A Reflection in the Window OR The Little Damp Spots

Nearly every Tuesday, at just about 12:20pm, the reflection of a handsome black dog in a blue and yellow cape flashes into the first window of a little shop on a little street in a little town. The jingle of a collar can be heard, and if one listens very closely, the quiet padding of large paws and the slight scrape of toenails against the red brick sidewalk as well. Here and there, a drip a saliva slides from his tongue to the pavement, leaving a little damp spot.

We are downtown, but there are no stoplights. No angry people. No trash.
Flowers and green things burst from window boxes and planters at nearly every shop. Music floats from the open door of a toy shop, and a cafe down the road.
In the middle of it all stands a very old log cabin on a large lawn surrounded by very old trees.

The whole scene is almost too idyllic, as if it came straight out of a story book. And perhaps it did, for this is Historic Jonesborough, the storytelling capitol of the world.

Novel in front of the international storytelling center

I am terribly fond of downtown Jonesborough. It is by far one of the most friendly and inviting places you could ever visit. I work only a very short drive away, so every Tuesday, and sometimes on Thursday, and sometimes on Friday, Novel and I come here to walk during my lunch break. We walk the length of the single street. Sometimes we peek into old fashioned shops. Sometimes we explore the alleys between and behind the buildings. Sometimes we relax on benches, or in gardens and watch people pass by. We always work on a few commands.

Doing a "jump onto an impressively small....little...space...

But mostly we just enjoy each other's company.

                                                               "What's it say mom?"

We just enjoy "this part of the story." I have walked past the "International Storytelling Center" countless times, but ironically, I have never been inside. I have never heard a story told here...that is, except the one I am living. Novel has irrevocably and undeniably changed my life. His chapter in my life, however short, has become an essential twist in the plot. I have met people, made choices, and learned things I never would have without him. As August and Turn-in draws nearer, I anticipate that chapter ending, but who knows - it isn't actually over yet!

On Tuesday, at approximately 12:50pm, that reflection of the dog in the blue and yellow cape slides out of view in the first window of the little shop on the little street in the little town. The jingle of his collar dies down, and the little damp spots dry up in the sun. Everyone expects to see it all again next Tuesday because it is the same story every week.

But its not just a story. Behind that reflection is a real dog who is making a lasting impression on at least one person's life. My heart aches sometimes with the thought that Novel might not graduate, and then again at other times with the thought that he might. Deep down, I know that even though his reflection will shortly be sliding out of my window, that doesn't mean he is gone. He will simply be reflecting into another window. I know that. I've planned for that. The fact remains that he has unforgettably impacted my life. And whether or not he graduates as an assistance dog, that fact will remain, unlike the little damp spots that dried up.

It's minor, but it's not entirely trivial

For that past few months, we have been trying to deal with a certain rather mysterious problem that Novel has. I've mentioned it in passing, but I've never explained it in full. However, because we have not yet solved it, and turn in in August is rapidly approaching, and because it is quickly becoming a very likely hindrance to Novel's chances of graduation, I figure it's about time that I give a through explanation. 

Novel is a puker. 

Sometime around the beginning of this year, he began vomiting several times a month. The first time he did it, I thought he had simply eaten his food to fast. When he did it again the next day, we worried that he was sick, so I took him to the vet. He checked out perfectly normal, and we came home with some metoclopramide to help settle his stomach. 

For a while, I thought the medicine was helping...until one day he vomited again about 15 minutes after taking his pill. We kept him on the medicine until it became obvious that it was doing nothing to keep him from vomiting. Since then we have done bloodwork, xrays, and exams to try to find a medical reason for his vomiting, without any success.

In general, he does not vomit often, (no more than 2 or 3 times a month) but now and then he seems to have bad weeks. In April he had a full weekend of almost constant vomiting and diarrhea, although I have my suspicions that that episode was unrelated to his general tendencies to vomit. Last week also, (while I was gone in New York and he was staying with a puppy sitter) he seemed to have a pretty bad week vomit-wise. The only possible cause I have been able to discover is that he is more likely to vomit after drinking, although that is not a hard and fast rule. 

