I must be a little ill.

I'm not sure what happened to me this morning. I'm still a bit frightened and confused, and I'm glad Bracha is next to me, comforting me and talking softly to me and telling me everything is OK. Suddenly I started running all over the living room and then, well I don't remember much. Bracha told me that I had a "sees-your". I'm not sure what that means, but she explained that it looks like I have a disease called epilepsy. Saoirse had that, and she took special pills for it. Then Bracha called Ami to tell him, and Ami was very sympathetic and said that if I needed to take medicine it was OK. I can still do everything I always to, and Bracha reassured me and told me that she still loves me and I will always be her guide dog. Afterwards I was still frightened and disoriented, and stood at the edge of the patio barking at Bracha and not sure what to do. Then I went to sleep for a while. I feel so bad, but I guess this is something that is beyond my control. As long as I can be Bracha's guide dog and do what I am supposed to do, I'll be OK.

Hey, are those Adidas?

One cannot remain annonymous when walking with my red shoes on. The moment we walked out of the train station the comments started:
"Hey, are those Adidas?"
"Wow, look at those!"
"Hey, look, that dog has shoes!"
And on and on. I think Bracha gets a bit tired of it and simply ignores most of them, but after I made my way through Azrieli and for the first time found my way out of the center and onto the pedestrian bridge, one woman started up and we got a good laugh. First she asked the woman next to her why I had shoes. The woman didn't know. Bracha couldn't resist. They were, after all, talking about me as if she were not even there and could not hear.
"If you want to know, you can ask me directly, you know."
"Why does your dog have shoes?"
Bracha explained that the shoes were to protect my feet from the hot sidewalks.
The woman considered this. "But, up till now they (dogs) never complained..."
We goth chuckled to ourselves. The time of dogs being silent is over! Hooray!

Now I have to tell you about my new swimming place. The river is just about dried up and is nothing more than a muddy trickle. But wow! The fence around the reservour is, well, not quite intact, so we made our way in! Now Nuala and I can swim! What fun!

Real Shoes!

Wow! My new shoes arrived just in time for our trip to Tel Aviv. I'm so happy and proud! These are real shoes with rubber soles, so Bracha doesn't have to keep taking them on and off all the time. My other ones are torn and all worn out. So yesterday we went to Tel Aviv and I wore them all morning - on the train, up the moving stairs, out to the bus stop, and on the street! And after Bracha photographed them, we discovered that they have reflectors on them, too! Thank you, Yariv, for suggesting them!


Now I have to tell you about the taxi driver whom we met coming home from the train station last night. He was standing outside the exit to the train station and we had never met him before. He asked if I was quiet and Bracha assured him that I know how to behave nicely in a taxi, and would only sit on the floor. He opened the back door and I slipped in between the seats. He explained that he usually does not take dogs. "But sometimes when it's necessary, I make an exception." He explained that he was an observant Moslem, and that if a dog licks his hand he would have to wash his hands seven times to be clean again. Bracha said she understood, and that she was pleased at his willingness to understand the necessity of taking guide dogs. So if he can take a dog in his cab, even if his religion says dogs are unclean, why do others make such feeble excuses?

Dog Days

I'm not sure why they call hot July days dog days. They are not fit for dogs at all. I've worn through one or two of my shoes, and Bracha puts them on me all the time. There's just no going out without them. And I'm always at my water bowl.

But I've gotten used to lying on the patio at home and trying to keep cool. I've even stopped barking when Bracha leaves me there for a short time. I know she'll come back. Bracha praised me for this and I know why: she never liked it when I barked when I was alone in the house.

