Black Friday News - The Big CC

Although we've known unofficially for about a week, on Wednesday, it became official. Cabana is career changed. No surprise that it's due to dog distraction.

In some ways, the news came as a relief. For the past year, I've felt a bit like we were trying to push a square peg into a round hole. When I read back through my first posts, I am reminded that Cabana's issues have always been the same, and although we made some progress, they've never gone away.

Now Cabana will be able to do so many of the things she wants so badly to do, but hasn't been allowed to. I'm happy for her about that. But whether she'll be able to do them with US or with someone else--that's the quandary.

Basically, there are 4 options in front of us:
1. Keep Cabana and raise another puppy for Guide Dogs.
2. Keep Cabana and don't raise another puppy for Guide Dogs.
3. Let Guide Dogs find another home for Cabana, and raise another puppy for Guide Dogs.
4. Let Guide Dogs find another home for Cabana, and don't raise another puppy for Guide Dogs (making us dogless).

Option 1 is pretty much out of the question. Celeste, our CFR, said that she would recommend we wait a couple years to raise another puppy, because Cabana would drive the new puppy crazy and we'd end up pulling our hair out.

Some readers may wonder why Option 4 is even on the table--but it is, because sometimes, I just don't think I'm cut out to be a dog owner. I have never felt completely relaxed with Cabana being in our home. Not because of Cabana herself, but because that's just the way I am. My weird baggage. I tend to worry about her, whether I'm doing the right things, whether I'm socializing her enough, whether she's happy or bored. With Cabana at the puppy sitters this weekend, I feel like I sleep better and feel generally more relaxed (although we are still down in Los Angeles on vacation, which may also be a contributing factor).

It's an AGONIZING decision! And I waver minute by minute. We adore Cabana, and we want what's best for her. But we also want to make a decision that we can feel good about for the next 10+ years. My family is pretty much leaving the decision up to me, since it affects me the most. They will be fine with whatever I decide, which I'm grateful for, but which also makes it more difficult for me since I'm so torn.

I THINK (at the moment of writing this) that I have pretty much made my decision. Guide Dogs needs to know by Monday(!), so they can schedule Cabana's spaying (if she doesn't go into season over the weekend). Before I make my decision final, I'd love to get feedback from other raisers who have had to make this decision. I know circumstances will vary for each person and each dog, and no one can make the decision for me. But if you have any advice, or factors that swung you one way or the other--I'd love to hear about them.

New Pup in Town

We have a new puppy in our group. Meet Ginger, an adorable little bundle of energy!

Here's Ginger meeting Cabana.

And here's Ginger meeting Poppy.


We haven't had babies in our group for such a long time. It's so great, though, because being around the new babies gives me a puppy fix without having to go through the sleepless nights and puddles on the floor myself.

The debate rages inside me everyday. Regardless of whether Cabana makes it as a guide dog, do I have it in me to raise another puppy? I lean one way one moment, the other way the next. I'm so conflicted! But I know there are lots of other in-between options, like starting a puppy (raising for the first 2-3 months for someone who isn't in a situation to have such a young pup), or being a puppy sitter. Good thing I don't have to decide right away!

Holed Up Pup

I have an event in 10 days that I am frantically preparing for, which makes life rather dull for Cabana. I've been holing up in the garage, sewing the day away. Cabana still gets her morning walk, and we take an occasional outing to the grocery store. But other than that, we are homebodies for the duration.

The cushiest of the four dog beds was recently confiscated by a 2-legged being in our home (it WAS super nice, so I can't blame the individual for claiming it)--so "poor" Cabana only has 3 beds now. Sometimes, it's tough being a dog.

I moved one of the remaining dog beds into the empty space under my sewing machine table. And Cabana loves it there--she must feel safe and snuggly in that cubby-like space. It's so pleasant to feel her soft breath on my toes while I push my sewing machine pedal.

As many commenters had predicted, Cabana has changed in the past month. She has become much calmer, more content. Sometimes, I even forget that she's there! Quite a change from feeling like I always needed to be "on duty" with her around. I'm so grateful that she's happy to just be there with me, while not needing something from me all the time.

But Cabana has a FUN surprise coming her way! I'm so excited about some special friends we're going to be meeting up with on Saturday. I'll be sure to take photos to share!

