I Think I Ate Another Dog!

Photo shows Renee surrounded by campers

Hi Friend!

I am the sorriest puppy ever! My mom has been working me so hard that I haven't had a single second to write to you. Being a Seeing Eye Dog is exhausting, but rewarding, you know! It will take me a while to catch you up on all my adventures, but I wanted to share a little about my life and work since I left off.

I lived in Gold Creek, Montana, this summer! My mom was the Residential Director for a camp there. I helped my mom a lot, but I also got to be a sort of therapy dog for the kids. I have lots of jobs that are outside of my Seeing Eye Dog job description, you know. And I love kids! These kids were so sweet. I made so many new friends!

Photo shows Renee looking
concerned by the vet scale

Living in Montana was fun because of the people but hard because of the work. I didn't get to do much this summer. My mom didn't need me as much as she does in busy places. I loved napping and playing with the children, though. Unfortunately, I gained some weight, as I realized when I went to the vet after coming back home! Oops! It's really important for dogs like me to be really fit and active. I did a little research and found that every one pound I gain is like a person gaining five pounds. So gaining a pound or two isn't a huge deal, although I shouldn't change that much. Apparently my summer sleeping sessions made me gain seven pounds. My mom says that's like a person gaining 35 pounds. I don't quite know why that's bad. I didn't think it was bad, until my mom did some research about dog sizes. Apparently, the average cocker spaniel weighs about 30-35 pounds. It's like I ATE A COCKER SPANIEL! I was puppy raised with a cocker spaniel! I would never eat a cocker spaniel! But I get it now. That's A LOT of weight!






So how did I gain weight? Well, I didn't move much. See, I am a creature of habit. I love napping! Working is absolutely awesome, and I love it when my mom asks me to guide her. But I'm perfectly content to sleep all day.

Photos show Renee napping both in and out of harness

A lot of people get mad at people like my mom for holding their dogs to strict weight limits. The fact is, most dogs are fat. We learned about this at the Seeing Eye. My mom thought i was sleeping, but I was half-listening to the lecture. People are constantly feeding their dogs too much for the dogs' activity levels. This leads to a shorter life, trouble walking as dogs get older, and limited activity throughout life. I don't want that, and I do not want to have the equivalent of another dog hanging from my belly. So while I may wander to my dish more often and look at my mom with puppy eyes hoping she'll give me more food (which she won't), I am happy to be getting healthier as I work more and eat less!

When you see someone with a working dog, don't think they're starving. They might just look skinny to you, because so many dogs are chubby. The best way to think of it is that I, and other guide dogs, are athletes for a living. I want to work as long and hard as possible!

My mom says she'll be writing next, if I give her a turn at the computer. She wants to answer some questions people have been asking her about my work schedule. Then, I want to write more about my camp adventures.

Till then, keep wagging!
Renee, The Seeing Eye Dog