Seattle Recap: Paradise

When your humom takes an hour to get ready in the morning...
PS I got to sleep on the bed!  I loved it.

Hello dear readers!

I have returned from temperate Seattle!  My paws have pranced upon the ground of many states, and I think Washington might be one of my favourites.  It has New Hampshire's green beauty, but it has a touch of special magic that the (Wild) West offers.  It's a pretty special place (Mom likens it to Montana, which is very high praise).

My girl and I stayed with her family, which included my human uncle and aunt, as well as my tiny human cousin.  I loved my little cousin--we're similar in height, weight, and age, so we made perfect playmates for one another.  He also shares my love of balls and quickly learned how to throw one for me.  He became quite the good little thrower!  My human uncle also had an affinity for throwing balls for me and could throw them much farther than my girl or the tiny human could--he was my favourite thrower of my trip.  While my aunt didn't share as much of the love of balls as everyone else, she made me feel so special by being sweet to me and by complimenting me for being a good dog, and I really liked getting to spend time around her.  The whole family is so wonderful and sweet, and they made me feel like I belonged there with them--I would easily stay with them again anytime!  It's honestly too bad that Mom goes to school across the country, but we'll try to visit as often as the D-Plan will allow.  I want to be able to watch the tiny human grow!

The house in which I stayed sat right upon a beautiful lake surrounded by lush trees--every morning I woke up to the sound of waves lapping upon the shore and geese quietly talking to one another.  I soon saw it as my house (my logic: we stayed the night, therefore we live there now), so I barked at strangers who came by (and occasionally my uncle when I forgot he lived there--oops!).  I loved playing fetch in real grass and clover, and I couldn't get enough playtime, especially since everyone indulged me.  When not playing fetch, I splashed a lot in the lake because I love water, nibbled at Asian pears, and attempted to hunt ducks (unfortunately, I was not able to catch one for dinner).  It truly was puppy paradise!  I asked Mom if we could live there forever, but she said we had to go home because of school--she promised, though, that we could go back, and I'm going to hold her to it because I can't imagine a better place to frolic and snuggle and play and snooze.

I rocked my work both at the airport and around the Seattle area.  Mom had quite a few anxiety flare ups throughout the trip, including at both airports, so I got to do what I was adopted and trained to do: help her.  Mom says I did some of the best blocks she's ever seen me do--I felt so proud of myself for handling everything so well!  I was invisible when I needed to be and ignored people's comments to me like I'm supposed to do.  Whenever my vest was on, I acted like the Service Dog I am.  The only hiccup was at the Seattle airport on the way home: I was super nervous about having the TSA officer pat me down.  Mom has told me not to worry about it, though, because I was having a really bad day--I woke up with my tail between my legs and unfortunately didn't manage to shake the feeling before I fell asleep that night.  That being said, I still did my job and even, according to Mom, excelled at it.  Her safety and comfort come first, no matter what I'm feeling (she'll tell you that my safety and comfort come first, but I'm really the one taking care of her).

All in all, I'd say it was an amazing trip, and I even got a full day of vacation.  One day, many tiny humans and their parents came to the backyard (I'm still not sure why, but Mom has assured me that humans sometimes do this--it's called a party, apparently).  All day long, I got to play ball with the tiny humans and splash in the water with them!  It was an amazingly fun day.  My girl says I behaved really well around the tiny humans, especially when one pulled my tail, but of course I was good--I always try to be a good girl! (and it helps that I was fostered with a tiny human)  I couldn't stop wagging my tail the whole day, especially with all the praise and attention I received.

My favourite quote from my trip came from a security guard at the airport, who offered to do anything for me that my girl needed: "They [service dogs] do so much for us--it's the least we could do for them."  Sometimes people really are special!

I've been pretty content and quiet since I've gotten home, and I'm excited to see what these last few summer weeks have in store for my girl and me.

xoxoxo
Kelsie Iris



Check out these posts of mine:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html    

Please Don't Distract Working Dogs

If there is one post of mine that you ever read, let it be this one.  If there is one post of mine that you take to heart, let it be this one.  If there is one post of mine that you share with all your friends and family and coworkers and random strangers, let it be this one.

Why?  This post is a PSA about the importance of not distracting a working dog: distracting a Service Dog can seriously hurt its handler.  It can also undo years of training and force the dog to retire early, leaving the disabled handler without his/her source of independence.  I know I've said it many times in many posts, but it cannot be said enough.

