Tashi's Web Photo and Storybook

Yesterday, October 16, we practiced with Becky knocking on the office door and me alerting Stan. They had to help me out the first time, but it didn't take me long to figure out that this is the same game the trainers at CCI played in the apartment they had there.

At home, I've started to figure out that there is a sound that seems to be important to Stan that happens occasionally. Stan calls it a phone, but it doesn't sound at all like the phone in CCI's training apartment. First time I heard it, Stan happened to be standing right next to it and I was on his other side. I perked my ears up and Stan quickly told me "YES!" I got kind of excited and peered around Stan's leg and looked at the phone. Stan gave me another "YES!" and some praise. Becky came over to the sound also, and I kind of looked at her and then decided to see what would happen if I alerted Stan. I wasn't too sure about doing that, so I didn't do the alert with my usual confidence, but Stan was happy and answered with yet another "YES!", along with a big treat and lots of praise. Meanwhile the sound stopped and Becky was talking to somebody. Then last night, that same sound happened again. This time I was hanging out with Stan in his office. I raised my head and looked toward his office door. Stan gave me another YES and I thought, OK, let's try the alert. Stan was pleased with that and gave me a YES and some praise and reached into a container on his desk and got a treat for me. He then gave me the "WHAT?" that I've heard many times before, but I wasn't sure of where the sound was coming from. So, I couldn't lead him to the sound, but I'll bet if I did I'd get another treat. But, for now, I'm trying to make sure I remember that sound.

Last night at home (October 16), Becky, Stan, and I played a game called "Hide the Timer". They called it a training session, but I just think it was fun. It works a bit like this. Becky has a timer just like the trainers at CCI had. Sounds the same, looks the same, everything. Then Becky sets the timer up and puts it somewhere in the kitchen, or one time even on the dryer in the laundry room right next to the kitchen. While she's doing this, Stan and I are just hanging out together in the great room which is kind of like the same room as the kitchen. The first time they did this, I didn't really know what was going on. Becky called me over to the timer, and there was a snack waiting for me. Then Stan called me back to him and told me to alert him. As always, he gave me some praise, scratched my ears, and gave me another treat. He then asked me "WHAT?". Well, by this time, I knew what was going on. The trainers at CCI played this game a lot. I went tearing across the room and stood looking at the timer. Stan gave me another one of those "YES!" responses and of course another treat. A minute or so later, they did it again, and I was onto the game this time. They didn't have to call me. I knew I could go racing back and forth across the room and get lots of praise and treats just for locating a simple little sound, telling Stan about it, and leading him to where I found it. In fact, the second time we did it, Stan was so pleased about the way I played the game, he gave me extra praise and treats. We even got to do it with me going around a corner once.

October 17 - Stan was off work today, so he typed out all my stories and sorted through the pictures to put it up here for you to read. We also went to see the vet today for my introductory appointment. The vet said I'm fine, and took down all the information about when my shots were done and when they need to do them again.

October 18 - More fun with the timer yesterday. One time while Becky wasn't home, the timer went off. I thought it was in the room that Stan had been in about a minute or so before it went off. I went that direction but didn't find it, so I turned around and my ears told me it was in the kitchen. Stan was closer to me than the kitchen, so I went ahead and alerted him. When he asked me "WHAT?", I took him right to the timer. The other times with the timer were fun, too. Becky kept setting it off in a couple of places in the kitchen, and Stan was in different places in the house, laying on the bed, sitting in front of his computer in the office, and watching TV. I had fun running through the whole house to find him and take him to the timer.

Now, I've got to tell you about the huge creature next door. Stan calls it a horse. Man, I'll tell you the first time I saw that thing when I got home with Stan, I was quite curious about it. I could smell it next to the fence where I was sniffing, and then it walked over. I kind of took a step back and looked at Stan. He didn't seem to be concerned about this huge animal at all, which made me feel a little better about it. So, I tried to move closer to sniff it, and when it lowered it's head, that was more than I could take. I tripped over all four of my feet at once trying to get away from this thing and back to Stan. I thought it was going to eat me in one bite!!! Yesterday when we were in the yard, I finally got to the point where this thing doesn't totally freak me out. I smelled it's face, and decided that I didn't really need to be scared of it. After I smelled it's face, it made a snorting noise at me. I'm not sure what I think of that, but it's just a noise so I guess it's OK.

