JoyUnspeakable

I am going to begin this entry by rewinding the clock a little bit, because I actually forgot to mention a few things in previous entries. There was, believe it or not, a bathroom incident during one of our vacations. Showbo and I entered a stall, and I was doing my thing as Showbo stood in front of me. The door of the stall did not touch the floor, ending about 6 inches above the floor. A woman, who was obviously dillusional, freaked when she saw fuzzy legs underneath the door. She realized there were 6 legs, 4 of them belonging to a dog. This woman actually thought the owner of the fuzzy legs was in dire need of a good shaving. Showbo must have a very feminine leg structure!

Amidst one afternoon in the Garozzo home, Showbo decided to share her water bowl with Cyera. Showbo is so sweet, and patient. She stood there, while Cyera helped herself to the water, drinking out of a bowl bigger than her with a tiny, little tongue. Cyera, what is wrong with your own water? Cyera has been known quite often to use Showbo’s water bowl instead of her own. I do not understand the difference. Is it more exciting?

During what began as another uneventful afternoon, Showbo laid on the floor in the living room, being content with chewing her nyla bone. When, out of no where, Cyera came running down the stairs, across the living room floor towards Showbo, and she stopped directly in front of Showbo’s face. I do not know how Cyera wanted Showbo to react to this odd behavior, but apparently Showbo knew. Showbo immediately stood to her feet and chased Cyera back up the stairs, only to disappear briefly. Showbo came running back down the stairs and returned to her bone, as if never disturbed by the little teaser. What was that all about?

Ok, back to the present day. I experienced my first Halloween with Showbo, and we both were in costume; I wore scrubs and Showbo was a princess, of course. Showbo and I stood outside to distribute the candy, because Dave and I were having technical difficulties with our porch light. Showbo stood by my side, in harness and costume, as almost 50, or more, trick or treaters walked around the neighborhood. As the trick or treaters approached me for their share of the candy, Showbo would give a slight woof or growl, or both. Due to this terrible behavior, I needed to down Showbo and not permit her to be an active participant in the candy giving. In the meantime, David was patrolling our streets in search of Cyera, who so carefully escaped the house. I said she wanted to trick or treat, too, which must have been correct, because she casually strolled home at the end of trick or treat, at exactly 8:00pm.

I wanted to share a strange experience with you. I was with a friend and her service dog at the women of faith conference one weekend. During the breaks and while we were exploring different things, women approached us wanting to take pictures of our dogs. My friend and I meant nothing, but our service dogs are on their way to fame. Have these women never before seen a dog? Ok, now I want to share the brilliance of Showbo. Remember, she is a poodle, and I am blind. I had made an attempt to go to the ladies room at one point during the conference, and the line was extremely long. There were almost 20,000 women. A kind lady helped me to the bathroom, through the exit, meaning we avoided the line. Well, the next time I needed to use the bathroom, Showbo helped me. She made our way through the crowd to the ladies room, took me in the exit, and even took me to the exact same stall. She is so amazing! All this on the “ok, Showbo, let’s go to the bathroom” command. We need not stand in line, as Showbo does not like lines, at least for the bathroom, anyway!

Everyone enjoy November, and take care!

I have been having difficulty getting Showbo to and from the groomer. The main bathing groomer will not trim Showbo with me staying there. This companionship cannot be split, therefore, I found another place to get Showbo trimmed. I found transportation to Pet Smart, where the grooming section gave Showbo a good discount. I waited with Showbo while she was trimmed, bathed, had her ears cleaned, nails clipped, teeth brushed and nails polished. Yes, once again, Showbo is a beauty queen. The lady doing all this was very impressed with Showbo’s patience. Yea!

A friend of mine picked up me and Showbo from Pet Smart, and we went to lunch. I showed my friend Showbo’s purple nails, and she laughed with amazement. Following our lunch, I had some leftovers, as always, in a bag to be carried from our table to the car. Showbo carried this bag for me, and everyone in our view were in awe, thinking Showbo was just so cute. As happened many times earlier in my relationship with Showbo, people were surprised that Showbo did not try to eat the food. Showbo knows what is my food, and what is her food!

