Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[wizard-of-roz]

Mornin' all:

Five hours of surgery yesterday, but hubby is fixed up as good as they can for now. I really like his doctor. He is insisting that hubby follow up with him. I think kinda like us ladies and mammograms, he wants to do tests to make sure everything is flowing correctly. He still has 2 blockages, both at about 50%, but with what they fixed doctor said they just couldn't do any more at this time, to must stress on his body. So we will see how no smoking, diet and exercise work. He is all for it, so I am ready to get him home. I didn't get home until 10:45 last night. 12 hours and my little honey Jezzy had no accidents. She is growing up to be quite the little angel I knew she could be. :)

Nancy

 

Nancy, that is great news. I hope he continues to do well, he must be exhausted but ready for a better life. Prayers to both of you.

 

I know you must be so tired, please remember to take some time for yourself.

 

Little Jezzy did her part to make your life easier, what a great little girl. You must be so proud of her.

Thanks for keeping us updated. Give my regards to hubby, may he continue to do well.

[wizard-of-roz]

Did yall see this:

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2012/09/19/congrats-to-canine-mariner-travis/

 

ar: what a wonderful story and what a handsome dog.

 

The Oosterdam was very welcoming to Brenda. She had been on it a few times and she's a lovely ship.

 

I seem to be drawn to Princess more these days because HAL is a 2 hour drive and Princess is only 45 minutes away.

[rangeley]

Mornin' all:

Five hours of surgery yesterday, but hubby is fixed up as good as they can for now. I really like his doctor. He is insisting that hubby follow up with him. I think kinda like us ladies and mammograms, he wants to do tests to make sure everything is flowing correctly. He still has 2 blockages, both at about 50%, but with what they fixed doctor said they just couldn't do any more at this time, to must stress on his body. So we will see how no smoking, diet and exercise work. He is all for it, so I am ready to get him home. I didn't get home until 10:45 last night. 12 hours and my little honey Jezzy had no accidents. She is growing up to be quite the little angel I knew she could be. :)

Nancy

 

 

Nancy, We are so glad hubby is doing well. Will he have to go back for more surgery? You must be exhausted with all the travelling back and forth. Hopefully he will be home soon.

 

John and I quit smoking 9yrs this November. It was the hardest thing we ever did. Unfortunately I gained like 50lbs. John gained nothing. :mad:

Between that and self esteem issues, I have never lost it. But I am glad I quit. Besides they cost like 8-10 dollars a pack now! We quit when they were 5.

[rangeley]

Okay, you guys! We live thousands of miles away from each other, only communicate through this thread and you all know me so well! :rolleyes:

 

I told Morey what you all said and he laughed. I'm a pain and he knows it!!!! Aint love grand! :p I'm trying not to be too much of a pain.

 

I took Horton on a long walk in the mall. It's so neat to be able to use the escalator and not have to hunt down an elevator. It took CCI way too long to teach this to our dogs, while Seeing Eye Dogs were always doing it. When I got home I took both dogs on a long walk around the neighborhood....Brenny's exhausted. Our weather in L.A. is still warm but not triple digits. It's still so humid....my most unfavorite condition.

 

Nancy, I'm so glad that hubby is on the road to better health. Giving up smoking is not easy but he'll be doing himself and his family a huge favor in the long run.

 

I miss work...a bit! :o By next week I'll be ready to go back but then ready to CRUISE!!!!! I'm getting so excited, everytime I think it's only weeks away!!!

 

Morey would just love all of us. :D

 

I have never seen a dog on an escalator, does he sit? Where is his tail? Can it get stuck in the tracks?

[rangeley]

I just cleaned my car out cuz we are taking it to the ADA celebration this Saturday. I'm pooped! Saturday night (after driving 2 hours each way to the ADA thing) we have Johns sister and bro-in-laws surprise birthday party. As if we didn't have enough to do, he made plans for us to have lunch with friends on Sunday. Then he wanted to go to his nephews football game(he's the coach) on Friday night and I said NO!!! Enough already for one weekend. I also have to clean the apt and bake for the bday party. :eek: Too much for one weekend. When do we get to sleep late and relax? And if Wex doesn't get his nap... forget it. He's worse than a baby. I think it's one of those "calgon take me away" moments!!!

