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

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi Aunty Roz :)

 

I'm a girl, I'm a girl ..... ;):D

 

Mum says this is all she could find and it is a bit grainy, but you can tap your feet along for a couple of minutes! :D.

 

 

Love Aruba, your puppy girl

Puppy XXXXXX

 

 

PS Mum left me at home this morning, I'd just had my breakfast and she didn't want me to be sick in the car, so she rushed into town to get a few things before it got too hot. Well would you believe she met Kaiser and his Dad, so she was able to give him (Kaiser that is!) another cuddle and kiss in case she doesn't she him again. Wish I'd been there ( and Mum was disappointed I wasn't).

 

Oh! My! I just spent my Saturday in Scotland, watching the Opening of the Commonwealth Games and Rod Stewart......That was so much fun....Thank you Fairbourne. It sure enticed me to want to travel to Scotland. Magnificent, that's what Scotland looks like, magnificent! And, Rod Stewart, he's one of my most favorite singers.

 

Thank you, Fairbourne, for sharing the site with all of us.....it made my Saturday afternoon!

 

Aruba, I hope that you and Kaiser get to romp and play together one day, you two will be great friends.

Edited July 26, 2014 by wizard-of-roz

[fairbourne]

Hi everyone.

 

I forgot the doggies at the Commonwealth Opening Ceremony - here's a link.

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardhjames/meet-archie-the-scottish-terrier

 

They were fabulous!

 

Enjoy, all you doggy lovers :D

 

Glad you enjoyed the sexy one Roz! He's a bit skinny for my taste but if you shut your eyes when he sings ...... LOL!!! :p

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi everyone.

 

I forgot the doggies at the Commonwealth Opening Ceremony - here's a link.

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardhjames/meet-archie-the-scottish-terrier

 

They were fabulous!

 

Enjoy, all you doggy lovers :D

 

Glad you enjoyed the sexy one Roz! He's a bit skinny for my taste but if you shut your eyes when he sings ...... LOL!!! :p

 

Archie, you are quite a charmer! Couldn't sleep and played Rod again and watched Archie. Thanks Fairbourne.....Rod's voice makes me smile!!!!!!

[fairbourne]

Hi Roz

 

I couldn't sleep last night either - too blooming hot even with the fan going! No AC here, we are not used to this heat! :rolleyes: bit cooler today! Thank goodness!

 

Isn't Archie a hoot, when we were watching the ceremony, I suddenly spotted the dogs, what great idea, but it was funny to see the odd one being carried after refusing point blank to walk - "thrawn" is what we call that - it's a lovely word and one I would use often to describe Miss Poppy!

 

Aruba has just learnt to do a "high 5", took about a week but she's seen the big dogs do it and it was just a little lift of her paw to start with, but now she recognises the words and her paw gets slapped on my leg! LOL! she's a hoot!

 

Pussy cat is doing well - a colleague of my DH's gave him some cat food which is basically pure chicken with brown rice, and my goodness she loves it and eats it on her own, which is really good news. (So do the two boy cat gannets so I have to lock her in a room so she gets her fair share!) Weigh in tomorrow at the vet, so I'm hopeful she will have put on a little bit. Every ounce counts at the moment.

 

Lazy Sunday here - Roz, hope you can get some sleep and wake up refreshed. Expect Horton's snoring if he's anything like our three!!! LOL!!!

 

Hugs xx

Edited July 27, 2014 by fairbourne

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi Roz

 

I couldn't sleep last night either - too blooming hot even with the fan going! No AC here, we are not used to this heat! :rolleyes: bit cooler today! Thank goodness!

 

Isn't Archie a hoot, when we were watching the ceremony, I suddenly spotted the dogs, what great idea, but it was funny to see the odd one being carried after refusing point blank to walk - "thrawn" is what we call that - it's a lovely word and one I would use often to describe Miss Poppy!

 

Aruba has just learnt to do a "high 5", took about a week but she's seen the big dogs do it and it was just a little lift of her paw to start with, but now she recognises the words and her paw gets slapped on my leg! LOL! she's a hoot!

