More happy people

I don't know whose dog this is but I know where I saw it. Today was a magnificent day for some disabled people in six U.S. cities -- Santa Rosa, California; Medford, New York; Delaware, Ohio; Woodstock, Illinois; Oceanside, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida. These are all homes of CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE, an agency that breeds, trains and provides service dogs for wheelchair, hearing and otherwise disabled children and adults.

Today was the graduation day for the dogs that were successful in the training and were matched with those who might benefit. The puppy under the chair was about to be turned in to the professional trainers for the next class of potential graduates. I used to be a puppy raiser for CCI so I know a lot about their program. Our Demi was a graduate and worked with a little boy for about 1-1/2 years until she was retired for medical reasons. We took her home when she was eight weeks old, attended classes and raised her until she was 21 months and then - saddest of days - we surrendered her to the trainers. Six months later she rotated through a class of hopeful recipients but didn't make a match. There are always more dogs than people so this was disappointing, but not a surprise. Three months later, however, she teamed up with the child who really benefited from her companionship and skills. It's unfortunate that she was sidelined due to renal dysplasia, a congenital condition that had not been detected (and still hasn't given her problems).

So today is the day when hope abounds. Disabled adults, children and their parents completed the two week training program on campus with their canine teammates and finally got to receive the dogs in a ceremony and take them home. Another 37 puppies were turned in to the trainers on the Santa Rosa campus -- and many others in the other cities -- and their puppy raisers are hopefully waiting that after six months of training they will graduate too. For that second group it's a bittersweet day, the loss of a beloved puppy, but the hope that all the work of raising it will serve someone who will have a better life with greater independence.

The sun doth shineth!

Here in northern California we have experienced such a strong rainy season that sunny days are noticed and celebrated. Yesterday it rained. It rained, in fact, most days last week.

But today there is sun, the temperature is mild, song birds are singing their little hearts out and the red-shouldered hawks are on alert from high posts keeping a careful watch on Sonoma and Napa Counties - I know because I was in both places this morning.

I was drawing in church again this morning, a habit I'm not trying to change. Cassidy was at my feet and only her butt end was visible. We're puppysitting her for Canine Companions for Independence and will probably become her puppyraisers. I added parishioners as the church filled, practicing overlapping and perspective along the way.

And then we listened to Garrison Keillor on NPR on the way home.

New young life

When you wake up in the morning you never know what the day will bring. Yesterday was a typical rainy day here in northern California. Since it was a holiday, a rainy holiday, we weren't up to much and no one had anything scheduled.

Then my cell phone rang. Someone in the Canine Companions for Independence family needed help in a hurry. The mom was in the hospital, possibly facing surgery, and Cassidy was a bit much under the circumstances.

To the rescue! We picked up Cassidy -- the yellow lab in the photo -- and brought her home to play with our three. Brix was absolutely thrilled to have a new female in the house. They romped for hours -- more exercise than Brix has gotten in quite some time -- and had a great time for themselves.

We don't know how long Cassidy will be here, but she's welcome to stay for as long as her mom needs the respite. She's nine months old, already has great training skills, and she smiles -- just look at the photo -- all day long!

Weekend: Day Two

I felt wonky all day and slept away the afternoon but good things continue to happen.

We met up with the family who now have Beulie - some of you know her as the yellow lab we raised for Canine Companions for Independence. Beulie is now living in St. Petersburg, Florida with their daughter in college. When school ends in June Beulie will be back in Napa County. In the meantime, any of you in the St. Petersburg area, if you see a gorgeous yellow lab with a big smile - tell her Mom said hi.

While surfing the 'Net this afternoon I came across a new find for me - www.squarefootgardening.com. Speak of an answer to prayer! There's a YouTube video on Square Foot Gardening too and also a book of the same title. 

Square Foot Gardening involves small area gardening using grids of 12 inches. (They've also expanded to Square Meter Gardening if you prefer.) There is no digging! Our back yard, which I mowed yesterday, is clay and cement, just atrocious for growing. But the Square Foot method skips all that, works with a tiny area at a time, and can be reused in those small increments too. Our weather is such that we can grow some flowers and veggies even in the winter so I think I can keep this project going all year. That's my newest latest thing and I'll be posting on it every step of the way, you can be sure of that!

