We Interrupt Your Regular Alfie Programming...

...for a shameless plug of Alfie's predecessor, Dakota, featured in this great news story!   We raised him as a guide dog for GDTX, but later he was career changed for diabetic alert work and we were able to do his basic scent training before he went to work with his new partner, Ben.  He'll always have a unique place in our hearts (yes -- have to admit, I cried to see him again!), yet we're glad to be able to share him.  Dakota and Ben seem to be made for each other!


I'll leave you with a cute Alfie picture so he doesn't feel too left out...

It's my blog, after all!...

Well, I guess it IS nice to be related to somedoggy famous.

You Know You Have a Retriever When...

...sitting down watching TV for an hour in the evening, you wind up with a haul like this at your feet!

Behold the King of Fetching!

This just seems to be something Alfie does when he's bored (guess he doesn't share our taste in movies)...and trying really hard to get your attention.  Last night I was all wrapped up in the show when I noticed his scruffy little face, depositing a shoe ever-so-delicately on my chair.  So I tell him thanks and give him an ear scratch, still engrossed in the show...then the next thing you know, he's disappeared again.  A few minutes later, he's baaaack...this time giving Tim the other shoe of the pair!  Then, he gives Charissa a sock...and on and on.  I do think that last night's 4 matched pairs of shoes, and a pair and a half of socks, is his current record! He ended up being funnier than our movie, I think!

Of course this is only a thinly-disguised variation on one of his favorite games, "I've-got-your-stuff-catch-me-if-you-can!"  (A game we strongly discourage, by the way.) Since we'd rather have him bring stuff to us than run away with it, we always act really excited about his "gifts"... and if you know Alfie at all you know he's a total attention sponge.

Although...note to self:  Make sure the closets are closed before you start the movie next time!

White Coat Syndrome?

Yesterday was Alfie's annual checkup.  He was due for a couple of booster shots as well as routine tests to make sure he didn't have parasites (he didn't, yay!) 


Alfie's always done fine at the vet.  He's well-behaved -- a little apprehensive (licking his nose more than usual, etc.), but nothing too severe.  But yesterday afternoon was different.  Since we live right on the edge of town, our vet is a country vet who sees all kinds of emergencies as well as handling more routine stuff.  Yesterday as we walked in, I realized they must be slammed with emergencies. They were very full, all the techs were busy, and it was much more chaotic than usual.  In addition to all kinds of crazy animal noise from the various exam rooms, there was even some kind of angry family squabble that you could hear going on (yikes!)  Alfie crouched down to half his normal height and pressed into me, panting and obviously anxious.  I've always heard that you should try not to be extra-reassuring to anxious dogs, as they'll feel their worry is justified.  So I tried to "act normal," but I couldn't help noticing Alfie just wasn't himself.  

 Well, I ask you:  do you like going to the doctor?!

Unfortunately, the busy office meant that our appointment was delayed, and Alfie's anxiety had time to "develop."  When we finally got into an exam room and the tech took his temperature, she looked at me with some alarm.  "Well, how long has he been sick?  Has he been eating okay?" she wanted to know, adding, "His temperature is three and a half degrees over normal!"  I assured her that he'd been fine, and his appetite certainly wasn't suffering...but tried to explain that Alfie seemed to be reacting to the stressful environment.  She agreed, but pointed out that in her experience that usually didn't raise their temperature more than a degree or so!  They finally asked me if I'd be willing to wait a while with him, and see if he improved...obviously, they didn't want to give him any shots if he really was sick!


I know Alfie, and I knew he wasn't sick, just stressed out!  I wasn't sure how long it would take him to recover, though.  But I decided to wait and see if he improved.  We went to the very end room, closed the door, and settled in.  Slowly, things quieted down out front.  I sure wished I'd brought my own book to read...with a sigh, I grabbed their stack of reading material.  By the time I'd gotten through Cat Fancy, Alfie was lying on the floor, his chin on my foot.  By the time I finished Dog Fancy, learning more than I ever wanted to know about everything from Otterhounds to Obesity, Alfie was lying on his side (head still on my foot...of course!)  As the clinic got quieter and quieter, I worked through a nasty assortment of graphic material on heartworms and hookworms.  Bleah!  At long last, our tech returned, and the verdict was...his temp had dropped three degrees!!  Even I was surprised.  They were able to finish his checkup and give him his shots.


