| Good day |
[Jun. 17th, 2006|12:59 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My Apartment | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  good | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The AC | ] |
So today Yahzee and I had a good day. We spent the morning hanging out in Cleveland Park and enjoying this wonderful weather! In the afternoon, Mom came over and we went to DSW and took Ariel out to dinner. Yahzee did well, though she is extremely excitable. She doesn't quite get the command "follow" and tends to try and charge ahead of Mom instead of following her, so We'll have to work on that.
At dinner she did well. She lay under the table, and occasionally put her little head out to watch people. It was so cute and everyone loved her!
Tonight was a lot of fun as well. When we got home I took her out for the nightly walk, and we met two other dogs who she got along with extremely well. She was off harness so she could play. One was a german shepherd mix named Wilson, and Yahzee and Wilson had so much fun that we had to put an end to play time, because both dogs were getting really reved up. We also met this adorable poodle named Fraisure, and Yahzee and Fraisure were so sweet, they kept kissing each other! I jokingly asked Yahzee, "So did you get their numbers? Wanna take them to the prom?" I calculated that she's just about the right age for prom in human years, so I guess she's looking for a date! Now she's got two boys in Cleveland Park to decide between! :)
Next week Yahzee and I will face a really big challenge. I have an internship in Silver Spring, which is an area I don't know at all. Someone has emailed me very good directions, but even so, I'm nervous about it, because I really am completely unfamiliar with the area, and my Mom can't help me, because she's having minor surgery on Tuesday. Mom suggested that I take a cab from the metro, which I may do for a few days, but it's not a good long term solution, because it can probably get quite expensive! I'm so spoiled by DC! Everything is so convenient, and even if I get lost I can usually figure my way out of it just because I know the street patterns. I'm not a suburban girl, and I'm quite nervous, but we'll see. If the thing really doesn't work out, I might forget it, considering that I'm not getting payed. I certainly can't afford to be taking cabs there constantly, and anyways I want to work Yahzee. I just want someone with a working pair of eyes to run through it with me a few times, and I'm sure Mom will be able to help me out once she feels better. I know my girl will get it quickly too, and things should be alright. I'll post and let you guys know how we do.
I must go to bed, because Yahzee and I are meeting ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lovable_leo and her dog Harris tomorrow for lunch. Before that I have a grocery delivery so that I can actually take something for lunch next week, and just tuns of fun. Sleep well Everyone! Yahzee is sacked out on her bed, and I'm heading to mine. |
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| Today was fun! |
[Jun. 13th, 2006|08:07 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | The floor | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
This is Yahzee.
Today was a lot of fun. My Mom took me to visit some friends who have a big yard, and I had a lot of fun playing with them and my Mom. We played fetch, and we also went to Petco where I got some new toys. My favorite is a ball, which I can play with here. I think that Mom and Lisa are going to take me on a walk in Rock Creek Park tomorrow on my leash and that will be fun.
Today was my first day off, so I enjoyed myself. The only working thing that Mom made me do today was obedience, and I was good.
Mom klet me meet Ivor yesterday, he's the dog who lives in this building. When I was in his apartment with him I was really good, but Mom and I met him outside later and I barked at him. Mom was annoyed with me, and she asked me why I barked. The truth is that sometimes I can't help it. I want to play with him! I don't know why I do it, but I know Mom wants me to stop, so I'll try. I have to go and play tug with Mom, but I'll write soon! |
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| Paw licking |
[Jun. 8th, 2006|02:37 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My Apartment | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Fray- How to Save a Life | ] |
So my girl continues to lick her paws. Every time I take her lampshade collar off she's at them again. I am worried about this, and I'll have to consult more with Friendship. I hope she's not alergic to anything in this apartment.
I'm spending the night at my parents house tonight with Yahzee. There are two reasons for this, 1. This way, I can avoid certain, well, situations I would like to avoid.
