Posts Categorized: Diabetic Alert Dog

Dogs Love Big Trees

One thing I miss about Northern California is the big trees.

We had one in our old backyard. I loved the occasional trip to the Redwood grove, where my paws walked on the soft, sandy ground and trampled the needles, giving off a unique musty scent that only the Redwoods can do.

It was wonderful that GraceAnne and Gabriel got married under a Redwood canopy.

The very next day, we showed our pastor and his family Armstrong Woods because they wanted to walk amongst the big trees.

I think they enjoyed themselves because we don’t have trees like this in Tennessee. You can barely see me next to Colonel Armstrong, the oldest tree in the grove.

We walked along and found a fallen tree’s old roots. It looks like a herd of octopus legs tangled up.

Another downed tree had people’s names carved in it. If you look closely, my name is in this tree.

But neither my mom nor I would desecrate a thousand-year-old tree or anything, for that matter. My mom is more of tree-preserver than a destroyer.

Time for a Wedding

One of the big reasons we traveled to Northern California was for a big event called a wedding. It’s something special between two humans.

Mom was excited because the wedding was for her only daughter, GraceAnne. I got to wear a fancy thing called a tuxedo. I felt so dapper.

With the smell of the Redwood trees all around me, GraceAnne and Gabriel got married. As my sniffer was enjoying the scents, Mom’s sniffer was dripping. Though tears were falling, I knew she was happy.

Afterward, I got to be in some of the pictures. Mom says I’m photogenic. I’m not sure what that means. However, I do know what handsome means.

My nose sniffed so much… GraceAnne even let me smell her bouquet.

A wedding really is a big deal and I had a lot of fun. I even took to the dance floor with Christy. But at the end of the day, I was happy to lie down and rest and soon take off my fancy garb.

I gave my heartfelt slurps as my fur-felt congratulations to the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Smith.

Visiting Snoopy’s House

Hello friends! Life has thrown us some curve balls, none of which I have caught or chased.

I was, however, a great support for Christy, as the past month was hard for her to go through, and every day continues to be challenging. Mom says if you subscribe to her newsletter, you will get some of the details on October 16.

But for now, it’s my turn to tell you of my adventures.

My favorite dog, Snoopy, has a special place in Santa Rosa called a museum. I felt validated in my job because only service dogs are allowed to visit the museum, and of course, they gave me a treat for being a good boy.

Everywhere I went, a friend of Snoopy’s showed up. Mom loves this mosaic of Charlie Brown.

And then there was Lucy.

Mom says Lucy and Charlie Brown remind her of her parents in many ways.   Mom introduced me to Snoopy’s brother, Spike.

I also met Snoopy’s good friend, a bird named Woodstock.

I’m undecided as to what kind of bird he is.

Snoopy and I are a lot alike in that we both love food and let our master know when we are hungry.

Mom smiled as she read this sign to me from the wall of the Warm Puppy Café

She says I’ll understand its meaning more when we get home and I will have lots to blog about because of it.

Do you happen to know what she’s talking about?

Snoopy is not afraid to try anything and even plays one of the hardest sports, hockey.

I guess that’s why he’s a really cool role model dog.


Want to read more about me and Snoopy? Read last week’s blog post, “Making Friends With Snoopy.”

Making Friends With Snoopy

I’m an easy-going kind of dog. I travel well. In fact, I fit under the seat of an airplane like carry-on luggage.

Well, I’m in the middle of another big trip adventure.

After taking a walk through a long airport called Dallas and finding the relief station, we got on another airplane, where I had a long nap.

When we finally landed in Santa Rosa, the smells became familiar. My ears perked up because I knew where we were! Things got even more familiar as I recognized a famous dog, but he couldn’t play and was larger than his pictures make him out to be.

He showed me his house, but I didn’t climb on top to hang out with him.

Apparently, this famous dog’s master lived here for many years and created lots of things called comic strips.

Christy loves Snoopy because he’s a writer, too.

Of course, I had to smile for a photo with a bronze-smelling statue of two of his friends before we moved onward to the next adventure in our travels.

What is a Time Zone?

Here we go again! Yes, I love adventure and that usually means traveling.

So here I am in an airplane flying to California to be with family for a special day called “a wedding.”

The trouble with flying isn’t that it gets us there quickly. The trouble is with something I don’t understand. Time zones. Apparently, we crossed a couple of them while in the sky. Of course, you know I can’t tell time. I have talked about this problem before.

I keep my eye on Christy, hoping she is aware that no matter what time zone we have crossed, I have a schedule to keep.

I knew something had changed as my tummy rumbled and Christy didn’t feed me right away. I watched Grandma Kit peeling carrots – one of my favorite treats – but she didn’t feed me.

When I finally got my dinner, Christy apologized. She was doing her best to keep me on schedule while dealing with time.

