VEDA Day 2 // My Pets

Today's Topic:
Pet Love
Today we're talking about my favoritist subject ever... my puppies of course!!
I spent allllllll day working on this stupid video. Can you feel my enthusiasm?
Yeah. Me Neither.

New Kid on the Block

Meet Trump - He's Guide Dog Puppy #6 and Rob's brother... its a long story so go check his blog out for more information. 

Today I....

Slept in until 12:00PM. 

(Well technically I cat napped after I got up at 8:30am, then 8:45Am, then 9:00 am..) 

Cleaned my house.

Did Laundry.

Sat outside.

Read a book.

Listened to a book on tape.

Folded Laundry.

Vacuumed my floor.

Swept my floor.

Wrestled the broom out of the pups mouth. 

Took puppy outside.

Brought puppy back inside.

(Repeat x25243) 

Made Dinner 

(Lasagna)

Talked to my sister. 

Played Words with Friends 

(I'm up to 7 games at the moment) 

Took puppy off of the coffee table. 

Took bottle cap out of puppies mouth.

(repeat x2343 with other various objects)

Taught puppy  "AH-AH' means "look at mom". 

Went out with friends for dinner. 

Played games.

Came home.

Pretended to study.

Felt guilty and actually started taking notes.

And got distracted. 

An hour later still utterly in the dark in regards to confidence intervals for estimating population proportions. 

But I have thorough notes on it.
Went to sleep. 

And...
two days late
Was my weekend.
How was yours?

Commitments

Have you ever committed to doing something and then realized you over committed yourself? No?
In my desire to bring in as much extra cash as possible this summer, I was excited when I heard their was overtime available that I could work! (I can't work just any event cause...well I have restrictions due too my uniform.)
So I rush down to the board, and sign up for Thursday and Saturday evenings. Woo. Money! Alright! Yay Me!! I come back too my desk, and start filling in those appointment's on my calender.
Then I realize...Thursday I'm already working eight hours, and then we have a Revival at our church all week as well.....
Being the good dogma I am...I'm going OMG my puppies are going to be locked up for 10-12 hours!?!
AaaaHhhhHhhh! 
I sometimes wonder if I'm missing out on a lot of my young adult hood, being a single dog mom and all. My life pretty much revolves around them.
On top of that...who wants to work 10-12 hours??

I have two options that I can see thus far:

1. Send the dogs too Grammy and grand pops (o.m.w they are going to "LOVE" those names) for the day. After bribing them all with Sonic Drinks and coming home in the middle of the day too interact with the dogs etc..etc.. 
2. Ask my boss to let me string out my hours, and work: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday & Saturday.
3. Oh wait a third! - Switch my 8 hour day to another day, pull of 4 hour shift on Thursday + however long over time is.

hmmmmm.

Dear Puppies: 
Do you see the sacrifices I make for you? The conniptions I go too make sure you guys are happy, and cared for? DO YOU EVEN CARE!?!?!??! 

*Sigh* I know they'd be fine whatever I decided too do, but I'd still feel guilty.
This I will commit too: That extra cash (which I really need save towards a car) will be used to add too my measly summer wardrobe. Amen.

Adventures of a Puppy Raiser

I know I have new readers who may not know what I do, or why I have photos of a dog in public places with me....

So today I thought I'd let you have a little glimpse into one of the bigger parts of being a Volunteer Puppy Raiser (check out the new page at the top of the blog). (I also refer to Puppy Raisers as PR or PW)

As you know Pompei is my 4mo furry sidekick until next January sometime, and that I'm working with him to one day become a guide for someone who is blind.

One of the biggest part of raising a guide dog or service dog puppy (yes there is a difference between the two) is socializing them to new people, places and sounds all.the.time. And I try to get Pompei out in the public at least five times a week as per G.D.F (short for the Guide Dog Foundation) request.

Today's adventure took us to the vet for a fecal check up and then to the Super Target that I've been wanting to check out for AGES...

Due to his age, I normally will find a spot furthest away from the door, so that we can find a "Busy" (our word to tell the dog to go potty) spot. Normally I like to make sure the pup has gone before we leave home, since its just so much easier to get them to do it there. The new sights, sounds and smells of a new environment are really hard to compete with, and today was no different. Pompei wandered around the empty space I'd selected and sniffed the are, picked up a stick, dove for a piece of gum...so I figured he didn't have to go. And suited him up,(he wears a yellow vest/jacket that says "Future Guide Dog" on it which indicates that he is a GDP..guide dog puppy) and made sure I had some clean up supplies..

{Can we go now mom?}

Forgot the paper towel...fine I'll just get some in the bathroom.

