first movie, first damage

Kenzie is AMAZING in restaurants and medical appointments. When she came to live with us at 4 months old, it took about the first 3 weeks to get her trained for restaurants so that we only occasionally have to correct her. Initially we compared it to having a meal with a 2 year old child - we had to work hard to keep her calm, quiet and still but it usually still went fairly well. Now it is usually reasonably relaxing and we don't worry about taking her for a restaurant meal.

The definitive test was last weekend when our new nephew, baby Li, had his full moon or 100 days celebration. He is of Chinese descent but the family is not strictly traditional. The event usually is at the age of 1-month to celebrate mom and baby's release from a month of isolation for healing and rest. it is the event to introduce baby to the world and congratualte the family. Li is actually 4 months, but who's counting? Like I said, not strictly traditional.

Our friends and family have many little people, mostly under the age of 5. We occupied 3 long tables in a LARGE brunch buffet restaurant. There was alot of noise and alot of children. Have I mentioned small children are Kenzie's behavioural downfall? Even just the sound of a small child sets her barking and lunging, a definate no-no for service dogs.

Kenzie was a superstar. Most of the people there didn't even know she was under the table. We sat by a window to have one less direction from which distration could come. The window looked onto a completely lifeless balcony. Or rather it WAS lifeless until someone discovered that the many children under 5 could run around out there. And still Kenzie was still and quiet. And children came and tapped on the window. And still Kenzie held it together. We were SO proud of her. Our extended family was very impressed.

Then comes this weekend. (Note: ominous and dramatic pause)

Some background: V and I are recently liberated parents. Our son is in university far away. And it is GREAT! I love him and I love having him home but the empty nest thing? Have I already used the adjective GREAT? Oh yes. And already in caps. You should know I have emphasized how great it is. GREAT. Great. great, so great.

Complete freedom to do ... whatever we want, where ever, whenever. Not that i am speaking of any particular act that we would want to have the freedom to do anywhere, any time. Well, maybe a little. But really - anything!

And now suddenly we have a barky puppy in a crate beside our bed and generally following us around the house. One who is especially set off by unusual noises and always wants to be in the middle of every thing we do. All things.

And V loves to go out to movies. She LOVES movies. Did I emphaisize love? LOVE. Love, love, LOVE! I think you get it.

We have only been to 1 movie in the 2 months since we have had Kenzie with us and we used her 'occasionally can be left in crate for less than 4 hours'. This is from the guidelines for raising a puppy to be a service animal. Most puppies you eventually want to be able to leave for the workday. But a service puppy has to be with you for the whole workday. You are their workday. Instead of patiently waiting for you at home they have to be ready to patiently wait for you at work, on the bus, at appointments, at restaurants...and at movies.

So Kenzie hasn't been to a movie theatre before. And it costs a fair amount to go to a movie for 2 people. At a restaurant you can ask them to pack it up and take it home if the dog isn't behaving, but at a movie? That's $30 down the drain.

And as any couple will do in such a situation, of course, we had an arguement. Our son is gone and we have the freedom and we could go but the dog can only be left occasionally. And what, really, does occasionally mean? Should we get a babysitter? We finally shipped off the kid and now we're doing the same with a dog?!!

Occasionally is also complicated btw by the two places we can't take Kenzie. V's work has declined to allow her to have Kenzie there for even an hour once or twice a week. And I have a twice a week treatment appointment that Kenzie can NOT come to. When we got Kenzie we thought she could spend this time with V at work, conveniently just a few blocks from my appointment. But that hasn't worked out how we planned. SO besides the temptation to use to use 'occasionally' for the occasional movie, there is also the twice a week appointment difficulty.

Our end decision was to try Kenzie out at the movie. Luckily we aren't so much into action or thiller movies with noises likely to irritate a dog. We chose Craze, Stupid, Love. at the Dunbar Theatre. Calm movie that has been out a while. Not too many people. Great theatre with new seats and lots of leg room.

Organize dinner and dog exercising all to be done by 6:30 and off we go!

The staff were no problem. I did see one of them trying really hard to read the words on her vest, though that could have been just curiousity. So far no one has ever asked to see Kenzie's identification though I have had one or two people ask why she is assisting us, two apparently ablebodied women. (I didn't point out that invisible disabilities exist because I can have that rant another day.)

So we get our seats with 10 minutes to spare. At the back and beside the aisle for a quick getaway if necessary. There is lots of space in the theatre, no one is too close to us. In theory Kenzie should be able to manage an action movie in a packed theatre but for a puppy in training and the first time, lots of space is great.

And with 2 minutes to spare ,for the first time since we've had her, Kenzie throws up. Twice. Now we have clean up to deal with. Luckily one of the things we have been told as foster-puppy-moms is to always have cleaning supplies in case of accidents. I took the slacker way out and moved the dog away before she decided that she had magically generated a second and third dinner, or just walked in the mess. V is a care aide so she is used to messes of this type and, besides, I don't usually clean well enough for her liking. It's a sweet deal for me.

So now we have to decide, should we stay anyway? Since she puked we should give her water but probably not food. But she's probably going to be really hungry soon. Variations on food are one of our time killing factors with Kenzie. We use small treats or kibble for positive reinforcement for sitting quietly, a larger treat to chew on for a while. We decided to stay and see how it went anyway.

These are noises in quiet movies that can bother a dog : dogs barking, babies or small children, high pitched noises like, oh, say, the noise a camera makes for a few seconds when it is set on automatic, or any arguement.

So one bark about 30 minutes in and a second 15 minutes later. I took her out for a 5-minute walk, then back in. Then in the last 30 minute, the big high conflict scene, not just one bark but bark-ING, continuing all the way out through the lobby and outside. After a slightly longer walk I decided she could manage in the back of the car for the last 10-15 minutes of the movie. That seemed to go well. I didn't hear any more barking from inside the theatre while I watched the end of the movie!

All in all - not great for sure. V had a hard time keeping Kenz settled during the movie, so V's attention was not on the movie consistently. And I missed bits of movie during the 2 little barking excursions. No one complained about the couple of barks inside but since we didn't have Kenzie at the end (she was in the car) they wouldn't have known to complain to us. Maybe they complained to the theatre. (Note to self : send the theatre a thank you card.)

Now on a completely different note and connected online in proximity time wise, Kenzie has been very good about not chewing things. She has picked up slippers, shoes and socks but mostly seems to just want to smell them. We have a small broom and dust pan which she has loved from the beginnning and the last 2 weeks she has decided that the toilet brush is a great shape for chewing. There is a bit of damage on them though they are still workable. They now all live on a high hook instead of on the floor. Besides, if they were damaged beyond usefulness they are dollar store purchases. She has gnawed on other things for a few moments but when we give her a raw hide bone she leaves our things alone.

But for some reason, last night Kenzie decided the bathroom matt was a chew toy. Before then she she had slept on it, moved it, rearranged it for maximum sleeping pleasure... and now our carpet has bald spots.

And now this morning for some reason she has gnawed on the TV stand to the point that damage is very visible. Oh well - I have no fondness for this piece of furniture anyway. Veronica claims she does not either but it is a bedside table that was her grandfather's and, well, we still have it even though neither of us admit to liking it. I take this to mean it has sentimental value to her.

I knew Kenzie was gnawing on something but she was on her cushion where I had given her her rawhide bone and the coffee table was blocking my view so I thought it was still the bone. So I've gathered up all of the big wood splinters that came off of it and wondered

where else will Kenzie leave her mark?