Second half of summer

The Fourth of July weekend is officially over. I managed to stretch it into four full days but it's back to the salt mines now - although, I have to be honest, my salt mines only last a few hours each day and are far from drudgery. I love my work!

Fourth of July always stimulates conversations that begin, "I can't believe it's the 4th of July already, summer is half over." Well, it isn't really, but that's the way it feels.

Already the days are getting shorter.... and in our case, a lot hotter. We've been warned to expect some major weather this week so I've been watering plants faithfully and staying indoors during the heat of the day.

But last night we potlucked outdoors with our doggy friends -- the proud owners of release dogs from Canine Companions from Independence. There were ten people and eight dogs. I worked on teaching them a new command - SWIM!

Read or draw???

The other thing that happened a couple days ago when I was dusting bookshelves was that I was reminded how much I like to read, how many books I own that are unread and how behind I am on my 2008 resolution to complete one book each week. It's an annual goal, not always reached, but one I could attain if I dug in and committed to it and one I have surpassed several times in big reading years.


And then I went into a tailspin about how many other resolutions aren't even close to the 7th month mark. I need to step to a faster drummer if I am going to journey to the end of this year with a sense of accomplishment, a year well lived and all that. Oh dear, I sleep too much, I watch too much telly, I daydream, I futz around.... (and isn't that true for many of us?)

I did complete one book last night, THE ART OF MENDING, by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Berg. In this case, fabric and sewing is the metaphor for mending relationships -- and the ones in this book reminded me of Scott Peck's book of diabolical parents in PEOPLE OF THE LIE (I'd like to re-read that one now too). Broken parents, narcissistic parenting -- some folks just get the dregs when it comes to what they need to grow up whole and sane in this world.

On the fun side -- a friend asked me to dog-sit her two retrievers for 24 hours and OF COURSE I said yes -- she took all three of mine for two entire weeks while we romped around Ireland. So for this short while Steve and I have FIVE dogs (four black, one yellow) and they're probably all distant cousins of one another since they all came from Canine Companions for Independence. And they are: Elektra (love that name), Violetta, Brix, Demi and Parisse. I cannot tell you how much these animals have contributed to my life .... even if caring for them and loving them means I don't read and draw as much as maybe I think I should!

Doodling my way through life

Sometimes it's just about impossible to get myself to draw or paint something. On those days doodling comes in handy. It's a way to play with line and color and lots of dots, I seem to really go for those dots!


I haven't heard a word from Beulie yet, but we only returned her to Canine Companions for Independence on May 13th so it's far too early to expect any news. But she gave our family so much life, she was such a vigorous, happy little puppy and her move into advanced training has left a deep void for the rest of us. So I doodle in my Moleskine with a great set of Stabilo markers.

End of a nice Sunday

Sometimes I have no time to draw or can't get motivated or whatever. But I can still journal something, get some color down and maybe a few words. So that's what I did last night.

Today was Beulie's last Sunday in church. The congregation has known her since she was 8 weeks old and watched her grow up. I have the sad duty of driving her back to Canine Companions for Independence on Tuesday morning. We'll say our goodbyes and she'll enter advanced training. I think I'll bring Demi along just so I don't have to drive home completely alone. Puppy raisers dread this part of the deal, returning the puppies we've raised and come to accept into our families for 16 months or more. We had Brix for 21 months before turn-in, a long time of attachment and then, the letting go.

Sunday, quiet Sunday

I thought it was very nice of the parish secretary to choose toned paper for the cover of today's bulletin! It's my favorite for plain black pen sketching and this morning I decided to try without any preliminary pencil drawing underneath. I didn't include Beulie this week, but she was asleep at my feet.

We hand Beulie back to Canine Companions for Independence in just 2-1/2 weeks so we're really counting down now. Demi has permission to take her place in the parish. Personally, I think everyone should bring any well-behaved dog with them, but I'm nuts that way.

