how I came to live here

Hi pup pals and their people,
I was one of 13 puppies born to Tigress and Sarge (my fur parents) in MO. This happened on Jan 28, 2005. My mom had plans for me even before I was born. That was to become a service dog for her. Now how about that? Anyhow it was very noisey when I was born. I was born somewhere in the middle. My mommy named me within a week of me being born. Benn called Sandy since I was a real lil puppy. I stayed with my birth family until I was 3 mos old. That is when I took a ride with my birth brother and person. Well person is also my mommy's bestest friend. No wonder we had such a looooong drive. Went from Mo - VA. Well enjoyed having my pup bro with me during the trip.
Well we arrived at my new home. To my surprise there were 2 other dogs there. Now these guys looked nothing like my family, but they were nice. Well that black one, who is Whiskey, decided to keep his distance from us pups. Now that big furry guy was interested in us lil pups. That was Rascal who decided to play some with us. Afterwards he just watched us. The boys were very happy to see mommy's friend again. I have found out that she had visited before I was ever born. Also mommy knows my birth parents. Tigress is a Labrador mix and Sarge is a German Shepard/Belgian Malinois mix.
Well this tells you how I came to live with my family.
I RUV THEM!

how tues went

Well I had to wait for my mom to turn on her computer, Rascal doesn't know how to do it either. Mom did a lot of resting on wed. Well that was because we had a busy day together. We drove over to a friends home. Now they no pets, but there are to kids. You know those small people called kids. One is 5 1/2yrs and my lil buddy J is 16mos old. Now he and I have a blast together. He is getting bigger and can walk around now. Just love it when he gives me hugs. Mom always lets me know when we are going over for a visit like on tues. We didn't spend much time there before we all headed out again. Now they have a van and I sit with the kids. This way I can still keep an eye on my mom, after all is it my job to do so. We went to this place where I had been when I was doing my service dog training. The lady that we saw remembered me! She said that boy did I grow since she last saw me. She also commented on how well behaved I was being while there. My mommy looked very proudly at me. After we were all done there we piled up in the van again. Our next stop was walmart. Mom uses one of those riding thingys which I walk right next to. Every so often I had to go check on my buddy J. Love it when I get to go see what's what in the dog aisle. One of the best aisles in the store! After everyone paid for the stuff. We piled into that van again. When we got to J's house I got a really nice walk. Then I got to go inside and take my vest off. This means that I can go play with J and his sister. Now J does make nice to me, hugs me even gives me kissses. I am always very gentle with him. J also likes to climb over my body can you imagaine that? His sis likes to play ball with me. Which is loads of fun. In between playing I do check on mom. After mom was done resting some whe drove us home. Well Rascal is always the first one to welcome me home. Even Whiskey is coming down these days to say hi to me. I think they both like the way I smell ever since I had my bath. After saying hi to the boys I ate my food all up. Then it was time for a rest.

what kind of day I can have as a service dog

Sandy told me that she wanted to do another diary entry and that Rascal would help her do it. All she wanted me to do was set it up so she could do it along with Rascal. (he types better than her, he has smaller paws)


Hi everyone! Just to let you know Sandy is telling me what to type for her. You can see by the title it is better if me Rascal does the typing. After all Sandy is only 2 1/2 yrs old to my 11 yrs. So her goes about her life outside of our home folks.

Well I help my mommy out everyday and enjoy working very much. I get to go to the grocery store, walmart, doctors offices, visiting on a regular basis. Every so often I get to go somewhere brand new, which is always an interesting adventure for me. I really like being mommy's helper and companion. I do my best to behave all of the time but every so often I goof up. Mommy says I should get even better as I get older.

Now my days at home are pretty much the same. I get to go on walks with Rascal. On rare occasions Whiskey will join us but not to often. There are many times I just go out without the boys and that is when I get to play outside. I really like playing with my big stick. Mommy will hold it up in the air for me. Then I run up to it with a flying leap into the air. That is fun to do. Oh!, I have a new puppy friend Cloud who is 6 mos old. She is grand to play with. We run with each other and just fool around like young dogs like to do.

I will tell you about what I did so far a few weeks ago when I went out. Mommy gets me ready by putting my vest on. I am glad she took my saddle bags off my vest because of the HOT temperatures. It make my vest cooler for me, phew. I get seat belted into the back seat of the car. Then we went to a doctor's office. Everyone in the office already knows me & says hi to me. I wag my tail at them in response. I even did what mommy calls a happy to be on carpet rub, yes I did it with my vest on! Now we had to wait a long time in the waiting room. Hey is that why the people call it that? Well while waiting so long, I let mommy know I had to go potty. She told them that we would be right back and with that we went back into the elevator and then got to go outside. When we headed back in I felt much better! Back up to the doctor's for more waiting. This doctor likes me and usually has a snack for me when he sees me. Now my working day was not over just yet. Mommy and I went to pick up our friends (their van was being fixeded). I really love my baby buddy J he is great lil guy! He got to sit in the back seat with me, yippee. We went to this place and got some stuff that was needed and then back to their house. This is when I got to take a break and get my vest off. I played with J. When I am resting he will lay down with me. Now I know mommy can't wait to get a photo of us cuddling together. I kiss him and he giggles and pets me. Then it was time to go home.

