Zane Train Part 2: Cage - Home Depot

Good morning puppy lovers,

As you recall from my story yesterday, I was trying to get my little feet up some stairs. The Johnpeer home has two levels, which means it has a set of stairs that lead to the upper level, where Step Dad and Mom and I sleep.

With my short little eight-week-old legs, I couldn’t even get up to the first stair. Gary tried to get me to walk upstairs on my own, but I kept falling down.

I made one stair only because that’s as far as I could climb. It made Gary happy that, after the second day, I actually made it up one stair on my own. Gary would carry me the rest of the way. After about 10 days, I found I could get all the way to the first landing, but he took sympathy on me and carried me the rest of the way up.

It was about two weeks before I made it all the way up and it seemed to make everybody in the house happy and they all took note of my achievement. Dad (Richard) said that must have been what Erik Weihenmeyer must have felt when he reached the top of Mt. Everest. I sure was proud of myself.

Dad tells me that Erik lives in Boulder and has a guide dog. Dad met both of them a couple of years ago at a Swing for Sight event when Erik spoke about his Everest climb. I can't wait to meet both of them and take a hike up a mountain. Heh, I made it to the second level, why not the top of Mt. Evans?!

Back at my first depot, when not working with me, they kept me in a cage which was both good and bad. I really wanted to get my teeth on some of the good stuff I could see through the bars. You know the feeling, right? You are in your yard and you see others playing next door and you long to be able to get over there!

That dirty, smelly sock that they didn’t know was under the couch that I could see . . . yum!

I was shocked to see that they had not one, but two cages. One for me and one for Marcel, my new buddy. Ane they had one upstairs, too.

Seems like they really want to control me. Am I in jail? Am I a criminal?

Well, yes I guess I am a little bit of a sock criminal. I LOVE SOCKS! I steal them from Mom's laundry basket all the time. I even took a pair off her bathroom sink counter the other day.

I learned from watching the pet dogs that, at meal time, scraps would sometimes drop to the floor and the other dogs would eat them.

To me, it seemed it would just be a matter of time until I, too, could sit by their table and eat table scraps. To my surprise, I have never been allowed to eat those scraps, although I have chewed my fair share of dirty socks when they weren’t looking.

Seems that the other dogs have a whole different set of rules than I have. Even my buddy, Marcel, seems to get special treatment.

Is there a doggie lawyer in the house? I need to check out my canine rights!

My cage has become my friend in a lot of ways. I can go there whenever I want and I feel very secure in there. Sometimes Harvey likes to sleep in my cage and, because he is getting old, I just let him. But I kick Marcel out when he gets near it. He has his own cage!

At night, the cage is mine alone and everybody knows it, even the other dogs, except Marcel. He seems to get special treatment and had a piece of carpet in his cage. I kept picking it up and dragging it to my cage.

Gary and Vicki got an old piece of scrap carpet to put inside my cage. It was soft and warm on my bald pink belly. I just love my cage, my little "home depot."

Lots of puppy love to all,
Zane

PS Mom posted a new photo album of pictures of (mostly!) me. Click the link, "My complete profile," then click the link marked "My Web Page." Enjoy!!

Zane Train Part 1: My First Depot

Howdy Guide Dog Puppies,

Good morning, fellow pups.

So you want to be a guide dog? Have you really thought this through? I bet you are having some fun and probably lots of work at your first depot - your puppy raiser home.

This is your cuzzin, Zane, and I want to share a series of thoughts over the next few weeks on what it takes to be a guide dog, which I consider to be the highest calling for Labrador Retrievers.

I was born in February, 2006, I can tell you that once you leave your real Mom when you are about 5-6 weeks old, it's time for basic training with your puppy raiser family.

That's me in the picture with my new puppy rasier Dad, Gary - ain't I cute?! I was only two months old - still a baby!

I think I had the best family, but I have heard from several of your Moms and Dads that they are raising my cousins and this is an important part of your training. Let me share my story.

When I arrived at the Topanga kennels in mid-April, 2006, I was fed and given a room for the night with a few other lab pups. They barked a lot and I didn’t sleep well that night. The next day, my puppy raiser family, the Johnpeers, arrived to pick me up.

I met Gary, the Dad, Vicki, the Mom, and Katie and Kimberly, their daughters. Such a warm friendly and loving group of people - they just kept hugging me and really making me feel special.

Well, if I have to leave my Lab Mom, Kauai, these people sure seem like a great new family and the life of ease and relaxation, playing all day, eating all day, ah-h-h, this will be the life!

Boy, was I wrong!

They kept me on the floor of the car all the way home, although I really wanted to be on the seat where I could see better. They spoke softly to me and petted me a lot and kept saying “you are a handsome boy, Zane.”

They thought I might be scared, but it was not as bad as leaving my mother in San Rafael or the ride to Topanga inside a cage in a van or the night I spent at the Topanga kennels with all the other barking puppies and dogs.