For the first month or two, we hoped that it would clear up on its own, but now I am not so hopeful. Our puppy program manager says she has never seen a dog released for vomiting, but then again, she has never seen a dog that vomits for no reason. Of course, if it doesn't clear up, and we can't figure it out, Novel has little chance of graduating. 

For now, I am soaking Novel's food in water, and carefully monitoring, recording, and even experimenting with all eating, drinking and vomiting in hopes of finding a cause or trigger for the vomiting. I am bracing myself for the very likely possibility that he will not make it long in AT. It is hard because he has such a great temperament. He is so smart and steady and willing to work and I really feel that he would have a good chance of graduating if it wasn't for this "little" problem.

But I am thankful that it is a "little" problem. Vomiting twice a month is really a very minor health problem compared to most, and seems to have no other side effects. If he does get released, at least it would not be a hard thing for me to live with ;)

A step above

As an assistance dog in training, Novel is generally held to higher expectations than your average mutt.
Most dogs know how to sit. Novel has to sit the first time I say it...and hold it even if I don't ask him to "wait."
Most dogs are house trained. Novel has to use the bathroom on command...on any surface.
Many trained dogs can walk on a loose leash. Novel has to be able to walk on a loose leash and stay focused on me even on strange surfaces, and with crowds of people around him...even with food on the ground.

The things mentioned above are things I am expected to teach Novel as a puppy raiser for CCI. We are by no means 100% there, but I like to think that largely through hard work on our part, Novel has a pretty good handle on them. However, I also know that Novel's own great personality plays a big part in our success in training.

Which brings up a well deserved comment on CCI's excellent and extremely high quality breeding program.
These dogs are literally born to be amazing - they are born to be a step above "your average mutt."

Because I work at an animal hospital, I feel at least somewhat qualified to make some observations about the "average mutt:" 1) Most are intensely attached to their owners. 2) Most are overweight. 3) Many suffer from some sort of fear or anxiety. In fact, I'd say it's the number one behavior problem that we encounter. Separation anxiety, traveling anxiety, fear of the vet, fear of other dogs, fear of men, fear of loud noises....fear of storms. That last one's a big one. My own dog Abbi suffers from some of these, and while we've learned to cope through training, I've accepted the fact that she will always be very timid. Novel is very different.

The day he came home, as I walked him around our property to stretch his legs and potty, our neighbors over the hill decided to do some target practice. The first time the gun went off, Novel lifted his head and looked around with intense curiosity, but absolutely no fear. I honestly think he was looking for the source of the sound as a possible playmate.

Novel's natural absolute fearlessness has been one of my favorite parts of his personality. It has made so much of our training so much easier. New sounds, sights, smells, or surfaces almost never stress him. I can count the number of times I have seen Novel worried, stressed, or afraid on one hand. This has made public outings, and life at home a million times easier.

Last week, coming home from training class, we drove through a terrible storm. I'm not kidding, it was bad. Cars were driving 35 mph on a 70 mph interstate. It was pouring down rain, and the wind slammed it into the side of my car so hard I thought I was going to have dents from it. Huge claps of thunder and lightning went off every few seconds, although admittedly the thunder was almost drowned out by the pounding of the wind and rain, and the lightening actually made it easier to drive because it lit up the road.

I was a little worried about how Novel was taking it all, because I knew that Abbi would be laying in a pool of her own saliva, shaking and hyperventilating and in real danger of dying from a heart attack. I glanced over at him, and I really wish I could post a picture of what I saw. He had pulled his big stuffed puppy dog off the front seat, and was curled up around it in the most adorable, cozy, and comfortable ball you've ever seen. He was fast asleep and in complete peace in the midst of the storm.

Please excuse my pathetic "paint" skills...but I had to try. It was too adorable.

This week:

This week has been mildly insane.

