Dogs of Our Lives: The Dining Room Dilemma

Second Post of the Day

Oh, sweetie. I love you so much and I appreciate that you stick close by and watch over me in case I need something.

I understand that your guide dog training says that you should go under the table that I am sitting at. Really, I do. And theoretically, that that gets you out of the way but lets you still be close. 

But it's just not working.

You see, this isn't UNDER the table; you're sticking out and I can't get up without doing some gymnastics.

And I have to get up and down - I am placing pattern pieces and cutting them out so I need to walk around the table. 

You have a solution? Why, yes, I'll listen - tell me!

Um... sorry. There is no room in the dining room for a bed. 

I know, I know. The bed in the sewing room keeps you out from under the sewing table and allows you to be close and keep an eye on me, but a bed in the dining room simply isn't doable.

I'll keep thinking and in the meantime, continue to step over you as needed, okay? But maybe you could try to squeeze under a little more, too, so there is more room for my feet.

Thanks. I love you, too, Pep.

Acquiring a Service Dog: Pepper Comes Home to Us

First Post of the Day

It did not take Pepper long to adjust to her new retirement home. 

and very soon,

she began following me everywhere. 

She loved being with Craig, too, but our relationship was different almost from the very beginning.

She followed Seeing Eye training and protocol in many ways including going under the table or desk whenever I sat down.

In Sarah's world, that kept her from tripping others or blocking people who needed to get around the room. For me, I had to learn to be careful where my feet were at all times so that I did not kick her.

She adjusted to wherever I was sitting and liked to grab my leg(s) with her paws. Seven years later, she still wants close contact with me, and often is leaning against me, curled up to me hip to hip, or (especially at night) lying side by side, and holding one of my arms in between her paws. 

I realized that she had transferred her partner relationship to me, and that I was her new partner.

During the holidays, Pepper was introduced to our kids and grands. She especially liked Cole, and the joke was that we were going to check his luggage before he left so he did not smuggle her home to Tennessee. 

The grands loved her, and she returned that love. (That's Julie with her.)

Pepper quickly discovered that the best seat in the house was under the grands' dinner table!

Lisa became a great friend and to this day is one of Pepper's favorite people.

The whole family learned a lot about Seeing Eye dogs from being around her.

I love this picture that Mila drew of Pepper guiding Sarah on a windy day.

There were others who came into Pepper's orbit, too.

I introduced her to Abby. I think Pepper was surprised by Abby, although she didn't shy away from her. I wonder if Seeing Eye training included horses and other livestock. (I should ask Sarah.)

Of course, Kathy came over to meet her.

Pepper and Nacho became good friends

and she was a special guest at his retirement party.

Pepper began making school visits, mostly to Lisa's classroom, but to others as well.

Lisa created a reading program where her students could earn a "Pepper Pass" and spend time with her if they'd met their reading goal. It was highly popular with her students, and Pepper and I both enjoyed going to school once a quarter to be with those kiddos.

Tammo came to live with us for a while and is a special friend.

As were Molly

and Millie.

And, of course, Nash who is over here frequently. (Pepper is still unsure about Rosie who has a lot of energy and is still learning boundaries.) 

Highlights of her day include playing with her favorite toys

and heading to the park every morning to play frisbee.

Life for Miss P is good but we are also aware that she is getting older and starting to slow down.

And, she has a mass on her chest that fortunately is a lipoma, but it's not in the best of places, especially should it need to be removed. With Zeus having had a cancerous mass on his chest that ended up taking his life, needless to say I am keeping an eye on this one.

In the meantime, Pepper is a big part, a valued part, of our family and in our lives.

I'll always be grateful to Kathy for recommending us to Sarah as Pep's retirement home and for Sarah for having chosen us to be blessed with our girl.

She's some dog herself!

Stay 'tooned!

Acquiring a Service Dog: Pepper!

I've written a lot about Pepper over the years that she has been with us, so many of you are familiar with her story already. Still, I wanted to collect some of those stories together and write a quick synopsis of her life as a Seeing Eye Dog and then as our pet.

