks Old

Almost frustrating how cute Budde is! at eight weeks old.

 1/19/13
Budde the Puppy is eight weeks old today.
Today it has been one week since our family adopted Budde and brought him home to live with my dad, and what a week it has been! Little Budde is a handful, he's constantly doing something. Eating, pooping, peeing, sleeping, chewing, playing and repeat that cycle every half hour and you got it. That is a little puppy.

Although most of what he's been doing involves his digestive system, he's also had some fun too. Budde's learned quite a bit in just a week. For instance, a week ago he could not use the stairs. Now he goes up without crying. He still struggles a little bit but he gets up no problem. Going up came first. Going down the stairs meant falling down the stairs at first, but he's even gotten that down by now. Budde is a fast learner.

Budde and Snrop

Snorp is starting to enjoy to new puppy.
Quite a bit actually. He gets down on his level and wrestles with him very gently. He lets him bite his tail and then chases him away. He runs in the yard to the puppy will chase after him. Snorp is all around a great older friend to teach this little puppy the ways of the doggy world. and then there is Louie. Louie is different. I wouldn't say he doesn't like the puppy, but I would say he's not totally sold on him yet.

I haven't been able to get a really good picture of Louie and the puppy up close this week. Probably because the second I get close to the puppy, Louie puts himself between us and sits down on my feet. It's hard to get a good photo when Louie is under me. It seems like he doesn't want the puppy too close to me, or maybe he doesn't want the pup too close to him so he's using me to protect him. Whatever the case it's a little weird. Who could blame Louie really, he can't see. There is a small, fuzzy, dog-smelling animal, biting at his face and tail at random. It's small and light so it doesn't make much noise. Suddenly it's there biting at his face! Sneak attack! If Budde's not biting at Louie's face then he's tripping him by running under his feet. Poor Louie.

Best shot of Louie and Budde together. Best to keep your distance. Budde bites!

Budde is already better at getting out of the way when he see's Louie coming.You can only get stepped on so many times before you try to do something about it. I let him come outside when Louie and I are practicing walking on a leash and sit and stay. The puppy has to run full speed to keep up with Louie and I walking at our normal pace. It's great exercise for the little guy. It's also great practice to have him following along like that.

Having Budde the Puppy around means tying your shoelaces again and again. The guy can't resist them! It's a constant battle. Tie your shoes, look down, shoe's untied, Budde is playing tug of war, remove teeth from lace, redirect puppy attention to another object, retie shoe, repeat. Double knots don't even stand a chance. Just calm, patients and consistency and he will grow out of this. He'll grow out of this and into much more annoying and destructive habits we can work on together instead.

I think he looks different this week.
His face looks more like a 'real dog' and less like some kind of giant guinea pig creature. He's actually very cute and looks quite a lot like Poncho did when he was a puppy. It will be interesting to see what he ends up looking like. He's already doing little things that have made my dad very happy. For instance: my brother, Hunter was home alone with the puppy. Budde started to pull at the little plush cat bed in front of the fireplace. That is where Budde had been sleeping earlier. The fireplace was off, instead there was a small space heater on across the room. Budde pulled and pulled on the little bed as it slid slowly across the wood floor. Hunter was about to tell him to stop playing with his bed when Budde stopped pulling it. It was right in front on the space heater now and Budde got onto the bed, made a few circles, plopped down and fell asleep. No kidding, it seemed as though he knew he wanted to sleep on the bed, but wanted some heat so he rearranged the living room furniture to his liking. Also, maybe he was just being a bad puppy fighting with the furniture and tired himself out and laid down wherever. I wish I could read his tiny puppy mind.

Budde and Snorp, Fast Friends

Overall, things are going extremely well.
Budde is already growing fast and making friends. He's going to be a great dog. Snorp will be happy to have a seeing friend that he can play with and Louie will eventually be happy having a another seeing eye dog to look out for him.