That is how some of my workdays go. Today went just a lil different since I went to 2 new stores for me. Made mommy proud and no barkies in the store. Now it was my mommy who didn't have a car only because she lent it to my boy(now this guy is real tall) Rascy how tall is he again? give me a sec sis, me thinks big bro is like ummm 6'2" which it BIG ... so our friend picked mommy & me up this afternoon. She had both the lil people with her. I got into her van and sit on the floor right in front of them and close enough to see mommy in the front seat. We had a nice drive to the first new store which was interesting but I kept wanting to find my lil buddy in his rollie thingy (methinks she means a stroller folks). Now his sister is 5 1/2 yrs old. We all got back into the van and drove to store number 2. Now this was a big store and mommy used one of them riding carts. Which I walk right next to. I always stays close to her. I gotta make sure she is ok when we are out. Our next stop after we got what was needed was our friends house where I got to relax and play. I of course had my potty breaks. Now that was not the end of my day. My boy came and picked mommy & me up so we could go pick up his repaired car. Now after this we got to go home. Rascal always gives me a wonderful greeting when I return home. Isn't he a nice doggy bro? Whiskey even came down to say hi kid to me. Oh yeah they also said hello to mommy. Now all I did since coming home is eat my food and sleep. That is until I asked Rascal to do this with me. Isn't he a nice guy for helping me with this? there sure are many many words here hope you all read them all WOOOFFY

typed by Rascal as told to him by Sandy


BTW, I wanted to she a sweet thing Sandy does for me late last night when I asleep at the computer ... when she realizes this she will come over, nudge me until i wake up and then escort me to bed ... I am very proud of my girl for doing this ... I'm so glad that she got me before I got keyboard face. by Sandy's Mommy

hmmm

WOW ... I got so into writing some blogs at yahoo I forgot to come here ... yikes I could I forget that I have all these new pup pals here ... I know it was the heat that got to me or maybe that I have been a hard working service dog ... it takes a lot to behave all the time when I am out working ... mom thinks it because it has to do with my age ... didn't know 2 1/2 meant something but it does to her and others ... think I heard the word teenager used ... think that I need to ask Rascal about this ... my brothers are doing fine and I will let them do their own updates ...teehee

I will do my pup best not to stay away so long ... but I do have to share mommy's computer with her and my brothers ... what a girl to do? ... Rascal just said wait for your turn like the rest of us ... silly brother

pup huggles, Sandy

about the photos added

Well the boys and me just found the lastest photos that we all added to our pages. These were taken when I was younger. I wasn't even 1 yr old yet in them. Mom has a hard time getting all of us in one photo these days. Esp. Whiskey since he stays upstairs most of the time these days. The next time we go to walmart I have to remind her to get some film for her camera. I know she also uses her cell phone to take photos. I sure do not understand how a phone takes pictures. Let alone how she gets them onto the computer. Got me stumped.

Mom is always working with me to make me a even better service dog. I had to help her get up from a real tight spot the other day. When I say tight I mean tight. She told me what she and were she wanted me and I did it all the way she wanted. I've been doing much better helping her up and down the stair to our basement. Rascal used to help me do that before I joined the family. He taught me a few things. If I need reminding of the things he used to do. Mom has him do it for me to watch. He has told me how proud he is of how I can help our mom. I tell him everything that I did when mom & me go out.