Now that Showbo was no longer in need of a seeing eye cat, having her eyes visible, I was able to find her small skin infections amidst her fur. The skin infections are still there, but they are not getting worse, nor are they getting better. I have returned to applying the lotion to her skin after every brushing, and I ask you to pray for this matter, please.

Showbo and Cyera had a dual trip to the vet this past Saturday. Dave and I finally put Cyera in her carrying box, but she was majorly not happy. While in the car, Cyera continued to cry during the whole, 10 minute, trip. Ugh! Showbo, caring for Cyera, wanted to help the crying baby from her, Showbo’s, location in the back seat. Mind you, Cyera was on my lap in the front seat. Really, Showbo, Cyera has a tendency to over exaggerate, and there is really nothing you can do about it.

Showbo and Cyera were both angels in the examining room, where they both received some shots. The vet put Cyera in her box easily, saying Cyera just wants to leave and go home. Probably true! The vet also reviewed Showbo’s skin infections. I again need to give Showbo an antibiotic, which is chewable but not good enough for Showbo. Another ugh! I am now back to making meatballs with canned dog food, and I could definitely use your continued prayers!

This month was a revisit to my urologist for a check-up. Showbo joined me, of course, and we had a good time. My urologist is an interesting guy, in a fun way, and he threw a glove towards the trash can. He is definitely not a basketball player, because he missed. Let me just tell you what a great rebounder Showbo is. She apparently saw this missed glove to trash can attempt, and she decided to pick up the glove for him. I was laying on the table, meaning Showbo retrieved the glove all on her own. The doctor now wants an assistant like Showbo, who is fuzzier than the other assistants and does not argue with anyone. J Also, while there, the real assistant was helping me, when something nipped at her leg. Do not be concerned! It was not Showbo, but rather it was my urologist, who tried to blame the dog. I don’t think so!

Anyway, I have one more cool story, which happened at church. A friend of mine also has a service dog, because she has a lot of trouble with her balance. She and her husband have just started attending our church, and we were all enjoying the refreshments following the Sunday service. As we were eating, a couple of children, between the ages of 3 and 7, were talking about our dogs. The older child was telling the younger child not to pet the dogs, because they are working and not to be petted. My friend and I needed to say nothing, as our dogs enjoyed laying on the floor under our table. The children were very impressive – neither child bothered the dogs!

Hi! October 4 was the open house for Canine Partners for Life, and we were asked to be a member of the panel for the afternoon discussion. This discussion was a breeze, since we received no questions, thankfully. And, this was the big day of the cow bingo, in which they released a cow onto a field with bingo squares. The lucky square to receive the cow pie won the event. Needless to say, the winning square was one of my tickets, and this ticket was bought by one of my neighbors. Showbo and I had the joy of getting our picture with Precious, the cow, after this event. J Showbo did NOT want to get near the cow, at all. I do not know if this behavior had anything to do with our little incident with a horse, but maybe.

A few of these days were unlike most days in the Garozzo household, because Showbo, Cyera and I were sitting for my sister-in-law’s little dog. This poor little dog! Cyera teased him and wanted nothing to do with him, while Showbo wanted to play and pounce on, I mean near, him. Surprisingly, he did not want to do anything with Showbo. It was very crazy here, because Showbo wanted to eat his food, which included human food. Showbo did not show interest in the human food, though! In turn, the boy dog wanted to eat Cyera’s cat food. Ugh! We all survived. I tried to keep the extra dog in his segregated area, but I did try to allow him to sleep with us. He proceeded to lick, and lick, and lick David, who put him back in his pen. Again, I say it is so amazing what a little training can do to a dog! Showbo looks like an angel, which she is, of course.

