The Way Life should Be

While my students and I are dreading Kyle's recall, all Kyle knows is that today is the best day of his life.

(Two students petting Kyle at once.)

All day long students and coworkers have been stopping by to pet Kyle. He's gone outside for every class period. We've made him the center of attention by taking his picture with each class. After school, students played with him in the classroom. Kyle even got to (accidentally) run free on a practice field for a few minutes.

There couldn't be a better dream day for Kyle. The world finally revolves around him, and he loves it. With only 25.5 hours left until recall, I'm more than happy to spoil my boy for one last day.

Confessions of an Assembly Ditcher

Confession: I rarely attend the assemblies at the high school where I teach. I'd rather hide in my classroom and get some work accomplished. Here's the really terrible part--I'm a horrible example for students.

At the start of this school year a few kids discovered that they could ditch the assemblies and play the stash of games in my classroom instead. Since the students and I have such a good time, I take Kyle's puppy jacket off and let him play as well. It's good times for all!

(Kyle playing tug with a student.)

Kyle has impressed my students in the past by pulling them in rolling chairs. This week he simply pulled a student across the floor. I wonder how he'd do attached to a sled in Alaska?

(Before this picture, the girl was sitting along the wall. Kyle pulled her several feet. I love the smiles on everyone's faces.)

After an hour of playing, Kyle actually had to take a breather. We were all stunned when he lay panting on the floor.

(Kyle in need of a water break.)

Never fear, Kyle recovered within minutes and was ready for another round. It was a good day for all involved.

(Kyle with a big puppy grin right before class started again.)

Wordless Wednesday

(Kyle posing as a moose due to a student's hands behind his head.)

Introducing Kyle

Don't be confused by the sleepy puppy in this picture. Kyle is also the name of the blue bear.

(Kyle the puppy with Kyle the teddy bear.)

One of my students made this teddy bear for another student. When she presented it to him in class, she informed him that the bear's name is Kyle. Notice that Kyle Bear is wearing a vest with dog fabric. Now that is puppy love!

School Friends

I've often alluded to the entourage of friends that Kyle has at school. I have to laugh because I recently realized that Kyle has a group of kids that visit him before school, another during lunch, and a third after school. The surprising thing about these kids...I haven't taught any of them. Kyle sure is one popular pup!

One student loves dogs, but her parents and siblings are allergic to them. How horrible would that be? Thus, she and six or so of her friends love to stop by and get some puppy time.

 (Kyle and three girls saying hello in the morning.)

(Kyle getting loved on by the three at once.)

At lunch time, another group stops by. One girl in particular likes to get dog training tips. I love hearing about her excitement working with her pet.

(Kyle loves getting scratched by this girl.)

The students that hang out after school are siblings of my friends and former students. They love using my room as a meeting place because they get to sneak in a game of tug while waiting for their rides and after school activities.

Thankfully, Kyle isn't spoiled by all the attention. Kyle's learned to enjoy the play time while it lasts and then settle down for the next class. That in and of itself is a big improvement and accomplishment on Kyle's part.

(Kyle absolutely relaxed. He's actually surrounded by students paying him attention, but they are cropped out by the camera angle.)

Life is good when you are the top dog on campus!

Classroom Christmas

Christmas in my classroom started a couple weeks ago when I took a trip to Texas, and Kyle visited a puppy sitter. When I picked Kyle up, the puppy sitter gave us the coolest snowflake ever. She mentioned that it was to hang in my classroom, so that is exactly what I did after I laminated it.

(This is an amazing snowflake with The Grinch, Max, and Kyle worked in to it.)

My students all loved the snowflake and decided to decorate my classroom. Pretty soon there was a blizard in the classroom.

(Snowflakes hanging from the classroom ceiling.)

The next week I bought Kyle two new dog beds as early Christmas presents...one for our living room and one for the classroom. From the first day Kyle had a bed at school, his behavior changed dramatically. Instead of barking for attention, Kyle loves to lay on his bed all day. Unless we are doing something especially rowdy, Kyle doesn't even need a tie down. This has been great practice for his "go to bed" command. I should have gotten Kyle a school bed months ago!

