Traveling With Your Pets

I'm so glad to have been able to contribute a guest post to one of my favorite sites, GoPetFriendly.com. If you travel with your pets (or plan to) you won't want to miss this article, "Pet-Friendly Should Always Be Human-Friendly, Too!"

Having your dogs with you on vacation is awesome, and when it comes to accommodations, pet-friendly rooms should always be extremely clean and up to the standard of non-pet rooms. Even with many years of experience traveling with the canines, you still never know what you might encounter. So check out my tips to ensure your hotel stay is as much fun for the humans as it is for your pets!

A great pet-friendly hotel makes everyone feel welcome!

Photo Pupdate: Courtside

I never did get the chance to take Ruby to an indoor sporting event. She behaved really well when I had her on the sidelines of outdoor sports like soccer, but the sights, sounds, echoes, and noise indoors can be a whole different ballgame for a service puppy in training.

Happily, I've heard that Roo attended her first indoor basketball game and behaved like a champ. Check out this concentration!


I understand that she loved all the action, and the hoopla (ha!) didn't faze her a bit. Attagirl Roo!

Thanks to S for this keen photo of our little yellow fangirl.

Pupdate! And A Small Rooquest

Had a sweet little virtual snoot nudge (eSnudge? Cybersnoodge?) in my inbox this weekend. As Ruby works on her retrieve, she is also learning to "Hold." She seems to be excelling with all of her subjects, including Squirrel 101,


and Advanced Bowl.


The retrieve is fun for our dogs (and useful for us) at any time; I taught Kiva a formal retrieve when she was 11 years old. For service dogs, a key part of the retrieve is to securely, but gently, "hold" the retrieved item for an indefinite period. The service dog will pick up a dropped item and return the item quickly to her partner, but a person with a disability may need some extra time before he is able to take the item from his dog.

Lifting her bowl from the floor and bringing it to an accessible level is a valuable skill for Ruby, helping to facilitate her feeding routine with her future partner.

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Thank you all so much for helping us gain two nominations in this year's Petties Awards. Please vote often!

Raising Ruby
2011 Petties Award Nominee "Best Blog Post" and "Best Cause Related Blog"
Click here and vote twice daily until July 29:  Enter the Petties

Winners of each category are honored with a $1,000 donation to the shelter/rescue of their choice. Our chosen organization is Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies. Many thanks to DogTime Media for this opportunity and their generosity.
 

Many thanks to S for capturing these wonderful photos and to Ruby's Advanced Trainer for her gentle and expert training.

Photo Pupdate: Two Roos!

Guess who's joined Ruby in Advanced Training? Her sister Racine! Can you tell which is which?


I smiled twice as wide when I opened my email and saw this pic! Thank you, S!

Don't forget, ballots for the Eleventh Annual Weblog Awards (2011 Bloggies) are being accepted through Sunday 1/16. Please nominate Raising Ruby for "Best-Kept Secret Weblog" to help us in our mission to raise awareness. Many service dog organizations rely on the assistance of volunteers to keep their programs going, so let's make sure that's not a secret!

Looking to volunteer with an organization in your area? For a list of accredited members of Assistance Dogs International, please click here.

Welcome!

Each day brings new friends who visit Raising Ruby for the first time; I'm glad you're here to share in the story of our journey. Ruby came to us at 10 weeks old when her tiny cape was barely the size of my hand...although the strap struggled to fit her big puppy belly!


As a service puppy in training, she has full public access and she definitely gets around – from the fitting room, to the firehouse, the car wash, and even the Kong factory!

So check out the sidebar, get to know baby Roo during those first few weeks, and have fun clicking around our blog. You'll find lots of puppy smiles as Ruby makes her way toward becoming a service dog for a person with a disability.

As I receive word on Ruby's progress in Advanced Training, I'll post updates, then archive them monthly in the "Pupdates!" area of the sidebar. If I'm also lucky enough to see photos of her peeking from my inbox, you'll find them here and on Twitter.

Many thanks to all of our friends, old and new. Enjoy your visit and be sure to add us to your blog readers – when I hear from news from Roo, you will too!

A Very Good Girl

"Hi Santa! Oh, just a couple things this year...maybe a new bowl...and a bone...

...and a few bully sticks...and a squeaky ball...and a new blue octopus...and two wubbas...
a wiggly snake...some elk jerky...and a roast beef!"

Merry Christmas To All!

Thank you to our wonderful field photographer, S, for the merry shots!

Holiday Pupdate

Why, look who's pranced in for a pupdate!


It's Roo-dolph!


A character, as always. Each time a Roo pic pops up in my email, it totally makes my day!

Here's our little college co-ed, training with her big bro and sorority sistas.


Is it possible? Have those ears gotten even bigger? She must be listening very closely to her Advanced Trainer!

She's adapted to her new surroundings beautifully and things are going well. Her trainer let me know that Ruby has a nice formal retrieve developing and they've started working on some of the specialized tasks she'll need to perform as a service dog for a person with a mobility-related disability. They're also working on holding a long down/stay in restaurants and meetings. Lots of practice this holiday season with calmly greeting strangers at the door. And she's made great progress with her outdoor loose leash walking, while still having tons of fun in the snow!

Best of all, her trainer said that Ruby's a joy to work with. And we all know something about that, don't we! From the time Roo was a tiny pup, she's been a sunny, curious and enthusiastic girl. Coupled with her sharp focus, she's got a beautiful future ahead, whatever that future brings!