Well, the same day as the open house also happened to be a babysitting day for my brother-in-law’s baby girl, along with dog sitting. What a day for us! The 6-month old little girl was easy to care for, and she was content just seeing the various pets, no touching. Cyera, my kitty, was more interested in the baby than were the 2 dogs. If anything, Showbo was extremely jealous of the baby, and my attention to the baby. It was just one day, though, Showbo!

Since the horse and buggy accident, my right knee has not been the same. The orthopaedic prescribed physical therapy for my knee, not mental therapy, yet. Showbo did well helping me up the outside stairs to the facility. Once inside and beginning the exercises, Showbo behaved quite fine, laying next to my table most of the time. Every time she heard me move on the paper-covered table, she thought we were going somewhere. When she realized it was a false alarm, she returned to her nap. When we were ready to leave the table, she would begin to take me towards the door. Then I told her to follow the therapist, and she did.

Every day when I return to this building, Showbo takes me up the stairs, into the building, and walks directly towards the therapy entrance. She does not pass go, and does not collect $200. J Then, she immediately takes me to the waiting area to a chair. We proceed to do the same exercise routine, and she is a huge success. Everyone there adores her and is very impressed with her calmness and intelligence.

Lastly, I would like to share my thoughts about a play time with Showbo. Dave and I took her to a fenced baseball field to play. Our friends, who have whippet dogs, were also there. Once out of harness, Showbo anxiously ran towards the other 2 dogs. This was their second encounter with each other, and they had fun. The whippet dogs are now bigger and faster than before, meaning Showbo needed to work this time. The male whippet was more in a playful mood than the female whippet, and he ran from Showbo. He ran way faster than Showbo, which caused Showbo to begin cutting corners. Showbo could barely keep up with the other dogs, and she frequently took water breaks. She was very smart to cut corners, and I still think Showbo is fast.

Well, until next time, enjoy your days!

Hi everyone. Showbo and I are here and doing well.

We went to a wedding for one of Dave’s coworkers, and the entire celebration was in the Ukranian language. Since we did not have time to learn the language before the wedding, we were mostly clueless. Anyway, we had an interesting experience, especially during the reception. Showbo made a friend, I think. While we were all at our table waiting for the festivities to begin, a very young girl approached Showbo, who was lying comfortably on the floor at the end of the table. I would guess this girl to be either 2 or 3 years old, and she cutely stooped to Showbo’s level and began conversing with her, in Ukranian. Showbo did not seem to mind. David was trying to inform this girl not to touch the dog, but as I mentioned before, she had no idea what David was saying in English. She did walk away from Showbo, only to return with another little person to visit Showbo. It seemed as if Showbo was a museum exhibit on display. She should be on display, because she is just so cute!

One of the days between these journal entries was another adventure, more so for Cyera. I was in the living room on the phone, with Showbo sitting next to me. While on the phone, I heard Showbo starting to bark. I tried to quiet her, but she kept barking and moving towards the kitchen. I put the phone down and followed Showbo to the kitchen, where Cyera was located. Cyera was near her food dishes, and she was choking! Showbo was getting my attention, which means that she must care for Cyera. J I did not physically need to help Cyera, because she just had a furball or something. Cyera recovered on her own, but Showbo showed concern for the situation. I guess Showbo is like a rescue dog, along with guide dog and service dog! J

This past week has been devoted to selling tickets for a fundraising event for Canine Partners, known as cow bingo. I actually had much success and received very few no answers. I came in second place for the number of tickets sold. My philosophy for why I did well at selling these tickets is that it must be very, very difficult to say no to a blind girl, who has a poodle. Who can say no to our cute little Showbo? J

Many of the sales occurred at the bowling alley, but I did attempt to go door to door, at least along our street. While going door to door, Showbo was a huge help, and necessity. She impressed the neighbors, and their cats, who normally run from dogs but were interested in Showbo. It is so amazing how cats know, and trust, working dogs. As we were venturing from one neighbor’s door to another, Showbo developed a routine. We walked away from the door, turned on the road and walked down the next driveway. Showbo would search for the door to each house, which was different, and she took me in many circles throughout the journey. She found every door, though, and we were able to meet many of my neighbors.

