Robbin Huls's Posts
Birthdays and BFF
I was planning to share photos and stories about Nessie's first birthday in my entry today. ..so I'll do that first. She really had more of a "birthday weekend". We started off the Friday before her birthday by attending a local play with another GEB puppy, Princely, an 8 month old Yellow Lab.
On Saturday she hosted a gathering of puppy friends at "the Dog Spot", a local dog training hangout. The people shared munchies (I bought those) and the dogs got home-baked biscuits and organic Yoghund frozen yogurt for dogs. There were 5 dogs in attendance: Gracie, Maeby, Paxton, Pepper and Nessie.
We love getting the dogs together. The dogs get to play and socialize with beings who really understand what they are saying and know how to engage in a good game of tug, and the people get a nicely tired puppy for the evening!
Now on to the "was planning to" rest of the story (my own small tribute to Paul Harvey who died last week at age 90)...I received the publication date for my next blog and realized that it would be posting on my friend Mary's birthday! Mary and I have been best friends since our respective schools combined in 6th grade, some years ago. We learned the American Manual alphabet so we could "talk" in math class without being caught. Our joint project won first place in the 8th grade science fair. I'm sure we spent more time together at each other's house than either of spent alone at our own. We double-dated to homecomings and proms. We were "BFFs" before texting was even thought of. Even though we only see each other once or twice a year now, we keep in touch with via phone and the occasional email and are still the first one called to share life's joys and sorrows and everything in between. So I want to share a few pictures of us growing up and wish Mary a very Happy Birthday!
Other uses for my camera
Ever since I got my first digital camera, I've used it to document and store information that has absolutely nothing to do with "photography" in the general aesthetic sense. I used to keep a tiny spiral notebook to track information about my pictures: camera settings used, location, SPELLING of locations, etc. Well, the new digital cameras take good care of the picture settings so I no longer have to worry about noting that, and a scrapping friend taught me to document locations (and spellings!) by taking pictures of signs and placards as they relate to the stories in my pictures. I've been using this quite a bit as I do ancestry research. Several of my ancestors were buried in this cemetery and I was able to send my great-great-grandma's German obituary to an online friend for translation.
I use pictures to communicate problems to others via email. From things like the weird growth that puppy Paxton had on his lip (a harmless virus) to the door knob that froze in the latch open position (with the door closed - it was the first time I used a "sawz-all") to the candles that were "burning funny" to the cat toy that Nessie swallowed (the first day she was home with me!) It's so much clearer than trying to explain in words.
I also like to use my digital camera to capture some of the DIY stuff I do around the house. If I'm taking something apart that I can't put back together immediately, a picture is worth more than 1000 words when I return to the project. Especially if one of the cats has decided to re-arrange the parts! It used to be that most of my DIY projects were technically inclined (plumbing, computer, building things) but I've recently begun making herbal preparations and home cleaning products so I'm sure my uses of photography will expand as well. One of my favorite how-tos with pictures is this "Make Your Own Laundry Soap" entry.
Most recently, I learned how to change the brakes on my Jeep. A friend showed me how to do the passenger side, and I did the driver side. As he showed me each step, I took a picture so that I'd remember - not so much for the other side, but for the next time when I would do both sides *gulp* by myself! When we got to the driver side, we found that one of the bolts had been stripped and I had to use a helicoil kit to restore the threads. Partly because I hope to never have to do that again, and partly because my hands were too dirty to touch the camera, I didn't take pictures. I do highly recommend stretching yourself every so often to try something outside your comfort zone. I walked around for days feeling like a kid that just learned how to ride my first two-wheeler - "I did it myself"!
What "non-traditional" uses have you found for your camera?
It's a Small World
While I know that the internet makes the Earth a much smaller place (and really it's not all that big in the grand scheme of things, but that's a much longer post!), I was surprised as just how small this one blog made it for me.
In April I picked up Nessie from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I knew her dam (mother) because "Kyrie" was raised Monroe county by my friend, Mary, but the only thing I knew about her sire (father) was his name, "Zodiac", and that he came from Guide Dogs for the Blind in California. I asked at the GEB Breeding Center if they had a picture of Zodiac that I could use when taking Nessie on school visits. But Nessie is a "pup-cicle" (the result of cryogenics) so Zodiac never visited GEB. Since Guiding Eyes is more concerned with health and temperament than looks for potential guide dogs, they didn't have a picture of him to share.
Fast forward to my "Welcome, Nessie" post in July. A few weeks after it posted, I received a comment from a woman named Barb who said that she had raised Zorba, Zodiac's brother, for GDB. She had seen Nessie's picture on the Guiding Eyes "Glimpses" page, googled Nessie and found us on the Kodak blog!
Barb then sent my name to Susan, the woman who raised Zodiac, and Susan responded with Zodiac's story and pictures. How cool is that?! A picture of puppy Zodiac shows the same little white "soul patch" that Nessie and Nanook both sport. I think I even see it in Zorba's adult picture.