Guiding Sarah

Pepper was born and bred at The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog training facility in the United States. After time with a puppy raiser, she began tests of intelligence and obedience that were required for her to pass before begin training for what was intended to be her life's work as a Seeing Eye Dog.

Because a Seeing Eye Dog's partner is so dependent upon their dog to keep them safe and get them places (including making independent decisions) many of the puppies do not make it through the initial tests or the training for harness. These dogs often become service dogs in other capabilities.

Pepper completed all those tests and that rigorous training, passed her final exams, and was deemed ready to be paired with her partner. 

That partner was Sarah Blake LaRose who spent three weeks at The Seeing Eye where she was paired with Pepper. Together they began training to work as partners. 

From puppy to harness is an expensive process, currently costing between $50,000 - $60,000 per dog. Costs are covered almost completely by donations.

Pepper's sister, Paige, also made it through all the tests and training and was paired with a woman named Kathy. 

Pepper's Seeing Eye tattoo in her ear; the first number is her mother and the second is Pepper's birth order.

Pepper spent a very busy year with Sarah. Sarah was a minister and she was also working on her doctorate at Anderson University. Pepper went everywhere with her, guiding her through tasks associated with those two activities along with the day to day tasks of grocery shopping and running errands.

Getting a lift to another building at Anderson University one day.

It all suddenly came crashing down. Pepper collapsed. Sarah knew something was terribly wrong and she got Pepper the high level of care that she needed. No one knew that Pepper had been born without adrenal glands and so she had no cortisol to help her handle stress, including the stress of guiding Sarah through all her activities and commitments.

They discovered that Pepper had Addison's Disease, and she was in a full blown Addison's crisis and nearly died. Thanks to Sarah's quick thinking, Pepper survived.

But, she had to be retired immediately or the continuing stress would kill her.

A New Life with Craig & Me

I cannot imagine what it was like for Sarah during that time. She was losing the dog who gave her the freedom to work, study, and move around her community. To live an independent life. And, she was losing a dog that she loved and who was a close companion to her. It had to have been very difficult.

Sarah and I have a mutual friend, Kathy Nimmer, who is visually impaired herself. Sarah told Kathy that she needed to retire Pepper and was looking for a good retirement home, asking if Kathy knew anyone who would take good care of her.

Kathy recommended us.

Pepper off duty and playing with Sarah in their basement.

Kathy called me, explained the situation, and asked if we might be interested in rehoming Pepper with us. Zeus had been gone for 8 years - he had left such a hole in our lives that we simply had been unable to consider getting a new dog. But we decided that we were ready to try loving a dog that deeply again.

So, we spoke to Sarah who invited us to come over so she and Pepper could meet us.

It was love at first sight for us all.

Sarah interviewed us and then we asked our own questions of her. When we finished, we confirmed that we would be happy to take Pepper into our home. Sarah replied that she had three more couples to interview and that she would let us know when she decided who she felt would be the best placement for Pepper.

A few days later, we got the call that Pepper was ours.

Another black Lab service dog, albeit a much smaller Lab and one with different service training from Zeus. We were thrilled. 

Our life with Pepper had begun.

Stay 'tooned!

New Series: How We Acquired Two Retired Service Dogs

I have been asked many times as to how we acquired a retired service dog and "how do I go about getting one, too?" In this short series, I will share how that happened for us, tell the dogs' stories (as if you didn't already know Pepper's, hah!), and shine a little light on what it's like to have a service dog as a pet.

We have had two retired service dogs:

Zeus, a retired police dog whose job was to search for drugs and other narcotics,

and, of course, Pepper, a Seeing Eye dog.

Honestly, both dogs fell into our laps. Neither time were we looking for a dog and both times we were approached by someone who knew us and asked if we would be interested in possibly being a dog's retirement home.

I will always be grateful that we were asked and that our reply was that we would. These dogs have blessed our lives.

Pepper's story is pretty well known here as I have shared a lot about her since she joined our family in 2019. Zeus is a different story, though. His story was told on my first blog, Teachinmama, and in part on his blog, My Favorite Zeus. (Yep, Zeus has his own blog, just as Pepper and Abby do.)

I'll share a little more about him in the next entry of this series. You'll like him. Zeus was a magnificent dog and, as Craig still says, "he was a friend."

