So, early on the first day, I dropped them off. At six o’clock in the afternoon, I returned to pick up the dogs. The owner met me in the driveway. She looked frazzled. She said, “I’ve been in this business for ten years and it never happened before! I left the house for an hour, and when I came back Echo had gotten through the first gate and was working on the second gate”. While she was telling me the story, I had the vivid image of Echo and Shasta, on the loose in Las Vegas. I could just see the two of them running down the Las Vegas strip them followed by a gang of half dozen dogs, dodging limos and peeing on the statue of Liberty, the pyramid of Egypt, and the Eiffel Tower. Dog break in Vegas!

I apologized profusely. I assumed that she was going to 86 the two renegades and wondered how I was going to find another doggie daycare for the next day. But then the owner said, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. My boyfriend will cover when I go out”.

Next time I put my dogs in daycare, I’ll warn the owners that they are breakout artists. But I won’t tell their doggie classmates at obedience school about their escapade.  What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

The first meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for December 22. We’ll post an update following the meeting.

Guide Dogs for the Blind typically selects and trains small size Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and their crosses. These dogs are usually good natured, high trainable and not too big, making them an ideal choice for the majority of their clients. This was not always the case. For many years, GDB relied on German Shepherd, but as their client base changed, so did the breed of dog. A strong dog like a German Shepherd might have been a good choice for a young male soldier blinded in war, but a docile, easy-to-handle dog is a better choice for an older person with macular degeneration. The selection of a dog is not easy. At GDB, only 50% of the purpose-bred dogs actually make it as guide dogs. This statistic is even worse for non-purpose bred dogs, such as dogs coming from shelters, rescue organizations and private breeders.

How did Echo and I team up? First, I identified specific tasks a service dog could help me with, including climbing up and down stairs, walking up or downhill, hiking, pulling a bike (bikejoring), pulling me on skis (skijoring) and balance. I needed a large and strong dog with stamina, but I also needed a docile dog that would be friendly with people and other dogs. My search for the perfect dog led me to the Alaskan Malamute breed. On a trip to Alaska, I had met two Alaskan Malamutes, Aurora and Borealis. I was very impressed by these dogs, by their size and good disposition. After an extensive search of breeders all around the country, I found the perfect breeder with the right philosophy in Lake Tahoe — practically in my backyard. Echo joined my family as a 7 week-old puppy. Now he’s a year old and he’s still in training. He’s progressing nicely, and it is my hope that he will pass the equivalent of the Assistant Dogs International public access test soon. A big dog like Echo might be “too much dog” for many people with disabilities, but his strength and temperament are a good match for my needs. At Six-Legs-in-Motion, we’ll assist clients to find the dog that’s right for them.

With the word “entertainment” in mind, I decided to bring Echo, wearing his service dog vest. I knew he would be a hit, and he was. But I also knew it would be a challenge to bring him into a conference room packed with over 200 people eating lunch. He has been in public places but this time was different. There were lots of people and lots of food, both on and off the tables. I knew it would be a challenge for him to lie quietly under the table for two hours. This would be a test of his good behavior and my skills as a dog trainer. The first hour was not too bad. I was eating lunch and I could monitor him and control his behavior. During the second hour, I was giving my talk while Echo stayed with my wife Nina. I avoided looking in his direction so I wouldn’t stimulate him, but I could hear him moving around. He managed to be fairly quiet and I was able to finish my talk. At the end of my talk, he was at the end of his patience. He let out a big “Woof” when I mentioned his name. Fortunately, his woof was so well-timed that people probably thought I’d given him a cue. Nice job, Echo!

Even though the audience probably thought that Echo had been invited to “speak”, a well-trained service dog would have laid down quietly until released. At Guide Dogs for the Blind, puppies the same age as Echo can stay in one place for up to three hours and more. Echo is not quite there yet. We failed one of our requirements for service dog certification by Six-Legs-In-Motion. We’ve got work to do!

