Even though Moose's main job is just to be the most endearing little spider monkey & not a Service Dog (except maybe as back-up for Jeter somewhere down the line), he is learning to retrieve items to hand for me.
This is a very important task for my dogs; I have balance & dexterity issues as well as a literal half dozen things wrong with my lower back that sometimes cause me a great deal of pain.
Here, Moose is practicing his RTH with 31 things from my Big Box O' Random Household Items, bringing me everything from a piece of mail to car keys to a bottle of water.
Moose got to visit his gf, Frannie, this morning 🧡🧡🧡
No sign of metastasis in Torre's lungs!!! Thank you to everyone who donated, shared her story, & prayed for my girl when she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma last winter 💜👑💜
Charley the Basset is feeling himself today 💗
Moose, doing his best moves, very politely attempting to entice Ziggy to play with him while Charley ignores them both.
A little of Moose's Fetch Test practice with some "find heel" work as well.
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Moose (2) is a natural retriever, but we have just started working on his Retrieve to Hand skills with household objects, so his prep for the the AKC Fetch Novice is starting at the very basic level.
He doesn't get many opportunities to play fetch with toys because he is usually outside with Jeter and, if there is a ball in play, Jeter is all over it.
Because Moose is small (20.5" tall & 35#) & he also enjoys popping tennis balls, I am also starting him with the Chuck-It Tumble Bumper.
Here's how he progressed during his 5 minutes session this morning...
Torre (9) is the all-around Retrieve to Hand champ. One of her jobs is to pick up things that I drop or cannot reach—for which she is generously rewarded—so she loves to bring me things. She also enjoys doing formal retrieves with an obedience dumbbell—which is not allowed for the Fetch titles. But she has never been interested in playing fetch as a game with balls or toys.
She had osteosarcoma & underwent a mandibulectomy in February, so she is missing the right side of her lower jaw, so I didn't want to use a heavier retrieving bumper with her for the AKC Fetch title training.
Since I have either misplaced or given away the lightweight plastic bumper I bought ages ago, I am starting her with the Chuck-It Tumble Bumper.
This short clip nicely sums up Torre's 5-minute session this morning...
In case you are concerned, Torre's hesitance here is not indicative of a general reluctance to retrieve.
She regularly brings me heavier items from farther than I am throwing the bumper & she still happily retrieves her obedience dumbbell.
It's just that this particular bumper is neither Work nor Obedience & fetching it falls into that "fun" category that her little Type A, working 🐝 heart isn't fond of.
This morning, I started training with my dogs for the AKC Fetch Novice title. When it comes to retrieving, they are starting at VERY different skill levels & styles.
Jeter (5) is ball-obsessed & loves to play fetch. He thoroughly enjoys parading around in triumphant circles with his prize before surrendering it for the next throw. His favorites are the giant plastic balls with soft spikes all over them.
He loves to pop tennis balls as soon as he gets them in his mouth, but doesn't like the rubber Chuck-It style balls. With an eye toward the upper level Fetch titles, I decided to start him with a traditional bumper.
Here's how things went with Jeter over the course of 5 minutes this morning...
Happy 5th birthday, Jeter Superfly Longlegs Bouvacuda ♥️🥳♥️🥳♥️ You've gone from crazy puppy to reliable partner & I couldn't be more pleased with you♥️♥️♥️
Here's part 2 of Iggy & the furniture ramp 🩷
Iggy is boarding with me & he is a little too small to get on & off of the furniture by himself. I got out the dog ramp, but he was a little afraid of it, so I am starting from step one to teach him that, not only is it not a scary thing, but also that it is his key to being able to get on & off the futon in the sitting room without asking for help.
The baby spider monkey is learning to control his urge to fling himself at oncoming people in joyful abandon 🧡🧡🧡
16 days post-mandibulectomy, Torre got to come downstairs for a brief training session with the boys. We kept things simple, working on individual releases from their stations. She was thrilled with this return to our normal routine (& so was I!)
Did a little Rally practice with Torre last night. As you can see, she is feeling pretty well, despite the rapidly growing tumor in her jaw.
So far, we have raised $4,430 ($4,005 via GFM & and additional $425 through PP, Venmo, & check) of the $7,500 Med Vet requires to be paid up-front before they will perform the mandibulectomy that could save her life.
Dogs who have this surgery live an average of 2.5 years with good quality of life that should allow her to continue doing her favorite things, like Rally & her job as my PTSD/mobility SD.
We have an appointment on 2/7 with a surgeon at East Hilliard Veterinary Serviced who may be able to do the surgery for less, but I won't know until we see him.
Please continue to pray for my Queen, to share our posts to get the word out to a wider range of potential donors, & to donate if you can.
Any money raised in excess of the cost of her surgery will go toward her aftercare &, if we are lucky enough to have funds leftover, they will bring donated to the Bouvier Health Foundation.
After 2 days stuck inside, all 3 dogs (Torre in orange, Jeter in green, & Moose in black) were very restless, so we ventured out to the back 40 so they could run. It's 12° (feels like 3°), so it was a very quick trip.
As of 1PM EST, we have raised $3,465 of the $7,500 needed to schedule Torre's mandiblectomy.
Without this life-saving surgery, she may have as little as 6 months left.
She is not just my Service Dog; she is my best friend, my Queen, & the center of my universe.
Please donate to her GFM if you can. Even $1 will be greatly appreciated. If you cannot donate, please share this post to increase my reach. If do not feel comfortable doing that, please pray for my girl.
