Day Five: The First Week Comes To A Close

Yes, I have been remiss in not posting more, but not without remorse! Today was the fifth day of Team Training and the end of our first week. The special event of the day was the class field trip to Home Depot, marking students' first off-campus outing with canine accompaniment - most assuredly, under the supervision and with the guidance and encouragement of the instructors. 

The first field trip and the ones that follow it are exciting and meaningful events. For a number of students, this trip marks the first time that they are out in public with an assistance dog by their side. Suddenly, the highly anticipated and once-abstract concept of oneself "plus" one's Hearing Dog is embodied, felt, and known in the most visible way and in a most visible place - e.g. in a shopping mall, a restaurant, a grocery store. I'm intrigued by the internal processes that run through students' minds during these times. As a Team Training student in 2007 with Hearing Dog Maya, I was acutely aware of and curious about the public's reactions while we were out and about on these field trips. Thoughts and inquiries flitted through my mind while making my way up and down the aisles with sweet Maya. 

This time around, I noticed, I felt more present, less pensive. My palm quietly traced the span of my dog's head, enjoyed the silkiness of an ear, and playfully patted my dog's side at the completion of complex tasks. I enjoyed observing my classmates with their dogs, enjoyed watching the reactions, behaviors, and expressions of dogs and people alike. The instructors watched as well, at times sharing feedback and offering suggestions and at others hanging back as students used their own judgment with their dogs.

After returning from our field trip, we practiced commands in the Great Room of Gittinger Hall and were again treated to a wonderful lunch by the Voluncheers (thank you, Voluncheers!). After lunch, we commenced soundwork practice with a focus on the third sound introduced by the instructors, that of a doorknock. Again I loved the instructors' emphasis on the importance of enjoying the training process, which should be enjoyable for both person and dog. After a number of soundwork rounds and repetitions, class was "Released" (dismissed) for the weekend.

Memories of Maya

Interrupting this (not so) regular broadcast to bring you a special entry, which has traveled here all the way from Saturday, January 20th, 2007, the first night I spent with Maya. The following is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to my family during Team Training in January, 2007:

Hello to everyone from somewhat sunny Santa Rosa. I'm on my bed typing away on my laptop, and curled up in my lap is my little Canine Companions pre-match. She fits in here perfectly, breathing contentedly with one furry ear draped over my jeans, her head burrowed into the bed. Every once in a while, she re-adjusts herself and settles in again with a loud sigh.   

She is a two-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, compact and extremely small at perhaps 50 lbs. Her coat is a light, light shade of blonde - a far cry from the dark-haired Golden Retrievers I've loved in past years - and her silky ears are just a slightly darker shade of gold. She has a couple of subtle bands of golden hair across her shoulders, round golden whorls at her elbows, and her tail looks like a short blonde paintbrush with the endpoint tipped in golden paint. Again, I emphasize the "small and compact" part because she comes up just to my knees. This little girl thumps her thick tail loudly inside her kennel while greeting approaching people, and strolls calmly through the world at a slow, confident pace. 

She has a band of gold hair running across her muzzle, just inches beneath her eyes, as though she's been wearing a Gentle Leader for awhile. But that little band is in fact the overlapping of two light ridges of golden hair growing against each other like converging tectonic plates. The result is an intermingling ridge of darker golden hair. Surprisingly, her nose is somewhat pink in color... related to the weather or living in the kennels? She has gorgeous teeth, and I intend to keep them that way.  

We had some more bonding time today, including a stroll through the big fenced-in dog park, a few tries around the agility course on campus, a teeth-brushing and grooming session, and now this curling-up time. We also fit in several hours of sound-work practice in the Gittinger Hall Hearing Dog "apartment" suite, set up with kitchen, bed, bathroom, and living room to look just like a real apartment. This way we can familiarize the dogs with something resembling our home environment while extending their sound-alerting skills into a new place. Little girl did excellently, a hearing dog who combines high self-motivation, intelligence and problem-solving ability with an extremely chilled-out demeanor and unflappable personality. Far more often you'll find one or the other, an energetic and excitable dog who does sound alerts well but tends toward higher energy, or a chill and low-key dog who may lack sufficient motivation to initiate and follow-through with soundwork. Add to this her compact size (perfect for public transit and apartment living), totally laid-back personality and easygoing nature (great for long DOWN-STAYS under my desk), and sweet disposition, which makes for great cuddling. Welcome, Little Girl.

It's humbling to read these words from seven years ago, when I had little inkling of how much I would come to love sweet, soulful Maya. Remembering her invokes her presence, and fills and surrounds me with feelings of warmth and safety.

Now I think of little Karma, and her smiling face, the spirited way she watched over me during our time together.

