New Neighbor

Tuesday - April 26, 2011

Three days ago I got a new neighbor. It's a teeny tiny black dog. It has joined the other three teeny tiny dogs in the back yard that backs up to our house. They all go nuclear every time me and my partner step out the back door!

Each time I just have to relieve myself, they throw themselves against the fence - they bark ferociously, scrabbling at the fence, and make a racket. It is very noisy and disturbing. It was very hard to play ball or do my commands properly when there was three of them. And now a fourth one has been added.

Their partners never come out to tell them "No!" But my partner is always with me and she always tells me "No!" if I start to bark at them. It just isn't fair. I want them to know how big and strong I am, so they will shut up and stop barking at me, but I'm not allowed to.

Behind the fence in the backyard that backs up against our garage is another teeny tiny dog. She barks at me a lot too. But her human comes outside and tells her "Quiet!" and runs to pick her up. She always says words to my partner and then takes her dog away from the fence. That makes me happy because that is where my poo corner is. I don't like to do my business when that doggie is barking at me just inches from my face.

My partner says "fences make good neighbors", but I sometimes wish there were no fences so those itty bitty doggies could see how big and ferocious looking I really am - then I would let out one huge bark and they would all run away and leave me alone!

Kalifornia Kota

 

Family Visitors!

Monday - April 25, 2011

My morning was the usual routine: I tug the blankets off, then tug my partner up and off the sofa to start her day. After she feeds me and my cat, NuNu, she started to clean the house. I like it when she does that because I can help! I can grab the long feathery thing she waves around the furniture and play with it. I can chase and paw at the loud machine she pushes on the carpets. I can go in the room where my toy box is and bring back my toys that she has put in there. And then she brushed me and that felt really good. After a little bit, I ran to the window and started whining to let her know I heard Mom's car coming!

People came to visit me today! They are called Mom and Bob. Bob is very, very tall and he always wants me to jump up on him. I get to put my paws on his shoulders and lick his face. He likes that. But Mom is what my partner calls "frail" and they got upset when I tried to jump up and give her kisses and they would get very upset with me. I didn't know why! But my partner would put me in my crate until I settled down, then let me out and made me sit before Mom would pet me. Now whenever she comes to visit, I have to be very, very careful and sit in front of her or she won't pet me. I'm so excited when she comes that I'm wriggling all over, but I keep my butt real close to the floor so they think I'm sitting and I get my pettings!

Bob was doing chores outside while my partner brushed me again and then she got my vest and leash out. Oh boy, we were going out!! We went to a huge building she called "Sam's". She is very afraid of this place, even when I am with her. She is afraid of all the people there. I have to work real hard to make her be happy while she is in there. And today she had Mom with her too.

While we were there, lots of people were pointing at me and saying things about me that made my partner smile at them and then smile at and pet me. Twice she was so happy that she got on her knees and hugged me. At first I thought she was getting sick, but I quickly saw that she was just really happy! I saw some people taking our picture with their little silvery machines, but this time no one came up to stop and talk to my partner, and that made her very happy too.

My partner was looking at stuff on a low shelf. She had me lay down and she got on her knees and put her hands on me as she looked at that stuff. I saw a big scary man all in black coming up to her very fast. He didn't look safe so I jumped up and barked to let my partner know he was coming. I stayed in that spot so she could use me to get back up. We went to that man and she told me he was OK and to "Go Greet", which I did. I smelled him but backed up because I didn't trust him. 

Then important store peoples came and other shoppers and we were all surrounded. They thought I barked because my partner was sick. She got all upset because she had to say she wasn't sick, but that I was a disruption and that she was very sorry for my behavior. I felt very bad. And she was feeling very bad and was getting very sick. I was trying to lead her away from that bad place, but so many people were around us, and she was still being talked to by those peoples and they wouldn't let us leave. She was getting worse and worse. 

Finally everything was apparently settled, and I was able to drag her away. I went a couple aisles over to an empty one where my partner could sit down. I got down and laid in her lap and let her lean over me. She runs her fingers thru my long fur and breathes in my scent from my ears. After a little while we both got up. Mom was upset that we did that in the middle of the store. She was embarrassed. That made my partner sad, and she started to go away from me, so I jumped on her to bring her back. Then we finished our shopping.

