It's Been a While...

Hey, it's me Logan. Bet you thought something happened to me, it's been a while. Actually LOTS of things have happened in the last year and a half (which is why I've been too busy to blog) so it might take me a few posts to catch up!

I'm going to take a look back at my calendar and photos and come back and let you know about all the great service dog adventures I've had. Here's a hint, one of them involved a Mouse!

If there's anything you want to know about me or service dogs in general, just leave a comment and I'll add it to my topics. In the meantime here's a photo of me having a little off duty winter fun!

Dogs at Work Festival

Yesterday we attended Planet Dog's "Dogs at Work" festival and parade in support of pet adoption and working dogs everywhere. It was great fun and Suzan and I had a table so that we could answer questions about service dogs. There were animal rescue groups, a real K9 and artist and author Stephen Huneck was signing books. Our service dog friend Milo got his CGC from Nancy at Gooddogz Training. Congratulations Milo!

Here we are in the parade...

Leading up to the festival...

I got to meet Sally, Stephen Huneck's muse for his amazing wood cuts and books. We thought we would have some doggie fun and recreate the "Greetings" woodcut! I think we did a pretty good job!

Move Over Tyson

As a working service dog it's still very important to keep practicing and training. We get together with my service dog friends once a month to make sure our skills stay sharp. We go to all sorts of places with different distractions. The mall, retail stores, animal parks and the airport are just a few of the places we've been. And then we all go out to lunch afterward. Well, our partners lunch and we relax under the tables. You ain't seen nothing 'til you've seen seven service dogs snoozing under the tables and when we get up people didn't even know we were there!

This month we did something a little different. We had a tricks class! It was fun to try something new but still be training. It was really nice of Nancy from Gooddogz Training to help us. Thanks Nancy! And thank you PetQuarters for allowing us to use space inside and outside of the store.



My service dog buddy Milo the chocolate lab really liked working with the skateboard. We are thinking of starting a service dog synchronized skateboarding team! Move over Tyson the skateboarding Bulldog!

My Earth Day Celebration at element Lexington

Just before Earth Day we stayed at the element Lexington, a cool eco friendly hotel in Lexington, Massachusetts. We loved the contemporary yet serene atmosphere. They even have special parking spaces for hybrid cars!

Here I am getting our room key from Kelly. Our room was amazing with a contemporary kitchen area and sectional at the end of the bed. Suzan said she would like to live there!

The outdoor public gathering space is very inviting and there's a grill in the corner that you can use. Got steak anyone? In the right back corner is the beautiful indoor pool.

Check out the dog friendly amenities! I got to use an element dog bed and dog bowls and my very own doggie bag with treats. (I told them all about our friends at Bite O' Blue who craft eco friendly blueberry dog treats baked with wind power! Maybe next time we stay there, I'll find some in my doggie bag!) And you don't have to be a service dog to stay here. They welcome pet dogs under 40 pounds.

How Service Dogs Party

Birthdays are good except when your people make you wear funny hats.

Today we had a doggie birthday party. It was worth wearing the funny hats. We ate ice cream, chased balls and jumped in the pond and the river. Not with the funny hats on though.

My birthday was last Friday. I turned four. Or twenty eight in dog years, a good age.

In the first photo you can see all different colors and types of retrievers. Hailey and Shiva are labrador retrievers. They are service dogs too. Their birthdays are next month. Then that's me, Logan in the middle. I'm a golden retriever. My new friend Deka is a curly coated retriever. Nice 'do! And Bailey is a yellow labrador retriever service dog. We are almost the same color. Her birthday is next month too.

Happy Birthday girls!

"I ain't afraid of no pigs!"

OK, even as a dog I know that isn't proper English but it's a play on the Ghostbuster's phrase. Of course Ghostbusters was way before my time but Suzan told me all about it.

As as service dog you never know what you'll encounter out in public. We recently went to check out a newly opened Famous Dave's BBQ restaurant. We pull into the parking lot and I see this strange, huge pink THING walking around. "Danger, danger" I try to tell Suzan but she's shocked that I'm vocalizing. I NEVER do that in public. But how many times do you see huge pink creatures walking around?