While gazing down at the dog with whom I've been snuggling this evening, I feel relaxed and at peace. With a paw on my foot and heavy head resting on my leg, I experience New Dog as steady and grounded.

A few nights before flying out to California to begin this Team Training, I was at my computer working on this blog and sending emails. In the corner of my mind's eye I "saw" Maya's tail happily wagging, as if she was standing there behind my computer, waiting for me to acknowledge her. It reminded me how much I longed to love and work with a dog once again, how vital that connection was and remains. Somewhere at that moment, I felt with conviction, "Maya" was wagging her tail, and she was happy for me.

Day Four: The First Night Together

Day Four of Team Training began with an introduction to the various pieces of equipment that Canine Companions for Independence assistance dog teams may use when at home and out in public. In particular, the instructors explained, different collars may be used at different times and in different settings, depending in part on the team's needs, the dog's responsiveness, and the handler's skill and comfort level. Notably, during equipment introductions, clear emphasis was placed on the importance of upholding the assistance dog image in the public eye, always an issue of relevance but especially critical in today's times.

True to their word, the instructors delegated greater responsibility for the care of the dogs to their new handlers over time, explaining that on this day students would be keeping their pre-matched dogs during the lunch hour (rather than returning them to their crates as done for the previous three days). Come noontime, students would be responsible for toileting their dogs and maintaining their dogs' behavior while also eating lunch, an approximation of a very real scenario soon to come. 

The morning continued with a simulated "lunch" scenario, followed by soundwork practice. At this point we are still working on the door chime sound with our respective dogs, consistently advancing our expectations of the intensity and/or persistence of their alerts while also introducing new conditions (such as increasing the distance between ourselves and the sound or ourselves and the dogs). A lecture on canine health rounded out the morning's events. Graduates and dog-lovers may also have felt apprehensive or worried after learning about the many potential threats to our dogs' health that are lurking out there.

Following lunch (again, thank you, amazing Voluncheers!), the instructors began to prepare students for the first night to be spent at home (or in the dorms) with their respective pre-matched dogs. A lecture on dogs' daily needs was then presented, culminating with an activity in which students were asked to draw their future daily schedules with ample time given for toileting, feeding, exercising, grooming, and training. 

Afterward, we commenced soundwork practice with our dogs, this time with a second sound, that of a timer beeping. The dogs have already had substantial practice alerting their trainers to this sound, but at this time they were asked to alert their new handlers instead. In turn, the students applied what they had learned about soundwork and their respective dogs in order to problem-solve and support their dogs in this novel arrangement. We are encouraged to remember that our dogs are learning at all times, all the time.

Day Four wrapped up with an additional round of command practice as well as the introduction of commands which would prove handy that night at home/the dorm rooms. Quizzes on the day's lectures were then handed out, and class was dismissed.

Day Two: Preliminary Matches

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Preliminary matches, or "pre-matches," were made. These pairings of Team Training students and dogs represent the potential teams that will hopefully go on to graduate. There is, however, an emphasis on the preliminary aspect of these matches, as changes may be made for a number of different reasons. Changes, when made, are initiated with the optimal working relationship of the assistance dog team in mind. Team success and safety are the paramount goals.

The day continued with further soundwork practice, in addition to lectures and introductions of additional commands. As ever, the volunteers who provided lunch were so appreciated - lunch is a great respite for hungry students who have been working and listening all morning! While Team Training lunches provide an opportunity for students to further bond (with each other, and later with their dogs as well), they also facilitate students' introduction to the generous folks who volunteer their time and energy on campus.

I feel good about my preliminary match on a number of different levels. From my experiences with Maya and Karma, I trust and believe that the instructors absolutely do have the needs and best interests of the students in mind. It is heartening and enjoyable to notice the warmth I feel when I think of the dog I am working with, as well as my anticipation at continuing to work together. Simultaneously, I am mindful that we - dog and I - are engaged in an interactive, enjoyable, and purposeful dance under the adept supervision of the instructors. At some point, the dance may call for the exchange of dance partners. This metaphor works for me, and I am thoroughly enjoying the dance right now and every chance I get.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the Canine Companions staff members from around the campus who came to witness and support the pre-match announcements. As the staff watched and responded to each announcement with smiles and applause, I was reminded of the cyclical nature of life and living things. Teams dying and teams being born. Leashes handed over symbolically. An elder dog and a puppy touching noses. And lives changing at every moment.

Later on, in reflecting on the morning's events, I thought back to the moment that I learned I would be pre-matched with Maya. Little Maya.

I thought of Karma and her essential role in my journey. I thought of her sweet smile.

And I'm thinking now about my newest prospective canine partner, wondering what's in store and what our lives together might look like.

All is well.