DAY 352, Friday, 2/22/13

Bob has been trying an experiment this week: whenever he would step away from the office for a few minutes, he would leave me in the office with the door slightly ajar just to see if I would stay or try to get out. The first few times, I stayed behind. Today, however, he went away and left me in the office, and when he came back, he found me roaming the hallway. He seemed upset, but I was just being a good service dog. You see, it seemed to me that he had been gone too long, and I was worried about him, so I went looking for him. Now, that’s nothing to be upset about, is it?

DAY 351, Thursday, 2/21/13

Bob seems to be adjusting well to our new job, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. When they told me that the job was for the Recovery Programs Administrator, I thought we would be recovering stuff that people had lost in the snow—I’d be really good at that—but it turns out that we’ll be helping people recover from mental illnesses and substance addictions. Now, don’t get me wrong: that’s important work. It’s just not as exciting as digging in the snow for lost treasures.

It seems funny that just when Bob and I are going to work every day, Tony is staying home, resting on the couch, and watching TV all day. It turns out that when he fell last week, he broke both his ankle and his fibula, so we’re not sure when he’ll be able to return to work. I miss being with him, but mostly I miss getting to stretch out on the couch.

DAY 350, Wednesday, 2/20/13

A couple of times today Bob left me in our office by myself just to see how I would do, and, of course, I was perfect. I only worked half a day because Bob had to take Tony to the orthopedist, so when he went home to get Tony, he left me behind in the apartment.

We’ve had lots of snow the past couple of days, and, naturally, I loved playing in it every chance I got.

DAY 349, Tuesday, 2/19/13

I was a big hit on my first day on the new job, of course. Everybody at the office just fell in love with me. Even though I was wearing my service dog vest, I let everybody pet me. It would have been rude not to.

Bob and I got our pictures taken for our employee ID badges. Yeah, they are making one for him too.

When we got home from work, I was exhausted. I need a good night’s rest so I can go back tomorrow all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

DAY 348, Monday, 2/18/13

Well, tomorrow is the big day: Bob and I start our new job. I went to the groomer today and got all prettied up for the big event. I just hope Bob doesn’t embarrass me.

I was looking forward to the three of us driving to work together, but Tony is still recuperating from his sprained ankle and won’t be going back to work just yet. The orthopedist will check him out Wednesday, and then we’ll see.

DAY 347, Sunday, 2/17/13

Yesterday, we got a Congratulations card from Aunt Ro for the new job. Can you believe this? Bob actually thought the card was for him. Ha ha ha. Now THAT’s funny.

Tony is still recuperating from his sprained ankle. He just goes from the couch to the bathroom and back. Personally, I think it’s just an excuse to spend more time with me. I am disappointed, though, that he isn’t letting me up on the couch like he used to. He says he’s afraid I’ll bump his sore foot, but I dunno.

With Tony incapacitated, Bob is doing all the cooking. Poor Tony.

DAY 345, Friday, 2/15/13

This morning when Tony took me outside, he slipped on the ice and fell down. At first, I thought it was a new game, but then I realized that he was really hurt. I could have run off, but I didn’t. Even though I really needed to go potty, I stayed right there with him until Bob heard the screams and came running downstairs. Bob took him to the emergency room, and, fortunately, his ankle wasn’t broken, just sprained. Tony lay on the couch all the rest of the day with his foot propped up, and, of course, I stayed close by to keep a watchful eye on him. With my help, I’m sure he’ll recover very quickly.

DAY 344, Thursday, 2/14/13

So, today was what they call Valentine’s Day. Bob gave Tony some chocolates and Italian blood orange drink that he likes, and Tony gave Bob a key lime pie, his favorite. They both kept saying how delicious the pie is, but I wouldn’t know ‘CAUSE THEY WOULDN’T SHARE WITH ME!

And speaking of being self-absorbed, Bob is all puffed up because a book called “From One Sphere to Another” was released today (https://www.createspace.com/4057809). He’s excited because one of his poems is included in the book. So, he’s going to be impossible to live with for a few days—more so than usual.

DAY 343, Wednesday, 2/13/13

I’ve been very busy the past couple of days getting ready to start my new job on Tuesday. Yesterday, I sent Bob to PetSmart to get me a new bed for our new office. Today, he and I went back there to get a new water dish and tray to take to the office. I want to be fully prepared on my first day of work. I’m not really sure what Bob is doing to prepare. I sure hope he doesn’t embarrass me.

DAY 342, Tuesday, 2/12/13

I promised that I would have a big announcement today. Well, here it is: Bob and I have a new job! Remember when I wrote last week that he and I had gone to a meeting at the place where Tony works? Well, that was a job interview, and we were successful. To tell the truth, they only wanted to hire me, but I told them that Bob and I were a team and that they would have to take both of us or neither, so they hired him too.

So, one week from today, we will be the new Recovery Programs Administrator for Behavioral Health at the Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority. Of course, my main job is to help Bob, but I’m excited to know that I will also be able to help lots of other people now.

This is a very big step because Bob has been on disability for about 12 years and has not worked full time since 2001. He said he would not have had the confidence to try returning to work without the support of Tony and me. Actually, it’s about 10% Tony and 90% me, but we won’t dwell on that.

And that’s my big announcement.