Barking's Of Texas

2009 is coming to a close, and wow have I had a busy year!!! Never would I have dreamed of all the different things to come my way this year!!

Dog's Trained: 8 - Timothy, Veda, Ben, Gideon, Daniel, Ira, Hope, Dublin
Dogs Fostered: 1 - Victoria
Dog Puppy Sitting: 6 - Jordan, Eden, Lydia, Mensa, Bishop, Ben (before he became a SD)
Total Dogs this Year: 15 not counting Bubbles & Texas


Foster Pups in My Group: Yiska, Gideon, Hope Ira, Noah, Ophel, Phillip,Yoda, Zach, Bishop, Abby, Casey, Felix, Reuben, Willow.

A hard month with so many changes, I couldn't see straight. Signed up for two classes with our community college in WNC. Bubbles, Texas and I moved to TN on our own, and I started working with Wilderwood Service Dogs. My first trainee was a bouncy 1yo Retriever mix, named Timothy. He was defiantly a challenge, but I didn't feel overly intimidated by working with him.

I was home all day with this job, and bored out of my mind. No internet in my home, so I was stuck going outside, trying to find my way around an unknown city, and going to restaurants for internet. My friends really baled me out during this month, so I frequently visited their home, or went out with them. Bubbles and Texas acclimated really well to our new place (well except for Bubbles throwing up every day for the first week we were here) and we learned more about working with Mr.Tim.


Wilderwood changed our flow system, so I was traveling to our kennel facility three times a week and training pups out there. Victoria came home with me, and Gideon arrived back and left again. We baby sat Mensa for a week...then brought Hope in around the middle of the month. I'm so glad she looks so much better now!! Its hard to believe she was once so gaunt!!
November
Moved back into my position as Foster Program Manager, and working from home. Celebrated the Anniversary of the arrival of Bubbles & Texas. Went out of town for Thanksgiving, and boarded Bubbles & Texas for the first time. They got great reviews bit sigh of relief from me! Hope moved onto the last stage of her training, and we enjoyed our time with Victoria. 

A mass of dogs,work, graduation, and trips. Well and you've all read about it here. Wow is it just me or are the years getting shorter??

Looking forward to next year, I've got a lot cooking just starting in January...STAY TUNED!!!

Dear FurPals,

If someone knows, would you please mind telling me the reason for the torture, our humans call baths?? I can't figure it out, and don't know what it was I did to deserve a bath?

I'm really a very classy pup, and I rarely roll in stinky stuff like some I could name...(Texas: HEY!! MOM!??!) If I do roll, its only in something of the highest quality of smells. 


So there is really no need for a bath! Mom said something about me visiting my foster mom next week, and that I need to smell good or something. 

Seriously? 

She loves me just the way I am, so there is really no need for me to get all fancied up! *whew* But I survived, and I...uh..suppose..i smell..bEtTer..(gag)



Outings This Week
Monday mom introduced me to my service dog harness. I don't really like wearing that silly vest much, so mom was hoping that we could go ahead and move me into my vest, and me be ok with that.

Guess what? I"M NOT!!

We we were going to go see a friend's child who was playing in the Kville Youth Orchestra and it was my turn to go...whoopteedoo. Mom decided to go ahead and put my harness on about 20 minutes before we were supposed to leave.

This was my reaction:


I pouted all the way to to the Theater, and then tried to scratch it off as we walked in. Once We got settled, I went to sleep; and slept through the whole thing. Well except for the part where they were banging the drums around, but hey! I had a nap to get in, so it didn't disturb me much.


{Knoxville Youth Orchestra on stage in the grand TN Theater }
Tuesday, we were back out at the kennels for several hours, while Mom did whatever she does out there. Victoria and I just hang out in the yard for the most part, and play with whoever else gets put in with us.


{Hope and Victoria sit behind the fence in the playyard.}
When we get home, Texas is always soo happy to see us, but by this time, we are both completely zonked, and cannot even THINK about moving. So he'll sit and bark at us..but we ignore him.

