Dog, It's Been Two Weeks Already?

Two weeks ago today I graduated from Guide Dogs for the Blind, and Chase and I headed out into the world.

Any of you who know me know I am a person of routines.  And it has been a fortnight of adjustments to a new routine.  I now get up an hour earlier so that I can feed, water, relieve and groom Chase.  He and I both leave for work with freshly brushed hair and teeth. 

I get to work a half-hour early so that I can give Chase water and relieve him before the work day begins.  This week he got a bed next to my desk.  It looks just like this one that’s in my office at home.  (He also has a matching Kong at work.)  It made to the office thanks to my friend, Ellen Ellery, who brought Chase’s new bed to work on Thursday.  I would tell you I considered carrying it in on BART, but that would be a lie. 

 

 

At the end of the day, the bed fits into Chase's locker.  Yes, he has his own locker.  The bed goes next ot his biology book and his letterman's jacket.

Folks at work have been wonderfully respectful of Chase’s boundaries.  They do not engage him when he is in harness.  They ask before they pet him when he’s out of harness.  They do not feed him.  These are all things I hope will preserve Chase’s focus when he’s working and keep him from looking for food or love.  (Is there a difference to a Labrador retriever?) 

Friday evening, I had to tell a lady on BART no when she asked to pet Chase.  I explained I did not want him losing focus when he’s in his harness.  She understood.  The day before a lady petted him without asking as Chase and I stood on the BART platform.  I asked her not to, and explained why.  She was very understanding.

I am getting better at asking for a seat on BART.  My daughter will tell you that we introverts don’t like doing things like asking strangers for a seat (or being mentioned in our father’s blog).  But I’m finding that people seem less likely to offer a seat than they were when I used a blind cane.  Now my sample is only ten trips on BART with a dog, so in the long run that might not turn out to be the case. 

The three most common questions or comments I hear are:

·        “How old is he?”
·        “What kind of dog is that?” (Or “Is he a Labrador retriever?”  Sometimes they say “We had/have a Lab.  They’re wonderful dogs”   Chase nods in agreement.)
·        “I really like his shoes.”  Chase wears his stylish tennis shoes on his back feet for the BART commute.  They protect his back feet on the escalators.  I’m told dogs can see their front feet, so it’s not a problem, but the mechanism can injure their back feet.

Chase’s Furminator arrived today.  It’s a bladed comb that removes a lot of undercoat.  It promises to keep him from shedding so much.  Even though I brush him every day, Chase still leaves half a dog’s worth of hair at home and at work.  I used it on him tonight and the difference really was noticeable.  I hope it will cut down on his shedding.  (Cut down, get it?)

I think Chase is slowly becoming my dog.  We’ve been working together only about three weeks.  But as I feed him, groom him and play with him, he seems to be getting more attached to me.