One of my favorite memories was years ago, long before I was a dog lover myself, when I observed a homeless person in a Roman Catholic parish. It was a large church with center aisles that intersected in the middle of the congregation. He came in from the side, walked to the intersecting center, genuflected, and then PUSHED HIS DOG'S BUTT DOWN so he would genuflect too!

I have a stack of prepaid postcards waiting for my attention. No, I don't sit around all day drawing on these things but it is a fun way to doodle my way through the daily newscast. And the Flickr group is growing fast!

A road trip to Hawaii

In my watercolor class we're experimenting with acrylics for a few months. I pretended I was driving across the Pacific Ocean in search of plumeria, one of my most favorite flowers. I haven't had much experience with acrylic paints but would like to learn how to use them because they are so much easier to control even if they're hard to blend.

I re-read a favorite book from last year, A THREE DOG LIFE, by Abigail Thomas. I don't know best to describe it -- a love story? how necessary dogs are for comfort when life is hard? how to go forward in the face of tragedy? All of the above, I'd say.



I took Beulie to chemotherapy this morning and showed the nurses Demi's photo album with all the sad updates of her condition. Demi was raised in the chemo suite, as were all four of my puppies from Canine Companions for Independence, and the staff remembered her well. When she was tiny I used to haul her into the unit in a cat carrier, which was all the crate she needed until she was 3-1/2 months old. She only weighed six pounds when we got her at eight weeks and grew rather slowly. Today she and Beulie had a few more barking tussles which I think means they're working out who's in charge around here. Then Brix gets into it because he KNOWS he's the boss and then Parisse jumps on the closest available back and sort of rides out the ruckus. Such funny dogs!

Our new reconstituted family

Today was the official day to drive to Canine Companions for Independence to pick up our beloved Demi, a 3-1/2 year old service dog newly retired after being diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure. We have one goal -- to keep her comfortably alive as long as possible. Right now it is easy -- she is gorgeous, playful and fun to be around. She is eating a special low protein diet that she gobbles with gusto and she looks totally healthy. She runs, she's interested in everything, she's affectionate. But her prognosis is poor and I don't know if we can turn that around but we'll try. My first plan is to see the last veterinarian who examined her, ordered scans and made the diagnosis. I want to talk to her first and hear what her treatment consists of and whether that can be improved in any way.

We at least got to bring Demi home. It was much harder for the family who had to say their goodbyes. We promised to stay in touch and keep them updated all along the way. My greatest hope for them is that they will soon have another service dog for their special needs child.

The dogs at home went wild when they saw Demi so we spent the afternoon and evening protecting her from all their issues regarding hierarchy. Beulie, who has never barked, engaged Demi in such a shrill barking contest I was sure the neighbors would be over. That will resolve quickly because Beulie is scheduled for Turn-In and will begin advanced training in just three weeks. When Steve took Beulie for a walk the house was silent so it appears that Brix and Parisse can live happily with Demi.

In the meantime, I never in my life expected to have four dogs, even if it's only for this short time. But I can look forward to having the three beautiful black ones and pray that Beulie graduates.

Demi goes to bed early but the others just fell asleep. I took over the living room and CNN and cooled my jets by drawing the third challenge in the Everyday Matters series - Draw a purse or wallet. I love working with black ink on toned paper.

A Sunday in April

We celebrated Steve's birthday today (don't ask) by having a wonderful dinner in a favorite Mexican restaurant. Beulie went with us to church this morning, one of her last Sundays before we return her to Canine Companions for Independence for advanced training. We're on our last 30 days, real countdown mode. But she did enjoy both church and the restaurant scenes!

Tomorrow is our bittersweet reunion with Demi in Santa Rosa. I set up her crate next to the others and Steve bought her a new bed, collar and leash. We still need to get a bunch of tennis balls since we've been told that's her favorite toy. And I can't wait to meet with a veterinarian to get more understanding about caring for Demi. The goal is to extend her life in spite of the odds.

Throwing light on the matter

I tried the second challenge in the Yahoo Everyday Matters group, Draw a lamp. The proportions are off, I can see that now, but I tried and I tried!