[rangeley]

Did yall see this:

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2012/09/19/congrats-to-canine-mariner-travis/

 

 

Cool pic! Thanks for sharing that with us.

[wizard-of-roz]

Nancy, We are so glad hubby is doing well. Will he have to go back for more surgery? You must be exhausted with all the travelling back and forth. Hopefully he will be home soon.

 

John and I quit smoking 9yrs this November. It was the hardest thing we ever did. Unfortunately I gained like 50lbs. John gained nothing. :mad:

Between that and self esteem issues, I have never lost it. But I am glad I quit. Besides they cost like 8-10 dollars a pack now! We quit when they were 5.

 

Definitely one of the most difficult habits to quit!!!! Congrats on doing it!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

I just cleaned my car out cuz we are taking it to the ADA celebration this Saturday. I'm pooped! Saturday night (after driving 2 hours each way to the ADA thing) we have Johns sister and bro-in-laws surprise birthday party. As if we didn't have enough to do, he made plans for us to have lunch with friends on Sunday. Then he wanted to go to his nephews football game(he's the coach) on Friday night and I said NO!!! Enough already for one weekend. I also have to clean the apt and bake for the bday party. :eek: Too much for one weekend. When do we get to sleep late and relax? And if Wex doesn't get his nap... forget it. He's worse than a baby. I think it's one of those "calgon take me away" moments!!!

 

Cindy, you amaze me! When I'm not working, I MUST sleep late. You're such a super woman. I know you do most of the work with Wex, and with everything else you do......slow down before you're the one in the wheelchair!!!!

Although, I do admire your energy and ability to "get the job done!" My kind of woman, for sure!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm starting to get together Horton's neckware for our cruise. My very favorite is the Tux that Aunt Cindy had made for him. The pictures of him in his Tux are so handsome!

 

This is the part of the cruising experience that can be so much fun. The anticipation, the shopping, the packing, the preparation can all be so much fun - Tons of work but a lot of fun too!

 

I still get goosebumps when I think about viewing the ship from the entrance to the parking lot. As many times as I see a cruise ship I still get chills.

 

The pier in San Pedro is under refurbishment; with fountains and soundtracks played [like in front of the Bellagio Hotel, in Las Vegas.] It's one of my most favorite cruising docks. L.A. is putting a lot of money into this.

 

I have to start my lists.....in between it all I have to go to work but my head is on the Promenade Deck, with a foo-foo drink, Horty and my book. I look forward to doing "NOTHING" except caring for Horton and meeting his needs. Otherwise; good food, entertainment, trivia, sea breezes and bingo are all I'm going to worry about.

[rangeley]

I'm starting to get together Horton's neckware for our cruise. My very favorite is the Tux that Aunt Cindy had made for him. The pictures of him in his Tux are so handsome!

 

This is the part of the cruising experience that can be so much fun. The anticipation, the shopping, the packing, the preparation can all be so much fun - Tons of work but a lot of fun too!

 

I still get goosebumps when I think about viewing the ship from the entrance to the parking lot. As many times as I see a cruise ship I still get chills.

 

The pier in San Pedro is under refurbishment; with fountains and soundtracks played [like in front of the Bellagio Hotel, in Las Vegas.] It's one of my most favorite cruising docks. L.A. is putting a lot of money into this.

 

I have to start my lists.....in between it all I have to go to work but my head is on the Promenade Deck, with a foo-foo drink, Horty and my book. I look forward to doing "NOTHING" except caring for Horton and meeting his needs. Otherwise; good food, entertainment, trivia, sea breezes and bingo are all I'm going to worry about.

 

Foo-Foo drink and bingo..... I'm in!!!!! :D

[wizard-of-roz]

Foo-Foo drink and bingo..... I'm in!!!!! :D

 

Woman, you're so easy!!!!!!! :D ;)

[S.S. Cruisers]

Evenin' all:

Cindy: He quit for 4 years and picked it back up! I think he now knows he has to quit for good. As for more surgery, doctor is hoping no, that with proper diet, exercising and no smoking he should be fine.

