ADVENTURES
JUNE 2005A pit bull off leash came after Rain and I while we were going to the park, me on the scooter. Since the time the two dogs (a pit bull and a doberman) double teamed us in the park I began carrying a small stun gun. Rain was on the leather leash which was across my chest so I could run the scooter - since the Bark and Snark class I now use a "Snap Back" between her collar and the leash when using the scooter and now also with the power wheelchair. When the dog came at us Rain turned and looked as I yelled "NO!" and activated the stun gun for the noise affect. The dog stopped in its tracks then circled around and tried again, with Rain and I responding the same way - Rain was looking at the dog and I yelled "NO!" and activated the stun gun and the dog headed for home. Rain had not only learned that she didn't need to be afraid of dogs that come after her/us but she learned that I will protect her/us. Bark and Snark was money well spent.
9 DECEMBER 2005
We went to the Government Center, a huge two tower complex, it was Rain's first time and it was my first time in an electric wheelchair. Actually it has been about 10 years since I've been in the Government Center, well before tightened security. Rain rode a couple different sized elevators along side the wheelchair with no problems, even when packed with people, who by the way were very nice to us.
We went thru security screening. I sent Rain thru first letting out her leash so she could pass thru unencumbered, I followed in the wheelchair...this was a first for us. Rain led the way down the aisle and around the corner where I was to be hand searched. When we got to the end I was searched, I asked if they wanted to 'squeeze Rain' for contraband and they laughed but asked if they could pet her as she was so sweet. I consented, then off we went on our way.
I am glad I have a wheelchair as there were only 2 disability parking places and both were taken, we had to park at the far end of the level which was no problem as I was mobile. In fact Rain enjoyed stretching her legs on our return as we went fast thru the parking ramp to the truck.
JUNE 2005A pit bull off leash came after Rain and I while we were going to the park, me on the scooter. Since the time the two dogs (a pit bull and a doberman) double teamed us in the park I began carrying a small stun gun. Rain was on the leather leash which was across my chest so I could run the scooter - since the Bark and Snark class I now use a "Snap Back" between her collar and the leash when using the scooter and now also with the power wheelchair. When the dog came at us Rain turned and looked as I yelled "NO!" and activated the stun gun for the noise affect. The dog stopped in its tracks then circled around and tried again, with Rain and I responding the same way - Rain was looking at the dog and I yelled "NO!" and activated the stun gun and the dog headed for home. Rain had not only learned that she didn't need to be afraid of dogs that come after her/us but she learned that I will protect her/us. Bark and Snark was money well spent.
9 DECEMBER 2005
We went to the Government Center, a huge two tower complex, it was Rain's first time and it was my first time in an electric wheelchair. Actually it has been about 10 years since I've been in the Government Center, well before tightened security. Rain rode a couple different sized elevators along side the wheelchair with no problems, even when packed with people, who by the way were very nice to us.
We went thru security screening. I sent Rain thru first letting out her leash so she could pass thru unencumbered, I followed in the wheelchair...this was a first for us. Rain led the way down the aisle and around the corner where I was to be hand searched. When we got to the end I was searched, I asked if they wanted to 'squeeze Rain' for contraband and they laughed but asked if they could pet her as she was so sweet. I consented, then off we went on our way.
I am glad I have a wheelchair as there were only 2 disability parking places and both were taken, we had to park at the far end of the level which was no problem as I was mobile. In fact Rain enjoyed stretching her legs on our return as we went fast thru the parking ramp to the truck.
12 DECEMBER 2005
Today we had to take SmokeyHaze, the mini schnauzer, to the vet as he is ill. The appointment went well and we paid the bill while in the exam room to avoid standing at the counter. When we exited the exam room we walked into a waiting room full of people and their dogs and a cat. I was a little uneasy as the waiting room is very small and I don't let strange dogs get within 6 feet minimum of Rain, normally, but I had no choice as I would have to walk between all those animals with Smokey and Rain (working in harness) at a distance of about a foot. We did just fine! Rain ignored all the dogs and Smokey just followed right along, the other animals stood and watched...no one barked or whined.
