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Author Archives: Donna Black-Sword

It’s not even Halloween yet and you’re talking about Christmas?

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Donna Black-Sword

Did you know that you could subscribe to e-news from Canine Companions for Independence? You can have the latest Super Dog derring-do sent directly to your email. Being a rabid CCI supporter, of course I had signed up for this some time ago. Maybe rabid supporter is a poor choice of words being dog related and all; we’ll just say that I feel pretty passionate about CCI’s mission.


So I get the latest e-newsletter, an email titled A Pup for All Seasons. Ooh, the 2011 Calendar is out. Gotta order that. And the 2010 Holiday Cards.  I’m all over that one, too.  Let’s go shopping! 

And . . . what’s this?

I holler over to my office cube mate, “Mary Ann do you have a sec to look at something?”  Of course she does.  I keep chocolate at my desk.  I point a hesitant finger to the laptop screen and say, “I think that’s Micron.” 




https://cci-store.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=127#

 

I’ll admit, I do love CCI, but it’s not my only passion. I take hundreds of photos – of anything and everything whether it moves or not. And yeah, I take a lot of shots of the dogs. Would I recognize one of my own photos if I saw it?  Well, you would think so.  But self doubt has hit.  How could it be possible in my humble little world that my shot of Micron is one of three shots selected for the 2010 CCI Holiday Cards? 


Sup?

Good Lord. It’s true. It’s Micron at four months old. We got this shot of his adorable mug last February when we had a huge snowfall and let the boys run wild in the backyard.

Here’s some other digital memories of that virginal white afternoon.

Little dog in a big snow



Be careful what you chase



Jager heard that snakes can unhinge their jaws
to swallow things bigger than their head.

 


Shouldn’t have licked that flagpole

 

Frosty nose

  

Jager?  Where’d ja go buddy?

  

I’m at a loss for words. Can you imagine? How can I express how this feels? I am thrilled. Excited. Over the moon.
I am honored.




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You’re how old in dog years?

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Donna Black-Sword



That’s just for lookin’ at, big guy.

Well, a big Happy Birthday shout out to the amazing M litter. These nonuplets, Mars, Marco, Marlena, Micron, Miwa, Molina, Madias, Madden, and Meryl, all celebrated their first birthday on September 23.

CCI’s M litter is from Blaze, a golden retriever, and Nyrobi, a golden/lab cross. We caught up with some of these pups at seven months old. Now let’s take a look at what they’re up to as they hit their one year milestone. Here’s Madias, Mars, Madden, Marco and Micron’s updates.
Madias


Puppy Madias

Whenever I come across photos of this fellow I think to myself, what a gorgeous dog. And not just because he’s a slobberin’ image of Micron.  He is a handsome guy.

Madias is being raised in the northeast by 4-time puppy raiser, MaryAngela. When I asked for some fun facts about Madias, she says that he pretty much lives for snow. Last winter is was nearly impossible to get him inside. He has a “hurry” bell to ring when he needs to go outside to do his business, but if there’s snow on the ground, the bell never stops. MaryAngela says she’ll have to put a tag on him at turn in that says “must be placed in cool climate area.”

 And he loves to “talk”. MaryAngela has taught him to say “I love you” which he states excitedly to her family daily. [Blogger’s note: I saw a video of this. It is adorable.]

Madias has an obsession with bugs. Whether he’s gazing with his nose to the ground at ants scurrying around, or hopping through the yard chasing butterflies, he is always on the look out for some fun little critters to play with — or eat.



Madias now



Mars

Puppy Mars
Mars works part-time at 7News, the ABC affiliate in Denver, and has a DogBlog that he updates weekly at www.thedenverchannel.com/family. He lives with veteran puppy raisers John and Marianne. Mars is the seventh puppy they’ve raised. I agree with Marianne when she says puppy raising for CCI is addictive. We can’t imagine life without a leash in our hands.
Mars gets lots of extra attention because of his unusual curly black fur. He’s a three-hour grocery store dog. Puppy Raiser Marianne says littermate Madden must be a 4-hour dog. Scroll down to Madden’s section and I think you’ll see what she means.
For those who may not get the three-hour grocery quip; this refers to going shopping with your pup-in-training and having folk stop you to talk about the rock star walking at your side. Grabbing a gallon of milk is no longer an in & out trip if you’ve got an additional four legs with you. But this is a good thing, of course. We love the attention it brings to the CCI program. 

Mar’s has the golden retriever Velcro personality. He wants to be with a human at all times, physically touching said human if possible. “What do you mean, I’m not a lap dog?” he says in complete bafflement. “OFF!” is his least-favorite command.