Zeus doing his best Oliver Twist impression and trying to get Kyle to share his dinner. "More, Sir!"

There are pluses to having a service dog, one of the biggest being that they are highly trained and can be trusted at home and in the community.

But just like any dog that joins you later in their life, they also have a history, one you don't know. I remember the first time I drove past a McDonalds with Zeus in the car and he went absolutely nuts with excitement in the back seat. Clearly he recognized those golden arches!

So I drove into the drive through lane while he panted expectantly in the back seat. What was he expecting? Ice cream? An apple turnover? I had no idea so I ordered him a cheeseburger. Turns out I was right on the money. When I got home, I called Officer Tim to ask about that and he laughed and rather sheepishly admitted, "Yeah, Zeus and I went through the drive through every day when we were on duty."

Things you learn about your new service dog in unexpected ways!

Taking in a retired service dog also means that you get a shorter amount of time with them than you would had you gotten a puppy. We only had Zeus for five years before he passed away from cancer. We are at seven years with Pepper, but then, she retired very early due to her health.

Protecting her most favorite toy even while sleeping. (Tammo is lurking, you know...)

Having had two service dogs, I find I have some mixed emotions about using dogs as service animals. Don't get me wrong - they do a lot of good in our world and for the people with whom they serve. I acknowledge that. I've seen that. And I am grateful for that.

But...

They never got a choice in what they did - Zeus wasn't too impacted, what with cheeseburgers for lunch and tennis balls when he discovered hidden narcotics. He might have been on duty, but he was able to hang out, snooze, and play during much of that time.

Zeus enjoying pets from Lavinia, the little girl who lived next door to us and loved him very much. (That affection was returned.)

Pepper is a different story. She was on duty a whole lot more than Zeus ever was. And something that bothers me the most - she was trained to not bark. I am sure Zeus was, too, but even after seven years with us, she still doesn't bark. 

No joyful yips while playing, no happy "AaaWWoooOOo" when we get home, just silence. If she REALLY wants or needs my attention, she will stand by me and sniff loudly, and if that doesn't work, she makes a little squeak. But that's it; that's her voice.

Not gonna lie, it upsets me that she still, after all these years in retirement, won't bark.

So, having a retired service dog has its pluses and minuses, but were I asked to take a third, my answer would be a resounding "YES!!"

Tomorrow I will tell Zeus's story of how he came to be our dog and, how he alerted Sarah to a man who was breaking into her home.

Stay 'tooned. 

The August Give Away Winner & a Bit About Pepper

Thanks to all who entered the August Give Away - it was fun to see how much interest there was in the book about Pepper and the other guide dogs her former partner has had.

I got the Kindle edition the day the book was released on Amazon. I haven't finished it yet, but I did skip ahead and read the parts about Pepper - it was fun to see Sarah's view of her and to hear about the work they did together.

Congratulations to the winner of the August Give Away!

Didn't win but still would like to read the book? It's available in Kindle and paperback here.

Sarah's book talks about Pepper's excellent guiding and the caring that she had for Sarah. And when Pep came to live with us, that devotion was transferred to me. These unpublished photos of Pepper give a glimpse of that devotion.

The back story? I'd been in an Indianapolis hospital for a week having a precancerous mass removed from my pancreas along with my spleen and a lot of lymph nodes. It was the hardest surgery I've ever had. 

The surgery was hard on Pepper, too. Being separated from me for a week, even with Craig home with her and Lisa caring for her when he was with me, was very, very difficult for her.

When I got home, she could not get close enough to me. She even tried to crawl up into my lap but, of course, that was not possible because I had such a large abdominal incision.

And so she curled up on my feet, leaning against my legs, just so she could be close to me. I snapped that picture as she snuggled in against me, and I was grateful to be with her again, too.

As I healed and she couldn't be the lap dog she preferred, she would take her place at my feet, holding one of my legs between her front paws,

or curling up for a snooze, but always, always touching me in one way or another.

Pepper's walk with me is different than the walk she had with Sarah, but to the two of us, it is every bit as meaningful and absolutely full of love and joy. 

I am blessed to have this girl in my life.