It has been one of the most jam packed but also relaxing weeks I have ever experienced. Unfortunately  Novel was left out of some of the main events, but I think he'll be ok. Just don't tell him what he missed out on. Let me explain by giving you a "brief" synopsis:

SUNDAY
Novel and I were House/Dog sitting for a friend. 3 young black labs in one house plus a Boston Terrier makes for quite a party. I also had to walk dogs at the vet clinic in the morning. There were 8 month old completely untrained Chocolate lab siblings. It had just rained and the clinic yard was muddy. I had quite the labby morning. All this was before I had to be at church at 8:30am to practice for special music. After church I stopped back by my friend's house to let the dogs out and straighten things up before they got home that afternoon. Then I headed home for a Mother's Day cookout. Visited with grandparents from both sides, an aunt and an uncle, and a family friend.

It's a lab party! Which one is Novel?

MONDAY
Begged to do something or go hiking somewhere since I didn't have to go to school. Finally got out for a nice short (2.5 mile) but steep hike to a waterfall with Abbi, Chai, my Mother and my Grandmother. Came home and wasted time on my computer. Got frustrated for wasting time, so I took Novel with me on a quick 5 mile trail run. We went to the same waterfall, but took the long way this time.

Trail runnin' with my monster!

TUESDAY
Ran errands with my dad in the morning. Bought a water filter and some other miscellaneous backpacking gear I needed. Came back and visited with even more visiting family around noon. So many wonderful people! Went on the same hike to the waterfall that I ran on Monday with everyone except one aunt, one grandmother, and Novel. Got almost back to the car to realize that no one knew where Abbi or my Grandfather was. I ran back to the falls, found Abbi, and got a text that said they had found Grandpa. Everyone was fine, but Abbi was too tired to run and I had to be at my graduation from the community college at 5:30, which meant I needed to leave home at 5:00. It was already past 4:00. I was 2 miles from the car on the Appalachian trail and another 15 minutes from home. I didn't have time to walk those 2 miles, so whenever I could, I heaved Abbi across my shoulders and we ran. I got home, jumped in the shower, and made it to graduation by 6-ish because of red lights and traffic. I was late but it ended up being ok. Then I sat through a very very long and boring ceremony and walked across the stage to get an empty tube from the president (apparently they mail the actual diploma). After that, I rushed home to grab a change of clothes and feed the dogs before driving back to the city to spend the night with my dear cousin who had come for graduation. We ate candy and talked in the hotel lobby until past midnight when we finally went to bed.

At Laurel Falls with Cousin

Chai the mighty trail Kitty at the falls

Graduation with Cousin and Sister 3

WEDNESDAY
Cousin and I met Sister 3 for breakfast. Then we drove back home and worked/played with Novel for a while before Cousin and Aunt left to drive back to VA. Sister 3 and I had a discussion about the best way to spend the rest of the week, and ended up packing our backpacks and kayaks into the truck and driving over to the lake to see how far we could kayak in 3 days. We got a late start, so we just kayaked to the nearest island, set up camp, swam, ate pineapple (and other yummy things), and generally had fun. We ended the day by kayaking out into the open water and gazing at the beautiful bright stars until our eyelids were droopy.

Campsite #1

Lake swimming at its finest

Pineapple!

The beauty that is Watauga Lake in the evening

THURSDAY
Packed up camp and kayaked lazily down the lake. On the way we ate the rest of the pineapple and got sunburnt. It was awesome. About noon, we made it to another adorable island, and since we were almost at the other end of the lake, we decided to stop there. We set up camp and then kayaked in to a little inlet where we found a beaver lodge and met the rather unhappy occupants. I've never been so close to a beaver before. Came back to find that some animal had found our food and taken all our pretzels, nuts, and bread. The carrots were spread all over the ground too, but apparently they weren't as popular. We cooked gobs of delicious food for supper and then went to bed. We were delightfully lazy all day long.

Campsite #2

Where we found the Beavers.

Our own personal Island!

Happy, Lazy, Beautiful days.

FRIDAY
Got up very late and ate some breakfast before going for a most refreshing swim. Then lazily packed up camp and paddled down the rest of the lake to be picked up and taken home. Abbi and Novel came with my dad to pick us up. Novel was...to put it gently...thrilled! to see me paddling toward him, and quickly forgot everything he had ever been taught about not pulling on the leash. I got home, unpacked, ate a ton more delicious and unhealthy food, took a nap, played with Novel, got on the computer to catch up with email, etc. and finally wrote this blog post before going to bed. At 1:30am.