Lastly, I would like to write a short note about David’s bike ride for MS. He rode 75 miles on Saturday, and then Sunday, while Showbo and I volunteered at the finish line. I cheered for bikers as they finished each day, and Showbo stayed by my side. She received a lot of compliments from observers and riders, and she was bumped by a lot of people, too. I guess people did not expect there to be a dog at the event, at least a dog that was well behaved. There were a few dogs at the event during the second day, but they were more interested in Showbo than she was in them, especially a little pit bull. We had a lot of fun, and we talked about Canine Partners throughout the 2 days, a whole lot.

Ok, time for bed, so until later.

What a vacation! Praise God we all got home in one piece.

Showbo exercised her virtue of patience during both the rides to, and from, Hilton Head. We placed her “pillow bed” in the back seat of the car, and she had access to one half of the back seat. She was so cute, because every time she adjusted, she twisted her pillow. We did give her a chance to stretch during every stop, though, along with time to do her business and time to drink.

While driving through Charleston, South Carolina, we stopped for dinner at Bubba Gump’s restaurant. I am sharing this event, because the waitress offered a water bowl for Showbo. She left and returned to our table with a real water bowl for dogs. First ever!

We all went to the beach on the first day on the island, and the water felt wonderful! Showbo started the adventure by my side, but she had absolutely no interest in swimming. As soon as we reached deeper waters, to Showbo’s shoulders, she stopped. The waves were wild, and every time one came towards us, Showbo ran back to shore. Then she would continue forward, only to be frightened again by another crashing wave. This whole scene was very comical, and Showbo did not wet a hair on her head. Princesses cannot get their hair wet, you know? Deciding to wade at the shore line, Showbo just ran back and forth, and then she stopped. I, having nothing but her leash and wearing my bikini, yelled for David to bring me a doggy bag. Showbo pooped right on the beach. It was great!

The next day tested our levels of sea sickness. We attempted to go deep sea fishing, in the rocky ocean, for 6 hours. Showbo was very helpful to me, as she had terrific balance and supported me well. I actually offered Showbo a treat while on the boat, and she refused. I guess she was nautious, like the rest of us. J

While we were doing a time share tour, we learned about a dog park on Hilton Head. That evening we ventured to this dog park, for Showbo of course. The park consisted of a large area of fenced land with a divider in the middle. One side was for small dogs, and the other side was for large dogs. Showbo, being a medium dog, had the opportunity to play on both sides. Each side has its own drinking fountain, poop bags and old toys. Showbo made some new friends here, and we all loved it!

We also took a tour of the island, in a trolley, and Showbo’s behavior and mannerisms shocked everyone. This little poodle received many, many compliments and numerous offers of water. Why is she so spoiled? Because she is beautiful?

Friday became the big day of our vacation! We began with a fun game of miniature golf in the morning, and Showbo acted as a great guide dog. She did not help me cheat, though. I would have had her carry my ball or club to each hole, but David did not want to create traffic. Sorry, Showbo, I knew you could have done it, though! Then we drove to Beaufort for a horse and buggy tour. Never again!

Dave, Showbo and I were the only passengers for the tour on this rainy, cloudy day. The tour guide stood with us, near the buggy, and Dave loaded himself first. Then, Showbo, who needed 2 attempts… I never even had the chance to get on the buggy, because the horse began to move. I do not know why. Who knows? I do know that the horse did not want to stop anytime soon, and I had the great fortune of being dragged almost 150 feet, on pavement! We did not get a tour of Beaufort, but we did get an ambulance ride, which included a tour of the emergency room. I am still recovering from this horrid experience. I have yet to introduce Showbo to another horse, but I will someday. I would like to finish this account by saying that Showbo was an angel during everything. She, after being thrown from the buggy, ran from puddle to puddle, relieving herself. She did have the crap scared out of her, you know! J

