One myth I have hear a lot lately about service dogs is that they don’t get time relax to be a real dog. Yesterday on our adventures Sienna spent more time out of harness than in harness and had plenty of fun.
Guide Dog Sienna and I went to a craft class at The Makers Table in Papakura with a friend (Linda).
Sienna met a number of new people and being the people orientated and excitable out of her harness enjoyed investigating the shop and meeting the crew.
Most of the people were either doing embroidery or cross stitch projects. My eyesight won’t manage either of these any more so I opted to continue my crochet blanket (dare I mention that I started a couple of years ago) that I am determined to finish before it gets much colder.
An interesting project was from a newcomer who was making a memory quilt using her late dogs blankets and clothing. It was amazing to be able to give suggestions and see her progress. Sienna also decided she wanted to help in the design process much to the delight of the designer.
Later in the day one person knocked their chair cushion on to the floor and went to pick this up. Sienna promptly sat on it and didn’t want to move off of her new throne without some dog treat bribery.
On exploring of the garden, I found Sienna eating berries before I could take these off of her. This prompted a text to the our Guide Dog Instructor and a call to the Poision’s Centre. Where we found that the Indian Hawthorne Berries pictured below are not poisonous to people and most likely not dogs either (this prompted a check of the Australian SPCA poisonous list) where we found they were safe.
While Sienna was upset when I removed her from the Hawthorne bush and wouldn’t let her back outside it didn’t stop her, playing with her favourite toy and enjoying the rest of our day.
I hope that Sienna and I have managed to bust the myth that Guide Dog’s do not get any down time. To further make my point, the photo below is of a very spoiled Sienna relaxing at home on her dog bed – granted I added the blanket because she likes it.
Shout out for Liz at the Makers Table in Pakuranga who made the day rewarding for both of us. https://www.themakerstable.studio
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