Mason's Tales

Mason Here

2009-04-25T09:50:00.007-05:00

Hi, Mason here. Sorry I haven't written so much lately. There is so much to learn to become a guide dog. I've been very hard at work. I don't run Sarah, my trainer, into objects so much anymore. She is very patient with me when I make mistakes so I try not to make too many. She says I'm a bright boy. I do like to be challenged. Once I learn something new I want to practice it and then move on to the next thing to learn.

But my life isn't all work. I have lots of free time just to chill. Recently I went home with my puppy raisers for two weekends. I was all excited when I got close to "my" house. And it got even better. They had a playmate for me - another labradoodle! Yippee! Dakota (a.k.a. Ducky) is a puppy being raised by the Lord family in Austin but the Reimers have him for 5 weeks when they swapped puppies. Check out his blog at http://dakotastails.blogspot.com/. He and I had a great time running and romping outdoors. Sometimes we got in a little trouble when we played too hard indoors. We were told to "Take it outside, boys."

I asked Mary to take a picture of us when we calmed down. Don't we look angelic?

It was fun to get away for the weekend but I was so happy when we got close to the Guide Dogs of Texas campus on Monday morning. I could smell it from a half mile away. Oh the joy of having a good nose. Since we had all the GDTx labradoodles in one place we took a picture.

You can see Mary with Dakota, me with Sarah and Trixie with Jaime. Can you guess who is the youngest doodle? You might think it would be Trixie, but it isn't. Dakota is the young pup. Trixie is a year older than Dakota but is much smaller. So you see we labradoodles come in all sizes and colors.

Well, I've got to get back to work. Thanks for taking a look at my blog. Until next time...

Funny Faces

2008-12-12T08:44:00.004-06:00

Mason- wabbit !!! On a romp after a day's work :)

Mason always knew he was "King of the Mountain" :) Watch out, Mason! I am still taller and I am on the ground :)

This reminds me of those t-shirts with the dog's nose all distorted due to camera angle... Isn't he cute :)

Busy Days!

2008-11-20T12:29:00.003-06:00

These are busy days and I realized that I hadn't posted any updates about Mason in awhile. So while I was sitting at my desk, catching up on paper work, I took a quick snap of the puppy at my feet. Mason enjoys being close while I work and I enjoy having a snuggly pup at my feet. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Another Milestone Reached

2008-10-29T15:02:00.003-05:00

It is hard to tell from this photo, but if you look closely you will see Mason is now in full harness! The handle is now attached to the body piece of the harness. Mason has made the transition very smoothly and is doing well!

Shearing of the Sheep

2008-10-24T08:07:00.004-05:00

Mason was clipped this, week! Here he is with his "Before" shot. He looks very expectant, I think. At this point, all we had clipped were his ears and his part of his head. Check out all of that fur on the table!!
He is watching us very closely :)

And here is the "After" shot! He looks so cute and Happy!!! I can read his expressions now! He has a very cute little grin. He is also extra bouncy and snuggly without his extra fur.

Kennel Life

2008-10-17T11:42:00.002-05:00

An important part of advanced training is life in the kennel. Mason loves being here in the kennel. He has lots of furry friends and a Kennel Manager who does a great job of caring for him. Here is Mason enjoying the sounds and smells of fall as I was able to open my office window today!

He is due for a grooming so check in next week for a slightly less fuzzy Mason!

A Chilly Morning

2008-10-10T13:20:00.003-05:00

One morning this week when it was quite chilly outside, Mason and I went for an early walk. He enjoyed the coolness and the new route. Here he is finding the bus. I like his little tongue hanging out :) Can you tell that he is a little wet? We had to walk through some sprinklers! Mason tried to bite at the water as it landed on his head, but he walked through the sprinklers like a trooper. Brrrr!!!! Chilly and wet... felt like fall :)

Around Town

2008-10-03T14:39:00.002-05:00

My name is Sarah and I am also an Instructor at GDTX. I have the privelege of working with Mason now that he is in Advanced Training. Here he is posing with some of the fall decorations we worked around at the mall. Mason gets lots of attention when we are working. Everyone thinks he is BEAUTIFUL and well-behaved. :)

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Daily Life

2008-09-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

Mason in the training van with some of his pals- Willie and Echo

Mason finding a seat-- He loves this game!