(Kyle enjoying his school bed and favorite bone.)

The same student who has drawn previous pictures of Kyle on the white board captured Kyle in one of his favorite poses on his bed.

(A green line sketch of Kyle laying sprawled across his bed.)

On the last day before Christmas break, I allowed my honors students time to do homework or play educational games. One of my class periods is particularly enamored with Kyle, so a few students came and asked if they could play with Kyle instead.

If you've ever wondered what students think of having a puppy in English class, this picture should answer that.

(A student with a huge grin while she plays tug with Kyle.)

My classroom is a terrific place for tug. Check out the video below to see how fun tug can be with a rolly chair and a slick floor.

(Kyle pulls a student on a rolly chair around the classroom while playing tug.)

Before students had to tell Kyle goodbye for two weeks, they made sure to tell him Merry Christmas in language he understands. He loved every minute of love they gave him.

(Life is hard when you are the teacher's pet. Kyle gets belly scratches from two students at once.)

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

(Kyle sitting in a student desk in my classroom.)

Minty Fresh Breath? Gross!

During my preparation hour I sometimes shut my classroom door and let Kyle roam free. Since there are inevitable pencils, candy wrappers, and scraps of paper left on the floor, this is a great time for Kyle to practice ignoring tempting goodies.

Just a few minutes ago, Kyle found a new source of snacks.

(The undersides of my student desks are loaded with gum. Yuck!)

It took me a minute to figure out what Kyle was doing when his face looked like this.

(Kyle with his nose sniffing the underside of a desk.)

However, after Kyle visited a couple more desks, I figured out what he was doing. While I appreciated his help in cleaning my desks, I'd rather Kyle have dog breath than recycled minty fresh breath.

(Kyle about to give into the temptation of another mid-morning treat.)

Now that I had to fish out already-chewed gum from Kyle's mouth, I need to find a student who would rather serve detention in my room after school instead of at the usual 6:15 am session. Someone needs to clean up the desks, and Kyle isn't going to be the one to do it. Gross!

Update on October 6, 2010:
Seven students just left my class after 45 minutes of cleaning desks. I set Kyle free, and he immediately started sniffing the underside of every desk. The silly boy looks pretty confused as to why all his after school snacks disappeared.

Back to School Blues

Kyle and I are alive. We've been absent from the blog sphere, but busy as can be in real life. It's pointless to play catch up on everything we've been doing, but I have to include a back to school post.

All summer I fretted about how Kyle would do at work this year. Last year he was fine, but Kyle is a lot more energetic and vocal now. I wasted a lot of my energy worrying for nothing because Kyle has been great! He spends most of his time at school tied down to my desk quietly sleeping.

(Kyle uses my backpack for a pillow whenever he gets the chance. Some things never change.)

Every now and then Kyle gives up on the idea of sleeping and decides to watch the class instead. This always brings a smile to my face and the face of any student who notices him.

(Kyle stretched under my desk so that he can see the classroom of students. I guess he enjoys people watching.)

Although Kyle is normally great at school, sometimes his patience wears thin. On the Friday of the first full week of school Kyle decided he had enough. During the last class of the day, he pulled my desk with him as he tried to escape. It's a heavy desk, so he is one strong dog!

(Kyle pulled the corner of the desk about two feet in an attempt to get free. I laughed, pushed the desk back, and he's been fine ever since.)

Being back at school has provided Kyle with all types of training challenges. The halls are so crowded and littered with food that the poor boy is back in a head collar for a bit. (Teach me to brag.) He is improving by leaps and bounds at walking through huge crowds. I have a habit of pushing through groups of kids so that I can get where I am headed, and Kyle likes to help me part the red sea. It helps that Kyle is on a no petting rule until October 1 so that he could get used to focusing on me in the chaos. My students are counting down the days until then.