I'm considering taking him to puppy training class for my dad. I know he wouldn't do that on his own and he'll do fine without it, we always have had well behaved family dogs because of my dad, but puppy class would be really fun and it couldn't hurt. The little fella has some sharp teeth and could use some instruction on what is okay to bite and what is not. Maybe we can tackle the shoelace issue there too.

We will see what happens, and check back for more fun with Budde next week!

Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 5

Oh, Louie. You dirty dog you.

We did it!
Saturday was the last day of class and I must say, Louie has improved quite a bit. Most noticeably he has improved in the 'lay down' department. Great job Louie, and okay, I'll pat myself on the back a little too. I didn't go into this class really expecting anything other than taking the test at the end. I thought we could probably pass the test as we were, but I wanted to be really clear on what was expected of us before we tried. Our instructor, Michael has done a great job making that very clear. I know just what to expect on test day and I'm pretty confident we've got it!

Louie's a little bit... how do I say... grungy.
I don't mean that he listens to '90's Seattle bands with holes in the sleeves of his hoody to put his thumbs through and blown out knees on his blue jeans. Actually, none of that, he doesn't even have thumbs. I mean he's a little dirty. Part of the test we have to pass is grooming and appearance. This part of the test is to show the dog is well groomed and cared for but also that the dog will sit and tolerate a stranger looking in his ears and mouth and touching his feet. Louie is very tolerant but not so tidy, my bad.

Michael had no problem peaking into Louie's ear holes, but there was buried treasure no one wanted to find. Black gold! No, just ear wax. Yuk. His breath stinks and his teeth are a little yellow and his nails need to be trimmed. Louie is obviously not neglected, as Michael said but anyone can see he could use a little sprucing up.

After class we drove home, Louie happy to relax in the back seat.
When we arrived I let Snorp out and practiced more in the driveway. I was really focusing on Louie walking with me, turning with me, stopping  with me and sitting by my side on command. It's something we do often but it's important he stays close to me the whole time during the test, so more practice couldn't hurt. After that we went inside and I cleaned Louie's ears out. Yuk is right, but he loves it. LOVES it. He absolutely loves to have his ears rubbed, and the inside is no different. I dampened a rag with warm water and wiped his ears out, followed by a dry rag to finish the job. Then I gave Louie a really good brushing. He also loves that. He tilts his head back and closes his eyes as I run the brush down his back again and again. Oh, Louie. Such a good boy.

Then there is the nails. 
I dread cutting Louie's nails. I have to admit, I am sure his unease about having his nails cut is because of me. I am afraid of trimming them too short and making him bleed. His nails are thick and jet black, there is no way to actually see where the quick is. The quick is the meaty part inside the base of the nail that you don't want to cut into or it will bleed. It doesn't hurt him to cut his nails unless you accidentally cut too short and cut the quick. I have only done this once a very long time ago and it left me a little unsure of myself. Add the fact that Louie yelps like he's being whipped with every nail clipping and I'm left a little traumatized. I briefly talked to instructor Michael about this in class today. He asked me if I had ever cut down too far and I said I had, but only once. Michael's response was, "See, then you can do it." Well, I guess I can.

So with this new found confidence I approached Louie with the nail clippers. I had him sit and I held his paw and positioned the nail in the clippers with the guard up so I couldn't possibly cut too short. Before I ever cut Louie yelped right in my ear. I jumped a bit and dropped the clippers as Louie sulked off into the other room. I took a deep breath and a handful of dog treats and called Louie back to me. He was reluctant to listen but he came to me slowly. I gave him his food and told him he was a good boy. This time, I didn't even have him sit. I bent down, picked his foot up off the ground just an inch or two and I clipped, this time without hesitation. Louie cried out, but softer this time and I told him he was a good boy as I moved on to the next nail and the next. I did the front feet first and then took a break. Louie cried the whole time but he wasn't jerking away from me anymore. The back feet were even easier and he was really happy when it was over. I'm sure he was happy because I was beaming and it is contagious.