Roz: Since I was in the big city, (Palm Desert) I stopped at Petsmart hoping to get Jezzy Lou some new t-shirts for this winter. She just loves the one and only one she has. You should see the look on her face when I take it off to wash! So, I found 3 more and only $2.97 on clearance!!!! They were originally $13.00 :eek: I would never pay that for them, I was thinking even $5.00 I would have got her a couple. I was a happy girl!

Now for my saga going to see hubby. Remember we are 2 hours away. So, I get about 60 miles from home. Get gas, so I won't have to get it on the way home. Get back on the freeway, go 1.5 miles and the traffic screeches to a halt. We are now between no where and no where. No more off ramps, nothing but desert. Huge center divider with gully's washes and scrub brush, even if we wanted to cross over and go back the other way, it is illegal. Too dangerous. Anyway, I think how bad can it be? There is another off ramp about 6-7 miles up. Well, that darn 6-7 miles took me 1.5 hours to get to and then darn if that wasn't where the accident was! Cal Trans trucks, skip loaders, environmental roll off containers. Right lane blocked! Tractor down the embankment, so I am guessing a diesel truck went over the side and they had a hazmat clean-up. So needless to say I then couldn't exit for another 20 miles and by then was only about 20 miles from hospital. So I went ahead and went. The 2 hour one way took me 4 hours one way and then still the other 2 home! Ugh, I am tired. Then on the way back home, the back-up is still about 7 miles long! :eek: You would think they would try and at a least warn people or divert them. Just before we all crossed into no mans land, there is another highway we could have taken. Would have taken us around about way, but still would have been better than sitting on the hot pavement, oh did I mention it was 104 then went on up to 106! I turned the air off and rolled down my windows. Actually wasn't too bad, there was a breeze. I guess I should feel lucky for 2 things. I stopped at the bank before I left town and then stopped and got gas or I could have been right in the middle of it. Also, I have traveled that way 2 times a day now for 6 days, so I am blessed nothing else has happened.

Night all.

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm up.....couldn't sleep. Nancy, I'm so sorry to hear about your desert driving issues. I'm glad you made it safely. You're "warrior woman", you had a job to do and a place to be and you did it. You're hubby's lucky to have you on his side. And, Jezzy, well she's going to be so cute in the winter time with the outfits you're buying her. Great bargains. She's a lucky pooch!

 

I hope you get a good nights rest.....you've earned it!

I'm sleeping-in tomorrow and then celebrating my birthday with Morey, the pups and friends. :)

[DisneyKidsDad]

Check out this article from CCI about a muppet becoming a service dog.

http://www.cci.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cdKGIRNqEmG&b=4127877&ct=12188571

[rangeley]

Woman, you're so easy!!!!!!! :D ;)

 

I am!! :eek:

[rangeley]

Evenin' all:

Cindy: He quit for 4 years and picked it back up! I think he now knows he has to quit for good. As for more surgery, doctor is hoping no, that with proper diet, exercising and no smoking he should be fine.

 

Roz: Since I was in the big city, (Palm Desert) I stopped at Petsmart hoping to get Jezzy Lou some new t-shirts for this winter. She just loves the one and only one she has. You should see the look on her face when I take it off to wash! So, I found 3 more and only $2.97 on clearance!!!! They were originally $13.00 :eek: I would never pay that for them, I was thinking even $5.00 I would have got her a couple. I was a happy girl!

 

Now for my saga going to see hubby. Remember we are 2 hours away. So, I get about 60 miles from home. Get gas, so I won't have to get it on the way home. Get back on the freeway, go 1.5 miles and the traffic screeches to a halt. We are now between no where and no where. No more off ramps, nothing but desert. Huge center divider with gully's washes and scrub brush, even if we wanted to cross over and go back the other way, it is illegal. Too dangerous. Anyway, I think how bad can it be? There is another off ramp about 6-7 miles up. Well, that darn 6-7 miles took me 1.5 hours to get to and then darn if that wasn't where the accident was! Cal Trans trucks, skip loaders, environmental roll off containers. Right lane blocked! Tractor down the embankment, so I am guessing a diesel truck went over the side and they had a hazmat clean-up. So needless to say I then couldn't exit for another 20 miles and by then was only about 20 miles from hospital. So I went ahead and went. The 2 hour one way took me 4 hours one way and then still the other 2 home! Ugh, I am tired. Then on the way back home, the back-up is still about 7 miles long! :eek: You would think they would try and at a least warn people or divert them. Just before we all crossed into no mans land, there is another highway we could have taken. Would have taken us around about way, but still would have been better than sitting on the hot pavement, oh did I mention it was 104 then went on up to 106! I turned the air off and rolled down my windows. Actually wasn't too bad, there was a breeze. I guess I should feel lucky for 2 things. I stopped at the bank before I left town and then stopped and got gas or I could have been right in the middle of it. Also, I have traveled that way 2 times a day now for 6 days, so I am blessed nothing else has happened.