Tuesday Topics 13 - Luck of the Draw

When you bring a puppy into your home, whether as a family pet or a service dog in training, it's a crapshoot. You can research the breed, observe the litter, meet the sire and dam, read reports from the kennel/shelter--but who really knows what your dog is going to be like, what idiosyncracies will show up, what fears might be lurking in their heads. Puppy raisers get even less choice. At GDB, we can choose the gender and color, but the rest is left to chance. We don't even get to pick the name of the puppy!

Tonight is the end of our puppy swap. At our puppy meeting, Persia will go back to her raisers, and we'll bring Cabana back home with us. The swap was very good for our family--and for Persia, too, I think. I haven't heard anything about Cabana, so I will find out how she fared tonight. Hopefully, she didn't drive the other raisers too crazy. Cabana has the reputation of being the most difficult pup in our group, and I suppose it's an accurate one. Cabana wants to engage headlong with everyone and everything. Her personality is fun and infectious--but can also be a lot of work at times.

To say we took a liking to Persia is an understatement. My husband particularly. Persia is easygoing. She doesn't demand much attention, she willingly flops down and entertains herself, and she is super responsive to commands. Having Persia has helped me to see where we need more work with Cabana.

Seeing the differences between the two dogs makes me wonder how much of their personalities are nature vs. nurture. Of course, there's no "right" answer to this topic--it's a multi-faceted subject and a bit rambly in my mind, but it is something that I have pondered from the start of our puppy raising experience. Basically, do you "get what you get" or do you transform what you were given? And what makes you feel more connected to some dogs and not as much to others? What is the dynamic that makes some relationships between dog/human extra special?

Having no other dog experience to compare with, I naively thought my bond with Cabana was one-in-a-million--but now I see how limiting that would be. That's actually a good thing. One-in-a-million means that we would not be able to be happy with another dog and that Cabana would not be able to be happy with other humans. Now I know we can (quite easily) love and enjoy another dog, and hopefully, Cabana was as resilient as Persia this week in loving and trusting other humans. It's especially comforting, since Cabana will be going through a lot of transitions in the next year--going back to the kennels at Guide Dogs, working with trainers, and hopefully being partnered with someone who needs her. As the old song lyrics go, "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with." Although not as touching as having Cabana reserve her love only us, I hope Cabana will always be able to love the ones she's with. I'm quite certain she can.

I Believe in My Dog

I recently listened to the audiobook, This I Believe 2, which is an anthology of essays aired on NPR. One of the essays was written by a man who describes how he has become a better person because of his dog, Duncan. You can click here to read or listen to this essay. While you're there, I hope you will check out a few other essays as well. Some are funny, some are spiritual, some are heart-wrenching. All are interesting and thought-provoking.

I too believe that Cabana makes me a better person--which is why being a dog owner can sometimes be difficult for me! Growing and learning and changing aren't always pleasant--but when the opportunities to become better are the result of a sweet, fluffy, loving creature, the lessons are a bit more palatable. My struggle is in trying to slow down, enjoy life more, take advantage of the sunshine and scenery. Cabana makes me do those things, sometimes while I'm kicking and screaming against them inside--but when I manage to relent and let myself do nothing for even a few minutes, I realize that...it feels pretty good.

Happy 7 Months to Cabana

Cabana turned 7 months old yesterday, so here's my list of 7 things I'm enjoying about her lately.

1. She matches my carpet and floors (beige and pergo).
2. She doesn't get upset when I say that's enough and take away a toy. (We can't play tug-of-war ALL day.)
3. She loves to go shopping--that's my girl!
4. She doesn't have episodes when we're walking anymore. (Yippee!!)
5. She ADORES getting Furminated.
6. She perks up faster than lightning when I push the code buttons to open the gate at work. (She knows she'll get to play with the other doggies there.)
7. When she's not at home and not in our car, she just can't miss out on anything--even if she's exhausted, she stays awake in case there's the slightest action.

Fondness for Kids

Yesterday (Saturday), we stopped at a school playground that's on one of our walking routes. I took a tip from Lisa & Ellie and snapped this photo of Cabana at the top of a slide. I love Cabana's quizzical look and raised eyebrow in this photo.