 

Pussy cat is doing well - a colleague of my DH's gave him some cat food which is basically pure chicken with brown rice, and my goodness she loves it and eats it on her own, which is really good news. (So do the two boy cat gannets so I have to lock her in a room so she gets her fair share!) Weigh in tomorrow at the vet, so I'm hopeful she will have put on a little bit. Every ounce counts at the moment.

 

Lazy Sunday here - Roz, hope you can get some sleep and wake up refreshed. Expect Horton's snoring if he's anything like our three!!! LOL!!!

 

Hugs xx

 

It's also very hot and humid here. I'm keeping my boy inside the cool air conditioning. We'll go off to work tomorrow, today we're taking it easy!

 

I hope that kitty's doctor check will be a good one!

 

I think the "high-five" is such a great thing for our public dogs to do. People love it when I ask Horton to give them a high-five, especially children.

 

Aruba's going to have some tricks already learned by the time she goes off for formal training. She's so lucky to have you!

 

I love the little Scotty dogs....they look like little, living cartoons. :)

Edited July 27, 2014 by wizard-of-roz

[fairbourne]

Hope everyone is well and ok. Just heard the news about the awful thunderstorm and lightening on Venice Beach - my dawgness here I am complaining about our weather, but it's nothing like you guys in California have right now.

 

Stay safe. :) and cool! :)

 

Pussycat has put on 200g, up from 3.9 kgs to 4.19kgs. So very happy with that, and she was as good as gold having more blood tests done to check her jaundice and liver function. I won't tell you how much our vet bill has been!!! but she's priceless. I'm still feeding her 5 times a day but she is eating on her own a bit more now.

 

Took Aruba with me to be weighed - yikes abroad, no wonder I can hardly lift her into the car! 17.6 kgs! (38 lbs in old money!). Much admired and accepts all the praise gracefully!!! LOL!!

 

How is everyone else? Pups and big dogs??

 

DKD - how's Davis doing? I'm sure you must recognise some of the stages with our puppy walking.

[wizard-of-roz]

Hope everyone is well and ok. Just heard the news about the awful thunderstorm and lightening on Venice Beach - my dawgness here I am complaining about our weather, but it's nothing like you guys in California have right now.

 

Stay safe. :) and cool! :)

 

Pussycat has put on 200g, up from 3.9 kgs to 4.19kgs. So very happy with that, and she was as good as gold having more blood tests done to check her jaundice and liver function. I won't tell you how much our vet bill has been!!! but she's priceless. I'm still feeding her 5 times a day but she is eating on her own a bit more now.

 

Took Aruba with me to be weighed - yikes abroad, no wonder I can hardly lift her into the car! 17.6 kgs! (38 lbs in old money!). Much admired and accepts all the praise gracefully!!! LOL!!

 

How is everyone else? Pups and big dogs??

 

DKD - how's Davis doing? I'm sure you must recognise some of the stages with our puppy walking.

 

Aruba, you're really getting big!!!

 

Our weather here is not just weird, it's down right scary!!!!! To have lightening strike a surfer at Venice Beach is just unheard of! So shocking. Lightening also struck several vehicles in the area......holy moly.....what is going on???? :eek:

 

It's cooled off a great deal but the humidity has not let up.

 

I'm sure that no one at the beach yesterday would have thought that lightening would take the life of a 20 year old surfer. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all: Our little local newspaper adds one of those little filler magazines, kind of like the "Parade". It is called American Profile. I usually glance at the cover to decide if I even look at it. Nothing that really intrigued me, but something told me to look through it. Low and behold I came across an article "Man's Best Buddy". Canine Companions for Independence pairs extraordinary service dogs with disabled vets. Such a nice one and a half page article, pictures included, of course. Two chubby little yellow labs, so adorable. It can been seen on their website with is www americanprofile com (add .) I went to articles, then typed in Man's Best Buddy in the search box and it came up. Nice way to start my morning. :D

 