We head inside, since he did not go, I'm constantly aware of each step falter, each body movement that is not in the forward walking motion...

For some reason I decide not to head for the bathroom, but just to get in and out as quickly as possible. Except for one thing. I have no clue about this stores layout, or where anything is. So we start walking toward the food, that's one thing I know I need to get.

First stop is the towel aisle...you can never be too prepared IMO... :) When we stop I have tell Pompei to "halt" and he knows to either stand or sit until I am ready to move on again and the I tell him to "foward".

 

After that I got my food, while he bored-ly alternated between collapsing dejectedly on the floor, and trying to solicit attention from the few moms and grandparents that were in the store.

(I love shopping in the morning!) I was on my way to find the last item on my list when my phone rings. I put my now heavy basket on the floor, and start fishing in my tote for my phone....
Phone is one, i say hello and start reaching for my basket when I happen to look at my puppy...quietly squatting next too me.

Basket goes back down.

• Thank God that I'd grabbed the paper towels
• Fish out a poop bag, and began cleaning up..
• Spray floor with disenfectant 
• Look up to the sounds of laughter and see pup wandering off down the aisle..(he didn't want to be associated with what just happened i think )
• Jump up and grab puppy, this time securing him to you, and attempt to finish wiping the floor as a shopping cart comes bearing down on you....
• Hurriedly finish swiping at floor and tie up baggy, and move yourself,dog and your basket out of harms way, all the while talking on the phone to your mother.

Yeah I'm good. HAHAHA


Walk away mentally slapping yourself for not keeping an eye on the time, and continue shopping. 

Very Quickly.

{He refused to move closer too the bags}

Needless too say, all trips are not like this one, and I've learned not to be embarrassed by anything my puppy does in public, as he is a dog, and I can't not make him be a dog. I just try to help him be a very polite, quiet guest if possible, and make sure I clean up any messes thoroughly. 

And that's just a little glimpse of what I do day to day....its not for everyone, but I figure I know how much I enjoy my independence and if I can help someone else gain theirs, its worth every accident, every chewed object, every sleepless night, every penny spent.

Busy Busyness

Since I've feeling lazy I'll just copy and paste the posts from Midnight's blog....

July 17, 2008
This week coming up is going to be absolutely insane; Tomorrow I work from 11-7 and then we hit the road to Raleigh NC for 4-H Congress(4hr trip); we'll spend the night get up Tuesday morning for that, and then head back home...where I will go to work at 7AM the next morning then leave for church in Knoxville around 4PM that evening (1.5 hr trip); coming back and working from 2-7 on Thursday; Friday I go back in from 11-7 and then head downtown for our puppy meeting at 7:15PM. Saturday I work from 7-12 and then get the rest of the day off. (HALLELUJAH);
And Sunday back to work from 7-12/3-6.

July 22, 2008

Monday:
Started out ok, then went from bad to worse VERY quickly. I got up early so that I could have my things ready, so we could leave for Raleigh as soon as we got home; but being the procrastinator that I am, I was scrambling up until the very last minute before i absolutely had to leave for work. And then I couldn't find my keys. It took us about 20 minutes to find them ...sitting in my purse! I jump in the car with only 5 minutes to make the 17 minute trip to work, and I find out my cell phone is dead!! I knew I was going to be in trouble for that....but that was not all! I won't go into details...but lets just say my day was NOT going well; my only salvation was the fact that we were leaving for Congress later on and I knew that, that would be fun.
I got off at 7:00PM and headed home...gave my mom the news grabbed my bags, found a sitter for Bubbles, grabbed some food for Midnight and piled into the rental car. ( I loved that car btw). We left at 8:01 PM and arrived at the Hotel at 1:00AM.
Our GPS system gives us an arrival time to our destination; and NORMALLY, with my mom driving the time goes, down, down, down...and for the first our it did.
Until we stopped for gas. Driving a 15 passenger van we are used to a big gas tank as well as a LARGE gas bill (now).
We start pumping gas into the car and my mom and were standing there making predictions about how much this car could hold. We got to nine gallons; and the pump was still going, and going, and in fact it didn't stop until gas was spilling onto the ground!
We were of course shocked and nervous, that we had somehow gotten a car with a problem! Yikes!!
Thankfully there was a police officer near by who knew what was happening....apparently the gas pump didn't cut off when it was supposed to, and the car had and over flow tank for just such and occasion which is why the gas leaked out! Greatly relieved and thankful we proceeded on our way. That basically zapped all the time we had saved. *sigh*
*At the Hotel*

