November 1

So its 3:00 AM on November 1st, the day I leave for Oregon to train for 2 weeks with my new guide dog.

I decided to stay up all night, as I need to leave for the airport at like 4:00 AM, thus sleeping and possibly not waking up via my biological clock was not really a chance worth taking.

I fly from Ottawa to Detroit, have a layover there, and then head to Oregon, getting in to Oregon at 11:30 AM their time, which would make it 2:30 PM back in Ontario.

Guess you could say I picked a bad day to decide to end it staying up instead of going to bed, lets see: Packing for my trip, exercising Luther, packing Luther’s stuff for his trip to Tara’s, running for an hour and almost dying in the process, and then if that’s not enough deciding at the last minute to go to a Halloween party one of my friends was hosting.

Needless to say, right now I’m just full of energy. Should probably go vacuum my house while the idea of doing that is still kinda appealing.

Has anybody out there ever vacuumed their house at, hmmm let me see, 3:08 AM?.

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Random Musings

So it really sucks when your bag does not make it to its final destination with you. They say it should make it here tonight, but I’ve had experience with this “screwed up, pain in the ass” situation and am not holding out much hope.

On a more positive note, the tread mill here is really good, better than the one I use at home. It would mark the first time I’ve ever ran in jeans, should be interesting!

I’ve always wondered why I get flagged by customes at the airport everytime I go to travel to the US.
I have a British passport, but come on, last time I checked, the Brits and Yanks were on good terms.
I get the third degree, made to sit in a room off to the side of customes while some moron goes through every inch of my travel history for the last 28 years of my life to insure I’m not the next blind terrorist from hell!

So back to the bag not making it ramble. The entire situation was caused by our flight from Ottawa to Detroit leaving an hour late, leaving us with limited time to make our connection. It is kinda funny that we made the connection but the bag did not. Another guy is in the same situation as I am, so that makes me feel better.

Heres the kicker, the plane was delayed while the powers that be tried to figure out how to decrease its weight. Yes we were too heavy.
Wait a minute, the plane was only half full! This leaves me with a 2-pronged hypothesis:
- Some people had really, really, really heavy luggage
- Some people onboard our aircraft, weighed as much as the aircraft!

A good thing about this flip flop when it comes to the Oregon time change, is that I gain an additional 3 hours, which means I get to indulge in an extra meal, how cool is that?

On the majority of the 4-hour flight from Detroit to Portland, I was consumed with the task of putting together the “boy you’ve got enormous shoes to fill” speech to lay upon the ears of my new 4-legged Oregon Orio.
In the past when I’ve had to give speeches, I’ve written stuff down that I thought prudent, but ended up just winging it off the cuff.

Oh did i mention why I love flying on flights not in Canada? Yes you only have to hear all that safety shit once. Yes you only have to hear all that safety shit once.

November 2

So day 2 has come and i am still bagless! I do not mean that in the way that some people reading this might assume trust me!

Today is a momentus day none the less, as it is “DOG DAY” for me!

So As I was pouring my morning coffee, I get the great news that my bag, the one i’ve been worshiping for a safe return from God knows where, has indeed made it to Portland! Coffee and a bag of clean clothes = a very happy meeeeeeeee!

I ran in boxers this morning, at 4:00 AM. Yes I did, you know I did!

I get my pooch in less than 5 hours, and now I can safely say I’m excited. Love ya Luuuuuuuuu!

So I was told that I would be getting a Yellow Lab, but instead, I actually got a little black one!

His name is Lars, and he is adorable!

They brought him in and he gave me a quick lick before taking off to persue more interesting things.

He is a lot smaller than Luther when I got him 8 years ago. He also seems a lot more of a handful, ahaha.

November 3

Today is off to a good start for me and ma boy Lars.

I got up at 4, yeah the time change is effecting me still, and went for a really good run considering the time of day.

Lars is about to embark on a healthy bowl of breakfast, and I am about to indulge myself in a pot of coffee.

We, meaning Lars and I will be introduced to each other from the guiding perspective this morning as we travel into town for our first official workout as a team.

He is a very small dog, heck I know people half my size with larger dogs that Lars, but I get the impression from him that he is very quick which is what I am after in a guide pooch.

If all goes the way i would like it too, I’ll have pics of Lars up on here by the end of today…
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So our first walk was not as productive as I thought It would be.

A lot of aspects of guide work are different with a smaller dog, a fact that I will need to get used to quickly.

The first walk is never perfect when a new dog and a new handler are thrown together.