After we got home and the groceries were put away, Bob came in and played with me. He threw my football for me, played tug with me and we wrestled. I won!! Then they all ate, but saved yummy ham for me and NuNu. Boy was that a tasty treat! After dinner they were watching TV and I saw my partner, sitting on the sofa, was sick. So I sat in front of her and leaned against her. She hugged me and ran her fingers thru my furry feathers, breathing in my ear and stroking me. Each time she stopped, I put my paw on her legs to tell her she wasn't done yet. It took a long time before she wasn't sick anymore. 

Mom was watching and said she was sorry for what she had said at Sam's. That she knew my partner was hurting outside from all the walking and carrying stuff and inside from something called "stress" and that she saw what I had just done for my partner and she was really sorry for what she had said. That because she usually saw my partner happy, that she forgets that the reason she is happy is because she is with me, and she forgets that it isn't just because I happen to be beside my partner, but because of the things I do. That made my partner very, very happy. And when my partner is happy, I'm very happy! I got a case of the zoomies and started racing all over the living room, bouncing off the chairs and sofa and causing quite a commotion! It was such fun - a great way to end the visit from the family... So, keep on keeping on! 

Kalifornia Kota

My Barkday!

Sunday - April 24, 2011

Today is my Barkday and my first entry in this blog. (I am using my partner to type this for me.) I was born April 24th, 2006, so I'm now 5 years old. I certainly don't feel it. When I play with my balls in the park with my partner, I leap high in the air, twisting and turning to catch that ball! I'm really good and rarely missing catching it. My partner calls me athletic!

Yesterday I was taken to the place where I get sharp things stuck into me. And there's a very nice man who feels me all over once a year. He looks in my mouth and peers in my ears. When I get sick or hurt, my partner always takes me to this nice man and even though he pokes and prods and sticks sharp things in me, I always feel better afterwards. 

So whenever we come to this place, I always try to drag my partner to the door. I'm always spoiled by the people in there. They give me treats and act like I'm the bestest doggie in the whole world, which is true of course. Another nice man is there that my partner calls Uriel. This nice man takes me away from my partner, which I do not like one bit, but she always says "Go With", so I do. Uriel is very nice and he lets me jump into a big bowl where he washes me. I love being in that big bowl of warm water! When he's done drying me, Uriel puts me in a kennel. I know that my partner is waiting for me. Sure enough, one of the nice ladies that spoil me, comes to get me. In my excitement to get back to work with my partner, I drag her through the kennels and down all the hallways to where my partner is waiting for me. I am wriggling all over in my excitement to see her again!

Today is going to be a busy one. My partner has told me what we're going to do. First, I have to take her to a big building that has lots of human food in it. She calls it by a man's name - Sam's. This is a big building that she is afraid of. It always has lots of people that stare at us, take our picture without permission, stop us & ask lots of questions, and make my partner very uncomfortable. There are many times when she has gotten so scared that I have had to take her away to a quiet place and lay on her to make her happy again. She likes it a lot when I do this, and she always gives me lots of cookies for it!

A fun building we're going to sells animal stuff. We're gonna get food for my cat, NuNu. And since it's my Barkday, I know she'll take my vest off in there and let me be just a dog. I know she'll let me pick out any toy I want! Oh, that will be fun, because this building has so many toys to choose from... 

And I know we'll spend time across the street in the Park. My partner puts me on a long line and throws balls and toys for me to chase after. I can run really, really fast and grab the balls. But I don't bother to bring them back. My partner comes and gets them and throws them again for me & the chase is on once more! If there are no little peoples around, I'll get to play on big metal toys. I can climb up stairs, slide down a chute, walk on a metal grate and peer down to the ground, and all kinds of fun stuff!

Watch me - I can fly!!!

Sometimes I get tangled up in the long line, and I don't like it. I want to run free! But my partner tells me I have to stay on a leash - it is the law. I don't know what a law is, I just know I don't like it. I want to go to my partner's mom's house where there is lots of room to run free!

Well, I think I have written way too much for my first message to the world. I don't know if I will continue to do this or not. I hope that those of you who are Service Dogs are able to assist your partners with joy and fidelity! Keep on keeping on!

Kalifornia Kota