I have re-learned a very valuable lesson.
Cutting Louie's nails has reminded me something I know, but need to be reminded of often. If I am afraid, even with the best intentions, I will project that fear onto Louie. If I am angry, even without yelling or screaming, Louie will act afraid of me. If I am irritated, Louie will not listen to me. If Louie is not behaving the way that I want him to, the first thing I need to do is check in with myself. How am I feeling? Where is my head at? If I am upset, angry or afraid it's time for me to take a breather. I need a break. It is not time to try and teach someone else if I am upset. If I can be happy, I can influence happiness. If I am calm, I can ask for obedience. If I have patients, I can allow others may live up to my expectations. This can be applied to every part of my life and I hope I can keep this in mind if I ever become a mother. Thanks again to my Blind Louie for gently teaching me another wonderful life lesson.

An Exciting Saturday

It cold out, and Louie wants to sleep in...
Trying to wake Louie up is quite the task, he's a heavy sleeper. Talking to him, shaking him, even picking up his head with both hands doesn't work really. He moans and sighs and just keeps snoring. I took this photo with his face in my hand and he still 'slept'. I think he's just faking it so he doesn't have to get off the bed and go outside in the cold. Since he does sleep with his eyes half opened a lot of the time it's hard to tell. The first time I saw him asleep with a blind eye opened it scared me, now it's just a sleeping Blind Louie! The one word that will wake him up? Breakfast. of course.

Today is our fifth day of our Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Class.
This is the last day of actual class, next Saturday is our final day and test day. Test! Ah! I never felt that I tested well in school. Something about the pressure made my mind go blank. I quickly found out how to avoid tests by dropping out of school at 16 and working full time instead. Phew. No tests at work... or is there?

Everyday I'm tested, quizzed on things I've learned before. It's just not called a test, exam or quiz. Every time I tell Louie to sit and stay we're practicing. As long as I can let go of that evil word 'test' then we will do fine. Louie doesn't know that word, he doesn't know what a test is and he won't know we're being tested so I'm sure he'll do fine. Again, I'm jealous of Louie's simplistic nature. He's always in the now, in the moment. Louie is also very happy... maybe he's onto something. If we don't let our past or future scare us, we can truly enjoy the present. Oh Louie, always such sage advice.

So today I will go to class with an upbeat attitude. If we do not pass the test next week we can retake it, and even if we don't, we had a blast taking this class. It's something I thought I would never do and now that I have, I hope to do it again! I'm already thinking of taking my dad's puppy to class for him. It's not something my dad would want to do but I think it would be fun to try to teach new tricks to an open mind and a clean slate. This puppy is fresh! His mind is like a sponge! He's eager to learn!

Which brings me to our next exciting thing for this Saturday!
Budde the Puppy is eight weeks old and it's his one week anniversary of being a part of the Swift-Waschke family! How did we ever live without him? I'm sure my dad is wondering that. It has been a great week. Budde never needed to be left alone and we all took turns taking him outside to potty, trying to do that about once an hour. It's annoying but he's so tiny, he needs to go very often. Also, the less accidents in the house the easier it will be for him to understand that he is supposed to ALWAYS go outside. He's too little to tell us when he needs to go yet. That will come with time.

Budde the Puppy is doing a great job following along and coming back when he's called now. I know from experience that will get worse before it gets better. He will have to test his boundary over and over time and again. That is how a puppy learns, or even how a child learns for that matter. It is our job as the adult humans to be constant in calmly showing what we expect from them as appropriate behavior again and again. and again and again and again! Patients, above all else, raises a great dog. Thanks again, to my Blind Louie for another valuable life lesson.

I decided that I would have the family fun photo shoot time only once a week.
This is a photo of Snorp and Budde the Puppy last Saturday, the day that we picked Budde up and brought him home. They are cute and playful, but after a whole week, things have only gotten cuter yet!

