A Thanksgiving morning conversation with Isaac

AP: Isaac do you know what today is?

 I: is it celebrates food day? cuz that’s what the neighborhood smells like this morning

 AP: lol no its Thanksgiving. Which people do celebrate by eating lots of food but that’s not the real meaning of the day. It has a couple meanings and one of them is to recreate a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 and for some it is also a day to thank God. The theme of the day is primarily to get together and eat a lot of food though.

 

I: Well lotz of food makes for a good day.

 AP: Yes sill boy in your head that makes for a good day. The best point of the day is to have a day when people give thanks for things in their life, like a roof over their head, clothes on their back, food on the table and the love of good friends and family.

 I: and they only do that on this one day? Dogs iz thankful for everything everyday

 AP: yes- well people aren’t much like dogs as they get stuck in their own head and their self importance with their busy lives. But you are right the world would be a much better place if everybody adopted a posture of gratitude everyday

 I: likez dogs cuz dogs are cool like that

 AP: lol yes my monkey -dogs are cool like that.

 I: whatz iz you thankful for Mom

 AP: Oh my little man I am thankful for everything I already said -just like most people are, but I am most thankful to Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue for rescuing you and to my sweet Tonka man for picking you out for me. I am also very thankful for Companion Bridge and all the people that volunteer their time to help us and all the people that donated and participated in the auction. Thanks to them we helped lots of animals that needed medical attention this year.

 What about you?

 I: Iz thankful for all that 2 and also cookies I am thankful for cookies and cricketz.- very thankful for cricketz

 AP: of course you are…. Love you my little man

 I: I lovez everybody and I lovez my tug toy- I really lovez my tug toy

 Happy Thanksgiving from AP and I.

 We wish you and yours a wonderful day filled with love and food and maybe a cricket or a tug toy.

A Howling Good Time

Took the little man back to the beach today. Unlike last time he was not interested in digging big holes and running in circles around me. This day was all about checking everything out.

He found a nice size shell.

Smellz like a good shell

He found a new little friend who we named "Pinchy"

Pinchy the crab

Dude youz are little

He stopped to smell the roses... Wait!.. What? Yes roses... there were roses all over the place for some reason.

Youz should always stop and smellz the roses

It was very windy so he spent a good deal of time sniffing the breezes and watching the waves.

Sniffffffff

When he was satisfied that he had explored and smelled enough we headed into town. It was there that little man turned in a performance worthy of those people on the Voice TV show. Just listen to the perfect pitch and match to the sound of the siren.

On the way back to the car he met a Bear, checked out some Alligator teeth at the SeaShell shop and got a little upset at the false advertising in a pet store.



Iz like Thiz Bear



Pretty Teethz

Mom they liez! There are no catz in the box!

All in all a good day for my little monkey man!

Therapy In a Four Legged Package

One of my biggest regrets is not having enough time with the Tonka man. He was such a confident and loving soul and would have made a perfect therapy dog. Isaac displays some of those same characteristics that the big boy had. He is loving and in tune with peoples emotions, leaning in and providing contact when someone is having a bad day or sitting quietly if that is what is needed. He absolutely adores children and is fine with multiple kids swarming him at the bus stops. He is a real sweetheart. The only bad marks for Isaac are his HATRED of cats, his desire to chase the school buses and all motorcycles and sometimes he will shy away from a stranger.

This week I finished up a course with the non-profit Pet Partners to register us as a therapy team. I passed my part of the test and now just need the little man to pass his. He has had experience with some of the evaluation requirements as they are the same as the CGC test that he passed in November of 2015. This test adds on with other items such as loud people, visual and auditory distractions from the front and behind, awkward petting and other things you might experience in an institutional\hospital or education setting.

Wish us luck!

Iz a Good Citizen

 

 

Today Iz got in the car and mom and Iz went to a park to meet a really nice lady.



Going to show off my skillz
 

We had to do some walking around and Iz had to sitz and be good for a bit and go down and be good for a bit. Mom had to leave me and I had to behavez and the lady brushed me and looked in my ears and touched my feetz. I had to be cool around other dogz and not be silly and want to play and run and I hadz to come to Mom when she called me. Basically I had to be a good boy, which of course I am when I haz to be.

Look how good I iz

When we were all done mom and the nice lady filled out some paperz and then I got to explore the park. I decided the bench was a good place to keep an eye outz for bearz.

Mom sayz I am now a Canine Good Citizen and she iz very proud of me.

Fireworks and Pets (the aliens have arrived)

My big guy was never afraid of anything and little man has proven to not be afraid of storms or the occasional loud boom or pop. That being said the fourth of July was a bit of an eye opener. We happened to be sitting out back on the 3rd of July when someone in the neighborhood to the right set off a round of fireworks. Isaac sprang into action and charged at the fence line barking to tell them to get away he was on duty. All of a sudden someone to the left set off a round and he came flying across the yard to tell them off. Within minutes both sides were shooting off loud, whizzing and popping fireworks. Isaac stopped in the middle of the yard and looked around frantically and then back at me. I tried to tell him it was okay but he took off past me and into the house. I do believe he thought aliens had arrived and were invading. When I finally got up the stairs after him I found him in what I will assume was in his mind his fortified defensive position. When he realized he was surrounded, he like any good warfare strategist performed a tactical fallback.

It took a bit of coaxing to leave his position but he finally came around to the idea that curling up in bed with mom was a safe place to be.

Anger to Sadness and Back Again

I am at a loss - I received a message from a neighbor that they had put their dog to sleep today. I have known this dog since he was a pup and he has been my buddy at the fence ever since they got him. I could pick him up and he would give me kisses. He would stretch up to me at the fence and I would lean over and scratch his back from his tail to his neck and back again. He was a friend to my big guy and all the dog walkers and their dogs knew his name and would stop and talk to him. I knew he had some jealousy issues with the husband and the wife but those are things that a behaviorist could have worked with.
I really do not understand people and this disposable society we live in. I should be used to it by now as some of the stories that people tell at rescue are just so out there. I would have called rescues till I found him a safe place if they had just asked. 
Tonka you look out for him now OK

The ride home from Narnia

We left Narnia in the early afternoon and headed home with Isaac on the Kurgo zipline in the back of the truck. It was hard driving away without his brother William but I knew he would get a good home. He was going to be big and beautiful and was very sweet.

 

Little curious

 As the trip went on Isaac got a bit bolder and made his way up towards the front.

Whats up here

Hi

Curious Monkey

Are we there yet?

I think I am going to be OK