Another Pictureless Trip Report

We're so far behind maintaining our blog. We've been really busy experiencing things on our trip and haven't always had Internet access.

I last wrote from my brother's. We had a really nice weekend there visiting with the family. Molly didn't perceive his dogs as playmates, but she did try to herd the golden retriever. I'm not really sure what she thought of his smaller puppy. I think she was too busy herding the GR to notice her.

From there, we headed to the Smoky Mountains, where we had a cabin reserved. We spent Monday driving through the park, including one of the back roads. We saw 3 black bears on the backroad and turkeys, deer, and other wildlife in the rest of the park. Molly worked at some of our stops and just came along on leash at some of the others. She behaved really well and played SD ambassador with many of the other guests.

We ran into a lot more of those "I can't talk to you because you are working" people, but also met several who were very respectful of her SD status and either asked to pet her or refrained from giving her too much attention. While DH and I sat on the porch at one place, she got to talk to a few people, including a nice woman who really wanted to pet her but had refrained from asking because Molly was in her vest. We met a lot of people who knew she was a BC or asked... some hadn't realized there were tricolor BCs.

Tuesday we went to Cherokee to the museum and some shops there. Molly worked in the museum and one of the shops and did really well. She did get a bit frustrated with all the other people around, especially those who talked to her in silly voices and disturbed her. The floor outside the bathroom in the museum was a rough stone tile, so when I took Molly with me and couldn't get my wheelchair over the edge, she did get rather upset on my behalf. After Cherokee, we took a scenic drive back through the park then did some shopping in Pigeon Forge. Molly got to relax in the car while we shopped because I felt like she needed a break when she'd gotten so frustrated earlier.

Then Wednesday we headed to Nashville. I don't remember all the details of stops and when Molly worked or didn't.

Wednesday night Molly stayed crated in the hotel while we went out to dinner at Wildhorse Saloon. We brought a doggy bag back for her that we added to her meals the next two days.

Thursday was a long hard day for Miss Molly. She started working around 9am at the Country Music Hall of Fame and stayed on duty until about 4 that afternoon. She was perfectly behaved through the entire Hall of Fame. Then we walked through the park with the walk of fame in it and gave her a chance to potty.

Then came a more challenging bit--we headed up to Broadway to find a place for lunch. There was live music and she still settled nicely under the table. We gave her a bunch of ice cubes, which she loved. Then after lunch we rolled back to the car. She was really hot then and seemed to be hurting her feet on the hot asphalt and sidewalks. I was kicking myself for having left her booties in the car. But as long as we kept moving she was fine and she was happy to get into the car again. For a last stop, we went to the Tennessee State Museum. We were running on a tight schedule because of parking difficulties and rather regret not having had mroe time to enjoy the well-made exhibits. Molly, however, was tired and I think rather happy when we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.

She was so beat that she got the evening off to relax and sleep in her crate while we went out to dinner. We fed her more of the doggy bag and she ate really well.

Friday was a long driving day and for the most part I slept through things and so did she. We made short stops at two Indian mounds though. She worked at the first one and got to be a dog on a leash at the second.

Then we went to a Cracker Barrel for dinner. The place was really crowded, so Molly really had a chance to show me how much she had learned from her training session with Erin and all her experience. She did very well ignoring the other people, even children, and just focused on her job.

Now today we are heading to a powwow and she will be working as long as we are there. Tomorrow is Cass Railroad and more work for Miss Molly.

A Few Pictures

Here is Molly with Erin early in their session. Erin is helping teach Molly not to jump on people. Her work has made a huge difference. Molly refrained from jumping on Brenda and is doing much better at ignoring people while working or at least keeping 4 on the floor while wagging her body.





















When we visited Brenda and her BC boys JJ and Jake, Molly learned to act like a dog and play. We were so happy seeing it. Here is a shot of her with both of the boys.









Molly has dealt really well with all the changes in her world. Some of the hotel rooms haven't had much floor space, so sometimes we set her crate up on the extra bed (when we had one). She was happy to curl up on her mat in her crate and just relax.







This is the only picture I've uploaded so far of Molly on sheep. I took TONS but haven't sorted them yet. She did really really well and we're so proud of her. I think you will have to wait until I get to DK before I get much up. The trip is just too packed with things and I end up sleeping whenever we have a chance to get online.






Here is Molly catching her breath after a round of herding. She is showing off her long BC tongue while she relaxes in the shade of my parents' van. It didn't take long though for her to be glued to the fence watching the sheep and wishing it were her turn again!

A Visit to the Doctor

I had to make a visit to my doctor yesterday and took Molly with me for the first time. She hasn't been in that sort of environment before--where it was quiet, only few people, and she had to lie still and quiet. The challenge did not come easily for her. She was a little uneasy and whiney, especially in the beginning.

When the next patient came into the waiting room, she jumped up excited and tried to say hello. But when nothing came of it and I had her sit and lie down again, she settled back down. The next time someone walked in, she only looked at them with interest, but said and did nothing more.

Unfortunately, she tried to jump on the doctor, but he didn't seem to mind. I need to work really really hard on ending this behavior.

But in more good news, I now have a letter from my doctor confirming my need to take my service dog with me on our upcoming trip.