[nagdu] I gotta go out

[Debby Phillips]

But here's the thing.  When we get them, they are not fully grown 
yet.  They are still a bit puppyish.  They have spent time in the 
kennels before we get them, so they do have to relearn some of 
their house manners again.  I don't really know what the answer 
is, because if we got them when they were a bit older, say 2-1/2 
or 3, then that would cut down on the working life time for many 
of the dogs.  I know that you have done a great job with Krokus, 
Tracy.  But even Nova, who is much more mellow than Neena was, 
still does puppy things on occasion.  My dog Maxy (that is, my 
first dog) was almost 3 when I got her.  The first night home 
with her she tried to roll in some cat poop.  Now that was a real 
thrill, since she was my first dog, and I had no experience 
really of dogs doing stuff like that.  (Except for Bozo the 
Beagle, and I don't have time to tell that story now).  And it 
probably isn't relevant to this list anyway.

Anyway, my point is this: we can have high expectations of our 
dogs, and should.  But they are dogs, and they will have 
accidents, chew stuff, get into things.  In all the lectures at 
Seeing Eye about going home, the vet lecture, etc.  this was 
stressed, that they may be highly trained Seeing Eye dogs, but 
they are still dogs, and the nature of dogs is to do certain 
things.    Debby and Nova