Tango's almost 10 years old. The elbow ailment that led to his release from the service dog program is finally becoming apparent.
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I recently wrote about Tango's and my journey to shed a few pounds. We both need to lose it for health reasons.
And speaking just for myself, there's some vanity in my quest to lose a bit of me. I am 10 pounds over my "never go over" weight. Seems this aging thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. I remember eating two full Reese's cups every day when I was younger. And never gaining even an ounce. Those days are far behind me, unfortunately. And from what I hear, it's easier to take it off now than wait for another decade to pass...
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Exciting times in our household this week. Tango C Mango, the love of my life Labrador, turns 9 years old today! We'll be having a little party to mark this fabulous day. We'll party, take pictures, and pretty much overdo something that a dog doesn't even know he should celebrate. I don't actually buy presents for the dogs, but I do put a little something special in the birthday dog's dinner bowl. And, of course, give them a little extra lovin' all day long.
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After our R.E.A.D. programs at the local elementary schools every week, Tango exits the schools then takes me on a short sniff walk.
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Tango loves Mondays. Monday means Tango gets to visit two local elementary schools and be smothered with attention.
Tango's a therapy dog and his job right now is to listen to kids read. Kids who might not read as well as their classmates, they might have a little bit of a speech problem, or maybe they can't tell the difference between a period and a comma.
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It's no secret that Tango's my favorite. Over any other dog. (Talos runs a very close second.) I'd rather spend time with him, or travel with him, or work with him, or just hang with him. So when opportunity came callin', Tango and I went running straight for it!
An entire weekend away. Together. Alone. Without any other dogs. It's been a long, long time. I realize I might sound a bit odd: "escaping with my dog," "time together alone." I'm not maladjusted, I DO love my husband just as much as I love my dogs, I'm not a crazy-lady.
However.
Tango and I have this special thing. We're cool just hanging out together. He enjoys hanging out with just me as much as I enjoy hanging out with just him. We're sympatico.
[How do I know this? That he loves it as much as I, you wonder? Easy. He's a different dog when we're together alone. He smiles more, I swear! He's got a pep in his step, he'll frolick like a pup again. Take my word for it, the dog is happy!]
Anyway, we had the chance to escape last weekend, just the two of us. And we ran like the wind. Actually, we sat in the car for 7 hours, two of those hours stopped dead in traffic, but who's really counting...
Off we went to Karen Pryor Academy's first ever reunion! [KPAs Dog Trainer Programs is the flagship course for people who want to become dog trainers or who want to take their business to the next level.] Tango and I were the first group to graduate way back in 2008. KPA was great for Tango and I: it was a terrific excuse to work with him every day - we had exams to pass together, for goodness sake!
I love traveling the road with Tango. He's a master traveler - sleeps the entire way, quietly passing the time, and is ready to roll whenever the car stops. He'll pee just about anywhere (believe me this is a useful trait - you never know what the road will bring] and is happy just hanging out whether we're going at-speed or if we're stuck in a traffic jam.
He's easy-peasy at meetings and conferences, even when there are other dogs around. He solicits attention by flipping onto his back, rolling around, and grunting. Works like a charm. I usually slide from my chair onto the floor with him, egging him on. I'm telling you, we have fun together!
It wasn't all seminars and meetings. No way. Saturday night we had a grand time -- dogs and people -- at our host's house in southern NY state. And Sunday morning held a two-hour (pretty strenuous) hike that rewarded us with spectacular scenery and ice cold streams for Tango to cool his belly.
It was just the getaway we needed.
Oh, I know. Those are tired old cliches. And they don't help beat the heat. In fact, they serve to make me even grumpier than what the heat's made me. But it's all anyone's talking about, so I thought I'd jump on that bandwagon.
Around here, in Redneckville, where the pool in our backyard is about 2' deep and 5' wide (otherwise known as a kiddie pool), we get our dogs cool another way. The garden hose.
Yes, the simple garden hose. It amuses Tango for hours. He could play all day, I think.
Trouble is, I wind up soaked, because he'll parade around with it in his mouth (just like the picture) and he'll inevitably come around me. Not that I mind 55 degree water on me. I don't. Especially when it's 100 degrees outside. But I DO have to work. And showing up at a client's house with shoes that are trickling water out the sides isn't really very professional.
In a little while, for a week at least, we'll be livin' large at Lake Anna. That's Tango admiring the view from our dock at the lake... He loves it there. He wishes my parents would adopt him as their very own dog.
Until then, he'll have to redneck it to stay cool.
Today's a celebratory day here in our family. It's Tango's birthday!
