DisneyKidsDad

Well it's official. We will be in the April/May CCI Team training class to get my daughters successor dog!! We just got the call yesterday. Can't wait!!

Happy safe weekend everyone. :hearteyes:

I bought a new car last night; a Ford Expedition. The very first time in my life that I've ever purchased a vehicle without Morey. I bought a black one with black interior. Morey would have hated it. He always bought white/gold or silver cars. I got one to match my dog!

Congrats on the new car Roz. Lots of luck with it. Put a penny under the floor mat for good luck!!

Thank you to ALL of you for the wonderful and heartfelt wishes. It does feel good to have you "there" for me! It has been crazy. I had a "rental car" on my insurance but they don't tell you that you only get the car for a month if it's repairable. If the car is totaled and you get a pay-off then you only get a week because the insurance company has 3 to 5 business days to pay you. So, they figure as soon as you get the money, get out of the rental and buy something new. I told them I needed more time so they extended the rental for 3 more days. I realize they're looking at the bottom line but I'm afraid I'm moving a bit slower in all ways these days!

 

I've decided to go right back into a Ford Expedition. It saved me and Horty this time, I'm confidant it will always make me feel safe on the road. And putting my children, grandchildren and my precious Horty in it on a daily basis, I just know I'm providing a safe vehicle for my loved one's to travel in. And, you all know how much I love to "go!"

 

I've been in contact with the lovely woman who took care of Horton at the scene. She does dog-walking on the weekends and I'm considering having her pick-up Horty so he doesn't have to hear my groans and moans all the time and gets a chance to enjoy the outdoors as I'm moving a bit slower these days. We're going to talk more about it.

 

I have not missed a day of work. This is our busiest time and other than the really ugly purple and swollen hand, my leg is hidden under my pants and the bruise on my chest is not visible so, here I am.......diligently getting my work done and feeling better that I'm moving instead of laying around and getting sorer and stiffer! Better to keep going. Hey, it's worked for me this long, why change my M.O. now!

 

DKD, you must be so excited about your boys possibilities and soon you'll be so busy working with a new champion in your life!

 

Stay safe dear hearts and know that I'm grateful as heck for ALL of you!

 

P.S. Fairbourne, I don't have a doubt in my mind that you would be by my side in a hot second, if we lived closer......Love you ♥

Just my 2 cents Roz, but after what happened to you and Horton, I think he needs to be near you. Don't forget, just because he is your hearing dog, he was still trained as a service dog. Let him help you in your recovery. He needs to "recover" too. Being away from you when he knows your hurt may not be the best for him. Like I said...just my 2 cents!

Sutter's first progress report is what we expected. He is adjusting to college very well. He has started basic training already. More advanced training begins after they get all the medical results back. Although they did start training him with the "push" command. Next months report should be more informative.

GO SUTTER!!

Well today is Sutter's first CCI progress report day! Even though he's only been there for two weeks, it will be nice to hear how he is doing. The first progress report is mostly about vet checks and to hear if he is settling in.

So sorry to hear about your accident Roz but glad everyone is OK. Once again a CCI dog is a rock star!

Here is Sutter II all dressed up for college. Friday was a very long day and it is way too quiet at my house now. Hopefully we will be going to team training for the May class.

So we only have two more days with Sutter and he's off to college. He will be missed. And we're not sure if we are returning Tommen back to his original puppy raisers on Friday. If not then we'll keep him for however long they need us to. If he does go back on Friday then we may get an 8 week old puppy to "start" for another puppy raiser that can't take a dog so young. And hopefully we will be in team training for the may class!! Never a dull moment around here. Oh yeah...we're supposed to get somewhere between 5 & 10 inches of snow tomorrow. :mad:

We'll be in Alaska with my husband's diabetic alert dog. I'm a little concerned about shore excursions - will we be able to bring him on the excursions? I figure the ones based in the US ports we should be ok. But what about when we're in Victoria? Or if when we're in Skagway and want to do the White Pass Railway tour that has a stop in Canada?