Mars feels that being left at home in a crate is a fate worse than death and will howl with sorrow and frustration. He’s the first puppy they’ve raised that unconditionally hates his crate. Being released from the crate is an occasion of such joy and rapture that the release command is immediately followed by “SIT!” in order to control the hysteria. Sort of.


Mars now

Madden


Puppy Madden



Madden is another Northeast Region puppy. He is CCI pup #9 for puppy raisers Regina and Dave who say he’s a sweet, loving, gentle soul, the consummate retriever of all things but does not chew, is loved by one and all, loves outside exercise especially hiking the nearby mountains and loves, loves, loves swimming.
But what clearly makes him stand out from his sibs is his unique coat. That fluffy ball of mulit-colored fur has turned into a sleek flowing coated gentleman with just enough silliness to keep it fun. The photo above with the wine bottle was taken the week he arrived and Regina knew he would be the best invitation for the CCI Northeast Region Wine & Noses fundraiser coming this October. Maddens’s love of water speaks for itself and he needs to be touching his big bro Doug the dog (COC #5) when napping.
Sharing puppy cooties with Madias
Madden has been mistaken for a Neuffie more times than not. Regina and Dave refer to him as our “horse of a different color” and he is a great ambassador for CCI. 

Madden now
Marco




Marco



Marco is being raised in CCI’s North Central Region by Roxanne. He and Micron are close enough geographically that we can arrange the occasional get-together for the two boys. Roxanne and I have been asked if we think the two dogs remember each other and really, that’s hard to guess about dogs. What’s obvious though, is that they do feel a link between them and will start a play session with each other before interacting with another dog. Interesting stuff to watch.

A solo game of Marco Polo. Just not the same.

Roxanne mentions that Marco loves to carry things about the house. Socks, shoes, a bottle cap and a skull cap.  Actually the list goes on and tends to include such things as perhaps best left off a blog.


I’m a retriever.

Here’s a shot from the earlier in the year. The fellas would be about six months old here. This was at CCI’s May Graduation Ceremony using an offsite venue in Columbus. Micron was indeed in a conscious state; he just got a little motion sick from that SpaghettiOs-on-LSD carpet pattern. 

Marco and Micron at the May CCI graduation event

Micron

My two boys shared a birthday week. Both good lookin’ bachelors; neither eligible. Derek turned a legal 21 this week and has an absolutely adorable girlfriend. And Micron is neutered. Sorry ladies. 

We got a birthday shot of the two of them when we drove up to BGSU treat Derek to lunch last weekend.

My handsome birthday boys

We asked the other puppy raisers for a few interesting facts about their CCI pups at one year old. We’re seeing some similarities with this litter; water dogs, retrievers and cuddle bugs. And of course, the cool things that make each one unique.

So let’s share some thoughts about the mighty Micron on his first birthday. Like his littermates, he is a people dog. He accepts spending time alone, but is very, very happy when you show up again to let him out of the crate. Also, like Marco he loves to carry things in his mouth. He’ll walk up to you with his tail wagging so hard, the tip of it is hitting his rib cage to show you that, Holy Cow! Did you SEE this? I’ve got your dirty SOCK. Then go off to share the news with someone else.

He is also a remarkably laid back kinda guy. He’s comfortable with sleeping in my office during the workday and snoring through meetings. He does look forward to puppy playtime at lunchtime with the other office dogs. 



Looks like somebody spiked the water bowl

 This is all fun stuff, sharing stories about these pups; part of the puppy raising experience. We’re new at this thing. Micron is only our second dog for CCI.  But what a family we have.



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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went (Will Rogers)

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Donna Black-Sword

Imagine this. You’re exploring an old city cemetery during the early evening hours. You like this time of day because of the softly muted light. You’re taking photos of an interesting monument and thinking intellectually deep thoughts about macro shots, f-stops and ISO settings — you’re in the zone. If you lean at this angle, is the depth of field too shallow or should you maybe bump it up to . . . and suddenly from behind you comes a deep bass “EXCUSE ME.”

What do you do?  Turn around smoothly with an air of cool authority that says clearly, you wouldn’t DARE accost me?  Or instead make a weird little strangling sob sound that is shorthand for, my purse is on the front seat of the car?

What did I do?  Oh as if.  Option B, naturally.  Just about dropped my stupid camera, I did.  Much to my relief the interruption to my artsy musings was merely a young college student from the adjacent University of Dayton who was taking his evening constitutional through Woodland Cemetery. Although I did make clear that I HAVE MY DOG IN THE CAR.  Perhaps a little too loudly. Thinking this may thwart any untoward thoughts against my chubby, middle-aged person.

