Christmas and New Year Greetings

I hope every one out in Cyberland had a great Christmas! Mine was pretty good considering that Nala had to have surgery. She is doing very well now.No further problems.Shaman is being pretty good lately. I am going to see a movie next week,and I am taking Shaman with me. I know he will be fine. Well, I hope every one's New Year is a good one. To be continued......................

Nala,my retired guide dog had to have emergency surgery

I had to take Nala, my retired guide dog to the vet for emergency surgery on Thursday morning. The night before, the dogs were outside and I heard a commotion and went out to see what was going on. The dogs were fighting and I yelled for them to stop. They all stopped and I called them in.I did not notice that Nala had an injury until the next morning.Her right K9 tooth and part of the upper jaw were broken.The vet had to remove the tooth and a part of the bone.She will be fine but I now have a $500.00 vet bill.We think she must have gotten her K9 caught on another dog's collar to get this kind of injury. That pretty much wipes out Christmas for me.I will have to make gifts.At least I will be eating Christmas dinner at Carla's house this year.I had to go to PetsMart to get crickets for Puff, my Bearded Dragon, and Shaman was pretty good.He only barked and growled at one dog and I told him to leave it. All I had to do was say leave it when any dog walked past us.Why couldn't he be that good when we went to the street fair? He barked and growled at every dog he saw there. It was very embarrassing.The guy with the 2 pit bulls has really undone a lot of Shaman's training, as I had him pretty well dog socialized. Every time he walks those dogs by my house and they fight with my dogs through the fence, Shaman gets more dog aggressive.Animal Control has done nothing to stop this from happening.The guy just laughs at me when I ask him to control his dogs.I have tried to keep the dogs in when I think he may walk his dogs, but he does not do it at the same time every day. I have to keep working on Shaman to correct this behavior as I am afraid of what might happen if we meet another dog on the bus. To be continued..................

Shaman was very good on Thursday

I went to the bank on Thursday. No one petted Shaman as the bus had a ramp and we went up together. No one distracted him at all the entire day and he did his job flawlessly. Why can't it be like this every time we go out?If people leave him alone, he stays focused on the job at hand.I really like it when he is so good.I don't worry that he will get us in to trouble. I was able to get some of my bills paid and go to the grocery store with no problems. It was a rare day, a good day! To be continued............

People keep distracting Shaman

I had to go to the pet shop to day. I dreaded getting on the bus. When the bus pulled up to the stop,it had a short lift so the dog and I can't fit on it at the same time. I undid the leash to full length and Shaman went up the steps. Since I had him on a long leash,I had very little control other than him being attached to my hand. The hands reached out and petted him and I could do nothing to stop it. I went up on the lift and tried to get into the wheelchair bay,but Shaman was busy making the rounds to every one to get petted. He would not back up so I had to ride backwards, because the driver said she did not have time to wait on the dog.Shaman has been petted so much that he now goes up to people to get petted.I tried to correct him first with my voice and when he ignored me ,I gave a leash correction. I was yelled at and told I was being cruel to my dog. Why can't people mind their own business and leave my dog alone. His training is being compromised by these people. Some of these people are petting Shaman just to annoy me,as they are the same people I have asked repeatedly to please not pet my dog. I am at my wits end. I dread going out now because I know what will happen.I can't have a dog that is constantly distracted. It could be very dangerous. To be continued...................

Shaman was on TV !

I was watching the public TV channel 6 the other night, and after their news broadcast, they showed some of the highlights of the Fireman's Chili Cook Off. I thought maybe they would catch Shaman so I got close to the TV and sure enough they did show Shaman laying next to my chair when we were listening to the band. It wasn't 15 minutes of fame, more like 15 seconds. LOL. Several friends called to tell me they had seen Shaman on TV. To be continued.....................

