Rain, rain, lovely lovely rain. We got about two inches today here in Sacramento. We need it, so I'm happy for it, but not interested in working in it. It’s bad enough getting soaked every time I take Pat out for his busy times, and having to wipe down both Pat and Trace when they come back in sopping wet. There’s nothing like the smell of wet dog!
So today we hit the mall and used the clicker to train Pat to “follow.” This is especially handy when I’m in an airport or train station with Andy, and he has his hands full with all the luggage. In that kind of situation, I can just have Pat follow Andy. It will make things easier when we fly to Phoenix next month, and also when I do my Hawaii trip next October with a bunch of girlfriends.
We worked on navigating through crowds (Pat does well keeping me from bumping into people but I had to make him re-work our way around a few poles and wall edges that he ran me into.) Also, proper behavior and position when I sit down to eat. Steve got me a cup of tea, and we sat down at one of the food court tables. Pat does a good job of making himself small and sticking very close to me. (Trace never was very good at that — he sprawls out and covers as much territory as possible.)
And we did escalators. Or escapators, as Arthur Weasley would call them. They can be dangerous because it’s easy for a dog’s paws to get caught in the metal grooves and grids as the stairs slide flat for entry and exit. I’d just as soon not use them, and a lot of guide dog users choose not to. But it’s not always easy to find alternative steps and elevators, especially in airports. I am happy to report that Pat is expert at escapators.
We also worked on going in and out of stores. Well, just one store, because I really hate malls and just wanted to get out of there sooner than later. But I have been looking for a good pair of MaryJane walking shoes, so I told Steve I wanted to hit The Walking Company. “So Steve, do you know what MaryJanes are?”
“Uh ... no idea.”
Somehow I wasn’t surprised that a former Marine would have no idea what MaryJanes are. But the clerk did, of course, and I tried on a pair. Pat did a good job walking me around the store and getting me back to the bench. The shoes were nice but just a tad bit too loose. If I’m going to pay upwards of two hundred bucks for a nice pair of MaryJanes, I want them to fit better. So I told the clerk I’d come back next month when he has more of a selection, and told Pat to “Forward, find the way out.”
He took me straight to daylight, but it was a window, not a door. It was a tricky hairpin left-right-right series of turns before we got out of there.
And that was enough for me. I was getting a headache from the echoing mall cacophony and I felt lousy and severely sleep-deprived to boot. I’m not sure Pat got much sleep either through all my coughing jags last night. This has been my worst day. Andy said his fifth day was his worst too, so I’m hoping tomorrow I turn the corner into the land of the healthy living again. Steve is probably doomed — this flu thing is hitting everybody — but still, while we were in the car I kept my handkerchief over my nose and mouth. Almost certainly a useless gesture, but I think Steve appreciated it anyway.
We stopped for lunch at Fox and Goose, a Sacramento institution that’s been around for fifty years or so. Steve got one of the waiters to take our picture on our way out, so finally there’s a photo of me, Pat, and our trainer Steve on my Facebook page. I probably look about as good as I feel but Pat and Steve are both handsome dudes so it’s a nice photo anyway.
And then I came home, fed and parked Trace, gave Pat some water and took him out for his busy time (“parking” and “busy time” are the Leader Dogs and Guide Dog Foundation words for the same thing). Then I took a nice hot bath, put Pat in his crate, and crawled into bed. When I woke up at Pat’s feeding time, I found Trace sleeping on the floor between Pat’s crate and my bed. Cute.
Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain more, just not as heavy as today. We’re going to take an Amtrak ride, probably just to Vacaville and back, get in some more fist-targeting at my doctor’s building, and hit the pet store. I need a bin for Pat’s food, and I want to find some toys he likes. He’s totally disinterested in the Nylabone GDF gave me for him. The weather will dry out by Wednesday, so we’ll be able to get some more outdoor work in for the last three days of the week. I’ll take Pat to my Wednesday morning Embarcadero Lions Club meeting, and to my Thursday night weight management group meeting.
The original plan was to train through Saturday. But Steve got word today that GDF needs him to fly up to Seattle and pick up an injured service dog and bring it back to GDF in New York. So we plan to put a full day in on Friday, and he’ll catch a late-morning flight out on Saturday.
