Food glorious Food!!!

I completely forgot to post about a HUGE milestone!!! Alice has gone to restaurants now!! Taking a scent hound to any place where food is served is a huge risk. Hamiltonstovare are highly food driven and if it is food, they want it and will try to find a way to eat it.

First when taking a service dog to a place with food, make sure to call first and make sure it is ok. Our first location was to Noodles and Company. Alice was amazing and I couldn't ask for anything better. We walked in after a long day of shopping and she did great. She laid down under the table and went to sleep. For a service dog, that's is exactly what you want.

Our next trip was to Red Robin, the phone call was the hardest part, the hostess didn't have a clue what I meant by "service dog". Finally after passing the phone around we got approval to come in. Alice was a bit unsure as she had to step up into the booth and she though that meant to hop right in the booth. After she was corrected she decided to play peak-a-boo with the waiters. After that she settled down and was just fine. She was so perfect that I think she freaked out a few patrons when we left.

Our most recent trip was to a new place called Uptown Alley. Alice was great, we were upstairs and then she just got to look down on people. For a Diva-Hound this was heaven. She lounged around and was perfect as usual.

For service dog owners/handlers please do not EVER feed your dog while at a restaurant. If your dog is working then it should not do any sort of pet behavior so slipping food is not a working behavior.

Our next visit will be to Cinebistro, so Dinner and a Movie!! 

More adventures

It has been a while since I posted and for that I am sorry. Alice and I have had many adventures around town. Several have been great and some not so great.

I do have bit of advise for parents that see a service dog. Do not allow your child to randomly come up to a service dog, smack them on the head and run away. This is the most common issue I have everywhere. There are many kinds of service dogs and those that are alert dogs could be seriously affected by that distraction. If you wish to pet, please ask us. Depending on the situation or if Alice has alerted recently, I will either say yes or no. Most of the time I will say yes.

I do have to give great praise to the Girl Scout Troops around the Richmond Metro area!! We had Alice out and you guys were GREAT! You guys asked politely and behaved in a manner befitting of nice future women in America. Each Girl Scout troop I encountered from the Daisies to Brownies to Juniors all asked to pet and then asked incredibly good questions. One Junior troop asked me this "What would you do without her in your life?" Whoa! Way to bring me nearly to tears girls. That is such a huge question that I could not give it the appropriate attention that it deserves.

If Alice was not a service dog for me then my visits to get my grocery shopping done would be filled with pain, pressure and anxiety if my feet would hold out. If I didn't have Alice as my service dog then my world would be very small and limited to 2 hours away from home. If I didn't have Alice then I really would not feel half as independent as I do now. Even when I am home, it is so comforting to know that if I fall, or if I need her help she will be there.

I also have an AMAZING announcement to make!!! Alice and I will be featured in the May issue of Sight and Scent Magazine for her service work. I will post more when it is published.

End of the Show Season

Well it is nearing the end of the year. For most people that means holidays, shopping, festival music and tv specials. Not for me, oh no. this time of year is the end of my dog show season.

Rolo had his debut just a few weeks ago. He did what I didn't even think he would do, his first time out he won a Reserve Best in Show. I guess he wants to live up to his housemate's reputation. Alice's first time out just won a Reserve Best in Show as well. Alice then beat him in the breed ring in the second show, which is fine with me.

We are now perparing for the last set of shows in Courtland, Va. Rolo will be entered in all 6 shows but Alice will only be shown twice then do two runs of lure coursing. Our goal is to have Rolo finish his title and to have Alice finish her lure coursing title and finish the year as the top Hamilton in the country.

In terms of my feet, shows are hard on my feet. I am glad that the formality of what I have to wear only applies to everything but my shoes. If I couldn't wear my shoes and my insoles then I probably wouldn't still be showing. So we are all prepping with training, packing and getting everything ready for next weekend.

The excitement between Michael and I is almost tangible and it makes the dogs quite hyper. So if the plan works then we might just have the first two Hamiltons invited to the UKC Premier show and Top Ten competition.

So I need to find my newest thing to help with my feet, the kitten likes to steal them. My mother bought me an ankle brace. I already had one so now I have one for each foot. Clubbies need to have a lot of ankle support as our ligaments and tendons are weaker than most people. My biggest issue in grinding ankle pain. Thankfully the braces worked quite well which is a godsend.

In regards to the previous post about the store involved, the issue is still ongoing and has not been dealt with. So I hope to deal with it soon.

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving.

SHOPPING and politics

First I wish those affected by Hurricane Sandy all the best in their recovery. We had a lucky run in with Hurricane Sandy. We got a lot of much needed rain, hardly any wind and a very brief power outage (it did have terrible timing as I was in the shower) but other than that everything was business as usual.