Cabana was fine with walking around on the equipment and on the spongy playground surface. Sometimes we pass this playground when school is in session and the kids are out at recess. I hope she'll end up in a home with primary school kids because I can tell how much she adores them.

Also yesterday, we went to Target. A little girl (maybe 8-years old) was with her dad there, and I heard them talking about Cabana as we passed. The dad was explaining that Cabana is training to be a guide dog. I smiled at them, but we didn't stop. About 10 minutes later, Cabana must have recognized the same girl and her dad coming in our direction from way down the central aisle of the store. On her own, Cabana immediately plopped herself into a sit, looking straight at the little girl. It was like Cabana was saying, "I'm ready and doing what I'm supposed to so that THIS TIME you will stop and pet me!" The girl did stop and was captivated by Cabana, who was very sweet and let herself be petted without any rambunctiousness. It was an "awwww" moment.

Where Oh Where Will My Little Dog Be Going?

Cabana's information packet from Guide Dogs for the Blind included a letter stating that her litter has been set aside for possible international placement. I don't know much about this at all, but my puppy group leader mentioned that GDB has a relationship with South Korea to help increase their breeding stock and that South Korea only uses yellow labs.

I did a bit of online research, and it looks like Cabana, if selected, will be going to the Samsung Guide Dog School. Sure enough, they only have photos of yellow labs on their site.

Ironically, I myself am Korean and was born in Seoul, Korea. I came to the U.S. when I was 2 years old, so my Korean language skills are embarrassing. However, I wondered if I should start teaching Cabana a few commands in Korean, so she'll have an inkling of what people over there are telling her to do. "Chokoman gang-aji, ahn jyuh ra!" (Don't worry, I'm not really going to do this.)

It makes me sad to think of Cabana going that far away. Even the thought of her being on an airplane, flying away from our home at hundreds of miles per hour makes me tear up. But that's what we signed on for when we decided to be puppy raisers. We can't choose where these dogs end up. And we have to trust that no matter what, Cabana will bring hope and help to people in need.

Tuesday Topics 3 - How to Deal with Dog Distraction

I like how Cabana's tail fur goes into a little spin at the end. Hey, is that what a tailspin is?

But wait, that's not my Tuesday Topic question. Here it is.

Cabana's biggest obstacle to good behavior is dog distraction. She is fairly good on the leash when no one else is around, but when there are other people, especially with their dogs--and especially with their dogs OFF-LEASH (my biggest pet peeve in the world)...then it's difficult to keep Cabana under control.

I do what I can to minimize distractions. I only walk the pretty, popular walking paths on rainy or overcast days and avoid them when it's sunny because I know everyone and their uncles will be there. On nice days, I walk on busier streets where people are less inclined to allow their dogs off-leash. Or on weekends, I try to go extra early, before the sleep-in types get their butts in gear.

When people/dogs are approaching, even at quite a distance away, Cabana goes into alert mode, walking briskly with her head and ears raised up, and the pulling begins. Then, when the person passes, she will often try to jump on them. Sometimes, after the person passes, she still has that residual excitement and keeps turning to look at them or jumps around or even tries to bite her leash. Sometimes, it makes her plain ornery, like she's telling me, "You always spoil my fun." As a mom, I've definitely heard THAT before!

I try to be ready when this is happening. To get Cabana focused on me, I talk to her, call her name, have a treat ready to give her, hold her leash/head collar down so she can't jump....It all helps, but it's a lot of effort. I guess that's why I'd rather avoid people than go through it a bazillion times each day.

Really, it comes down to the fact that I don't really know what I'm doing, doesn't it? What am I doing wrong? Exactly when should I give the treat? At what exact moment do I give a correction? And (insert whiney voice) when is it going to get better?!?

Thanks for the Great Comments!!

After posting my Tuesday Topic about career change, the next day I had an "episode" with Cabana that made me think that she was definitely going to be joining the career change ranks. But after talking to my puppy group leader (thank you, Cassie!), we're not crossing her off the working dog list yet!

In the midst of my worries, I was so grateful that I had gotten to read about other puppy raisers' career change scenarios. Thank you, thank you to everyone who shared so openly about their experiences. There's such a wide range of reasons, and like everyone said, no definite way to predict what's going to happen. I agree that it's best to live in the moment, just accept the good and work on the not-so-good.