Well, time to heal, and rest, and…

We had bowling the evening after my last journal entry, and there is another story to tell. It was the last night of the summer league, and our opponents were very nice people. Dave began a conversation with one of the opponents following the last game, and, therefore I was standing with Showbo. Showbo was holding a plastic grocery bag of things, as I began my own conversation with one of the other opponents. I forgot about the bag in Showbo’s mouth, but she stood quietly by my side. I probably talked for about 20 minutes when someone noticed Showbo still holding the bag. Showbo was very impressive!

On Thursday we took another trip to the nail salon. Here, I used a red color for my nails, and I wanted to get Showbo’s nails to match. I kindly asked a girl who was drying her nails next to me how she was at coloring. She laughed and said not very good. I replied by saying that was ok, and would she like to venture into doing my dog’s nails. She actually did Showbo’s nails, and Showbo was very polite. The girl doing Showbo’s nails said her boyfriend would never believe this experience. Maybe she should do doggy pedicures for a living! Just kidding.

Once again Showbo was on her Sunday best! During the church experience I used the bathroom, again, imagine that, and I used the trash can in the kitchen for a napkin. Then, when we went to leave the building, Showbo and I began down the hallway. We first stopped at the kitchen entrance, and then the bathroom entrance, and then we finally exited through the front door. Thanks for the tour, Showbo! She thinks she is one step ahead of me, but not yet. J

We attended a social gathering at our small group leader’s house that evening. The house has a large fenced yard and a pool. I removed Showbo’s harness to play fetch with her ball, and she loved the freedom. She became bored with the whole fetch thing, and she then decided to run laps. She ran large laps, randomly grabbing sticks with her mouth. I was asked if I ever taught her not to run with things in her mouth, but hey, she is a dog! This poodle is a fast little dog, too! Another couple brought their whip-it puppies, and Showbo wanted to play with them. We both unleashed our dogs, and they had a fabulous time. They took turns chasing each other, and the puppies actually got tired first. During some of the chases, the puppies would run through some dirt and hide behind a tree. Showbo, being a proper poodle, would avoid the dirt and just wait for the puppies to rejoin her in the grass. It was adorable! Showbo slept really great that night!

Lastly, I would like to share a few adventures at my grandparent’s house during this last visit. We used Amtrak, and people, as always, were in awe about a poodle as a seeing eye dog. Ugh, she is a dual service and guide dog! Anyway, she impressed my grandparents during the whole trip, because she behaved in the house, she behaved in the restaurants, and she absolutely did not have any accidents in their house! The live-in cats, and visiting cats, almost always leave a mess behind. Just for your information, Showbo is the first dog in our family, and she is a great first dog! My grandfather is a dog lover, who also hates cats. When Showbo had some play time, she decided to chase one of the cats, and my grandpa cheered for her. It was great! Go, Showbo! I believe everyone is really looking forward to being able to touch this cute little dog, who is very faithful to me. My grandpa was also impressed when I slept through the night, and Showbo also slept! J The best comment by my grandpa came right before we left. He wanted to know if he could record Showbo barking. My grandpa wanted to play this recording when Showbo was not there, in order to scare the cats. Funny, huh?

Well, hope this was a good read for everyone, and I will talk to you later. I hope to have a number of adventures in the next journal entry, because we are leaving in a couple of days for Hilton Head, South Carolina. Talk to y’all later.