Food is not the only issue I have to deal with; this time zone crossing thing is exhausting!

Why I’m Called Captain Slurpsalot

Once upon a time I was born and raised to become an official Guide Dog for the Blind.

Things were going really well until they discovered a personality trait that could not be changed. You see, a guide dog for the blind must maintain focus and pass the tests with 100% accuracy.

Although I was very good, I loved to give kisses.

Along with those kisses came the clicking sound of my teeth clacking together, making me sound like I was biting. This is a character trait that caused me to be career changed. I went into training for Dogs for Diabetics and was nicknamed Crock.

I confess. I love to slurp. I can’t help myself. I love to give kisses. It’s my way of letting people know I like them.

I admit it can be annoying to some, but not to Mom. She loves it. She has put on my collar a tag that gives fair warning to those I meet.

It seems to be how people identify me. Those who know me give me more nicknames, like Captain Slurpsalot, or Crockadile, or Sir Licksalot.

I don’t mind the names, and I give kisses whenever I’m allowed. I guess that’s why Mom was given this sign that now hangs in our house’s entryway.

Come and visit and I’ll greet you with a slurp.

What’s a Gender Reveal?

I’ve seen a lot of things and enjoyed many events, but this one is a doggy first.

We arrived at our church fellowship night when a lady whispered in Mom’s ear.  A few minutes later, Mom hung a wooden sign around my neck. It felt awkward, but I am a go-with-the-flow kind of dog.

We stayed hidden until the “scavenger hunt” for baby gender clues had finished. Everyone seemed perplexed and lost at the misleading clues until I walked over to the new expectant mom as she read the board.

Reading the sign made her so happy. If she had a tail, it would be wagging very fast.

I have said before that dogs can’t read, but whatever the sign said, I’m glad I was the one who got to deliver the good news.

Mom got excited recently about a new panda place where we had to stop for lunch.

I met another big furry creature walking up and down the sidewalk as the restaurant was celebrating a grand opening.

It was a very hot day and I think this furry friend could have used some water. But he was kind enough to let me sniff him. My nose tells me he is not a real panda bear. What do you think?

Meeting New Furry Friends

I’ve been to many places and seen new things in the past month. I met a new furry friend.

His name is Rascal and he is the mascot for the brand-new community center, Morristown Landing.

Christy bops about in the pool as loud music is played during her water aerobics class while I sit on my waterproof mat and keep my eye on her. The people are getting used to seeing me and know better not to disturb me, since I’m always on duty.

I have discovered a place that has the most wonderful dog treats. On our way to surprise one of Christy’s writing friends, we stopped at this place called Buc-ee’s.

It’s a huge store for travelers and is surrounded by grassy areas reserved for dogs to do their business. I was able to pick out my own packaged donut treats and they were delicious. I think Buc-cee’s is my new favorite spot to stop on road trips and there is a new one a short trip away.

You can see why I like it here:

Who wouldn’t like a furry friendly little creature with treats of all kinds to share?

Boom Booms Make Me Zoom Zoom

It’s that time of the year again when humans go crazy shooting off things that light up the sky and make loud bangs.

Most animals get spooked by these sudden sounds. Even though I am calm, doing my job all day long no matter what comes my way, I do not like big booms, and this includes thunderstorms. My reaction is to zoom zoom to the place I feel the most safe, Christy’s bathroom.

Because we live in a state where the boom booms are legal and storms blow through several times a month, Christy is always prepared to make me feel comfortable.

She puts my comfortable bed in the bathroom at the center of the house.

She turns on the fan and plays music loudly on the radio.

I also get these really tasty calming cookies as a treat.

I usually sleep well and make it through the noisy event.

I’m hoping my readers who have pets will use the example of my handler, Christy, and take care of your fur-babies.

Also, please try to be understanding of those who have served our country. Loud boom booms may trigger PTSD and make them zoom zoom, too.

Please be mindful of how these humans might feel, as well.

Please have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

Aiden

Ranger Bear Gets a Ride

As a service dog, I am always at Christy’s side, so I go everywhere with her. She took me to a place called Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to the place where they make and sell Moon Pies.

There were all sorts of good things to smell and my nose was on overload.

But Christy had a purpose and I soon found out what it was.

To surprise Karen Barnett, her author friend. Karen was a national park ranger and now writes novels that are set in national parks. I couldn’t resist giving her a slurp or two or three.

I got to meet Ranger Bear.

He’s Karen’s mascot and chief representative of her Vintage National Parks novels. Mom follows his adventures whenever Karen writes about them. I got to give him a ride in my pocket.

Ranger Bear even has his own Instagram account @rangerbear_adventures. How cool is that?!

I’ve been to a few national parks myself.

The Grand Canyon:

Crater Lake:

But this one is Christy’s favorite, as it is where she and Kevin spent their honeymoon, whatever that is.

Yosemite: