Eaton Canyon Hike

Last Sunday we went on a hike to the Eaton Canyon Falls with another Canine Hope family, Luke & Jedi. Jedi is a DAD in training, and is doing amazingly well, and Luke is one of the cutest little 4 year olds you've ever seen. So we packed up the family and labs and headed to Pasadena.

Training "Leave It"

I am hardly a dog trainer. I was really proud when we taught our Great Dane to sit years ago. But as the handler of service dogs that go out in public, constant and continuous training is required to maintain sharpness in the dog, and to get the dog to fit your lifestyle. So we try and work some kind of obedience training/work into every single day.

We take these dogs everywhere with us, and most of the time, that means kids are around. The also means potential food being carried at dog height, food being dropped, toys, all kinds of fun things for a lab to grab. Perhaps your going out to a restaurant, and need to put your dog under the table. Is there stray french fries down there? Perhaps a half eaten churro at an amusement park? Or maybe something really dangerous to dogs like chocolate or grapes. Having a dog that knows "leave it" can make your life easier.

Displaying Calm

A very important trait for a service dog that is required to go out in public needs to have is "calm". Think of an action movie with explosions or gun shots, 4th of July fireworks, or an honor roll assembly at an elementary school with sudden bursts of applause. (video after the jump)

Smashing A Type 1 Diabetic Myth

Type 1 Diabetic myth #1. Type 1 diabetics can't eat candy, sugar, doughnuts, etc.

The truth is, type 1 diabetics can eat anything they want, as long as they take insulin to cover the carbohydrates of what they are eating. Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by diet or lack of exercise, it is an autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of insulin producing cells in the pancreas. This leads to increased blood glucose, and requires an injection of synthetic insulin, either by needle or pump.

Was That A False Alert?

I ran the LA Marathon on Sunday. My day started at 4:15 am with a cup of coffee, a banana and a Cliff bar. That is a pretty typical breakfast for me before a long run. Once we got to Dodger Stadium (the starting line) I had a second banana. Once the race starts, every 5 miles I consume a GU energy gel and drink some NUUN Hydration drink in an effort to maintain and consume about 40-60 carbs an hour.

A Day at the Museum

My mom (the kids "Nana") had a birthday last week, so to celebrate, we took the kids, the wonder twins, and Nana to the Natural History Museum. I was running the LA Marathon the next morning, so it sounded like a great way to relax, spend time with the family, and calm the nerves.

The museum has been through some major changes the last 2 years, with a whole brand new dinosaur wing that is pretty awesome. There is also a great new cafe. They are still building out the outdoor space, so that was all closed off.

Another Crummy Video

One of these times, I promise to shoot a decent, quality video of all of this, but as often is the case, this happens when you least expect it. I missed the beginning of the alert as I didn't have my phone next to me, so what you missed was the initial Raven alert of her bringing me the bringsel. She sat in front of me, but I had to move her to get my phone, so she headed to the dog bed. Major did his natural alert, which is to put 2 paws on me and start licking my hand. On a side note, this video is better lit :)

He's Smiling

He's Smiling, a photo by fwisneski on Flickr.

The bond is extremely noticeable between these 2, it always has been. But every once in awhile, you capture an image of a brief moment (milliseconds) and you have to stop and wonder.

Is he really smiling? Of course he is. He's loved, he's needed, he has a job, he's been rescued, cared for, and trained by some amazing people, and he has people that count on him. He' a hero, and has the heart of this little girl. I think if you look up the definition of happy in the dictionary, that's what you will find.

Team Blackdogsrule

Canine Hope goes to Oceanside

On Sunday, a large group of Canine Hope for Diabetics families headed down to Oceanside. We all met at the train station and took a 2 hour train ride down. That was a great way to travel, as we are often busy at these events, and the train ride gave us time to chat and catch up with everyone, and made the time fly by! I believe the final count was 49 people and 14 dogs. The weather just happened to be amazing!