He would have been 13…

Happy Birthday Ari!

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Winnie and Copper!

Could they BE any cuter?!?  The Radford puppies I’m helping to train!

   

 

 

 

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Jake–Service Dog in Training

December 9, 2011
So out we go…  me in my Cabella’s long it-will-keep-you-warm-down-to-30-below burgundy coat and my Columbia long they-will-keep-you-warm-down-to-30-below pants and my it-will-keep-you-warm-down-to-30-below  gloves and Jake in his quilted burgundy coat looking uncannily like Ari and me pulling a wire cart with yummy treats in my pocket.

Around the yard we go and Jake brings me 5 bowls, 3 kongs and 3 toys… and puts them in my hand because he knows THAT’s what gets him the treat!

 

Oh by the way…. I was sweating when I came in but the weather people DID indicate that with the wind chill it was slightly above ZERO!

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December 17. 2011
We officially started…  well we actually started some time back when I started teaching him to bring things to me… dog bowls, kongs, bones…  things right before eating so he was really motivated.  At first he pretty much threw them at me but we have progressed from that unacceptable behavior to putting whatever he has in my hands.

We regularly go out in the yard - me with a cart and he picks up the toys, bowls, kongs and bones that are laying around and I deposit them in the cart.  Just last week he picked up 14 items for me and wanted to keep doing it but there was nothing else to get.  Sometimes if he doesn't see something right away he takes something out of the cart and hands it to me.  I explain to him while I certainly appreciate the effort, there will be no reward for that because I want things to go IN the cart not OUT of it.  In hindsight, he has always wanted to help me outside since he started pulling out the buckthorn trees when I told him to…. and the only reward for that was to be able to pull it out and drag it away.  If it was too small he wasn’t interested.

He also carries things upstairs for me from the basement.  I take a small purse or some type of bag and put something in it.. maybe a can of soup or 2.  Last week he drug a pair of jeans up when I asked him to.  This week I had him to the office and he hung out in my room while I was teaching.  He wore a harness and the office people were told to ignore him when he has that on which was VERY hard for some of them.  I dropped my keys in the parking lot and thought…  hmm.. he’s right here… so I told him to get them and he did and handed them to me so that was what always seems to fall for the last few days so he could get used to them.  I noticed he picked them up my a soft key tab rather than the actual keys!

He walks quite nicely next to me when he is alone but when Brita is along it’s a whole different story!  Then he thinks he has to lead and pulls ahead.  I have NO plans to put his harness on under those circumstances… would make NO sense and there would be NO purpose for it either.

January 21, 2012
So I did something to hurt my back.  Yesterday my leg started going to sleep when I was teaching and someone suggested it might be a pinched nerve…  duh – why didn’t I think of that!  At that time my back didn’t hurt.  Then last evening it started hurting – lower back.. came on pretty fast it seemed like.  This morning… yup…  it hurt..  It was hard, no... it was impossible, to bend over – but hey..  I have Jake.  So…

First thing he collected what clothes and shoes I needed to get dressed and then throughout the day:

• He picked up dog bowls, kongs, toys and bones which is a daily routine.
• He drug upstairs 6 plastic containers in a laundry basket.
• He picked up things I dropped…  knife, piece of paper, pen, kitchen towel, plastic sheet protector.
• He brought me a pen when I was in the bathroom ( I didn't really need the pen but it was much like a gift you don't want..  you smile and say thank you!!
• I dropped an almond and he picked it up and I thought. oh well..  that almond is gone..  but then he took his tongue and pushed it out to my hand.

Over the last month he has

• helped me unload the dryer and then drag a mesh laundry basket upstairs.
• come running when he heard something drop in the kitchen sliding in to get it for me.
• brought me whatever was handy while I'm at the computer... or it might be a scrap of paper or a part of a tissue..
• opened the lower drawer in my kitchen and handed me a dish towel.  (we're working on closing it!)

It's every day... whatever he can do!  What a guy!

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February 11, 2012
Oh my gosh!  A breakthrough!  I'm inside and I hear him barking at who-knows-what outside.  Next thing I know he presents to me (drum roll......) ...a snow covered bowl!  Now THAT's what I want!  Jake cleaning up the yard WITHOUT being told to do so!!!  Oh...  did I mention the wind chill temperature is -3.... it's a wonder the bowl didn't stick to his tongue!