Distractions include, but are not limited to:

• petting
• touching
• staring
• barking at/making noises at/speaking to the dog
• attempting to feed/feeding the dog
• making direct eye contact with the dog
• separating the dog from its handler
• interfering with the dog's job or task
• taking your /child over to the dog to "say hello"
• any interaction with the dog without permission of its handler in that specific moment

Service Dogs are their handlers' lifelines.  Distracting a service dog can directly lead to the harm, injury, hospitalization, and even death of the handler.  Only mere seconds of distraction can lead to massive consequences for the handler.  Dogs are very cute, but is petting that dog really worth risking someone's life?  Would you deny someone their Epipen during a life-threatening allergic reaction?  A Service Dog is not there for your amusement: it is there to aid its handler.

This is the real life consequence of only seconds of distraction.
(This photo is used with the original user's permission.)

If the reality of the photo didn't sink in, please take a minute to read this article and see why it's so incredibly important to let Service dogs--and any working dogs--just do their job.  Beyond that, interfering with someone's medical equipment is disrespectful to that person and is a sign of ableism.  And if any of the moral reasons haven't convinced yourself just to ignore Service Dogs and let them do their jobs, then know this: it is illegal to interfere with a Service Dog, and depending on the state, you will have to pay hefty fines and/or spend time in jail.

So please, if you see me or any other service dog out with its handler, do not acknowledge us.  If you see a service dog, ignore it.  It's that simple.


Thank you,
Kelsie Iris

Edited to Add:  This is probably my most important post about interacting with Service Dogs.  However, it's probably not my most important post of all time.  I strongly believe that my best and most impactful posts are the ones in which I discuss health and illness, especially mental health and its stigma.  So please, even if you really do take this post to heart, don't forget to take other posts to heart as well.  Thank you!  On that note, you might want to read this post and this post.



Check out these other posts of mine:
SD team etiquette
Don't distract SDs
Spoon Theory
Confused? See my terms and abbreviations

The Name's Iris, Kelsie Iris CGC

Posing with my CGC ribbon and bouquet!

I have some super exciting news to share with everyone: on Tuesday night, I passed my Canine Good Citizen Test!  I've been working towards this test for a long time, and even though I could have passed it a couple of months ago, I'm still so happy to have earned my CGC title.  I'm so proud of my new name: Kelsie Iris CGC.

For those who don't know, the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen test rewards dogs who have basic obedience training and exhibit good behavior, as well as responsible dog owners.  A dog must pass all 10 test items in order to pass (click here for a description of all ten items, as well as the pledge that owners must take beforehand).  To give you a brief idea of what the test covers, here is a brief overview of the 10 test items:

1. Accepting a Friendly Stranger
2. Sitting Politely for Petting
3. Appearance and Grooming
4. Out for a Walk (Walking on a Loose Lead)
5. Walking through a Crowd
6. Sit and Down on Command and Staying in Place
7. Coming When Called
8. Reaction to Another Dog
9. Reaction to Distraction
10. Supervised Separation

 I passed all 10 tests with flying colors!  I was even arguably the top dog in my class--but I'm a Service Dog, so that makes sense!  For test #8, everyone got to pick the dog and handler with whom they wanted to test, and everyone except one pair chose me as their tester dog because I was so well-behaved.  Mom was so proud of me, and even the evaluator commented that he wasn't surprised that I was so popular.  I received tons of compliments from the other handlers and many belly rubs from Mom--I came home wagging my tail and wearing the biggest puppy smile!

The CGC is a good test for all dogs to take.  Mom tells people that it's kind of like grade school/high school for humans, because it covers the various aspects of a dog's basic education for in and out of the home.  Since it's foundation in 1989, the CGC has become widely popular, and many groups--from PetCo to national breed clubs--now offer the test, often on a regular basis.  Many therapy dog organizations use the test to certify their dogs, and some apartments require that dogs pass the CGC in order to be allowed to live in the apartment.  So all in all, the CGC can be a very important and useful test for dogs to take!  If you have a canine partner, whether he/she is just a pet or is a working dog, I highly recommend that you sign up for the CGC.

Note that passing the CGC does NOT "certify" your dog as a Service Dog.  However, it's a good test for all Service Dogs to pass, especially owner-trained Service Dogs in the event that your legitimacy as a Service Dog is tried in court.

Huge tail wags and puppy kisses,
Kelsie Iris