After Kyle escaped from me while I was talking to a librarian after school one day, I've decided to put more practice into an off-leash down. You have to know, the escape was my fault. See, I was stepping on Kyle's leash and using my hands to talk, and I didn't pay attention and must have moved my foot. Kyle took that opportunity to go make friends with students in the hall outside the library. Now, I've been practicing for a few seconds at a time in my classroom to try and avoid that mishap again. Thus far Kyle is doing wonderfully.

(Kyle is in a down stay in my classroom after school. Note the open classroom door. On a side note, I love my wall of books in the back corner. One student told me my classroom looks like a library. I can't think of a better complement.)

The most important thing about the school year is that the Kyle fan club is alive and strong. Even with the no petting rule, students have fallen in love with Kyle. Rarely a day goes by when I don't meet new students just because of my awesome puppy.

In his first paper of the year, one student wrote, "A good example of perseverance is (insert my name here) who chooses to train the dogs for the blind. I am sure that she gets mad and that she has times when she wants to give the dog to someone else to train but she perseveres." I love it. Thankfully the "mad" moments with Kyle are nothing compared to the happy moments.

Finally, cartoon Kyle is still making appearances on my white board. This drawing perfectly captures Kyle's pathetic after school face. He knows when it is time to go home.

(A green puppy drawing. I love the head between the paws and the sad eyes. Next to the drawing, Kyle is thinking, "I go home now? Pwease?")

Letter for my Students

Last week I asked for help writing a paper for my students explaining the volunteer work I am doing with Kyle. I got several great replies. Thank you! As promised, here is the finished product.

This year in English class you are going to have a unique opportunity. I am a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. My responsibilities as a volunteer include teaching puppies basic obedience and socializing them by taking them everywhere I go. That means I will be bringing a puppy to school with me every day.

Right now I am raising my third puppy Kyle. He is a nine-month-old, male, yellow Labrador. Kyle is an extremely well behaved dog. He knows most of his basic commands and understands how to behave in public. His size makes him look almost like an adult dog, but he is still very much a puppy. Kyle will be with me for about six more months. During this time, Kyle’s primary task will be to cement all of the skills he has learned over the past few months.

Kyle will probably return to Guide Dogs for the Blind campus for formal training in early spring. That means I will most likely be bringing another, much younger, puppy with me for the last few months of school. Also, I occasionally will bring other puppies from my club with me while Kyle spends time in other raiser’s homes. The purpose of puppy trades is to expose puppies-in-training to as many situations as possible.

I need the help of all of my students to properly train Kyle for his future work as a guide dog. Your job is simple. I need you to completely ignore Kyle. Puppies naturally know they are adorable and seek attention. They need to know that in public the only person that will pay them attention is their raiser. This helps the puppies focus on their work and bond with their handlers. Thus, as hard as it may be, please ignore Kyle during the school day.

If we all do our parts, Kyle will sleep or play quietly behind my desk, and we’ll forget he is even in the room. That way, you will be able to learn English, and Kyle can learn to be a guide dog at the same time.

