Our New Favorite Walking Path

Though I've lived in this town for 10 years, in the past year with Cabana, so many new horizons have opened up to me. Now, I go to places that I've driven by a thousand times without ever knowing what was there. One new horizon is just a few blocks away from my daughters' high school. Cabana and I drop the girls off in the morning, then drive to a (seemingly) little-known walking path that meanders by cow pastures, a vineyard, a little creek, an airfield and ends up at a park.

The creek comes up early on in our walk, but I make Cabana wait until the return trip to get in the water. That way, we can wash away some of the muck from the muddy fields. I suspect it's the mud that is keeping the path fairly untraveled right now. In a few weeks, who knows, everyone and their dog might be on it. But for now, I've got my boots, and we'll enjoy the solitude while we can.

Cabana loves bounding through tall grass. She reminds me of a lion cub on a play prowl when she does this.

California poppies are just beginning to spring up everywhere. Whenever I see one, I think of our good friend Poppy who is in formal training at Guide Dogs for the Blind. If Cabana were still a puppy-in-training, we'd probably have been turning her in this weekend. It makes me a bit sad still that she didn't make it to formal training--I just see so much potential in her!! But yes, I also see her drawbacks, and of course, we LOVE our lives together--so I know Cabana and my family all benefited from the decision to career change her.

After a while, the path opens up to soccer and baseball fields. In the morning hours, dogs are allowed to run off-leash. Here, Cabana and a black lab watch as a 4-month old rottweiler pup shows her submissive side. It's a chuckle to see the way Cabana and the other lab are looking at the puppy. They seem to almost be rolling their eyes and saying, "We were NEVER as silly as you."

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Guten Tag!

Guide Dogs gives puppy raisers an assortment of items, along with their new puppy. One of them is a "big" collar, which Cabana started wearing at around 5 months. It's a nice black collar with an engraved metal placard/tag that has Guide Dogs' name and phone number, as well as the dog's tattoo ID (the ID that is tattooed into the pup's ears).

In yesterday's mail, we got our official adoption papers from Guide Dogs. Along with the papers was a new replacement placard. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but it reads, "I'm proud to be a career change dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc." Like the old tag, it also has Guide Dogs' phone number and Cabana's tattoo ID engraved on it.

I was so touched to get this placard and pleased that Cabana can continue wearing her big girl collar. I had bought her a new red collar--but I think the old black one is so much more flattering (black is my favorite color to wear).

I was also impressed by Guide Dogs' commitment to Cabana's continued well-being. The fact that they put their phone number on the new tag shows that they are willing to be contacted, should Cabana ever be lost or found. They also say in the paperwork that if, for any reason or at any time, we decide not to keep Cabana, they would be happy to find her a new home. Although I'm quite confident we won't ever need to use their placement services (even after she's been a mad dog), it's still reassuring to know Guide Dogs will still provide that kind of support.

How much cheaper and easier it would be for Guide Dogs to say, "Good riddance!" to their career changed dogs. But instead, they say, "We're still here for you." What an awesome organization!

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Career Change Changes

Hill's Science Diet is Guide Dogs for the Blind's primary food choice, so that is what Cabana has been eating all her life. But every once in a while, I hear that Science Diet isn't necessarily the greatest selection out there. Cabana has always done really well with Science Diet, though. She's very regular and seems to enjoy the taste, although she's barely ever eaten anything else but that.

I wondered what other people feed their career change/pet dogs? Is there a food you'd recommend and why?

Also, I went to buy Cabana some training treats the other day. GDB puppies are not allowed to have treats, other than pieces of their regular kibble. When I looked at the VAST assortment, I had no idea what to buy. There's so much talk about some treats not being good, making your dog too fat, or being high in something or another. I don't want to upset Cabana's tummy either. But I'd love to find a highly-motivating treat that I can use to work on Cabana's recall, one that will pull her away from the most inticing distractions. Any ideas?

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Last Jacketed Outings

One of my favorite things to do with Cabana was to walk to the grocery store in our neighborhood. Because it's only a couple blocks away, instead of doing big weekly shopping trips, I'd usually just buy enough for that night's dinner and, if I wasn't too lazy, the next night's, plus whatever other incidentals. We'd then walk back home with the heavy filled reusable grocery sack slung over my shoulder.

Because we were at this grocery store several times a week, all the grocery clerks knew Cabana well. They were always interested in her growth and progress, having seen her with me since she was just 3-4 months old. I'd almost feel like I was disappointing them if I went there without her in tow!

So yesterday, I took Cabana there for the last time and let the clerks know that this would be Cabana's last trip to the grocery store. They were all so sad to know she'd been career changed, but very happy and relieved that we'd be keeping her as our pet.

Here's the path that takes us to the grocery store. There are metal posts sticking up that allow pedestrians and bikes, but block cars from driving through. For months, I'd walk through one of the openings and let Cabana walk through another, lifting my arm and leash over the post. But then, I realized that wasn't a good habit for a guide dog. So I started having Cabana walk through the same opening as me, figuring she'd need to guide a blind person that way. Of course, now it doesn't matter--but I thought about that every time we went through those posts.

We also went to CVS and Trader Joe's, where the clerks also know Cabana well. After telling them about Cabana's CC, a few people asked me if we'd be able to keep the jacket, thinking that I could still "sneak" her in! I was surprised by their assumption that I'd be so willing to commit felony! Yikes.