Well, I saved this story for a different journal, because I did not want the last entry to be too many different things. On August 10, our church had its annual baptism and picnic at Marsh Creek lake. God miraculously stopped the rain over the lake that day, and we had beautiful weather. Some other people actually brought their pet dogs, who were obviously active. We sat on a blanket on the ground while the baptism service took place, and Showbo laid there like a lady and ignored all the other dogs. Every person getting baptized gave a testimony, which was followed by the actual baptism in the lake. As I said before, Showbo was on her best behavior, causing no interruptions for anyone. There was plenty of time between the baptism and the picnic for me to allow Showbo to enjoy the lake. I even brought one of her water toys with us! I unharnessed Showbo and used her retractable leash to lead her to the edge of the water. She began the adventure by trying to drink the nasty water, but I stopped her! She really did not want to leave my side, however, I was not in my swimming attire and could not join her in the water. Showbo finally started to run from left to right, remaining in the same depth of water, and just running back and forth. The water was up to her knees, and she was fine with that. Then, I threw her water toy into the lake and told her to go get it, but she just watched the toy floating in the lake. She must have thought I was crazy to think she would actually want to go swimming, and ruin her fur.J Showbo did venture into deeper waters, up to her belly, but no swimming for Showbo. Her water toy continued to float away, and she did not even care. A gentleman from the church, who was already in the water for the baptism, offered to swim out and get her toy. Luckily, Showbo still has this water toy, but who knows if she will ever use it? Showbo ended her lake experience in a short time, and the little poodle was only wet up to her stomach. Boo!

During these past few days, I had my 6-month visit with my neurologist, who absolutely loved Showbo. I did not give Showbo an opportunity to do her business that morning, because it was only 6am. Her normal time to pooh is after10am, and she usually eats breakfast at 8am, therefore I did feed her. I honestly expected to return home in plenty of time for her morning bowel movement. J Well, Showbo proved me wrong. She began to take me in circles when we arrived to the office building and exited the car. I attribute this whole experience to Dave’s driving. Anyway, I thought Showbo was just stressed and/or confused. No! We all took the elevator to the second floor and began to walk through the empty hallway to the doctor’s office. Squat, right in the middle of the hallway and pooh directly on the carpeted floor. Thank God it was a solid movement! I cleaned this surprise, but thankfully Dave was the only witness. Remember, always give your service dog time to do his business, and Showbo going in circles is a sign of the need to do her business! I have been doing wonderfully with my health, due to Herbalife and a service dog, but the neurologist needed to check me anyway. Throughout this whole visit, Showbo carried my bag. Yea!

Well, I would like to finish this entry by describing another doctor’s visit, although this visit was to the dentist. Yes, I did give Showbo the time and chance to do her business in the morning, and she did! Everything went well, and the only thing worth writing about occurred when I began the teeth cleaning process. We were led to the room with “the chair”, and I needed to find a good spot for Showbo to wait. I took her to the left of the door to the corner, and I told her to d o w n. Then, I sat in the chair while the hygienist looked in my mouth, briefly. Showbo quickly moved from her original spot and went forward to lay beside my chair. The hygienist thought this action was extremely cute and said Showbo wanted to be closer to me. I agreed that this action was cute, and I did not at all punish my adorable service dog. Showbo laid in her new location during the rest of my teeth cleaning, and we never knew she was there. Well, I did not, you know out of sight, out of mind. The hygienist continued to tell me all about Showbo’s mannerisms and cuteness! As if I did not already know. J

Ok, talk to you later, and have a great week!

I would like to begin this journal entry by sharing, yet again, another theory related to one of Showbo’s behaviors. I must first tell a joke.

A blind man, with a seeing eye dog, enters a large department store. The dog leads him to the center of the store, where the man lifts the dog by the tail and swings it over his head, like the man is a cowboy using a lasso. Another gentleman observed this action and approached the man, asking him what he was doing to his dog. The man replied by saying:

I’m just looking around. J

Ok, the behavior: this wonderful poodle has a tendency to take me in circles in various locations. Every one else has determined that this strange behavior is a result of stress. Why does everyone blame everything on stress? I believe Showbo is just getting her bearings straight, and then she can better know where and how to take me somewhere. Showbo is all about using shortcuts, and safety! Keep on spinning, Showbo, because it works for me.

