Valley Village Love

Therapy Dog Poppy visited the people at Valley Village adult activity facility. Several people were in wheelchairs and it was hard for them to reach down and pet Poppy, we finally figured out that she could climb on a chair and, in one case, up onto the table to give love.

Poppy's First Therapy Job!

 

Poppy went to Calabasas High School today to help the students de-stress before final exams. She was invited by the Peer Support organization, which are students helping other students. What a great group of teenagers! Poppy had a great time. You know, studies have proven that people's heart rates go down when they pet a dog. ;)

 

Poppy Passed Her Test

After all her training with Guide Dogs of America it was easy for Poppy to pass the Therapy Dog's International competency test. Sha Newman signed off on her skills right on the spot. Poppy is now a licensed Therapy Dog <3

Failure Never Felt So Good

Guide Dogs of America called with a sad tone in their voice. Poppy decided that she didn't want to be a guide dog after all. Sometimes the responsibility is just too heavy and the dogs stop wanting to put the harness on. After seven months of training Poppy gave it up. We didn't know if she would remember us.

POPPY: 9 Month Puppy Report

Poppy - 9 months - Guide Dog Puppy

Poppy went to stay at Guide Dogs of America for 5 days to be thoroughly tested and checked by their trainers and veterinarians. They want to make sure that she is on track and developing properly.

I was nervous.

"What if she is too pushy and willful?" I thought. 

Another puppy I know was dropped at 9 months for being "too self-pleasing".

YOU know that we just went through episodes of Poppy stealing food so I was afraid I would hear back with a similar report. "Too obnoxious."

Instead they called her shy.

SHY?!!!!

She's a happy bully around these parts. An incessant puller on the leash. A hearty eater and player.

But Yvette, the trainer, said that Poppy lagged behind when they went out walking. That she was "soft" and needed extra support. Don't get me wrong, Yvette loved her. She said Poppy was a snuggler and a sweetheart who did really well with her commands. 

Going to Sha's class every Sunday and working with her at home has paid off. When Yvette called her to come Poppy ran to her easily. She knows: Sit, Stay, Lay Down, Leave It, Heal, and Come.

But on the written report I got back, the category for STRESS was marked with the word "High." 

High stress.

That shocked me.

Since she's been back home Poppy seems different. Humbled? Maybe. ...Traumatized? That's dramatic, but there is an element of distress in her that I never saw before.

Somewhere in that little blond head is a new awareness that the world is not all about hanging out and playing with people and other doggies who love her. Commands are something more than a way to get treats or shine in front of her puppy class. This was Poppy's first real GDA experience with TRAINERS. Trainers who have expectations and don't take any silliness. It was not entirely pleasant for Poppy.

She always followed me happily from room to room. It was one of her personality traits that made me think she would be an excellent guide dog. She's bonded. She likes closeness.

But before, when she followed me there was eagerness, an expectation of something good right around the corner. If I could translate her body language it would be "Oh goody! What's next?"

Now when she follows me there is a touch of panic in her eyes, "Don't leave me."

The kennels at GDA are concrete. There is no soft bed or blanket or even a snuggly toy. I think being alone in the kennel was hard on her. The second day they gave her a roommate but I suspect the fear had already set in. And I still see it knocking around in there. 

The closest thing I've ever seen to discomfort in Poppy was when Sha corrected her in front of the class and then gave her back to me. Poppy made the whole class laugh by looking pleadingly into my eyes and trying to disappear into my leg. She couldn't have been more clear, "Get me out of here!" 

As I write this she is sleeping beside me. She could be on the dog bed a couple of feet away but she would rather be one inch from where I am. Or maybe the tile floor is just cooler. I don't know. 

I will keep my eye on the situation and let you know how she progresses.

Love, 

Lisa

Five Months of Poppy

First time at the beach

Poppy went to the beach and experienced the ocean for the very first time. It was HEAVEN for Poppy. She loved the sand and the smells, the waves. We walked for 2 hours in the surf and if I had unhooked the leash I think she would have thanked me in English. The experience was so magical for her.

Perfectly matched playmates

A lot of love

Poppy requires a LOT of exercise and a LOT of play. She doesn't even notice when a dog tries to dominate her. I don't think she realizes how aggressive she is. Her BFF is a pitbull named Lucy who is the only dog who can match her energy. They have a ball together.

