Vomit Comet

This will be a bit of a flurry…am writing at 10 o’clock…busy day. Let’s see. After the usual morning routine, which included a pretty hard bonk from Babs’s head, ouch, my nose still hurts, while she was trying to say hello, we went for breakfast. pretty uneventful I think, although today is a bit of a blurr. Went off to hang out for a bit and then headed for the van. Babs and Margery’s dog Amy really love each other. Babs always has her head right up against Amy’s butt when we’re riding together. And when I bring her in to busy or groom and Margery is there, she’ll go to see Margery and/or Amy. Sometimes the two of them try to have secret meetings in the van, wiggle closer and closer to each other, maybe they’re trying to whisper in dog language.

Went out in the morning and learned about what guide dogs do when they find a place where they absolutely must turn when they can’t go straight. Pretty cool. Got more used to catching her at sniffing. Once I thought she passed a curb, cause instructor Tim told me he’d try and make her miss the curbs, and we weren’t there yet! But he told me not to worry. And he’s a real devil. He purposely created diversions so I’d have to correct her.

Oh, I asked him about her lump on her chest and a little crusty spot on her head, and he said he’d talk to the vet about it because that all went away. That worries me. She’d better not have any veterinary problems *already*! Oh well I’m probably just worrying too much.

Note to past self: She does have problems. You weren’t worrying too much. Wasn’t that a wonderful way to enter into guide dog life?

Then we came back and went for lunch, god damn I’m hungry at every meal! It was good. We met another one of the instructors, Sarah. She seemed nice. Then after lunch I let Babs rest for a bit and then I brought her in and groomed her and did some of the obedience, but I get confused by it so will get Tim to go over it with me. He said he would.

That was also dumb. At the Ottawa school, we were encouraged to do our obedience alone in aquiet place. Um, the point of obedience is that they’ll do it anywhere. So shouldn’t we do it in places with lots of distractions? We hardly ever did obedience in front of instructors unless we were asking for help, we never did it with them on aregular basis to make sure we were doing it right!

Then we went out to the van, and the driver’s name was Mike Jordan. Ha ha ha that’s funny. He’s a nice guy. So we get in the van and drive out and do more walking. Did streets where you cross, but if you go straight you’ll head into someone’s driveway…so you have to go left or right. But you have to make the dog go straight across the street because you don’t want her going kittie corner on any street.

Something funny happened while I was waiting to go out today. I was sitting in the van waiting for instructor Tim to come back with Margery…and this kid went past the van and said, hey mom, look! and his mom said, yes, a guide dog! My first guide dog comment! Ooo!

For a while, you will hate those. It’s a spotlight like no other, and you had no idea. None. Zip. Well, you had a teeny tiny fraction of an idea.

I don’t know how instructor Tim does 8 walks a day…and that’s just with a small class. Imagine 8 students? How would one do 16 walks a day? Holy crap. We found out he plays hockey in the winter. He’s one fit dude. He’s been doing this for 15 years I guess.

Then some great fun happened between Tim and Sharon. I guess on the way back from their jaunts, the dogs got in the van and started to play, leashes got loose, and well, abra cadabra, Tim got Charity and Sharon got Willow. They took them home, fed them, busied them, the whole deal, but noticed that the dogs would not listen at all! And then Willow mooed at Sharon, or made that moaning sound like a toy cow in one of those toy farms…and she said, “what? Charity doesn’t moo!” So, embarrassed, the two wondered what to do. So Tim walked up to Anka and said, “What colour is my dog?” She laughed and said, “black!” Um, that’s not Willow’s colour. That’s Charity. So they make the reunions and all is well, but wow that was funny and Anka laughed about it all through supper. He kept saying, “what colour is my dog?” And she’d say, “green!” and laugh some more. She’s so cute.

I managed to get them all to agree to get instructor Tim something at the end of the class, and managed to get student Tim to agree that we should get Anka something, just gotta get Sharon. Then instructor Tim said tomorrow he’s bringing us Timmy Ho’s for breakfast! That’s cool! And he gave us our lottery tickets. Oh tomorrow should be way interesting. In the morning, we’re doing an obstacle course, and then in the afternoon, we’re all going out, hopefully to a coffee shop and doing some kind of walk. Should be great gobs of fun.