Shaman was distracted and I ran over his foot

After my doctor's appointment, I ran some errands and then went to the grocery store. Several people petted Shaman and he got distracted. I gave him the command, Left but he did not turn left,instead crossing in front of my chair to go to some one petting him.I ran over his foot and he yelped! I told the man who had distracted him that it was his fault that this happened. He told me that I should watch where I was going. People just don't get it. The dog is my eyes, because I can't see where I am going. When you pet the "cute doggie" and "doggie" gets distracted,he is not watching out for me. I hate it when I run over my dogs foot and I am quite sure the dog is not pleased either.The man said to me,"are you going to punish the dog"? I told him that I was sure that the dog already knew that he was wrong and that his sore paw would remind him of that. Why can't people just leave guide and service dogs alone to do the job they were trained to do? Why must they always interfere? This man acted like I ran over Shaman's foot on purpose just to teach him a lesson. I would really like to run over this man's foot and teach him a lesson. I am so sick of people interfering with my dog. I have tried to be polite and educate them but they don't care.They just want to pet the "cute doggie".Then there are those people standing around and whispering about what just happened.Looking at me with disgust, and making snide comments. I feel like yelling at them to just leave me and my dog alone,but I hold my breath and bite my tongue and just roll away with Shaman limping.I did not get all the things I needed to get as I was disgusted and poor Shaman was limping. I just wanted to get out of the store and get home. I checked Shaman's paw and it did not seem to be broken, but he still limps slightly several days later. I will wait until it is better before I use him again. I am hoping that he will learn that he can't get so distracted by people. I know he is still young and he is so friendly that he does not realize he must ignore these people. I feel bad that I hurt my dog. I guess I will go back to using a sign again,although that did not work before. To be continued..........................

Shaman was so good today !

Today,I had to go to the reptile store to get some crickets and supper worms for my Dragon. This was the first time that Shaman has gone with me to this store. I was not sure how he would react to the very large Tegu lizard that has free run of the store, or for that matter, all the rest of the reptiles in the place. But he surprised me and was very calm and behave very well. Even when I was petting the resident Frilled Dragon. Left the store and headed back to the bus stop. When we got down town ,it was 5:30 pm and I stopped at the Fireman's Chili Cook off for dinner. As usual, there was a large crowd. Shaman was very good making his way through all those people. I found it rather frustrating as most people were not paying attention to a person in a wheelchair with a guide dog trying to get through the crowd. Shaman was very patient and got me around very well. We listened to the very loud band and I enjoyed the chili and the music.Shaman did not react to the loud music. He just lay next to my chair and relaxed. Finally we headed for home. I am still getting used to Shaman and he is getting used to working with me. He was pretty perfect today ! To be continued.........

What are people thinking ?

I went to a thrift shop to check out computer monitors for a friend. They had quite a few. I made a call to my friend to let her know about them. I then went on to check out the pots and pans as I need a new pan for cooking. I found one with the help of a fellow shopper. While I was in line waiting to pay for it, a man and his 2 unleashed dogs came into the store. Of course one of the dogs came right up to Shaman, and started to growl . I asked the man to please control his dog. I also informed him that Tucson has a leash law and he did not have his dogs on a leash. He said that since the dogs were in the store, they did not need to be leashed. He accused Shaman of growling at his dog. Shaman ignored his dog and I tried moving away from it but it kept bothering Shaman. At this point, I was getting annoyed. The dog kept growling at Shaman and Shaman started to growl back at it. I gave him a verbal correction and he stopped. I made a complaint about this man and his dogs to the store clerk, but she did nothing. The man said he always comes into this store with his dogs. I asked him if they were service dogs and he did not answer me. Just walked away, leaving me to believe that they were probably not service dogs , just pets. The one dog continued harassing Shaman and I until we left the store. I guess that this man thought his dogs had more rights than Shaman did. My dog is a guide dog. If he harassed a customer like that dog did, I could have been asked to leave. What are these people thinking ? Do I have any rights here ? Next I went to the grocery store to pick up a small bag of dog food and some dog biscuits. There were several people who commented on the shoes that Shaman was wearing. I explained that they keep his feet from being burned by the hot pavement. A woman came up to us in the isle and proceeded to laugh at Shaman's shoes, and said "what will they think of next." "What a pampered pooch".She then proceeded to pet Shaman. I asked her to please not pet the dog and she started to yell at me that she would pet him if she wanted to. I tried to tell her that she was distracting him from doing his job as a guide dog. She just yelled back for me to shut up and leave her alone. She was the one yelling, not me. Does this woman think that my dog was put on this earth just for her to pet? What are people thinking? Do they have no common sense ? So many people have petted Shaman that now when he sees a hand extend out to pet him, he goes right to that person. These people who insist on petting my dog are undoing his training, not to mention the fact that it could be a dangerous situation for me. Do they not even stop and think about this? I could not wait to get out of the store and go home. What are People thinking??????? To be continued............

Good boy, Shaman, good boy!

Shaman and I went to the grocery store last night. We were on the side walk in front of the store and we came across a dog tied up just out side the entrance. Some one left this dog tied out there while they went in to shop. As we approached the dog, it growled and lunged at us. Shaman stopped. He did not growl back at the dog. He was very calm and just waited to see if the dog would move out of the way and let us pass. The dog continued to growl at us. I decided that it was best to just wait and see if the owner came out and controlled the dog. Several people approached Shaman and I and offered to go into the store to see if they could find the dog's owner. Shaman remained calm and never showed any aggression toward the growling dog in our way. Finally, the owner did come out and moved the dog.I am so proud of Shaman. He behaved perfectly and kept us from possibly being attacked by this dog. Good boy, Shaman, good boy. To be continued..........