There is a new puppy, and taking pictures of him doing cute stuff could quickly become a time consuming addiction. So I definitely had to set myself limits. I decided to take photos of Budde every Saturday. Shots only once a week consistently will overtime provide a really great album showing him growing, and this will happen so fast! He's already a little bigger, a little stronger and a little smarter. He knows how to get up and down the front steps now and he's really getting the idea that he needs to be the one to get out from under Louie's feet. Smart guy, it only takes him being tripped over a few times and he gets the idea.

Please check back for two more new posts before the end of the weekend!
'Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 5' and 'Budde the Puppy is Eight Weeks Old!'

Budde in Action

Here's a quick clip of Budde in action! Louie was out of the picture in this video, but Snorp and Meatloaf Kitty make a cameo in the beginning. Enjoy!

There's a New Pup on the Block

The ride home in his new Papa's lap

1/12/13
Blind Louie is a Big Brother!
We are super excited to welcome a new addition to our gang... and I wish I could tell you his name! So far it's Buddy or Puppy, but something else might come up and stick. I've tried to talk my dad out of calling him 'Poncho' after his last dog. While I know how much my dad loved Poncho, this dog needs his own name for a fresh start. Poncho had some pretty big paws for this little pup to fill.

We drove early this morning to pick up the puppy.
Just my dad and I went. It was about a 45 minute drive to the home of my co-worker. We were greeted first by a gorgeous black lab with big saggy boobies. This must be mom! My co-worker's wife, Michelle led us out to the wood shed where the puppies were staying. Inside we found about 6 or 7 pups. One dark brown, one golden and the rest were black. My dad already was set on a male, and was hoping for black puppy. He scooped one up and held it close to him and said "Okay, let's go." I took the pup from him and looked at it. Checked in his mouth, his ears and held him on his back to see his reaction. He squirmed around a bit but quickly gave in and relaxed. I agreed this was a fine specimen.

Running full speed ahead!

Momma doggy didn't seem to care that we were poking around at her puppies. She seemed more than happy to get rid of one, she couldn't keep them off of her! She didn't seem to want them to nurse at all anymore.

Along with all the pups, there were two cats in the wood shed as well. The cats seem to like the puppies and had been staying in there with them. This is a great sign. The pups are already well socialized. Great! This is going to work out wonderfully.

After selecting his puppy my dad quickly got in the passenger seat of the car "You drive, I'll hold him." The ride home was quiet. Other than a couple of squeaks and whimpers, the new pup pup sat happily in my dads lap. My dad was in love! Huge red heart shapes jetted out of his eye balls and throbbed as his tongue hung out the side of his mouth, jaw dropped. His new pup and he melted in to the seat and became one.

Louie 'looks' at the new puppy sitting in my mom's lap.

When we arrived home, Snorp was outside to greet us.
He sniffed at me frantically inspecting my sweatshirt before heading around to the other side of the car, finding my dad with the source of the smell. I had expected barking and over-excitement, but Snorp was calm and curious.

We went into my parents house and Louie was asleep on Poncho's old dog bed. That dog bed has not moved since Poncho passed away a few weeks short of a year ago. Louie got up sleepily to come and greet us and it wasn't long before his nostrils were flapping like butterfly wings! Louie also, was calm. He did not bark, jump or run. Snorp, Louie and the new addition sniffed and mingled like three gentlemen. I was very proud.

The only thing a bit off was Louie and his uncontrollable drooling. I think he was just hungry for puppy! Pure, unfiltered, unprocessed, fresh organic puppy meat. mmm. The puppy was awash in Louie spit and he didn't seem to mind. Instead of puppy smell he stinks like bad Louie breath.

So they named him Budde.

Inspector Snorp Meets the Pup

It's official. My mom went to the store and bought him a collar with a name tag and everything. That's what we kept calling him anyway. "Hey buddy, come here buddy. Good boy." It's stuck. He's officially Budde P. Swift. The 'P' stand for Poncho, that's nice. In memory of. We loved that dog. So watch out world, here is Budde!

