Last Updated on: 4th May 2016, 09:32 am
Wow, I’m up early. It’s 7:15 and I’m all done.
I found out Babs likes socks. I’ve been leaving my socks out by my shoes…and well one of my socks ran away, to her bed, and inherited some dog slime. I had to go find it and bring it back. At least she didn’t chew a hole in it. That’s really funny…and the whole time I’m looking for the sock she stole, she’s just rolling around all innocent and stuff.
It seems today was the day all the dogs, well most of them, revealed hidden tallents. Amy stole Margery’s whole coin purse…and that thing doesn’t look easy to steal, and Willow revealed that she likes to chew leather, specifically her leash! Chewed it so badly that he needs a new one! I think this morning instructor Tim speaks to upper management about the vet thing with Babs’s lump on her
chest. Really worried about what the news will be. I’m so attached to
her that I couldn’t get another dog if it was that bad, but I’m afraid of
how much it will all cost…and what it is. God I should stop thinking about
it. It can’t be that serious because I press on it and she doesn’t
flinch so it can’t be that sore.
But then I learned Babs didn’t let me know when she hurt.
Anyway, maybe I should start the journey to the breakfast table. then we all have to scoot like crazy people to take our dogs to busy, we all get in the big van and we get our I.d’s done. me and my woof. Together in a passport picture.
Sometimes we have the funniest conversations at the breakfast table. Student Tim says that there was a student in the class he was in the first time that swore that a dog got named Goodscrew. We just laugh and say “come, goodscrew” and all fall over laughing at how funny that would sound. And there was this other guy who always would repeat things that student Tim rides with on the handi-transit in Winnipeg. Apparently one day he just kept saying, “clean it Bill.” and singing about sugardaddies. So now all we have to say is “Clean it Bill!” and we all start laughing.
There was a reason I opened this. Oh yeah, we finally put our own harnesses on the dogs. We’ve been using his harness because it was nice and soft and stuff, but today we get the pictures taken and then we put the reflective sleeves on the harnesses and from now on we bring our own harnesses to the walks. Wow, heehee. One step closer to Babs being my guide woof!
And that was weird too. Why wouldn’t we want to work in our own harnesses for as long as possible before we went home?
Today we get our pictures taken, then we do a short walk, come back for lunch, and then in the afternoon we go out again and then we have dinner and then we go out to a pub. Should be interesting. Got my money…money to pay instructor Tim back for the battery and then money for my photo. Don’t know if we’ll get a colour picture or black and white. It’s just an ID. but should I go colour? I dunno. Later.
Oh boy. What a day. Went out in the morning with our own harnesses, and got our pictures done. We got on this bench so you and the dog sat together. Then you put your arm around the dog and they snapped the picture so your head and the dog’s head are both in the picture. That was the cutest thing. We had to take two of Babs because she tried to look away. Camera shy I see.
Then we sit in the van, and one by one we all go on this walk. It goes well, pretty flawlessly…except my legs hurt like a mo fo and I don’t know why. I had to keep focused on the dog to just keep going so I didn’t feel the pain as much. I don’t know why. That was kinda weird. But the walk ended in a really neat way. At the end of the walk, he let me keep the handle! heehee! I have a complete harness now. Complete with handle! Wow! Coolness right there.
So we come back for lunch, and then I groom her. Then I read for a while and take her out to busy and then we go on our afternoon walk, suburban walks…in the places with no sidewalks so you have to walk in the street. Eek that was scary. You have to keep checking to make sure you are actually close to the side curb. Then we came back and did the usual routine and ate supper.
At supper, I found out that this dude who my parents know who has a dog actually called to say hi to me. That’s way cool!
Then after supper, instructor Tim took us out to a little pub place. That was fun. But we had to keep our dogs in check because they all wanted to lick the floor, especially mine! And who shows up to sit with us? Scary Jane! I don’t know, but tonight she seemed extra scary. In my head I kept hearing her saying, “off ya go! Off ya go! Chop chop!” like she used to say when she was my instructor. Gave me the chills. Man she’s busy, she has 2 retired dogs and one career change dog, that’s the flowery way of saying they didn’t make it.
At least at GDB, career change does mean they may do a different career. It didn’t seem that way in Ottawa.
Tomorrow should be really interesting. We get to ride the bus in the morning, and then the afternoon, we get to play with cars as Sharon says..so they drive at you and you see what the dog does, or something. Something along those lines. And guess who’s apprenticing for this school to be a trainer? Ben Francis. That name ring any bells to anyone? Bryan Francis? Yup. He used to work for Ottawa, and now he’s gone to San Rafael, and now his son is apprenticing here!
So yeah that’s tomorrow. My poor thing is flopped out on her bed…and I didn’t get to her obedience. Well crap. I meant to, but ran out of time. Oh well, I guess I’ll just do it tomorrow.
I’m still waiting for news about the lump. Student Tim said something really scary. What if they say I cannot finish training with her? What then? What if I have to wait for another dog? Oh it will break my heart in two. But this is coming from student Tim, who appears to be the eternal pessimist. Cross your fingers, please?
Well, he was right. What if? It would have been better to leave training than to have what happened happen.
Well I should probably get going, must run down and check email. It’s late and I don’t want to be at the computer long. My poor beast is dead to the world. I don’t want to drag her down there. Poor thing.