Pictures ! Finally, Pictures of Shaman on the blog

I finally got the pictures on the blog! I had to figure out how to do it as Nick is to busy with school now. You will have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page as I haven't figured out how to put them any where else. I will keep on working at it. Shaman is feeling the heat when we go out. I try to go out early in the morning to avoid the mid day heat, but some times that is not possible. I always carry several bottles of water for both of us. I stop frequently in the shade or in a store or the mall to let him cool off. I wet down his head and ears and his feet with water, to keep him cool. I am thinking about getting a " Cooler Jacket " for Shaman to wear in the summer. I have also thought of training another dog, one with less hair, for working in summer, and working Shaman only in the Fall and Winter and Spring. I really don't think I want to go through trying to find another dog to train though. It took me a long time to find Wanagi and then I had to career change her because of health and hip problems. It took me over a year to find Shaman . Poor Shaman tries to go into the stores that have their doors propped open. Down by the University almost all the doors are open and he turns to go into each one to try and get cool. When I feel him start to turn , I tell him "not now" and give the forward command. Sometimes I have to give the forward command several times to get him off the bus as it is cool there and he does not want to leave. This can be embarrassing........... Nala is not bothered by the heat as much as Shaman. He has a longer coat of hair than she does. I guess I will go with "Cooler Jacket" and see if that works. Enjoy the pictures for now.**The pictures have been moved to the side bar** To be continued..........

What a day !!!

What a day! Yesterday, I went to pay my Cox Internet bill. After crossing my street and continuing down the sidewalk, Shaman suddenly pulled to the left and almost pulled the handle out of my hand. I said to him, " What are you doing? " There was a person walking down the sidewalk towards us and he said that Shaman had chased after a rather large lizzard. I thought we had gotten past the lizzard chasing phase but I guess the size of this particular one was just to much for him to resist. He is still a young dog and still new as a guide dog. After a quick leash and voice correction, we continued on our way. Lizzards ha! We had to wait for the light to change at the busy intersection of Grant and Oracle. When the light did change , I heard a very large trailer truck start to turn right in front of us so we could not continue until it had passed.Suddenly Shaman started to dance around nervously and then backed up, actually he ran backwards, and I reversed my wheelchair fast as I did not know why he did this but did not want to take any chances. The back wheels of the trailer truck went over the curb cut where we had just been moments before! Shaman knew that the truck was too close and moved us out of the way just in time. We could have been hurt or even killed! He may be distracted by the occassional lizzard, but when it really counts, Shaman is right on target. I praised him and gave him a big hug. I spent so much time praising him, we had to wait for the light to change again. We continued on and got on our first bus. Arrived down town at the bus station, and proceded to get on the second bus. Went on our way and paid the bill. Getting on the bus to go home, there was a lady with a large wheeled walker who refused to move it and her feet to let me pass. An eldery gentleman lifted his feet and his oxygen tank out of the way so I could pass. I thanked him and proceded to feel my way into the wheelchair bay with my cane. Every thing went fine for a while. The lady with the walker decided to hold the walker on her lap for some reason. She had refused to do it earlier so I could get passed her. Then she dropped the heavy walker right on Shaman. Poor Shaman just sat there and did nothing. He is such a good dog. He puts up with so much. She tried to pet him and I told her to get that thing off of him and I would check my own dog to see that he was ok. She then proceded to tell me that I needed to brush my dog because he had mats on his back end. I wish people would mind their own business. Shaman is combed and brushed every day and I always run a slicker brush over his coat before I put his harness on when we go out. He does not have any mats on him. His hair grows in a cowlick on either side of his hips. The hair curls in a circle. His undercoat which is lighter than his outer coat shows up in the circle of hair. That is the way his hair grows and brushing it, even wetting it, does not change the way it grows. Shaman enjoys being groomed and I enjoy grooming him. He is a long haird dog and must be brushed regularly to keep him from getting mats. This woman on the bus dropps her heavy walker on my dog and then tells me to brush my dog because he has mats? Some people ! What a day!!! Thankfully, Shaman is ok. The walker did not hit his head, just his body. I really wish people would be more careful about working guides and other service dogs on the bus. To be continued.............

Shaman has passed the blindfold test !