As America nears a big presidential election next week I do wish to mention politics briefly. I am a democrat and will be voting a completely democratic ticket, with that said, if you do not wish to read about my political beliefs please skip to the next paragraph. The reason for that decision is I truly believe that regulated healthcare is the way to go. As someone with a preexisting condition, I am very grateful for the fact that I do not have to worry about not being eligible for coverage if I have to resort to health insurance outside of my employer. No law is perfect, and it does not stop the health insurance companies from jacking up the premiums for your preexisting condition. Is that right? No but health insurance is a business. If somebody has type 2 diabetes then it will cost the insurance company much more than somebody without. I get it, but for certain cases I do wish that was not the case. I wish that is was illegal for insurance companies to jack up premiums for congenital conditions no matter what the age of the insured. I am also voting democrat because I truly believe that no government has the right to take away anybody's basic rights for any reason. I firmly believe in a separation of church and state. Religion has no place in politics or government, if your faith dictates your social beliefs, that's fine but do not assume that those beliefs are best for everybody in a country. When the founding fathers created the United States they wished for it to be a country of enlightenment that promotes education, equality, and progression. They created a government that would not be like England in the 1700's where the church was controlled by the state, where there was taxation without representation, and where it seemed like small minded people were dragging the country down. Thankfully, modern England is not like that. The United States currently may try and turn toward 1700's England if they aren't careful. I also am a fan of a socialist democracy, it works, it really does. Look at Germany, yes they have high taxes but it is a fair tax rate where you get health care, higher education, wonderful infrastructure, amazing unemployment and medical leave (including 3 year maternity leave and 1 year paternity leave) all paid for with those taxes. I think that people truly concerned about having a free and enlightened society only have one choice in this election and it is a straight democratic ticket the whole way.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program, I hope everybody had a great Halloween and if you have children that they didn't drive you too crazy with sugar highs and such. Last night we ventured to our local dog friendly mall, Stony Point Fashion Park, both Alice and Rolo loved their Halloween treats at Three Dog Bakery. Rolo is slowly but surely learning how to behave. Every so often I see the potential there to be a good service dog for me when Alice retires. I do have a little story to tell about a visit just the day before at a very un-dog friendly mall, Chesterfield Towne Center. It is a strict service dog only mall, which is fine. Alice was in full harness and ready for anything. We went into one of my favorite stores first, and what a nightmare. We were followed by an associate (turned out to be the General Manager), then were whispered about and gawked at by the same associate and another associate (turns out to be the Assistant Manager). Then when I called the store to complain, the manager denied the whole thing, did not apologize or anything. I am not saying the store as there is currently a pending issue going on with their corporate office. So it is being dealt with. On a much brighter note we went to numerous other stores where Alice and I were welcomed with open arms, which was wonderful.

To all store owners, managers, associates, etc here is what you should do with a service dog team in your store:
1. Ignore them and treat them like any other customer
2. If you are curious, ask questions to the service dog team
3. Ask to pet
4. Allow us to continue on our way

Here is what you should not do and why:
1. NEVER follow us unless we give you a reason to suspect anything suspicious
- following is very distracting to some dogs and especially the handler
2. Don't stare
- some dogs think it is a threat and may become cautious thus effecting their job
3. Don't whisper
- some ESA (Emotional Support Animal) teams could react badly, especially PTSD
4. Ask as little medical questions as possible
- you wouldn't want people asking about your personal medical information so don't ask us, some service dogs have a specific ID that gives all the information you need, ask for that instead

For those of you who have already donated to the HCA Service Dog Fundraiser, I thank you. If you have not, please do. The HCA is dedicated to helping service dog teams with training and all costs of obtaining a service dog, so every little bit helps. Thanks,


 

Grocery shopping!!

Saturday was grocery shopping day. Alice was on duty as doing full grocery shopping session are very hard on my feet and ankles. Michael was head cart pusher while Alice and I grabbed stuff off the shelves.

I live in a small town outside of Richmond and I must admit that my town is very progressive in terms of service dogs. The grocery store I go to is great. We got some curious kids and people but nothing too bad. It also helps that Alice has that "country girl" look to her being a hound. It is always nice to have a roughest of back-woods type just beam at Alice.

I usually get asked what Alice does to help me and the first answer I have is shopping. The physical act of squatting down to a low shelf is incredibly painful and borderline dangerous to me. Alice gets in front of me and I can push off and balance on her. Her pain notification thing was rather amusing on saturday, we walked in the store and she alerted quickly twice then looked at me with an expression that clearly said "Uh mum, what are you doing? You are already in pain...."

While out the real indicator of her training is how she is on lead, it is nearly dragging the floor. When you train your own service dog that should be your goal. You should be able to be confident that if you drop the lead that your dog will not run, no matter what. I think I can firmly say that except if there is a rabbit nearby but where would I be where I rabbit walks by if it isn't my own yard? Tension on the lead means tension going straight to the dog. If you are nervous about taking your dog out as a service dog then chew some gum or breath mint. Nervousness is transmitted directly from handler to dog from the lead and your breath. Mask it the best way you can. For me it is very important that I am completely at ease as Alice is very in-tune to me. She can sense when I am nervous, stressed, tired, irritated, need cheering up, etc.

Another good piece of advise is work on subtle word commands. Alice knows step, stand, hold, steady, feet, check and head up.