In my case, I am not used to a small dog that pulls like a bitch, and Lars is not used to the way I function alongside him.

This afternoon we were already 10 times better in the way we operated as a team.

Its kinda a case of getting to know the left hand from the right when you’ve always thought of them as opposite.

As each day passes, I expect that we will just further jell as a team and be ready to take on the world when we leave in 2 weeks.

November 4

So I found out that Lars is the only one of his litter that has successfully completed guidedog training. He has a few bros and sisses, lol, but they are yet to graduate. Ha Ha Ha

This morning we will embark on a “bus to lounge” route, where the bus takes us to a place probably 6 blocks from the down town lounge and then we navigate our dogs to the destination. This route is usually relatively easy.
This morning we worked in a residential area of Portland.

Lars and I are improving as a team everytime we work together, and this morning was no different.

He is a very fast dog, and when that is combined with me needing to adjust the way I walk with a dog due to an apparent change in guide work positioning, it takes a little getting used too.

This afternoon, we did our “bus to lounge.”

It went rather well with Lars needing to only rework one crossing.

He is already beginning to follow me around, a fact that I find cute.

He also has this way of playing with his bone that I have not seen with Luther before.

He likes to bring it to my feet and drop it, only to snap it up and take off when I reach for it. Oh to be a puppy!

November 5

Today Lars and I tackle buses and trains. I won’t be using train travel as a way to get around too often, but I’m here, the opportunity is being offered so why not take it?

Lars is a pretty funny dog. For a little dog he sure does have a savage groul.

One of the instructors burst into my room yesterday when we were playing, fearing for my life because of his gutteral snarl:) Its all good however, I still have all ten toes, fingers and another very important other part which I value greatly.

So this morning, we went to a mall in Portland and tackled the big bad escalator.

Lars was very comfortable riding the moving stairs, almost too eager sometimes.

It is still weird for me, to be working such a small dog. He just trots along, tail out behind him, head up, very, very alert and very motivated by voice.

So this afternoon, we tackled the train and bus, both of which Lars worked through and on flawlessly.

We, after only 6 workouts are beginning to figure each other out a little pertaining to pace, and clearance room and have progressed significantly well since Monday’s initial workout.

Its funny to think of Lars compared to Luther when Lu was 20 months of age.

Its so long ago now, that comparing them while they both were at school with me is not easy to do as I forget a lot of Luther’s time here.

From what I can remember, getting used to Luther’s pace was hard, similarly it is hard for me to get used to Lars.

Lu seemed to slow down a little bit as class progressed, we’ll see if the same holds true for Lars.

Lars with out a doubt, has a harder pull in harness than lu did, but Lu was a much bigger dog so maybe his size absorbed his pull.

One thing is definitely different, Lars trots along with his tail out straight behind him, while Lu’s tail has always been sorta hanging with a bit of a hook at the end.

November 6

So this morning, Lars, myself and my classmates head off to Portland.

This mornings goal is to navigate a busy down town area, much busier than the one we have been working in for the last few days.

The route we are given, will be full of curious people, obsticles such as venders, pillars, and other annoying inconveniences, and the occasional planned dog distraction.

Speaking of dog distractions, one of our instructors brought in her German Shepherd dog yesterday and sat her right outside the dining room door! Poor Lars just could not resist the urge to resort to his puppy days, hahahaha.

I am feeling better and better about Lars’ work, we’ve come a lonnnnnnnng way since Monday.

In Portland, He did great, aside from a few booboos, and we are continuing to progress nicely as a team.;

This afternoon, we “free lanced” from our down town lounge to a bagel place, also with a few little hickups, but nothing drastic.

Our best workout to date, came in the evening. It was the first chance for us to work our dogs at night, and the very first workout at night the dogs have ever done.

Working at night is totally different than working out during the day, as the dogs are more keen and eager to operate at a high level.

It is also different for people who have a little sight, due to them not being able to used it at night time.

Lars and I worked very, very well during this route, by far the best route we’ve had since we began working together.

November 7

Today Lars and I head back to Portland to continue our work in the city.

We will be spending time working stairs, both up and down, and just traversing busy streets to further allow us to figure each other out.

This afternoon, we do traffic checks.

Traffic checks are fun to do, if the dog does them correctly.

They basically involve you crossing a controled street, with a “hybrid car” coming at you. This is done to give the dog the opportunity to react accordingly - whether it be to push you to the side, simply back you up, or speed up to get past.