2. My Mom talked me in to going to see one of her friends kids graduate from elimentary school tomorrow morning and I said I would, so I figure that it's easier if we just all leave from the same house, and also I get to use my Mom's amazing tub! It's wonderful, it has these jets and it's seriously the ultimate relaxation tool! So I'll go in the tub, and crawl in to bed. I went home and used it really briefly Monday, but tonight I can use it for a longer period. Yahzee is really interested in it. When I'm in the tub she sits with me, and is like, what the hell is this thing making all this noise?
I'll take her to this graduation tomorrow, and it will be her first exposure to a setting with a lot of people and having to lie down for hours at a time. I'm sure she'll do great as always.
I spoke to Angie again this morning, and she told me to keep doing what I'm doing. She said that things are going well working wise, and that I need to remember that. She said that I should keep talking to the vet about Yahzee's paw licking, and that we will be able to solve the problem. I hope she's right, because I can't imagine having any other dog than my girl!
They say shepherds are loyal, and they're right. She is such a loyal companion, more loyal than Stoney ever was in his six years of work with me. Stoney loved me, and he still is an amazing boy, but I think theres some truth that goldens sell out to the highest bidder as Angie put it. Meaning that if there's food around, in Stoney's case, the food is more important than the owner when the dog is off harness. Yahzee is so different, she waits for me to say that it's ok to eat, she looks to me for everything, and when I'm in the bathroom, she sits by the tub and waits for me to get out of the shower! It's so sweet! She's so sweet, and she gives the best kisses! I just want her to get over these allergies, or what ever this is. I want a happy healthy girl!
Alright, I need to shower, and pack up Yahzee's meds and things so that she can spend a night with my parents and her doggie friends. Bye for now. |
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| Update... |
[Jun. 8th, 2006|12:16 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My Apartment | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Unplayed Pianos-Damien Rice | ] |
So the past week with Yahzee has been mixed. She continues to be a wonderful little worker, but she has had two issues this week. One has caused me great grief, and I have written about it extensively in my personal LJ at snowdaysroq I have protected these entries, so they're friends only. I will summarize very briefly here, with minimal grief and disclosure. To make a very, very long story short, I had an altercation with another guide dog user in my building, who also went to Fidelco as it happens. Yahzee was barking at his dog when I had her off harness to relieve her. He got upset with me, and treated me, well, in a way which made me extremely upset and stressed. He did not treat me with respect and showed no desire to work with me. I called Fidelco seaking advice yesterday, and Angie gave me some tips which I think will help the situation a great deal. I will freely admit that I was wrong on some counts-- I had the harness off my dog outside of my apartment when I was only supposed to have it off to relieve her. I accept full responsibility for that mistake in my actions, and since Angie told me that, I have corrected that part of the situation. Apparently, this individual was very rude to Angie on the phone when she tried to talk to him about the situation, but she was able to talk with me at length, and gave me some suggestions which seem to be working. Basically, I have to have treats on me at all times, and am supposed to give them to Yahzee to stop her from barking when ever the other dog is around. I think that it worked tonight, because I believe that he was outside briefly when I took her out for the final time. I can't be certain of course, but I know that it is working in the house when she barks at the dog. Angie is so wonderful, she was able to calm me down a lot yesterday, and I can feel myself getting more relaxed. I am very hopeful that the situation will calm down, and I know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that it does.
The second issue is that my poor girl has either an infected foot or allergies. I took her to Friendship(my vet) on Monday, and we thought she just had an infected paw. The vet gave her a collar like a lampshade to stop her from licking her paws, as well as some antibiotics and sprays. Today, she started licking her other paws when I took the collar off to work her, so we suspected some kind of allergies. Now she's on bennadrill 3 times a day for a while along with the lampshade, spray, and antibiotics. My poor baby! This is not what I wanted. I can't take another dog with allergies! Stoney was quite enough! I saw my Mom tonight, and she freaked a bit, but I am just hopeful that the medications will work and that my girl will feel better. I love her so much, and am really enjoying her company! She is so sweet, and calm, and I just ador her.
Today we had a good walk together, I took her to the zoo, so we walked around 7 blocks. We also practiced the metro, and in the evening we just played some ball and hung out together. She seems happy, and the anti hystomenes have knocked her out. I hope she doesn't have to be on them for long, and I wonder what she might be allergic to. My Mom is worried that it might be the carpeting in my apartment, I hope this isn't the case! I would absolutely hate to choose between my apartment and my dog, both things which give me great joy in life! I hope it won't come to that, though.