The next thing I know she's walking over to the pink thing, can you believe it? She's CRAZY! I'm not too sure about this but she keeps giving me treats so I'm starting to think this pink thing isn't so bad. See pink thing, get treats. Closer to pink thing, more treats. Pink thing touches me, tons of treats. Suzan says this is called counter conditioning in the dog training world. Hmmm. I'm starting to like this pink thing. Find out his name is Wilbur. Wilbur is now my friend.

Good thing, because the next time we see Wilbur he is walking around inside the restaurant. I am in a down stay under the table like a good service dog. I see Wilbur, I look at Suzan for a treat. She smiles.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Let Your Hair Down

This morning on a Maine beach. It was probably only in the low 30's but it felt like dog heaven to me!

Hard to believe we're due for three days of the white stuff starting tomorrow.

Another Job for a Service Dog

Because service dogs are so well trained and behaved, we are sometimes asked to do other jobs. I've had a couple of different ones in the past few months. Here I am taking a break from my most recent "job", can you guess what it is? No, it's not some strange tracking device or alien communications system. I was the doggie cam operator last night at the FetchDog anniversary celebration! It was lots of fun and they had a live feed going to a big screen for the dog-umentary.

The evening was a howling success with lots of people and their dogs including FetchDog co-founders actress Glenn Close and her husband David Shaw. Their two terrier mix cuties are Jake and Bill. They were the first doggie guests to greet me at the party and were very well behaved. They have a job too, they help their mom write the Lively Licks blog for FetchDog!

I'm a FetchDog!

Like any good service dog, I like sniffing out a bargain. For those of you who live in Maine, you don't want to miss the FetchDog Sample Sale! FetchDog is a great online supplier of high quality dog items and they also publish a catalog. Best of all, if you choose a Charitable Shop on their website, they'll donate a percentage of your purchases to one of the charities that Glenn Close and her friends have picked out. I'm kinda partial to Glenn's "Puppies Behind Bars" since they prepare puppies to be service dogs like me! Check out FetchDog and their online sale here.

At their local Sample Sale you can save 50% off some really nice quality dog products like this Bowser Donut Bed and Bowser Blanket that I picked out. Doesn't it look comfy and don't I make a great doggy model?

FetchDog's office is located at the Hamilton Marine Center Complex/100 Fore Street in Portland, Maine. They have lots of beds, toys, clothes, collars, leashes, feeders and grooming products on sale. The sale is from 10:00 to 6:00 and has been extended through at least this week. You might want to call 207-347-2206 to confirm.

All Work and No Play?

Not for me! Most service dogs I know get a lot of off duty and play time and I'm no exception. From a good game of fetch in the backyard to a romp at the beach, it's important to balance work and fun. One of my favorite off duty things to do is roll! On the grass! On the sand! In the sun! Roll, roll, roll!


The folks at Planet Dog chose this photo of me rolling in the sand as this month's Canine Moment, check it out at http://www.planetdog.com/. Submit a photo of your best buddy and they could be featured as a Canine Moment and win a $200 shopping spree!

I LOVE Planet Dog, their Orbee balls are the best and a portion of every purchase goes to the Planet Dog Foundation which celebrates working dogs that serve and support their best friends, like me. Thank you Planet Dog!

Dancing at the Bridge

A great and wonderful dog lost his battle with cancer and made the journey to the bridge this week. Like thousands of others, Suzan was inspired by the video clip of Rookie and and his mom Carolyn freestyle dancing to a song from Grease.

This tribute was originally done when Rookie retired:



Carolyn has a special place in our hearts, she came to Maine and put on a freestyle seminar fundraiser for me and Suzan. I only hope that we're half the team that Carolyn and Rookie were.

Godspeed Rookie. Dance across that bridge and show them how it's done.

Please Vote for Me!

Come see the cool photo that Suzan entered of me in Lifetime television's Hollywood Tails contest. The theme was classic Hollywood movies and I think I did a pretty good job! If we we win, we get to go to a Florida resort for a spa vacation. I think I'd really enjoy a little doggie massage! Please vote for me and vote often! Thank you!

http://www.mylifetime.com/photos/hollywoodtails/rate.php?id=206496

I Earned My Wings!

I, Logan the Service Dog, took my first plane flight last weekend! The nice Continental Airline folks gave me my very own pair of wings which I wore proudly on my service dog vest.