Happily, everything else was routine.  The vet praised Alfie's manners, as well as his "beautiful ears, teeth, and coat"  (hooray!)  He was also happy with his weight and fitness.  So, all in all, a good checkup!  

                          Two paws up for a good report card!


It just seemed crazy to me, though, that Alfie could have such a marked physical reaction to his surroundings.  Has anyone else ever had this experience?  I'd be interested in your comments, if so!  I think next year I will try to schedule his appointment first thing in the morning, and see if the clinic is quieter.  I could also try taking him there when he doesn't have a checkup, giving him treats and positive reinforcement, to help desensitize him a bit.  Still, if it's another crazy day like yesterday, he might just have his fears confirmed!


In the meantime, all is back to normal.  Some of you will remember that last year in the spring, I started working with Alfie on trailing/tracking, with the possibility in mind of eventually working with him to find lost pets.  Several things have come up that have made the "lost pet" venture impractical...but, if anything, I've gotten more interested in tracking!  I've been doing some research into local classes that teach "formal," or AKC tracking, and am now exploring that option.  It turns out that, although labradoodles are considered "mixed breed" dogs by the AKC, they can still participate in competitive tracking as part of the Canine Partners program.  I think this would be a great goal for us to work for!  And, Alfie's always game for a new challenge.  Stay tuned!

Day at the Park

Easter weekend was the perfect time for the family to go to a new park...we've been to Doling park before, actually, but it's been closed for renovations since last summer.  We loved the beautiful new landscaping, tranquil pond, and scenic walkways.  We  enjoyed the flocks of ducks and geese.  Alfie didn't even attempt to chase them...though, if he'd been off leash, I'm sure it would've been a different story!  Loved this neat cave (below), and a plaque explaining the history of the site.

As usual, Alfie attracted lots of attention.  In general -- whoever sees Alfie loves him, and he loves them right back.  A good arrangement.  It's interesting how Alfie interacts with people in public; he is good at scaling his enthusiasm up or down to fit the individual.  (At home, he's much more excitable!)  When we meet people who seem confident and dog-experienced, he's definitely a little bouncier, a little more excited.  With young children, he puts his head down to their level and controls himself, not wagging too hard (maybe he doesn't want to scare them away!)  With senior citizens, he will stand quite still and careful.  What a good boy!


People always are curious to know what kind of dog he is.  I heard a new one at the park this time:  a little boy pointed at Alfie and, looking up to his dad, asked, "Hey, what kind of dog is that?  A Doberman?"  












Hmm...maybe if he changed his fur?


Have a good week, everyone!

Spring Has Sprung!

Not too long ago, Alfie was enjoying the snow.

But toward the end of January, as his fur got thicker and thicker, I was no longer sure we had a dog!  Perhaps a bear?

All those curls are extremely cute and huggable...but I was getting so tired of brushing all the time. So I took my clipper blades in for a little seasonal sharpening, and once the weather warmed up, I went to work!

Alfie was really quite patient with it all.  Once I got going, I couldn't believe how much he shrank!  He started to look like a puppy again!  The funny thing is that when I got him to this stage (below), my neck started bugging me and I just had to call it a day.  The neighbors must have gotten a good laugh when I let him out in the yard that night.

Umm...this is embarrassing...

Never fear, I got him finished the rest of the way in good time.  Now we know for sure that spring's here:  the daffodils are in full bloom...

...and Alfie looks like himself again!

I'll leave you with this fun video of Alfie at one of his favorite games:  we call it stair fetch.  He uses the stairs to full advantage! (Please ignore rambling voices off camera!)

[video of Alfie at the top of the stairs; Charissa is off camera down the short flight of eight stairs and throws the ball up for Alfie to fetch.  It bounces around into the upstairs bedrooms and each time she throws it, he brings it back, then drops it down the stairs so it'll roll down the stairs to her to be thrown again!]

