Sick Service Dog

Isaac has been sick for the past week and a half.  Well, sort of.  He threw up six times over a nine-day period.  Other than when he was throwing up, he appeared to feel OK. 

I've spent what feels like a lot of time cleaning up dog puke.  We've made three trips to the vet.  We finally figured out what was going on and (I think, I hope) have a handle on it.

On our second visit to the vet, an x-ray showed what appeared to be a small piece of bone in his stomach.  The piece was apparently too large for him to vomit up and too large to pass on through his intestine.  An ultrasound was scheduled for the following day to get a better look.

Well, the following day, the piece of bone was no longer in the stomach.  It had made its way at last into the small intestine.  That was yesterday.

Now we are waiting to see if it will continue making its way through Isaac's intestines and, um, on out.  The vet is hopeful.  If it doesn't, that will mean it causes a bowel obstruction which can be deadly and requires prompt surgical treatment.

He hasn't vomited in three days and he is active and pooping normally today.  No bone yet, but no symptoms of an obstruction.  Maybe tomorrow.

Moving to Nebraska

I moved to Nebraska for several reasons.

I needed to move.  My landlord in Ohio was doing a number of things wrong, including calculating my rent incorrectly so that I was being charged more than I should have been.  I'll note that the landlord disputes this.  We are awaiting the court's ruling on the matter.

Anyway.  It was intolerable living where I was.  I needed to move.

Why Nebraska?  Everyone asks me that.

I had the following criteria when looking for a place to go:

1. I needed to be able to move as soon as possible.  That's a biggie when you are in subsidized housing.  Many places have waiting lists, anywhere from a year or two up to five years or more.  I couldn't wait a year.

2.  I refused to consider anyplace with an average temperature that was colder than the average temp where I lived in Ohio.  Warmer would have been nice, but I'd settle for the same.  But not colder.

3.  I had to know someone living nearby.  I wasn't moving to a far way state where I knew absolutely no one.

4.  I wanted to be out in the country.  I wanted to live in a rural area.

Those are the objective criteria.  There was a fifth thing, but it's harder to explain.  The place had to feel good to me.

I ended up settling on Nebraska because I found subsidized housing with no waiting list.  I also knew a couple people in the area and the internet told me the average temps were the same as where I'd lived in Ohio. 

The internet neglected to mention the wind in Nebraska, as did my friends in the area.  32 in Nebraska doesn't feel like 32 back in Ohio because in the winter and spring, it is windy here.  The howling wind woke me up at night for the first few weeks I lived here, it is so loud.  So it might be 32 degrees out but the wind makes it feel like it's 12.  Sure, there's windchill in Ohio, but not like this.

I asked one friend why no one mentioned the wind to me and she looked at me like I was nuts and said, "Doesn't everyone know it's windy in Nebraska?"

Well, no.  Apparently not.  About half the people I told I was moving to Nebraska didn't even know where Nebraska is.  They would ask me, "Where is Nebraska, anyway?"  If people don't even know where the state is, how would people know it's windy there?

Even with the wind, I like it.

I live in a small town, population about 1,600.  People are friendly, helpful.  I like the sky.  I like the light.  Isaac and I go for long hikes across the prairie.  I like the wildlife.  Yesterday I had to stop my car to allow a flock of wild turkeys to cross the road.

There have been a lot of challenges.  Things have not all gone as planned.  Sometimes I worry that moving was a mistake.

But I like it here.  I like my apartment.  I have big windows that Isaac and Whiskers both enjoy looking out.  I have tons of closet space and a big pantry in the kitchen.  My living room is bigger than my living room/dining room area was back in Ohio.  I am growing herbs in pots in the living room window.

It took Isaac a little while to settle in.  Whiskers felt at home immediately.  And me?  I mostly feel at home now.

Service Dog Slumber Party

A couple weeks ago, Isaac and I took a short trip to Kansas with my friend and her service dog Jake.  Jake's mom had to go to a business thing and Isaac and I went along for the drive.