 

Will our cruise line (Princess) be able to answer these questions since we're booking the excursions through them? I'd like to think so, but.... :-)

 

Thanks in advance!

When we did the White Pass railroad three years ago, we took our daughters service dog with us with no issues. We only went up to the Canada border and turned around though. We did a Whale watch in Juneau and also had no issues with the dog. Make sure you check with your cruise line in advance though. You may also want to try and contact the tour operators directly if you can.

Not liking this new format. :mad:

As puppy raisers we train the dogs to "go" on any any surface we can have them go on. At first, it's a treat for them to "go" on grass. The CCI trainers continue this training. As a recipient of one of these service dogs, you should also keep up this training just for reasons like airports and cruise ships. That doesn't mean that cruise lines shouldn't honor your potty box fill request. But if the dog is comfortable going on any surface , it will make life easier for all concerned until your request is fulfilled. Just my 2 cents!!

OK folks...and especially Roz! This is Tommen. He is a six month old full black lab that we are fostering for CCI. We don't know how long we will have him for. We don't have much information on him but he is a handful. He was named for a character on The Game Of Thrones. Actually all five pups in the litter have Game Of Thrones names beginning with T. I don't watch the show.

Well hi there Miss Nancy Fancy Pants

 

Caturday - ha ha! We have a caturday every day in our house! LOL!

 

Well today I dropped Miss Bonnie off to our puppy walker supervisor and she headed off to training school to be assessed. So fingers crossed that the trainer she is going to spend the next few days with will see her potential ..... If not she will come home to us and there will be no more puppy walking for me. So my heart wants her to come home and have cuddles and just have a lovely easy life with us, but my head is trying to stand firm with the hope that she will be going on to formal training and be a great life changer for someone who will love her just as much as we do!

 

Before we met with David, we went to the dentist and much as I tried there was no escape for me as the hygienist did not want to do the dog's teeth instead of mine! Bonnie was very well behaved, just lay down and watched what was going on and then had a nap while the hygienist did her worst! I was quite anxious as I couldn't see her but of course this is what blind people live with all the time - so I just placed my trust in her and she did very well. I did bring a new toy for her stuffed with her favourite doggy sweets but she looked at it and honest to goodness gave me a look "you must be joking Mum, you want me to do what, for so little reward!" She's a funny little toot, she's not very motivated by food.

 

Then we walked down a couple of very busy streets back to where I had parked the car and the only time she was a bit distracted was by a big bus pulling in right beside us on the street. And of course, there's always one person who thinks it is funny/or what I don't really know to distract the dog. This time it was a woman while we were waiting to cross the road. Honestly, some folk! And Bonnie did well as we still have some cobbled streets and old paved sidewalks which are not level at all, and all up and down, so a bit of a challenge if you can't see, so we train the dogs to stop and then the guide dog user knows there is an obstacle and to take care. In saying all this, we do have the dipped cut outs in the pavements for wheelchair users so we always cross the road using these - those old cobbles look lovely but are a real nuisance, even for the sure footed!

 

So will keep you posted on how our Bonnie gets on. The house is quiet(er) but the other three couldn't care less ....... Looked past me to see where she was, ah no Bonnie so where's our biscuits? :rolleyes:

fairbourne,

Don't let the fact that Bonnie doesn't graduate stop you from being a puppy walker. It is a very select group that ever graduates. With CCI, it's only about 30%. You are doing an amazing job with the pups. You don't have to worry about the pups that take a different career path. I'm sure there is a long list of people that want amazingly trained pets. All you need is one pup to graduate and it makes all the rest worth it. Hang in there. And tell your friend that we met on the cruise thank you.

Thank you all for your kind words. They really do mean alot. Each day is getting a little better. We did have one bright spot during this. Tuesday morning CCI called us and asked if we would be willing to "foster" a six month old puppy. His puppy raisers are having some medical issues and can't raise him for a while. He is a full black Lab.

We said YES!! We may be picking him up on Saturday or wait until February 10 when we drop off Sutter.