Fairbourne: So glad kitty is gaining weight and eating on her own. Paws till crossed. As for Ms. Aruba, she is growing fast, Mum. Teaching her tricks is so nice. We taught Reno boy tricks, but this little naughty terrier is just not interested! /COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

Mornin' all: Our little local newspaper adds one of those little filler magazines, kind of like the "Parade". It is called American Profile. I usually glance at the cover to decide if I even look at it. Nothing that really intrigued me, but something told me to look through it. Low and behold I came across an article "Man's Best Buddy". Canine Companions for Independence pairs extraordinary service dogs with disabled vets. Such a nice one and a half page article, pictures included, of course. Two chubby little yellow labs, so adorable. It can been seen on their website with is www americanprofile com (add .) I went to articles, then typed in Man's Best Buddy in the search box and it came up. Nice way to start my morning. :D

 

Fairbourne: So glad kitty is gaining weight and eating on her own. Paws till crossed. As for Ms. Aruba, she is growing fast, Mum. Teaching her tricks is so nice. We taught Reno boy tricks, but this little naughty terrier is just not interested! /COLOR]

 

It's so wonderful that CCI is working with the Wounded Warrior Program and utilizing the "Released" dogs, like the "No Child Left Behind Programs", this is the "No Dog Left Behind Program!" Love it!

 

I went to Target yesterday and this woman followed me around the store until I finally asked her if I could help her. She said she was looking for an address or phone number on Horton's Vest so she could call or write CCI and tell them what a wonderful Team we were!!!!! :) She went on to say that Horton's behavior was unbelievable for such a big dog. She noticed how he would maneuver himself around the shelves of merchandise so he didn't disturb anything!

 

He's such a big lug, it amazes me that he doesn't send things flying with that tail of his. :rolleyes:

[wizard-of-roz]

Cindy, I hope all is well with you and you and John are having a good rest of the summer.

 

DKD, how's the Puppy Raising going?

[fairbourne]

It's so wonderful that CCI is working with the Wounded Warrior Program and utilizing the "Released" dogs, like the "No Child Left Behind Programs", this is the "No Dog Left Behind Program!" Love it!

 

I went to Target yesterday and this woman followed me around the store until I finally asked her if I could help her. She said she was looking for an address or phone number on Horton's Vest so she could call or write CCI and tell them what a wonderful Team we were!!!!! :) She went on to say that Horton's behavior was unbelievable for such a big dog. She noticed how he would maneuver himself around the shelves of merchandise so he didn't disturb anything!

 

He's such a big lug, it amazes me that he doesn't send things flying with that tail of his. :rolleyes:

 

Oh my dawg, aren't people funny - you must have thought you had a stalker!!!LOL! But that's lovely that she noticed you and Horton working together so well - I loved reading this story, especially the big lug bit!! These big boys can be so gentle.

 

Aruba is 5 months old this weekend ..... I can hardly believe it but believe it I do when I lug her up (love that word Roz), into my car. I think this weekend when we will practise jumping into mum's car. She's still all legs and trots like one of the beautiful Lippizzaner stallions when they're performing. She's going well "on command" and has her spot she goes to - she also does this little trot before she does anything, it's so funny. A fellow puppy walker told me that if you need to encourage a pup to go (you know the time when you need to go out and they are refusing and you just know the minute you're two minutes down the road, they will poop). - if you walk around them in a circle a few times, it will encourage them. Well, I have to say I was a bit (ok totally) sceptical at first, but DH tried it, and would you believe it, it worked. When I needed to try it, I just got a quizzical look that said "WOT? you don't usually poop up here!!??" Honestly I just love these doggy expressions, they are so much better at it than we are - say what you mean, why don't you! LOL! But she did it for me too. (Apologies if you're eating your breakfast.)

 

Have a great day everyone. :)

[fairbourne]

Duplicate post

Edited July 30, 2014 by fairbourne

[DisneyKidsDad]

Sorry I haven't been around much. Work has been keeping me more than busy lately. Davis has been doing very good with his training. We've been taking him to different places and he is being very good. We took him to a local baseball game the other night and as we were leaving they started their fireworks. He looked up at them a couple of times and got in the van and went to sleep. He has also learned to speak on command. So all in all he is doing good.