Isaac and Jake are good buddies.  They love to play tug, so both myself and Jake's mom packed toys to tug with for this trip.

We got to our hotel about 9 pm.  Jake's mom and I were both tired.  Jake and Isaac were tired too, but not too tired to play. 

Isaac really loves tug and he hasn't had a chance to play tug for quite a while.  I think not since we last saw Jamie at our old dog park in Ohio.  For some reason, Isaac never wanted to tug with Daisy or Lulu.  Probably just because they were not particularly interested in tugging.  But Isaac and Jamie would play tug for an hour if given the chance.

And so they tugged.

We finally got them to settle down about 11 pm for bed. 

Before bed, though, I took both dogs outside to go potty.  Isaac found a nice bush to pee on and of course Jake wanted to pee there too.  While Isaac was still peeing, Jake sidled up beside him, kind of like he was parallel parking or something, and lifted his leg.  I pulled on Isaac's leash to get him to move just in time.  Otherwise, Jake would have peed right on him!

So after peeing, we went back inside and got the dogs settled down for bed.  Jake slept in bed with his mom but Isaac doesn't like to sleep with me, so I put a blanket on the floor for him.  And soon everyone was asleep.

Until 1:30 am, when Isaac woke me up insisting he had to pee.  I tried to tell him it had only been a couple hours since we went out, but he didn't care. 

You know why he had to pee already?  Because earlier he and Jake slurped up a lot of toilet water.  That's right, as soon as we got into the hotel room, Jake went right to the bathroom and helped himself to a long drink.  Isaac thought that was a fine idea so he had a good long drink when Jake was done.

So.  I got out of bed and took Isaac out to pee, as quietly as possible, because I didn't want to disturb Jake or his mom.

After Isaac peed for a really long time, we went back to the room.  I opened the door as quietly as possible, felt my way inside in the dark, and removed Isaac's leash.  I tiptoed toward my bed.

Isaac, on the other hand, ran toward the bed where Jake and his mom were sleeping.  He leapt onto the bed and pounced on Jake. 

Of course, this woke both Jake and his mom.  Isaac explained that he wanted to play and Jake thought that was a fine idea, so he jumped off the bed and chaos ensued.

We finally got them settled down again and everyone went back to sleep.

The next thing I knew, Isaac was telling me he wanted to go out.  I told him it wasn't time yet, but Jake's mom said actually it was, she had to get up and get ready to go to her business thing.   After a quick trip out to pee, the boys were back at it again.

Isaac had a very good time.  He says he loves slumber parties with his buddy Jake!

When the Service Dog Sneaks a Sniff

Yesterday while my car was at the tire repair place, Isaac and I walked over to a convenient store to get some coffee. 

While I was trying to get the lid on my coffee cup, Isaac tried to sneak a sniff of the woman standing next to me, getting her coffee. I corrected him and she said, "Oh, he probably smells my dog." I said I was sure he did, but he knows he's not supposed to sniff people in stores, he can sniff at home.

About that time, an employee approached me and asked if he was a SD. I said he was and she said "I wasn't sure since I didn't see a tag, but he is so well-behaved I thought he must be." 

I said, "he's well-behaved except for sneaking a sniff," and she laughed and said she once saw a drug dog hit on a lunch box because there was beef jerky in it. She said "That just goes to show you, they are still dogs."

I was thinking either there was something else in that lunch box with the beef jerky or else that drug dog needs retrained, but I just said "My dog would probably alert to beef jerky in a lunch box too!"

Hotels and Service Dogs

Hotels fall under Title 3 of the ADA, just like Walmart does.  That means they must allow service dogs and, just like at Walmart, hotels can only ask if a dog is a service dog and what tasks the dog is trained to do.  For some reason, people sometimes think hotels would be different and that hotels can ask for some sort of documentation, but that's not the case.

On my recent trip, I stayed in two hotels. At the first hotel, I had Isaac with me, in his vest, when I was checking in. The clerk explained to me that there was a $10 pet fee.