Now, there has been a lot of talk about discrimination against us in the past week. People's patience grows thin particularly when it's hot and difficult to be out. Within a short time in the drug store we were accosted by one woman who told Bracha to make me sit down because she was afraid of me, one who gave the old snide remark of "I didn't know they allowed dogs in here," to which a child, who was evidently more in the know than she was, said, "It's a guide dog." By the time we had gotten out of there, Bracha had heard enough. So when we got to the little restaurant where we always have humus and I sit quietly under the table, Bracha's fuse was, well, a bit short. This time we had no intention of sitting outside because it was very hot and there was no shade outside. So we went in. It was a bit crowded and the waitress told Bracha, "You can't sit inside, there are people here and food. You'll have to sit outside."
"It's too hot to sit outside, and I can sit inside with my guide dog. It's the law," explained Bracha. If you like I'll show you the law." The owner, who knows us, looked out from behind the counter. He gave one firm order: "Anyone who doesn't like the dog in here can sit outside." And that was the end of that. Apologies were given and we had a very nice meal.

Now, I know that Bracha is hot too, and she and Rotem went to the pool in Ben Ami to swim and cool off. She left me at home. She explained to me that there was no place that was cool and comfortable where I could stay like there is at the pool in Evron where we go often,, and I would only be hot and unhappy. So in the evening she filled my little pool up, and I got a swim, too! I guess that's fair.

The Invisible Dog

Sometimes people are strange. They realize that they've made a mistake and tell Bracha that I'm not allowed somewhere, or that I need a muzzle, or that I have to wait outside. But this was by far the strangest way to weasel out of a blunder I've ever seen.
We were just coming into the bus station in Haifa where the busses let everyone off. This is always a tricky place because the busses don't always stop next to the curb, and then we have to find our way through the people to the security guard. This time there was a woman there.
"Giveret, you have to put a muzzle on your dog."
"No," Bracha says, "She's a guide dog. She doesn't need a muzzle."
The guard looked confused. She stammered and stuttered for a while and then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see the dog."
So am I invisible?

That aside, it's hot! A day in Tel Aviv is hard for both of us, and walking in the streets is difficult, even with my brightly colored shoes. Bracha stops to give me water all the time. And I'm still thirsty. I inch to one side of the pavement looking for a way to get out of the sun, and when we get on a bus I lay down and luxuriate in the cool air. And we still have all of August and September to go! Even the river is all dried up. All that's left is a pathetic little muddy pool. Thank goodness I have my pool and Bracha's ice cubes to help me cool off!

Working in the Summer

Suddenly summer is here! Walking outside when you are a dog with bare footpads and fur is no simple matter. It's hot! Bracha offers me water constantly and we've even taken out my shoesv because I've started to find that I just can't stand still at stoplights. I shuffle and trot back and forth, forward and backward, trying to get my paws off the ground! It looks like I'm dancing, but I'm really very uncomfortable. Shoes are the only answer.

Now we have a new fence. I can sit on the patio all day and lie wherever I like. It's a good solution for me because I know that if I'm given the opportunity, I'll be off into the orchard looking for a snack. Even after a discipline lesson of sitting quietly in the yard, coming when Bracha calls me, and sitting in place, I still end up trotting off. For me food is just too tempting.

Tomorrow beach? Please?????

Being Very Good and Very Naughty

I did it! We found the entrance to the train station in the dark! It was already late when we got out of Rotem's dance recital and I was feeling very relieved to get outside. I lay very quietly in the aisle next to Bracha's seat in the auditorium and it was the first time I have ever sat through a show like that where there are so many people. It was already late and when we got on the bus Bracha asked the driver to fix the public address system which was calling out all the wrong stops. Everyone helped us get off at the right place and I headed right for the place where you go into the train station through the tunnel. We got confused only once, and then we were inside and on the platform on time. I even got a chance to have my customary drink of water at the cooler before we got on the train and I settled down to sleep.
But I must admit that I did one naughty thing. Yaniv put a tray of shnitzel on the coffee table and before I could say "pure bred golden retriever I had snatched one! Even more irresistable than avocados! Bracha took it away from me and scolded me and I knew I was wrong. Why do people put things like that in places where I will be tempted?

So now we have two new items: one is a plastic muzzle that Bracha puts on me just when I run in the avocados. She figures that it's preferable for me to wear a muzzle and be able to run in the avocado orchard without eating fruit, than to be tied up on a leash all the time and not be able to run free. I don't like it, but it solves the problem. The other is the fence. No more breaking out!
Here I am getting my beauty treatment. My fur still looks great and I feel much better with all that hear off.