SONS OF BlTCHES ARE WONDERFUL...-- BELLA'S DOG GEORGE IS ONE OF THEM..... IT IS THE SONS OF HUMANS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM.
WHY WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD, DO I HAVE TO STRUGGLE AND ARGUE ABOUT PEE PADS?
... ALLOW ME TO DEFINE THE CONCEPT.... ABOUT 8 HOURS AFTER BIRTH-- STUFF COMES RUNNINIG THRU A NEW PUPPY... AND MOMMY LICKS IT UP--- CARRY'S AND DEPOSITS IT OUTDOORS WHERE OUR SUPERB POO PICKING CREW - PICKS... BAGS.. AND CARRIES IT TO THE DUMPSTER WHERE IT IS HOPEFULLY BURNED FOR FUEL IN THE STATE OF MAINE. THAT LASTS FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS WHEN THEY START TO CRAWL - AND DECIDE GETTING FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN BY MOMMY IS NO FUN...-- SO THEY CRAWL AWAY FROM HER.... AND "THE NEST"... THE NEST BEING DEFINED AS A WARM COZY FLUFFY-- SO EARLY IN THE GAME THERE IS NATURALLY DEVELOPED HERE AND THERE MENTALITY....AT LEAST WITH THE PUPS.....
IT IS HOUSEBREAKING AT IT'S FINEST...----TO GO ALONG WITH THE CLEAN NEST PHILOSOPHY--- AT ABOUT 3 WEEKS WE START THEM ON "OUR " FOOD ( PURINA) AND MOMMY HELPS BY VOMITING UP MOST OF HER BREAKFAST AS SEMI DIGESTED SOFT PUPPY FOOD.... WE THEN MOVE THE PUPS TO THE KITCHEN.... WHERE I STRUGGLE WITH VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF-- IF YOU MAKE A SOFT FLUFFY AREA BY THE SOFA SOME PUPS WILL SLEEP THERE-- BUT IF YOU LEAVE TOWELS OVER BY THE REFRIGERATOR OTHER PUPS WILL SEE IT AS A COZY FLUFFY-- NOW---.... FOR THOSE OF YOU PAYING ATTENTION... YOU CAN NOW VISUALIZE THE TOWEL SLEEPERS WILL WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THEIR TOWEL SO GO TO THE SOFA ARE AND PEE... AND THE SOFA SLEEPERS -- YOU GOT IT.. PEE ON THE TOWELS...
THERE IN LIES THE RUB.... BY MY (THUS FAR IGNORED) ORDER---- NO TOWELS ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR.... MAKE A NEST OF COZZY TOWELS/ FLUFFY'S THEN A GAP OF CLEAN FLOOR AND HAVE SOME PEEPADS ACRODSS THE KITCHEN BY THE FRIDGE-- OR BETTER YET... IN TH E HALL AND LEAVE THE GATE OPEN... THEY WILL USE THEM-- MAY TAKE DAY OR TWO... BUT THEY WILL... IN MY HALF VAST EXPERIENCE.
REMEMBER MY 2 LIFETIME GOALS ARE TO TRAIN A SEEING EYE DOG... AND HAVE A DOG THAT"USES" A PEE PAD IN AIRPORTS AND HOTELS...
YOU MAY THINK THE LITTLE DARLINGS ARE SLEEPING... PARTIALLY TRUE-- THE ARE ALSO FILLING UP THEIR LITTLE BLADDERS
SO IF YOU COME THRU THE GATE-- OR BETTER YET CALL THEM INTO
THE HALL ON THE PEE PADES, THEY WILL 100% SQUAT ( OR STRETCH DEPENDING ON THE GENDER) --
NOW COMES THE HARD PART... HUMANS-- TRYING TO BE HELPFUL HANNAHS FIGURE THEY WILL USE TEYHE PEEPDAS BETTER IF THEY ARE CLOSER TO STUFFYDOM -- PROBLEM IS... WHILE THEY ARE LYING THERE FILLING THEIR BLADDERS THEY LOOK OVER T THOSE PEEPADS AND THINK " I CAN DRAG THAT AROUND AND GET OTHERS TO CHASE ME" - HOWEVER DRAGGING FROM TEH HALL IS NOT QUITE SO INT4ERESTING.----SPECIALLY IF YOU PROVIDE SOMETHING INTERESTING IN THE CLEAN FLOOR SECTION... LIKE LITTLE BOXES... OR TWISTED BROWM PAPER WITH IT'S NOISE FACTOR.....
TEH PROGRESSION OF THE PEE PADS MUST BE SUBTLE-- MID KITCHEN-- TO FRIDGE AND FINALLY---- TO HALL! WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DEVELOPING THE "ACHIEVING BOREDOM" IN THE PEE PAD DRAGGING GAME.
IF AN OCCASIONAL PUDDPLE APPEARS NOT ON A PEE PAD A TOWEL TO MOP SHOUD BE USED AND TOSSED IN THE LAUNDRY IMMEDIATELY... IT IS THE SQUATERS WHO HAVE TROUBLE BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE FLUID PRODUCING DEVICE.. THE MID BODY POSITION OF THE STRETCHERS MAKES FOR BETTER AIM...
IT MAY COST US A FEW CHEWED UP PEE PADS TO ACHIEVE BOREDOM... BUT LETS GIVE IT A SHOT.
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WE HAVE NOT GONE SO FAR AS TO DONATE DOGS TO PEOPLE WHO WRITE WELL, BUT THAT IS NOT BAD IDEA FOR GRANT WRITING EITHER.
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Dear Carlene,
Asher and I are back to our usual routine and we can't stop thinking about our time at Dog Fest this past weekend! It was so nice to escape to the farm for the weekend and see you, all the wonderful SDP staff, and so many CPs. Every time I come back to the farm, I'm reminded of the family we have there (and far beyond!) who loves to watch me and Asher work so well together. SDP is truly unlike anywhere else - you all change lives by providing such perfect partners to people who can then experience so much more independence, but it doesn't stop there. The encouragement and support just keeps coming. I can't tell you how many people stopped me to compliment me on how well Asher and I work together (which, of course, has very little to do with me and everything to do with his stellar training) and to let me know that if we ever need anything, all we have to do is ask. When I was matched with Asher, I didn't just acquire a dog; I also got a pretty huge family to go along with us on our journey!
I remember my first trip to SDP last January, when everything was covered in snow and ice and I could hardly get around outside. But we spent the two days focusing on what I COULD do to help out around the farm - good thing there's always plenty of laundry to be folded! I was never once pitied, I was just another visitor to the farm ready to get to work. And this past weekend was a lot like that experience. It didn't matter what kinds of things we struggle with physically - we were all just there together to celebrate the organization we all love.
Crazy Acres is certainly a magical place, and after leaving I'm always just waiting until I can go back! Hopefully we'll be able to visit one more time before the snow comes and take a break from the books for a weekend. But in the meantime, I just wanted to tell you again how much Crazy Acres means to us (it's undoubtedly Asher's favorite destination too!), and thank you and your staff for an incredible Dog Fest weekend. See you soon!
Erica & Asher
