I attended the Walk for Victims of Pit Bulls and Other Dangerous Dogs

I attended the Walk for Victims of Pit Bulls and Other Dangerous Dogs Yesterday.I took the bus to get there and it was a very long ride.Because I had never been in this area before, I had some trouble finding the entrance to Lincoln Park.As luck would have it,2 gentlemen driving,also on their way to the same event,stopped to help me.They told me where to cross the street and I asked Shaman to find the curb cut and he did so I was able to cross to the other side of the street. One of the men actually got out of the car and walked with me to the entrance and into the park.They asked if Shaman was the dog that had been attacked by a Pit Bull.I told them yes he was indeed the very same dog.They must have read my blog post about the attack.I thanked them for helping me to find the place. I was greeted by a nice lady who helped me find where all the people were. She was very helpful in looking at her bus schedule, to find the right bus stop for me and the time the bus would be there at the time I needed to leave. I met a lot of very nice people and was given a Walk T-shirt and a book about dogs and I settled in to listen to the band that was playing.There were also some very influential people there who gave presentations and people who spoke of their experiences with Pit Bull attacks. It was heart breaking to listen to their stories of being mauled and of the children who were killed or maimed.It is a problem that must be STOPPED! ALL dog owners need to keep their dogs leashed or confined in a fence that they can not escape from. Also, Animal Control and the Police need to enforce the laws that already exist,which they currently don't do!It is not only people that are being attacked,but also family pets and service dogs and guide dogs.The people at this event seem to be the only people who care what is happening and want to do something about it! Animal Control and the police in Tucson don't seem to care. They have never done anything about all the attacks that Shaman has experienced, or the attacks on my previous guide dogs,Lily and Nala. If people would just keep their dogs leashed or behind fences,there would never be so many dog attacks on the public or other dogs!There have been more Pit Bull attacks on my dogs,but there have also been other types of dogs that have attacked them as well.There is absolutely no reason that my guide dog,Shaman , should have been attacked by 7 Pit Bulls and 4 other dogs of various breeds.WAKE UP TUCSON !!!, before it's to late! I do not want to hear about another person or dog being attacked,maimed,or killed!!!! "WE THE PEOPLE", need to all get together and go before the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors and DEMAND that something be done to stop this from ever happening again!!!!! If any one else is willing to do this,I will join you in doing so.I had to leave before the event ended as I needed to get home to let my other dogs out and feed them.I knew it would be another long ride home. It was well worth the the time to attend this event and I would be willing to attend again if there is another Walk for the Victims of Pit Bulls and Other Dangerous Dogs!  to be continued..............

I took Shaman to the reptile show

I went to the Reptile Show with Shaman. Johnny, my friend also came along with his service dog, Lady.Nick was there also. The dogs worked well together and we all had a great time there. Lots of interesting things to see. The dogs mostly ignored all the animals,but Lady was fascinated with the albino alligator named Powder.I was disapointed a little as there were not very many Bearded Dragons. to be continued................

Nici's training continues

I discovered that Nici walked behind me when I walked her on a leash. This is definitely not the position the dog needs to be in when guiding a blind person. I thought about what I could do to change this. I decided to try having her pull a brick behind her so she would learn to pull when in harness. This worked very well. She now walks in a better position when on leash. I have actually gotten her to walk next to me with out being on the leash.I think if I work her from my power chair, that I can get her to walk even more in front of me which would be the position needed for guiding.Her obedience is coming along, but her down still needs work. Her recall is non existent when she is outside unless it is feeding time.She does come to me when in the house though.She has learned that socks are not to be chewed and that shoes need to stay where they belong. She has learned that her chew bone is the thing to go for when she feels like chewing.  She is a really nice dog and I am taking my time in training her as I want to make sure she learns every thing that she needs to know. I don't want to rush her. She will learn at her own speed.It's really funny to watch her when I give the other dogs some lovin' time. She gets jealous and puts herself in front of the other dog so I can love on her. I just love this dog!I have not had the money to get her spayed as something always seems to come up when I think I have the money. This month I had to take my elderly cat, Pacman to the vets. He has cataracts  and an infected tooth.He is doing better now but that set me back almost $100.I have to take Puff, my elderly Bearded Dragon in for blood work in November.That will cost me over $200. Maybe I can scrape up the money in December,I hope.  To be continued....................