Dean and Poppy at Poquito Mas

Thank God we started taking Poppy to restaurants early on because she really absorbed good restaurant behavior.

Lindsey took Poppy to school with her

Lindsey took her to Chaminade High School and Poppy went to class with her. I was prepared to go pick Poppy up if she was distracting or unruly but she surprised us all with absolutely PERFECT behavior.

Pretty Poppy

Poppy is TERRIFIC at riding in the car

Not allowed on the couch

Poppy and Buddy L O V E

Three Months of Poppy

adorable

Poppy is 38 pounds now and my finger is black and blue from a popped blood vessels. She loves to pull.

Last month I realized that everyone else was taking their puppy to class even though they hadn't received their shots and also using treats for training purposes!!! Let me tell you, when training a tiny puppy to understand english treats are a BIG help. They already get so much adoration and approval.

Poppy, Buddy, Sally

Poppy is making great strides.
We started class with Jessica K who used to be a guide dog trainer for GDA and she gave me useful tips. My favorite was "get a leather leash" it doesn't cut into your hand so much.

Dean and Haley training Poppy at Jessica's

Before we could take our second class I took Poppy for an overnight stay at GDA and she got spayed.
She was beside herself with excitement when I dropped her off and she saw her friends Carter and Lorri. Compared to the other puppy, who was there helping her puppy raiser give tours to girl scouts, Poppy was shamefully ferrel.

Too cool for school

I came home feeling sick to my stomach. Was I doing Poppy a disservice? I'm not a dog trainer. Buddy and Sally are only trained to get along with me and my family.

Noelle Nasca, dog trainer

My sister Noelle, on the other hand, is an amazing dog trainer. Everywhere she goes dogs are transformed by her presence. Do you understand what I am saying? Not that she is a good dog trainer, but when untrained dogs come near her they magically act exactly like fully trained dogs.
She just knows how to speak "Dog". They understand her gestures, her tone, her words, and the look in her eyes.

Unfortunately she lives in New York State. Here's a video of her well trained dog, Uta, attacking MY big padded arm.

I put feelers out to a few other puppy raisers and I got a call from a woman named Ronni who cheerfully assured me that I could do this.

Stay.

Down Poppy

She hooked me up with a dog trainer near my house named Sha Newman. Sha used to be a GDA trainer and now she works for Guide Dogs of the Desert. Every Sunday morning Sha has a free class for any dog associated with GDA or GDD and she so very kindly allowed me to come with Poppy.
Sha's class was inspiring for me and Poppy was thoroughly fascinated.

Spotted

Sha was funny and frank and totally accepting and supportive. She loved Poppy. The class was filled with nice people and cute dogs. I am looking forward to rapid growth in understanding for Poppy and her raisers.

The Final Frontier

 Poppy seems to have decided that her favorite place to pee AND POOP is the mall! Yuk. No matter how long I walk her back and forth in the grass outside the mall, as soon as we step inside, the first thing she wants to do is poop. A little later... pee.
Why Poppy, why?

Your welcome, Nortdstroms

Bad Girl Bad Girl, Whatcha Gonna Do?

I knew I put three blueberry muffins on that countertop. So when I came back and there were only two I figured that Dean ate one. Then I realized that Poppy was no where to be found. She had scurried upstairs and was busy wolfing down that muffin, paper and all.

"NO POPPY!"

likely to re-offend

Poppy Goes To The Store

We took Poppy to Target. She found a toy dog that barks and moves.

Why is she so obsessed with corners?

 

Poppy Sitters

Babysitter needed

Dean and I attended a heating and air conditioning convention in Las Vegas for Kilowatt. (I bet you didn't even know there were such things ;)

Thankfully GDA gave me a phone list of people willing to puppysit and Debi and her husband Ken were available. Debi and Ken had raised Jazzy for GDA so they knew all the Do's and Don'ts of puppy raising.

Debi with Poppy and Jazzy

Poppy became fast friends with Jazzy and got to meet all the the people at the Harley Davidson store where Debi works.

Home again with Haley

Poppy reunited with Buddy and Sally. There were lots of kisses, jumping and chasing.

Home again home again...

Thanks Debi & Ken for taking care of Poppy!