If this does not develop the trust factor in your dog, nothing will.

Well our traffic checks were excellent, and I made it to “Jazzy Bagle” in one piece, although this damn white Hybrid kept getting in our way and trying to side swipe us:)

One time, it came right at us, and Lars, being the little hybrid avoider that he is, stopped and shot straight backward. We are trained to move with our dogs with they make sudden moves like this, and luckily for me, Lars saved me from sure “death by hybrid grill!”

November 8

Today, we have goal meetings in the morning, in which we talk about taking our dogs home and fun stuff like that.

This afternoon, we have an independent route, which is when we get dropped off at our lounge and can go whereever we want, either as a group, or individually.

For our independent route, I tagged along to a busy part of town to do some shopping, only to find out that my bank card does not work here for some reason, will have to figure that out ASAP.

Lars worked really well, despite the fact that it was actually unseasonably hot in the afternoon.

November 9

Today is a day off for us and our dogs.

I took Lars over to the free run paddock this morning, last night also actually now that I remember.

He loves it over there as it is a chance for him to run and run and run without a leash or a person nagging him to do stuff lol.

It is otherwise an easy day for us, and a chance for the dogs to wind down for a day before we resume activities tomorrow.

November 10

So today we launch the last week of our guide dog training program, and begin the day in an older neighbourhood, working in areas with narrow sidewalks, lots of obsticles, and lots of woofy dogs to distract our pooches.

Yesterday afternoon, I worked Mr. Lars through an “overhead” obsticle course.

Overheads, are obsticles that are over the heads of the dogs, but not necessarily us. Examples of overheads would be hanging tree limbs and branches, car mirrors, etc.

Lars, was the best in the class when it came to this obsticle course, and I can say that I am bruise free.

Its funny to work with him now, because I’m beginning to figure him out a little better. He’ll race along, eager to perform the next task, and once performed he’ll look up at me as if to say, “see, told ya I was good!”

I also managed to track down his “puppy raisers” via their blog which I came across on the weekend. Turns out, they keep a blog, and have lots of Lars posts from when they raised him.

They will be coming to grad on Saturday so I will get to meet them, Lars will get to see them again, and I will be able to properly thank them for the work they put into raising him.

Yesterday’s trip to hawthorn went really good.

Lars was attentive for 99% of the time, and if it wasn’t for a very brave kitty cat, we would’ve been perfect.

His work inside a grocery store was also really, really good as he showed the ability to be patient, which is sometimes hard to do for a faster pacing dog.

The afternoon, saw us being introduced to clicker training, using a fake dog for practice.

Clicker training basically for those who do not know boils down to 1 very simple rule - When the dog hears a click, he gets a reward.

This method of training can be very helpful when you want to teach your dog certain little tasks such as finding something that you need to find when traveling - light posts, benches, escalators, free chairs, etc.

November 11

This morning, we travel to a part of town that has no sidewalks and work our dogs there.

They have been trained to stick to the left side of the road in areas where there are no sidewalks, thus without saying this is a very important aspect of their training.

Lars did very well with this workout, only making a few little booboos.

In the afternoon, we put our clicker training into practice, teaching our dogs to locate a chair.

Lars caught on very quickly to this exercise, earning lots of clicks and lots of kibble!

We also had our last vet checks, and learned a little about our pup’s history.

Lars had the typical little medical issues as a puppy but nothing to write home about.

Tonight we had our last night route, and Lars also worked this flawlessly.

He is however, developing a little phobia of sitting on the right side of our bus, the side that has no traction stuff on the floor. I think the lack of traction maybe why he is not liking that specific side, and this is something we will be working on with him over the next few days to try to fix up.

November 12

Only 3 days of formal class training left and we are done!

This morning, Lars and I will go down town and do some clicker training.

When traveling down town wherever you are, knowing where traffic light polls are can be useful and Lars and I will tackle this interesting mystery.

This afternoon, we go as a group to PetSmart to look around. I’m not really into this trip but oh well, Lars will most definitely be up for the occasion.

So on our clicker workout down town, I trained Lars to find the traffic light pole, something that can come in handy to those of us unable to see where they are.

He picked this up very quickly and had me at the pole, within only a few times of me showing it to him.

This afternoon, the rain continued to pour as it did all day today. Our trip to PetSmart was very, very wet indeed; the dogs were soaked, as were their owners.

Lars was a bit sniffy, but what dog isn’t in a “pet store?”

November 13

So the rain has let off, just in time for us to work our dogs indoors, damn it!