NOVEMBER 2006
Fall of 2005 I got the electric wheelchair and had my 2001 Chevy Silverado 4 door converted with a Bruno wheelchair lift in the bed of the truck and a Bruno "turny" seat replacing the factory driver seat. I had thought at the time that this would serve me for many years. WRONG! We got stranded in the hot sun this past summer with a "mother board" problem with the wheelchair lift - the wheelchair was on the pavement and I had no way to get it back into the bed of the truck ARGH! The mother board was replaced but I continued to have minor problems with the lift and lost confidence in it.
Fall 2006 I purchased a Dodge Grand Caravan, after doing much research in wheelchair conversions, and had the VISION rear entry conversion done, http://www.viewpointmobility.com/ Due to the lay of the land where I park my vehicle a rear entry was the only type I could get.
The vehicle was purchased in the first few days of October, put on a transport truck to MI and I took possession of it mid to late November.
Rain was very used to the pickup truck. She had learned to brace herself against my left hip with her feet when I told her "hang on" as I made right turns on the cloverleafs of the interstate. She watched my hand and foot positions as I drove. When my right hand came up on the steering wheel and my right foot moved from gas pedal to brake pedal Rain would put her front feet against my left hip ready to brace for the turn....she is so smart. Although she was seat belted in place she was able to rest her head on my lap and I could put my hand on her shoulder as we drove about.
With the minivan things are very different. Rain has had to learn to go up the rear ramp and get seated in her front bucket seat as I load up, locking the wheelchair into the EZ Lock on the floor, closing and locking the rear entry before I transfer to the drivers seat and slide up to the steering wheel. She wears a different kind of seat belt now too. It took Rain a bit to get used to sitting up in a bucket seat and finding a way to rest comfortably against the seat back when she is tired and wants to nod off. She still watches my hand and foot position and has figured out how to brace herself in her seat. I do miss the contact I had with Rain like I had in the truck but I have to say that I really love this new vehicle. Going places is now so much fun and oh so easy compared to the PU truck with the outside wheelchair lift. It's fun even going places when it is raining or snowing outside - the very things I avoided when I had the PU truck.
Vertical Porch Lift as seen from the yard looking up toward the driveway. 
Rain entering the Vertical Porch Lift from the driveway.
Rain on the Vertical Porch Lift waiting to go down to the back yard.
Rain enjoying the trip from the driveway down to the back yard.
The ramp of the Vertical Porch Lift is now down on the ground and Rain is waiting for the command to disembark.As I ride up the vertical porch lift from the back yard up to the alley I can open up the rear of the van and once on the driveway just send Rain right on in with me following behind. The rear entry takes about 5 seconds to totally open or totally close so we have very little time waiting out in the weather now which is very nice. I love my new van!!
25 January 2007
SmokeyHaze, the mini schnauzer, went to the groomer at Petsmart. After we picked him up and were heading to the van I was a pit bull dragging it's female owner 4 vehicles past mine. With SmokeyHaze riding on my lap I was very concerned by the lack of control I was seeing with the on coming dog. I stopped and took my leash off Rain, if there was an altercation should that dog break loose of its owner I wanted Rain to be able to be free to move, not be constrained by her leash. I hurriedly remotely unlocked the van, deployed the ramp and told Rain LOAD UP as I continued toward the van. Rain moved out, cutting in front of me and headed right up the ramp into the van. I hurried up the ramp too and as the ramp was closing the pit bull reached my van. WHEW!
I feel very vulnerable to dog attacks and dog bites in the wheelchair. With SmokeyHaze on my lap I would be unable to defend Rain, SmokeyHaze or myself. Thankfully the pit bull wasn't dog reactive but I am glad we were safely in the van as the woman on the other end of its leash certainly had no control over that dog.
....I always wonder what makes people, with dogs that they cannot control, even bring a dog like that into a dog friendly place like Petsmart. The only conclusion I can draw is IGNORANT STUPIDITY!!!