Well, Shaman has passed the blindfold test. This was conducted in an area which was semi familiar and another area which was new to Shaman. He had to cross 5 busy streets, find a bus stop, ride up on the bus lift, and then when we got to our destination, ride the lift down and then we went into a restaurant to have lunch and celebrate the occasion. He was perfect! His new harness arrived the day after my birthday, 63 years young now! The burgundy color looks nice on his golden coat. I also got a new leash to match the harness. He is a wonderful dog and I love him very much! I hope we have a good partnership for many years as it took me 1 1/2 years to find the right dog and I do not want to repeat the process any time soon. I will continue to use Nala once in a while as she still hates to be left home, when she sees me going out with Shaman. I must keep her happy and this seems to work. I still have no pictures for this blog yet as Nick was unable to come today with his camera. May be next week end ???? I will continue to cronnicle Shaman's life as my guide dog from time to time here for any one who is interested. We still have some things to work on and the bond between us will grow as time goes on. I enjoy sharing this with people......To be continued.......

I am so proud of Shaman!

On July 2nd, we went to the bank and picked up my money. This time the bus had the new ramp, which I like much better then the lifts. Shaman led me right up into the bus and off we went to do some shopping. He was very good in all the stores we went into. We spent a lot of time in one shoe store as I had to try on so many shoes until I found a pair that fit my small but wide feet. The sales lady was very patient with me and I really appreciated that. She commented on how cute Shaman's shoes were and she said she was glad to see that I cared enough about my dogs feet to have shoes for him. It is so hot here in Arizona, that I would never leave home in the summer with out putting shoes on the dogs. I then went to Walmart to look at printers as mine nolonger works. I found a good one for a reasnoable price, that will work with my computer. Shaman was so good. He just sat down and waited until I was done looking at the printers. The salesman was impressed with him, as he was so calm and well behaved. I picked up a few more items and then we headed for home as it looked like it just might rain. It did rain as we waited for the bus, but we did not get wet as we waited under the roof at the bus station. By the time we got home, it had already rained there. I thought Shaman would be tired from working most of the day but he trotted home as if we had only been out for a short time. He has unlimmited energy. I am so proud of Shaman. I thought it would take longer to train him for guide work than it has. It was slow at first but once he realized what I wanted of him, he picked up on the training quite fast. He is doing so well for such a young dog. We still have a few things to work on but I think that it will not take long before he will be certified. By his trainer. To be continued..................

Shaman was outstanding to day!

I have decided that Shaman is ready to start going to all the places that I go. He is ready to be a guide dog.I took him on the bus by myself today. This bus had a short lift and I can't fit on the lift with the dog. I extended Shaman's leash and he went up the steps and stood waiting for me to come up on the lift. He was perfect! He loves to ride on the bus so he was good. I went to the doctor's office and he was again perfect. We had to cross 2 very busy main streets and he was perfect. No hesitation at all, and he waited for me to tell him when to cross . We walked through the Mall and stopped at the food court to have a snack. Shaman went under the table and stayed there while I ate my ice cream. When I was finished, I gave him some water and some doggie treats. I asked him to find the trash can and he took me to the closest one by the door. We took another walk around the Mall and I asked him to find the elevator. He heard the word elevator and perked up as he loves to ride the elevator. He found it quickly and up we went.Walked around the upper level and then left the Mall to go to the Bus station. I gave the forward command to cross the street,but he did not go forward. A car came around the corner and if he had gone on my command , we could have been hit as this car was speeding and went through the red light! I praised him and gave him some good pets and I big kiss. We then had to wait for the light to change again and this time he proceded on my command to go forward. We took the bus to the grocery store. While on the bus, a man stepped on Shaman and he yelped and then tucked his feet under neath himself. We picked up the few things I needed and then headed for home. I am so proud of him! He acted like he had beed a guide dog for years,instead of only a short time. I know he is going to be a wonderful guide for me......To be continued.....

Shaman does better and better every time we go out

I have been taking Shaman out to many new places and he seems to do better each time we go out. We have been to the Pharmacy, the Leather store,the post office, and several different grocery stores, as well as the Mall and several pet stores. I think I will take him to the bank next time my check comes in. Nick and I also plan to take him to see a movie in July. I have not taken him to a restaurant yet, but I know he will do well as he does not beg food when I am eating at home. I did buy a sandwich and a soda at the grocery store deli last week and sat down to eat at the place near the deli there. He was very good and just lay down under the table,while I ate my dinner. I have also taken him to the Food Court at the mall several times. Nick and I have taken some pictures to add to this blog, but Nick forgot to bring the camera when he was here last weekend, so he could not down load them into my computer. Oh well, maybe this week end. I have ordered Shaman,s new guide dog harness and am now waiting for it to come. I got it made in burgundy leather, as I think that color will look nice against is golden coat. His coat is also getting longer now. I hope it will look as nice as it did when I first got him, before his allergies started up. Not having used a shepherd guide before, I was concerned that he might not be able to keep up with my power wheelchair as well as my previous husky guides. I do not need to worry about that. He has plenty of energy and has a good pull into the harness. I find it very easy to feel every move he makes. Shaman is finally getting more comfortable in rush hour traffic. For a while he was a bit hesitant to cross a busy intersection during rush hour. Loose dogs are still a problem. He gets distracted when they run out into the street after us. We are still working on this. My friend, Carla, who runs the Tucson Siberian Husky Rescue, came for a visit today and brought lots of treats, toys and some food for my foster dogs as well as my service dogs. I have been working with the foster rescue dogs and training them for service work. I am training Chanta as a mobility service dog. She is a husky/shepherd cross. I think Raven would be a great Psychiatric service dog. She is really a Velcro dog and wants to be with a person every minute. She frequently nudges you and keeps eye contact, just waiting for her next command. Raven is a husky/labrador cross and has a beautiful shiny black coat,with a little spot of white on her chest and on her toes. She is very friendly. Well it is dogie dinner time now so , see you next time...........................

We took Nala and Shaman to an awards ceramony today

Nick took Shaman and I took Nala to an awards ceremony today. Nick was receiving an award for his volunteer work in the community. It was not so hot today, but still hot enough for the dog boots. We had to take 3 buses to get to the Park where the ceremony was being held. There were a lot people there. Shaman was very good and both dogs stayed under the table and were so quiet that at first,no one knew they were there. Then people started coming around to talk with us and noticed the dogs. I took Shaman's harness off and we allowed him to be petted. He was having the time of his life. Nala just went to sleep. There were a lot of children their and they were running around having fun and balloons were breaking and there was a lot of joyous noise. There was also a lot food. Shaman was so good. The balloons breaking did not phase either dog. I was worried that he might be very distracted as the last time we went to the grocery store, he seemed to be getting distracted more than usual. Some times he does not get distracted at all and other days he does. I guess it is still "Puppy Brain." He is now 1 year old. I wonder how long it will be before he "mellows out " a bit? His coat is still growing back and he is starting to look like a Belgian Tervuren again, in stead of a short hair shepherd. He is such a beautiful dog and people are constantly complimenting him and Nala also. When we are out in public, he watches Nala and he is learning a lot from her. I am still working on his retrieve as I still can not get him to pick up the ball with the keys on it. May be he will surprise me one of these days and do it. I guess I just have to be patient and keep working with him. I am going to order his new harness this month. He works fine in his training harness but I think, and so does Nick, that he is ready for his new leather harness. I have 2 rescue dogs that I am working with now. I think Chanta would make a good Mobility Dog and Raven would make an excellent Therapy Dog. We shall see. To be continued.........................

Shaman is bursting with excess energy

We have not done much work in the last week as I just did not feel safe in that loner wheelchair. Now I have my chair back. I hope it does not break down again! As a result of not being worked, Shaman has so much excess energy! We went to the grocery store and he really wanted to run all the way there. He did get distracted a few times with the dogs that barked from their yards, but for the most part, he did good. I stopped along the way to attach my cane to the side of my wheelchair with several bungee cords, allowing it to stick out about 7 inches in front of me. I did this as I was working Shaman in harness and there were a few times he did not stop as soon as he should have because he got distracted. I can't hold the cane and the harness handle in the same hand and I need the other hand on the controls for the chair. If I had a sighted person with me, I would not have needed to do this. I find that this works out well when I am alone as the cane will let me know if I am too close to something. This is familiar territory for us and I had no problems. Shaman was very good in the store and several of the store workers asked where was Nala? I explained that Nala will be retiring soon and Shaman is in training to take over for her. The trip home was good. He had started to settle down now. We did work on obedience last week and also worked on the retrieve. He now picks up the soft knitted ball and hands it to me every time. I am going to start using a similar ball that is on my key chain. I am hoping that he will pick it up with the keys on it. Nick and I discussed Shaman's progress on the phone and it was decided that next month, we will take him to the Movies! This will be a first for Shaman. Nala has been to the movies many times. Shaman's coat is beginning to grow back now. It feels soft again and not like the harsh straw that it was for a while. He still looks like a short hair shepherd rather than the long hair dog that he really is. I am hoping that his full coat will grow back. He is still on the Benadryl and the supplement to stop the shedding. He does not scratch and chew himself as much. The Benadryl does not slow him down "At All"! He is such a good dog and I love him. I hate to see him so uncomfortable with this allergy. If it truley is just a seasonal alleryg, it should go away when winter comes again. Unfortunally, living in Arizona, It is summer most of the time. To be continued..........................