February 21, 2012
As I sit at my computer before supper, Jake who knows I have treats in my pocket starts bringing me things...

• 3 dog bowls
• 4 toys
• 1 mat
• 3 kongs
• 2 plastic containers
• 8 or so scraps of paper
• 6 bones

So after he cleaned up everything on the floor, he started taking paper from the trash can and giving it to me!  uuummm... no..  sorry - no reward.  Like the other day he started bringing me plastic bowls and I wondered where he got them...  well a lower cabinet door was open so he was taking them from there!  What a guy!

 

Jake’s Service Dog vest finally arrived.  Aside from the fact that it took me forever to decide what I wanted, it ended up being a special order so it took a bit longer but I really like it!  So my thought it to start a log of places we go.  He is, by the way, amazing.  Yesterday I dropped a towel over the deck railing that I had put there to dry and he ran down the stairs and around the deck, picked it up and brought it back to me.  I can tell him to get his “bowl”, “Kong” or “bone” in the yard and he’ll bring it to me as I stand in the doorway.  A few days ago I dumped a bag of sand in his sandbox and didn’t have a scissors to open it with me so I told him to “dig” and he did, ripped the plastic open and then pulled the plastic out and emptied the sand into the sandbox.  THAT was fun for him! When I had him in class a few weeks ago, I dropped my eraser and he practically dove for it so he could hand it to me.  What a guy!    So anyway….

March 27, 2012
Took Jake with me yesterday to lunch at Copps and to the bank in his new Service Dog vest...  he was amazing.  I was nervous at the salad bar at the grocery store..  made him sit every time I stopped and then again at the checkout and the lady said "That's the best trained service dog that has ever come in here!"  ...whew..  ..then he laid by the table for probably 90 min while my friend and I had lunch.  Next we went to the bank and he totally ignored others and just focused on me.  I would drop things just so he could do something (to show off) and work for his paycheck (treat)!  There were lots of ooohhhhh and aaahhhhh at how handsome he is and what a good dog he is!  Thank goodness that no one in a bitesuit or a Schutzhund sleeve showed up but then what IS the chance of that happening in a bank anyway!! 

April 10, 2012
Another trip to the bank. He totally ignored everything around him and never took his eyes off me.  Plan to teach him how to open the automatic doors.

 

Read more that I wrote about Service Dogs by clicking here.



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You see a tarp...

You see a tarp....

You see a dog….

You see a dog and a tarp….

I see help with yard work!!!

Bath Time ....

So I gave Olivia a bath today and thought back over the years…. when I had:

• one dog - Josephine - there were monthly trips to the groomer.
• two dogs - Josephine and Ari - trips to groomer were every 2 months.
• three dogs - Josephine, Ari and Teddy - I bought a grooming table and hand hose to attach to  shower head.
• four dogs - Josephine, Ari, Teddy and Olivia - I bought a super duper 4 hp blower for $300 and it was the best investment I could make to groom the dogs.
• five dogs - Josephine, Ari Teddy, Olivia and Kobie - I bought double arms for the grooming table.
• five dogs - Ari, Teddy, Olivia, Kobie and Tori - I started if possible, only blowing dogs coats outside (4 long coats).
• five dogs - Ari, Teddy, Olivia, Kobie and Brita - I thought to myself - don't short coated dogs blow less coat?
• four dogs - Olivia, Kobie, Brita and Jake - I decided baths were only given outside when the weather is warm with a hose.
• three dogs (now) - Olivia, Brita and Jake - I decided that Olivia gets the warm tub bath and the others really have no idea what a bath even is... hose yes... bath no...

If the dogs could talk I'm sure this is what they would have said about grooming:

• Josephine - "I'm going to be beautiful, right? Could I have the PINK scarf around my neck?"
• Ari - "yeah, whatever - hurry it up… and don’t even TRY to cut my nails."
• Teddy - "If this is what you want me to do, I'll do it for YOU - but you can't make me like it."
• Olivia - "I’m going to die here, I just know it."
• Kobie - "Put me in that tub again and you'll be REALLY sorry! I don't care if you string me up on 2 sides of the grooming table, I'll still be able to swing around so you can't blow ME dry!"
• Tori - "I looovvvve the attention - take note you other guys... she likes ME best!"
• Brita - "Oh come on - do I really have to???   I'm here to work, not be a beauty queen"
• Jake - "OMG, OMG, OMG - this is SO much fun... spray me more with the hose and I'll catch the water!"
  