Hey Fella, she left the keys in the ignition
Right. Oh, never mind.
The young man was merely curious, he heard stories about a haunting at Woodland. Something about a boy and his dog. He couldn’t help but notice that I was taking photos of a monument of the same. Taking photos is right. I was trying to get a macro shot of the stone dog’s nostrils (f-stop, depth of field . . .) when he caused me to jump out of my skin. But more on dog nostrils later in the post. 
So, what’s the story on the boy and his dog; did I know? Are you kidding me?  Heck yes, I know.  Just give me a sec here to swallow first so I can get my heart out of my Adam’s apple, though. Have a seat, young man and I’ll tell you a story.

In the late summer of 1860, 5 year old Johnny Morehouse was playing with his dog near his father’s cobbler shop in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Dayton was still a young city then and relied on the nearby river and the Miami & Erie Canal system for commerce with other Ohio cities. This was all before the Great Flood of 1913 when folk still had a tentative trust in the Great Miami River. Johnny went against his mother’s warnings and was playing too close to the canal, when he fell into the dark water. His dog jumped in after him and tried in vain to save him. But Johnny Morehouse drowned on that summer day of August 14, 1860.

Johnny was laid to rest later that week in Woodland Cemetery. Legend has it that his dog stayed at the gravesite, refusing to leave. People would come by to bring food and water to the dog.

Then one day, the dog was gone and never seen again.

It’s said that in late summer, at the last light of the day when the cemetery gates have been locked, you can hear a boy laughing and playing with his happily barking dog.

But really

Johnny’s father was a cobbler, not a rich man by anyone’s standards. The family could not afford a grave marker, even a modest one, for their only son. But a local businessman, Daniel La Dow, had heard the story of Johnny’s valorous dog.  La Dow was a stonecutter and owner of a prosperous marble works in the city. He designed and created the remarkable monument that is at Johnny’s gravesite. ‘Tis truly a work of art that is not duplicated anywhere else within our fair city.

Take a break, hero dog. I got this.
The monument has no dates on it – no date of birth nor death. The only inscriptions are Johnny’s name and the words Slumber Sweet. We see that after 150 years, the dog remains vigilant with a protective paw over the young boy as he sleeps. Forever to be alert and watchful in stone. At their feet are Johnny’s cap and the toys found in his pocket that sad day. His ball, a top and harmonica.
Slumber Sweet
Woodland Cemetery states this is their most visited gravesite – and the most decorated. The site changes daily as families come by to pay their respects to this lost boy by leaving toys, trinkets and clothing. These items are later collected and donated to charitable organizations.



Now about those dog nostrils



To avoid cracks in the stone due to temperature changes, La Dow included an air vent inside the monument. This is a rather clever design as the air is released through the dog’s nose. It is true that if you hold your hand near the dog’s nostrils, you can feel it “breathe.”  In cooler weather you can see steam coming from the nose.
What’s really surprising to me though, in that in spite of the legends of this boy and his dog (I’ve only shared one story), we don’t know the dog’s name. This is lost to history as well as the dog’s breed. I don’t know, it seems disrespectful to me to even nickname this boy’s dog. But what kind of dog is it? 
Isn’t it obvious? Love, responsibility and never ending devotion? It’s got to be a Golden/Lab cross, don’t you think?