What a surprise when we got home about an hour later to find that they have five other old cars! Maybe some of these other cars don’t smell so bad or make as much noise.

I felt like a movie star - pictures were taken upon my arrival and I soon pooped on their floor, which didn’t seem to make them too happy.

In fact, they wouldn’t let me pee inside the house either. Heh, what’s up? I usually just go potty when I need to. This is not fair!

They took turns taking me to the back yard to try to get me to go potty outside. They kept repeating “do your business” over and over.

"Do your business?"

I don’t even work yet . . . I’m too young . . . I don’t have a business!

I finally went potty just to shut them up. Then I heard them say “Good Boy!”

I heard someone else say they wanted to house break me. Sounds bad, but then after “doing my business” and getting that “Good Boy” response, I figured out going potty outside was a "good thing."

I especially like checking p-mail. Lots of good messages have been sent in their neighborhood. Oh, I sure would like to meet her! I could not believe that so many different dogs were on our street!

I learned quickly that I was not the only dog in this household. The expectation that I would always be the center of their attention quickly passed when I found out that the Johnpeers had other animals in the house.

Their pets, as they referred to them, include a big large eared Basset Hound and a fuzzy bob-tailed Cocker Spaniel. Harvey and Homer ware their names and they didn’t seem at all like the animals I had seen at San Rafael and Topanga.

But then I met my new buddy, Marcel. This guy looks just like my Dad, Baker. And he is so much fun! I get to run around and play hard with him, bite his ear, try to steal his toys. Wow, I’m really going to enjoy this new home!

My Step Dad, Gary, seems to treat them differently than me, something about them being pets while I’m supposed to be a “service dog”- whatever that means.

Oh yea, they also have something they call James, a yellow cat. Looks just like a fur ball to me. And this strange fuzzy thing doesn’t seem to like me much (or anyone else in the house for that matter), except maybe for Katie, the oldest daughter that feeds him.

Their house is an interesting place. It has two stories which means it has a set of stairways that lead to the upper level, where I sleep. With my short little eight-week-old legs, I couldn’t even get up to the first stair. Let me share more about this in Part II.

If those of you reading this would like to share your stories about being a puppy and going to a new home for training, as I am sharing, please do. I would love to hear from you!

Becoming a guide dog is a special calling. It took a community of LOVE to make me who I am today.

Big Licks & Belly Rubs,
Zane

Cross Walk Collision!

Good evening friends,

I have been well trained to lead Dad safely across streets and intersections. But you know, he has to follow my lead. Sometimes, he just wants to go his own way and does not pay serious attention to my cues.

So, you ask, what happened? Well, we were crossing a street on the way to work. I could tell that Dad was in a hurry and that this crossing was not going to work. I stopped and turned left to stop his progress as quick as I could. He had the nerve to yank on my chain and say, "Hop up!" But I did not move.

Once again, he gave my leash a yank. Well, this time his hand hit the car that was in the middle of the cross walk.

"Whoa!" he said. "Good Boy, Zane!"

Dad knew that the light would be changing soon, so he told me to go right and then left around the car, which we did, and we got over to the curb safely.

So there, you see! I did exactly what I was supposed to do and saved his skin again. I just love doing that. That's why he pays me the BIG BUCKS! Lots of kibble and dog treats!

Moral to this story: Stop, Look and Listen to your Guide Dog!

Anybody else out there have to deal with this type of traffic congestion?

Big licks and belly rubs,

Zane!

Kong Time - Jumping for Joy

Heh cool dudes,

Dad and I walk back and forth to work every morning1 I guess this is a little more than half a mile each way. Not a real long distance so I am really happy that Dad keeps me in good shape by having “Kong time” usually twice a day.

Back in San Rafael at college, Dad took me on “play time” with Coach Jessica and a few other coaches. We had a blast! Dad had a rubber ring and a small Kong (about 4” tall) that he would throw and I would fetch. Also, in the play pen, was a larger version about 12” tall called King Kong! I really enjoyed chasing either one of them because they bounce in all directions, hopping here and there and everywhere!



I have overheard Dad say, that this Kong toy looks like a little Michelin Man, which I have no idea what that means. It looks like stacked rings of rubber that are bigger at the bottom and narrower at the top and it is hollow inside. I heard some people fill it with peanut butter and doggie biscuits. Dad has not done that for me! Maybe I will ask Santa Claus to bring that for Christmas!

So Dad bought me a red Kong which is about 8” tall and I just love it. It bounces all over the place and I love jumping up in the air to snatch it and then return it to Dad. I love that Dad always cheers for me when I snatch it out of the air and claps his hands in approval. I feel like SUPER DOG, a Black Lab STUD!

I get lots of exercise and Dad keeps playing with me until I am panting very hard and, in fact, I start dropping the Kong when returning it to him. I’m just getting pooped after chasing that darn thing for 30 or 40 times! What fun we have together!

Moral of this story: A Kong in the mouth, is worth two cheers from Dad!