Baby Zodiac on the left. On the right is adult Zorba relaxing at home. Zorba is a "sable" and doesn't have the defined black and tan that many think of as the standard German Shepherd Dog markings.
Zodiac was stockier (and fuzzier!) as a puppy than his daughter, but Nessie seems to have inherited his "ham" gene!
Zodiac in his puppy coat, and in a lighter moment at class.
Zorba was released from training for a medical problem and is back at home with Barb in Arizona. Zodiac graduated from GDB this summer and is a working guide dog in California.
Zodiac relaxing on the deck, and Zorba hiking with Barb.
Can you see a family resemblance?
Zodiac (L) and Kyrie (R).
Nessie
A Difficult Decision
On July 30th, nearly 4 months after he went in for guide dog training, I got "the call" that Paxton had been released from guide dog training. Our local coordinator called me at work, so there I sat in front of my computer, crying and sniffling. That was the beginning of my grieving process after having a puppy released from training. Twenty-one months of work and hopes was now detoured and Paxton was off on a new life path.
After 4 months of training, the wheezing in harness, noted on his first month's evaluation was diagnosed as "soft trachea", a condition that is under investigation by guide dog agencies. It is believed to be genetic. There is no medical or surgical treatment. It doesn't shorten their lifespan or limit most activities in any way, he just can't have pressure on his neck or chest. Unfortunately the pull required in harness for a guide dog to communicate with his partner is too much for him.
I was faced with the decision I did not want to have to make. I was able to say goodbye once, but now his fate was back in my hands. I decided to have him evaluated by the Connecticut State Police, an agency that often employs released dogs from GEB. He would be a detection dog, living with his handler's family and going to work daily with his officer/handler. The CSP evaluator decided that this career was also not for Paxton.
I was not looking to add a pet dog to the family, but when it came right down to it how could I say goodbye again to those big brown eyes and sloppy pink tongue that I'd grown to love over our 18 months together? The only "con" for me was that he could no longer come to work with me and I knew that it would tear my heart a little bit each day when I put Nessie (or future puppies) into the car and left Paxton behind.
After several days of thought and prayer and talking to friends (many of whom offered to take him for doggie daycare some days a week; a couple who offered him "day jobs"!), and discussions with Guiding Eyes about other potential adopters for him (there is a several year waiting list to adopt adult released dogs), I was still somewhat torn about what would be best for him. In the end I let my heart lead my head and had him return home to me! (okay, who scrolled ahead to see what I decided?! *grin*)
The squeaky chicken is a favorite!
I think it was the right decision. Paxton didn't miss a beat when we arrived at home and (after getting a lick on the head from Washington, the cat who thinks he's a dog) ran to the toy box and pulled out his favorite squeaky chicken. He and Nessie ran around the house for several hours before we finally got to bed at midnight. He's been very good at teaching Nessie to share and giving her more confidence around other boisterous dogs.
Enjoying a rousing game of tug.
And while he still runs to the car after our last outing in the morning, and is very excited when he does get to go in the car, he is also quite happy to come in and get a stuffed bone before I leave with Nessie. Like most dogs, he quickly adapted his body clock and naps during the day, even when I am home. He is now a "Canine Good Citizen" and has passed the Therapy Dogs International, Inc. certification test. We also started agility training and he's learning things that he wasn't allowed to do as a guide dog puppy in training (for example "shake hands" which it seems nearly everyone wants a dog to do!).
Nessie needed a little reminding of where to go during dinner, but they both settled quickly into place under my chair.
Nessie is growing like a weed and although she is a little ways from Paxton's 60 pounds, she is nearly as tall as him. She (and probably not coincidentally, her brother Nanook) hit their puppy adolescence (and all that goes with it) a few weeks ago so the timing couldn't have been better to have a "helping paw" to supplement the extra patience required of me to get through this stage!!
I had to laugh and grab the camera when I saw Nessie follow Paxton into the little crate.
Nessie seems to be telling Paxton "No, seriously, if you move your paw over a little we can both fit in here!"
Since much of my blogging about Paxton was about the new experience of raising a guide dog puppy, I'm having a little difficulty in coming up with something new to tell you about her (even dogs have 2nd child syndrome???) so please let me know in the comments what you'd like to hear about Nessie!
Around 8 p.m. they both settle for the night, sometimes on opposite ends of the same bone, with one last romp before we all head up to bed.
Welcome Nessie!
And yes, it's finally time to introduce Nessie! My friend Celeste is raising her brother, Nanook, in Rochester. They were the only two pups in the litter and still love to play together!
Robbin and Nessie with Celeste and Nanook
At Guiding Eyes for the Blind
It was a quiet 2 ½ weeks between dogs. I got a lot done around the house, but I was soon ready to have a puppy again. For her first week with me, I was able to work mostly from home, all the better to housetrain, a definite pre-requisite for bringing her to work!!
Hanging out in the kitchen.
Taking over the cat's shelf!