Budde follows the other dogs so well. He comes to you when you call him. All good signs. He is even starting to get out of the way when Louie is coming for him. It only took Louie tripping over him twice before he started to get it. I can't wait to get to know him better and write about his interaction with Blind Louie. Yet another chapter begins.

Canine Good Citizen Class, Day 4

Today went wonderfully!
We had more fun in class today than ever and Louie is doing so good. I am especially impressed with his long 'stay', but he's been good at that for a while. As far as most improved, that would be the lay down command. I know I've written  before about that being a tough one for Louie. It may be because of his blindness, he's unsure of where to lay down or he isn't comfortable in that vulnerable position in a strange area. Whatever it is, it has gotten much better with practice. I tried to have him lay down every chance I had today and he's really getting better.

Only one more class to go and then it's test day, in two weeks!
Test day happens to fall on my birthday of all days. It would be the best birthday present ever for Louie to be CGC certified! But if we do 'fail' it's not a total loss by any means. We have bonded even further by going to the class, and we're both having fun practicing. That is all that really matters. I have to remember why I started this, I hope to one day be able to do therapy work with Louie. If we can't pass this test, then that might not be meant to be. If that is the case than that is okay. Louie is still my therapy dog and I love him. I have a feeling though that we can do it. If we don't pass the test the first time, we can retake it. No big deal. If I'm relaxed about this, Louie can relax too and we're more likely to do a great job.

I'm really enjoying our instructor, Michael.
He does a good job without being too pushy. When daydreaming about what dog school would be like, I was afraid I might be forced into retraining Louie on the simpliest of things because it wasn't 'right'. Like for instance, I walk Louie on my left side. What if my trainer thought that was ridiculous! You're dog is a beast with bad manners unless you walk him on your right side! No no no. Michael seems very open to seeing what is working already, and catching things you might be able to improve on too. It is just helping me having a set of eyes on us and I am able to bounce ideas off of him if something comes up.

So, anyone in the Bellingham, WA area - head to Tails-a-Wagging if you want to take a class, Michael is great and I'm sure the other instructors there are great too.

I will leave you with this image of Louie with lots of food on his face.

If he had pupils, I think you'd see he is crossing his eyes! Love.

Big Announcement!

I have a big announcement to make!

Today is a big day for our family! As I've mentioned before, my husband Paul and I live next door to my parents. My dad's dog, well, our family dog really, of ten plus years died last February. Now after almost a year, my dad is ready to get a new dog! A coworker of mine has a lab mix that had puppies that need homes and they are about seven weeks old now. So today is the day we go and pick a puppy for my dad.

This is exciting on many levels. Most of all I am very happy for my dad. He took it very hard when Poncho died, I thought he'd never get over it. Poncho and Chuck went everywhere together. Poncho was always by his side. When he died, there was a huge hole in his life. Everything he did, something big was missing. After just shy of a year, with us as new neighbors for the last six months, I think he's ready to welcome someone new into his home. He's asked me to help pick this puppy out, because I am the one that brought him home Poncho.

So I'll go back in time and use my blog to help me, because it has been a very long time since I have picked a puppy from a litter. So I reviewed my first blog post ever, Meeting Louie (click there if you'd like to read for yourself.) and I hope my past self can teach my future, present self a lesson or two before I head out. Wow, that's a mouthful AND a mindful!

So off I go to pick a puppy and throw a wrench in this routine we have going. I will surely have lots of photos and video to share of Louie inspecting this new creature and getting used to it's spastic movements. I hope you all will follow along the new leg in the journey of Life with Blind Louie.