Midnight on Tie-Down

Autumn is knocked out
Tuesday
We needed to be at Athens High School at 8:30AM to get signed up for Kristen's Category.
In all truthfulness, presentations can be kind of boring; and its a good thing they have a time limit..but as it turns out, someone had the "Bright" idea to move those in the Wheels and Engines category to another room...thus cramming; thus creating a mad house in this tiny class room. But we all squeezed in and began. Unfortunately the move also mad our wait about 2 hours longer; because those doing presentations on Electricity were in there also.
So first they did Electricity ages 14-18, then Wheels and Engines ages 14-18; and breaked so the judges could confer and then give out awards. That probably took a good 2 hours right there..because in that age range you are expected to give a longer speech. (Mine was 18 minutes or soo but I had a interesting topic if I do say so myself :-)). During this time Midnight and I walked the halls and met up with people we had met earlier in the year at Teen Retreat and people who recognized me from last years Congress.

Kristen getting a pep talk from my mother....or something.....::grins::

Midnight during a presentation -- She got lots of compliments :-)

All of us crammed in the room waiting for the presentations to start.

During one of our treks; I recognized Brax & Frankie's raisers sister..."J".. Some of you might remember that we met them last year when they had Brax and I had Rei.
If you don't well you can click on the links for the "rrrrreest of the story!"
She recognized me as well and we went to find her family who was keeping Frankie while her raiser was out of town....well out of the country really! lol Frankie was in the room sleeping and a presentation was in progress so I couldn't go and say Hi, right then. So "J" and I stayed outside and talked for a while.

Frankie posing for the camera

Midnight looking Frankie from across the hall
When the door finally opened, I gave "J" Midnight's leash and went to say hi to Frankie and her raisers Dad by myself. We still had a long day ahead and I didn't want to disturb either dogs right off the bat. I then got caught up talking to someone else about Midnight of course, and had to sprint back to Kristen's room to make sure I hadn't missed anything.
I hadn't, and so was forced to sit outside of the room with my sisters and some other 4-Her's from our county.

Sitting in the Hallway waiting for someone to finish their presentation; You couldn't go in during one.

Autumn and Midnight are best friends.

I had long given up denying people petting rights; and so Midnight was laying in the floor getting stroked by some kids; who were loving it almost as much as she did. She acted pretty silly most of the time there ...sit?!?! How can you sit still while someone is petting you!?
Of course I got the normal (HOW CAN YOU GIVE THEM BACK!?!?) question, but I was also getting asked if we were allowed to love on the dogs ourselves, which was a bit odd in my opinion.... I personally don't do a lot of petting and such of my puppies while we are out "working", as its very distracting to Midnight for me to be touching her...but I guess people were translating that too mean that I couldn't love on them at all...I made sure to correct that theory!
We basically spent the next hour or so, alternating between listening to presentations and walking the halls; FINALLY it was time for Kristen's presentation.
Don't tell her I said this, but she did really really well. Her competition was in about two people...the other 4 were.....just ok, but they were young so they have many opportunities to try again; and work on their material. Apparently the judges agreed with my assessment and awarded Kristen the Gold Medal ....first place in case you didn't know.
We were all very excited for her;

Waiting in the Hallway for the judges to finish up - (Autumn, Mom, Robyn, Kristen, Midnight)

This is all very boring to Midnight
After she got her Gold Winner picture taken, we spotted the Frankie Raisers and so after we were finished with the pictures, my mom wanted to go speak with them so we walked down.
This time Frankie and Midnight defiantly saw each other.
It seems that this time around we have "switched" dogs in a way! Last year I had the hyper bouncy puppy; and they had the calm laid back one, and This I had the calm laid back pup and they got the hyper bouncy one!
I do admit that it was nice to have a dog that was calmer this year :-)) We decided to take the pups outside to let them greet each other after having been so good all day; Now THAT was a struggle since Midnight kept spinning around trying to see Frankie; But we finally made it outside, and let them play.
Midnight's reaction to Frankie was a bit surprising; Frankie was being a normal bouncy 7-month old and Midnight (only two months older) Felt that she was too good for a young one like that and kept growling at her to "back away" ....which I've never seen her do; so that was unusual.
**Side Note** If I had felt that Midnight was going to attack or get aggressive with Frankie I would have immediately put distance between the two. Midnight seemed to be telling Frankie not be so pushy.
After getting some energy out of her system I love on Frankie some before getting a couple of pictures of the two; back inside Frankie immediately plopped down on the floor and did not move. :-))

After saying good bye to them we got on the road back to Asheville; and thus ended another 4-H Congress for the Thames Family.