Ah-- the invention du jour----necessity is the mother of invention- so is accident- and a few other means...
having 2 dozen pillowcases for 20 pillows, if my math is correct gave me 4 extras.. couple that with an itchy back, i figured out that cutting/ripping a strip about 4 inches wide gave me nearly a 6 foot "moisture application device" by putting a glob of moisturing stuff in th e middle 2 inches --on both sides i could apply the appropriate amt over my entire back.
maybe the rest of the world already knew this and i am foolish to suggest it.. however.. it certainly worked-
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puppies---
there is a UNIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA THAT IS FUNDING THE TRAINING OF PUPPIES AS SERVICE DOGS- BEING A MEMBER OF Adi i got the questionaire and filled it out..- mostly with16 "no's " --- 7 "we don't do that" and one "about a year" so i thought i would never hear from them again.. except the president of adi-- Richard Lord is from austraila-- we have met at conferences-- he is a live wire... and has seen our dogs.
i have a feeling he is connected with the project because the first thing i got after filling all that out was " you don't fit our study" very quickly followed by " maybe yours is the case we shojuld be studying" -- which i M SURE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH RICHARD AND PROBABLY BELLA AND GEORGE TOO.
AT ANY RATE--- I AM TO DO A CAll/discussion with him aT NOON TODAY EAST COAST TIME-- HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT TIME IN AUSTRALIA-- AND DISCUSS MY THOUGHTS ON PUPPY RAISING...
MY BIG PITCH IS..... I DO NOT APPROVE OF TEH PUPPY RAISING CONCEPT... THE YOUNG PUP GETS PLACED WITH THE APPROVED AND "TRAINED" PUPPY RAISING FAMILY TO "SOCIALIZE" THE PUP. -- THAT CAN- DEPENDING ON TH E TALENT OF THE FAmily--- produce either a great -- or an idiot -- pup but worse than that- teh pup learns to bond to the family-- then you take it away at 18 months to the facility for training... then place it with a recipient... it is my conviction that pup spends the rest of therir life looking for the family that started it...
i saw this with one of ours way back...i gave pistol to a friend in lynnfield to raise as probably a breeding dog. things happened and the family could not keep her so she came back to me for about a month as a normal farm dog--- darn nice dog.. but no special trainign... then one of our recipients wanted despaRATELY TO WALK UP AND GET HER DIPLOMA- SO WITH 2 DAYS "FORMAL TRAINING" WE STUCK THEM ON A PLANE FOR ? NORHT CAROLNA??? AND SHE DID IT.. THE VIDEO OF IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER.. SHE TRIPPED TWICE GOING UP THE RAMP AND PISTOL CAUGHT HER NICELY.. HUGE SUCCESS...
FOR WHATEVER ODDITY, I GOT PISTOL BACK AGAIN --
GOLDIE WAS WITH US THEN TOO... BECAUSE WITHIN A DAY OR TWO -- THE WOMAN WHO HAD RAISED PISTOL APPEARED AT MY DOOR ONE NIGHT IN DESPARATE NEED OF A DOG TO HUG.
THE REUNION OF PISTOL WITH THAT WOMAN WAS SOMETHING I CAN NOT FORGET. NOR CAN I IGNORE IT... THAT WAS "HER OWNER" AND SHE WAS JUST FILLING IN TIME WITH THE REST OF US.
COUPLE THAT WITH....NEXT CONCEPT--- WHEN I NEEDED TO BORROW A DOG FOR A COMMERCIAL PHOTO SHOOT... I WOULD PICK THEM UP AT 5AM OR WHATEVER.... I NOTICED HOW THE DOGS WOULD LISTEN TO ME AND ALMOST FOLLOW ME AROUND.... I THOUGHT I WAS A WONDERFUL DOG HANDLER... AND--- I GOT LAZY.. AND HIRED A SECOND PERSON TO GO WITH ME.. I HAD THE OTHER PERSON PICK UP THE DOG FROM THERI HOME AND I WOULD MEET AT THE SHOOT.--- WHEN WE DID THAT... THE DOG WOULD LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW THE PERSON WHO HAD TAKEN THEM FROM THEIR HOME.
NEXT CONCEPT---- PICKING UP DOGS FROM TEH AIRPORT... SAME SEEMS TRUE-- THE PERSON WHO GETS THEM OUT OF THEIR CRATE AT THE AIRIPORT IS THE ONE THE PUP WILL ATTACH TO.
WITH ALL THOSE THINGS IN MIND... I THINK THE BONDING IS AS... OR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TRAINING FOR A SERVICE DOG.
SO... WE DO LET OUR TRAINIERS TAKE DOGS FOR OVERNIGHTS BUT NOT THE SAME DOG AND TRAINER PAIR TOO MANY TIMES-- SO THA WHEN WE LET THE DOG STAY 24 HOURS WITH THE ONE [PERSON, THE DOG'S FOCUS BECOMES THAT PERSON. MAKING FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS FOR THE DOG.
NOW ABOUT THE WORD "SOCIALIZING" IT IS A WORD EVERY DOG OWNER HAS HEARD AND USES FAR TOO OFTEN.. THA TIS ANOTHER DAY