Two Months of Poppy

Lindsey and Haley adore Poppy

Poppy + Buddy = LOVE

Poppy is huge. I weighed her when she got her final round of puppy shots at GDA and she was 31 pounds! For the past two months she has brought so much joy to our family. She is curious and confident and sweet. I'm proud of the way she lays down under a table when we are eating or meeting. 

Hours meeting with people at Kilowatt were spent by Poppy sleeping on her blanket

She rides curled up on the floor in the car very nicely now that I have learned to put a bag on the passenger seat to deter her from squiggling up. 

Poppy prefers the seat but she knows it's not her place.

Poppy is very polite about sitting for food but other opportunities for sitting are lost on her. She jumps up to greet new friends with great enthusiasm.

Poppy and Jason Alexander at his annual poker tournament for weSpark

Poppy loves the gardener Ernesto and his loud lawn mower

Poppy wakes up with sharp piercing barks sometime between 4:30 and 5:30am. She has tons of energy which she expends running like a demon from one end of our house to the other.

For some reason when I put her in the yard she calms right down and becomes focused in getting back inside.

Where's that bunny?

Unless she spots the bunny. Run Cuddles, RUN! Buddy and Sally know not to actually catch the bunny but Poppy is so eager. So far the bunny is still alive though she spends way more time in her pen than she used to.

Walking with Poppy has become an arm workout. She pulls hard on the leash and I was out of my league trying to discipline a puppy with her energy level. GDA very kindly sent Yvonne, a trainer to our home to help me nip the problem in the bud.

GDA puppy trainer, Yvonne Martin, is AMAZING!

Within minutes she had Poppy behaving like an angel. You know what that means, right? It means that I am the problem. Yvonne assessed the situation and showed me a few training moves. She was encouraging and direct about what was needed.  One of the things she taught me was to keep Poppies leash on in the house during sketchy times, like early morning when she is possessed with all that manic energy or when someone comes to the door.

 

When I'm standing and talking to someone I give Poppy a job to do, in this case "Sit."

Sleepy Poppy

One Month of Poppy

POPPY

Poppy has been with us exactly one month today and she seems to have tripled in size. She is too cute in her little GDA cape. Everyone who sees her has to stop and adore her. Many times the first words people say when they see her are, "I love you."

Chillin' in Lisa's arms

I think that by taking Poppy around with me in my life I am teaching her that the world is a friendly place but actually I am learning how much love people are walking around with in their heart.

Our waiter fell in love with Poppy

We have two twelve year old dogs. A lab named Buddy who is a puppy at heart but is crippled by hip problems. Sally is a territorial Maltese- poodle mix.

Three way tug-o-war with Buddy and Sally

Buddy and Poppy

The first thing Poppy learned when she came to our house was to respect Sally's food and toys. Sally gave poppy the most hostile cold shoulder for about a week until she realized that poppy liked to play. Slowly Sally accepted Poppy as part of the family. Buddy was easy. He accepted Poppy right away even though Sally was thoroughly pissed off at him for it. I'm so grateful because when Poppy wakes up at 5:30am she has too much energy. Buddy and Sally play with her for hours.

 My living room is covered with dozens of dog toys. I'm hoping my rugs, furniture and shoes will be spared if I give Poppy enough distractions. She has already chewed the corners of two rugs. :-(
Her favorite thing to chew is Buddy's tail. She is either wrestling with Buddy or rampaging through the living room playing tug-o-war with Sally. They both like to chase Cuddles, our bunny, who lives in the yard. Luckily there is a pen that he can run to which is safe from the dogs.

So far Poppy hasn't shown any interest in the pool. The shower is a different story. She jumped right in the shower with my husband her first day here and she has been curious about it ever since. Luckily she seems to understand what "No" means.

Poppy is cooperative about riding in the car. Sometimes.

 Already Poppy is an experienced car rider. She goes with me to drop Haley off for school and to pick her up and many errands in between.  Our family goes to restaurants often and Poppy is great about resting under the table while we eat.

Lisa

Dean

Haley

Lindsey

Poppy sat in this planter without peeing for a good 5 minutes before I took her into Whole Foods where she promptly "got busy" in the bread isle.

Poppy is good at keeping pace with your stride when out for a walk.

Poppy's restaurant behavior.

Sleepy Baby