There are places to which perhaps it is better not to take a guide dog. Reluctant to leave Suki at home for four or five hours by herself, I decided to take her with me to a benefit concert at a pub. Suki rode quietly and comfortably in the car on the 45-minute trip there, but once we got there I began to have reservations about my decision. The pub was crowded since the event was very well attended, and it was difficult to find a place for Suki between the tables and chairs where people would not step on her paws and tail. (Guide dog owners quickly become well aware of the different kinds of tables and chairs in restaurants: those you can stuff a dog underneath to sleep quietly and those you cannot.) Suki also was not sure what to do about the phenomenon of my being separated from her and going up to that high brightly lit place to sit where there were all those poles standing and black spaghetti all over the floor. And what the hell was that noisy thing I was holding and playing with in my lap? And instead of talking to her, I was making these strange noises loud enough for everyone to hear...! Bewildered, she struggled to make her way among the tables to get to me. I quickly rounded her up, since I was afraid that people would start to slip her pretzels, and got her settled under the table as best as I could. She was well behaved and admired by all, but having already been through a day of walking around Nahariya and a run in the afternoon, was mainly bent on sleeping. I imagine if I had left her at home she would have simply slept the evening away. Moral of the story: it’s sometimes better to let sleeping dogs lie and take a cane along instead...
We woke up at 6:00 this morning to pouring rain. Longing for another hour’s sleep after the late night, I bent the rules a bit by taking |Suki out directly near the house rather than trudge to the usual spot in the orchard, and then crawled back into bed again, remembering I had to buy one of those super absorbent cloths that we had on the course for drying off wet paws and fur.
Continuing clicker training, I have tried to work on “kisay”. Suki finds one place on the couch, but seems a bit confused when I place something on it and occupy one seat and try to get her to locate another empty one. Walking around the moshav this afternoon I knew we were approaching a corner where there are benches to sit. I told Suki “Kisay!” and presto! She walked up to the bench and put her nose on it! It seems this dog is capable of assimilating the rather abstract idea that a couch and a bench are both places to sit. There is probably room in the little hard disk of hers for a lot more.
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