Jake's preferred way to bathe.....

 

 

 

 

 

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Tail shots 2010-2012

Some things may not change!!   Maybe I'll take a “Jake tail shot” each year!!

Service Dog Posts

 

• Jake–Service Dog in Training

• Impersonating a Person with Disabilities… really???

Teddy Edward - it's been 3 years....

Laurel Stone

It's been 3 years since that cold, snowy February Saturday when Teddy said: "It's time"...www.teddyedwardgsd.blogspot.com ...where DOES the time go anyway???

Cover Photos

By: Laurel Stone

 ·  ·  · Share · 9 hours ago

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  Lily Silver, Candace Shaffer and Michelle Mittelstaedt Bockhorn like this.
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    Nancy Spencer I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my Golden 2 weeks ago....She was wonderful and brave.
    

    9 hours ago · 
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    MaryKay Held I remember Teddy! He was much loved.
    

    7 hours ago · 
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    Teresa Foster Arneson I remember when you lost Teddy. Gosh he was such a handsome shepherd. Hugs to you.
    

    3 hours ago · 
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    Marissa Freier Teddy! Such a sweet boy
    

    2 hours ago · 
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    Judy Boguski My thoughts are with you, Laurel
    

    2 hours ago · 
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    Andrea Wiener-Chase They all leave us way too soon......
    

    2 hours ago · 
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    Brenda Ort-Beauchamp I sure get it. We lost both our dogs in the spring, 3 year ago and I still remember every detail like it was yesterday.
    

    2 hours ago · 
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    Cindy Novak Thoughts and prayers are with you my friend.
    

    about an hour ago · 
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Name that Dog Series

Often I have a picture that reminds me of a picture of another dog I took in the past so I started doing posts called Name that Dog.  When it went up to three I decided that the series needed a link on the sidebar!

1. Name That Dog! – Ari and Jake (bitework, standing and head shot on couch)
2. Name that Dog Again!  Jake, Brita and Bob’s puppy.
3. Name that Dog – Volume 3! – 2 fuzzy dogs looking up (Joanne’s dog and Olivia), the “look” (Ari and Jake) and Jake and his papa.

There will be more, I’m sure.  None of the pictures were taken with the intention of having them look like another picture…  it just happened!!

This is from the first one and what started it all.  Jake on left, Ari on right.  None of the other dogs have even stood like that.  Obvious difference in coloring and head shape but it’s the position I was looking at.  Jake is young…  maybe a year old and Ari is 8 years old.

        

Oldies but goodies! (Brita annoying Teddy and Ari on the Fence Line)

So I came across some oldies but goodies. I was telling someone recently how Ari used to chase the UPS truck and school bus and run back and forth until it was gone. The girls... Olivia with the cone and Kobie the black dog typically just do as they were doing and watch and wonder "WHY" I'm sure!  This video, by the way, was 2 months after Ari almost died during an Addisonian Crisis.  He has lost his coloring and his shape but not his attitude...

     

When Brita was a puppy I said.. "Teddy, here's a puppy for you.. raise her up good!" And what he put up with! It was however, the only dog I ever saw him really play with. Brita was like that... even today... she would make him comfortable and encourage play. It was wonderful that Teddy go to have that relationship as he aged.. 

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It’s what they do….

Jake and Brita

I love the relaxed open mouth shots!  ... and especially when I catch it on camera!  

  

 

  

Fancy Stuff

        

     

"Dogs at Work" stamps

Service Dogs honored by US Postal Service - This is so cool I had to share it... a new stamp series from the US Post Office!

MERRIFIELD, VA — The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring partnership between dogs and people with the issuance of the 65-cent Dogs at Work set of four stamps.

“We are proud to commemorate these specialized dogs on stamps,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service Homeland Security Coordinator Michael T. Butler in dedicating the stamps. “These animals are critical to serving individuals with special needs and critical to enabling successful rescues.”

Joining Butler in dedicating the stamps were Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team/Virginia Task Force 1 Canine Search Specialists Teresa MacPherson with Banks, a Black Lab; and Christine Harrison with Aleko, a Belgium Malinois.