Suzan said I was very lucky since service animals are allowed to ride in the cabin with their disabled partner. I got to sit at the front of the plane in the area they call the bulkhead. Now I have to admit that I was a tiny bit anxious at first with all the strange noises but once we took off I settled right in and fell asleep. And on the way back I was totally relaxed the whole time. This flying stuff isn't so bad!

Here I am studying the emergency evacuation card, I need to take good care of Suzan if anything should happen.

Please Don't Pet Me...

Did any of you see the Dear Abby column right around the holidays? It was a letter about distracting assistance dogs and I'm glad that it was published. I've posted it below if you haven't seen it yet.

A lot of people (and kids!) seem to know not to pat me when my vest is on but they don't realize that talking to me is also distracting. I need to keep my focus on Suzan, especially when she is using her cane. Can you imagine if I veered off whenever someone said "what a good dog"! I could inadvertently pull Suzan over!

The other thing you can help me with is explaining to your pet dogs that I have a job to do and can't socialize when I'm on duty. Since they might have a hard time understanding, you'll have to help us both out and "do not let your dog initiate contact", #4 below. Thanks!


Don't worry, I get LOTS of off duty play time and just hanging out and being a regular dog. I have doggie play dates, go to the beach a lot and go geocaching. And even when I'm "working", it's like a game to me. I do a lot of retrieving for Suzan which I love to do. I even bring her things around the house that she hasn't asked me for because I love doing it.

Don't Touch or Feed Assistance Dog Without Asking Permission

December 29, 2007

Dear Abby: I was having lunch in a restaurant recently. Seated next to us was a family who had an assistance dog for their teenage son. I was appalled when someone from another table approached the dog, began talking baby talk to it (while ignoring the people!) and dropped a scrap of meat on the floor in front of the dog's nose.

The dog ignored the "treat," and the mother calmly asked the person to please stop distracting their assistance dog while it was working. I was dazzled by her politeness in the face of such rudeness and thoughtlessness.

Abby, people need to know how to behave around assistance dogs so they don't endanger the person with a disability or the dog:

(1) Always speak to the person first. Do not make distracting noises to the dog.

(2) Always ask before you pet. Do not touch the service dog without first asking for and receiving permission. Petting should be minimal and cease as soon as the person gives the dog a command.

(3) Never feed or offer food to a working dog. It distracts him and lures him away from his important job as an assistance dog.

(4) Do not let your dog initiate contact with a working dog while it's on duty.

(5) Do not ask personal questions about the person's disability or otherwise intrude on his/her privacy.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures people with assistance dogs have access to public places and businesses. Please welcome them into your establishment. -- Karyl Carmignani, Canine Companions For Independence

Dear Karyl: It's amazing how many animal lovers do not grasp the fact that when they see an assistance dog out in public that the animal is WORKING. Although wanting to reach out and touch it is natural, it is no more correct than it would be to pet a dog that works in law enforcement. Thank you for your informative letter. I hope readers will learn from it because many of your comments apply to animals in general.

Happy 2008!

Can a dog make a New Year's resolution? I guess if you're a service dog like me, you can. So, I, Logan resolve to keep my blog updated in 2008!

A belated Merry Christmas to all of you and a Happy New Year! Suzan has a great tradition of celebrating the new year by getting up early to see the first sunrise at the ocean's edge so that's what we did. It was pretty but also pretty cold, 22 degrees, brrrrr!

Each year she also takes a small, smooth stone and writes the year on it to use as a "worry stone". She then throws it back in the ocean at year's end along with all her worries and takes a new stone for the coming year. I think that's a neat tradition. Did you do anything special?

Afterwards we went to breakfast where even the people sitting at the table right next to us "didn't know there was a dog in here" until we left. They were probably only four feet away but I don't think people look down. I understand when we have a booth because I'm pretty well hidden, but these were regular table and chairs. I always find that amusing (and a testament to how good I am.)

We're back!!!!

First off, let me apologize for not blogging for a while. Suzan and I have been VERY busy and she's been hogging the laptop so I haven't been able to log on. Perhaps I should get my own? What do you call a laptop for dogs since we don't have laps?