Step - take a step to an indicated place
Stand - stand still in a show stack
Hold - hold in a certain position
Steady - brace and don't move
Feet - lift feet up to a counter
Check - Alice will do a pain check
Head up - lift head off the floor (very important command for scent hounds)

As always if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Also, if you haven't contributed to the HCA's Service Dog Drive please do so, no amount is too small.

Calling for help

I know that it has been some time since I last sent out a message into "blog land" and that is because I have been dealing with issues way out of my control. So I must do something that I never thought I would do and that is ask for help.

With my recent foot problems I have a huge stack of medical bills that never seem to get any smaller plus trying to pay off the import of a new hopeful service dog and show dog. Right now it is like I never seem to make a dent in my bills.

So if you wish to help me make ends meet, I would be forever grateful. Please look to the right to find my contact information.

Another reason for this is that I am currently on a job search. I know that my employment is nearing an end with my current employer due to no fault of my own and because of that I am forced to look for a new job. The problem that many clubbies deal with is that you cannot take the manual labor jobs, you cannot take the retail jobs that require you to be on your feet, so you must improvise. Right now my current plan is earn my certification as a CPC (certified professional coder). I have a medical translation background and that job suits me just fine. The problem is that every certification costs money, money that I don't have.

Everything is spiraling out of my control dear clubbies, the light at the end of the tunnel is very dim but I have a plan, getting there is the tough part.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also if you would like to give to the Hamiltonstovare Club of America's Service Dog Assistance Drive please check out:
http://hamiltonservice.chipin.com/hamiltonstovare-club-of-america-service-dog-assistance

The money will go toward service dog teams, prospective service dog teams, training, import and helping the HCA become a full non-profit organization.

Dealing with disbelief

I really hate that I have to write this post but it needs to be done. Most clubbies live in a world where they are the only one in their circle of friends born with a deformity. Now that is a good thing on so many levels but it is a bad thing that can rear its ugly head. The good sides are simple, they make you feel normal and included in this crazy world.

The bad things are a bit tricky. No matter what the non-clubbie friends or friends without a deformity will never truly be able to relate with you in regards to what you are going through. Sure the good ones try, the bad ones fake it.

In my own experience I really hate to be reminded that there are things that I cannot do. So the concept of asking for help is really difficult for as is accepting help. I do appreciate offers because that means a bit more than "I'm sorry" and the ever dreaded "I hope you get better". The reason I say that one is dreaded is because there really is no such thing until the day that bionic feet are invented. When I hear that or the variants of it like "feel better", I cringe because that honestly means that they have no grasp of the concept that once you start having symptoms, you never really stop having them. Has this cost me many friends, you bet ya. Is it harsh, to me no, because most of my friends have been around me for years, they should know better.

The thing that I will not tolerate at all is disbelief. A lot of people will disbelieve clubbies at first because we look normal usually and carry on like nothing is wrong. So disbelief usually happens to ones that haven't known me very long and they won't be any closer than vague acquaintances that I never think of fondly. The reason is because what I go through on bad days is something that I wouldn't even wish on the devil himself. So to have people disbelieve me is a severe blow to me.

For example, I have recently lost a few friends due to disbelief, one was a friend for nearly 10 years and others I had known for a few months to a couple of years. I don't honestly have time to go into the details but suffice it to say not a one of them knew/know what I am going through right now with my feet. They do not know that I am possibly facing surgery due to a subluxation of my peroneal tendon of my left ankle. They do not know anything about angles of regression and what that actually means. So to paraphrase one of them  who said I was "full of shit", think what you want but I hope you, your children or grandchildren never have to experience what I am going through.

The past two weeks have been rough for me. I am still recovering from a stress fracture in my left 3rd metatarsal and in a cam boot. Last Monday morning I woke up and thought that my worst nightmare was coming true, pain, unbelievable pain in my right foot (the more severely affected foot). I couldn't walk, the best thing I could think was to try some deep breathing techniques to calm down a bit then wake my boyfriend up. When I tried to get out of bed I couldn't walk, not even the roughly 4 paces to the bathroom. So I called out of work and then got an appointment with my podiatrist. He then diagnosed me with severe anterior tibial tendonitis with moderate joint inflammation. He prescribed me 2 NSAID's (oral and topical) and gave me very strict orders. Those being: 90% of my day must be either sitting or laying down, no driving at all, and no work for the rest of the week. Simple yes but some people, no matter what you do or say will always take things out of context and twist them (take a look at Fox News, they make millions off that).

So here I sit on a Friday night, knowing that support can be very hard to find. Those true friends who stand by you and vise versa are rare indeed. So to you out there be it parents of clubbies, spouse/boyfriend/significant other of clubbies, friends of clubbies, and most of all the lucky clubbies who do not have problems as an adult, look to those clubbies who struggle with pain every day to show you how to treat them. Be mindful that we in constant pain have very little tolerance for B/S in all forms because we cherish those wonderful moments where there is minimal pain or no pain. If you happen to start something with us during those bad days, we may lash out and honestly not have a clue what is going on.

To those uncaring disbelievers, please kindly sod off!!