My phone died so no pictures for Friday :(

Now tell me, how often do you encounter a week much crazier than that one? And it's not even over yet!

...oh goodness...what a thought...

Novel Barks in Public - a Second Time!

Yes, you read that right. *insert shocked expression*

For the past few days, Novel has been behaving extremely well in public. (Not perfect, just abnormally good. And he remains his usual self at home) So much so, in fact, that I have actually wondered if he is feeling perfectly well. However, he is still eager and as happy as ever to obey commands, so I am pretty sure he's fine. He has just been acting so extremely calm lately...reminds me a lot of when he was a tiny puppy. He has been quiet, mostly un-distracted, and basically just exceptionally easy to live and work with.

This evening I had my Human Anatomy 2 final exam. This afternoon, Novel and I hit the computers in the library to study. I had Novel go "under" my chair, and immediately got to work. About half an hour later, I realized with some apprehension that Novel had not moved at all since we sat down. I actually put my foot on his chest to be sure he was still breathing! The slow, even, rise and fall of his chest assured me that he was alive, and probably fast asleep. Utterly proud of my puppy, I went back to work. A few minutes later, a woman sat down at the computer beside me, and I am pretty sure that she had no idea that there was a dog merely inches from her feet.

After working peacefully in this manner for several more minutes, there was a sudden interruption. From the dark recesses beneath my chair, a series of high pitched, whimpering "woofs" erupted into the silence that was the library:

"MMMOOPH! muph muph muph!.....MOOph muph mph"

There was immediately a general noise of books closing, chairs creaking, and people moving as every head in the library turned to look directly at me. And then silence again, as all eyes quietly searched my person for an explanation for the strange squeaking that seemed to be coming from beneath my chair.

I laughed...or rather, smiled nervously at the faces for an instant before explaining vaguely:
"sorry...he had a dream"

"Or a nightmare!" the lady beside me whispered under a stifled laugh

I grinned and reaching down, gently ruffled Novel's ears to wake him up before he repeated his serenade. Between you and me, I happen to know that Novel's dreams can be rather long...and sometimes quite realistic.

He blinked his big brown eyes sleepily at me and stretched.

"Oh hai mum. I just had the coolest dream...there was this cat, and we were playing...and......and....."

And then he went promptly back to sleep.

Food Refusal for a Food Shark

From the time he was very, small, Novel has been known as quite the food shark. Needless to say, he does NOT generally take food gently. He is capable of it if you insist, but if you do not insist, the food shark becomes more and more "Jaws"-like in his eating habits, putting food-bearing digits in grave danger.

Novel's food fetish only increases during meal times. As he sits politely waiting for his food two times each day, huge streams of drool descend from his lips and rest in ever increasing puddles on the linoleum on either side of him. When Novel was young, I quickly discovered that I needed a larger bowl so that the kibble would spread out across the bottom, thus making it impossible for him to try to swallow too much with one scoop of his mouth. Thankfully, as he got older, he seemed to realize that slowing down with his meals ever so slightly does not automatically result in their removal.

Anyway, all this to say that teaching Novel food refusal - that is, teaching him to resist the urge to eat anything and everything he sees - has been just a bit of a challenge. However, Novel has recently had some very successful encounters with this particular challenge, and so I have to brag just a little.

The first example occurred in Anatomy and Physiology class. Just before my professor began his lecture, I dropped a piece of kibble. It just rolled over the edge of my desk and hopped to the floor right in front of Novel's nose. It stopped only about 2 feet from my foot, but because of the way the horrid, uncomfortable desks are designed and set up in rows, I could not reach it for the life of me, either by leaning over and reaching my with my hand, or by twisting and stretching my foot in an attempt to pull it a little closer. By this time, my professor was already talking, so getting up and walking all the way around to the next row to pick up a piece of dog food wasn't exactly an option. Novel, on the other hand, who was doing an "under" beneath my desk, could have reached it with perfect ease. He did, in fact scoot himself forward to smell it. Now, I would be exaggerating here if I said he chose to leave it on his own. When I saw him scooting forward, I gave a small leash correction and told him "don't." He promptly laid his head on his paws and fell asleep for the rest of the class. And I was thrilled.

