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The Adventures of Dora

Just mom and I do Costco, and my first cat

I took yesterday off and lounged around with dad while mom did some errands. When mom got home she was glad I did not go, she said it was crazy. This morning mom started getting ready to go and I thought I was staying home again until I saw her get my working collar. I was very excited. We went to walmart for my first time. Mom only had to pick up 3 items and it was not very crowded. I did very good except for a few items on the floor. Mom said I did very well. Then we went to Costco, usually dad goes with us. We got a cart and that always makes me do better. Mom had her hands free lead wich makes it easier for her. It was pretty crowded and I got distracted a few times. Mom was really good about taking time out so we could regroup. I got lots of yummy treats everytime I did good. So i tried hard to be good. On the way to the car i got distracted by two little birds. Well I lunged for them and ended up under mom's feet. I screamed and mom said well maybe you should pay attention, after that i heeled perfectly to the car. our next stop was a pet store. mom took me in without my vest so I could relax. Well come to find out the had a 4 month old kitten someone had dumped on then yesterday. i had never seen a cat. She came around the corner and we were face to face. I did my submissive act and she bulked up andhissed at me. Well I did not like that or her and went the other way. She followed us around and mom made us walk by her until I was not worried. Then she came by and I sniffed her tail. Aparently cats do not greet like dogs and she blew up into a hissy fit. Well I definatly was done with her after that. Mom got my raw and kibble food and we left. After we got home I took a big nap. Later in the afternoon mom and I worked on my heeling. She took my special toy that we only use in training. after a few steps of heeling I got to carry the toy. Then we would repeat. Mom said playing and having fun made my heeling better. Also I am learning to carry. Then we stopped by a group who were playing cornhole. Dad was there and I got to visit with everyone. What a busy but fun day.

Woofstock, Pet Physcic and much more

After 6 days of working mom gave me today off. She put on “my going somewhere fun collar” this morning. Mom and I went to an event in Chandler caller “WOOFSTOCK” we has so much fun. I did not wear my vest and I got to relax and visit with all the people and dogs. When we got out of the car my best friend Meadow was there with her mom and dad. We were both so surprised and excited to see each other our folks could not control us. Once we got that out of our system we headed over to the event. We watched demonstrations of fly ball, agility, flying disc and even a police dog demonstration. Mom and I talked to a pet physcic. He did a 15 minute free reading for anyone who wanted one. Mom was skeptic and gave him no info on me to see what he came up with on his own. First he rubbed all over me and then he let me sit in his lap and give him kisses. I liked him a lot he was fun. He told mom that I was a very caring dog and that I wanted to be with mom and care for her. He also said that I was very tuned into mom and that I loved being around other dogs but that I did not need another one at home, that I preferred it me just the 3 of us. He also told mom that I liked attention whether it was good or bad. He suggested that mom praise wanted behavior and ignores unwanted behavior. After this mom decided to tell him that I was in training as a service dog. He said that made since and that she would be very good at it, but to remember sometimes I just want to be a princess. Mom asked him if he thought that I liked being a service dog and if I was okay with that. He told mom that I would very much like that. He also told mom that I am very concerned over things until I know that they are okay. Mom said he pegged me and my personality perfectly. Then we went over to the photo booth that did my fall pictures. The had a holiday scene set up so mom had my photos done again and this time mom even got in some of them. She will post some of them on the site as we got the cd like last time. After that we just walked around to all the booths. There was a Top Dog booth and they were selling the Teamwork books and videos. Mom purchased the Teamwork 2 book. After that mom said we had seen it all and were broke so we headed home. I was so tired that I rested the remainder of the day.

Dora does Las Vegas and Laughlin Nevada

We are back from our vacation and I have so much to tell. I have told mom to keep it short as some times she goes on and on. We had a great time and we all learned so much. Mom did not have to use the walker the whole time but when she did it helped and I was very good with it. When we arrived at Sam’s Town in LasVegas on Sunday we were all excited and anxious. This would be out first trip with me as a SDIT. Dad decided it would be a good idea to get checked into our room and grab a bite to eat first. It was a good thing as our room was not ready. We had to walk through an atrium to get to the hotel lobby and mom was nervous. They made it to look like a park and mom was afraid I may have an accident. Of course I did not but there was a lot to see and take in. We had only been in the building 3 minutes and we ran right into a guide team. Luckily mom, dad and the dog’s handler were all between us dogs. This is the first team we have encountered so mom thought back to what she has learned from folks here. So she blurts out we have a service puppy in training. About that time the Golden Retriever lets out 4 very loud barks. These were not let’s play barks they were hey mom there is something here. Well the woofs echoed through the atrium and everyone looked our direction. I just looked over at the Golden and mom hustled me on by. Mom was very nervous about being access challenged on this trip and it never happened. In fact everyone at the property was very warm and welcoming. The security guards who guard the entrances all became our friends. The cocktail waitress brought mom and dad lots of drinks so they could say. All of the restraints were sure to get us very nice seating so that I had plenty of space. Even though mom was very strict on my visiting I have a huge fan club there. After 3 nights of staying in Las Vegas dad called The Golden Nugget in Laughlin. He was able to get 2 free nights so we headed down there. I liked Laughlin; they had a nice river walk that we went out on several times. It was nice to be out in the fresh air and look at all the big ducks on the path. On our first day mom and I were walking through the casino past the gaming tables when a hairy black and white Tasmanian devil wearing a vest came at us growling and barking. Mom said it was hard to tell but she thinks it was a shi-Tzu. I just looked at the dog and mom told me to leave it and we walked off. We could hear the older couple still yelling at the dog on the other side of the room. We found out later it is a regular there and it even does that to people. Mom says as long as they spend money there they probably do not say anything. All and all mom says it was a great trip. I alerted mom to her head pains a couple times but she did not listen the first time. She thought I was being pesky and needed a break so we went to our room. Shortly afterwards she got her head pain and had to take a pill. Well the next time I alerted she took a pill and we went to the room just as the head pain started. Mom has decided she needs to read me a little better and pay attention. Mom says that after this trip she feels we are a team and I agree. Mom says that this trip was the best thing we could have done for my training. Even dad had fun and said I did very well. We may do it again next month as they have more free nights…….