So it is with great sadness that I have to tell my Cruise Critic family that we had to say goodbye to my daughter's amazing service dog Orson III on Monday. The strange part was that it wasn't the cancer that ended his life. It was his heart. He collapsed early Monday morning and was out for a few minutes. he finally came to and seemed better. We rushed him to the vet and the vet said his heart didn't sound right. They were going to take x-rays but before that could happen, Orson had two seizures. The vet said he most likely had a tumor at the base of his heart and the sack around his heart was filling with blood. There was nothing they could do. So we all made the hardest decision but the kindest one. Orson drifted off to the Rainbow Bridge. It will take some time to get back to normal at my house. I still think I see him out of the corner of my eye and hear him.

John has spent 2 days on the phone and we got the permit faxed back to us today. It's a miracle!! The woman in the Bahamas was very nice and really helped us out. I'm not sure if this is a new rule that started January 1st. But to tell us 3 days before the cruise is insane. The guy from access is an idiot and very rude. I see a letter in his future. 😀

 

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Very glad you were able to get the permit. The best thing to do is get every permit there is just in case. This way there are hopefully no surprises. Have a great cruise!!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Things have been crazy busy at home and at work. Orson is doing fine. The lump on his face is a little bigger but he was just at the vet and he actually gained a pound. He still wants to work. We are getting close to turning in Sutter. (February 10) It's not gonna be a good day. Because my daughter is near the top of the list for a successor dog, CCI will not let us puppy raise until she has bonded with her new dog, whenever that is. We are hoping for the April/May class.

I think I will go w/ Orca, which is now dolphin tours, correct? B/c I think for my sister this company will be the best choice? Is there a certain time that is good, which time did you use, so far they are all open, thanks for the information :)

You are right. Orca Enterprises is now Dolphin Jet Boat Tours.

We used them last August and they were fantastic. My daughter is a full time wheelchair user. They picked us up in a van with a wheelchair lift. When we got to the dock, there was someone there to get her down to the boat. When we stopped to see whales, she was able to roll out to the back of the boat to see everything. I can't say enough about them.

And they are VERY hard to push in the sand.

We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan a few years ago. Our daughter is a full time wheelchair user and the hotel was accessible. No stairs going in and never a problem with the elevator. There are a few restaurants on the same street as the hotel. You will need to take a cab to the cruise terminal. The one by the hotel is for cruises stopping in San Juan. Your terminal is across the harbor. You can see it from the hotel.

Cindy, he was so done!!!!! He did sleep for days. He has a crate at work and took full advantage of it by going right into it the next day and I had to nudge him out of it when it came time to go potty and even to eat!

 

This might have something to do with his age too! When he was younger it was easier to bounce back!

I know just how he feels Roz!!

Well we just found out that we won't be in the February class at CCI for my daughter's successor dog. They don't have a dog that will fit her needs. So now we hope for the April/May class. That stinks because February is my slow time at work. Things start to jump in the spring and summer. But I have a very understanding boss so hopefully things will work out.

Welcome back Roz!! Glad you and Horton had a great time.

Thank you so much......His highness is at the groomers as I write this. He now gets his whiskers and tummy cut and shaved. Since his whiskers on his face are coming in gray they do detract from his handsomeness so the groomer recommended cutting them, like they do for show dogs.....Horton Jeffrey is turning into quite a diva in his old age!!!!

 

Talk to all of you after December 5th. Please take care of each other.....I'll miss you!

 

And, have a wonderful joyfilled Thanksgiving!!!!

You two have a great trip. I can't wait to hear lots of stories.

So my wife was in the grocery store with Sutter yesterday. A guy reached down and started petting Sutter. My wife politely told him that Sutter was a service dog in training and is not to be petted. She explained that if it were a person let's say on crutches and he distracted the dog, the person could get pulled over. His answer to her was...wait for it... Then maybe a person with a disability shouldn't have a service dog. Needless to say my wife was speechless. You just can't fix stupid!!