[nagdu] holiday safety

Fri Dec 16 03:31:28 UTC 2011

Awww... The memories of our first double dog Christmas... /rotfl/ Oh, 
wait! Now I need a Xanax.

So we brought DD's new puppy home a couple of days before Thanksgiving, 
so when he went to set up the tree and all the day after Thanksgiving... 
We began to realize the extend of our folly! /lol/ A bit of creativity 
and furniture rearrangement, and the tree is now atop the coffee table 
from the living room, with presents piled around it out of puppy 
range... Except that puppies grow. /lol/ Also, some puppies have a 
poodle step sister to teach them how to get in trouble. Will the 
presents be safe? Will the tree be safe?? News at eleven! /rotfl/ So far 
so good.

Speaking of puppies... We were discussing this one this morning, and 
noting what we were seeing in her temperament, and I was carrying on 
about how she passed every temperament test I would use to pick and 
further evaluate a guide dog prospect.

"I've been thinking about that," he said slowly...

Which naturally I have, because I'm just an owner-training addict. And 
this little girl has the right stuff! Well, okay, she's not quite 12 
weeks old, but she still passes those tests with flying colors. 
Including the getting stepped on, etc. by a blind person who can't 
figure out how much space she takes up from one day to the next any more 
than the puppy can. /lol// Not a hint of aggression in that dangerous 
breed of ours. Self-confidence and independence, fearlessness, but 
enough sense to come to Mitzi or me or her dad if she's uncertain... And 
with a poodle step sister to teach her in all things. Including, 
naturally, trouble. Sigh.

So it looks like, officially, Zay is now a guide dog prospect in 
training. /lol/ Like Julie said just a day or so ago. That means she's 
learning good manners and basic obedience. I talk to her the same way I 
talk to Mitzi, so she's picking up some of the same commands. Hm... She 
ain't no poodle, that's for sure. Hard to say, but she's going to be a 
kick in the pants, but not a patch on her elder step sister! And, to me, 
already, pretty dang mellow. Well, Mitzi is a remarkably super mellow 
poodle, but... That's all relative. /grin/

Don't know if that changes the legal situation I brought up for 
discussion earlier. Sigh. There shouldn't be one, since she is 
essentially DD's dog... For medical reasons. The ongoing little 
irritations from the managers are having the opposite effect... In that 
area, it's his to handle for his dog. Even if I do move on to guide dog 
tasks with baby Zay, Mitzi is still just starting her career prime. I 
wouldn't mind having a just-in-case backup, but... Who knows if Zay 
would ever become a working guide? She won't be ready for another 2 
years even if everything goes just swimmingly. In the meantime, she 
makes DD healthier... and more active, that's for sure. And Mitzi does, 
too, while still maintaining her primary function as *MY* dog and my 
guide. /lol/ She was having some fun doing double duty there for a few 
weeks, but... He needs his own dog. We pondered a bit over how we would 
manage trading dogs, if that happens... Then it occurred to us. The dogs 
trade us off all the time like we're chewed up bones. Why worry? /lol/

Tami

On 12/14/2011 02:39 PM, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home wrote:
> And, for those of you who are on your first dogs or starting new
> Christmas traditions, it is not a good idea to give your dog gifts out
> of a stocking. Our pet Border Collie knows that she gets a stocking. If
> we put them up the night before Christmas, she knocks them down. No,
> she's not a guide dog, but it's something that any dog, guide dog or
> not, could easily do.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 8:54 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] holiday safety
>
>
>>
>> Heya all!
>>
>>
>> I'm still here and still reading. I thought I'd send this quick
>> reminder about special concerns around the holidays. I don't think
>> everything on the below list is particularly applicable to guide dogs.
>> I mean I'd hope by the time a dog is working as a guide that it would
>> have learned not to chew on electrical cords. Still it's good info. I
>> took this excerpt from:
>> http://www.akc.org/public_education/holiday_safety.cfm
>>
>> Christmas
>>
>> * Holly, mistletoe and poinsettia plants are poisonous to dogs. Make
>> sure they are kept in places your dog cannot reach.
>> * Do not put lights on the lower branches of your tree. They may get
>> very hot and burn your dog.
>> * Watch out for electrical cords. Pets often try to chew them and
>> get badly shocked or electrocuted. Place them out of reach.
>> * Avoid glass ornaments, which break easily and may cut a dog's feet
>> or mouth.
>> * Do not use edible ornaments, or cranberry or popcorn strings. Your
>> dog may knock the tree over in an attempt to reach them.
>> * Keep other ornaments off the lower branches; if your dog chews or
>> eats an ornament, he can be made sick by the materials or paint.
>> * Both live and artificial tree needles are sharp and indigestible.
>> Keep your tree blocked off (with a playpen or other "fence") or in
>> a room that is not accessible to your dog.
>> * Tinsel can be dangerous for dogs. It may obstruct circulation and,
>> if swallowed, block the intestines.
>> * Keep burning candles on high tables or mantels, out of the way of
>> your dog's wagging tail.
>> * Review canine holiday gifts for safety. Small plastic toys or
>> bones may pose choking hazards.
>> * Your dog may want to investigate wrapped packages; keep them out
>> of reach.
>>
>> Happy Holidays!
>> Julie
>>
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