Belle and Her Furever Home

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

I'm Tom Farin and the proud new papa of a wonderful Labradoodle named Belle who is already a bit of a celebrity at this site.  Yes, were talking about the doodle formerly called IL-Belle at the DRC web site.

She's a celebrity because a lot of people were rooting for this blind doodle cutie to be adopted.  She is everything she was described in the listing and more.  She loves people.  In fact when we meet an owner/dog pair at the dog park or on our walks, she greets the owner before she greets the dog.  Almost everyone that meets her walks away without a clue that they just encountered a dog who cannot see.  She has adapted that well.  

I don't considerate her to be a handicapped dog and I don't feel sorry for her.  That is just fine with her.  She has one or two shortcomings relative to other dogs.  But she makes it up with heart.  Other than sight and because she can't see, her walk is a bit tentative.  As a result, the muscles in her front legs are a bit underdeveloped.  So for the last six days she has gone on a 1 1/2 hour aerobic walk.  She was tuckered out after the first two or three walks, but now she still has energy when we get done.

She's smart.  She's already mastered two new commands, "step up" and "step down."  To be perfectly honest, I was expecting adopting a blind dog to be challenging, even though our recently departed 13 year old chocolate lab, Coco was nearly blind at the end.  But Belle is making it easy.  She's already mind mapped the downstairs of the house.  As I indicated she is going up and down steps and climbing in and out of the car easily.  I figured it would take her longer than normal to adapt to her new home due to the fact she would have all the typical issues faced by a re-homed dog, plus the fact she couldn't see her new environment.  Maybe because this is the fifth new environment this doodle has had to adapt to in about 8 months, she has gotten to be pretty flexible.  But she's doing beautifully in less than a week.

We feel very lucky to have found her and grateful we were selected to adopt her.

Tom

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's a 45 minute drive, but worth every minute of it. 

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

I live in Dane County, WI.  Dog parks are a formal part of the Dane County Park system.  There are seven in Dane County.  Three have lake access so the dogs can swim.  My Vet suggested swimming as a way to build up Belle's front leg muscles.  So we have one of the best dog park systems in the country.  I'm familiar with the Forest Preserve system in the Chicago Metro market.  What is here is similar.

[Diana Erhart]

Welcome Tom!  It sounds like Belle has found a wonderful home!  Just a thought as I was reading through these posts…you keep mentioning how much Belle loves humans.  Once she gets settled you may want to consider having her temperament evaluated to see if she would make a good therapy dog, if you would be interested in that.  Not sure about what is available in your area as far as evaluation and training but she sounds like she might make a great therapy dog.  And with her being blind, many older and special needs children would really be able to relate to her.  Again, just a thought, and welcome!!

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

Diana,

Good suggestion.  I've actually given that some thought.  We moved my 93 year old mom to a retirement home in Madison Saturday.  I've given some thought to approaching them.  But this girl is pretty full of oats.  I wouldn't want her knocking anyone over.  Aside from that she has the temperament you'd look for in a therapy dog.  And you are right.  People attempting to recover from disabilities could relate to her.

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

Today, after a lot of input from the rest of you, we made another trip to the dog park.  I've modified my dog park behavior a bit based on your input.  First we timed our visit at around 8:00 AM today (Monday).  The work day begins in Madison as early as 7:00 (blue collar) and as late as 9:00.  So traffic at the entrance gate was made up primarily of pets and owners leaving rather than entering.  There were 10 cars in the lot which translated into about 15 dogs.  This park is rural so folks get there by car.

I kept her on the lead until we were clear of the entrance area.  Then I unleashed her.

The dog park is at least 40 acres.  There are grass paths.

That's my shadow in the front of the photo.  Note the lack of activity.  There is a gravel road that runs through the center of the park.  Dog owners taking a stroll tend to stick to the paths.  Those running and doing aerobic walks tend to use the gravel road.  Occasionally a dog owner and dog are seen on the road, often crossing using one of the paths.

We use the road.  It is wide and there are grass 'warning paths' on each side which leads to high grass and weeds.  She doesn't like weeds in her face.  There were three dog encounters on the road.  When I see a dog, I walk over to Belle and hold her harness and start repeating the word 'puppy'.  Once she figures out that puppy means approaching dog, I'll function as her eyes until she hears and smells.  Once she has acquired the dog on her sound and scent radar, I let her harness go.  

