jax-- apparently now named frances- the mule---yesterday lying down in the stall-- lets start with-- he is a totally unknown, pretty darn big animal out of the slaughter pens of penna... if he was a young strong healthy sound mule chances are he would still be pulling a plow in penna.- so he has something for us to discover...- let me try again... he coudl have a bunch of things we have not yet figured out.... now in my "1/2 vast" experience- the last thing i want to do is go try and pick up his back feet- so when someone makes a comment online about "he has sore feet", my immediate reaction - well--- if that is in fact the case, they can stay sore til i figure out if we can get near his feet--- and if you notice, i have not been able to get his halter off yet..... i did get him to eat grain our of a fry pan yesterday. and i did walk behind him and he was relaxed-- this is progress...
i don't have a clue about any of his problems- but if i had to bet money , i would say he has something wrong with a back hip/or leg...- and teh reason i have not called bryan (DVM) yet is two fold...
i have no desire to get bryan kicked across the block either.. and he ( frances) seemed slightly bettr yesterday which means it could be a current injury which is improving---- in which case tehre is no reason to pay bryan to come tell me to wait it out.. also there is a good reason not to give him pain meds until we have a good idea why.. we need to let the pain tell us if and where to look... meanwhile frances is eating.. peeing .. and pooping which is an animal owners MAJOR clue as to the urgency of any medical care....-- teh OTHER CLUE being is he squirting blood from anywhere??? so i will wait until i see a reason to engage bryan.
I DON'T MIND HAVING CP'S MENTION THINGS THEY HAVE SEEN.... THAT IS VERY HELPFUL... HOWEVER....
when the sidewalk superintendents online start telling me to do something-- like why don't you do somethign with his hurt feet..... i shutter, stutter and sputter... ...
I BET THERE IS NOT A Camera PERSON OUT THERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME AND PICK UP EVEN ONE FOOT. when what he really needs is to figure out that people are going to be nice to him... before anyone gets near those hind feet.--
could be someone -- younger-- agile with more experience like janine... could gt his halter off-- but it aint gonna be me- let me qualify-- i t has not been my accomplishmet yet... i might try today if the planets are in teh right configuration-- more likely i will not,, and stick with feeding grain out of a fry pan to see if i cqn even touch his nose...
and the piece of information generally cp'S DON'T HAVE IS-- BOTH MULES AND DONKEYS-- WITH THOSE EARS,-PEOPLE SOMETIME S USE THEIR EARS AS IMPROMPTU HALTERS TO TRY AND CONTROL TEHM BY GRABBING THE EARS... .. CONSEQUENTLY MOST DONKS AND MULES ARE VERY SENSATIVE ABOUT THEIR EARS, AND GETTING THE HALTER OFF INVOLVES GETTING YOUR HANDS VERY CLOSE TO THOSE EARS... THAT IS TEH PRIMARY ISSUE.
-*****
amy's full trip
We haven’t written much because we have been so busy, in many wonderful ways — two trips to New York City in the last month, spring gardening, celebrating my husband’s birthday last week and our anniversary shortly before that.
Seagram has allowed me to not only reclaim aspects of my life, like making it much easier to go on a “date night” with my husband for his birthday — but also to reclaim my yard. Yesterday Seagram & I were gardening, and I realized how easy it is now to walk from one side of the yard to the other with her — what a fabulous feeling of freedom!!
This week, we had a busy two days in the city. We traveled via commuter bus, which is about as tight as a plane, but Seagram just happily napped on her fluffy. We had a leisurely walk through Central Park on a mild evening, and I think she enjoyed this more than I did. At the Apple Store, we ran into a woman who looked pleasantly familiar. She said, “My favorite Service Dog!” It amazes me that in a city of so many millions of people, she remembered us, or at least Seagram ;)
The best part of the trip to the city was that we saw Erica & Asher, and actually, this was a largely the reason we went to the city! We were all so happy to see each other! It is obvious that our pups remember one another, and Erica & I certainly appreciate how happy they are together. We saw the show, Kiss Me, Kate. The theater staff were very accommodating, which helped make the experience better. Our seats were in the front, and this is the first time that Seagram & Asher could see the action onstage. Erica & I enjoyed watching their reaction — at first, they watched intently, with ears forward as they listened. And then I could almost hear Seagram saying, “silly humans,” before she fell asleep on her fluffy. Boredom achieved. Asher also enjoyed a nap, although both occasionally awoke to check in & watch a little more.
Our seats were next to an aisle and several steps that the actors used to go onstage in certain scenes...During booking, I had alerted them to the fact that we have 2 Danes, and they notified the actors — although of course, there was no issue because our dogs behaved perfectly. At one point, an actress ran down the aisle while throwing rose petals up in the air. I wasn’t sure how Seagram would react, because a couple of petals fluttered down so close that they almost touched her — but it seemed like she barely awoke for that.
Erica & I thought it was so amusing to occasionally see the actors & actresses glance down at our dogs and break a little smile, although they kept in character...During a jazzy song, a member of the orchestra came onstage. He walked over and sat on the steps during much of the number. At the end of the show, when most of the people had cleared out, he commented, “I love your dogs!” We thanked him as usual. “I was worried about playing so close to them, but they were so good!” he said with admiration.
One of the things that I love about going out with Seagram is that people from all demographics appreciate her, and this leads to so many great interactions...After the show, Erica & I found a place to talk. Afterward, as we were saying goodbye, a group of young men (20-ish?) approached us. An African-American man broke away from the group and came up to us with a broad smile, saying that he grew up with a Dane. The Dane died relatively young, and he still seemed saddened by this. I gave him one of Seagram’s business cards. Erica & I explained about the Explore cameras and he seemed so excited...It is also fun to walk through an area where people may not be all that happy and watch their faces light up when they see Seagram, like when I had to do bloodwork at the hospital.
Sometimes these encounters because of Seagram can be quite random. On Thursday, we waited for the commuter bus so we could return home. A man in a nice suit was walking quickly but stopped rather abruptly in front of us. The most remarkable aspect of his appearance was that he was wearing a tie with dog bones on it (lol). He introduced himself as the Director of the Museum of the Dog and welcomed us to visit. He highlighted that they have an interactive exhibit about working dogs. I reciprocated and gave him Seagram’s business card, so hopefully he looks up SDP’s website and also the Explore cameras.
Thank you again for the amazing gift of Seagram!
Amy
