May 14, 2009

Oh my stars and collars, I have such exciting news!

My friend Tommy, who was raised here in Denver by Vanessa and Kevin O'Grady, is graduating as a Facility Dog this weekend! Marianne is going to Oceanside to cheer him on, though I have to stay home because she's taking a pup named Griffin for Turn In who was raised at Kit Carson Correctional Center. That's another story.

ANYHOW, I called right away to get all the details about Tommy, and Kevin was happy to oblige.

ROSS: Was Tommy an easy puppy?

KEVIN: Tommy was a very easy puppy, but he had non-standard puppy issues. It started from the moment we met him.

ROSS: How so?

KEVIN: Let me explain. Tommy's sister Tambia was raised by the Kime family in Golden. When we went to pick up Tommy at DIA's Cargo terminal, we knew that Tambia and Tommy were on the same flight. Well, when they brought the kennels forward, there was one kennel where the puppy was less than pleased about the day's events, and then there was one pup that was quiet. Well, it turned out that the upset puppy was Tambia, while the quiet puppy was Tommy. We were a bit relieved at that moment, but it was a foreshadowing of Tommy's personality. He never barked and was very easy in public (no whining), but he was a very deliberate dog. Tommy helped teach us patience, as our world now operated on Tommy Time.

ROSS: Hmmmm, Marianne has told me once or twice that I'm on Tommy Time. What's that mean, exactly? Do you have a “Tommy Time” story?

KEVIN: My best Tommy Time story is the contrast of Tommy and Tambia at a Cherry Creek Mall puppy class. We were practicing automatic sits (the handler stops and the dog comes to a sit position without being given a formal command). We walked from the middle of the mall to where Nordstrom's was being constructed. It took Tommy and me close to 20 minutes to walk that short distance. Other handlers were jokingly asking us if we decided to go do a little side shopping excursion. On the way back, I walked with Tambia. We covered that same distance in about 4 minutes. Tambia and Tommy couldn't be more different.

ROSS: Now I understand the term "slowpoke!" What was Tommy like to raise?

KEVIN: He was a lot of fun. All of the CCI puppies have strong personalities. Tommy is one-quarter Golden Retriever and three-quarters Labrador. At least that's what CCI told us. I think he is half lap dog and half Muppet. He doesn't look or stand like most CCI dogs, but he is about the most snuggly lovable dog I have ever come across. Oh, he also LOVES children. They seemed to like him as well.

ROSS: (Licking lips) Yeah, kids are great, especially when they're small and sticky. What's one of your favorite memories of Tommy?

KEVIN: Only one? Hmmm. Well, there's the time we took him to the Celebrity Chef event up at National Headquarters. Its a big fund raiser for CCI where local chefs and wineries donate their time and resources. Well, our good friend Carol Weldin introduced Tommy and me to Corey Hudson and CCI veterinarian Dr. Ruth Daniels. Corey is the CEO of CCI and Dr. Ruth is pretty much is the top person regarding the dogs. They are like the two highest people at CCI one could bump into at a party! Dr. Ruth took one look at Tommy and said "Well, you are a funny-looking little dog." But then she complimented his calm demeanor and said, "It looks like you are ready for Advanced Training." In a split second I thought, "Oh no, he's going to get released for a medical condition because he sits funny!" but then she said he was well-behaved. These are the tortured thoughts of a CCI puppy raiser.

ROSS: What did Dr. Ruth mean by “funny-looking?”

KEVIN: Ross, you know how when you are walking around, strangers will say to you, "What a handsome puppy!" Or I am sure you've heard about Hudson from Marianne and John (ask to see the picture of him with the Hooters girls!) Most of the CCI male puppies are handsome. Well, I don't think Tommy heard the handsome comment too often.

ROSS: Poor Tommy!

KEVIN: Don't take it the wrong way. He heard the "He's so cute!" comment all of the time. He looked like the spare parts dog, but we wouldn't want Tommy any other way!

ROSS: OK, that's better. But why did Marianne call him "Muppet Boy?"