More work needed

I decided to work Shaman in harness yesterday. It was familiar territory as we went to the grocery store. We have been to this store and worked this route many times now, although this was the first time in harness. I had my cane with me in case I needed it. The trip going was pretty good, as he only got distracted once at a loose dog. He did not bark at any of the dogs that were barking at him from their yards. I was thinking, this as really good. He stopped at all of the right places, and took me around several parked cars. He was good in the store. On the way home was where we had trouble. Every thing was going fine, until a young boy threw a foot ball to another boy in the street and the ball hit Shaman. He balked and ran me into the curb with my wheelchair. I got him calmed down and the boy said he was sorry. We continued on but Shaman seemed a little distracted, as if he expected it to happen again. He started to whine at the barking dogs and he barked and lunged at a loose dog that came out of it's yard after us. The owner of the loose dog called it back into the yard, but I had a hard time getting Shaman calmed down. I had to use my cane to get the rest of the way home. We need more work with loose dogs and other barking dogs. It has been hard for me as I have had to do most of the training on this dog. Nick has gone back to collage and he has not been able to work with Shaman as much as I would like. I will continue to work him in harness, in familiar areas and keep my cane handy. I am going to take him to the local dog park to see if that helps with his dog distractions. I must remember that he is still a young dog and be more prepared for these distractions. Some times I forget that he is still so young (11 months) because he is so good most of the time. This is teaching me patience also. To be continued................

I introduced Shaman to his new boots

Today, I had to take Nala in for her yearly check up with the vet. I wanted to take Shaman also , but I can't handle both dogs on the bus by my self. Nala checked out fine and got her Rabies shot, and I also got her asthma medicine. This loner wheelchair is the "PITS"! It almost dumped me as we had to detour for some road construction and the place where I had to go was on a severe incline.As the chair tipped,I grabed the joystick hard and the chair spun around fast, almost dumping me. This chair might be ok for some one who can see what is going on but not for a blind person. My chair is far more stable as it has a standard frame and larger wheels. This thing is top heavy as the seat sits on a pole in the middle of it. I wish they would hury up and fix mine, before I get killed in this one! Any how, I managed to get home in one piece. I wanted to work Shaman, but decided to just work him on familiar turf, considering this morning's adventure. It is now very hot in Arizona, so I have been using boots on Nala. I introduced Shaman to his new boots, LOL!!!!! He did not want me to put them on and after strugleing for a while, I finally got them on him. sigh..... He tried walking and lifted each paw up high and shook them. We went down the street with him "prancing" like a show horse. I just had to laugh. He pranced all the way around the block. On the way around the second time, he was walking a little more normal. Shaman stopped at all the right places and did very well. We did not meet any loose dogs, and he did not bark at any of the dogs that barked at him from their yards. I think he is ready to start working in harness. Which means , It is time to buy one. I am going to purchase an inexpensive one for training purposes. I know he is going to fill out a bit more and I am hoping his beautiful long coat will grow back. This will make a difference in the size of the final harness, so I will wait to purchace the more expensive LDS guide dog harness, like the one Nala has. I am still giggeling over the prancing, booted dog. lol. to be continued..............................

Took Shaman to the post office

I decided to take Shaman with me to the post office. As we were going down the side walk, a skateboarder almost ran into us. Shaman stopped and tried to move to the right to avoid this idiot, but the side walk was narrow so he could not move over too far as I would have gone off the side walk with my chair.He stepped in front of me,as we stopped.The skateboarder fell right in front of us and ended up bending my cane. He got up and said some not very nice things and continued on his way. I tried to bend the cane back, but it is still not straight. This means I now must buy a new cane. I continued on my way to the post office. I got the stamps that I needed and started for home. Shaman is getting better at stopping at the curb cuts and driveways. When we started to cross the Grant and Oracle intersection, which is very busy,we got about half way across and this car cut right in front of us. Shaman stopped and backed up so I reversed my chair also.I was so proud of him, and praised him for stopping when he did. I think he gets the fact that he is doing a very important job, and he seems to do better each time we go out.I think he is going to be a very good guide dog. He is very bonded with me and we work well together as a team. He really wants to please me. We have been working on retrieving the small, soft knitted ball like the one on my key chain. I am still using the clicker to train him to retrieve. I don't need the clicker any more for the obedience as he does very well with out using it now. To be continued....................