Mason's Graduation

2008-08-13T14:14:00.018-05:00

Hi, my name is Jamie Landy and I work for Guide Dogs of Texas as an Apprentice Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. It is my pleasure to inform you that Mr. Mason has come into Advanced Training to be a Guide Dog. Now that Mason is playing with the big boys our first course of action was to assign him a Boarder. This is a very important thing for me seeing as I can't take weekends, holidays, work trips or even get through a class with a client unless I have a Boarder for the pups.

The picture on the left is of Mason coming into advanced training with his puppy raisers Wes and Mary Reimer and Mason's new boarder Carol Deil (to the far right)

Down Below are some pictures of Mason enjoying his new boarder's house.

When you graduate to big boy school it's time to turn in your blue puppy jacket and upgrade to a brown leather harness.

Well thats all for now folks. When I get more pictures I will post more blogs!

PuppyPlay Day 2008

2008-05-17T19:56:00.024-05:00

On May 10th Guide Dogs of Texas had it's second annual Puppy Play Day at the K9 Country Club north of San Antonio. A good time was had by all - pups and people. It was a hot day, so the pups spent a lot of time in the pool.
Mason seems to be trying to coax Oliver into the water. "Come in. The water's fine."
When Mason gets wet he looks skinny. I was going to say he looks like a drowned rat, but, truthfully, I've never actually seen a drowned rat. Have you? Anyway, he looks a lot better dry than wet.
Two on a toy. Mason wants to make it three.

The puppies didn't spend all of their time in the pool. They ran around the rest of the grounds, including this playground. When I downloaded this picture I noted that Mason wasn't actually playing in the playground. Oops!

This lab found a nice, shady place to rest.

Unfortunately the combination of the heat, lots of time in the pool and all the running around had a negative consequence. Mason and some of the other puppies tore the pads on his paws. We had one sore puppy for a few days. He wouldn't even walk outside. So we put ointment and socks on his feet and carried him in and out. He looked like a sheep.

Mason played so hard one day

His feet were sore as heck.

He had to go outside and pee,

But was a nervous wreck.

We put socks on his feet

Carried him in and out.

That helped him do his business

And he didn't have to pout.

So Mary had a little lamb

And boy did he look odd

But he soon was feeling well

And walking on the sod.

Before and After Grooming

2008-05-08T12:10:00.018-05:00

This week we took Mason to Doggie Dooz to have a professional grooming and clipping. Our thanks go to Jeff and Kelli Wright for the complimentary grooming. We appreciate it and we can tell Mason does too. He was going through his third (and final) coat change so had lots of hair to deal with. He has a soft, wooly coat a lot like a lamb. The cut was just in time for the hot, summer weather.

Before

and

After

Kelli said that Mason did well during the grooming after some initual nervousness. Considering that the noise of clippers freaked him out when I got my haircut a few months ago that was good to hear.

"Don't I look handsome?!" (he said modestly as he posed so nicely.)

Finds

2008-04-29T17:06:00.023-05:00

We combined our walks recently with working on "Finds." Mason knows Find the Seat, Door, Steps, Curb, Elevator, Button and Bus (vehicle). He is working on more finds like:
Trash can
Counter (in a store)
Boys* (Mens room)
Girls* (Ladies room)
Stall (the handicap stall)
Pot (urinal)

When Mason finds somethine we must use it. We've ridden lots of elevators, thrown lots of trash away and used the rest rooms often. Once he has found the steps he has to put his front paws on the first step and stop. This gives the person time to find the step. Then I say "Let's go" and Mason proceeds up the steps.

When going down the steps Mason has to sit very close to the step. Then the same procedure is followed.

Wes worked with Mason to find the mens room, stall and urinal. No, Wes isn't pretending he is blind; he just had cataract surgery and his eyes were dialated that day. He is doing well and is amazed at how bright colors are after the surgery. Mason learned to find the trash can quite easily. As with the rest rooms he uses his eyes and nose. This made it much easier for him to learn.
Stay tuned later this week for before and after photos of Mason when he got his first professional grooming and haircut.

