I will no longer be updating Iron Guide (see below). Instead, I am now writing at my new, personal blog. Though that will be about some of the newer things I'm doing in life, if you want to see updates about Louie, Lester, and now Dusky, add me on Facebook -- there's enough ridiculously cute pictures to go around.

This is incredible. Emily was in Oregon for graduation, and, upon seeing Louie working as a demonstration dog [!], remembered that I raised Louie as a puppy, pulled out her digital camera, and took video of him just for me. This totally made my day when I first saw it yesterday -- thank you so much again, Emily.


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Seeing the old fellow again is great but what especially made my day is seeing how happy he is. You can't see much of Louie in the beginning but one thing you can see is his tail. Wagging. The entire time. Back and forth, from one side to the other. :) Another old friend from our raiser group saw him at graduation and also remarked just how happy a dog he was.

A lot of people have asked me over the years that isn't it a sad thing to make this dog work for his entire life? The craziest version I ever got went something like "Don't you feel bad enslaving this beautiful dog?" from this lady with a little chihuahua perched in her handbag.

Are you kidding? =P I feel bad for your chihuahua.

My usual response is that, no, it's not a sad thing at all. These dogs actually enjoy work. They're called working dogs for a reason. What makes them tick, at their very deepest core, is their incredibly tight bond with their owner: being with them every minute of their day, guiding them through challenging situations, loving them and being loved in return. Guide work is so intricate and demanding that, really, a dog simply wouldn't be able to do it if he weren't completely in sync with his handler. It's the same with other working dogs: rescue dogs, police dogs, even sled dogs I imagine. Making you happy makes them happy. Louie? Louie was happiest when he knew he did something right and got a big hug and praise from me. And when Louie was happy, you knew he was happy: he didn't just wag his tail, he whipped it around. His whole butt moved. If he were near a wall or table, you could hear his tail thwacking against it three rooms down. That boy had a strong tail.

Now, I saw that day in and day out and my friends saw that, but explaining that to someone who's convinced otherwise? It's a bit... tough. Here, though, in Emily's video, you can see what I saw every day. He's working, sure, he definitely is -- but he's happy working. His tail's up in the air the entire time, waving back and forth, but there's this burst of excited wagging when he (correctly) disobeys his handler at the overhead barricade, and he's practically prancing out at the end.

I'm really happy to see Louie so happy. Whoever thought a 25-second video clip could be so wonderful?

Labels: Louie

Permalink | Written at 4:10 PM | Post a comment | 9 comments | Trackbacks

Yay! I'm so glad I could make your day! Sorry the video isn't better... I didn't have a great seat and thought it would be a little inappropriate if I jumped up and ran around the room... plus digital cameras really aren't made for movies. I love his wagging tail! You really could tell he loved it (and I think he loved being the center of attention too!). This is what these dogs love to do.

Emily
Permalink   | Posted by  Emily and Ellis at July 2, 2007 10:31 PM

It is so great to see these dogs be so incredably happy with their work! Congrats on having a demo dog too!
Permalink   | Posted by  Brittany, Hobbs, and Patriot at July 4, 2007 2:42 AM

Louie looks like a very happy worker, I am sure he will make an EXCELLENT guide!
Permalink   | Posted by  Anna at July 4, 2007 1:28 PM

I generally agree with your perspectives on dogs and what makes them happy. The thing I've learned over the years is that different breeds and even individual dogs within breeds derive satisfaction from different activities.

I've run sled dogs in northern Minnesota and they are truly happiest when pulling a sled. Sadie, my golden retriever, is most satisfied when she's retrieving. Louie loves guiding. I can tell you this, most sled dogs have no interest in retrieving and most retrievers have little desire to pull a sled. Honestly, the Chihuahua you saw might have been happiest in a purse!

The key thing we should all realize is that hundreds of years of selective breeding have resulted in a wide variety of dog breeds each of which tends to be well-suited for specific activities. By acknowledging the inherent differences among dogs we can allow them all to be happy regardless of whether they are guiding, retrieving, herding, pulling, purse sitting...
Permalink   | Posted by  Jon at July 5, 2007 10:29 AM

What a great clip. When Murphy graduated, that's when I lost it -- he walked in with his owner looking so proud and with his tail wagging all over the place.

Nettie knows when I get her bandanna that she's going to go work and she dances with glee.. They do love to work and they love to make us happy. Congrats -- you must be so proud of Louie.
Permalink   | Posted by  Angie at July 5, 2007 7:59 PM

wow, koosh -- that's awesome. It made me glad too to see louie that happy!
He's really come a long way in a few short months it seems :)
Permalink   | Posted by  Kaushal at July 6, 2007 12:23 AM

I'm the old friend in the audience who knew Louie since he arrived as a pup. It was a treat surprise to see him as demo dog. He was happy the whole time. Wag, wag, wag. After the ceremony was over and I went up to visit him with apprentice trainer Adam, Louie was just so proud of himself! More wags, neck nuzzles, and even a few (no) kisses.
Hey, what you said about you hearing his tail 3 rooms down: when the dogs are placed with a student, they stay in the student's dorm room for the duration of training. There is a tie down attached to the wall by the person's bed, up near the head of the bed, in the corner. The dog gets a new fleece. Well, you can tell when a neighbor has woken up because out of nowhere you can hear the dog's tail thumping the wall in excitement. Thump, thump, thump. I got the giggles every morning. I wonder if Louie's tail will be heard three rooms down? Wouldn't surprise me!
Way to go Louie!!!
Permalink   | Posted by  Anonymous at July 6, 2007 12:44 AM

Jon: I really meant nothing serious by the chihuahua comment. I just like making fun of little dogs. :)

Kaushal: You're reading a blog about dogs?! Oh my God, the world is coming to an end. I'm taking Lester and running for the hills.
Permalink   | Posted by  kushal at July 6, 2007 10:54 PM

Dogs who run in the Alaskan Iditarod are not happy. Here's a short list of what happens to the dogs during the race: death, paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons, vomiting, hypothermia, sprains, fur loss, broken teeth, torn footpads and anemia.

For more information, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website, http://www.helpsleddogs.org
Permalink   | Posted by  Sled Dog Action Coalition at July 8, 2007 4:50 PM