Lots more to write about but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m going back to bed.
So today we hit the mall and used the clicker to train Pat to “follow.” This is especially handy when I’m in an airport or train station with Andy, and he has his hands full with all the luggage. In that kind of situation, I can just have Pat follow Andy. It will make things easier when we fly to Phoenix next month, and also when I do my Hawaii trip next October with a bunch of girlfriends.
We worked on navigating through crowds (Pat does well keeping me from bumping into people but I had to make him re-work our way around a few poles and wall edges that he ran me into.) Also, proper behavior and position when I sit down to eat. Steve got me a cup of tea, and we sat down at one of the food court tables. Pat does a good job of making himself small and sticking very close to me. (Trace never was very good at that — he sprawls out and covers as much territory as possible.)
And we did escalators. Or escapators, as Arthur Weasley would call them. They can be dangerous because it’s easy for a dog’s paws to get caught in the metal grooves and grids as the stairs slide flat for entry and exit. I’d just as soon not use them, and a lot of guide dog users choose not to. But it’s not always easy to find alternative steps and elevators, especially in airports. I am happy to report that Pat is expert at escapators.
We also worked on going in and out of stores. Well, just one store, because I really hate malls and just wanted to get out of there sooner than later. But I have been looking for a good pair of MaryJane walking shoes, so I told Steve I wanted to hit The Walking Company. “So Steve, do you know what MaryJanes are?”
“Uh ... no idea.”
Somehow I wasn’t surprised that a former Marine would have no idea what MaryJanes are. But the clerk did, of course, and I tried on a pair. Pat did a good job walking me around the store and getting me back to the bench. The shoes were nice but just a tad bit too loose. If I’m going to pay upwards of two hundred bucks for a nice pair of MaryJanes, I want them to fit better. So I told the clerk I’d come back next month when he has more of a selection, and told Pat to “Forward, find the way out.”
He took me straight to daylight, but it was a window, not a door. It was a tricky hairpin left-right-right series of turns before we got out of there.
And that was enough for me. I was getting a headache from the echoing mall cacophony and I felt lousy and severely sleep-deprived to boot. I’m not sure Pat got much sleep either through all my coughing jags last night. This has been my worst day. Andy said his fifth day was his worst too, so I’m hoping tomorrow I turn the corner into the land of the healthy living again. Steve is probably doomed — this flu thing is hitting everybody — but still, while we were in the car I kept my handkerchief over my nose and mouth. Almost certainly a useless gesture, but I think Steve appreciated it anyway.
We stopped for lunch at Fox and Goose, a Sacramento institution that’s been around for fifty years or so. Steve got one of the waiters to take our picture on our way out, so finally there’s a photo of me, Pat, and our trainer Steve on my Facebook page. I probably look about as good as I feel but Pat and Steve are both handsome dudes so it’s a nice photo anyway.
And then I came home, fed and parked Trace, gave Pat some water and took him out for his busy time (“parking” and “busy time” are the Leader Dogs and Guide Dog Foundation words for the same thing). Then I took a nice hot bath, put Pat in his crate, and crawled into bed. When I woke up at Pat’s feeding time, I found Trace sleeping on the floor between Pat’s crate and my bed. Cute.
Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain more, just not as heavy as today. We’re going to take an Amtrak ride, probably just to Vacaville and back, get in some more fist-targeting at my doctor’s building, and hit the pet store. I need a bin for Pat’s food, and I want to find some toys he likes. He’s totally disinterested in the Nylabone GDF gave me for him. The weather will dry out by Wednesday, so we’ll be able to get some more outdoor work in for the last three days of the week. I’ll take Pat to my Wednesday morning Embarcadero Lions Club meeting, and to my Thursday night weight management group meeting.
The original plan was to train through Saturday. But Steve got word today that GDF needs him to fly up to Seattle and pick up an injured service dog and bring it back to GDF in New York. So we plan to put a full day in on Friday, and he’ll catch a late-morning flight out on Saturday.
Lots more to write about but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m going back to bed.
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