What was Cabana's episode? Well, she just got extremely feisty with me at the end of our morning walk. I don't think she would have hurt me, but she was definitely letting me know she wasn't happy. She's done this before (jumping, flailing, mouthing), but it was to a larger degree this time. It took a lot longer to calm her down enough so we could get back home.

But today on our walk, she was back to her usual self--still pulling some, but that's normal. I do feel like she's shown some improvement in her level of dog distraction--but she still has a LOOONNNG way to go in that department.


I took this photo at SB Lake. Finally, there's actually some water in the lake, thanks to all the rain last month. Previously, the lake had about 1" of water in it, so it's nice to see all the ducks and geese and swans there, swimming around instead of sitting in dry caked mud.

A Beautiful But Steep Uphill Climb

I get bored with walking the same stretches over and over, so this morning, we went back to HP Regional Park (last time I went there, I came home and found 3 ticks on me). It's gorgeous there, but the walking paths are narrow. It was pretty muddy in spots, too, which makes walking side-by-side with Cabana very difficult. After getting so much better about pulling on her leash, today Cabana seemed to have taken a couple steps back (only in the figurative sense; literally, she was a few steps too far ahead). But there were horseshoe tracks in the mud, so Cabana may have been extra excited by the different scents and unfamiliar territory.

Here's the steep climb at the beginning of our walk. We took that center path all the way to the crest, but I don't think the photo conveys just how steep it is. Maybe I'm just a wuss, but my lungs were burning by the time I got up to the top. Cabana, of course, wasn't phased in the slightest--I think she was looking at me like, "What? Are you tired already?"



A few other shots of Cabbie--with her leash around a sign post near the top...


and in front of a little lake in the valley.

Best Dog Toys

Like all dogs, Cabana loves to chew. So far, she hasn't destroyed any of our things. Well, I take that back. She has destroyed our family room rug, but only because it's got looped fibers and her teeth get caught in the loops when she's playing with a toy. She doesn't do it on purpose--it's just not a good rug for dog purposes.

But we can leave out our shoes, socks, remote controls, pencils, and Cabana doesn't touch them. Because of her trustworthiness, Cabana has full freedom in our house. Of course, we don't leave her unsupervised for any length of time, but she's allowed to wander from room to room, as long as we know where she is. She's so social that she usually would rather be in the same room as us anyway. If I'm at my computer, she sits nearby. If I go upstairs to the bedroom, she follows me up there. If I take a shower, she sits on the bath mat outside the shower door.

Guide Dogs for the Blind has a tried and true list of approved toys. I must admit, I have bought a few unapproved toys, but then I realize why they aren't approved. The unapproved toys only last for a couple hours, if that, and then they go in the trash. Lesson learned.

The toys that are nearly indestructible are the Goughnut, big Kongs, and certain Nylabones. None of these toys are cheap--the Goughnut costs $25! But Cabana's favorite toy is the cheapest on the approved list--sterilized bones! These are usually calf bones, shaped like an empty tunnel. They look totally boring, but Cabana will chew on these for hours. They must have some "flavor" to them, although the flavor seems to get chewed off eventually. But because these bones only cost about $4.00, I don't mind buying a new one every few weeks.

In this photo, look close (or click to view larger) and you can see a hint of blood on it from Cabana's mouth. Wiggly baby teeth.


Another favorite toy of Cabana's is a gallon-sized orange juice bottle, also on GDB's approved list. She will romp around with the empty bottle for hours. It's a bit noisy and probably would be better for outdoors because she tends to run into all the furniture while she's playing with one. But who needs expensive toys when you've got an empty plastic bottle!

Beach Dog, Baby Teeth, and Bad Breath

Today, we met some friends at DP Beach for a barbecue lunch. The weather was overcast and windy, but we managed to survive the elements. Cabana had a lot of fun, running in the surf, chasing seaweed slivers, and drinking ocean water.

She looks pretty dirty here--but it's amazing how easily labradors clean up. A few wipes with a towel, and she's back to her spiffy self.