waggles and huggles, Sandy

my nice day

Rello Pals,

my day started out real slow ... woke mom up for the morning walk ... she fed us ... the boys ate right away but not me ... then mom just went back to sleep ... well Rascal and me napped until dad came downstairs ... we watched him make his breakfast & eat it ... he always gives us something when he is done eating ... mom says that dad is a big softy (whatever that means), checked on mom only to find her still sleeping ... well I was kinda of glad since she had a hard time falling asleep last night ... I think it has to do with her teeth because she is going to the dentist without me on thursday (phooey) ... there aren't too many places that I don't go with her ... okay back to today ... we kept getting dad to pet us ... even got a snack out of him ... finally I woke mom up because dad just didn't understand what I was telling him ... I knew mom would figure it out ... when she isn't sure she will ask me to show her and I do ... she had to ask me today ... so i took her to where my leash was ... she knew what I wanted ... the boys went with dad and me with mom ... we got back before them ... the sun was nice and warm ... so i wanted to sun myself alittle ... now mom went inside the house but she stood at the door and watched me ... then the guys came back I moved so they could get inside the house ... and returned to sunning myself ... no sure how long I was out there but it was so nice ... came back and lazed around ... until later in the afternoon when I asked mom to go out again ... this time I put my paws on my leash that was on a chair ... this time when we came back one of my human friends was outside ... there was another one lil human with her, now a new friend ... well we all said hi ... then they played with me while mom watched ... we all rested near my mom ... then my friend wanted to see if she could walk me ... well I wasn't going move away from my mom ... no way no how ... no matter how hard she tried there was no moving me ... that is until mom said come on Sandy ... not much longer after that we all said our goodbyes ... by this time I really need a drink of water ... Rascal gave me his usual welcome home ... after I rested for a little bit ... mom played with me for awhile ... we had fun ... I finally ate the food that was put out in the morning ... when I was done with it I started hitting my food dish ... I wanted more food ... mom said that I had to wait ... let me tell you it was well worth the wait ... we get some really yummy meals when our regular food runs out ... all of us did a great jobs cleaning our bowls ... now this means we will have one more real yummy meal ... also that I get to go to buy more with mom tomorrow ... woohoo I get to wear my vest and help mom in the store ... now I do want to let you all know I do help her around the house ... I am never far form where ever she is ... when I am not with her Rascal is ... he used to help her before I came (but only in the house) ... think I will go relax it the recliner now ......

aroooof, waggles & love, Sandy

the diffence a day makes to this service dog

Rello,

Yesterday was one of the few times that mom had to leave me home when she went out. I really don't like it much. Especially since I can not keep an eye on her. I worry when we are not together. Rascal knew how upset I was and was a real comfort to me. He is a real sweet brother. It seemed like forever until I heard the close of the car door. Once I heard that I knew MOM WAS HOME!!! The boys joined me in my welcome home mom barking. I was also jumping up on the door. When mom got to the door she I heard her say, "Oh Sandy we need to open the door so mommy can come in." Well that is when I realized that there was no way she could have gotten in when my jumping like that. She has been teaching me to open different doors in the house. So I knew which way this one opened so no more jumping. That is when the door opened and there she was our mommy. I was so very excited I could not stay still. So she said hi to Whiskey then Rascal. Then she told me calm down girl. Do you realize how hard that is to do when you are so HAPPY? Mom looked so tired that I hoped that she would eat something and then lay down. Which she did. She did tell me before she fell asleep that realized how much I actually do. I wasn't sure what she meant by that when she said it. I had to wait until she was awake again. It was so nice to be able to watch her sleeping. When she woke up to get a snack. I took over her spot. (teehee) When she came back she gave me this really cute look and I gave her one right back. Well when she got to me I moved so she could lay back down. As soon as she had I jumped right back up for a cuddle with her. Figured we both needed it. She told me that the people at the dental clinic ask after me. That is when she told me all the little things she realized I would have done if I had been with her. Also that I was becoming a really good service dog.

Now today was a totally different day. I helped mom on all of her errands. She was able to do more with me helping her than when she was alone. That made me feel real good inside knowing this. We went to CVS to pick up a biscuit for me & think mom got something also. Then off to a doctor's office to pick of something mom needed. I liked riding in the elevator. Out next stop was the bank where I made a biscuit withdrawal. Not sure what mom did there. Then we went grocery shopping. I got to see some of my friends who work there. Some of them give me snacks. Helped mom whenever she needed it. It felt real good to be with her. I knew for sure she was safe with me around. Well I am tired and think I will call it a night.

Ruv, Waggles & Huggles, Sandy

this dog just does not understand ...