Thanks for reading!
Lanni

Cat Sniffer

This video was an accident.
I was taking a few photos of Louie modeling his Ray Charles sunglasses the other day. Today when I was cleaning up my photo album I came across this very happy accident. I must have switched to video mode for just a second and recorded this gem. Louie can't see a thing. It is quiet... just watch his nose and you'll see... :)

Our cat walks by, out of frame and without touching Louie or making a sound. You can see his tail go by, and there goes Louie's nose! He's amazing!

For the Love of Cat Vol. 6, Shotgun

Halford, 2008

 Okay, we've been keeping a secret.
We have a new cat around. As I've mentioned before, my husband and I live right next door to my parents in a tiny house with our two dogs. I would say the cats are mutual property between the two residents by now. They go to whatever door will open for them whenever they are cold and hungry. Meatloaf, the kitten we rescued last July from under a nearby house, hangs mostly with us. Halford was my cat and he moved with my parents 4 years ago when I moved into a house with Paul downtown. He's now more of my pet again than just a neighbor. He sleeps at our house most nights. Then there is Luci, a beautiful black and white long haired cat I rescued when she was a kitten from a dirty house with no food or liter box for her. I brought her to live with my parents, so she never got the chance to live with me and Louie and therefore never got used to a big slobbery dog that bumps into you when he's looking right at you! Luci has ventured into our home a few times. She'll find a comfy spot on the back of a chair and hold her own when a dog tries to sniff her, but she is definitely not a dog lover like the other two.

Luci, 2008 (notice her extra thumbs)

Okay, so what is the secret?!
My dad brought another cat home. Everyone sighed, we aren't 'cat people'. I love my pets, don't get me wrong, I just don't see our family having loads of cats roaming around. How many is too many? Well, my dad had to explain how the new cat found him and why he put it in his truck and brought it home.

I walked in to my dad's house after a long day of work.
All I knew about the new cat was that it looked like Luci except dirty and my dad had 'saved' it. What I found was a skinny, hungry, scruffy looking Muppet caked in cow manure and stinking to high heaven. How could anyone want to pick that up and take it home? It looked so scared. I did not touch it because I was sure it would turn into a hissing, gnashing fur ball, slicing its way to free itself from my clutches with it's infected claws. I just watched skinny try to choke down food and asked my dad what he was thinking.

He told me he was on a nearby farm with a friend. They were going to do some work on the property. The three men were standing around discussing this upcoming project when a skinny black and white kitty slowly walked by.  The farm hand said 'Oh, yeah. That reminds me I was supposed to get rid of that thing.' and he pulled his shotgun from his truck. My dad quickly asked what he was doing. The man said that this cat didn't belong here and it had been wondering around on their property for a while now and no one could catch it. It was surely feral and diseased. My dad quickly volunteered to take care of this for him. He patiently waiting for the cat to approach. He pet it a little and it seemed fine. He tried to pick it up and then it really gave it to him. Hissing, spitting, clawing, flailing. My dad carried it to his truck, put it in and shut the door.

Okay, I get it.
He could not let that man shoot this cat, it had to be somebodies pet, at least at one time. On top of that, it looked so darn much like his cat Luci. What kind of a man would he be if he stood by and let that happen? I understood, and loved my dad just a little more. I looked at my dad and said 'Well, I guess we call it 'Shotgun'. He smiled with tears in his eyes. The cat purred while it ate the crunchy kibble just as fast as it could. We scheduled a vet appointment for the next day and thought we'd try to find it a home if we could. We'd make sure she was well first. One thing we knew for sure: this cat did not like dogs. The moment Louie or Snorp were in sight, even through the window she flipped out.

Meatloaf, 2012

The first time Shotgun met Louie was quite the scene. 
Shotgun made it known she despised this animal and anyone who looked like it. Hissing, spitting, flailing, clawing again, my dad carried her upstairs and away from the other animals, giving Louie a chance to inspect the new smell and trace everywhere this new creature had been. Louie made zigzags across the kitchen floor, over to the cat food bowl where he was reminded he didn't get to eat that, over to the water dish where he helped himself and wet his whistle, under a chair and table and into a closet, back across the kitchen to the living room where he did some deep sniffing of a blanket Shotgun had been lying one when we came in. Then he went back trough the living room and crossed the kitchen floor to the flight of stairs leading upstairs, no hiding from this dog! No, sorry Louie, you can't go upstairs. Leave that kitty alone.