Puppy Swap

2008-03-28T23:34:00.006-05:00

"My, how Mason has changed. Wait, that's not Mason. That's a different dog. Have you swapped Mason?" We've had many questions over the last few weeks about our latest puppy. As part of the puppy raising program we swap puppies for about 4 weeks. This gives the puppies a new environment and new exposures. We have enjoyed having Oliver, a golden retriever, with us. He is a joy to work with. He is very mellow and generally obedient; a very sweet personality.
Oliver is being raised by Phil and Sharon Schermerhour in Austin. He goes to work with Sharon at a verterinarian's office. They have many pets at home to keep him company. It's very different at our home with no pets.
Maybe that's why Oliver whined the first few days, especially when put into his crate. We found this sign at a store in the mall. Oliver must have gotten the message because there was no more whining from him.
It was obvious that Phil and Sharon had spent a lot of time working with Oliver. He knew the commands appropriate for his age. Sometimes he needed some reminders to put his front paws on a step going up and wait for a command to continue. But with a little reminder he did just as he was supposed to do. It was nice having Oliver . We'll miss his calm, mellow presence. It will also be nice to have Mason back, at least for another few months. We just received word that he may go back to Guide Dogs of Texas on July 7th to get more intensive training. But we won't think about that just yet.

Casino Night 2008

2008-03-14T14:27:00.032-05:00

Guide Dogs of Texas had a very successful, well attended Casino Night last month. Lots of people, especially the GDTx staff, worked very hard to make it successful. Even Mason pitched in by visiting businesses and soliciting their support.

Due to the generousity of many community partners there were many items for the raffles, door prizes and silent auction tables.GDTx staffer Henri Schmidt sold some of her beautiful glass designs.

I was pretty busy at times so Mason was ably cared for by a young lady named Jamie, and here assistant, Cody. Maybe she'll be a guide dog trainer some day. Cody's mom, also Jamie, already is a trainer and his grandfather has a guide dog trained by GDTx.

There were several puppy raisers with their pups and clients with their dogs. All the pups and dogs got along fine. There were only a few barks from an excited puppy.

Pictured below are Casino Night sponsors and puppy raisers, Michelle and Mike Dolan, from Scrapbook 911. Our sponsors certainly made a big difference in making the night financially successful.

Sarah Jane is a potential client who had to give up here first guide dog due to allergies. She has had time with Mason twice now and has had no reaction to him. Sandy Merrill and the training staff are happy with that result, a main reason for getting a labradoodle.

There are several criteria for making a match, so it is still too early to know if Mason will guide Sarah Jane. If not, maybe Trixie, the second labradoodle, will work for her. Mason and Trixie enjoyed seeing each other. "Wow, someone who looks like me!"
Several of us made a weekend out it and stayed at the Marriott the Saturday night of Casino Night. We brought a crate for Mason but it wasn't his giant one. Maybe he didn't sleep as well in the smaller crate. What do you think?

He did wake up more when he saw Tobie. They had a nice romp on the tennis court before it was time to go home, and start preparing for next year's Casino Night!

Two Fundraisers

2008-02-16T14:58:00.033-06:00

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written. We’ve been busy with two fund raisers for the Guide Dogs of Texas. The second week of January a group of 22 people and 2 guide dogs cruised to benefit the GDTx. We cruised out of Galveston, Texas on Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas. We all had a very good time.

The two guide dog teams (Ernie & Mikey and LouAnn & Bonney) did such a good job of getting around the ship that one lady asked if the guide dogs belonged to the ship since they knew their way around so well! The ship did have a dog, but it was made of brass. The question we got asked the most is about where the dogs relieved themselves. The ship provided a box with mulch for the dogs.

Captain Gerry Larsson-Fedde with Mikey and Bonney.

We are planning another Royal Caribbean cruise fundraiser for January 11-18, 2009. Details will be available soon on the GDTx website. Think about joining us and raising some money.

While we were cruising Mason spent a week at Dominguez Jail with Ignacio (Flaco) and the other puppy raisers. I’m happy to say that Ignacio has now been released from jail. We wish the best for him. He is a nice young man and has a natural talent in working with dogs.

