Day 216

Mario took me for a long walk today. Don't we look great together?

Day 215

Dog tired.

Day 214

Like a 50 lb. toddler, I have a habit of trying to eat inedible things.  Last night, we were all hanging out in the kitchen, and Mom pulled a chewed plastic fork out of my mouth.  Later on, when Peter was preparing dinner, I pulled a piece of paper out of the garbage can - the kind that separates frozen hamburgers.  Mom saw me and removed it from my mouth, but apparently she did not get all of it.  I have been sick today.  I vomited twice this morning, food and a piece of paper.  Luckily, I am going to the bathroom okay, so I do not have a blockage.  Mom called the vet at the guide dog center, and I must fast until 2:00 today to give whatever I ate time to travel through my system.  Then, I can have water.  I have no idea when I can eat, and I am getting a bit hungry.  This morning I was not feeling well, but I seem to feel better now.  I think I'll be okay!

Day 213

I love my Mom!  I can't wait until her wing heals and she no longer wears a sling.  I miss walking with her every night and having fun weekend adventures.  It's been quite a while since I visited the neighborhood pub!  I have fun walking with Abram and Mario, but I still miss my Mom!  I do not have favorites.  I love all my people equally, with all my heart.

Day 212

I am going to make the best guide dog ever.  You know that I like to cook with my Mom.  Well, I am good at cleaning up too!  Here I am, helping Eli load the dishwasher.  And I did NOT lick any of the dishes!!

Day 211

When Mom walks me, we practice "Close" on the benches in this park.  It is really good practice because there are often distractions like other dogs, ice cream trucks, cars, etc.  Mom has not been walking me lately, though, because she is still wearing a sling.  My new au pair, Mario, has been walking me every day.  I love him a lot!  Mom needs to show him the "Close" and "Heel" commands, but it's a bit difficult because she cannot use her left arm, and those are left arm commands.  Oh, well.

Day 210

I am happily climbing and descending all the neighborhood steps.  Hurray for me!!  I do not know the folks who live in this house.  I hope they don't mind my striking a pose. 

Day 209

Here I am with my new toy.  It's a squeaky chicken.  There seems to be a poultry theme running through my life.  First, I use poultry flavored toothpaste which is very yummy, then Abram gave me a yellow squeaky chicken toy a couple weeks ago, and now I have a pink squeaky chicken.  I guess I like fowl.  It would be great if we could get a real chicken as a pet which I could chase in the backyard, but Mom would never agree to that.  She is no fun.

Day 208

Today, we went to Target to buy dog food.  Mom says the dog food is less expensive at Target then at Petco.  Mom took this photo of me and Mario in the cat food aisle.  We had to buy the cats food too.  Can't let them starve!  I got to pick out a new toy.  As you already know, I was a very good girl in the store!

Day 207

Am I in heaven?

Day 206

I am trying really hard, I really am.  Hemi wants to be friends, so she tends to lurk around me, keeping a safe distance.  You can see from my pained expression in the photo below the intense concentration that my self control requires.   I am building duration, but inevitably I explode, and Hemi makes a mad dash to the window sill or up the steps - the smart girl knows that I will not ascend the staircase.  We are working on this, Hemi and me, and I know that one day soon, we will be friends.  Maybe then we will nap together on the living room floor, in the stream of sun that shines through the windows.

Day 205

I am one happy pup!!

Day 204

Today, Mario, me, and Mom went to Fairway to buy dinner.  It was my very first time at Fairway, and it was Mario's first time ever in an American grocery store.  Mom thinks that going to grocery stores is really good experience for me.  After shopping, I helped out in the kitchen.  I was especially good at husking the corn.  I tried to eat the corn husks, but Mom explained to me that I am a carnivore and really should stick with meat.  Plus, it's not really good manners to eat out of the garbage can. 

Day 203

Mario and Abram took me hiking, and I made a new friend.  When I meet new dogs, I like to crouch down like a cat and pounce.  Since I live with two cats, I fear I might be confused about my identity.  I need more dogs in my life!  Mom, can we get a dog??

Day 202

As you know, Archer is the puppy my people raised before me.  Archer graduated today!!  I was not invited to the graduation, but my people went, and Mario took lots of photos.  Archer was happy to see my people.  Archer's new person is named Nicholas.  He is totally blind in one eye and can see shadows from 2 feet in his other eye.  Archer is his first guide dog, and he loves Archer as much as my people do!  Nicholas is 18 years old.  Archer will be attending college and living in the dorm with Nicholas.  They are going to have so much fun!  They may even study abroad in Australia next year!  Archer is my hero, even though we've never met.