Well, I'm going to follow my girl, and head to bed. Tomorrow holds more working together, another dinner at home with my parents, and some more LSAT studying. |
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| The last few days |
[May. 29th, 2006|10:34 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My Apartment | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | My AC | ] |
So over all things continue to go very well with Yahzee. She has had some stomach upset, and as a result she had an accident in the house, but my trainer didn't seem to be that worried about it. She said that things like this happen occasionally during placement, and that Yahzee will settle down over the next few days. Angie's theory is that the heat is bothering Yahzee, and that she's not used to it, because it's not as hot in Connecticut. Also, placement causes stress in dogs, which can sometimes lead to this kind of thing. So I don't need to go to the vet, we think she will settle on her own. If things don't improve by Friday I will consult my vet.
My girl is still working really well, though. My main task is to really remember my positioning and make sure that I assume my part of the responsibilities. I didn't realize over the past few years how much I relied on Stoney with out paying as much attention as I should have to my positioning, so now I'm working really hard with Angie to correct this. Angie thinks that I will be able to and she says that I am doing things to quickly, and that I just need to slow down and really make sure that I keep my orientation and focus on what I'm doing so that I stay in position. I am going to really concintrate on this, I want to do the right thing, and not to let my dog get out of control or comprimize her work in any way. I love my girl so much! She is so smart and sweet, and she reminds me some what of my dog Sally, who was our pet growing up. She's really inteligent, and sometimes when I work on obedience with her she tests me and is like, no, Mom, I do not want to do this! Make me! This is what Sally used to do and sometimes I feel like I'm working with Sally all over again.
I can not believe that my training ends in three days. I will miss Angie she has been such a great trainer. I'll have to keep her posted on how Yahzee and I do. Tomorrow we will do traffic work, and Desmond who interviewed me is going to come and work with us along with Angie, so I'm really excited about that! It will be awesome for him to see me working my new dog, and I'm sure he'll have some constructive things to tell me-- he really did during my interview.
Well, I must go and do some vacuming and also some obedience with the girl before bed. Bye for now. |
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| Yahzee did well! |
[May. 26th, 2006|10:46 pm] |
So the walk went well. We made it to Starbucks with out difficulty. The only things that were problimatic were that Yahzee blew the island in the middle of Porter street, so she went across the whole street as opposed to stopping at the curb of the island like she's supposed to. She also wanted to go to the subway escalators instead of going under the subway and crossing Connecticut that way. When we were near home she had some trouble finding the building, but that was partly my fault I think, because I didn't tell her "Find left, find home." I just said, "Find home." So these are all problems which Angie, my trainer, says can be expected and nothing to be to concerned with. I have to do the route again tomorrow morning before I see Angie at 10, so am going to go to bed and sleep until 8. I think I'll take a shower after training, because I'll be all hot and sweaty.
Yahzee has had freedom tonight and has done well. She has been chewing her paw, but Lisa came over and looked at it for me, because I was worried that she might have cut a pad or something and that I couldn't feel if she was bleeding, because the paw was wet as a result of her licking it. Lisa said it looks just fine, and that she's probably just nervous and dealing with the adjustment. I'll mention it to Angie tomorrow and see what she thinks. She has also had some very soft stools, which again, is probably just stress, but I will ask Angie about this, too. I enjoy working with Angie and think she's an excellent trainer. She gives me confidence and helps me when I need it, but also lets me mess up and correct my mistakes.
I think that's about all. I have to take the girl out and go to bed. |
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| Great morning! |
[May. 26th, 2006|12:57 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My Apartment | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Cnn | ] |
So the time has come! Yahzee and I are ready do take our first trip by ourselves! We are going to walk down Connecticut Avenue, cross Connecticut under the metro and head to Starbucks for some coffee. I did the route with Angie this morning and I feel like we can do it together helping one another along the way. Lisa is off work today, and she said she will be on call and meet us at the end of the route. I am relieved about that, because I think it will just make me feel more confident knowing that someone else is there just in case. Not that I think anything will go wrong. Once we get home from our walk Yahzee will have freedom for the rest of the evening, though she'll be tied to my bed tonight, just until we're sure she won't have any accidents in the house.