Shortly after returning we had to go out of town again for a few days and Mason couldn’t go, so he stayed with Richard and Ann Hilton. They said he was a good boy. He liked watching the deer out their windows.

Mason did well both times he was away from us. It’s good to know that he can adjust to different situations. He is coming out of his long adolescence and turning into a mature dog. Yeah!

The second fundraiser with which we’ve been busy is Casino Night which will be held at Marriott Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. Will we see you there? Mason will be looking for you.

Goodbye Old Year - Hello New Year

2008-01-01T19:06:00.000-06:00

Mason enjoyed after Christmas shopping. He was especially interested in the wiggling Santas.

He also was quite curious about this store display. He wanted us to go into the store and ask, "How much is that doggie in the window?"

A good way to end the old year is to get all cleaned up so you can look your best going into the new year. Mason accepts bath time - neither hating it nor truly liking it. The best part is when it is over.

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Mason Gets His Sea Legs

2007-12-22T12:24:00.000-06:00

We recently went on a two hour boat ride on Lake Buchanan with friends. Before the cruise three of us gave Mason a run for the money - well a run to get the wiggles out. One man said Mason could have run a few miles. Indeed he has lots of energy. That should help him in his future profession.

Before we got on the boat I also took the opportunity to work on going up and down steps. It's not that Mason doesn't know how to do that. He just has to learn to do it at a walking pace, rather than a gallop. Someday someone will be grateful for us teaching him to pace himself on the steps.

It was a cloudy and windy day, but not too cold, considering it was December. As we went down this dock that moved as we walked Mason was a bit unsure of the movement, but he didn't panic.

On the boat we kept an eye out for bald eagles which are often seen in this area. Unfortunately we didn't see any eagles. We did, however, see some wild goats. Mason wasn't thrilled. After losing to a baby goat in the Cutest Animal contest he isn't very fond of goats.

It was nice scenery despite the gray clouds. It was a good exposure for Mason and nice to be with friends. Mason didn't mind the movement of the boat in the water.

After the boat ride we went to dinner and then looked at Christmas lights. It was a lovely display beginning with this tunnel of lights. We gave it a glowing review, but Mason thought the smells were better than the sights.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

A Loss and Gain

2007-12-12T13:29:00.000-06:00

It was a sad day last month when we received the word that former Executive Director for Guide Dogs of Texas , Mike Mason, had died. He was loved by many for his friendliness, servant's heart and leadership abilities. Though GDTx has found another skilled leader, for which we are all thankful, there was no replacing Mike, the man. This picture was taken in May when Mason, the dog, met his namesake. The dog is just as spirited, friendly and fun loving as the man. We were blessed for having known Mike.
Even as we experience a loss Guide Dogs of Texas will soon be experiencing a gain. Another labradoodle will soon be our newest guide dog puppy in training. Michelle Pelletier, Larry Gelvin and I recently went to see and temperament test the new litter. They are all so cute. Mason now needs to be a good example to a fellow doodle. I think he's up for the challenge. He's maturing nicely - becoming an older and more obedient teenager. Yeah! More picture of him will be coming soon.

Silvers Grand Opening

2007-11-17T21:52:00.000-06:00

Today we went to the grand opening of Silvers Pet and Feed Supply in Cibolo. They had a big celebration with a DJ, food, a Moonjump, petting zoo and much more. It was a fun time for us and a great time for exposing Mason to various stimuli. There were several dogs, a cat, goats, ducks, chickens, a tortoise, a pony, a horse, birds and lots of people.

Mason did well with all the distractions. He was most distracted, of course, by the other dogs. Even around them he was generally well behaved. He was very curious about the different animals.

He wasn’t even frightened of the huge Belgian Draft House named Thor, that is until Thor snorted. That was a bit startling for Mason and that was enough of looking a draft horse in the mouth.

We were asked many questions about Mason and the guide dog program. As usual we used the time to educate people of all ages.