Day 201

Meet Mario, my and Eli's new au pair.  Abram returns to Mexico at the end of September and is officially no longer our au pair as of next Friday August 23.  I love Abram and will miss him!  Mario is very tall and handsome.  I am hoping he allows me to chase the cats and lick the dishes in the dishwasher.  I need to immediately wear him down so I can be spoiled.

Day 200

I was a very courageous girl yesterday at the vet.  I walked into the examining room and onto the table all by myself, although I was slow and needed encouragement. The vet says my teeth look good.  He would have liked if I wore the first braces, the bar across the roof of my mouth, a bit longer, but I am making progress.  (Mom thinks that maybe if I had refrained from chewing Eli's old wooden toy train tracks, my braces would not have broken.  I, myself, think they self destructed.) Abram gave me lots of treats for being so brave.

Day 199

Natalia and Ivan both have labs at home in Mexico, so they especially love me.  Natalia has a yellow lab.  Ivan has a black lab, a retired bomb sniffer.  How cool is that?

Day 198

The center of attention, just where I belong.

Day 197

Do you think I should jump in the water and go for a swim or relax on the comfy floating mattress? 

Day 196

Here are photos of my and Abram's weekend in Darien.  First, Abram gave me a swim lesson.  I really wish I had doggie water wings.  Then, off I went on my own!  Aren't I a great swimmer?  Mom thinks I look like a seal.  Arf!

Day 195

Mom had shoulder surgery on Tuesday, and she cannot walk me for a whole week.  She has to wear a sling for 4 weeks!  So, Abram is caring for me on his own. Abram and I took a road trip this weekend - see me below in the car. He was invited to Darien, Connecticut for the weekend, to visit an au pair friend, and I get to be his date.  Lucky me!  I hope they have a pool!

Day 194

I love Abram!

Day 193

This week, Eli attended marine biology camp at The Maritime Aquarium.  I got to go with Abram to pick him up!  Why don't kids attend  Dog Camp instead?  We dogs are certainly more fun than marine creatures, and we smell better too! Heck, even cats are more exciting.

Day 192

Yesterday, I got new braces.  There is no longer a metal bar spanning the roof of my mouth.  Instead, I now have caps covering my lower canines. Mom thinks I look like a vampire.  The good news is that it no longer smells like something died in my mouth - no more road kill breath!

Day 191

I got into trouble, and here's my doggie mug shot.  I was resting underneath my favorite purple chair, and Mom pulled these out of my mouth.  One wooden piece is a track from Eli's old train set.  The other is a mystery.  I was just trying to reorganize Eli's old toys, and they got caught in my teeth.  Really.  Now Mom will not allow me to hang out in the living room unattended.  Ouch.

Day 190

We had a great outdoor puppy class yesterday.  I was promoted to high school, and am now in a class with additional dogs.  Hurray for me!!  In the first photo, you can see us all lined up.  The closest dog is Gilda.  Her person just graduated from University of Delaware, and both raiser and pup moved to NYC.  The last dog in the photo is Eric.  He lives at Hartwick College in upstate NY with his person, Victoria.  She is a college student home in NYC for the summer.  The second photo is of Chiffon, a beautiful yellow lab.  She is returning to the guide dog school this week.  She will take a test called the IFT (In For Training).  If she passes that, which I am sure she will, she will continue into professional training and will live in the kennel.  I look forward to one day being a guide dog, but I am really glad that my IFT will not be for a long time, probably around February.  I am not ready to leave my family yet! Then, of course, there's me and Abram.  Aren't I good?  And finally, another snapshot of our class with the 59th Street Bridge looming overhead.  Hurray for us!!! 

Day 189

I walked the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail today with Peter and Mom.  3 miles -- I need a nap!  It's a beautiful day, and I was a very good girl.

Day 188

Here's a photo of me and my doggie Advil.  These labels are really hard to read!  The vet asked me to take these for 14 days.  If my ability to ascend steps improves while taking pain medication, then it makes sense that my hatred of steps is the result of pain.  So far, even on pain medication, I still hate steps.  Let's see how this goes...

Day 187

I had to visit the vet at guide dog headquarters today.  Remember how I told you that ML, the professional dog trainer, is concerned that my hatred of stairs may be biologically based?  In other words, I may hesitate to ascend stairs because it hurts to walk up them.  Well, today I had a full vet exam, including a flat x-ray for which I was sedated.  The vet saw a bit of bone thinning on the x-ray.  She thinks it's normal, but sent the film to the radiologist for yet another opinion.  The verdict is due next week.  In the photo below, ML is escorting me to the vet.  While Abram was at the guide dog headquarters, he took a detour to the whelping kennel.  How could he resist?  Aren't the puppies in the second photo cute?  It's hard to believe that I too was once that small.  I weigh almost 50 pounds now.  Mom calls me a moose.

Day 186

I helped Mom cook dinner tonight.  If I become a guide dog, how lucky my person will be if I learn how to cook!