I'll come back and blog about these individually but since I last posted a lot of things have happened. Suzan and I had our "official" service dog graduation ceremony. I won the Best Trick contest at Planet Dog's Woofminster fundraising event for My Wonderful Dog. That same weekend, Suzan and I won best costume at The Colony hotel's Howl-oween party. We also recently started Rally Obedience classes. All this while being a service dog extraordinaire!

Stay tuned for details and photos!

Wags & Woofs,
Logan

Play Ball!

I bet you thought I meant a tennis ball or something but I'm talking about BASEBALL! Suzan organized a volunteer appreciation night for My Wonderful Dog volunteers at the Portland Sea Dogs game thanks to the generous donation of tickets by Craig Cooper of Rainbow Construction here in Maine. The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. But don't ask me what a sea dog is, Slugger the mascot looks like a cross between a seal and a dog.

Here I am enjoying the game.

Some of the current My Wonderful Dog service dogs in training came with their puppy raisers. The small black pup is Freida, then my former housemate Darla and finally Flip. They did really well even when everyone was stomping and the stands were vibrating! Way to go pups!

The sign says "Welcome My Wonderful Dog", how cool is that?

Lunch Date

I had a lunch date yesterday! This handsome guy is Tom and he's a My Wonderful Dog mobility service dog. He graduated almost two years ago so he's a pro. But his mom says he is pretty silly sometimes, especially at home. He turns his metal food bowl over and pushes it all around the house when he's hungry and he's been known to bring it to the bedroom in the morning and bop his dad on the head with it. Ha ha Tom, that's a pretty good trick! That must be why Suzan has me give her my bowl after I'm done eating.

We like this new Olive Garden because the booths don't have any posts, they hang off of the walls. That makes it easier for us to get comfortable under the table. That's what most service dogs are trained to do and Tom and I did a very good job at it even though it was our first date.

This and That

Suzan was looking at some photos she downloaded off of her camera and realized that we didn't tell you about some of our recent adventures.

Most recently, like this past Saturday, we volunteered at the My Wonderful Dog table at the MS Bike Ride event. It was fun and I got to see my foster family again! I get all happy and wiggly at first whenever I see them! Suzan said to be sure to send a big thank you out to all the folks who rode in the scorching heat to help find a cure for MS. THANK YOU!

Last week, I went to see a musical, La Cage aux Folles at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Suzan won the tickets on the radio by translating a French phrase. I think people were really surprised to see me there but I was on my best behavior as usual. I curled up under Suzan & Jon's seats and mostly took a nap. It was hard to do at times though because everybody kept laughing. Don't know what's so funny about a birdcage!

And a few weekends before that we joined the My Wonderful Dog puppy raisers and service dogs in training at their monthly outing. I told everyone that it's great being a service dog and they will love it if they graduate and get to help their special person. I also told them it's OK if they don't because not every dog is cut out to be a service dog. Being a well behaved pet dog is a special job too! Here I am practicing my "down stay" while Nils steps over me. Nils is my foster family's new service dog in training, he is a tall boy! Good luck Nils!

Sign of the Times

I know I said I'd tell you about the where we went last Sunday and it's almost Sunday again! OK so here goes...

For those of you don't know it, Suzan is a Golden Retriever nut/fanatic! Which is a good thing since I'm one! She's always looking on eBay for unique Golden stuff and found these beautiful hand crafted metal hooks. Ironically they were made in Maine which is where we live! Suzan won them and was so impressed she emailed Nate, the guy who made them and had a custom sign made for Loganland. Suzan said it was easy to do and Nate is great. Suzan told Nate she wanted something evocative of the Disneyland sign, Nate emailed a concept drawing, Suzan made a few minor tweaks and voila - we have a beautiful, custom made, 14.5"x20.5" piece of art for under $40! I'm sure one lucky dog to have my own sign!

Since Nate lives near where the film festival we went to is, we stopped there on Sunday to pick up the sign! Oh and Nate has four Golden Retrievers - Kenai, Katalla, Yukon and Tess. I think Yukon has a crush on me. (doggie grin)

We saw some of Nate's other pieces and they are gorgeous. He makes plant hangers, signs, candle holders and even coffee tables! We love the Golden and dog themed ones of course but he also has great loon, dragonfly, moose, bears, horses and birds! So if you're looking for a unique, hand crafted item for yourself or for a special gift, visit Nate's web site or eBay store and tell him that Logan sent you!

Thanks Nate! I love my sign!