Working Shaman at the Mall

Nick and I took the dogs on the bus, to the Mall today. Shaman does very well on the lift, and rides calmly. He is doing better about stopping at curb cuts and driveways. We worked him on the elevator and he did very well. It was like he had been doing it all his life.The Mall elevator is all glass and you can see out,when riding in it. The people on the outside of it can not see into it. Shaman watched the people as we went up and down. I think he likes elevators. We also stopped at the Mall Pet shop to buy some doggie treats. They had lots of puppies and Shaman did not bark at them,even though they barked at our dogs. He behave himself very well. We also worked on the escalators. Nick would approach the escalator and ask Shaman to sit. He picked up on this right away. When we worked him in front of the stairs, he would not even approach them and automatically sat down in front of them. I don't think I will have any trouble with him taking me down a flight of stairs or the escalator. I will teach him to find the elevator or a ramp instead. We stopped outside, on the way to Walmart, to let the dogs releive them selves. Nala did but Shaman did not. I was afraid that Shaman being a male, would try to hike his leg all the time, but he has not done that. I am very impressed with him. I bought a small digital camera at Walmart, so I can take pictures for this Blog. I will work on that Saturday when we work Shaman again. I am not sure where we will take him. I have been working on his retreiving a ball when I throw it.He will go after it and bring it back to me.I am going to start using a small soft nitted ball to see if he will bring that to me. It is just like the one I put on my keychain. I am hoping he will bring me the keys with the ball on them. He learns so fast. He is still on the benadryl and his scratching and chewing are somewhat better but he has not stopped altogether. It does not slow him down at all and I am finding that he is not as distracted as he used to be. Shaman's training is going quite well and I am very happy with him. Nala is also in love with him........... To be continued.....................

I took Shaman to the grocery store for the first time today

I decided that it was time to take Shaman to the grocery store to see how he did. He was very good. I used my cane with him as he still does not always stop at the right places all the time. He is improving on this. He was much better about the dogs he saw along the way and did not bark at any of them.He did whine at some,but calmed down when I told him to "leave it."It is hard for me to use the cane and the leash in the same hand at the same time as my wrist begins to hurt after a while. The loner wheelchair that I am using is not very comfortable and tips forward very easily if I shift my position. I will be glad when I get my own chair back. Shaman was very good inside the store and turned left and right when asked and even backed up in the pay isle, with no problems. I was very proud of him and gave him lots of praise. He sniffed at a few things, but did not touch anything. He was very responsive to my commands. We stopped to talk with Tess, a friend who loves Nala and has never seen Shaman before. She liked him and he seemed to like her also. Shaman seems to enjoy going out with me and enjoys meeting people. He is still on Benadryl and the vet does not think it is a food allergy. He thinks it is a seasonal allergy. I'm hoping that is all it is. I was afraid that the medicine would dull his senses but he seems to be just as alert as always. On the way home from the store, an ambulance with siren blaring, passed us and Shaman howled as he trotted next to my chair. I just had to laugh. We will be going to the Mall tomorrow to work on the elevator and sitting when coming to stairs. Nick will be working Shaman and I will have Nala. He really does watch her and I think he will learn a lot faster from watching Nala work. To be continued.............

Shaman's Training begins

Shaman is learning manners. He has learned the commands, sit, down and left and right. We are working on down stay, which he will do for a short time. We need to work on this as he will need to be at a down stay very often and he must stay for as long as I need him to. I had some trouble at the left turn. He would turn right ok, but did not want to turn left. This has improved. He is very responsive to the clicker training. I was taking laundry off the cloths line the other night and dropped a cloths pin. Shaman picked it up. I told him, "what a good boy you are," and I got him to give it to me. He is a natural retriever! We will work on this to expand on other items such as keys, pens, ect. Nick, my trainer has been working Shaman on the bus and at the Mall. He goes up on the lift with no trouble and rides the bus calmly. He behaves well. I have been taking him for walks around the neighborhood. Loose dogs are a problem. Shaman is still very young at 11 months. A lot of puppy still there.He gets distracted easily at loose dogs. I took Nala, and Nick took Shaman to the street fair. Over all, he did very well, but he did bark at some of the other dogs there. We will have to work on this. He is shedding out now and his beautiful fluffy long coat has thined out considerably. I am concerned as he is scratching and chewing him self. We have checked for fleas, but found none. Consulted with the vet. He was put on Benadryl to see if that helps. I changed his food to Lamb and Rice. He does not scratch as much, but has not stopped completely. I am hoping this is just a seasonal alergy. We will have to go back to the vet for some tests. He is also on a supplament to help with the shedding. To be continued.....................