“We are honored the Postal Service is paying tribute to these animals that work tirelessly to perform their missions of mercy,” said MacPherson. Task Force 1 has performed more than 60 rescues throughout Central, South and North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Artist John M. Thompson of Syracuse, NY, created original paintings for each stamp in acrylics, based on photographs that he composed. The guide dog depicted is a black Labrador retriever, the tracking dog is a yellow Labrador retriever, the therapy dog is a Welsh springer spaniel, and the search and rescue dog is a German shepherd. Art director Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, VA, designed the stamps.

For thousands of years, dogs and humans have shared a special bond. And from the beginning, dogs have been more than just companions and friends — they’ve been vital partners, working side by side with people. While the earliest dogs helped human hunters bring home prey, today’s pooches excel at a variety of jobs, from herding sheep to assisting deaf people to starring in movies.

Dogs at Work highlights four different canine careers: guiding, comforting, tracking and searching.

Guiding
Some 10,000 people in the U.S. and Canada rely on dogs to “see” the world for them. While the idea of using dogs to guide people who are blind is centuries old, it wasn’t until 1916 that the first organized school for guide dogs was established in Germany. The first canine graduates went on to aid veterans blinded in World War I, and the concept spread around the globe. Guide dogs navigate around obstacles, alert their handlers to curbs and stairs, and even learn to disobey any command that would put their handlers in danger. Along the way, they enrich and empower countless lives. Typical guide dog breeds include Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and German shepherds.

Comforting
Sometimes the best medicine can come in the form of a furry friend. Therapy dogs, chosen for their friendly dispositions, bring comfort to disaster victims, abused children, the elderly and the ill. Frequent visitors to nursing homes and hospitals, these dogs seem to improve the health and morale of patients just by lending a paw or offering a head to be scratched. Some therapy dogs even make house calls, visiting people who are homebound. An affectionate dog of any breed can become a therapy dog, and there aren’t many requirements — just knowing simple commands and being well behaved around all kinds of people.

Tracking
Tracking is just one of the jobs that war dogs are trained for. Loyal canines have fought at the side of U.S. soldiers for more than a century as scouts and sentries. Today, military dogs excel at sniffing out explosive devices. They also protect their handlers at all times. Besides serving as war dogs, tracking dogs work with police and security personnel. They can be trained to detect drugs, guns or explosives and to track people. Several different breeds are often chosen as tracking and sniffing dogs. While airport beagles commonly detect contraband fruit arriving from overseas, German shepherds, Dutch shepherds and Belgian Malinois are preferred by police departments and the military.

Searching
When racing against the clock, a search and rescue team’s greatest asset can be a well-trained canine. A dog’s superb sense of smell can speed up a search effort, increasing the odds of survival for lost people and disaster victims. Search and rescue dogs can locate children lost in the woods, sniff out survivors of an earthquake and even dig out people buried in an avalanche. Depending on their training, dogs can track human scents in the air or on the ground. Many different breeds make excellent search and rescue dogs, including bloodhounds, border collies, German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers.

Brita’s Dentist

When Brita needed dental work this is where she went.  Her lower canines were growing inward and back instead of forward and outward.  She had surgery to reconstruct the roof of her mouth so the point of the canine wouldn’t continue to put a hole in her palate like it was starting to do.  Dr. Dale Kressin of Oshkosh is one of four veterinary dental specialists in Wisconsin.  This is a great article about him from the local newspaper. 

OSHKOSH - Elton John crooned his rendition of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" in the cozily warm second floor operating room of Dr. Dale Kressin at Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery Specialists, LLC on Omro Road as the veterinarian laid a plush towel over the top of Taylor and patted her lovingly.

Not only was the 12-year-old Pug enclosed in a special blanket that circulated warm water, she was blanketed by that extra towel pretty enough for a spa. The extra towel would help keep the anesthetized dog warm.  "Little dogs lose more heat than big dogs," Kressin said.

Kressin is a Board Certified Veterinary Specialist recognized by American Veterinary Dental College. As such he is able to perform a host of services most veterinarians do not, including endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, restorations, dental radiology and oral surgery. Specialty certification requires from three to six years of training in the area of specialization beyond the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Resident Dr. Steven R. Honzelka, wearing a burgundy scrub suit identical to Kressin's, prepared Taylor for her procedure. She would have a splint removed from her jaw. He inspected equipment that provided a reading of her blood pressure and other vital signs. He checked her breathing tube. He prepared the X-ray viewing monitor for images of her jaw and the splint used to keep it in place while her fracture healed over many weeks.