There was a pet parade and contest with various categories. We were hoping Mason might win the one for the cutest pet (even though he technically isn’t a pet) but he didn’t. Indeed there was another pet deemed cuter than him – and it wasn’t even another dog. The cutest pet was a baby goat. Can you believe Mason lost to a goat? That was a little hard on his ego. But he was a good sport. Here he is congratulating the winner. Isn’t it cute in the little pink dress?!

Thank you, Silvers, for a fun time for the whole community. And best wishes for a successful business.

2007-10-28T22:11:00.000-05:00

Halloween is a great time for exposing guide dog puppies to sights, sounds and smells. Mason was put to the test in all three of these areas recently when we went to the Pumpkin Patch in Garden Ridge. He saw pumpkins, scare crows and lots of children. He was quite attracted to the sounds of happy children. And he was distracted by the smells of pumpkins, hay and acorns.

Other opportunities for exposures are stores. He was frightened by a talking mummy in one store. We had to walk back and forth several times before he wouldn’t bolt to get away from it. In the end Mason could walk by it without running away but he still kept a wary eye on it. He wasn’t too sure about this skeleton biker or black cat either but they were much less threatening despite their attempt to be scary.

So what did Mason dress up as for Halloween? He impersonated Tim Allen's dog character in the movie The Shaggy Dog. Don't you think he does a good job at it?

Mason - the FIlm Star

2007-10-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

Some weeks ago Mason was filmed by a group making a video on obedience to be shown in Sunsay School classes for children. The idea was to show that dogs trained to guide visually impaired people must learn to be obedient in order to be useful. If you read Mason's previous blog you know that he was struggling in this area. I'm happy to say he's doing much better.

Mason was fascinated and maybe a little intimidated by the camera, but he did a good job. He was obedient for part of the time and then was disobedient and needed a correction. Dogs are a lot like people in that aspect. No wonder they wanted to used guide dogs as an example.

Like any film star Mason enjoyed being the center of attention.

Testing...Testing

2007-10-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

Mason is into his "teenage" testing time. He's getting into everything. It used to be mostly shoes and trash baskets.

Here’s what we tried when the shoe fetish continued despite correction and redirection to a chew toy. We made him lie quietly while surrounded by shoes. He was corrected whenever he fixated on a shoe. That worked for awhile. He still steals shoes, but it’s less frequent and less destructive when he does.

Since he has branched out from shoes to almost anything we learned a trick to get him to leave something alone. When he was little and wanted to put his paws up on the table that had his treats we put set mousetraps on the table back far enough that he couldn’t get hurt. Then we carefully put newspapers on top of the set mousetraps. When he put his paws up on the table/newspaper one or more mousetraps would be sprung. The sudden noise of the trap and newspaper quickly stopped that behavior. So, now we use unset mousetraps to keep him away from things he shouldn’t get into and we can’t or choose not to put up. Usually that works, but we’ve had to get several mousetraps. We quickly explain the mousetraps to visitors lest they think we have a major rodent problem.

We learned the followed from our pastor when he used it as an illustration in his sermon. I’m sure we got other things out of that sermon, but this one was the most immediately helpful. Mason always wanted to pull the dishtowel down from the oven door. For awhile we kept the towel on the counter but we thought he was old enough to learn to leave it alone – with a little help from Coca Cola. We put an empty soda can filled with pennies on top of the dishtowel and oven handle. The noise from the can falling to the floor is an immediate deterrent. As you can see from the picture the can has gotten dented from a couple of tries but it is now working well to prevent towel theft.

Most of this is just mischievous puppyhood and will subside. But he is sometimes openly defiant. That definitely needs to be curbed. He's trying to work his way up to Alpha dog position. We keep showing him that position has already been filled and we're not resigning from it any time soon. When he grabs something, runs away with it and won’t drop it when commanded to do so we get out the water squirt bottle. He does not like to be squirted with water and just the sight of us picking up the bottle dislodges anything from his mouth. Another win for Alpha dog!

Last Sunday Mason grabbed the front page of the newspaper and started to chew it. I got him to lie down so I could take the paper away from him. When I read the headline I started laughing.

I sent the following e-mail to Michelle, the Puppy Raising Program Manager. “Mason pulled this newspaper off the coffee table and I caught him. I made him stay until I got the camera and got a photo. Think we should send him to prison or let him dodge prison?”