Let’s see what else. Talked on the phone a bit, and then came here. Got lots of responses from my mass email that I sent to a bunch of people to say that she’s here, without having them endure the days and days of googoo gaga. That’s about it for now. Should finish battling with this beast while my snoring mooing dog sleeps beside me. She’d probably like to be back on her comfy bed again soon.

note: had to take dog to bed because she decided to play a lively game of let’s tell mom I don’t want to sit here anymore and watch you send emails. So she’s waiting…please Babs, don’t poop on my room floor, please? please? I already called Anka in, well instructor Tim ended up coming in because I thought I smelled something funny and wanted to make sure it wasn’t dog doodoo. it wasn’t, thankfully enough. Plese don’t doodoo on my floor? I really will be back soon!

Um, that was cream of dumb to leave her alone so soon, especially when you had no tie-down! . So dumb. You were lucky she didn’t crap on the floor.

I don’t have long to write in this, have to go again and take her for busy and then go for another half-hour stroll.

Let’s see, didn’t do much last night except be amazed by her good behaviour as I fought with the computer and the dialup internet, at least it feels like dialup here…spent longer waiting for a page to load than sending emails. Oh well, emails got sent and she was as good as gold.

So today she woke me up with a nuzzling and a lick. What a doll. Still didn’t sleep on her dog bed even though I took it off the frame like instructor Tim said. Oh well, didn’t get into any trouble, had breakfast and we all ordered things from the shopping volunteer. She goes twice a week and gets stuff for us that we need…we give the money and that’s it. Poor Anka tried to understand what we meant, English is her second language you know. And so Sharon asked for dove soap, and she wrote dove soup! Good thing instructor Tim came along and straightened her out.

WE went on another walk, and he showed me how to put the harness on. That’s gonna take a bit to get onto. Lots of intricacies.

I look at that now and go “what were you smoking?” But it is kinda tricky at first, because you have to make sure you don’t hit the dog in the head with the heavy part, and all that stuff.

Went for a walk and she crossed the street and didn’t even freak at the parallel traffic.

Past self, do you honestly think a guide dog would graduate and be freaking at parallel traffic? Honestly? You are such a complete newb. I understand being amazed by a dog knowing what to do if a car went in front of us, but *parallel* traffic? Hell, probably even pet dogs get used to parallel traffic!

Trying to get onto knowing when she’s sniffing, or distracted. They say sniffing for any distraction. Starting to get it. Came back, took her for busy, then groomed her, that was fun. She just loves it. She just loves it to death. had lunch, yeah I said that, then I just read and she slept. Gotta get her up now and we’re going again. Later dudes.

Well we went on the afternoon walk. That was fun. Let’s see. Figured out more of when she’s sniffing. She was a little more stubborn, but oh well.

A little more? I think that was the day that she insisted on running like a mad beast, I thought this was normal and I had to adjust to it, and instructor Tim said nooo! That is not the way this goes! And kept madly giving her a leash correction back to heel. It made a horrible snapping noise, and I cringed and cried out that we must be hurting her! He said nooo! This doesn’t hurt! Do it! But I was too afraid.

I was able to help Margery. Two of her fingers have gone numb from some surgery, and so she can’t read braille, so she had no idea which bills were which that came back from the shopping lady. So I did that and helped her set her radio station…and helped her with the payphone. That made me feel good and useful.

Oh instructor Tim went and got us lottery tickets, we bought them but he went to get them. Margery and I are planning, and trying to get the others in on it, to get instructor Tim something and Anka something.

Let’s see. Oh, I called home and talked to mom. She’s all happy that I haven’t had a bad day yet. I braced her for the worst because people told me there would be good days and bad days, they could never explain what that would entail, but I told mom this would be stressful, so she’s happy I was having no really bad stuff so far. I told her all the stuff that’s happened and stuff.

Oh I talked to instructor Tim about grad. He’s a bit nervous, which makes me nervous.

And he was right to be nervous, past newby self. A guide dog doesn’t come home completely ready for all situations. You have to make them feel all secure and good before you can march them across a stage that you’re not familiar with. But you had to learn that the hard way. Actually, thank god you decided to leave Babs at home for grad, but you had to learn that lesson through other means.

That was about it for today. Yes, she finally slept on her dog bed! Later, hope you’re not too bored. Although it sounds like you’re having fun reading the insides of my silly brain.