Happiest of holidays from the whole Roo Crew and our best wishes for a very joyful New Year!

Thank you, S, for the awesome pix and many thanks to Ruby's Advanced Trainer for the wonderful work she is doing and for sharing Ruby's progress with me.

The End Of The Beginning

The bond between a service puppy and her raiser lasts a lifetime, but there is also a very clear beginning and end to their relationship. Ruby will always be a part of my heart, but my role in her life has now passed. During the sixteen months that she lived in our home, she was truly our girl; we loved her immeasurably and did our best to provide her with the most solid foundation possible. We were an essential stop on her journey, but her destination is ahead.

The week leading up to our last day together was emotional, but I knew she was ready and I was ready, too. I ached when the time came to pass the leash. Handing her over was painful, yet it was heartening; it was a tough and proud moment, powerful but very quiet.

Then it was done and and Ruby was off. And you know something? Letting her go felt very, very right.

I want to thank everyone, our friends, family, and so many who've reached across the miles and through the screen for your overwhelming support over these past few days. Your phone calls, hugs, texts, cards, comments, blogs, tweets, and emails flew straight to the place in my heart that needed filling and I am so very grateful. You made a difficult week so much easier.

Ruby's journey will remain online and even though it may be awhile, if I receive updates about her, you will too! So, be sure to keep us in your blog readers and check in with us on Twitter.




As my responsibility for raising Ruby ends, my commitment to raising awareness for service dogs grows stronger. Through the many years that I've been involved with service dog organizations, I've met hundreds of people who have asked about the lives of service puppies before they move on to partnership. If you've just found this blog and are curious about service puppies, think you might be interested in raising a service puppy in training, or have any questions about our experience, please feel free to send me an email.




It's been a few days now since turn-in, and everything is falling into place. Even though I miss her, I'm feeling very positive and I've had a kind note from her Advanced Trainer letting me know that Ruby is adjusting well. She's going to thrive in her new environment and I have confidence that her organization will ensure that wherever fate brings Roo, she'll be well cared for and loved.

So, let's tack some happy pix up here to finish this post!

To celebrate our final weekend with Ruby, Mr. Raiser and I took the dogs on a road trip to Aspen, CO. Aspen is very pet-friendly, and at this off-season time of year, very price-friendly, too. The weather was glorious, Kiva and Ruby were in rare form, and we have memories to last a lifetime.

I could watch this nature channel all day.

Clearly, I am but a Pez dispenser.

Just like last year, Roo snoopervises the Christmas Tree decorations.

Shaun's right. Dogs can look up.

One last giant thank you, to my husband, Jeff. Mr. Raiser, you are the most calm, cool, composed, imperturbably patient person who ever held dog or camera. Or both. Often at the same time. You took a zillion great photos and they rock and so do you.

Turn-In Day

This afternoon, we'll load up the car with a precious passenger, drive for awhile, make our stop, then say goodbye to our girl. I'll pass the leash, and a new journey will begin for all of us.

She'll have a goodie bag of snacks-to-go and plenty of her usual food to help ease the transition. Her favorite toys are all packed and ready...it's their big adventure, too! The screechy monkey toy seems to be hiding (and I was kinda hoping he'd want to make the trip), but I think he's just being loyal to his Kiva. I'm sure I'll find him later tonight nestled in the toy basket with the rest of the home team.

I've just got to hunt down the last of Roo's medical records. I'll leave you for now with a shot of our little yellow co-pilot, taken this past weekend on a road trip in her honor, a celebration of her time with us.

These Last Few Days

Very emotional, and sometimes it just comes out of nowhere. I'm driving down the road, singing a tune, and all of a sudden I realize I can't see through the windshield. I've had to wear sunglasses inside the supermarket at 6pm. Yesterday, a friend tweeted some kind words, we both got a little choked up, and I replied that I gave up wearing mascara a week ago. (Someone quickly tweeted me back a link for a free sample of Maybelline, which made me laugh, so thank you for that, unknown twitter person.)

As I was petting Ruby the other day, lost in my thoughts, the tears really started. I kissed her head as I sobbed and she gave me the oddest look. Then she began to wag her tail and pounce around...which is what she does when she's nervous. I collected myself so as not to upset her any further and the realization struck me like a bolt: "This dog is nervous because she's never seen me cry like this before." It's not that I hadn't experienced painful times over the past year, but she's been such an uplifting presence, that even on very dark days, her spirit alters my whole frame of mind.


I raised this little yellow service puppy for sixteen months and she has reinterpreted happiness for me. I can only dream of what she'll bring her future partner.


(Thank you to our dear friends, Dennis & Mickey, for traveling on this journey with us and for the beautiful photo.)

Fix

One of the things I'll miss about Ruby (one of the everythings I'll miss about Ruby) is watching her respond to the word, "Fix." All dogs get caught up in the leash from time to time, and it can be challenging for a person with a disability to sort out a tangled leash. "Fix" cues the dog to untangle herself from the leash. Really helpful...and pretty cute.



Our service puppies are taught "Fix" very early on, Ruby picked it up quickly. Just position the leash behind the puppy's leg, then gently pull the leash toward you. The light pressure of the leash will cause the puppy to naturally lift her leg, and the leash slips back into place. I've gotten such a kick out of watching Ruby "Fix," I'll have to teach it to every pup I know, to get my own fix! There are few things more adorable than a puppy lifting her tiny paw to get that pesky leash where it should be.