Chief, over the rainbow bridge

Yesterday I learned that Chief had passed! He died wednesday night, in his sleep. He went very peacefully. Amy, his retirement mom told me that she and the family surrounded him on their lawn wednesday night, and petted him, and loved up on him, and she told him, "Chief, you just need to go to sleep, you're really tired, and it's time for you to go to sleep."
They brought him in, he went and laid on his bed, and when she got up the next morning, her other dog, Jimmy got up, but Chief didn't stir, when she went to check on him, he was gone.
I can't imagine the sense of sadness and releaf they must have felt. To not have to take him to the vet to have him put down, but to have him obey her request to go to sleep. Chief was the most obedient dog I have ever met! I always said, he was a model of how I should act towards God, obedient in all his ways, loving unconditionally, and enduring in love and faithfullness!
Chief, you were loved by many people, to many to list!
I found this little snippid on the internet, and I find it very appropriate for Chief.
God looked around his garden and found an empty place, then he looked upon his earth and saw your loving face. It broke our hearts to lose you but you did not go alone, for part of us went with you on the day God called you home!
Chief, Rest In Peace.
6/19/99 TO 6/1/11

Happy birthday to Essence

Essence is three years old today!
I can't believe that it's been almost a year already.
It'll be time to take her in for her anual check up soon! And the anual GEB check in will be just around the corner, and if they send that unnamed person I'm not going to be happy!
Anyway, to end on a positive note, it's time to get ready for work! haha

7 months, a visit to Chief, and the holidays almost upon us!

Well, it's been several months since I've written, and so much has happened. Essence and I have bee ntogether 7 whole months, I got an opportunity to go and visit Chief, and Christmas is almost here. Aside from coming back from visiting Chief with a terrible cold, it was a wonderful visit. He is happy and well cared for. There are people who love him, and are so warm and friendly. Essence had a great time there too. Chief is healthy, and seems very content. I can't wait to go visit him in the summer. Essence and I are doing well, she is still sniffing some, and we still have our problems, but overall, she is a good worker.
Honestly, I'm still sad about Chief, and seeing him made me sadder in a way, I tried to recapture some of what we had, but it wasn't there to be captured, he's moved on in his life, and so have I. I made the right choice to retire him, but it's so sad!! When Gina retired, she died soon after, and though I was and sometimes still am sad about it, I had some closure. I had some closure wit hChief, but knowing he is still out there, and still running around playing, I wish I could be with him. and yet, I must move on, must go on with Essence, for she too has her charms, and is still so young and full of life! But lerking at the perifery of my vision is the day, 7, 8, 9 years down the road, when I must again, retire a dog. And if I think to hard about it, No!! I won't think about it! I won't I'll live for now, and enjoy what time God gives me with Essence.
Be well all, and I tell you!!! Love those firry and humans in your life, Love them! and take all the time God gives you with them, for someday, they too will be gone!

4 months with Essence

Today, Essence and I celebrate 4
months together.  It should have been on the 7th, but as you may know, I didn't start off class with her, but with a different
dog. When I finally got her, I thought it couldn't work, she was so diffrent than the first dog they started me off with, he was so calm, so relaxed! 
She was so bouncy, so full of mischief.  I remember the first obedience session we did together, Getting her to sit was a real chore, I even asked my instructor,
"she does know this command, doesn't she?"  She just wouldn't do it, no matter what I did, how I begged, commanded, corrected, It just wasn't happening. 
We couldn't do anything but sit, over and over and over again. then she had to go to a prong collar, because wit the check chain she hacked and acted like
I was killing her.  Then taking her home was a nightmare, she sniffed, and jumped on people, and generally made my life a living hell for a few days. 
I can remember the first time I took her in to the local pretzel factory, she put her front paws right up on the counter!  I was so embarrassed.  All this
to say, she's a really good worker now, she has her issues, following in crouds still isn't her strongest skill, and once in a while we miss the top of
the stairs and she just starts going  down them, but mostly, she's a good worker.  She's obedient, and can be trusted to stay in one spot while in harness,
we are working on the stay out of harness, and it's not that reliable yet!  She mostly comes when she's called, and loves to play in her back yard.  She's
usually good around other dogs, but once in a while when i am distracted she will act up around other dogs.  She loves to play with her heavy rubber toys,
kong and a round frisby toy her friend Ronan gave her.  He's getting older, and doesn't like to play with it that much anymore.  She loves tug, and is
so full of energy in the morning! she will do laps around the fensed in yard, and catch a ball in the air, I really do love her, she is a little cuddler,
and my cat thinks she's his personal posession!  Good Morning All,

