Friday trips

Today has been a pretty good day. I did nto get down here this morning because I started a book and it is pretty good so I have been reading it during my down time. The book is called Love Leads The Way The Miracle of The Seeing Eye. Last night we had a meeting on giving our dogs freedom in the room and leaving them alone. The suggestion was to leave them alone for a few minutes and after a few times of everything going ok extend the time longer and longer. I left Shannon for a few minutes and she could have cared less. When I came back she was happy to see me wagging her tail. This morning we were going to go to the court house we walked there and it was closed. The trip this morning was probably my worst yet. There was allot of snow and being from North Carolina I'm not that great walking in snow and ice. I'm kind of afraid of falling. We get boots for our dogs for when its hot or there is salt on the ground to melt the snow. The salt is not good for a dogs paws. Shannon did not like the boots at all, she was stepping high and pulling strange in the harness for a few minutes. I was pulling back on her because of all the dang snow and she wanted to play. She was goofing off and I had to get on her at the start of the trip. After a while things began to come together but I was frustrated and that was not a good thing. I decided after lunch that I was not going to worry about it anymore, those things happen its all about building a relationship that is not always perfect. Every relationship takes work and its the same with a relationship between guide dog and handler. Shannon loves attention and is happy just getting it. She was very playful this morning and had allot of energy. I had some time after lunch and I played with her before I left for my next trip. We went to Century twenty-one a department store and worked around the store and on the escalators. I am not a fan of those things at all, I went up with Shannon and I was some what unsure. We got off and she was wagging her tail so hard and every bit of anxiety I had went right away. We did it a few more times and she did wonderful. Her clearences in all the stores we have been in are wonderful, she didn't even try to sniff walking through the pet store yesterday which totally amazed me. My last guide dog would sniff every chance she got. Her work was wonderful getting there and back, the only thing is she bumped me into that same durn parking meter. Its really becoming a joke, its out a little further than the rest. There are like five of them on this one block but for some reason if I'm to bump into any of them its that same durn one. I could have not been happier with the trip this afternoon. Shannon was such a good girl and totally amazing in the store. She is relaxing by my chair as I type this, I can't even put into words how wonderful this girl truly is. When we came back she was wanting to play and being goofy, flipping upside down and rolling around on the floor. She is always so happy and that really makes me smile. She is even happy working and smiling all the way. Not sure what is going to happen tomorrow. I saw on facebook that its snowing at my house, I kind of wish I was at home to enjoy it. Muffin is doing wonderful which totally makes me happy. I'm going to relax and probably read some more of this book. Until next time.