Guide Dog Puppy Etiquette

• As tempting as it may be to pet a guide dog in training, remember that this puppy will be responsible for leading someone who is visually impaired. The puppy should never be distracted from his or her duty. A person’s safety will depend on their dog’s alertness and concentration.
• At times, it is okay to ask someone if you may pet their guide dog puppy. Use prudent judgment before asking. Many people enjoy introducing their puppies when they have the time. The puppy’s primary responsibility is to its partner, and it is important that the puppy not become solicitous.
• A guide dog puppy should never be offered food or other distracting treats. Puppies are fed on a schedule and follow a specific diet in order to keep them in optimum condition. Even slight deviations from their routine can disrupt their regular eating and relieving schedules and seriously inconvenience their raisers. Guide dog puppies are trained to resist offers of food so that they will be able to visit restaurants without begging. Feeding treats to a puppy-in-training weakens this training.
• It’s not all work and no play for guide dogs in training. When they are not in their puppy vests, they are treated in much the same way as pets. However, for their safety they are only allowed to play with specific toys. Please don’t offer them toys without first asking their raiser’s permission.
• A guide dog puppy can make mistakes and must be corrected in order to maintain its training. This correction usually involves a verbal admonishment coupled with a leash correction, followed by praise when the dog regains focus and correctly follows a command. Guide dog puppy raisers have been taught the appropriate correction methods to use with their dogs.
• Access laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Utah Human Services Code, permit people who are training future guide dogs anywhere the general public is allowed, including taxis and buses, restaurants, theaters, stores, schools, hotels, apartment and office buildings.
• Before asking a question of a person handling a dog, allow them to complete the task at hand.
• Remain calm in your approach and mannerisms. If you act excited or anxious, a puppy will mirror your emotions.
• Never tease a puppy-in-training. It is extremely important for puppies’ socialization that they learn to trust all humans, not just their raisers.
• When you see a puppy-in-training you know, refrain from calling out his or her name. Doing this could cause a puppy to become distracted when working.

If you have any questions about guide dogs or puppy raising, I would be more than happy to answer them outside of English class time. You are also welcome to access Guide Dogs for the Blind’s website: guidedogs.com.

Back to School Help?

Right now Kyle and I are sitting in my classroom getting ready for school to start next week. I just decided to send a paper home with my students on the first day of school explaining the volunteer work I am doing with Kyle and whatever puppy follows him in the spring.

Have any puppy raisers out there made fliers to pass out to classmates, coworkers, etc? If you have, would you mind sharing them with me?

Even if you haven't passed anything out, what do you think I should include?

Last Week of School

This week I complete my fifth year of teaching, and Kyle completes his first year as a student. Quite frankly, Kyle got off pretty easily with only having to attend the last three weeks of school! Most of my students would love to sign up for that deal.

Monday was the last day of classes. As a special treat, my students asked if they could tie Kyle down to their desks instead of mine. His tie down ended up being passed from desk to desk over the course of a class period. Kyle really needs to learn to spell one word: S-P-O-I-L-E-D.

(Kyle is standing in the middle of several student desks and getting petted by two kids at once.)

Tuesday was yearbook signing day, which translated to all kinds of fun. My classroom tends to be a hang out spot for several groups of kids, so Kyle had constant entertainment.

I knew it would be a laid back sort of day, so I brought extra toys for Kyle. Several students took turns playing tug with Kyle. Without fail, they are all amazed by the effectiveness of his "that's enough" command. Jake especially had fun playing tug with Kyle. Because my classroom floor is so slick, Kyle slid every which way during tug, but he didn't mind.

(Kyle is sliding while Jake plays tug with him. Jake didn't realize I was recording the game while they played.)

On a personal note, I got to sign yearbooks for tons of students. Since I teach tenth grade (the lowest grade in our high school) I know a large percentage of the students in the building. I love when kids come to visit me year after year. As a result, I get to sign a lot of yearbooks. That is always a bittersweet experience because I miss my daily contact with kids as the move to eleventh grade. Even worse is knowing I probably won't see them at all once they graduate. Little notes, like the one below, make the journey worth it though.

 (This is a sweet note from a student thanking me for being her teacher.)

Kyle couldn't be left out of the yearbook signing fun. He was the most popular student in my classes after all. A paw print with his name ended up in multiple student yearbooks to prove that he is already making a mark on people's lives.

Since yearbook day is so laid back, students get away with all sorts of things that wouldn't be allowed on a regular school day. Kyle wasn't the only puppy in campus as a result. One former student brought two of her six-week-old Yorkie puppies to school with her. They were tiny! I would have liked to show them to Kyle to see how he reacted to little dogs, but they were both wrapped in a blanket and sound asleep. As any puppy raiser can attest, it's exhausting going on outings when you are a young puppy.

(The Yorkie puppies are curled up and sound asleep in a white blanket.)