Today, Essence and I celebrate 5 months together.  It should have been on the 7th, but as you may know, I didn't start off class with her, but with a different
dog. When I finally got her, I thought it couldn't work, she was so diffrent than the first dog they started me off with, he was so calm, so relaxed! 
She was so bouncy, so full of mischief.  I remember the first obedience session we did together, Getting her to sit was a real chore, I even asked my instructor,
"she does know this command, doesn't she?"  She just wouldn't do it, no matter what I did, how I begged, commanded, corrected, It just wasn't happening. 
We couldn't do anything but sit, over and over and over again. then she had to go to a prong collar, because wit the check chain she hacked and acted like
I was killing her.  Then taking her home was a nightmare, she sniffed, and jumped on people, and generally made my life a living hell for a few days. 
I can remember the first time I took her in to the local pretzel factory, she put her front paws right up on the counter!  I was so embarrassed.  All this
to say, she's a really good worker now, she has her issues, following in crouds still isn't her strongest skill, and once in a while we miss the top of
the stairs and she just starts going  down them, but mostly, she's a good worker.  She's obedient, and can be trusted to stay in one spot while in harness,
we are working on the stay out of harness, and it's not that reliable yet!  She mostly comes when she's called, and loves to play in her back yard.  She's
usually good around other dogs, but once in a while when i am distracted she will act up around other dogs.  She loves to play with her heavy rubber toys,
kong and a round frisby toy her friend Ronan gave her.  He's getting older, and doesn't like to play with it that much anymore.  She loves tug, and is
so full of energy in the morning! she will do laps around the fensed in yard, and catch a ball in the air, I really do love her, she is a little cuddler,
and my cat thinks she's his personal posession!  

Essence in Virginia

Hi,
Today Essence and I went for our first overnight business trip, we're staying at a friend's house, and Essence and My friend's dog Ronan just had a great game of tug!
They both took an end of a rope, and pulled, pulled, pulled! Now essence is laying next to me. She did great on Amtrak, and slept her way down to this area.
We're Almost at 4 months together, and she really pleased me today!
She did so great with the other dog, and didn't even get out of line to much!
Tomorrow we go to the client's business, and I know she will do excelent there to!Angie and The Eseenator

Essence, the corporate executive

Yesterday, we went on location, to a corporate location, it was a cube farm, and Essence did great!! She acted like she worked in a cube farm all her life, laying quietly, taking up no more space than alotted, and generally impressing me! at my job I have my own office, and she mostly is good, laying quietly, but is a bit more playful, getting up sometimes to say hi, which is fine! but yesterday, she only got up one time, turned a tight circle, and laid back down!, it was incredible! this bouncy energetic dog actually knows how to work, and to be really professional!
Give that girl her own laptop, and cell phone, and I can retire! The only problem is she usually sleeps through all my meetings!

extras

I realized that there are a few details I might have left out of my blog, so, I thought I'd fill you all in on a few details.
1. the Action program at GEB, the program I was in is comprised of two weeks of school training, then one intensive week at home. You get to the school the same week that the rest of the students do, and leave half way through the class.
I have some objections to this approach. I will list them here, but before I do, I must say, I am happy with the dog GEB matched me with, I will go back to that school for my fourth dog. I have no problem with the trainers, and love some of the new training methods. my objections are on the basis of my training experience alone. I'm sure that Action works great for some folks!
My objections are as follows:
1. there is very little experience in public places, diners, other places to eat.
2. No experience in elevators, escolators, and very little experience using revolving doors.
3. you don't get to join the rest of the class in the obedience training, doing obedience separately there is no distractionto practice with.
4. I felt slightly separated from the rest of the class.
5. I didn't get to meet Essence's puppy raisers.
That's about all for now. THere are more details to talk about, for now, I've got to go.

2 months with Ess

Wow, I can't believe it, It's been two months already, and Essence is doing great!! She is so reliable, calm, and mostly behaved. I have had chalenges with this dog, as well as triumphs! She has guided me in some unfamiliar places, and in one and a half weeks, we will fly together for the first time! I have really developed a bond with this dog, I really love her! I think we are developing trust as a team, and the bonding process is well and truly begun on both sides. This dog is so different than Chief in so many big ways!
one thing that she does that is a little annoying and a tiny bit cute is when we're on the bus, and we get to our stop, just as we're pulling up to our stop, she will dig her toe nails in to my foot. I think it's a way to remind herself to stay in a laying down possision. She doesn't do it any other time. She is really cute at home, and full of spunk!
She loves to carry her bone around, and wants you to throw it for her.
She is cuddly and loving. She even tollerates the cats!
Overall, this has been a great two months! I miss chief, and no dog will ever replace him, but she is a great successor dog!!