Nessie got to come to the office earlier than Paxton did. This time I didn't have to wait for all the paperwork to make it through channels, we just updated all of the signatures for Nessie's time here. For her first week at Kodak we stayed mostly in my office so she wasn't overwhelmed, but gradually we have moved out and toured most of the building and are beginning to explore the local neighborhood.
Taking a break from socializing.
The first question people asked used to be "How can you give them up?", now it's "How does Nessie compare to Paxton?" Besides being different breeds and different genders, they are two quite unique individuals. So let me tell you a bit about Nessie and you can compare her to what you know about Paxton!
Nessie is a social butterfly. She loves people and being petted and cooed over. While this would be a very big distraction for a guide dog, it does make a great "real-life reward" in training. Some of my work with Nessie will be to help her develop some self-control and learn to balance work and play... She also likes other dogs, especially "Bean", Celeste's Newfoundland.
Hey, big guy!
Nessie is very ticklish! While she enjoys "getting dressed" (we do lots of body handling with the puppies), scratching a spot on her chest will cause one front leg to cross over and the opposing back leg to scratch the air. Scratching her tummy can cause both back legs to pedal the air!
Dress-up time at puppy class.
Nessie "moos"! We were visiting a friend's house and Nessie was sleeping on my lap. Sharon said "They should have named her 'Bessie', she sounds like a cow!" German Shepherd Dogs are known for their wide range of vocalizations - a.k.a. "talking" and Nessie is no exception. She's quite chatty when awake, and when she sleeps she moans and moos, as if she's even talking in her sleep.
One thing they definitely have in common - she's growing like a weed!
It's time to give the cat back his shelf!
You can see more pictures of Nessie on "her" GEB Monroe web page.
Paxton update: I've received three report cards for Paxton so far. He is in phase two of training and doing well. He's learning proper right and left turns, to walk quickly up to and stop with his toes on the curb at down curbs, and walk briskly in a straight line when crossing streets. There is also a note that he is preparing for preliminary blindfold - I wonder if the trainers wear elbow and knee pads and helmets in this phase?!
Full Circle
I returned Paxton to Guiding Eyes for the Blind on April 6th, so he could settle in before his IFT (In For Training) test on April 8th. For those of you who wondered "how can you do it?" - I cried so hard I thought I would have to pull the car over, I cried off and on most of the rest of the day, while reading books about Guide Dogs, and watching a movie about a Guide Dog (all courtesy of the Staff House at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where I was able to stay for the weekend). For the very first time, a small part of me thought "maybe he'll fail his test and I can just take him home"!
On Monday morning, I walked to the Breeding and Whelping Kennel to volunteer for the day. I helped to clean the kennels, feed the puppies, and take down and clean the crates and exercise pens from the Home Socializers who were returning puppies from their home visits. While I was there, my next (potential) puppy was with her brother in an x-pen in the main room, their first foray out of the whelping kennel. So in between each task I got to play with, pet and hold the German Shepherd Dog puppies! Next to them in another exercise pen was a litter of cute little fluff balls, some call them Golden Retrievers! All of this puppy exposure really helped to begin mending my heart. In case you don't know it, puppy breath has wonderful healing properties!
By Monday night I was able to go out to dinner with some other raisers without crying in my soup! Since the test on Tuesday was not until 11:00, I went back to the kennels in the morning to help them with morning chores and get a little more puppy breath to tide me over. Nessie and Nanook had gone off for their first home socialization visit on Monday night, but there are always puppies at the whelping kennel.
I agonized while driving back to the training school. Should I see Paxton after his test? Would it confuse him? Would it make the parting easier or more difficult? I finally decided that if they offered it to us, it couldn't be too bad for the dogs. Paxton was in the first group to be tested and he seemed distracted by the dog next to him (who I found out later was his new "kennel buddy") but he passed! Afterwards he was brought in and was happy to see me, but was also excited to visit with the other dogs in the room. He was brought back to the kennels and later I went to see him one more time. He was again happy to see me, but kept running back to pounce on his buddies. It's hard to explain, but always before when I'd left him, he was ready to go home when I returned. Now he was ready to stay. It made me feel so much better! And I'm really happy that he passed and is doing what he was born to do!
On my return home, I gave a ride to a retired guide dog, a black and tan Lab named Kahlua. His partner was unable to keep him after retirement, so he was returning to his raiser. We arrived at the Thruway exit where I was to meet Ami. I took Kahlua out on a long line to play fetch for a while after the long ride. Ami arrived and got out of her car. All she said was "hey, you" and Kahlua took off like a shot! Even after years of loving and helping someone else, the dogs remember their raisers - the full circle in one roller-coaster weekend!
Almost 3 weeks later, I returned to GEB with my friend Celeste to watch the puppy tests of Nessie and Nanook. We volunteered at the kennel, attended graduation for 3 of our Monroe Region dogs and came home with our new puppies on Saturday! Get ready for another year or so of puppy stories!