I explained to her that he was a SD so there is no pet fee for him.

She turned around and asked a coworker, "Do we charge a pet fee for service dogs?"

I was about to tell her that she doesn't since the Dept of Justice says she's not allowed but her coworker told her they don't, so it was fine.  I've been charged pet fees several times at hotels but they've always corrected it and removed the fee when I tell them they aren't supposed to charge a fee for a service dog.

At the second hotel, again I had Isaac with me in his vest and the clerk asked "Any pets?" I said, "No, just my service dog" and she knew not to charge a pet fee.

Update on the Whisker Cat

Whiskers did not enjoy the move to Nebraska one bit.  What I mean is, she did not enjoy the drive.  She was sedated nicely for the trip but she would wake up from time to time, realize she was still in the car, remember she did not like it, and yowl for a few minutes before going back to sleep.

Once she got to the new apartment, though, she was fine.  She loves the big windows that look out on the parking lot because there is a lot more to look at than there was in our old place.  Isaac likes them, too.

Whiskers is on a diet because she now weighs a little over 12 lbs.  She is actually not unhappy about the diet.  She is generally a happy cat.

Packing

Me (trying to pack): Geez, Isaac, why do we need so much stuff to go away for a week?

Isaac: Don't ask me. I'd be fine without half this crap. I don't need the nail clippers, the ear cleaner, the tooth brush, the comb...."

What's New?

I haven't blogged in a long time.  Lots has been going on, I've been busy, and I guess I just haven't felt like blogging.

What's new?

• I moved.  I move to Nebraska.  I've been here almost three months now and I like it a lot but wow.  What a change!  Why I moved is kind of a long story and it will be a post of its own.
• Next week I am going to court, small claims court, suing my former landlord for a number of things.  I will wait to write about it until after the case is heard, but part of it relates to my service dog and part of it relates to being disabled.  It's why I moved, or at least a big part of why.
• Isaac got a scratch on his eyeball and his eye got infected.  He's fine now but he had to get antibiotic eye drops and some other eye drops and he did not care for that at all.  
• Whiskers is on a diet.  She has officially been declared a fat cat and our new vet here in Nebraska recommended she go on a diet.  She actually doesn't seem to mind too much.
• I have perfected a new dog treat recipe, Chicken and Apple flavor treats.  I'll share the recipe in a later post.

Follow Up on the Access Dispute at the Nursing Home

I recently wrote about going to visit a former neighbor at the nursing home where he now lives. 

The following morning, I called and asked to speak with the director of nursing.  It took two days to actually get to speak with her and by then the nurse that had denied me access had already shared her side of the story with her boss.

The director of nursing told me that they had had someone bring a pet dog to the nursing home recently and the pet dog bit someone in the dining room.  After that, staff were told not to let dogs in the dining room, but that edict was not meant to refer to service dogs, only to pets.  She said the nurse in question did not understand this and thought that no dogs were allowed.

I believe the nurse thought she was right.  However, she was really rude about it and I did stress that to the director of nursing.

The director of nursing told me there was a staff meeting already scheduled for the end of the week and that she would be adding the topic of service dogs to the agenda.

You Can't Pet That Dog!

Today at the grocery store there were two young girls, maybe 8 and 10, doing cartwheels in the frozen food aisle. When Isaac and I walked by them, I heard one of them say "Oh, look at the dog!"

The other girl spoke right up and said "You can't pet that dog, that's a service dog!" I love it when kids know that.

Although I do think the frozen food aisle is not the best place to do cartwheels.

You'd Think a Nurse Would Know Better

This evening I had a rather unpleasant access dispute when I went to visit a former neighbor at the nursing home where he now lives. Another neighbor went with me and we have been to this nursing home to visit before with no problem. The person we were visiting was in the dining room finishing his dinner when we arrived and a nurse immediately stepped in front of me and said "The dog isn't allowed in here."