Another example happened the other day at breakfast. As I began to set his bowl full of food down in front of him, I somehow dropped it, and food went flying everywhere, the metal bowl clattering to the ground with quite a commotion. Surprised by the crash, and upon being pelted with so many Kibble-missiles, Novel broke his sit and jumped to his feet. Before I could respond with a "no" or "don't," Novel checked himself and looking bewilderingly at the food surrounding him, he sat back down. I am quite sure that the angels in heaven rejoiced with me in heavenly song at that moment. After cleaning up the mess by simply scooping the food on the floor back into his bowl, Novel enjoyed his meal without further incident.

Novel's very short conversation

The mall was relatively empty as a middle aged man and his two young children browsed through Dick's Sporting Goods. The boy, blond haired, blue eyed and about 6 years old, teased his sister as they moved through the isles, so it came as no surprise to her when he called out "Look! a dog!" She rolled her eyes and shot back "nah ah! Dog's aren't allowed in stores." In reply, he simply shrugged his shoulders and stared into the next isle. As she caught up to him and rounded the bend, she jumped back in surprise.

There, directly in front of her, was a dog. It was a large, black dog gazing at her with a calm, but happy expression on his face. His tail broomed the floor as the girl and her brother continued to stare. After a quick consult with dad, the girl stepped forward bravely and asked very politely: "May we pet your dog?"

"Sure" I replied smiling. The kids got down on the floor and commenced rubbing Novel all over. He flopped onto his side in bliss, his tail continuing to thump a happy tune. He wouldn't normally be this calm, but he had just finished a vigorous play session with his buddy - a huge, young rottweiler - and I knew he was worn out. Getting in lots of polite greetings today was one of my goals while he was tired enough to behave.

The kids thanked me and scampered off to dad. I looked down at Novel. His tail was still thumping slowly while the rest of his body lay motionless and completely relaxed, tongue lolling on the floor. His eyeballs turned to look up at me.

"Whadaya say buddy? You ready to go? C'mon - Let's go!" He jumped up and off we went to finish our shopping. As we moved through the mall, past all the cooing, chirping, clucking, whistling and smiling people, through the food court, up the elevator, and past the security guards, Novel was still too tired to do anything but walk calmly at my side and try to keep his eyes on me in the hopes of extracting some kibble...even when the elevator jerked and bumped more than usual, making even me a little uneasy.

We continued on to JCPenny - the same one where we were accosted by the barking "service dog" - but we met with no such distraction this time. Instead, we were met by a nice clerk who, from the other side of a clothing rack, asked if she could help us (me) with anything. I had replied that no, I was fine, and started to move forward again when she spotted Novel.

"Ohh how sweet!" She said, staring. "He is adorable! He's so good he just lays there! My dog would be all over the place and into everything. Can I pet him?"
"Sure, as long as he holds his sit."
And she proceeded to lean forward and reach out a slightly hesitant hand to touch his head and shoulders.

"Novel, can you shake?" I asked. She had already stepped back, but Novel reached out his paw and waved it in thin air, encouragingly. Grinning, she reached slightly forward, but not enough, and Novel's paw hit the ground. I asked him to shake again, and again, his paw searched the air for her hesitant hand and missed. Finally, the clerk seemed to get a hold of her nerves and confidently stuck her hand forward. "Shake!" She asked Novel.

Immediately, Novel let out a single, very deep, very loud, big boy bark. "Wuooof!" And sat wiggling the tip of his tail.

Eep. This was a new kind of embarrassment.

The clerk jumped back and began stammering  "Ok...that was loud...I'm sorry...I didn't mean 'speak'...I guess you can speak..." etc.
I quickly circled Novel's muzzle with my hand and told him "NO, quiet!" He looked at me apologetically.

And that was the end of it. For the first time in his life, Novel barked in public.