Thursday, mom and I went on a long ride, to a place with lots of cars and people. She called it "college" and we walked around and went to lots of desks and then left.Good. That's over.

Or not...

Then we went to like 3 other places; I didn't really like going, since I had to where that stupid thing on my back; not only that but mom kept holding the HANDLE; which I most DEFTNTLY hated.

Boy was I glad to be back home.

Victoria went out yesterday to a play and dinner. I was happy to hang out with Texas and Bubbles at home.

So today was just "one of those days" (I seem to be having a lot of those lately) but today defiantly classifies as the worst.

First it started with me loosing my keys. I searched EVERYWHERE for them, walked up to my parents house to borrow one of their keys, but my mom how did have a key, was gone, and my dear father had also lost his key...
 My dogs of course were throwing fits due to me going in and out of the house multiple times etc.etc..

...so an hour after I was due at work, we called a friend to come pick me up and she took me on to work.

Work day, meetings, phone calls etc... the end.

My dad comes and picks me up from work, we get home, and I dash inside to let the dogs out, and check the status of my house. (I'd given my dog walker permission to leave them loose until I got back) Everything was fine, so I gathered my treat bag,(Hot Dogs!) and we stroll outside....

Well I did at least. Texas and Bubbles however had obviously been keeping an eye on the neighborhood while I was gone, and had seen that "Something was not right!"

And off they dash across the yard, barking full tilt......I called they came. Good.

Except for one thing.....they weren't the only dogs that came.

Here is where I have to stop and "yell" IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A DOG...TAKE THE TIME TO PROPERLY SOCIALIZE AND TRAIN IT! DO NOT LEAVE SAID DOG LOCKED UP OR BEHIND A FENCE 24/7.

Our company was our "lovely" neighbors dogs from across the street. Remember the accident that took away their fence? These dogs are in that fence 24/7, Rain, Cold, Sleet, Snow, Ice, Sun....

They have not had any training, they've never been outside that yard that I can tell, and they don't even interact much with their humans they live with. They are extremely aggressive behind the fence, and I knew that it wouldn't be pretty outside that.

And it wasn't.

Texas and Bubbles of course led the charge towards theses dogs, while Hope pranced around me, and Victoria ran in the opposite direction...the dogs, noticing she was the weaker took off towards her....which of course brought out my mommy instincts.

Dudes you betta back off my baby!

I yelled, they ran, I grabbed dogs, and hustled them back into the house (yesss all that obedience practice paying off here) and went to see if I could get these dogs out of the road.

Though cars were honking and flying around them, they stood and barked and wandering in the road. I couldn't just stand there and watch that happen..(no matter how much I hate these dogs). So ok, lets see if I can lure them back across the road.

The saw me charged.

I crouch, avert eyes, toss hot dogs....watching them out of the corner of my vision.

They stop at the hot dogs and then approach me. More hot dogs....which they take from my hands.

And than I make the mistake of standing up. Baaaad Move. DUH Erin you know better! Blame it on adrenaline...

They both attack. A yell sends them backwards....

I try to back off to let them know I'm not going to hurt them, but they move forward, showing their teeth.

Hmm...ok I stop, making sure never to make eye contact, yet throwing hot dogs away from me.......

After a 5 minute stand off (with no help from some folks standing watching this across the street, and no clue of a response from the owners home...)I was able to back off into my house and at least retrieve a broom.

I needed those dogs off of my property as my dogs still needed to get out. My father happened to drive down in the car at the moment, and helped to sort of herded them back across the street. Where the owner suddenly appeared and took them back in the house.

"Hi! Nice of you to join us!"

I had to make sure Texas was on leash after that since he was still pretty keyed up over the whole ordeal (That is a responsible dog owner thing to do btw)....while Hope and Victoria ran laps around the yard...

Anyway once I got back in, I looked up Animal Controls number and put them on speed dial..because they WILL be getting a call if I EVER see these dogs loose again.

Believe me.

I have too many siblings/church kids running around here to even risk another chance.