Bit by bit we're seeing some light on Demi's health concerns. I've received many e-mails from other puppy raisers and participants involved with Canine Companions for Independence. Those who are more familiar with renal dysplasia have referred me to specialists in both western and adjunct therapies.

Demi is still with her family and is working as a companion to her disabled child. The official exchange will be on Monday -- our joy, their grief. We haven't made any medical decisions yet and will make them with the staff of Canine Companions for Independence. We will keep the family updated. And I'll probably be giving all of you more information that you want or need so I hope you will be patient. Thank heavens I draw every day. It's an enormous stress reducer, frustrating as it is to have a lamp tilt strangely with a too-small shade!

Life's ugly prickles

Sometimes things don't work out the way we would hope. I received a heartwrenching telephone call this morning from Canine Companions for Independence that the puppy we raised to become a graduate service dog, Demi II, has a life-threatening kidney condition and is dying. The only question -- unanswerable -- is whether her condition will progress quickly or whether she might have a few more good years.

Either way, she has been retired from service and we have agreed to take her back. How could we not! While there is some joy in that, it comes with the price that the family which has cared and provided for Demi for over a year, will suffer the loss of her companionship and the help she offered their disabled child. I feel so incredibly sorry for them, it wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

For those of you who are medically inclined, Demi has been diagnosed with renal dysplasia, a progressive condition with no cure and limited treatment. She is on a special low-protein diet which will help her be more comfortable but won't lengthen her life.

The exchange, family to family, with the legal paper signing for Canine Companions for Independence, will happen on Monday. We like the family who had Demi and have been grateful that they have kept in touch since Demi's graduation. Now it's our turn to keep them updated on Demi's condition.

In the meantime, I comforted myself by painting the prickly seed-pods, if that's what they are, from a liquidamber tree. These things hurt like the dickens if their thorns pierce your skin.

Just start from the beginning

I found a bound book of toned paper that looked like it would accept black pen quite well. I decided to dedicate it to the Everyday Matters challenges that began to be posted once a week a few years ago. I've done a few of them but my drawing skills are still weak and it's only now that I feel comfortable committing to a true project of a couple hundred inky sketches. I want to start from the very beginning - EDM Challenge #1 Draw a shoe - and procede from there.

The temperature soared into the low 80s today, a precursor of the summer to come. It was a gorgeous day. Even I, who prefer the cool rainy season, had to acknowledge that it was a day to get outside and do .... anything. Yesterday I mowed the front yard (Steve was thrilled, he loathes every moment of yard work) and today I took Parisse for a walk.

That's actually a momentous statement - I took Parisse for a walk. She's our special education dog, the one who is afraid of everything and who probably has some kind of neurological damage and/or possible retardation. When she still belonged to Canine Companions for Independence I took her to five different veterinarians and got five different diagnoses. The canine ophthalmalogist couldn't find any kind of vision problem so it's something else.

Anyway, one of the way her "issues" manifest is her total unwillingness to walk outdoors. She can run in a pack on play days and looks normal then, but no one I know has ever seen a dog so incapable of walking. I could drag her for 50 miles, but that's just what would happen -- once she decided she was not going to walk she really would NOT walk. CCI evaluated her and released her from their program when she was ten months old -- definitely not service dog material! So we kept her.

Today, on a whim, I put a leash on her flat collar and decided to see if she would walk a house or two away right here in our own neighborhood. She was quite curious, sniffing the grass on everyone's yard. Usually we don't allow that behavior but I was so thrilled to see her enjoying herself that it was way to early to train for that! So she walked, she sniffed, she forged occasionally but not badly and we passed the first house, the second, the third. When we reached the corner I had her cross over the street and walk down the length of a second block and circle around until we were back home.

It was a short walk -- ten minutes -- but Parisse walked! We met up with a neighbor who was walking his little Yorkie, there were a couple cats who caught Parisse's attention and there were all those smells on the grass. My hope is that we can develop this new ability. My plan is to take that same walk a couple times a day and gradually lengthen it into another block, new sights, new smells -- but Parisse can walk!