I felt REALLY foolish taking these photos in CVS and in front of Trader Joe's. From the looks on Cabana's face, I think she felt foolish, too! Oh, the sacrifices we make for our blog!!

I'm really going to miss taking Cabana to stores. I was never popular in high school (or at any other time), but going shopping with her gave me instant popularity! OK, I know people weren't noticing ME so much as they were noticing HER--but still, it was nice to get such glances of admiration. And although I complained about it sometimes, I loved the interaction with people, getting to explain about Guide Dogs and puppy raising. I think I will definitely puppy sit so I won't lose those experiences all together.

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Cabana is Home...

...to stay! I feel such relief and peace about our decision. She may not be the "perfect" dog for us, but we love her so much. In the end, I couldn't bear to think of not having her in my life anymore. I can't wait to teach Cabana to play fetch with tennis balls, take her to obedience classes for further training, and give her Frosty Paws and other previously forbidden treats.

Part of the reason I was hesitating to keep Cabana was that I kept imagining her in a new home with a little boy, maybe about 8-years old, who'd play tug with her, run circles with her in the yard, go on expeditions through the wilderness. I could see her being endlessly entertained by a little boy because every time we see children in a store, Cabana is so enthralled. She was so sweet and gentle with my nephew who visited this summer. But--there was no guarantee that she would be going to a home with an 8-year-old boy or that she'd love him more than she loves us.

There might be a dog out there who fits our lifestyle better, but there also might not be. I'm happy to never know. I do know that I would have compared every subsequent puppy to Cabana. This one isn't as smart as Cabana was, or that one chews things up when Cabana never did.

I'd like to explain my not feeling "completely relaxed" with Cabana from my earlier post. I tend to feel overly responsible for people (and pets). Because Cabana was in training, I was always thinking about her future blind partner. I'd think maybe I should be putting her on tie down more often or take her to restaurants more frequently so she'll be used to that, etc. AND for the past 6 months, I've been waiting for Cabana to go into season (Martha was right about watching the pot--it never boiled)! I worried constantly that if a determined big male dog decided to get frisky with Cabana, I may not have been able to stop him. Plus, Cabana is my first dog, so everything is new to me.

As Cabana's new owner, I am fully committed to giving Cabana the things she needs. There's a big off-leash dog park near my girls' high school that I've been dying to take her to. After her spay and recuperation, I plan to take her there frequently, so she can play with other dogs until she's exhausted. If she needs a 5-mile walk or run, hey, I need the exercise, too! And my husband is a marathon runner--he'd be happy to take Cabana for runs, too.

When I picked Cabana up from the puppy sitter's this morning, she was SO excited to see me. She eagerly hopped into our car, and snuggled up against my hand as I petted her in the back seat. She was so happy to come home. There's no doubt in my mind that Cabana feels our love. Our home is her home, and she is our dog.

P.S. As you can tell from the new header, I plan to keep blogging about Cabana.

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Letting Go

Inherent in being a puppy raiser is the aspect of letting go. We sign up, knowing that we are going to have to let these puppies go one day. We just hope that ultimately, our letting them go will result in great things, changing someone's life for the better.

But heck, life is all about letting go. As parents, we let go of our children over and over again, as they enter kindergarten and college, get married, or move to another state. We let go of possessions, jobs, even friends. If we didn't ever let go, we'd be immature, stagnant, bored, unbalanced.

Yesterday, as I wrote about Cabana's career change and the difficult decision we'd be making, I felt a little like a trapeze artist, knowing I had some letting go to do. I was hanging on to the bar, knowing I had to let go and freefall for a little while, before catching the next bar. The next bar might be keeping Cabana as a pet, placing Cabana with another family, raising another puppy, or some combination of those things.

What a tremendous blessing to have 30+ friends there to support me during that freefall. All your comments were filled with heartfelt compassion, personal experience, and sage advice. I appreciated each and every word. What an amazing community of puppy raisers and dog lovers we have here.

We got home from our trip this evening, and I will be picking Cabana up from the puppy sitter's tomorrow morning first thing. I'm so grateful that all of this happened over the Thanksgiving break. My husband, daughters and I had four uninterrupted days together, plus 12+ hours driving in the car, to hash all of the options out. We talked about it a LOT, and that was extremely beneficial. I think it also helped to not have Cabana there, since she might have made us less objective (either by being too cute or too distracting).

Although we have pretty much made a decision, in case something crucial changes in my discussion with our puppy group leader (who I haven't been able to talk with since we got back), I'll wait until I've talked to her to make the decision public. Sorry for the big build-up! But I will say that everyone's comments made such an impact. It was extremely helpful to have such great input and to learn from the experiences of others. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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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.

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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.

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Tuesday Topics 2 - The Big CC

Here's a photo of my younger daughter, walking Cabana and doing a very nice job of it!

With my Tuesday posts, I want to ask questions of other puppy raisers (thanks to all those who responded last week!). So, for those who have had puppies that were career changed, I'd like to know if you had any idea that this would happen. I'm sure you didn't if it was for a medical reason--but if it was for a behavioral issue, were there clues along the way that made you think that your puppy might be career changed? Or was it a total surprise? Our puppy group leader says that each puppy makes a decision as to whether they want to be a working dog or not (excepting medical reasons). Could you tell during the puppy raising stage what decision your puppy was making, or does the decision come later?

I know that getting career changed isn't a horrible thing. I've learned from reading other puppy raising blogs that there are many other careers available, and being someone's pet is far from a letdown! After all, it's what's best for everyone, puppy included.

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