I’ve modified his training program. His training now includes sessions during which he his tethered to a piece of furniture near me — in my office, during meals or while watching TV or reading. We will slowly build up to periods of 2 to 3 hours of “quiet time”. Right now he is at my feet under my office desk. I only release him after he has been quiet for an extended period of time.

Sept. 9, 2011: Everybody has seen the bench in the park labeled with a “Fresh Paint” sign, and observed that people who would otherwise ignore the bench have just got to walk over and touch it. The same irresistible impulse occurs with “Service dog” signs. When I take Echo on a walk and he’s not wearing his service dog vest, most people walk by, keeping their distances. I don’t blame them. A 90 pound Alaskan Malamute resembles a bear more than a dog. But when he’s wearing his service dog vest, it’s totally different. They feel an irresistible urge to pet him. Some people ask me if it’s okay, and I usually say that I’d rather they didn’t, because he is working. Once in a while, I make exceptions for kids; I ask Echo to sit and then they pet him. But some people don’t ask and go up to him directly. Some people even pet him even after I’ve asked them not to.

The other day I was on the bus with Echo. I had managed to find a seat and space where he was out of the way. A woman boarded the bus and sat right across my seat, facing Echo and me. She eyeballed Echo for few minutes, and then asked me if she could pet him. I told her that he was a service dog in training and that I would prefer that she didn’t touch him. I could see her frustration when I denied her request. She began inching slowly towards Echo. She got so close that Echo’s tail brushed against her, and for the benefit of the other passengers in the bus, she almost screamed “Your dog touched me, so I can touch him!”, and lunged for him. Echo was surprised by her voice and by the abrupt movement toward him, and he moved backward and let out a sound that made the woman change her mind. We got out at the next bus stop. I guess the “Service dog” vest is a powerful attractant.

Fish and Game came to investigate and decided to install a trap between our cabin and a neighbor’s cabin that the bear had also visited. The trap is a huge metal tube on wheels. The next morning we heard a metallic noise coming from the trap, so we all rushed to see if we’d caught a bear. The noise was very loud and the tube was shaking. We were moving carefully, in case the door of the trap wasn’t properly closed. About 20 feet from the trap, I saw a ball of fur inside the trap and I noticed that the door was open. Uh oh! I think I’m in big trouble, but then I see Echo’s big head emerging from the trap, licking his lips and wagging his tail. The trap was baited with marshmallows and Echo must have eaten the equivalent of two bags of large marshmallows. Fortunately, he was unable to trigger the door, so he just came out like nothing happened. With all that sugar, Echo had diarrhea for 3 days and 3 nights; I know, because I did the cleaning!

Echo and I have joined a training program called “Rally”. It’s an obedience training program on a course that is set up with numbered stations. There are specific tasks to perform at each station, and it’s very exciting. The exercises are challenging and fun, and Echo seems to like the fast pace with lots of rewards (treats). We tried agility training, but at almost 90 pounds, Echo is not the agile type. Why jump over these bars when you can just go through them?

It’s important to me that Echo completes obedience training because it seems to me that most of the complaints about service dogs are caused by bad-mannered dogs. A recent article in the Wall Street journal blamed “impostor dogs” for giving service dogs a bad reputation. Impostor dogs are dogs which get the special privileges awarded to service dogs, even though they don’t meet the requirements of “Service Dog”, as specified by ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) guidelines. However, I think both go hand-in-hand: misbehaved service dogs are also impostor dogs.

People expect service dogs to behave with the highest level of obedience training, and I agree. Of course, they should be trained to perform specific tasks for the person with disability, but first, they should be “Top Gun” in obedience training. At Six-Legs-In-Motion, participating dogs will be required to pass an obedience test prior to be recognized as “Service Dog”, a certification comparable to the American Kennel Club, “Canine Good Citizen” program. Certified dogs are trained to accept a friendly stranger, to sit politely for petting, to be groomed without resistance, to walk on a loose lead, to walk through a crowd, to sit and lay down on command and stay in place, to come when called, to react appropriately to another dog, to react appropriately to distractions and to calmly endure separation from the owner. Okay, Echo is not there yet, but… soon, maybe!

