01/31/2024
Today, we spent about 12 hours on the clock. We were gone from the hotel from about 8:00AM until 7:30PM. It is just after midnight, and I am finally writing this post as I snuggle in bed at my hotel with Tribbi and Radar both under the blankets. Some people have strong feelings about if service dogs should sleep in bed, and I respect that, but for various reasons, this is what works for us. In Radar's case, he needs to sleep in bed in order to be able to fully perform his required tasks.
Anyways, yesterday (Monday), was pretty quiet. I went and got coffee at the Starbucks in the hotel with one of my friends who came on the trip from Wisconsin. I then came up to my room and took some introvert time until our 2:00 meeting during which we went over the legislation we are discussing with our representatives this year. This years's top priorities concern insuring that standards are set for the accessibility of websites, the importance of in-home medical devices with digital displays being accessible to the blind, and Social Security Disability Income back to work incentives to insure that blind people can reach their maximum potential in the workforce.
Meetings concluded at about 7:00PM, and six of our seven Wisconsin crew went out for seafood. I fell asleep shortly after getting to the hotel.
Tribbi did pretty well yesterday, and RAdar was his perfect little self. He's 8, and he's a solid reliable little guy. I healed Tribbi quite a bit yesterday, but she did well with the work I asked her to do. She successfully navigated the hotel lobby full of many other blind people tapping canes and working dogs. She is really good about indicating to me which of the elevators in the bank opens up for us. She knows where our room is and indicates all of the other doors we have gone through at the hotel including the Starbucks, the meeting rooms, and the hotel restaurant. When I healed her yesterday, it was mostly for me, not her. I'm glad I took this trip, but I am definitely a little bit less patient and less detail oriented than I would normally be since I am contending with the grief after losing my dear Sprocket on Sunday. I'm trying to train her and take care of myself, and it is a delicate balance.
So anyways, I told myself I was putting my trainer hat on for most of today, and she really did a lovely job. She is reliably indicating the curbs in and out of the street to walk over to the grass we are using for relieving. She is a nosey girl and likes to try to sniff poles, check in on other guide dogs, occasionally sniff people, and sometimes decides she must watch something that is none of her business. That's all okay right now, though. She's a young girl. I'm not allowing any of these behaviors to persist, but I am also not stressing myself out about them, because she is only nine months, and an environment like this is a ton for a girl her age. I've made sure I always have my cane with me, but I haven't had to get it out yet this trip.
Tribbi did really well going through security when we went to talk to our representatives this morning. There are three office buildings that house the 435 reps, and the buildings are connected by tunnels on the lower levels. Tribbi guided me through all of these halls. She is learning not to rush up on someone walking ahead of us. This is a behavior I usually would wait longer to work on, but we used it as a training opportunity. If she got too close to someone, I just sort of scuffed my foot and tapped the front of my leg and slowed her down. I would say that she was starting to get it by mid-morning. We had 8 meetings today with all of our Wisconsin representatives. I attended seven of those eight, and I only missed the last one because we had to split off and cover to appointments at the same time. Tribbi did better than I expected about guiding me in and out of all of the office suites, and she rested nicely under my chair at each one. She only let out a couple of soft little chuffs in one meeting. I think I was the only one who noticed, and I tried not to let it worry or frustrate me too much. Mid-day, I of course took the dogs out for a chance to relieve, and Tribs did well with coming back through security again.
Our meetings wrapped up at about 3:45, and we had a break until a reception at 5:00. That ran until 7:00, and then we finally came back to the hotel. Tribs has been a very sleepy baby since then.
Photos include a side and rear view of me working Tribbi, 2 front shots of me with both dogs, and two very tired Tribbi donuts...one on my bed and one on the floor in a friend's room.I think maybe she is a little bit tired tonight. We have two meetings in the morning, and then it is off to the airport to come back home.