When Rain was young, a Rottie on a flexi lead jumped on her in a totally unprovoked attack at Petsmart. Since that time I have been very careful when at "dog friendly" stores because not all dogs that are taken there are dog friendly.
OBSERVATIONS
17 December 2006, I was thinking back on my past (DuskyHaze) and current (Rain and Cally) and possible future (Whisp) Service Dogs and came upon an interesting observation. All 4 of these dogs had several things in common: they all watched TV, especially interested in people and animals/birds; they were able to see things that the other dogs totally missed like the time I got "Billy Bass" the singing fish - both DuskyHaze and Cally immediately noticed it moving up on the mantle while the other dogs didn't notice it at all, Rain noticed a man at the vet's who had a beard and a small kitten on his shoulder the same color as his beard and let me know that that was indeed odd - none of the other dogs in the waiting room had noticed that the man had two sets of eyes and that that second set was in an odd place, Whisp is very curious about everything and how it moves or what it does, DuskyHaze loved to lie for hours looking at the view thru the large peep hole on the front door - keeping an eye on "her yard" and would let me know when someone approached until the sun conure parrot Talon TallBird took over that duty and beeped like the door alarm when someone approached the front door; and all these dogs learned tasks, commands and my words for things very quickly from each other and want to show off what they have picked up/learned.
2001 Chevy Silverado 4 door 4 wheel drive pick up truck with Bruno wheelchair lift in truck bed. 
Bruno wheelchair lift docking system poised above the wheelchair.I began to wonder how I was going to teach Rain directional commands as I couldn't walk very far any more...it was one of the many things I had to figure out. I decided that the directional commands I would use would be the ones used when driving horses in harness as they came to me very easily. I used to drive my mare Dulcenea in harness years ago. Rain could not see over the dash when seated on the bench seat as she was still a tiny baby.
As I drove Rain about on daily drive abouts I gave the command word for the action of the vehicle. When I turned on my right blinker I would say AHEAD GEE meaning that we would be turning right up ahead. Then as I began to turn right I would say GEE. I did the same thing for left turns. I used the word STOP when I was bringing the truck to a stop. When we would be approaching a cloverleaf that turned to the right I would say HANG ON and Rain figured out that if she put her foot on my hip to brace herself she was secure in that type of large turn.
When I got the rollator walker, a walker with larger wheels, hand brakes and a seat, I used the same directional commands and Rain was able to transfer the commands I used when she was riding in the truck to when we were walking on our own legs.
When Rain graduated to a rigid handled mobility harness she again was able to translate the directional commands that I originally used in the truck on those early drive abouts.
I so enjoyed our time in the truck. Rain would lie down and I could rest my hand on her shoulder or stroke her head and face as I drove. When I would say HANG ON, she would immediately put a foot against my hip to brace herself...it was so neat, so comfortable for both of us.
30 JANUARY 2007 Winter was just around the corner and I dreaded it for the first time in my life. Although the Bruno wheelchair lift was allowing me to keep using my pick up truck, Rain and I one day were stranded in a hot parking lot on a 90+ degree sunny summer day when it failed to lift the wheelchair up off the pavement. ARGH and EEK!! The mother board had to be replaced as well as one of 3 switches in the hand control for the Bruno but I never again trusted it. It continued to "act up" though we were never completely stranded as we had been that hot summer day. I became afraid of being stranded on a bitterly cold day in a MN winter.
I began researching alternative means of personal transportation that would allow me to continue to live in the home I've owned since 1980. Parking is a problem and I needed a specific type of conversion. I found it in a product by Vision http://www.viewpointmobility.com/ - a rear entry to a mini van. Now I was not the mini van kind of person but I liked that it was all automatic and even if the electric failed the ramp could still be deployed so we could at least get into the vehicle and out of the elements with the wheelchair. Early October I purchased a Dodge Grand Caravan. I was not able to test drive it as I require the "Zero Effort" steering modification in all my vehicles since 1988. The van was put on a transport truck and driven to MI where the conversion was done. About 8 weeks later the van was finished and returned to the Mobility place thru whom the modifications were made.