This morning we travel to the airport to practice working our dogs through airport security.

This gives us a chance to explain to the security staff the best way to handle people with dogs when they come through, and gives those who do not have airport plus dog experience the chance to learn what it is like.

The airport was pretty uneventful, which is just the way one likes it to be.

In the afternoon, we went to a really busy part of Oregon, an area of blocks and businesses on the verge of the interstate.

This area was very, very busy with a very high traffic volume and lots of loud noise to distract the dogs.

Lars worked beautifully, I was very impressed with him and how he approached the route we took.

Tomorrow, we head off to the mall for our shopping trip.

November 14

Final day of guide work before graduation!

This morning we packed up and headed to the mall to spend all of Lars’ money.

We did spend quite a bit, but, the important thing is, we had fun doing it!

As is becoming customary, Lars worked beautifully in the busy mall, showing patients when he needed too, and hauling it when the chance was afforded him.

This afternoon, we had our final class lecture in which we received a binder full of information pertaining to our dogs, and the school in general.

Tomorrow we graduate with our dogs, a ceremony which will be my second.

I got my first dog, a big Yellow named Luther back in 2001, and having just retired him this last August, find myself on the verge of graduating with a dog his opposite in size, appearance and guiding style.

The first few days working with Lars were kinda troublesome due to the relative unfamiliarity that we had with each other. Now that we have had a chance to figure each other out, I can safely say that we are well on the way to becoming one.

He, meaning Lars, is a great little dog with a supersized heart and I trust him to the max, which is a necessary challenge for any blind person to overcome if them and their dog are to operate as a successful dog/handler team.

Luther I’m coming home…. with a little house guest!

November 17

So today is Monday, Lars’ first day at his new home in Ottawa Ontario.

The last 2 days have been a bit of a whirlwind for Lars and I, but like the little champ he is, he took it all in stride.

Our graduation was fun and sad for me, but Lars sure had fun!

I’ve never seen a dog spaz out the way he did when he saw his puppy raisers!

He was a little black whirling durvish firball!

He jumped, spun, whirled and twirled for more than 5 minutes straight, saying hi to various familiar faces, not stopping to catch a breath!

Upon exhausting himself, he flopped down to chew a bone that one of his raisers brought for him.

The actual ceremony also went good. It was a little sad for me, excepting Lars when I have a dog at home who is 100% physically able to guide but lacks mentally in some aspects that are of importance to my lifestyle when it comes to guide work.

After the ceremony, the rest of the day was spent packing up for the trip home, and preparing Lars for a day of flying.

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Sunday, yesterday went about as well as could be expected really.

Lars, relieved when I asked him too, had a bit of anxiety on the first flight from Portland to Chicago, thoroughly enjoyed our layover in Chicago because he got to go outside twice, was an angel on the flight from Chicago to Ottawa, and still had enough energy to scope out my house upon our arrival. Good boy Lars!

Tomorrow, my retired guide, my “wise” Luther will join the fray, an interesting moment for sure in not only my life, but Lars’ and Luther’s lives also.

Lars and I, have already had 2 mini workouts today, both really easy routes and both routes where failing for him is not really an option, a fact that makes it really easy for us both to feel confident on day one of total independence.

November 18

Yesterday evening, Lars and I took the bus to track practice.

He was pretty brave I must say, despite hitting his harness on the railing of one bus when getting on, and being a tad bit nervous of getting on the next bus.

At the track, I put him in an office away from everybody so he would be alone and it would be quiet for him.

I’d like to eventually bring him into the actual track with me, so he can see me and know for sure that I am ok and will be coming back but too much too soon with a lot of eager people around wanting to pet him.

We had 2 really good play sessions yesterday, which is really good for Lars as it is a great chance for him to get out nervous energy and stress that I’m sure has built up over the last few days.

Today, I get my Luther back, and the 2 will meet for the first time!

Today, Lars and I did 2 workouts, both to the same destination, but we took a different route each time to get there.

I really like mixing up routes, to insure that the dog, Lars in this case does not become bored with the same rout over and over.

November 19

So I got my Luther back yesterday, all of him!

I say that because he came back to me, a lot bigger than he was when I left!

This as you might guess, does not sit well with me. Poor Lu will lose his new found chub, and I’ll lose a doggy sitter to boot.

As for the meeting of Luth and Lars, it was uneventful, the best kind of meeting.

The usual “doggy handshake” took place, and not much else really.