I'm going to do obedience with her before we go on our walk, and I think that we will do well! I'll post later and let everyone know how we did. I love my girl so much, and am so glad that I have her as a guide and friend. |
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| Good day today |
[May. 25th, 2006|05:46 pm] |
This is Yahzee writing:
Today was fun. Olivia and Angie made me walk a long way. We walked down Connecticut Avenue, I like the name of that street, because I'm from Connecticut, so I'll always remember Connecticut Avenue. Now I live on Connecticut Avenue which is pretty exciting. So we walked to Macomb Street which is about six blocks. I was a bit confused sometimes, but I think I did well. We turned up Macomb and walked to 34th street. We walked along 34th street until we came to Ordway and then we walked down Ordway back to Connecticut. I liked this part of the walk, and Olivia knows Ordway really well, so that was good.
When we came home I had an hour of free time off my leash! Olivia and I played ball and I rested and chewed my bone. After that Olivia's friend came over and they ate pizza. I didn't get any, though, but the food made me feel hungry. After lunch I slept and Olivia worked on the computer. Then we went outside and Olivia brushed me. I like being brushed, but not my tail! I wish Olivia wouldn't insist on brushing my tail. She says I'm gorgious and tells me she loves me about once an hour. I have to sleep now, because I'm tired and tomorrow Olivia is going to take me on a solo route, I don't know where we'll go. I'll have to wait and see. I like EDC so far. I like the birds, and the park, and Olivia's dad who came to see me last night. He says I'm a great dog and I gave him my paw and kissed him on the face. I am going to sleep now. |
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| Good first walk |
[May. 24th, 2006|04:20 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Cleveland Park | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Yahzee chewing a bone | ] |
So my first walk with Yahzee was a success. I really like the way she moves when she works, and I think that she will be a great guide dog. She is such a wonderful girl, and I love her already! Right now she's sacked out on her bed chewing a bone with peanut butter in it. She's really enjoying herself.
Back to today's walk for a second. She did so well. We walked down to the zoo, and eventually turned around and came back home. It was wonderful working with her, she's very smooth in her movements, and her stride matches mine perfictly. I really like Angie, my trainer a lot as well. She thought that Yahzee liked me a lot and that we were a great match for each other.
Last night was great, she slept from 11 PM until 8 AM, when she woke me up with a kiss. I'm amazed at how calm Yahzee is. When we got back from our walk she lay down and was like I'm tired. Now she's sacked out as well. She is going to be a great worker, and I look forward to many years of happyness with her!
I promis I will have a picture of my wonderful girl soon! |
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| She is so beautiful |
[May. 23rd, 2006|08:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | happy | ] |
So Yahzee and I bonded today in a major way. She's absolutely wonderful and I think she's going to be a great guide and friend. For the first few days she has to bwe atatched to me at all times with the leash or tied down to my bed. I have mixed feelings about this, because I know she would love to run and play around the apartment. Assuming she does well she should have some freedom in a couple of days.
I walked her outside to relieve herself, and so many people stopped to admire my beautiful girl. She is so hysterical, because she knows how everyone loves her and she does what ever she can to claim attention. Tomorrow I get my first walk around the neighborhood with her, and I'll also work on getting a picture up as soon as someone with a digital camera wants to take one. Any takers?
Alright, I have to take her out again, but I will check in later. |
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| The big day |
[May. 23rd, 2006|10:30 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | DC | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
So this is it. In about 20 minutes Yahzee will arive at my apartment and I will meet her for the first time. This journal will chronicle my experiences as I train with her and adjust to a new guide dog. We will both write here and let all our friends know how things are going. As soon as my Mom brings a camera I will upload a picture of her on this journal and also on my regular journal at
snowdaysroq This journal will be dedicated to Yahzee, because she's such a technical dog! :) I must run, but I will try and post something later today. |
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