Racer's Cigar

Racer has a cylinder blue chew toy that he enjoys positioning so that it protrudes out the side of his mouth. It looks like a cigar and he loves it so every evening at some point I say to Bob “Shall we give Racer his cigar to smoke out on the balcony?” We all three sit out on the balcony with Racer smoking his cigar and watching the neighborhood. Last night Racer saw a cute puppy walking along and he got so happy he dropped his cigar off the balcony onto the concrete below. Bob ran out the front door and down the stairs to retrieve it while Racer and I peered out the balcony railing and when Bob grabbed it he decided to throw it up to us but I didn’t think Racer could catch it. Bob tossed it up and sure enough Racer stuck his face through the bars of the railing and caught it swiftly in his mouth no problem. What a talented boy!   

Bear Lake

My family spent a couple of days at Bear Lake last week. It was fun to take Racer with us this year. The cabin was nice and had a rustic wooden swing on the porch. Racer was excited to go on an adventure and loved running back and forth in the cabin with his bone while we unpacked. In the late afternoons, he enjoyed sitting on the porch and watching passersby while I listened to an audiobook and Bob read the newspaper. Our family doesn’t get together very often so this Bear Lake tradition that my sister started last year has been a good idea. In the evenings we all congregated in front of Carolyn’s cabin around a campfire. Racer didn’t like the smoke very much but I usually sat with him away from it. The day we headed out to the lake it started raining after awhile but we had time for Racer to play in the shallow water before the rain. He had so much fun twirling and prancing and splashing. My family had never seen him act so playful. I’m so protective of Racer that I didn’t feel like I could just leave him with someone in my family while I went into the water. If I don’t have his leash in my hand I’m constantly worrying about how he is doing. He seemed to happily go along with the Bear Lake adventure but when we arrived home he jumped for joy in the living room back with all his toys and comfy bed. The first morning back to work he seemed especially exuberant to head out for the bus. Once on the bus, as we neared our stop he leapt up and ran to the bus door to exit and finish the last leg of our journey. It was so funny to see his enthusiasm for our route and I could see how much he really loves his routine. I’m so happy that he loves his work and loves guiding me. I have heard someone say that there guide dog didn’t like putting on the harness or acted like they didn’t want to do guide work. This week it seemed so clear that Racer loves his role and wants to work.