We had another card’s night this past week, and Showbo was out of harness. Once again, Manna arrived with barking and immediately looked for Cyera. Mind you, Cyera wants nothing to do with this loud little dog, but Manna insists that Cyera is his playful buddy. Cyera tells me it is never, ever going to happen, though. Anyway, as Manna was searching for Cyera, Showbo tried to get Manna’s attention. Showbo ran through the house with a bark and playful chase. Manna, the whimpy dog, ran and hid from Showbo. It was a very comical 3-ring circus in the Garozzo home, that night!

On August 9^th, I had a desire to join my husband for his ultimate frisbee tournament, and I was planning to be his lovely cheer leader. Showbo and I accompanied Dave to his first game, where we both made ourselves comfortable. Then, the rain came! Showbo and I sat in the car for a short while, and then Dave, seeing the rain diminish, came to the car to retrieve us. We attempted to be outside, near the games, but the rain came again. We were able to stand under a sun tent, but I had trouble keeping the leather harness dry. The owner of the sun tent was very kind to us and allowed us to sit in the back of his S U V. Here, Showbo needed to be wiped with a towel to clean the mud off her paws, and I needed to dry and brush her to prevent tangling in her fur. Once able to relax, I waited in the vehicle while they continued the tournament in the rain. I was very determined to keep Showbo’s harness dry, and therefore, I removed it from her back. She was just a poodle in her pinch collar and her halty, who began to look like a drowning rat.

Ok, everyone have a great week, and I hope to talk to you soon.

Ok, we began the week by getting Showbo trimmed at the groomer, because her fur was getting too long, for a gorgeous poodle. Once again, Showbo behaved like an angel! I described the experience to Dave as portraying a visit to the hairdresser with a child and waiting patiently for the hairdresser to finish. Dave responded with total disagreement, saying Showbo is way more behaved than a child. I still believe the waiting part would be the same. Anyway, maybe I will discover this moment on my own some day!

Following the trimming, Showbo and I attended a leadership breakfast for Herbalife, which was held at someone’s home. I had some food, and then we sat through an organizational meeting. Well, I sat through the meeting, and Showbo laid through the meeting, every now and then releasing some gas. She was not very lady like, and boy, does she stink! It honestly was not me, either! I could almost tell she was going to have a gastroid intestinal release, because she would start to fidget, as if trying to hold it. She did not hold it, and now I no longer give her a certain kind of treat before going to sit in a public place. I do not care if she passes gas at home, because her farts smell like roses compared to those of my husband. J

A very impressive task performed by Showbo occurs in our home when we are doing laundry. She easily tugs the laundry basket back and forth, but she does more than that. I place hangers on our bed and have Showbo load up onto the bed, and I place the clean clothes near her. As I need a hanger for a piece of clothing, I request that Showbo takes it, as I point to the pile of hangers. She uses her mouth to grab a hanger, and when I say where is it, she puts the hanger into my hand. In other words, this intelligent poodle helps me hang our nice clothes. Yea!

Showbo also tugs clean linens from the closet to the bed, one at a time, and the dirty linens from the bed to the washing machine. She is a very helpful little dog.

Let me just tell all of you that Showbo acts more intelligent than me, at times. Every morning I lay my clothes in a pile on the floor and ask Showbo to take each piece and give it to me. One morning I laid the necessary pieces of clothing on the floor and proceeded to do the usual routine of getting dressed. Showbo gave me each item, one at a time, and I was eventually dressed except my socks. I continued pointing at the location of the clothes pile and telling Showbo to take it. Showbo just stood there, like a zombie. This lack of movement by Showbo made me very frustrated. I began to enforce the take it command and pointing her nose towards the pile of clothes. Now, please remember that I am blind, and Showbo is sighted! Showbo began to walk away, returning to me with a shoe in her mouth. I said thanks to her, but I again told her to take it and pointed. She walked away from me again and returned with a piece of my bathing suit in her mouth. I did not understand this behavior, and finally I decided to get my own socks. I walked toward the correct area, but my socks were no where to be found. Stupid me, I never got out a pair of socks, because I was not going to wear socks that day with my sandals. Showbo, however, tried very, very hard to please me, and I had to give her a multitude of praises! Again, I tell you, I love this cute, little poodle!