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There’s a word for that

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Donna Black-Sword
Cool Beans
Gnarly monarch butterfly at CCI graduation
I’m a child of the 70’s. An era of great music and horrifically bad fashion. Anyone else out there remember sporting those one piece pantsuits and trying not to fall off your platform shoes?  How about making your bell bottoms even bell bottomier by cutting into the seam and adding a triangle of bandanna fabric so when you walked between classes at school it sounded like a huge pillow fight with all those jeans smacking into each other?
Remember laying on the sidewalk in front of your house and yelling for your mom to come out and save you because your bell bottoms got jammed into your bike chain – again. 
To all you young folk out there trying to bring back 70’s retro fashion. I’m asking nicely . . . please don’t. Really.
Of course, we had our own slang back in the day as well. We expanded Cool into Cool Beans. (I can’t explain why or how this one came about; or even why I still hear it said today.) Other ways to describe something wonderful was Boss, Funkadelic and, my favorite, That’s gnarly, Dude.
In today’s culture, I hear the word Awesome thrown around as if it means the same as Cool Beans, and frankly, it bugs me. Even worse, some folk will use Awesome as sarcasm. As in . . .  Dude, did you know your cat just threw up something kinda orange colored on your sofa?  Response: awesome.
That ain’t right. Something awesome is, well, awe inspiring. Not just pretty good, but instead is the apex of wonderful. It stops you in your tracks. Maybe it causes you to pause and reflect on what is happening right in front of you. It is something divine.
If we misuse Awesome, then we’re left with a diluted word and no way to explain the things that change lives.
Now this is Awesome
Something wonderful has happened. Our first CCI puppy, Inga IV, has graduated as Skilled Companion for a young boy. Ok, to be painfully honest about this, I’m pretty jazzed that I didn’t totally screw up in raising this dog. ‘Tis true. This admission alone speaks a volume about the professional training staff at CCI.
Inga IV
Inga and I spent nearly a year and a half together working on the basics; obedience, socialization and such. Her success was top of mind for that entire time. But while all this was going on, there was the knowledge that less than 50% of CCI pups in training actually make it to become assistance dogs. That thought follows a puppy raiser like a cloud of gnats; hard to swat away. You can do everything right, but what it really comes down to is if the dog wants to do the job.
Because CCI’s values are so high, because they will not place a dog with someone unless it is absolutely the right thing to do, many of the pups are released from the service dog program. When I titled this blog Raising a Super Dog, it was because that’s exactly what these dogs are. Not just really smart pets, but a level higher. Confident, healthy, compassionate and intuitive dogs with an unshakable work ethic.
So what happens to the pups that don’t make it as a service dog? They become Change of Career dogs. COC’s in CCI-speak. These dogs may move into another service field such as Search and Rescue or Therapy Dog jobs. Or they may become really wonderful & loving pets. 
The work that CCI does is amazing. I would even call it awesome. Because making a profound impact to a person’s life, especially in a way that provides independence that wasn’t there before, is nothing less than awesome.
And I honestly can’t think of another word to describe it.
Yellow Cape (turn-in) Cookie
Blue Cape (graduation) Cookie

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Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Donna Black-Sword

Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.

Here’s the diet books, Mom.

A whiskery old quote by the cynical Groucho Marx. And the segue to telling you about our visit to Books and Co. at The Greene.

One of my favorite authors, Katrina Kittle, is celebrating the debut of her fourth book, The Blessings of the Animals.  She was at Books and Co. for a reading and book signing this past Friday. I first met Katrina a few years back when I was a volunteer tutor for the Ohio Reads program. She impressed me then as a woman filled with positive energy; someone very approachable and personable. What a delight to be in her presence again.
A review of Katrina’s new book by Booklist tells us that “with subtle yet shimmering insight, Kittle explores the resilience of human nature and the indelible role animals play in healing shattered emotions.”  An affirming story of the healing power of animals? Sounds like something worth sharing to me. Time to put the cape on the dog and make a road trip to The Greene.

Micron and I made it in time to get a front row seat. Enough space to put his 72 lb. incredible hulk body and still have some leg room. And as it turned out, a fine place for a 10 month old puppy to act out. In my infinite wisdom, I decided he would get fed after this event, so we could sit through the reading without worrying about a potty alert. Right. So, no potty alerts but the furball knew it was getting past dinnertime and felt I needed a reminder.

Katrina Kittle and her admirer, Micron
It started with a soliciting paw on my leg. Ignore, ignore . . . I don’t answer to begging dogs. Then it was the laser eye; I could see him staring at me with an intensity that was admittedly a little disconcerting.
We made it to Q&A time. Katrina explains how it’s so important for us recognize the animals that have impacted our lives. This cued starving dog to say-it-sister with a high pitched yip as a final desperate act to let me know his stomach has now shrunk to the size of a walnut.  Ok, yeah it was funny. Well timed, you goofball. And now with everyone’s attention on him, completely impossible to correct. Dang.

In the end, I’m all oh-my-god-I-can’t believe-you-barked-in-public, while several people came up afterward to say how wonderful he was and oh so well-behaved. The dog finds some redemption in just being stinkin’ adorable.

There’s a book event later this month that sounds interesting. We’ll give Micron another shot at Books and Co. for this.

But this time I’m packing a lunch for him.

Scoping for cute chicks at The Greene

As a postscript to our Katrina meeting, I also wanted to share her blog. Before the release of The Blessings of the Animals, she held a contest asking for essays on animals that have blessed our lives. I sent in some thoughts I had about the turn-in of our first CCI puppy, Inga. And was totally jazzed to get an honorable mention as recognition for my short essay.  A win for CCI as well; another way to raise awareness of this incredible organization and the work they do. The runner-ups for the dog essays are on her Canine Contenders post. Some touching stories out there for you dog lovers. Grab a hankie first.

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