Lu today is off to my sister and laws’ work for the day, and Lars and I are chillin at home, after our trip for morning coffee.

November 20

So the rest of yesterday was pretty uneventful for Luther, Lars and I.

Luther had a great day at Colleens’ workplace, Lars and I tackled our first night route since we’ve been home, the pups, Lars and my neighbor’s guide dog Wilhelm got a great play session in, and all went to bed happy and tired.

Today, Lars and I did the usual coffee run in the morning, and I worked him on some buses this afternoon to see if he had forgotten about that big bad harness incident on Monday.

Turns out he has not, but with a lot of reassurance, we managed to get him to hop on the second bus we took without anymore concern, gotta love food rewards!

I also, took big bad Luther down for a coffee, to get him out of the house and make him feel important. I used my cane and had him heel beside me. Cant really use his harness even if I wanted too, as he has put on weight as mentioned above and it won’t fit him:(

November 23

Friday saw us make our usual treck to our coffee shop in the morning for coffee, Lars this time got to ride in my girlfriend’s jeep, he sat on the floor at my feet.

I worked him home, and we introduced him to a shortcut to get to my house that involves some “off roading.”

In the evening, we took Luth and Lars to the place where we sometimes run, left them in the car, went for a run, came back and took them for a half hour walk.

Lars loved his walk, and needed to be corrected on a couple of occasions for over zelisness, lol. He has so much energy, I love it!

After our run, we introduced Lars to Nathalie’s cats. Newsflash, Larsie Warsie is “not a cat person!”

He at first, was afraid to go into the apartment, then he “high-tailed” it up on the couch to get away from them!

He settled down eventually, but always had one eye on the kitties, to make sure they never got to close to him without him having time to relocate.

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Saturday we left the boys, Lu and Lars at home, away from the prying eyes of cat times 3 while we went to track.

Came back to a house still intact, “Lars is on tiedown when I leave him alone.”

In the afternoon, we did some driving around with the boys in the car to do some errands, both handled their car rides very well indeed.

Pretty uneventful evening. Lars began warming up to furry fuzzballs, and thoroughly enjoyed a good chomp on his bone.

Today, Sunday was a pretty laid back day.

Boys did not get up to anything too exciting today, being Sunday and all. Pretty relaxing for them. Pretty good way to end week one of Lars Bar’s Canadian experience.

November 25

So yesterday, Lars and I did the usual coffee run, and then he and Luther Actually played together for a bit!

Luther does not usually play with other dogs too much, he likes dogs, but would rather just watch or eat grass, lol.

In the afternoon, Lars and I made the trek to track, and he was much calmer both on buses, and at the actual dome where I train.

I actually brought him inside the track with me, as opposed to leaving him in an office. I think he liked that a lot better.

Today, there is snow! So far, Lars has no problem relieving in snow! Good to know, as we get sooooooooooo much of it during the winter.

November 26

So today, like yesterday is a typical day for the 3 of us.

Last night Lars and Lu had some alone bonding time, as I went to track without Lars. When I get a ride, the car I get a ride in is way to small to bring a furry doglet.

Today, the snow continues to fall.

Poor Lars barfed up some bile this morning, not quite sure why he did this, maybe from ingesting some snow yesterday, who knows.

He is happy though, I think settling down into routine is benefiting him. Poor little guy has had a “ruff” few weeks where routine is concerned.

November 27

Pretty typical day hear on the farm.

Lars and I made the usual coffee run, twice actually and he got a good play in the snow.

Luther, my retired Lab also got a little workout in, he went crazy when I put his harness on him and plodded along admirably, not missing a beat.

Lars and Luther are playing together more and more now, a fact which obviously is great!

It usually takes a bit of Lars’ teasing to get Luth into it, but he’ll go with him after a while and huff and puff after Lars who just runs circles and has coffee breaks while Luther is trying to catch up:)

November 28

Pretty standard day here for me and the boys.

Lars and Luth are continuing to get to know each other and are playing with each other more and more.

Lars is settling down really nicely, and is a real treat to have around.

Lu has already lost quite a lot of the extra weight he managed to put on when I was in Oregon getting Lars Bar, and is more playful and willing to chase after the little black rocket.

Its amazing how much weight a lab can put on in a short period of time.

If I had’ve been thinking straight last week, I would’ve put up a before, and after pic series so you could see the transformation that Luther had from skinny to ummmm, “beefy” and back again.

Anyway, he is still a bit heavier than I’d like him to be and we’ll be continuing to work on that over the next few weeks.