We celebrate every birthday in this house, dogs included. We also celebrate anniversaries -- the date the dogs came to us.
Eight years ago today, Tango was born. He was slated to be a hunting dog, but by nine weeks, the kennel knew he didn't have what it takes to be a successful hunter. So they called Service Dogs of Virginia (SDV) and suggested they come take a look at this very laid back boy.
I happened to be at SDV that day with Lily, our little black Labrador who was then a service dog in-training. I remember seeing Tango for the first time: a roly-poly, squeezable little Labrador. He was indeed laid back. He went through the temperament test like a champ and just like that, he was a service dog in training. It was decided that he would come and live with us for his training and he fit into the fold like he'd been there forever.
He was the fastest house trained pup we've had to date. He came to work with me and soon became a favorite of the Director of the federal agency. We were invited up to the holiday party, even. Well, if I'm being honest, it was Tango who was invited. I was merely the leash holder!
It was discovered that Tango had a bad shoulder. Tests were conducted that eventually led to Tango's dismissal from the program. I was elated!
Tango wasn't elated at all. Being dismissed from the program meant he couldn't come to work with me any longer. No more grocery store runs, no more movie theaters, or dinners out. He was now a house dog, a pet. It was a tough transition for him. I quickly got him Delta certified so he could be a registered therapy dog. We now visit elementary schools where kids read to him - he's happy again!
Tango's my heart-dog. He's mine and I'm his. We're each other's favorites. He chose me and I chose him. He's singled out for all things special. All the dogs have gotten used to the hierarchy and they know that Tango always gets the best or biggest treat, he gets to clean my plate, he gets whatever he wants.
He's my traveling companion. He's happy to do whatever it is I want to do. He doesn't care what it is, he just wants to be included. He's easy, he's sweet, he's a dream. And today he's eight.
His muzzle's getting a little grey. He's slowing down just a little. But he's still a tennis-ball-chasing fool. He still jumps off the dock and swims all day at Lake Anna . We've got a lot of adventures in front of us yet. Here's to many more good years, Tango!
What's it like to be a dog trainer's dog? Well, you've gotta work for one thing. Tango, that handsome dude on the left, earns his keep from time to time, going to work with me.
You've got to know something right up front: Tango is my favorite dog. Ever. For all time. He's my guy. Dog people have a term for this, it's called heart dog. Tango is most definitely my heart dog.
So know that part of the reason he comes to work with me is because I love having him with me - he'd be my shadow 24/7 if I could somehow finagle it.
He also happens to be pretty good at keeping puppies in line. And yesterday he pulled double-duty, working a private, in-home training session and also attending group class training with me. In the private session, his job was to set very clear boundaries for a rambunctious (and sweet) puppy -- and enforce those boundaries. Tango's an excellent boundary setter, especially for puppies. He doesn't tolerate their antics, he doesn't think they're cute, and he's not afraid to let them know (1) where the line is and (2) when they've crossed it.
The one thing I don't have to worry about, though, is him hurting a puppy. Well, sometimes the pup's feelings get hurt when Tango tells them off, but they're never physically traumatized. In fact, he doesn't even have to put a paw or a tooth on them to get their attention. He's got pretty good display signals. Puppies sometimes either don't notice another dog's signals or they walk right through them as if they didn't see them.
Tango teaches puppies just how important it is to notice those signals. First, he's pretty calm. He lets the pup approach him and stands quietly, head off to the side or sniffing the ground. Second, his displays are very clear. Yesterday when the pup jumped on Tango's head to greet him -- not within polite doggie-manners -- Tango very clearly and very quickly told the pup that wasn't how dogs greeted. He gave a nice loud growl, then snapped at the pup. He never made contact with the pup, but he definitely got her attention! It happened in the blink of an eye, and then he went right back to sniffing the ground again, doing his best to ignore the pup. She eyed him warily -- good girl! -- and joined in the sniffing. Really good girl!
We took the two for a short neighborhood walk and the remainder of her interactions with Tango were very appropriate. We used verbal praise to help the young dog understand when her actions were appropriate and relied on Tango to tell her when her actions were not.
In group class, Tango makes for a good demonstration dog. He learned the material already and we've worked around distractions, so he's a good example of what level of success dog owners can attain. Sometimes, clients with their adolescent dogs just don't believe their dog will ever be capable of walking politely on a leash, ignoring another dog, coming when called...so it's nice that those students can see Tango doing those very things.
Does Tango know everything? Is he the perfect dog? No, of course not. He's got his warts, like all dogs (and people). But he earns his keep.