The first encounter was a pair of chocolate labs, one carrying a tennis ball, which he promptly dropped at my feet.  I picked it up and threw it in the direction of the owner who was about 50 yards away.  Both dogs took off after the ball.  Belle decided to follow.  It is the first time I have seen her run.  After about a 10 yard sprint the "You're going to get hurt" voice took over and she stopped to a walk and returned to me.  I need to figure out a way to let her run where she feels safe.

A portion of the dog park is a mulch path with grass on either side.  This shot shows her leading me, an unusual behavior for her.  What's interesting about this photo is I caught her on the grass.  As you can see there is mulch in the middle and grass on the edges.  When the texture under her feet changes, she knows she is getting off the path and heads back toward the center.  I saw her moving back and forth and testing width and edges all through the park.  I think she is trying to map the park in her mind.  That means I plan to always take the same path through the park.

We had one more dog encounter on this path, his time involving three dogs.  One snuck up on her from behind.  I think I need one of those bike helmets with a rear view mirror.  Fortunately after sniffing her rear the hound rolled over on her back and exposed her private parts to be sniffed.

All in all it was a successful trip with the added benefit of watching mind mapping in action and seeing her run for the first time.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

It is so fascinating to read how you understand her so well, and her ability to adjust to her new surroundings. You have a gift and Belle is one lucky doodle.

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

I feel like I found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I've been doing research into Agility Training for blind dogs.  Of course I ran into the usual naysayers.  Her are the comments of one who happens to be a trainer.  My responses to his points are in bold.  His response is in response the owner of a blind dog asking for information on agility training.

"You don't, especially if you can't afford to work with an instructor who will have safety issues in mind. Really, now that's an enlightened response.  From your comments, I suspect that instructor isn't you!

Which doesn't mean that there aren't things you can do to help build her confidence and bond with you, but jumping of any kind (which comprises most of agility) and climbing up things are dangerous...  So is taking a sighted dog hunting or putting a dog into police work.  Did you even consider adapting the course to meet the needs of a blind dog? ... and I think weaving would be counterproductive to building confidence, as it is a visual skill. " How about marking the entrance to the weave with scent and texture?
Fortunately there are some enlightened people out there.

Here's a YouTube video of a dog that can't see below his nose running an agility course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uHAkUUqXGI

And here's a heart warming post by an agility trainer that also shares her home with some special needs dogs about her experience in agility training for blind dogs.

http://tarastermer.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/agility-for-special-nee...

All she did to adapt her course to blind dogs is mark the apparatus with distinct scents.  I totally agree with her philosophy in special needs dogs.  There is a philosophy out there that blind dogs are somehow different.  I don't think going blind changes a dog's DNA.  I don't think it changes what the dog enjoys doing.  Yes, behaviors change.  But one of the reasons dogs that start out sighted then go blind are depressed is that they are no longer able to do many of the things they once enjoyed doing.  I believe it is our responsibility as owners of special needs dogs to do what we can to restore their ability to do what they enjoy doing.

I don't think Belle will ever be a ball chaser.  It isn't what she appears to be interested in doing.  On the other hand she has many of the traits, the intelligence, and the zest for life you look for in a quality Agility dog.  I'm pretty sure she would enjoy both agility training and running the course.

But the course needs to be built around the skills and senses that a blind dog posesses.  In a future blog post I'll lay out the concept behind the agility course I plan to build.  And, by the way, a sighted dog would probably also enjoy running the course I have in mind.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

We had some awful winter weather here and I started my dog on a treadmill, for exercise.  Isthat something that might work for Belle to be able (eventually) to run and build up her strength?

Meantime, the park seems wonderful!  Thanks for sharing Belle's progress and for what you are doing for her.   

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

Lori,

We have a treadmill in our basement which I often use on lousy winter days.  A blind dog on a treadmill.  Now there is a challenge.  I need to think about that one.

Tom

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

I know-but when I thought about it, maybe it would be just the thing.  Quincy, my dog, had no idea what was happening when I first put him on it.  He only knew it was moving by experiencing it, not by seeing it before hand.  When he got the rhythm he did fine. Of course, I have no idea if a blind dog would react the same, though.  I love hearing about Belle and as I have said, look forward to following her story.  

http://www.serious-dog-training.com/the-benefits-of-dog-treadmill-f...

[Thomas, Chari, & Lady Belle]

HELP!! - Bad Haircut Day - HELP!!

Belle Here,

New Dad decided to cut my hair today.  I heard him tell Mom Chari that he watched the first half of a YouTube video on how to cut a Doodle's hair but not the second half.  He knew what to do with my middle but didn't have a clue on what to do with the two ends.  Of course, I can't see what he did to me because I'm blind!  Please tell me I don't look like a freak.  Please !!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

You look fine Belle.