Most of Echo’s training sessions are pleasant, but today — “Bastille Day” –was a little different. I had decided to take Echo to the park to do a little “bikejoring” with him. During previous trainings, my son Emile was with us, riding ahead on a bike and coaching Echo to follow. This time, it was just Echo and me. Risky! But after a few dramatic experiments, Echo slowly figured out that he must be in front of the bike, and not on the side or behind me. To my surprise, things were looking good!

Now, the next step was to teach him that he didn’t have to mark every tree, bush, or rock along the path. This was a little annoying because he marks even when he runs out of urine. On the plus side, when he got tired of me disturbing his ritual, he started pulling at a nice, steady trot. That was really fun! Then a rabbit crossed our path, and a high velocity ride through the foxtail field ensued. We survived the chase, and I bet Echo thought the rabbit was lucky — if he hadn’t been attached to a bike and old guy, things would have been different. But all in all, we had a good time and I felt like we both learned some lessons.

When we got back to the car, this pleasant morning took an unpleasant twist. The back window was smashed, and all of Echo’s equipment gone — his backpack, service dog vest, leashes, and other stuff. I was fuming! I called my wife Nina at work to help me calm down, and she did. Then I started making all the necessary follow-up phone calls. Everyone was so helpful, and it made me feel a lot better. First I contacted Auto-Glass in San Francisco. They were very nice people and they fixed the window in record time. Then I contacted REI for a replacement dog pack, and again, the customer service rep was very helpful. But the crown goes to Ruff Wear Dog Equipment’s Customer Service Rep, Chelsea. I told her the story and she said she was genuinely sorry about the events. She offered to replace the missing part of the dog pack at half price and ship it for free, plus she told me about this great program at Ruff Wear that offers a 50% discount if you have a disability and a service dog. Okay, there are a few bad people out there, but there are more good ones!

July 9, 2011

The first time Echo and I went “bikejoring”, I almost ended up taking a swim in San Francisco Bay. Echo had been trained to run beside the bicycle where I could control him, but now he was going to run 12 feet in front of me, pulling me on my bike. Everything was going fine until Echo saw the beach and decided he was hot and needed to cool down! The problem was that I was tethered to him. He took a quick left turn without a “Haw” command and aimed for the ocean. I was pressing with all my strength on the brakes and screaming “Whoa”. He finally stopped but it was a near miss with the water. We decided it was enough for that day.

Today we made a second attempt, far from the Bay. My son Emile, my neighbor Claude and I decided to go to the Golden Gate Park, near the Polo field. It’s a large open space. Emile and Claude were on their bikes, coaching Echo to follow them. I was in the back, enjoying the ride. I thought, “This is great!” Echo was keeping ahead of me, moving forward at a steady pace. Everything was perfect. We headed back to the car and I removed Echo’s harness and the lead line. But I didn’t notice the muddy pond about 50 feet away. Echo was much more observant than I was. Cool down time! He made a beeline for the water, and with all four legs up in the air, he jumped in. Surprise! The water was only a few inches deep, and right below the surface, it’s pure and soft mud. He sank to his neck and got stuck. He could barely move, but he was cool and happy. No point calling him, he looked at me with pure joy and a big smile. All I could see was the white on his face, but I knew that the rest of his body was covered in mud. There was no way I could go in and get him. Claude left to bike back home and Emile decided to go biking in the park. I sat on the bank and watched Echo enjoying his mud bath. I decided to try to old trick of leaving, and as soon as I disappeared from his sight, he came out. What a mess! He was filthy! I going to need a pressure hose to remove the mud. My poor car!