Here is the video of Ranger during New Years fireworks! I even attached a really cute photo of Ranger and Plato (my cat) doing their daily staring contest!

I had a frustrating situation at work today that I just need to talk about in here. I was in the back and my coworker came back all excited because there were like 5 service dogs from an organization here just doing training. We are very serious about asking the two permissible ADA questions, which my coworkers did and the dogs were from an organization I recognized (but not naming here because people have opinions of orgs and I’m not going to get into that lol). So I went over without Atlas (left him in the back) and just introduced myself and told them I had my service dog in the back so that they were aware and that I’d leave him in the back so I set them (and him) up for success. They thanked me and I went back in the back. This is where it gets frustrating… a coworker came and was like “One of the girls wants to see Atlas because she’s thinking about getting a poodle next” and I was like “I’ll come out with him but not with another dog around for both dogs’ safety” so I go out and kinda peek around the corner and she had a golden retriever SDIT with her. We kept our distance and she complimented how handsome he is and then I gave Atlas a treat for not focusing on the dog and not 2 seconds later bro decided to run up to said dog. I was SO mad at him, but also didn’t love that my coworker said there wouldn’t be a dog and then there was so both our dogs weren’t set up for success. I’m embarassed he did that and upset because if the dog had wanted to, it also could have decided to cause a problem. I corrected him (on like 70 before he finally refocused and stopped pulling on the leash…) and it was over and she didn’t say anything to me about it at all but I’m paranoid and frustrated by both Atlas’ behavior and my coworker not understanding the importance of the dogs not being near each other. I expected them to be all the way across the library because that’s what she indicated to me. Ugh.

On Sunday, we had to pick up some relatives from the airport. The airport is not someplace James likes to be and Saffy hadn’t been to a big airport, so off we went. Saffy did really good on the arrival/departure level while we waited. James needed a couple of seated overs and Saffy rocked it and helped him out. We were sitting near a busy aisle with lots of foot traffic and running toddlers. We had her do a tuck so she was out of the way and she rocked that too. The baggage claim area required finding some empty spaces to get her “head on”. Which I got a short video of until someone came to get a cart and I opted to find another spot. In all fairness to all of us, several flights were all getting luggage so it was a zoo we didn’t want to be in either. We were super proud of her for handling that big of an experience!

We started with going to the Dr for James. I took a moment to get Saffy ready for the visit while James was called back early. When we came into the room his BP was super high. After an over, snuggle and some Saffy love his BP dropped to normal. What an awesome real world “quantitative” effect she had! He has been worried about his BP at the Drs so now we found his secret medicine, Saffy love!💕 😆 oh and she “behaved” really well with an under a chair until after the Dr left. After that, we headed to the skate park again. Monday James took her and she was calm enough to walk around the outside of the skate board area with some stops by the fence. Today we did the same with some sitting by the fence. Then we took a walk and watched baseball practice. We came back to the skating area and did another lap with a step away down stay. She is getting much better with the noises. She enjoys the baseball part. She did calm down enough by the skaters while in her down stay to kick her hip out, which got her praise and treats. There were lots of treats and free dogs but not on video. After that, we were all hungry and went to eat. We just got settled when an Amtrak went by maybe 75ft away. She quivered a bit but held her down stay! She was rewarded with her kibble dinner and then settled right down in the little space we made for her.

Alright, let’s have some fun. This is a cute, simple game that's fun and helps increase your dog’s eye contact with you! Prerequisite: Your dog should have a solid Place / Climb / Platform (whatever you call it) where they can stay put. How the game works: 1️⃣ Put your dog on place. 2️⃣ Have their food ready (meal or training food). 3️⃣ Start a few steps away and look at your dog. 4️⃣ When your dog makes eye contact, take a step toward them. 5️⃣ The moment they break eye contact — you stop moving. 6️⃣ When they re-engage and look back at you, move closer again. 7️⃣ Repeat until you’re right next to them and they’re giving you great eye contact. 8️⃣ Mark with “YES” and reward — either the full meal or a variable amount of food. Reset, try again, and repeat. Reward them for staying on place and choosing to look at you. This should feel fun, calm, and engaging — not rushed. I can’t wait to see everyone’s videos 👀🐶 Post them below and/or under "Eye Contact Game 💪 CHALLENGE" 💥🐾