Let Freedom Ring... (or in this case, howl)

So, our little guy is growing like a weed. He's gained 1/2 pound since we brought him home from Mom's last week, for a grand total of 4.2 pounds. Freedom is getting leggy and tall, and the 12" collar that I had for him when I brought him from the breeder's (and could fit almost my whole hand under on the last hole) now fits him comfortably.

Our big news of the day is that we've found a new apartment, about 20 miles closer to my mom's place, which cuts our trip time in half, not to mention the cost of gas for our frequent trips up there. Looks like we'll be moving  at the end of the month, in increments, as the new place doesn't open up until the 5th of August, and we're hoping to be out of this place by the end of July. Anyway I look at it, I'll just be glad to be out of this place. Even though the management here cannot deny me the dog because he's medically prescribed, they let me know in no uncertain terms that the dog is unwelcome here. I'm somehow supposed to make him "invisible"... How exactly I'm supposed to train a service dog while doing this, is beyond me, and to do so simply for the convenience of the manager, is rather a put off to me. Not to mention, it sent my anxiety through the roof, as I now worry every time we take Freedom out who's outside, who's watching, how fast I can get him in the car, etc. Rather counter-productive to the whole purpose of the dog...

So, the move we'd planned for September, has been pushed up to this month instead. By the way... I hate moving. But our daughter is in California, enjoying a much deserved break with her grandparents, cousins and brothers and sister down there for the rest of the summer, so there's one less thing to stress about!

Freedom's been making progress in more than just his physical size. He's been proving his mental growth as well. We've been doing short clicker training sessions as well, working with "heel", "come", "sit", "down", and "leave it", hitting about a 75% success rate. He loves his treats! He also had his first water play time last night... an experience that he could have passed on, if you'd asked him, but he tolerated it, and my holding him just above the water, with only his paws under the surface so that he could paddle. It's good exercise, and it helps cool him off when the weather is like it is again today. Up here in the Northwest, most places don't have A/C, so it gets warm and stuffy inside rather quickly.

He's also learning to toss his bully spring around. For those who aren't familiar with these dog chews, they are a variation of the bully stick, a long strip of beef tendon that's been sterilized and dried, and in the case of the spring, it's been dried in a long, loose coil that the dog can chew, and toss around. It goes everywhere with our little guy... he chews it, falls asleep with it, entertains himself with it when I'm reading or on the computer. It's the next best thing to Mom when his teeth are hurting (not that I generally allow him chewing on me -- he likes to sneak up on toes and earlobes when I'm asleep on the couch!).

He's also started alerting to my anxiety attacks. He has taken to whining, scratching, and howling when he's kept away from me and can't get to me, roughly 5 minutes before an attack strikes. The pattern started becoming noticeable today in the car on our way up to talk to the management at the new apartment. Freedom is generally pretty quiet in the car, sleeping in his crate for the entire ride. But today, about half-way there, he pitched a fit, making us think perhaps he had to go potty, and that we'd arrive to find a mess in his crate. Within 5 minutes, I had the awful tightness in my chest, and all the other lovely symptoms (said with utmost sarcasm, here) that attend an attack, and Freedom's crate was dry when we arrived. He's gone through these motions at least 3 other times just before my having an attack, leading us to think that perhaps he's already picked up on the changes. This is part of what having a PSD is about.

We've also started kicking around the idea of training Freedom to navigate me out of a crowd or store via pulling harness. Yes, he'll only be about 25-30 pounds at most, but when my attacks are at their worst in a crowd, my mind shuts down, and I will follow gentle pressure. Brian (my hubby) agrees that this might not be a bad thing, as Freedom will most likely be able to find the shortest way out faster than he could. It's a big maybe right now, but it's not ruled out just yet.

For now, I have a floppy-eared, goofy black puppy that's smart and talented, and has grown very bonded to me, and reads my signals better than anyone else I've ever known. I can't say that I regret bringing this little guy into my life for even one moment.