[wizard-of-roz]

Oh my dawg, aren't people funny - you must have thought you had a stalker!!!LOL! But that's lovely that she noticed you and Horton working together so well - I loved reading this story, especially the big lug bit!! These big boys can be so gentle.

 

Aruba is 5 months old this weekend ..... I can hardly believe it but believe it I do when I lug her up (love that word Roz), into my car. I think this weekend when we will practise jumping into mum's car. She's still all legs and trots like one of the beautiful Lippizzaner stallions when they're performing. She's going well "on command" and has her spot she goes to - she also does this little trot before she does anything, it's so funny. A fellow puppy walker told me that if you need to encourage a pup to go (you know the time when you need to go out and they are refusing and you just know the minute you're two minutes down the road, they will poop). - if you walk around them in a circle a few times, it will encourage them. Well, I have to say I was a bit (ok totally) sceptical at first, but DH tried it, and would you believe it, it worked. When I needed to try it, I just got a quizzical look that said "WOT? you don't usually poop up here!!??" Honestly I just love these doggy expressions, they are so much better at it than we are - say what you mean, why don't you! LOL! But she did it for me too. (Apologies if you're eating your breakfast.)

 

Have a great day everyone. :)

 

Cute story. Just think, all the little nuances and "stuff" that you two are doing together will be part of her life "forever!" It amazes me how YOU can imprint personality into the dog. I know she has her own "stuff" going on but there's always going to be a bit of you in her as well!

 

Just like I'm sure that Horton and Brenda brought with them some of the learned behavior that they picked-up from their Puppy Raisers. ;)

[wizard-of-roz]

Sorry I haven't been around much. Work has been keeping me more than busy lately. Davis has been doing very good with his training. We've been taking him to different places and he is being very good. We took him to a local baseball game the other night and as we were leaving they started their fireworks. He looked up at them a couple of times and got in the van and went to sleep. He has also learned to speak on command. So all in all he is doing good.

 

I'm so glad that all is well. The "speak" command is such an important thing. Certainly makes me look like a genius when I ask Horton to do it. It also makes me feel safe when I want the outside world to know that I have a huge beast inside my house so stay away!!!!! :p

[fairbourne]

Speak! What is this "speak" command? ;):).

 

I can't stop Aruba "shouting", as we call it, when she's excited, but I have noticed the last couple of days her bark is breaking .... She's going from that high pitched puppy yapping to a grown up girl dog deep bark, and from the early sounds of it, she's going to have a good deep bark. It's funny right now as it's a mix of the two with a few squeaks thrown in! LOL!

 

How do you teach them to "speak"? Please tell me I don't have to bark at her, repeat after me!!! :p:D.

 

Glad to hear Davis is doing well - that's the best reaction to fireworks. We heard someone shooting a rifle the other day - deer or rabbits - and Poppy started shaking she didn't like it one little bit, I've never seen her react like that ever. So much for being a gun dog! She doesn't flinch out shooting with shotguns, but she did not like that rifle. Mind you, neither did I! Puppy girl didn't bother.

[wizard-of-roz]

Speak! What is this "speak" command? ;):).

 

I can't stop Aruba "shouting", as we call it, when she's excited, but I have noticed the last couple of days her bark is breaking .... She's going from that high pitched puppy yapping to a grown up girl dog deep bark, and from the early sounds of it, she's going to have a good deep bark. It's funny right now as it's a mix of the two with a few squeaks thrown in! LOL!

 

How do you teach them to "speak"? Please tell me I don't have to bark at her, repeat after me!!! :p:D.

 

Glad to hear Davis is doing well - that's the best reaction to fireworks. We heard someone shooting a rifle the other day - deer or rabbits - and Poppy started shaking she didn't like it one little bit, I've never seen her react like that ever. So much for being a gun dog! She doesn't flinch out shooting with shotguns, but she did not like that rifle. Mind you, neither did I! Puppy girl didn't bother.

They're such characters, each with their very own personality! Love it!

 

I taught Brenda to speak by sitting her down in front of me, looking into her eyes and I said the word, "speak!" Of course, I had lots of kibble from her afternoon feeding in my pocket. When she would make mouth movements and catch eye contact with me, I said, "good girl, and gave her a kibble!" I repeated the command until she made more vocal sounds, rewarded her and so on. When she came out with a true bark, "I threw a party, saying lots of "good job girl" and, giving two pieces of kibble! I kept it up until a true bark came out and again, threw a party! It took all of 10 minutes and the rest of the day, every so often, I would ask her to "speak" and sometimes I had a kibble, sometimes not. But every time she'd give me a bark that progressively got louder and louder.

 

I only allowed one or two barks, touching her head and saying "no more" when she wanted to go on and on, she would then stop! Such a brilliant girl!

 

The public loves when I ask Horton to "speak", as if he's expressing himself, when in fact he's just reacting to my command.

[fairbourne]

They're such characters, each with their very own personality! Love it!

 

I taught Brenda to speak by sitting her down in front of me, looking into her eyes and I said the word, "speak!" Of course, I had lots of kibble from her afternoon feeding in my pocket. When she would make mouth movements and catch eye contact with me, I said, "good girl, and gave her a kibble!" I repeated the command until she made more vocal sounds, rewarded her and so on. When she came out with a true bark, "I threw a party, saying lots of "good job girl" and, giving two pieces of kibble! I kept it up until a true bark came out and again, threw a party! It took all of 10 minutes and the rest of the day, every so often, I would ask her to "speak" and sometimes I had a kibble, sometimes not. But every time she'd give me a bark that progressively got louder and louder.

 

I only allowed one or two barks, touching her head and saying "no more" when she wanted to go on and on, she would then stop! Such a brilliant girl!

 

The public loves when I ask Horton to "speak", as if he's expressing himself, when in fact he's just reacting to my command.

 

 

Thanks Roz, I'm going to try this .... It might stop the shouting! Brenda was so so smart and what a quick learner. I'm sure Miss Aruba takes her time - to get more kibble! :rolleyes:

[Caribbean Chris]

We just returned from our first long expedition with Hearing Dog Raylene, a somewhat hectic three-week trip for my magazine assignments writing about RV travel destinations.

 

She was a trooper, riding on shuttle buses, ferries, the crowded subway in NYC, and even the Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls. (When distributing waterproof gear to passengers, the nice folks offered a child-size plastic raincoat which we wrapped around her, and I had brought along a microfiber towel for a pat down afterward.)

 

She sat through numerous visitor center movies that involved Revolutionary War and Civil War gunfire, and was quite calm at a musket firing a few feet away at Fort Niagara. She slept through lunches in Williamsburg's colonial taverns, and in a fine dining restaurant near Wall Street. And she was properly quiet when we visited 9/11 memorials in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.

 

We walked the bridge into Canada from Niagara, NY, and the officials at each end did not even look at her papers. Just another dog out for a day's sightseeing, I guess!

 

After making do with almost non-existent facilities for her to take care of "business" in Manhattan for two days, I'm no longer very concerned about the cruise ship box of mulch when we sail in December.

[wizard-of-roz]

We just returned from our first long expedition with Hearing Dog Raylene, a somewhat hectic three-week trip for my magazine assignments writing about RV travel destinations.

 

She was a trooper, riding on shuttle buses, ferries, the crowded subway in NYC, and even the Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls. (When distributing waterproof gear to passengers, the nice folks offered a child-size plastic raincoat which we wrapped around her, and I had brought along a microfiber towel for a pat down afterward.)

 

She sat through numerous visitor center movies that involved Revolutionary War and Civil War gunfire, and was quite calm at a musket firing a few feet away at Fort Niagara. She slept through lunches in Williamsburg's colonial taverns, and in a fine dining restaurant near Wall Street. And she was properly quiet when we visited 9/11 memorials in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.

 

We walked the bridge into Canada from Niagara, NY, and the officials at each end did not even look at her papers. Just another dog out for a day's sightseeing, I guess!

 

After making do with almost non-existent facilities for her to take care of "business" in Manhattan for two days, I'm no longer very concerned about the cruise ship box of mulch when we sail in December.

 

Chris & Raylene, I'm so proud of both of you. With all the disturbances and challenges that Raylene and you had to face it sounds like you both did extremely well. How did Raylene do after she got wet on the Maid of The Mist? I've never been on that with a dog, nor have I ever seen a Service Dog on it. Did she want to shake the water off?

 

You certainly are putting her through some interesting and diverse adventures.

 

Thanks for sharing with us Chris.

[Caribbean Chris]

Thanks, Roz! Raylene was all happy and excited when we left the dock, but had that Dog-after-a-bath look after we were all drenched. Ears flat, not such a happy grin! I'm sure she shook herself when we removed her blue plastic rainwear. In the "after" photos, she has settled at my feet at a sunny bench for a short snooze after being toweled off.

 

It's interesting how our wonderful service dog groups (Dogs for the Deaf in our case) work to match the person & lifestyle with a dog best suited to work in that environment.

[wizard-of-roz]

Thanks, Roz! Raylene was all happy and excited when we left the dock, but had that Dog-after-a-bath look after we were all drenched. Ears flat, not such a happy grin! I'm sure she shook herself when we removed her blue plastic rainwear. In the "after" photos, she has settled at my feet at a sunny bench for a short snooze after being toweled off.

 

It's interesting how our wonderful service dog groups (Dogs for the Deaf in our case) work to match the person & lifestyle with a dog best suited to work in that environment.

 

It's always been a bit of a miracle to me how CCI can match their miracle workers to the right person! Genius, pure genius!

 

Sometimes it's not always such a miracle......My Brenda was matched for 3 months with a woman who just didn't get her and didn't take the time to want to! Doesn't matter, Brenny and me got each other and she certainly "got" PaPa, they adored one another! So, sometimes there's a glitch but it doesn't take long for the powers that be to figure out the mistake! Thank goodness!!!!

 

Then, there's Horty.......we are perfect for each other, just perfect!!!!!!

Edited July 31, 2014 by wizard-of-roz

[cjborne2]

I so happy to hear that you could bring the dog on the maid of the mist. Our friends just went to Niagara Falls. I have not been there is a long, long time and would like to take our kids some day. I was wondering if the dog could go on it. Did you do the cave of the winds as well?

 

We were in Williamsburg in May for my daughter's class trip. Ollie did great although he was not crazy about the cannon fire from the troop reinactment her class participated in. I guess because it was dark and he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. Fireworks have not been an issue for him.

 

Caribbean question: Anyone know the requirements for St. Maartin? Talks are in the investigation phase for next summer. I want easy international requirements. This trip may include USVI and the Bahamas as well as St. Maartin.

[wizard-of-roz]

I so happy to hear that you could bring the dog on the maid of the mist. Our friends just went to Niagara Falls. I have not been there is a long, long time and would like to take our kids some day. I was wondering if the dog could go on it. Did you do the cave of the winds as well?

 

We were in Williamsburg in May for my daughter's class trip. Ollie did great although he was not crazy about the cannon fire from the troop reinactment her class participated in. I guess because it was dark and he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. Fireworks have not been an issue for him.

 

Caribbean question: Anyone know the requirements for St. Maartin? Talks are in the investigation phase for next summer. I want easy international requirements. This trip may include USVI and the Bahamas as well as St. Maartin.

 

DKD, Cindy and a few others have done the Caribbean recently and know what you can expect in the way of paperwork. I'm sure they'll be on to tell you what you need.

[cjborne2]

I called Disney. The rep told me St Maarten is the same as St. John and St. Thomas. Rabies and a certification from the vet that the dog is parasite free. I'd also need the international certificate and the bahamas permit for the other part of the trip. If we do Disney this is the itinerary I'd push for.