In Praise of Snow Boots

When it snowed last week, I thought Alfie would be cold and maybe even avoid going outside.  I know he's got long fur, but when the wind blows it can part it right to the skin -- brr!  But, basically, Alfie proved that he's a lot tougher than me when it comes to cold weather.  He loved the snow.

He snorfled in it and ate it until his whiskers were white...

...went exploring the whole yard as if it were new, digging up sticks and leaves to play with...

...even (gasp!) lay down in the snow for a little snooze!  

All day he was in and out, in and out...never wanting to stay inside too long.  Reminded me of a little kid!  Well...if any of you readers have experienced this, you'll know what it led to:  snowballs developing in between his toes.  I'd clean them off every time he came in, then he'd go out and get more. Ack! 

Time to get out the snow boots!  When we bought these, the weather was warmer and they were on sale.  They're nothing fancy or professional, just basic and functional.

One thing you must know about me:  I am not, repeat not, a person who enjoys dressing up my dog!  So this was all about keeping his feet snowball-free.  I'd gotten them remembering the blizzard we had here last winter...this winter has been much milder, but hey, a dog has to be prepared!  Here he is, all dressed up:

Snazzy or silly?  Time for some product testing...

We put them on inside first.  He pranced around high-stepping for a few minutes, then seemed to settle in all right.  Out he went into the snow, and it took only a few moments for him to realize, wow, he had really good grip with them on!  If he liked the snow before, he loved it now -- he zoomed around the yard faster and faster in giant circles, zigzagging and bounding through the snow.  It was hilarious!  They stayed on really well with their velcro closure and were clearly a big hit.  So -- yep -- these boots get a resounding 4 paws up from the Alf.

But wait, there's more!  Alfie loved the boots so much, in fact, that he didn't want us to take them off when he came back in.  The whole main level of our house has hardwood floor and he's never been able to run around without skidding.  With the boots, though, he was unstoppable -- he circled through the kitchen, careened past the dining room, raced through the living room--around and around again, with the greatest of ease.  Show-off!  When we finally did take them off and left them behind closed doors in the sunroom, he asked to go out -- only to run in to the sunroom, grab his boots, and bring them to us so we could put them back on again!  Finally, to stop him incessantly asking to go out, I brought the boots inside the kitchen to dry, putting them on the top of the fridge.  Charissa and I were watching tv a few minutes later when we heard a strange scrabbling sound accompanied by some rather pathetic vocalization...went in to the kitchen to investigate, and sure enough, there Alfie was on his hind legs, looking longingly up at the top of the fridge!

...And, nope, I'm not getting anything from EthicalPet for this endorsement, although I think I should!  

Think we'll get any more snow this winter?!

Sous Chef, Revisited

Last night Charissa and I were baking, and just as I got my yummy pumpkin-oat-nut muffins in the oven, I realized--oops--not enough flour left for Charissa to make her World's Best dark-chocolate-mint-chip cookies.  Rats -- time for a trip to the corner store.  Grabbing our coats, we dashed out the door.  This should've been just a quick trip, but you know how it is...you get to the store and, wandering down the aisles in quest of flour, you see just the perfect gift for this person...something else you'd forgotten you needed...and on and on.  Perhaps there is no such thing as a quick trip to the store, especially at Christmas!

Only as we were checking out, which was rather too late, did it occur to us that the muffins were probably going to be wayyy overdone (read: torched) by the time we got back.  The timer I'd set only beeps once -- no second chances.  Sure, Tim was home, but he'd be the first to tell you he's not known for his kitchen skills. Plus, if he'd been in another room, he probably wouldn't have even heard it go off.  I hadn't thought to call him, and now there was no real point.  Bemoaning our muffin losses, we headed back.

Walking in, though, a delicious (as opposed to burnt) smell greeted us, and we saw two dozen beautiful muffins happily cooling on the counter. 

"Oh my goodness, Tim, you did take them out!  I thought you wouldn't hear the timer!"

"Um, yeah, I guess I must've heard it, but it didn't really register that it was your kitchen timer until Alfie ran over to the stove and barked..."  Apparently Alfie, who does rather have a way of insisting, made it quite clear that this was Something Important and Tim should Do Something! 

Good Dog.

Saving the world, one muffin at a time.

Will accept medals of honor, treats, and tummy rubs...