 

Night all.

 

OMG Nancy!!

[rangeley]

i'm up.....couldn't sleep. Nancy, i'm so sorry to hear about your desert driving issues. I'm glad you made it safely. You're "warrior woman", you had a job to do and a place to be and you did it. You're hubby's lucky to have you on his side. And, jezzy, well she's going to be so cute in the winter time with the outfits you're buying her. Great bargains. She's a lucky pooch!

 

i hope you get a good nights rest.....you've earned it!

 

i'm sleeping-in tomorrow and then celebrating my birthday with morey, the pups and friends. :)

 

Happy Birthday My Dear Friend!!!

Edited September 21, 2012 by rangeley

[trudle]

Happy Birthdat Roz-----have a great day.

 

Hi everyone-----have been busy with my painting---show is coming up soon. If I put it in correctly, you might be able to see it in my signature. :confused:

 

Hope everyone had a great week and a better weekend. We have had some much needed rain here in the last few days.

 

arhillbilly thanks for sharing--very nice.

 

Nancy----hope you are having a better day today. And a speedy recovery to your husband. Sounds like he is on the right road. My husband stopped smoking about 4 yrs ago and still wants one. :eek:

[S.S. Cruisers]

Hip, HIp, Hooray!

It's Roz's Birthday!

Happy Birthday, sweet Lady! Have an enjoyable day. :D:)

[S.S. Cruisers]

My husband stopped smoking about 4 yrs ago and still wants one. :eek:

That is my hubby's problem, too. He said he really misses it early in the morning, with a nice cup of coffee. He did quit for 4 years. We went to a July 4th party, then his son and gf came the next weekend. That did it, he started again. I really believe he is ready this time and doesn't want any more suregery. With the issues with his right leg and bottom of his aorta, still being blocked by 50% I think he knows where that could go and he will end up back in the hospital. I try and be a support system by not nagging him. I not sure it either would work, To Nag or Not To Nag! A gentle reminder will be in order. We shall see.

 

Thank you everyone for your well wishes.

[trudle]

I tried up loading a new picture but I don't know what happened, it didn't show up. :eek:

[rangeley]

I tried up loading a new picture but I don't know what happened, it didn't show up. :eek:

 

I didn't know you painted. My mother used to be an artist. I hope you can figure out how to upload a pic, I would love to see it.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Me too! My grandma had arthrithis (sp) so bad, with crippled up fingers, but boy could she still paint. I wish I knew where those paintings went. :(

[trudle]

Well, I got the pictures changed, bbuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttt they are so small, you can't see them. I don't know how to make them bigger. I am not a computer person. :(

 

They are feathers that I paint.

 

Have a good weekend.

[wizard-of-roz]

Morey would just love all of us. :D

 

I have never seen a dog on an escalator, does he sit? Where is his tail? Can it get stuck in the tracks?

 

The most important thing is the placement of you and your dog. It's important not to get too close to someone in front of you when entering. I stay about 8 steps behind the person in front of me and use the command "let's go" and keep moving in a walking stride onto a stair and we stop. I make sure Horton and I have enough space so that I can proceed to walk onto the next step before we get to the end and again, I say "let's go" and start to walk up the next step and then off, making sure there's room for us to continue to walk so that neither Horton or I are standing on the rolling stairs towards the end. Horton remains standing the entire way.

 

It's a "dance" and does take some practice but while in Team Training, last December, I was so excited to learn this and Horton had been doing it since he was a puppy so it was easy for him. My trainer, Ken, had me do it up and down, over and over again, until I was proficient at it!

 

It's so liberating to be able to have the freedom to use escalators in the mall, the airport and even at some cruise piers.