She replied, “He’s such a naughty little boy, but I think he can dodge prison, but I will assign him community service hours, he must volunteer with his local guide dog school to make amends.”

So that’s where we are – testing, being tested and making amends. Some days we feel so mean. We really do try to prevent him from getting into trouble. He has several play toys that we rotate so they seem like new, interesting toys. We walk him regularly and run him around the yard and house for exercise. We have fun playing with him. And we have a gate at the entrance to the kitchen and den.

But we can’t keep him penned in all the time. He needs to learn self control. Until then we’ll keep using our bag of tricks and remember that patience and consistency will bring about the desired result of a happy, obedient dog.

Disclaimer - No animal was hurt in the making of this blog.

6th Annual Golf Tournament

2007-10-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s been awhile since the last blog. I kept telling Mason that it was his blog so he should write it but he didn’t listen. That seems to be a pattern for him lately. He’s into his “teenage” testing the limits stage. We’ll save that subject for another blog.

This time let’s concentrate on the Guide Dogs of Texas 6th Annual Golf Tournament. It was held on Sept. 21 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort. It was a big success with many more attendees than last year. Several people worked for months to make it such a good event. Our minor part was showing up on the day of the event after most of the work was done and helping out. Mason, of course, did his job of public relations.

Mason liked riding in the golf cart when we delivered cold water to the golfers on the warm afternoon. He also liked running alongside the golf cart to release some pent up energy from having to be on his best behavior.
Although Mason wanted to drive the cart we told him he wasn’t old enough to drive so he settled for having his picture taken on the cart.

This was the first time we’d seen the new “moving billboard.” Mason is striking his best pose in hopes that he may be on a future vehicle. He has some pretty big paw prints to fill but he is working on it.

Another puppy working in public relations that day was Zeke. Here he is with Ramiro, his puppy raiser. They are part of the “Pawsitive Approach” program at Dominguez State Jail. Check out the Guide Dogs of Texas website to learn more about the Pawsitive Approach program. It’s one of those win-win-win situations. Guide Dogs of Texas wins in getting more puppies trained. The state of Texas wins in having few disciplinary cases to process. The offenders win by taking responsibility for training the puppy and helping the community.

After a hard day of work Mason took a break on the Texas styled swing seat.

The food table was set and the food was almost ready. All we needed now was the golfers. They were ready for the good bar-b-que when they returned. Mason posed in front of the table but he didn’t get to eat any of it. The “no people food” rule is strictly enforced in our household. No visually impaired person wants their guide dog sniffing their food or that of others. Mason, being an optimist, still tries occasionally but is quickly corrected. Our rule is “You can’t eat our food and we won’t eat yours.”

After several hours of wearing his coat, symbolizing that he was working, Mason was glad to come home. He celebrated being off duty by running around the back yard at full speed. Oh the joy of running free. We hope you are having a “wind blowing through your hair” type of day.

Mason Goes Golfing

2007-09-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Well, what has Mason been up to? He has been an ambassador by accompanying us to about 20 golf courses and other golfing sites around San Antonio. We were handing out literature for the
6th Annual Guide Dogs of Texas Charity Golf Outing. It will be held on September 21st at the Hyatt Hill Country Golf Club . If you are interested in participating please check out the Guide Dogs of Texas website. (See the link on the right side of the screen.)
Mason liked sitting on the golf cart but was disappointed that he didn't get to drive.

While we were out and about we visited some businesses

which sponsored the Casino Night that we had in April. (Next year it will be in February. We'll have more about that in a future blog as Mason again shines as an ambassador.)

We had lunch at Mimi's Cafe, dessert at the Cold Stone Creamery and visited Randy and Alicia Schowe at the UPS Store. All these businesses are at the Rim on La Canterra Parkway. When you frequent these places please tell them thank you for supporting the Guide Dogs of Texas and the visually impaired.

Well, this is a short blog because Wes and I are off to Bermuda early tomorrow morning. Mason is spending the next week with Tim and Cindy Buechner and their family again. I know he will have a lot of fun, and know they will too.