On another subject, Cabana's breath has been stinking to high heaven. When she opens her mouth in the back seat of the car, I can smell her breath from the front seat. It's a very metallic, rancid smell, probably due to the fact that she's losing so many teeth. Every few days, one pops out onto the ground. This morning, I went to get Cabana out of her crate, and there was a tooth sitting on the ground in front of it. She must have spat it out through the crate door. I hope her baby teeth will come out quickly so her mouth won't smell so bad anymore. It's highly unpleasant--I wonder if she notices it herself? Probably not.

Extroverted Introvert

It has been raining for days and days, almost nonstop. But the rain makes everything lush and green. Here's some mustard, beginning to bloom in a field we pass on our walks. (This photo has nothing to do with the rest of my post, but it's always nice to have something to look at.)

I believe myself to be an extroverted introvert. I'm introverted by nature, but I have taught myself to function as an extrovert because it seems to be more socially acceptable. Still, if given the choice of going to a fancy cocktail party or staying home with my family, I would pick staying home every time.

But when I'm out walking or running, this learned extroverted behavior causes me to smile and greet people who are coming in my direction. I'm not interested in having a conversation, but I like to be moderately friendly and usually say hello or good morning.

However, now that I have Cabana, who is an extrovert to the extreme, I have realized that even these small gestures of extroversion on my part can't be continued (at least for right now). I have had to learn to use my body language and energy to convey to both Cabana and to passersby that we aren't interested in any interaction. A real "don't bother me" attitude. I keep my eyes averted from them, move as far over to my side of the path as possible, and hold Cabana's leash close to body. I feel super unfriendly when I'm doing this, but it makes a HUGE difference in how Cabana behaves toward other people. I don't know if my body language is picked up by Cabana directly, or if my body language affects other people's behavior, which in turn affects Cabana...probably it's some of both.

Before I figured this out, although it seems simple and obvious enough to me now, I would smile and say hello to passersby, and they would do the same. And Cabana would be pulling on her leash, lunging toward them (yes, even with her headcollar on), saying with every part of her being, "Hey, look at me! I'm a cute puppy. Please pet me and let me jump on you and nibble your fingers! I like you and I know you'll like me!"

With my newly adopted mode of behavior, Cabana is much calmer when a person is approaching. She still tends to perk her head up and quicken her pace even when the person is at quite a distance--but it is much more controllable and shorter in duration.

This is all very important because if there's one thing that might lead to Cabana's downfall as a Guide Dog, it's her tendency to be distracted by people and dogs. She can't be stopping to meet everybody when she's working as a Guide Dog--or her blind companion will never get anywhere on time! She needs to be able to focus on doing what her owner wants and needs, and she will never learn that if I don't teach her to ignore other people.

Naughty or Nice

This Saturday morning was foggy and a bit chilly, but it was one of those days where you can tell it's going to be gorgeous and warm later on. Because it was early and foggy, meaning that not many other people would be out with their dogs (majorly distracting to Cabana), I decided to try walking her without her head collar. It turned out to be a good idea because she did very well. With her head collar, she tends to sit down a lot, but when she's not wearing it, although she does pull a bit more, she's more willing to keep moving.

I snapped a couple photos of Cabana on our walk today. My camera is big, so I don't like to take it along, even though I often wish I had it with me.


Yesterday, we walked with the head collar on, and midway in our walk, Cabana got tired of being good. (Don't we all!) She started jumping and biting her leash, running in circles around me. All very naughty behaviors, which she knows she isn't supposed to do. It's her way of saying, "I'm gonna do what I want, and you can't stop me!" (She used to do this a lot more, but it had been quite a while since she had done this.) I grabbed her collar and scruff firmly and said, "That's enough!" (This is the GDB preferred way of saying "no".) Well, Cabana stopped and calmed down, but then, as I took a couple steps to start walking again, she came up behind me and BIT me on the TUSHIE!!! Not hard, but I definitely felt it. I was SHOCKED at her very deliberate gesture of disobedience. Of course, I gave her a firm correction, and we proceeded on our walk. Later, when I recounted the story to my husband, he asked if Cabana was repentant after that. I said she behaved herself, but she didn't seem all that "hangdog" about what she'd done.

One out of three dogs don't make it through the program to become a Guide Dog. Even the smallest undesirable behavior can cause the dog to be "career changed." I think tushie biting might possibly put the dog in the "career change" category--so it's definitely something we need to "nip in the bud" (ha ha).