Long search, not finding a suitable dog.

I have been searching for a suitable guide dog candidate for a while now. I am finding dogs that are too old or too young and dogs that are afraid of my wheelchair. Some dogs that just don't want to work. It is imperative that I find a dog that wants to work and enjoys doing the job. I have tried to retire Nala but she does not want to retire. When she sees me getting ready to go out, she get all excited and brings me her harness. When I put the harness away where she can not get it, she gets upset. She has been picking fights with the other dogs as she is bored and not getting the excesize that she needs. I have decided to work her on her good days. She seems so much happier now. I had been offered a beautiful black and white husky male and was excited to get him here from Phoenix. I guess the owner changed her mind as she has not answered any of my emails or phone messages. I am very disappointed. Several people have done this to me now. Why offer me a dog and then not follow through?..................I am beginning to think that I will have to expand my search to other dog breeds. I really like the husky as a guide dog as they have a great work ethic and can keep up with my wheelchair all day. They also have a great sense of self preservation which makes them excellent at keeping you safe. I have finally found a dog on craigs list that is a Belgium Shepherd. The woman is going to bring him to me this week.... This dog is very beautiful and works well with the wheelchair. He had never even seen a wheelchair before. I am very impressed as he walks in the right position needed for guiding. I did not really want a shepherd, but this is the first dog to meet the requirements of being trainable as a guide dog that I have found in a long while. I have decided to take him. He was rescued from a Phoenix animal shelter, by this woman who just wanted to save him. His adoption fee of $65.oo was very reasonable and I have decided to name him Shaman. He is a beautiful golden color, with a dark nose and ears and some dark hairs on his tail. He has had almost no training, so I am working on his house manners and obediance first.

Found a new dog at the shelter

I found the most beautiful Husky at the local shelter. My friend, Carla who runs the Tucson Siberian Husky Rescue told me about this dog at the shelter. With her help, we went up to the shelter and adopted her. She had been there for a while and came down with kennel cough, so they were going to euthanize her if we had not adopted her. I named her Wanagi Tate, pronounced Wan ah gee Tah tay. It means Spirit Wind in the Lakota language. (I am half Lakota) She is so beautiful and looks a lot like my Lily! She is pure white. The vet checked her out but at the time, no xrays were done because of cost. Training started. Training was put on hold as her cough became much worse. Back to the vet and test to be done. Diagnosis : the dreaded Valley Fever. She has been on meds for a while now. The cough has cleared up and she is doing very well. Training started again. Making great head way. Teaching her to sit when she comes to steps, drop offs, and stairs. She is really learning fast. Took her to the street fair and she did great. Have been hooking Wanagi's leash to Nala's harness and taking them both out together. The really do learn from each other. The weather was cold and rainy, but I needed to go to the grocery to pick up some odds and ends and decided to take Wanagi in harness alone without Nala. I had my cane with me in case I needed it. She started out ok, but I noticed that she was having trouble keeping up with the wheelchair. She started limping on the way home. I used my cane to get the rest of the way home. Wanagi's Training came to a halt again. When the weather was hot, she was ok, but it has been discovered that she has a hip problem, now that the weather is cold and rainy. I am heart broken. My beautiful Wanagi has to be career changed. Now I must look for another dog to be trained. I just can't part with Wanagi, as I love her, so I will keep her as a pet. I did the same with Max, the Border Collie that could not make it as a guide dog.

Training a guide dog with a private trainer

When I became legally blind and needed a guide dog, there were no schools that trained guide dogs for wheelchair users. I already had a service dog that was a white Siberian Husky named Lily. I decided to have her trained to also guide me. I first trained her to lead me with just the leash. She did very well at this. I finally found a trainer who was willing to work with me. He and I trained Lily to lead me from the wheelchair. Several years later, Lily became very ill with Valley Fever, and I retired her. She died a month later, while I was still looking for another dog to train. I was heartbroken, but I knew I needed to find a dog soon.I tried out a rescued Border Collie, but he had been very abused and could not handle being out in public. I then found a Siberian Husky who is named Nala. My trainer and I worked with this dog and within 4 months she became a trustworthy guide dog. She learned very fast and really seemed to enjoy working. I have had Nala for 7 years and she has been a wonderful guide dog. She is now 9 years old, and has some arthritis and has been diagnosed as having asthma. It is time for Nala to retire.