Rain going into the Vision conversion 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan.
Rain waiting for the command to disembark from the mini van.
Rain coming down the ramp from the mini van.
I just love this vehicle...I didn't think I would or could like a mini van let alone love one, but I sure love this vehicle with it's conversion. It has made my life so much easier and I am no longer afraid of being stranded.
Along with the mini van came some adjustment for both Rain and I. Rain had no problem learning to use the ramp to enter and exit the vehicle or use the driver's door to enter or exit the vehicle. Because the driver's seat slides all the way back so that I can easily transfer to and from the wheelchair I sometimes leave the front seat back too far and Rain has had to figure out that she just jumps on the floor board where the front seat used to be and then get on the front passenger seat where she rides. Rain has had to figure out how to ride on a high back bucket seat as she was used to sprawling out on the front bench seat of the pick up truck.
Now before I go any further, I can hear folks telling me how dangerous it is for Rain to be in the front seat of either vehicle, I must tell you that Rain wears her doggie seat belt every time. If Rain were not in a seat belt not only could she be injured or killed in an accident but she could kill me. In the truck Rain's seat belt buckled right into the human seat belt slot. In the van her seat belt is clipped into the human shoulder harness as the human seat belt is buckled. In the pick up truck I was able to manually turn off the front passenger air bag and it was only turned on when I had a human passenger and Rain would sit between us, still in her seat belt. In the mini van there is an indicator on the dash that shows that the air bag is turned off because Rain isn't able to sit on the seat as a human, which would activate the air bag.
Rain, strapped in her doggie seat belt in the passenger side of the pick up truck, it is the olive green cloth covering. The black sheepskin is from her soft mobility harness. Rain has several different shades with bling. She only wears them when we are in the vehicle, to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. I only wear sunglasses when driving. I failed to removed Rain's shades before having her get out of the vehicle, one time, so she rubbed her face on the back of the seat to get them off before she got out.
Rain has had to figure out what to do when I am going around the clover leafs now that she can't put her paw on my hip to brace herself. When I first got the van, Rain seemed very uncomfortable. She now seems to sit so high compared to when we were in the truck. Rain is not able to sprawl out as she had in the truck and hasn't, as yet, found a way to comfortably lie down curled up on her seat. In the truck Rain faced forward when sitting up, in the van Rain is sitting facing me. With this new body positioning Rain has been spending her time watching me as I drive. Rain watches the placement of my hands on the steering wheel and has picked up on the hand position changes and directional changes of the vehicle.
I have "Zero Effort" steering - a modification in the power steering box that takes all the stops out of it so that it is almost like thinking around corners as the steering wheel is very loose - and my right hand is low on the wheel when I am driving. My right hand moves up to the 2 o'clock position when I am going to be turning to the right. My left hand moves up to the 10 o'clock position when I am going to be turning to the left. Rain has figured this out. When my right hand moves up on the wheel she will lean heavily against the back of the seat to brace herself and she will look to ahead to watch any vehicles ahead of us. As soon as the vehicle begins to straighten out again she relaxes and sits forward in her seat again.
When I move my left hand up on the wheel Rain looks out the windshield to watch the cars ahead of us but remains sitting relaxed and forward in her seat.
Rain has been watching my right foot and when I put my foot on the brake pedal she presses her body against the seat back bracing herself. When I put my foot on the accelerator she sits up away from the seat back and will look out the windshield occasionally. When I take my right foot off the gas pedal and place it flat on the floor board as I do when I engage the cruise control, Rain leans comfortably back against the seat back and either falls asleep or watches the scenery go by.
I now reserve HANG ON for when I have to suddenly slam on the brakes and Rain will immediately slam herself against her seat back, bracing herself for the sudden stop.
From her early directional training in the pick up truck, when I turn on the turn signals in the van, Rain now prepares herself for a turn - it is then that she looks at the placement of my hand(s) on the steering wheel to see which way we are going to be turning.
I am truly amazed at all that Rain has understood about driving and riding in a vehicle.
