I'm thankful for...

A message from Orent the dog


Today, I am thankful for my jolly ball, and good friends to play with.

I am thankful that Robot the cat has stopped hissing at me, and started tolerating me.

I'm thankful for the people who groomed me, b/c now my people don't think I stink!

I'm thankful for road companions who help me find my head when I lose it in the car for a bit.

I'm thankful for romps in the park, and learning to fly!

But most of all, I'm thankful that no one left me in Philadelphia and I got to come to this great place called Cincinnati where tons of people fawn over me all the time. I am so lucky!

Graduation

Yesterday we drove with Orent to Long Island to attend the NE Region November graduation. Other than me deciding to take the AC Expressway to the Garden State Parkway, thus taking us an hour out of our way, we managed to avoid the epic traffic. The cool thing was, despite the 4+ hour drive, Orent was a quiet and calm passenger! While he did stand up and pull against his harness a few times, he calmed right back down! Way to go (ha!), little guy!

Thanks to my directional challenge, we arrived moments after graduation was supposed to begin. The room was packed! There were dogs and people of all ages. It was awesome seeing dogs in vests from yellow puppy capes to blue "graduation gowns" to blue service dog vests.

A dog that was there to start advanced training. He was very good!

We found a spot to squeeze into in the back and watched the ceremony, and watched Orent watch the ceremony.

Orent, being very good in a very chaotic room.

Here are some highlights:

Orent does NOT like late night walks

Orent exercises his right to "vote"

The eye of the tiger!

Remember this?

Well, look at him now!

6 for 6

Orent turns six months old on Wednesday! Can you believe it?

Here, how about a comparison shot:

Orent at 7 weeks old and 13.5 lbs.

Orent at 6 months old and 57 lbs.

So, what are we marveling at now that he's six months old?

1. He looks like a service dog (when he wants to!) - As you can see, when he's in the mood (or is given lots of treats), he can look like any service dog you've ever seen. He sits up straight, and is very attentive. However, once the treats are gone, it's anyone's guess what he'll do and what he won't do.
2. He has great, expressive eyebrows - If you didn't know better, you'd think Orent was watching Stephen Colbert to perfect the art of the skeptical eyebrow. If you flip through his photos (here, here, here, here, and here for starters), you'll see he's got the look down.
3. He doesn't have to be boxed all the time - One of the best things about having a dog that's six months old is that we can leave him unboxed for hours, and unattended in a room for minutes (yes, just minutes!). He's learned to settle outside his crate, and has taken to beginning afternoon naps under Kaytee's desk (with his head on her foot), and then getting up and sleeping on his bed the corner. It makes everyone happier to have the dog out and about, rather than confined to his crate for hours each day.
4. He has such a mellow demeanor - Nothing phases this dog (except the table at the vet that he has to ride up and down). He gets into stressful situations with lots of noise and people, and he just looks to us for what to do. Kaytee is a little worried he's so mellow, he won't be bothered by anything ("hmm... what's that smell? smoke? not sure, I'm going back to sleep!").
5. He hasn't destroyed his giraffe yet (but don't hold your breath that it'll last much longer)
6. He loves "adventures" - There is nothing in the world more fun to Orent than going out to get "socialized". He knows he gets tons of treats, and people get to pet him on his "breaks". Basically, we could take the dog anywhere, and he'd love it.

And one to grow on:

     7. He still wishes socks were toys - Orent's favorite game is to grab a sock and run around like crazy! We keep telling him it's not allowed, but it hasn't sunk in to his thick skull yet.

Vacation!

Hi guys, Orent here. I've been learning to write about my life as a service puppy by updating my Facebook page, and so I thought I'd try to write my first blog post about the MOST EXCITING WEEKEND EVER!

Man, it was great! There were adventures and scary times and fun times and cozy times and things I don't even know what they were (I'm just a baby after all).

Let's start at the beginning. Thursday afternoon, the people starting putting a lot of my stuff in a pile by the door. They had my bowls and my box and my bed and my toys... Then they said "Let's Go!" and put me and all that stuff in the car. I couldn't even stretch out!

We drove and drove and drove. It was so boring. They don't even have one of those cars some puppies have where they can put movies on. They listened to NPR and I'm more of a rock n' roll puppy so I had to cry and fuss and chew the seatbelt a little. I mean, they didn't even ask what I wanted to listen to!

Max did one dumb thing on the way... I had to laugh, but I guess he can't smell the rain coming the way I can. He got me out of the car at the rest stop and took me for a run. It was good to stretch my legs and I really had to hurry (I got to practice going on the asphalt 'cause I couldn't make it across the whole parking lot!) Well, when we were about as far away from the buildings and the car as we could possibly be, it started to pour. We got wet (and yes, I smelled like a wet dog. What's wrong with that?).

Then we drove and drove and drove some more. I got scared when it got dark and the road got windy. Even Kaytee was stressed out. So I cried a little more, especially when we were slipping on the leaves of the gravel/dirt road down to our cabin.

But then we were there!