I told her he is a service dog so he is allowed and she proceeded to argue with me, loudly. She said if the health department would show up, they would get in trouble. I said no, he's a service dog so you would not get in trouble. She said it was nursing home policy. I said the ADA is a federal law that says service dogs are allowed and the nursing home can't have a policy that violates federal law. I offered to pull up the Dept of Justice website on my phone so she could read it for herself and she refused, saying it doesn't matter, it's their policy.

Her objection, it seemed, was to the idea of my SD walking into the dining room, not being in the facility altogether. I tried to explain that he is allowed in restaurants and places like that because he is a service dog and the Dept of Justice says he is allowed but she was not listening. I want to add that he has been in the dining room of this very nursing home before with no issue.

She  then walked away from me but continued arguing really loudly from across the room and it was causing a real scene.

I told the neighbor I'd gone there with to stay and visit as long as he liked, that Isaac and I would wait for him outside. I told the nurse that I would call and speak to her supervisor in the morning. And I went outside and sat on a bench to wait for my neighbor.

A few minutes later, the nurse came outside. She said, "I'm not sure how to ask this without seeming rude...."
I told her, "You've already been rude, so it's kind of late to worry about that."

She asked if Isaac was my service dog or if I was training him. I said he was mine. Then she said, "Oh, I didn't know that! That's different! You can come back in."

Then she told me I don't look like there is anything wrong with me and I told her that as a nurse, surely she knows not all disabilities are visible.

I am not sure but I suspect a coworker said something to her when I left. Perhaps she thought she better come tell me I was allowed in after all, so she wouldn't get in trouble. She did apologize and I thanked her for her apology, but I told her I still plan to call her supervisor in the morning and that I am going to suggest they provide some training for all the nursing staff.

Can He Talk?

Today at the food pantry, a little boy about three years old asked me, very politely, if he could pet Isaac. I said he could and told Isaac "go say hi," which is the command that lets him know it is OK to socialize.

When he heard me tell Isaac to say hi, the little boy's eyes got very wide and he asked, sounding awestruck, "Can this dog talk?"

What Would Happen?

At the doctors office the other day:

Another patient in the waiting room (reading the "please don't pet me, I'm working" patch on Isaac's vest): What would happen if I pet him?

Me: I would tell you to knock it off.

Other patient: Oh.

I Am Not Inspired by Morgan Inspiration Island

Have you read about the new water park in Texas designed for children with disabilities?  It's called Morgan Inspiration Island, I guess because people with disabilities are supposed to inspire non-disabled people, you know.

While everyone is all excited about an accessible, inclusive water park, remember that this means other water parks are inaccessible, exclusive. And this one is sort of exclusive too since it's being advertised as being for kids with disabilities, instead of for all kids. Apparently kids with disabilities need their very own water park, instead of being able to enjoy whatever water park is near their home.

Would the response be the same if a new water park was opened for African American kids? Or for Jewish kids? Or for any other group? Why segregate the kids with disabilities in their very own water park instead of demanding all parks be accessible - you know, like the federal law says they should be anyway?

Regular People

A friend of mine posted on Facebook about her kitten going into heat.  Someone advised her to call the vet first thing in the morning and get that kitty spayed ASAP.  My friend replied that she has to wait a couple weeks until she will have the money.  I told her in a few days, she will be ready to sell her soul to get the money.

Someone else asked if the SPCA didn't spay cats for free.  Yet another person, someone I don't know, replied, "You can usually get it done someplace for free or close to free if you are on some sort of assistance.  Regular people, not so much." 

I was stunned.  I said, "People on some sort of assistance are regular people."

Seriously?  What kind of people does she think we are?  Irregular ones?  Are we somehow so different from those that are not on assistance?  I know people think this way but wow.  The prejudice against poor people runs so deep.

Guy at the post office: What's your dog's name?

Me: Isaac.

(really long pause)

Guy: I take it you're a Christian?"

Me (confused): Huh?

Guy: I take it you're a Christian?

Me (caught off guard and fearing he is going to try to save me): Um, no...

Guy: I just thought, you know, Isaac is a Bible name.