Taylor suffered periodontal disease, which weakened her jaw bone and led to the fracture, Kressin said.  He would use those X-ray images as he worked on Taylor.  Later, she would be good as new.  "No more tug of war, but she won't have any other major restrictions," Kressin said. "Usually they can eat immediately following."

Increased sophistication of veterinary medicine along with the acknowledgment by society that pets play an important role in their owners' lives have resulted in establishment and growth of such practices as Kressin's, ones that provide services similar to those offered in human medicine.

Dr. Kim Krause, a veterinarian at Animal Medical Surgical Clinic in Wisconsin Rapids, referred the Pug's owner to Kressin.  "I am overjoyed he was available and has the specialized training. The average practitioner can't do these specialized procedures. It takes significant advanced training," she said.  Krause has observed a growing need for veterinary specialists. As patients learn that specialists are out there and can provide advanced care it opens the door for even more specialists. Krause took her own cat to Kressin for a procedure Wednesday. "We want the same care for our pets that we want for ourselves," she said.

Kressin offers many advanced procedures such as root canals, orthodontia, crowns, fillings bridges and implants for dogs and cats. About a third of Kressin's cases involve oral tumors and another third is devoted to periodontal issues. The remainder covers a variety of treatments for other conditions.

The two doctors discussed Taylor's case as they assessed her readiness to undergo her surgical procedure. Her long pink tongue was clamped and pulled to one side to keep it out of the way.

It was a typical morning at the clinic. In the next room, Randall, the year-old domestic long haired cat of Nicole Hoffman and Rich Clark waited for his procedure. His owners brought him to the veterinary dental specialists when they detected problems inside Randall's mouth. Nicole is a trained dental assistant for humans with a professional background in pet care at Petco. "We've noticed smelly breath," Hoffman said. She had no qualms whatsoever regarding the cost of the day's treatment, which she estimated at "upwards of $800." That covered a cleaning, X-rays and a surgical procedure to cut away gums that grew too far up the cat's teeth, creating pockets between gums and teeth where bacteria could grow and cause decay, Hoffman said. Follow-up care includes daily tooth brushing for Randall and annual cleanings. Hoffman and Clark are happy to brush Randall's teeth and bring him to the clinic for professional cleaning. "We want all our pets to live up to their potential and be happy and healthy," Hoffman said.

Kressin became interested in specializing when, in the mid 1990s, he handled a patient with a very unusual tumor that he wanted to refer to a specialist. He sought help at a veterinary school and learned there was no one specializing in the area for which he sought help. "That turned on the light bulb to that niche," Kressin said. He took the training to become a specialist. Today, there are just four veterinarian dental specialists in Wisconsin that do what Kressin does. Other veterinarians call on Kressin and the three others when they need work done that is beyond their scope of expertise. Kressin treats patients in Oshkosh, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

Randall sat quietly in his carrier watching the activity in the next room where Taylor was having surgery. The fracture had made it difficult for the Pug to chew her food. Kressin had removed teeth from the fracture line earlier before bonding the splint to her jaw. The tooth removal promoted healing of the fracture, he said. "The splint creates stability. It's made of a temporary bonding material that is used in human dentistry," Kressin said. On this day his task was to remove the splint and wires holding it in place. It was precise and painstaking work that required a number of different tools.

"It's very rewarding doing this work," Kressin said. "Patients do extremely well really fast."

Procedures are oftentimes costly and Kressin is aware not all pet owner can afford it. He tries to give them a few options so people can make a good choice, he said. Dawn Wood of Wisconsin Rapids is the Pug's owner. "Dr. Kressin is the rock star of animal dentistry. I wanted the best for Taylor," Wood said. Wood did some research and was impressed with Kressin's credentials. "He's an international consultant with offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We are lucky to have such an expert." Like Hoffman and Clark, Wood had no qualms about dropping big bucks for her dog's care. "She is 12 but small dogs can live to be 17 or 20. She is part of our family."

Kressin's favorite advice for pet owners who want to avoid costly treatment is to brush their pets' teeth. "It gives you a chance to look in their mouth and notice problems so you can get help early," he said.