Lastly, Showbo’s CPL trainer, Megan, visited us on Wednesday. Megan wanted to observe Showbo and me as we attempted to carry various items up and down stairs. As usual, Showbo began the stairs on my left heel position, and, in a matter of 1 step, she was on my right going up the stairs in a backward motion. My theory behind this backward thing is that Showbo wants to keep her eyes on me. Who knows?

Anyway, in order to prevent Showbo from going backwards, I now use Showbo on my right side when I need to go up the stairs. Showbo does remain on my left side all other times, though. She did terrible carrying an item up the stairs, and she kept dropping it. Megan finished the visit by suggesting to me that I put Showbo in harness while doing anything that involves the stairs. Sorry, Showbo!

Well, I will talk to you all again soon.

A lot of stories to tell this time. Please bear with us!

Dave and I took Showbo to a groomers in Exton, and they bathed her, cleaned her ears and brushed her teeth. Like I have said many times, Showbo is a spoiled little dog! They did a great job with her, and they are Christians. Cool, huh? While there, Dave and I bought a special lotion for Showbo’s skin infections, and I have been applying this lotion to her 5 infected areas every day since then. She is still a high maintenance dog, but she did finish her pills. Please keep this skin thing in your prayers!

Thanks.

When I go to restaurants with Showbo, she knows to go under the table, but she is very particular of her location, which is the same at the bowling alley. Anyway, Showbo needs only to take me to the restroom once, and she has it in memory. Needless to say, this is great for my extremely weak bladder, and my husband! He is now able to enjoy his dinner more by trusting Showbo with this task of taking me to the restroom. It will be some time before he can trust her with me, because, well, she is a dog.

Another cool thing happened with us on Monday night at Dave’s ultimate frisbee game. Showbo and I were sitting along the sideline, and I fed and hydrated Showbo. After some time, we stood, and Showbo led me to an open grass area, where she peed. We reached this grass area without going onto the fields! Showbo then led us back to our exact seating spot, using only her brain, and it being just the 2 of us. She is so, so awesome!

On Tuesday night, Showbo was able to assist Dave at bringing in the groceries. Well, she only brought in 1 bag of groceries, but she did it. I carried some groceries and asked Showbo to take 1 of the bags. She fondled with it a few times and then decided to drag it to the curb, because it was heavy. Then she got a good grip on it and lifted it up onto the curb. She then proceeded to carry it down the sidewalk, up another step and to the door. Dave took it from here, but Showbo received a lot of praise! Go, Showbo!

It has been so cute watching Showbo chase Cyera around the house during playtime, and I really enjoy their company. One cute thing that Showbo has been doing happens when she is getting a drink. I lead her to her water dish, and she gets a drink. While she is drinking, any little thing distracts her, and she stops drinking and looks. I then ask her if she is finished, she turns, and begins drinking again. This has even happened after she has taken a few steps away from the water dish, and it is adorable.

Ok, when we were at the bowling alley this week, Showbo randomly moved out from under the seat and stood there. I did not understand this behavior, which is very unlike this obedient little dog. I later realized that my cell phone was connected to her harness, and she stood every time it rang. Dave has the answering system designed to call my cell phone every time someone leaves a message on our home phone. Anyway, this design caused my cell phone to ring several times, which then startled Showbo. It is cool, though, because then Showbo comes to me as if bringing me the cell phone. How cool is that?

When I play with Showbo, I use the get “it” command with her toys. At certain times of the day I go through the living room to check the floor for dog and cat toys. Showbo hears my take “it” command and knows the difference from the other command. She picks up her toys and hands them to me, instead of starting to play. She is a good dog!

Well, that is enough for now. Enjoy, and I will talk to you next week.