Shotgun, 2012

So why was this a secret?
Well, it wasn't really a secret actually. More that I wasn't ready to share this story until I knew where it was going. This cat looked terribly sick and hated my dogs. What kind of uplifting story could I spin out of that? How does this relate to Life with Blind Louie?

Well, we took Shotgun to the vet. Shotgun is a 'she'. She had been fixed before, so she was somebodies pet once upon a time. They guessed she was maybe three years old, she did not have feline leukemia but she had such bad fleas that she was anemic.  She was far too thin and was recovering from dehydration. So, I see. The farmer could not take care of another animal and he knew this cat had no home and was sick. They were doing the 'humane' thing and 'euthanizing' her. Farmers and country folk handle things just a bit different than we do in the city. That scenario sounds crazy to me being raised in town and new to this area but I don't think anyone necessarily had poor intentions. I'm just glad my big-heart-ed father was there to give this girl a second chance.

Shotgun, 2012

Now between the two houses, we have four cats, two dogs, three chickens, and two pigs.
Everybody is happy and taken care of so it seems okay. I don't see us adopting out Shotgun, my dad is very attached. She sleeps with him at night and comes when he calls her. The name stuck, Shotgun. I named another cat a weird name. Win! She is way more mellow now, she doesn't hit or spit at my dad anymore, even when he picks her up. She's playing and wrestling with the other cats. The dogs though... well, she still leery. I don't know if that will get too much better. Luci still doesn't like the dogs much and they've been living next door to her for about seven months now. Louie, however is learning to keep his distance. He knows if he smells close enough that he can hear her growling at him that he need to back off. She doesn't run away anymore, she stands her ground. This is really good because it will teach Louie to keep away instead of just chasing and playing hide and seek. Today, I finally was able to take pictures of her because she wasn't hiding. She's a pretty Shotgun.

Shotgun, 2012

Sibbatical? Hiatus?

So, we've taken a bit of a break.
The holidays happened. Thanksgiving always starts it., the air gets cold and the days get shorter. It rains and rains and rains. It's dark when you go to work, dark when you get home. I thought taking the Canine Good Citizen training class would be a good plan for the winter, since it was an inside thing and would get Louie and I out and about. The last two weekends we had no class because of Christmas and New Year, and I've relaxed a bit too much on our practicing. You have to understand, Louie and I have this dialed in, this whole living together business. He is a great listener and we have a routine. He comes when I call him and stops when I say stop, he is obedient to my standard perfectly. Asking Louie to follow new command and stop and wait in certain places is totally different. I know one thing for sure, Louie always wants to do the right thing. It's not a matter of Louie obeying me as much as it is him understanding what I'm asking of him. The only way to get that down is practice practice practice!


Breakin'
Best part about our hiatus? Lots of Louie snuggle time! Taking a break from practice, class, writing and instead got in a lot of sleep! Family time too... but mostly sleep. So now hibernation is over and we return to class tomorrow. I know we'll need to practice a little bit everyday to get down all the moves Louie needs to know. We're just basically trying to walk and stop together better. He can't see so that makes it trickier. I know I'll find the right way to communicate and he'll get it.

I will take Louie on a walk before class and I plan to take a video of a 'Sit. Stay. Come' combo! What is fun and unusual about Louie doing this, you may ask? Well, Louie can't see. What's unique is what he looks like when he comes back to me. Remember, he not just coming back to me, he has to find me and navigate completely in the dark too! Video to soon follow...

I wish I could be as brave as Louie,
as trusting as Louie and as content as Louie too.