KEVIN: Let me try to explain. Tommy's mommy is half Lab and half Golden. His father is all Lab. How that combination manifested in Tommy is that he was fairly long body, but with fairly short legs. His black coat looked Lab-like, except with longer fur on his tail and around his chest and neck. He kind of looked like a lion to me. As much as we watched his diet, he didn't have the CCI taper at the hips. As you know, a big no-no is turning back a portly dog to CCI for Advanced Training. We tried our best, but nature had its own ideas, so he always looked a little pudgy. He had long ears relative to the rest of his body and he had sad, down-turned eyes. Vanessa says Tommy and I look similar.

ROSS: I'd take that as a compliment, if I were you. What else?

KEVIN: When he sat, his front feet would turn out like a ballerina and he tended to roll to one hip.

ROSS: I do that sometimes and Marianne calls it a "sloppy sit" and makes me change position. Why?

KEVIN: CCI looks for the dogs to sit straight on both hips, with their knees tucked under their front legs. Tommy had his own ideas. He would start out in that position, roll to one hip, and then after about a minute, he'd try to lie down. Rolling onto one hip is a sign that he might have had hip dysplasia. Dogs with any type of dysplasia, be it hip or elbow, normally have shorter periods of their life where they are active. Hence, if Tommy had dysplasia, he would have been released from Advanced Training within the first month. We were waiting on pins and needles until we received that first monthly report, because CCI does most of the health and behavioral screening within that first 4-6 weeks of Advanced Training. When we didn't get that call, we knew he checked out healthy. We were very relieved.

ROSS: I bet! So then did you think Tommy would graduate?

KEVIN: As a puppy raiser, there is always hope. There are enough examples where the puppy who acted up in Puppy Kindergarten went on to be a star service dog or breeder that we puppy raisers never say never! But there is the practical side that raises doubts. Tommy was slated to be "tutored" (I have trouble with the "n" word) so we knew he wasn't going to be a Breeder Dog. He doesn't have the energy level of Hearing Dog. He seemed to like to work banker's hours (no offense to bankers), so this narrowed the scope. Tommy is incredibly easy to work with in public. Nothing ever seemed to bother him. He also loved to nuzzle up to people in general and children in particular, so I thought he would be a great Skilled Companion or Facility Dog. But when I thought about his non-standard sitting positions, I had my doubts.

ROSS: Tell me about his match. Who is it with? What kind of work will he do? Who will he live with?

KEVIN: Tommy will be a Facility Dog at the "Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care" facility at the Navy Medical Center San Diego. Tommy is their first Facility Dog! He'll have three handlers (all Physical Therapists and/or Occupational Therapists) but one primary handler. He's go home with one of the handlers at night but will spend his days helping the patients, many who are amputees. Stu (Puppy Program Manager) said they when they saw what a "unique temperament" Tommy had they said they knew he was the guy for the job. If you want to know more, here is an article about the facility.

ROSS: I heard something about Tommy going on “special field trips” with Todd Young, the Southwest Training Program Manager. What's up with that?

KEVIN: Ross, I think you need to snuggle up to Todd early on to start planting the seed. Todd took Tommy early in his Advanced Training to the Wounded Warriors battalion. CCI must have seen early on that he might be a good fit for this kind of Facility Dog work, so they took him to see CCI Facility Dog Jona, who works with the Wounded Warriors as his standard job. It's kind of a funny coincidence that Jona graduated at the same time that Tommy matriculated to Advanced Training.

ROSS: Did you have any clues that CCI was considering Tommy for this job?

KEVIN: We saw in his monthly reports that they had taken him down to Balboa to the Naval Medical Center, but little did we know that this would be the place where Tommy would end up working!

ROSS: Is this a good match for Tommy?

KEVIN: It's not just good, it's perfect! One of the many great aspects of CCI is that they seem to know what is best for the dogs and put them in a position to succeed. When we found out that Tommy was going to be working with men and women who have suffered significant injuries, it made complete sense. While some might consider Tommy's deliberate nature a hindrance to a successful working career, CCI saw the opportunity to place him in an environment where he can help a person learn how to walk with a prosthetic limb. Tommy's steady, unflappable and lovable nature is the perfect complement to the skills of the physical and occupational therapists working with our soldiers. Can you tell we are very proud of Tommy and feel very fortunate that he will be working with such special people?

