Kenai the Bored Gets a Morning out…by Lisa Harmon July 25, 2008

Kenai the dignified (and sleepy), 29 weeks old

Kenai’s been awfully tolerant of my being laid low for a couple weeks. He’s starting to get fussy about it, wanting so badly to go play and have his public outings. Of course, his fussy is running in the house, and going straight to the garage when he’s supposed to go potty. It could be worse… I may be a bore, but I do know how to find the ball he lost!

So this morning we headed off to the gas station, the bank, and the store. I could only handle him inside one place, since I’ve got the lovely shaking in my arms and legs today. If he was fully trained and I knew I could count on him not to pull the tiniest bit, or misbehave no matter what…I’d have loved to take him everywhere so I could lean on those ever-burgeoning shoulders! But, there’s no fast forward button.

Once those tremors start, the next step is the limbs refuse to work at all. Hence, pay a little extra for full service gas, and use the bank drive up window. It wasn’t a total loss: Kenai got lots of oogling and a packet of doggie treats! I chose to strap up the vest for the grocery store, as he’s never been in one. Until today.

The store it was. We only had to have milk, soda, and bread. But we had to have milk, soda, and bread. So I got myself a cart, a nice clangy rattler, and walked nice and slow with it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to walk that close to the noisy thing, but he heeled. And the freezer section made noise, too. Did you know those glass doors open? Kenai didn’t, but once the cool air hit is nose, he decided it was pleasant enough! So pleasant in fact, stink butt tried to open one on his own.

I didn’t set things in the cart, I dropped them. Mostly on purpose. I went ahead and picked up some hashbrowns, and shredded cabbage for coleslaw on Sunday. I found out this morning our friends, Wade and Melba are coming for Sunday lunch. It’s making lunch or swimming with them, but not both, since my energy reserves have plummeted. So the menu is make ahead stuff. If they bring a watermelon, we’re set. 

I’m sure Kenai would help with the watermelon. He’d help with any of it…

Today’s episode of the sibling saga: My brother’s been off work for 3 days, with the computers being down. His first response wasn’t to use the time to hunt apartments, or deal with his financial situation. He decided to start screwing around with my yard and equipment again. What part of leave it the hell alone is incomprehensible? His other response was to have a 3 day weekend with his 2 year old at our house without asking. So right now, a whiney screamy kid is running loose while her Dad is in my kitchen and depleting what’s left of our monthly groceries. Uuggh. 

I caught myself involuntarily cringing when I heard Emily’s voice this morning. Crap on it, I was trying to teach BB not to! But 16 weekends without so much as a ‘would that be okay’ or ’should I take her out for the day’ is just an imposition. Even Mom is finally starting to resent having lost the Grandmother’s right to say “not this weekend” when we’re too sick or too tired. Or just don’t want to deal with the noise, commotion, and tantrums of my sweet but 2 year old neice. Sometimes it’s just too much, and there’s where else to go.

So if my legs hold out, I’ll be looking for somewhere cool and quiet to take Kenai tomorrow. I thought about a cafe where I could sit and read, but the tots really only gives me 30-40 minutes of down stay before he’s stiff and uncomfortable. A movie would be too loud for him just yet, I think, and at 2 hours I’d be pushing him maybe a little too far. I’ll have to put on my thinking cap and come up with something.

Taking Kenai out takes energy, more than you might think. He has to be brushed and sprayed with deoderant. He has to be loaded up, unloaded, vested, and unvested. He requires attention to watch where he walks, how he responds, and if he needs a slobber towel swipe. Every step takes some energy, and that’s just part of having a service dog. If you’re training an SD like me, the obedience practice and attentiveness takes even more. Comes with the territory. 

The pay off is worth it, though. You don’t have to clean up and pay attention to a wheel chair. But staying out of the wheel chair as long as possible is a good thing. Canes won’t alert you to gathering anxiety, nor put a nose on your arm to comfort you when you’re scared of those looming steps. Kenai may be medical equipment when working, but he’s the most fun contraption I’ll ever have to use!

He’ll have to make do with some cuddles and shortened field romps today. I’ll try to get him out more, just for less duration. Hope that will satisfy the high speed hoot. Maybe a new game of some kind? “Help Mom strip the bed?” maybe? Oooh, or play with the hose? We’ll see what happens…