There is also another dog next door that lives in the fenced part of his yard that isn't taken up by this horse thing. His name is Jasper, and he's pretty cool. We had fun playing a game of "zoom-butt" this morning. He was in his yard and I was in mine. I would race him alongside the fence that seperates us, and then turn in a large circle through my yard and back to where he was by the fence and race again. Squirt, or Purdy, as Stan and Becky call her most of the time is the dog I live with in Stan's house. She is a very nice older lady, they tell me she's 13 years old. We are good friends, but she doesn't like to play much, only a little bit and that's usually right after Stan and I get home from Stan's work.

October 21 -- Well the past few days have been exciting. I went to church with Stan and Becky and got to meet lots of new people all of whom were very happy to see me, especially the kids. I've also been doing some sound work for Stan. I've let him know about the timer a few times. It's just like the training at CCI. I'm still figuring out the phone, but I think I'm getting closer to what Stan needs me to do. He was so happy one of the times I alerted him to the phone that he got my favorite squeaky toy out for me to play with. Then today in his office at work we were playing the knock on the door game. I've got that game figured out since the trainers at CCI played that one a lot. But, one time when we played the game there was someone at the door I'd never seen before and she loves dogs. I got a really big hello from her with lots of petting and an ear scratch. I was so happy I could have wagged my tail off. Stan was really happy I played the door game, too.

October 26 -- The highlight of today except going to church and getting to meet all those people again, was when Becky was making lasagna for she and Stan to have for dinner. However, she needed to leave to run an errand before the lasagna was ready to come out of the oven. Stan says that in the past, he would have had to stand in the kitchen and watch the timer on the stove in order to keep their dinner from burning. But this time, Becky set the timer that's just like the one CCI has (they call it my timer) and went to run her errand while Stan sat on the couch watching whatever NFL football game was on. I was right beside Stan curled up on the nice soft bed he got for me. When I heard the timer, I went to find it since it's kind of a fun game for them to put it in different places. Once I found it, I came back to Stan and alerted him. I got my usual petting and treat for the alert and for taking Stan to the timer. Stan and Becky said I saved their dinner from being burned since Stan didn't hear the timer and thought it was too early for it to be going off. Everybody's so proud of me for that.

October 29 -- Becky had to work late tonight and Stan had some errands to run before coming home, so they went to work in different vehicles. While Stan and I were out and about we had two extremes of reactions to me being with Stan in the space of about 15 minutes. First we were in a store and Stan was looking for something he wanted. While we were walking around, there was a boy about 6 years old there with his grandpa. I don't understand enough people words to tell Stan what the boy and his grandpa said, but Stan noticed the boy was looking at us and the grandpa was telling the boy something while pointing in my direction. Stan led me over to them, told me to sit and said hi to them. The grandpa said hi back and then said to the boy, "see there, did you see how the dog sat down when she was told?" The grandpa then explained to Stan he was telling the boy about what a service dog was, how well trained service dogs are, and how us service dogs do special things for our people. The boy asked Stan if I knew how to lay down, but Stan didn't know what the boy was saying, so the grandpa helped Stan to understand. Stan then gave me a down command and let the boy pet me a little. I like it when Stan lets people pet me. Stan then told me to sit again and then showed the boy that I knew how to shake also. The boy and grandpa were very impressed and I got more petting from them and praise from Stan. Then the boy held his hand out in front of me again and said shake. I just sat there since Stan had told me to sit. Stan then told me to shake and I gave the boy another shake. The grandpa told Stan thanks for letting me visit with them and all of us went on our way.

After we left that store, Stan decided that since it was later than he had planned, he wanted to stop and get something to eat before going home. When we walked into the resturant, we hadn't even made it halfway to the counter when one of the employees said to Stan that they didn't allow dogs. Stan told them he understood, but that I was his service dog. The person then said to Stan that didn't matter they didn't allow dogs and Stan couldn't receive service if I was with him. Stan told them again that I was his service dog and that Federal law stated that I was allowed to be there with him. The person said no, they didn't think so, but turned around to go get the shift supervisor. The shift supervisor came up and asked Stan what he wanted, Stan ordered his food and the supervisor told him that he couldn't order it to eat there because of me. Stan then told the supervisor that I was his service dog and that I would lay by his feet under the table in the booth while he ate. The supervisor then said, "Oh, that's your service dog, you're fine then." So, of course, when Stan got his food he gave me an under command and I laid under the table and didn't move until Stan was ready to go.