ROSS (wagging tail): Yeah, I think that's pretty wonderful myself. Are you going to Graduation?

KEVIN: Of course! It's going to be a fabulous weekend! Our good friend Martha will be traveling with us to see a CCI graduation for the first time. Flying with us on Friday morning will be our current CCI puppy Dennie, A Kit Carson Correctional Center puppy named Gus, Marianne and KCCC puppy Griffin, our friend Carol-Ann, her daughter Stefanie (my not-so-secret crush, but don't tell my wife) and Stefanie's Skilled Companion dog Alette, and another puppy raiser named Nicole. I believe my father is driving from Santa Cruz to Oceanside to see the extravaganza. We are going to see our good friends and CCI puppy raisers, Jennifer and Chris Halstead who recently moved to Oceanside. I think it will be best described as a traveling circus!

ROSS: Gee, I really wish I could go too! What will Graduation be like? Will you get to see Tommy?

KEVIN: As far as graduation day goes, it is going to be a blur. I know that already. CCI and a group of very gracious volunteers (is that redundant?) host a wonderful brunch for the people who have completed Team Training and will be receiving their dogs at Graduation and the puppy raisers who raised those dogs. It will be our first meeting with Tommy's handlers. Think of a first meeting of families being joined together by marriage, but in this case it's not just about two people but rather one extra special dog joining families together. Shhh, don't tell anyone because it's a surprise, but we will give the handlers an album of puppy photos at the brunch. I wonder if my wife is going to cry?

ROSS: HA! You can't fool me, Vanessa told me you're going to cry too. What happens after brunch?

KEVIN: At the end of breakfast, we say goodbye to Tommy's new partners until Graduation at noon. The trainers will then bring Tommy to us for a short time. Way short. I mean a way way way short time. We get about 20 minutes to hug him and joyfully cry some more, and then it's off to graduation ceremony at the beautiful Mission San Luis Rey. Our main job is to make sure we get Tommy there on time.

ROSS: Then what happens?

KEVIN: We hand over Tommy's leash to his handlers and I will try not to embarrass myself by crying on stage. I don't think I'm going to be successful, but I will try. After the ceremony, there will be a jillion pictures, hugs, more crying, some handshakes and then goodbyes to Tommy and his handlers. Then we will probably go support the puppy raisers who just had to turn their dogs in by drinking a margarita or two.

ROSS: Marianne points out this makes you two graduates for three dogs, not quite a Pat Bird record (five graduates out of four dogs!) but much closer than the one for five record she and John have. What’s your secret?

KEVIN: I think the secret is within the dog. I personally believe it's 80-90 percent whether the dog wants to be a service dog and the balance is the puppy raising village helping with the socialization and training. So Ross, its up to you!

ROSS: Yup, and I'm not telling what my plans are just yet.

KEVIN: You know Ross, I kind of consider us having more than two graduates. Our first CCI dog, Chisum, is a Change of Career dog who came back to live with us. His new career is Assistant Puppy Raiser. He teaches the new dogs the ropes, ensures that they understand the pecking order within the family structure (new dog = low puppy on totem pole) and most importantly, how not to mess with Theo, our original keeper chocolate Lab.

ROSS: Yes indeedy, Chisum has told me not to bother Theo. I can't help wanting to play with him, but Chizzy reminds me that Theo doesn't like it. Chiz is a very good Assistant Puppy Raiser! Any final thoughts?

KEVIN: We love all of the CCI dogs (and their strange names) that have come through our house. We love all of the people we've met through the CCI organization specifically and the tangential people we have met at various public activities. I am certainly proud that CCI has identified an opportunity to reach out and work with our servicemen and women who have sacrificed for this country. I can't think of a better partnership than CCI's skilled staff with our soldiers. Vanessa and I are proud to be a small cog in this linkage.

ROSS: Shoot, now you made me cry. Chow for now!

P.S. Be sure to click on Tommy's picture to see a slideshow of his photos!

Questions or comments for Ross? Send him an e-mail!

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to CCI for details.