Spring like

I'm still working on the Draw.Write.Now series which is helping me -- so what if the drawing I used tonight was designed to teach six-year olds. It's humbling to acknowledge that that's where I am in some aspects of my mark-making, but so it is. This time I tried using their design with watercolor pencils instead of Prismacolor. Each has advantages/disadvantages.

The wind of the last few days suddenly stopped this afternoon and a real warm spell is due tomorrow. We've been promised temps in the '80s for the first time this year. I'm not ready for that. I live for the rainy season and it's always too short.

The mail carrier brought the dreaded packet today -- the big manila envelope with directions and forms and papers to submit regarding Beulie with the official notice that we have to give her back to Canine Companions for Independence next month. I was expecting this to arrive, just hoping it wouldn't happen so soon. So... we have about a month more to teach her the first 30 commands, get her completely socialized and prepared to enter advanced training.

Keepin' on

In my watercolor class this afternoon I completed the third quadrant of my divided flower painting. The last section is giving me headaches but I hope to finish it soon. Our class is moving on to another project next week so I'm sort of on my own with this now.

Beulie and I went to chemotherapy this morning. I'll be going there forever (that's good news!) but Beulie will be entering advanced training at Canine Companions for Independence in the middle of next month so she has only two more chemo sessions. How they love her there!

A day for the dogs

Beulie's class met this evening at Canine Companions for Independence in Santa Rosa, California. I walked around with my camera and snapped some portraits but, alas, I don't have the names reliably learned.






Here's tonight's class in the training room. These dogs will enter Advanced Training in either May or August, depending on their age. The two dogs wearing scarves, not capes, have already begun regular employment as breeder dogs, such a life.



I also have some photos of my three at home.

Beulie knows she's cute. I keep telling her, "Beulie, it isn't enough to get by with your looks and your charm. If you want to be a service dog you also have to know the skills and be willing to work."


Parisse is the weird one. She spends most of her life on earth vegging out in one of two chairs.


And don't ever think that dogs don't like to drive. Here's Brix, just as delighted with himself as any adolescent with a new license. Beulie is always ready for a ride.

We, like sheep

It's mostly cloudy today, rain may be arriving in a day or so.

Beulie accompanied me to chemotherapy this morning, reminding me once more that she will be going to advanced training in just two months. I will so miss her! She's the fourth puppy that we've raised for Canine Companions for Independence. Only about 30% are actually trained and matched with a disabled person but I have hope that she will make the grade. She's been a relatively easy puppy to work with and is smart, smart, smart! In June I hope to begin a new facet of my doggy career by doing short-term fostering instead of long-term raising. It will mean our home will be in perpetual chaos with a succession of new residents, but that's something to look forward to. Last year, before we got Beulie, we fostered two young pups from one litter for about a week which was such a fun time!

I painted sheep in my watercolor class this afternoon, working from two photographs that I combined in my own way. I've heard that sheep are smelly and dumb but I guess I see them more idyllically.

For 28 days in March

Today Beulie and I went to a full day workshop on art therapy. I earned six continuing education units and she got six hours of sleep under the table.

I was so proud of Beulie! I have to give her back to Canine Companions for Independence in 74 days, and by then I'm hoping she will have mastered the first 30 commands and is well socialized. Well, she's already well socialized - today was one proof of that. There is no way she could have improved her behavior today. She did everything I asked her to do and she slept at my feet when I was focused on learning new skills I can bring to the kids at Juvenile Hall. It was a great day.

Unwinding at home this evening, I began a new sketchbook. Yesterday Beulie and I walked over to our local art supplies store where I found a wonderful watercolor sketchbook with 28 pages. The wheels began to whirl. If I begin the book today, work daily with three allowable misses, I could fill the entire book in the month of March. So them's my marching orders, self-assigned, and a goal I hope to meet. And I'm so invested in this task that I'm hoping it develops into a habit, something I do every month. My new sketchbook is 8.5 x 11 inches, fits my scanner perfectly (a problem with larger sizes) and the watercolor paper is substantial. Today I worked in watercolor pencil, Micron pen and Sharpie. This cow, by the way, lives in Modesto, one home of great California cheese. You wanted to know that, right?