These dogs are aggressive because that's the only way they know to react; to use their only defense mechanism. So no I'm not mad at the dogs for biting me....

You know, if there were a law banning dogs left outside...vs a law banning specific breeds....I wonder if there would be a decline in dog/human aggression.

Just a thought.

I'm really proud of myself for getting completing my goal of getting both pups out and about this week!!

At the beginning of the week, Victoria went with me to a Social Media meeting at my job with UTPD. It took her a little bit to settle down, and I couldn't get her to "go in" under the table.

Hope accompanied me through Food City and Staples she seems to have some aversion to her jacket, and walked with her head and tail down the entire time. We'll need to work on boosting her self confidence. :))




Victoria got the biggest outing purely by accident; and she wasn't overly excited about it either, but she and I went to Ruby Tuesday for Lunch today. Once again we had the "go in" struggle. So this is obviously something she and I need to work on.
What was funny is that the staff thought I was blind and gave me a braille menu.

We walked through the mall; and then headed to the Sprint Store. Both places she walked nicely, though had to watch and make sure she wasn't licking peoples hands as we walked by them.

A Good Week!!

We're still here and keeping busy!! But what else is new?
Fall is here! And while were loving the great colors that brings, not so happy with all the crazy weather we've been having lately. Hot one day, cold, and rainy the next.

Poor Texas isn't very happy to see the dreaded sweaters have come back out again; I probably won't put them on him, except under extreme circumstances. He hates them and will go and hide somewhere when they are on. He'd where them all the time as a puppy and didn't seem to mind....?!?Bubbles doesn't care about the weather, but I like putting sweaters on her for fun; she doesn't mind.

Hope has settled in and is comfortable now I believe. She and Texas like to "argue" of toys a lot, but I monitor them closely. We've been to Petsmart and Panera Bread since her arrivall last week, and did very well.

Sunday they were able to get out and play with some of the church kids; while we were out there we witness an accident right in our front yard!! She didn't even startle at all the noise. We were able to gather the dogs and move into my house; Thankfully no one was hurt!!

Victoria is coming along quickly as well, today another trainer evaluated her progress and she passed with flying colors! We did have one command that she 'refused" to do, so we're going to work on that.

My Goal with the @ServicePups this week, is get them both out in stores/the community at least twice this week. Having multiple service pups is hard, especially when you are working everyday...but I'm committed to making sure these pups have the best chance possible at becoming Service Dogs.

Today was Victoria's day she and I attended at Social Media Meeting at UTKnoxville; Besides knowing their commands, an important aspect of service dog training, is teaching the puppy to behave aka be still in all situations. When the host started speaking into the microphone, she thought about talking back, but I was able to correct it before she got too loud. *phew*

But otherwise, she was in this position :)) Good Job Vicki!

Now to see if we can squeeze 3 more outings into this week...!! :)

Hope began her visit with me yesterday; when I picked her up at the Kennels and dropped Mr.Gideon off at my bosses house.

She's a really sweet dog so far (hehehe), She seems to have ball obsession similar to her sisters, she chased my brother and his football around for a while. She's got the appetite of a lab, we have had a couple accidents...but whose fault is that???
Mine.

Yeah I know. Don't rub it in.

 Ok...she is dealing with some stress so that is factored into her accidents as welll...
But its all part of the deal.

Victoria is growing in leaps in bounds, and is starting to look and feel really good; I'm technically fostering her, except I'll most likely keep her until she is ready to graduate. We write things in pencil around here so I'm not getting my hopes up.

But she's been a really great puppy, I've actually called her Midnight several times, just because she's got that same laid back temperament. She already knows : Sit, Down, Wait, Come, Look, Leave it, Turn (spin), Reset (Come and sit facing handlers position), Kennel, Her name.

We're working on: Stand, Car (she doesn't realize her back legs work)... and some others which I can't think of off the top of my heads. We're working on four commands pretty much every other week.

She loves to drag the dog beds around the house, she loves playing with Texas. She LOVES rolling around in the grass, and does it at least once a day.