Me: Oh! Yes, it's Hebrew. It means "he laughs."

Guy: My mom has a dog named Brewski.

Service Dog Training Proram Shut Down, Dogs in Need of Help

K-9 Assistants for Independence was a training program for service dogs located in Texas.  The organization trained service dogs from start to finish, and they also helped people that were owner training by keeping dogs for weeks or months at a time to work on specific aspects of their training, and they also offered board and train services for pet dogs.  Just recently, news broke that dogs in the facility were being neglected, mistreated and abused.  Dogs were going home from the facility seriously underweight, sick, infested with ticks, suffering from contagious illnesses like coccidia (which causes terrible diarrhea), anemic, malnourished, in terrible shape.  They were also fearful, suffering from separation anxiety, showing signs of having been physically abused such as flinching or cowering when someone reached out to pet them.

The facility has been closed down and dogs returned to their owners or placed in foster homes.  There are probably several dozen dogs affected, though, and the cost of treating their health problems is significant.  So a fundraiser has been started to raise money to help the owners and the foster homes to care for the needs of these dogs.  Please, help if you can.

Help the Dogs from K9AI

Daddy Pup

Isaac made a friend at the Medicaid office today. It was a little boy, maybe three years old. He patted Isaac on the head and then showed Isaac his toy dinosaur. The little boy was very chatty but difficult to understand. I did, however, understand the word "Pup."

After the little boy patted Isaac and showed him the dinosaur and chatted a while, I told him "The pup's name is Isaac."

The little boy's mom said "That's your daddy's name!"

The little boy looked at Isaac with wide round eyes, like he was just so amazed that this pup could have the same name as his daddy. I could just see him thinking about it. I think maybe it blew his mind. But finally he pointed at Isaac and announced, loudly, "Daddy Pup!"

Car Accident

New experiences for Isaac last night. We were in a car accident and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The EMT at the scene told me that the officers would "take care of my dog" and I said, "No, he's a service dog, he will come with me" and I was prepared to argue. I would have refused to be transported if they refused to take my service dog with me. But as soon as I said that, the EMT said, "Oh, that's good" and they were happy to bring him with me. There was plenty of room in the ambulance and the EMT told me they had transported other service dogs before. Isaac jumped up in the ambulance with no problem and I told him to lay down and he did.

Isaac has been in the ER before so that was no big deal for him. They took me to get a CT scan and the nurse asked me if my service dog had to go with me. I said "He can't stay here by himself" because of course I was not going to leave him unattended in the ER. She said an aide would take care of him for me while I was gone if that was OK with me and assured me I would not be gone long. I would not have asked staff to watch him but it was their idea. I agreed and the aide said he would take Isaac outside to go potty if that was OK with me. I said it was. He mentioned that there wasn't much grass outside (this was a hospital in a city area) and I told him Isaac would pee on concrete or other surfaces and told him to just show Isaac where to go and tell him to go potty and he would. When they were bringing me back from the CT scan, Isaac was lying on the floor by the nursing desk with three employees gathered around petting him.

I was really glad Isaac is perfectly fine being handled by other people and is not stressed by being separated from me. He seems OK after the accident, but I might take him to the vet today or tomorrow just to get checked out just to be sure. An EMT looked him over for me at the scene of the accident and then a friend checked him over carefully for me at the hospital later. It was a while before I could check for myself because I had a cervical collar on and stuff for a while. I am OK now, just really sore, and Isaac and I are at home.

The hospital and the EMTs were really great and I was relieved not to have to argue about taking Isaac in the ambulance with me.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Random Guy at the Food Pantry Today: What's your dog for?

Me: He's a service dog.

Random Guy: Yeah, I know. But what's he for? Like is he for seizures or...?

Me: I don't share personal information like that with people I don't know.

Random Guy: Oh, I know. I was just curious. Do you have epilepsy?

Me: Look, I'm not going to tell you what's wrong with me and I won't ask you what's wrong with you.

Random Guy: Oh. OK.