Isaac has been helping me with laundry since shortly after I got him, but it's a little different in my new apartment than it was where I used to live. I don't have my own washer and dryer here, but there is a laundry room downstairs I can use. Since the laundry room is downstairs, Isaac doesn't get to pull the laundry basket to the laundry room for me, like he did in our own house. I have to carry the basket of laundry. If I don't feel able to carry it, there is a cart on wheels I can use to take the laundry downstairs.
There are two washers and dryers in the laundry room, so I can do two loads of laundry at a time. That works just fine for me, but Isaac is not a fan of it. He is usually happy to pull the clothes out of one dryer but then he thinks it should be time to rest or time to play. Sometimes I have a bit of trouble getting him to empty the second dryer.
One of the washing machines is a front loading kind, and it is actually broken at the moment. Yesterday I suggested to the apartment manager that he replace it with a machine that loads from the top. I've heard several tenants in the building say they don't like the front loading machine, and I don't like it, either. Isaac takes the wet clothes out for me, just like he does with the dryer, but he can't put clothes in it so I have to bend over to do that. Several of my neighbors have physical disabilities and find it difficult to bend over to put clothes in and take them out, and some of them can't use the machine at all. Everyone seems to prefer the top loading machine. Isaac doesn't mind getting the wet clothes out of the machine, but sometimes he drops clothes on the floor, and I don't really like my clean wet laundry falling on the laundry room floor.
Besides that fact that he has to do more work in a short period of time, Isaac also has to deal with more distractions when doing laundry in our new place. Every time he hears someone out in the hallway, he stops working and looks to see who it is. For a while, the idea of a dog that did laundry was quite a novelty for my neighbors and they all wanted to see him helping me, but of course that was an even bigger distraction. They are all pretty used to Isaac by now, though, and usually stay away from the laundry room when they hear me in there telling him to "Get it, get it, get it," over and over again.
Yesterday for some reason, Isaac wanted to play tug with everything he took out of the dryer. I was getting really annoyed. I didn't want him to put holes in my towels. At one point, he also lay down on the floor and said he was done. I had a little trouble getting him to get up and get back to work. Maybe I need to use hotdogs as treats the next time we do laundry.
I'm glad you wrote this blog entry. It is easy for me to forget how challenging the simple task of doing laundry can be for you. It's cute that Isaac helps but not so good if he gets distracted or tugs on everything he takes out of the dryer. It soumds like an exhausting task to do laundry. I'm proud of you for handling it so well and having great ideas for how to make it go smoother for you and Isaac!
ReplyDeleteIt takes a long time to do laundry with Isaac and it can be frustrating. I credit Isaac's assistance with reducing my back pain, so it's worth it to me. But it's not as simple as just tossing in a load of laundry, like it used to be once upon a time.
DeleteI think that is the case with many tasks of daily living for people with disabilities. When you don't have those challenges, so many things seem simple. Since I don't use a wheelchair, I never have to think about whether or not someplace I want to go is wheelchair accessible. But have you ever noticed how many places there are stairs? Or how many places have bathrooms with narrow doorways?
Yes there are lots of places with stairs and no elevator or narrow hallways. It must be frustrating. Hopefully most places are modifying their locations to be accessible to everyone!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many places aren't modifying their space and they get angry when you suggest they should. Even though in most cases (not all), federal law says they must be accessible. There was an article recently about how many doctor's offices are not even accessible. If patients can get into the office, they may not be able to use the bathroom there.
DeleteI also read a while back that it would cost less than $500 on average for most businesses that aren't currently accessible to become accessible. It's not like they would have to make huge, expensive modifications. But many businesses are very resistant to the idea that they should make an accommodations at all for disabled customers. They sometimes say something like, "But we don't have any disabled customers." Well, of course they don't, if disabled people cannot get into their store!
I had no idea that many places get angry at the thought of making modifications. It makes sense though that the only time I come across situations like this is when they are sued for not being ADA compliant. That is really stupid.
DeleteIt just occurred to me that there are many places I can think of that are not ADA compliant. I'm going on vacation next week to a place called Door County in Wisconsin and many of the cute shops and restaurants are on a hill and you can only emter using stairs. They are also very narrow and hard to navigate for someone who is mobility impaired or blind. I think many business owners don't think of people with different needs when they construct buildings and they have no incentive to change unless they're afraid of being sued. I wonder if there are state or federal tax incentives in place to encourage them to modify their businesses to be compliant? That would help a lot. it all comes down to money and whether they stand to gain or lose it.
DeleteTry encouraging him with a special toy that he only gets when the job is done. If he wants to stop too soon pull out the toy and tell him to finish the job. He's such a smart dog he will get it. :D
ReplyDeleteI'll try that.
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