Thu Jun 13 00:36:41 UTC 2013

Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm sorry I haven't been more frequently 
contributing to the list. Between computer problems and the semester 
ending, I haven't had a lot of free time or ability to post.

Anyway, first of all, Diamond, my 18-month-old GSD, is doing really 
well. She's completed her formal guide dog training and is doing some 
fabulous guide work these days. One thing that has really helped us both 
is that I finally got my harness from LDS Leather. It has an offset 
handle, which is making a big difference. Diamond likes to work really 
close to me, which has caused me to step on her paws a lot, and with my 
vertigo issues I tended to affect her positioning if my balance wasn't 
so hot. Also, the harness just gives me tons of feedback..much more than 
the gear I was using before. We've had several traffic checks over the 
past week or so, and have generally been working in fairly chaotic urban 
environments lately. None of this seems to phase Diamond at all.

Even though Diamond is an awesome worker, she still isn't the greatest 
house dog in the world. I still need to watch her fairly closely because 
she'll get into things if left to her own devices for too long. I don't 
think she'll ever be a dog I can leave loose in the house without me 
being home. She has improved in the house, for sure, but I think with 
her it's just going to take time and consistency.

I've started working with Diamond too on getting her AKC CD title. We 
began a group class a couple of weeks ago, and it's going well. It'll be 
a while before we compete, but I'm not really in any hurry.

As for me, the semester has ended, and I'm taking the summer off 
teaching. I've had some medical stuff to figure out, and also I'm 
planning to be gone most of July. I'm headed to Oceanside, Ca over the 
Fourth of July holiday, and shortly afterward I'll be spending a couple 
of weeks up in the Washington DC area visiting friends. Oh, and I've 
also decided it's time for me to lose some weight. I'm glad I have a dog 
who loves being active and going on long walks with me to keep me 
motivated. Dietting is stupid though..no more lattes for me. *sigh*

Anyway, sorry for such a long message. If you've gotten this far, thanks 
for reading.

Best to everyone,
Shanna and Diamond