Hi. My name is Harry, I'm a Guide Dog Puppy in Training and this is my Blog.
Atherton Appeal
Harry supported Guide Dogs' appeal to equip the brand new training school for the North of England at Atherton. He was keen to help as he was to be one of the first puppies to train at the new school.
Harry was at the launch of the appeal on 7th October 2008 where he got to meet the Press. One of the newspaper articles can be seen here.
Harry went with us on a trip to the optician today.
Within a minute of our arrival he obviously felt totally at home and positioned himself where he could see everything that was going on. Instead of lying neatly next to a chair like a good Guide Dog pup should, he spread-eagled himself on the carpet – a trick he normally does at home when chewing a bone or munching on a chew stick.
He was so relaxed we half expected him to try on a pair of specs for size.
The Local Council have proposed some new parking restrictions on our street which may affect us, so today we went to the Town Hall to have a look at the plans.
Harry found the whole experience rather boring and decided the best part about the trip was the train journey home, where there was something really interesting under the seat.
Turns out he’d much rather examine a used rail ticket than do his Civic Duty.
One of the many things a Guide Dog puppy has to do is experience different types of stairs, from concrete and wooden stairs right through to indoor carpeted stairs. One of the most difficult to find are the open-tread staircases, we’ve discovered that these are mostly found inside people’s homes, but occasionally they can be located outside.
So when we came across this set of open stairs in an outdoor location we made the most of the opportunity and took Harry up and down them on a number of occasions.
Harry going up open-tread stairs
Despite the fact that they were particularly steep, Harry didn’t bat an eyelid and was so comfortable going up and down that he even managed to stop and pose for the camera on the way down.
Harry coming down open-tread stairs and posing for the camera
Harry has been to the dentist. Not the dentist for pups, but the the dentist that causes a lot of grief and anxiety to humans.
He sat patiently in the waiting room (unlike me), didn’t bat an eyelid at all the strange noises coming from the surgery (unlike me) and when it was time to go through and be examined, he showed no sign of trying to leave the premises (unlike me).
To be honest, Harry couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
This week Harry has discovered the joy of lying in front of the fire. Up until now he hasn’t shown much interest in it but he’s been getting so cold playing outside in the snow, that suddenly it’s become his new favourite place to be.
Harry’s activities this week have certainly been determined by the weather and although we’ve tried very hard to keep his routine as normal as possible, things haven’t always gone according to plan.
On the first day of snow, although we didn’t have an awful lot, Harry still had a whale of a time in the back garden when he went out for his first toilet break of the day, but when it came time to go on a training walk Harry wasn’t so sure about leaving the house.
Harry trying to get back to the front door
Due to the disruption on public transport Harry didn’t get to go to town as much as usual, or take a trip into the city, but he still went shopping with us to the local shops.
Harry also attended our regular Pilates class, but due to problems with the heating this was in a different room. Normally we anchor Harry by his lead to something sturdy, but this time there was nothing to attach him to so he was free to roam around, but he astounded us all when he calmly lay down in the corner and stayed there for an hour. He only got up once and that was so he could turn over and lie on his other side.
It hasn’t all been training though, Harry has had an awful lot of fun this week. Although the snow was strange at first, he soon got used to it and really enjoyed himself. All his usual off-lead walks were just so much more exciting, things looked so different andhe could eat it!
We were expecting to wake up to an awful lot more snow this morning, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the snow we did have, was frozen solid.
Harry’s paws have been taking bit of a bashing from all the snow and grit, but we found a solution in the pet shop. It’s a wax based product and all Harry has to do is stick each paw in the tin once before we go out and they’re protected. It also seems to give him a bit more grip on the icy pavements.
Paw protecting wax
Harry did a training walk this morning, but because the snow is such an unusual event and because he just loves playing in it so much, he got an extra free run this afternoon.
He was a lot more confident in the snow today and galloped off ahead of us. When he got to the top of the hill he turned to check were still behind him and was all, “Come on humans, hurry up, I want to PLAY!”