Almost a month

There hasn't been much to write lately, things with essence are moving along,

She loves to play fetch, and tug!
She is a pretty careful worker, with lots of ziel!
we haven't gotten her relieving schedule down pat yet, but we're working on it.
We are just starting off leash work in the house, she is starting to earn her time off leash, very very slowly!!
She's not trust worthy yet left alone, she will go for the cat food or worse yet, the morsels in the litter box, yuck!!!
She's a little scavenger, but quite a little softy!
I think we are going to work out pretty well together!
The posts will be fewer as we get settled.
Angie and Essence
some of her nicknames so far are
the essinator,
ess
, essaloo
this is a dirivitive of coodeloo, which is my cat's nickname
essencia pronounced essencea
I'm sure more will come!

Two weeks home, three weeks as a team

I just realized,
This time two weeks ago, I was packing up to go, about to do one last work session with my instructor, and getting ready to leave. It makes me really sad to think the rest of my class is in that same place today, all going home today, packing up, and ready to go!
Also, on a more happy note, Essence and I are celebrating three weeks together as a team. She still has problem areas, things we really need to work on, but, wow, we're getting there!!

another day on the job

Today was another day and very calm one for essence, she is content and sleeping under my desk. I'm really happy with her performance. She handles the 69th street terminal like a little pro!! that is a big transit terminal, and many busses subways and other forms of public transit wiz in and our of it constantly, not to mention the people crouds of them!! she does just fine!!
,

Essence on the counter

This morning as I stopped by the local pretsel place, my wonderful dog essence decided to jump on the counter, Of course I corrected her and gave her a leash correction for that, but isn't it great to have a young dog!!

essence and I back to work at last.

Well, today is our first day back to work, and things are going mostly fine! Essence did the rout to the bus just fine, and has used the park area here just fine, just peaing, no number 2. That's just what everyone wanted to hear. Anyway, my trainer came and we did a very short rout to the areas we need to use here and she did just fine, she did snatch a dorito on the steps, but that was kind of my fault, I wasn't paying attention to her and what she was doing. More later from the Essence Chronicals

sleeping, at last!!

Well, I just realized, I was sitting here at my keyboard, and guess what folks, guess what, can you guess??
She's actually sleeping, we've found the off button, yayayayayayayay!!!

Essence in the city

Today was a really great day for essence and I, we worked doubles with another team, I thought it could have been more organized, the instructor seemed a bit hap-hazzard about things, things like, who's leading, space between teams, and other minor details that I'm used to Graham managing. We did a simple rout here in the home area, and she was really slow and pokey, but then we went to the city, and she
picked it up no problem!! Her pace is good, and her pull is amazingly strong. I think we'll have to steady her down a bit, but I'd much rather steady down a bit than continuously hopup a dog in non guide dog lingo, that means I'd rather ask a dog to go a bit slower than try and try to get them to go faster!!
I think things are going to be ok!
Tomorrow I go back to work, and that should be interesting~!
More from the ETails later

First day of home training

Today was the first day of home training with garry, the geb field instructor.
I am not sure I like him, I'm not sure he's been really trained in teh geb way, and some of the advice he gave me seems contrary to the geb model. He frustrates me very much, and doesn't seem to understand what I need. I've tried to explain what I need, but have gotten very frustrated.
Essence is doing better in the house, although, I still don't know what she is doing when she is releiving her self. Noone has addressed this with me, they all act like, "well, you are action, so you should know what you are doing!" I felt that my needs were not met fully.
I plan to talk about all of this during my exit interview.
Angie and essence

first full day home with essence!

Well, after my first full day home with essence, I'm feeling used up!!
She doesn't always come when I call her in the back yard, she tries to eat everything that might be on the floor.
and she is hyper!!
We've done some short routs with her, and she misses every curb, and tries to turn right instead of crossing the street!! I do have an instructor coming on monday, and he will work with me for a week, I'm really grateful for that!!
that's all for now, but pray for me to have patience with this dog!!

Home with Essence

Today I brought Essence home, we got home about2 hours ago. and it's been work the whole 2 hours!! We did a really short walk in harness, 2 blocks, and we parked twice! she's been introduced to Liz, my roomate, and the cats. The older cat patches wanted nothing to do with her, and ran to her room, Caleb was scared at first, but seemes to be adjusting!
We will see what the night brings, she is on leassh right now, and laying mostly calmly as the cat runs too and fro!
More of the essence chronicals later
I hope, hope she settles down!!
Angie and crew!

One distracted essence

Today we did some long routes, as well as worked on food distractions. My trainer would throw popcorn at her, and she would have to leave it! If she did so, she got freeze dried liver, a very smelly treat.
She did pretty well, but got it only once.
We also worked on off leash obedience wich was really cool. Also, we got our pictures taken. There was some question weather I would have to stay an extra week because of the dog switch, but I will be able to go home on friday wich i am glad about, but there are some things I wish I were staying for!
Ah well, what can you do.
Angie and essence

essencia

Today was another great day with essence, She works so well for me!! I am so very pleased! We are working on sniffing issues, as well as food distraction. There is the chance that she and I may have to stay another week, but maybe not! We will decide tomorrow!