On wednesday we went to a new doctor for mom. The people in the waiting room were nice and ask about me. The nurse who took us back thought I was real well behaved. When the doctor first met us. She did say hello to me and asked mom about me. Mom told her that one of the things I do for her is help her with mobility. The doctor just didn't seem to understand how I could do that better than a cane or a walker. Mom said that neither of those items could keep her from falling or keep her balance better. That I was able to do this better. Also that she now falls less often now that she has me. Me not sure about why mom had to keep saying why I was better at it to this doctor person. When mom mentioned that I was able to alert her to when her blood sugar drops that doctor person said that no way a dog could tell. Me thinks mom is having second thoughts about changing doctors at this point. Plus this doctor said they treated many people with allergies. Now mom will be as considerate of people with allergies by making her appointment times at end of the day usually. They said that wouldn't work. Since the doctor does own dogs she said that I don't suppose leaving the dog in the car would be an option. I thought to myself is this person nuts to even think about leaving me or any other dog in a car. I knew what mom was thinking, but all she did was shake her head no. She also said that she would not travel this far without me either. She was now on a mission to point out other reasons why I would be needed at her appointments. One thing was they do not have a handicapped bathroom. How do they expect my mom or any other handicapped person to use it. Good grief if I was not with mom she would never have been able to use it. Also I helped mom out of the chairs that had no arms. So mom made it a point of telling not only the nurse but the doctor about this. Me thinks doctors should know more about service dogs. This is not the first time my mom and me have run into this. This doctor was asking mom to prove her need for a service dog. Now honestly folks why does mom have to proof this??? Not one of mom current doctors have asked for this why just a few like this new one? This service dog does not understand. BTW, there are many of my fellow service dogs who alert their partners to many different things and they are accurate. This was not an aspect my mom was expecting on this visit. I know she will ask on the phone before we go if they are okay with a service dog being in their office. They said no on the phone. Now sorry if this pup repeated herself as me was perturbed by this visit mom had.
Waggles and love, Sandy

ut oh! what I did today by accident

Rello Rall,

Well on this morning's walkie I saw this squirrel. I wanted to go after it so much. That when I saw it I just ran. Now what I forgot about was most of my 20foot leash was still in mom's hand. Big mistake on my part. Next thing I heard was SANDY LEAVE IT! Then I heard damn that hurts from my mom. Said to self ut oh what did I do? Did I caused my mom to get hurt? Oh no! Well mom, Rascal & me went back inside. Mom just kept muttering things. She fed all three of us. Now once she disentangled her left paw from the leashes. That is when I finally knew what the damage to her paw was. Turns out her ring finger is badly sprained & middle one little bit. So she taped up the two fingers. She is such a wonderful mommy. All she told me was that I needed to stop going after squirrels! She didn't yell or nothing at me. I feel so bad that I was the reason she is hurt. Also part why she slept most of the day away. She does that when she hurts an awful lot. Sighs .

I was going to share more fun things today but think you rall understand why me did not.

Waggles and Ruv, Sandy

I have been a very good girl!

Rello Rall,

Well I figured that I would make up for hurting my mom's paw by being the best SD (service dog) I know how to be for her. We went grocery shopping on sunday. I helped her through out the store. Listened real close to all my commands. Never barked once or even pulled once. I made my mom proud of me.

Mom did a lot of resting on monday. Both Rascal and me were quiet as she slept. I helped her just about every time she got up. One of the things I do most for her is help her with her balance. Just after we got our bedtime treat mom told me that I was going to be working tomorrow. I drifted off to puppy dreamland with happy thoughts of working.

Now this morning we took dad to the doctor for his appointment. When we got into the waiting room it was crowded. A nice lady gave her seat to my mom and me. Mom signaled to me that I had to sit between her legs and under the chair . This way I do not take up a lot of room. We waited for what seem like hours to hear our name called. I never seem to realize that they have called us. They never ever say my name. Mom said I need to learn our last name if I want to know when they call us. We past the docotor in the hall and he said I see the family is here in force. That is when mom said Sandy wants to make sure her dad gets taken care of. The doctor laughed at this. Though I am not so sure why.

We went to Petsmart afterward. Now this is my kind of store to go to.Woohoo!!! No sooner than we got to the isle that we needed that I told mom I need to go potty. She asked why didn't you do this before we came in. I just looked at her, with am I don't know look. Needless to say I felt much better when we returned. Mom was looking for something to help poor Rascal's itchy thigh. He has this rash that has been itching him an awful lot. She got something for him. Then I got to look at the toys. I found this tennis ball that squeaked. We got 3 of them. Also got some rawhide bones and other stuff that tastes yummy. I got a biscuit at checkout.

Then we headed off to Walmart. We didn't stay long because they did not have any riding carts for mom to use. So we went back the car and headed on home.

Mom gave us that new very tasty treat. Then both rascy and me wanted to play with the squeaky tennis balls. Well it happened to me first, my ball stopped squeaking. Then to Rascal and then the third ball also stopped squeaking. Now this was about after 20 minutes playing with them. Now this happened to both me and Rascal. Mom called Petsmart and told them about it. She was told to bring the balls back and they will replace them. I think mom is also going to contact the company that makes them. I wanna know how come squeaky toys never ever seen to last. Does any other pup have this problem??? This has prompted my mom into action. She said she is going to make squeaky toys for me. Something tells me it will be more of a challenge to destroy something that my mom makes. I will keep you posted on how this goes. BTW, I think that the dog toy company should hire me as a toy tester!

Waggles and Love, Sandy