Rain going into the Vision conversion 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan.
Rain waiting for the command to disembark from the mini van.
Rain coming down the ramp from the mini van.I just love this vehicle...I didn't think I would or could like a mini van let alone love one, but I sure love this vehicle with it's conversion. It has made my life so much easier and I am no longer afraid of being stranded.
Along with the mini van came some adjustment for both Rain and I. Rain had no problem learning to use the ramp to enter and exit the vehicle or use the driver's door to enter or exit the vehicle. Because the driver's seat slides all the way back so that I can easily transfer to and from the wheelchair I sometimes leave the front seat back too far and Rain has had to figure out that she just jumps on the floor board where the front seat used to be and then get on the front passenger seat where she rides. Rain has had to figure out how to ride on a high back bucket seat as she was used to sprawling out on the front bench seat of the pick up truck.
Now before I go any further, I can hear folks telling me how dangerous it is for Rain to be in the front seat of either vehicle, I must tell you that Rain wears her doggie seat belt every time. If Rain were not in a seat belt not only could she be injured or killed in an accident but she could kill me. In the truck Rain's seat belt buckled right into the human seat belt slot. In the van her seat belt is clipped into the human shoulder harness as the human seat belt is buckled. In the pick up truck I was able to manually turn off the front passenger air bag and it was only turned on when I had a human passenger and Rain would sit between us, still in her seat belt. In the mini van there is an indicator on the dash that shows that the air bag is turned off because Rain isn't able to sit on the seat as a human, which would activate the air bag.
Rain, strapped in her doggie seat belt in the passenger side of the pick up truck, it is the olive green cloth covering. The black sheepskin is from her soft mobility harness. Rain has several different shades with bling. She only wears them when we are in the vehicle, to protect her eyes from the glare of the sun. I only wear sunglasses when driving. I failed to removed Rain's shades before having her get out of the vehicle, one time, so she rubbed her face on the back of the seat to get them off before she got out. Rain has had to figure out what to do when I am going around the clover leafs now that she can't put her paw on my hip to brace herself. When I first got the van, Rain seemed very uncomfortable. She now seems to sit so high compared to when we were in the truck. Rain is not able to sprawl out as she had in the truck and hasn't, as yet, found a way to comfortably lie down curled up on her seat. In the truck Rain faced forward when sitting up, in the van Rain is sitting facing me. With this new body positioning Rain has been spending her time watching me as I drive. Rain watches the placement of my hands on the steering wheel and has picked up on the hand position changes and directional changes of the vehicle.
I have "Zero Effort" steering - a modification in the power steering box that takes all the stops out of it so that it is almost like thinking around corners as the steering wheel is very loose - and my right hand is low on the wheel when I am driving. My right hand moves up to the 2 o'clock position when I am going to be turning to the right. My left hand moves up to the 10 o'clock position when I am going to be turning to the left. Rain has figured this out. When my right hand moves up on the wheel she will lean heavily against the back of the seat to brace herself and she will look to ahead to watch any vehicles ahead of us. As soon as the vehicle begins to straighten out again she relaxes and sits forward in her seat again.
When I move my left hand up on the wheel Rain looks out the windshield to watch the cars ahead of us but remains sitting relaxed and forward in her seat.
Rain has been watching my right foot and when I put my foot on the brake pedal she presses her body against the seat back bracing herself. When I put my foot on the accelerator she sits up away from the seat back and will look out the windshield occasionally. When I take my right foot off the gas pedal and place it flat on the floor board as I do when I engage the cruise control, Rain leans comfortably back against the seat back and either falls asleep or watches the scenery go by.
I now reserve HANG ON for when I have to suddenly slam on the brakes and Rain will immediately slam herself against her seat back, bracing herself for the sudden stop.
From her early directional training in the pick up truck, when I turn on the turn signals in the van, Rain now prepares herself for a turn - it is then that she looks at the placement of my hand(s) on the steering wheel to see which way we are going to be turning.
I am truly amazed at all that Rain has understood about driving and riding in a vehicle.