By midday everyone's yearbook was signed, and students had cleared out of the building. That left one very forlorn puppy without any playmates. Poor Kyle had to spend the remainder of the day tied down to my desk and relaxing like a good service puppy should.

(Kyle looked at me with his big puppy eyes and goughnut in his mouth as if to ask where all his friends and playmates had gone.)

Today is a fairly laid back day. The seniors are on a class trip to an amusement park. Since my stomach cannot tolerate most rides and guide dog rules state that Kyle cannot ride any rides, we declined to be chaperons. My classroom is already clean and packed up for the summer, so we are just relaxing. I actually closed my door for a while, took off Kyle's puppy jacket, and let three straggling students (probably the only three in the building) play with Kyle to the point that he is exhausted. I haven't ever seen him collapse like this before. It's kind of nice.

Tomorrow I have to work graduation and cannot focus on Kyle, so after our club meeting tonight he is going to a puppy sitter's house over night. They have a nine-month-old black lab named Christina, so Kyle should have fun playing with a friend tonight and tomorrow. Kyle won't even be gone a full 24 hours, but I'll miss him none-the-less.

Smart Student

As the school year winds down, most of my students have disengaged their minds. One bright student is the exception. This student is actively soaking up the world around him, and as a result has learned a few useful things over the past couple weeks. You guessed it; the student is Kyle.

(Kyle is lying on his back in the middle of my classroom.)

Kyle has figured out that he is irresistible to students. Everyone wants to play with the cute puppy. When I mentioned bringing a dog to school a couple months ago, some students professed a dislike for K9s. Even those kids pat Kyle on the head as they walk by.

For the sake of Kyle's training, I've instituted a strict don't pet the guide dog without permission rule. Also, if Kyle tries to lick students, they know they have to back away immediately.

Kyle learned that his puppy dog eyes won't work on students anymore even if he doesn't understand the rules. Today he figured out a new trick. During class he kept rolling over on his back with his feet straight in the air.

(Kyle is lying on his back and looking straight up. His ears look like rabbit ears as a result.)

Kyle's new position elicited a new round of pleas from my students. Bryce* especially took up the roll of Kyle's voice. He adamantly declared, "Miss, he really wants his belly scratched." Bryce has a terrible time focusing in class, so I used Kyle as a bribe. When Bryce finished his work, Kyle got his belly scratched.

(Both Kyle and Bryce enjoyed the reward for the Bryce's hard work.)

Other students stop in every day at lunch or after school to play with Kyle. Like any school aged kid, Kyle now enjoys these times way more than the rest of the school day. My students are learning appropriate guide dog play and basic training.

Amy* has gotten especially good at working with Kyle. I still cannot get him to stop liking me, but he doesn't lick Amy any more. Kyle knows that she is a great playmate, and he must not want her to move away and leave him alone.

(Kyle is happily chewing on his goughnut while Amy sits on the floor and holds it for him.)

Kyle actually loves to sit on the lap of Amy and the other students that come into my classroom after school. Lucky for him, most of them like to cuddle puppies. I love that the lunch and after school kids play with Kyle because I worry about his only human interaction coming from me. They help socialize him while I get a break to work on my end of the school day chores. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved...my students, me, and especially Kyle.

(Kyle is half lying on Amy's lap. She is holding his nylabone while he chews on it. Not pictured are the other students sitting in a circle who are taking turns holding the bone and cuddling Kyle.)

*Any student names I ever post will be changed to protect my students' identities. I just hate telling stories with all pronouns. That's the English teacher in me.

Kyle Inspired Poetry

One of my students decided to make Kyle the subject of everything he wrote for one class period. During writer's notebook time students have ten minutes to write whatever they want, so he wrote a rap. We studied haikus during class. This student somehow convinced me that Kyle is a nature theme, so he also wrote a haiku about the little guy. Enjoy! (All grammar and punctuation are true to the author's original writing.)

KYLE RAP
So I walked into English class today.
I looked right down and the thing looked away.
He has 4 legs with a tail.
When it comes to blind people he will not fail.
Helping blind people is his trend
Thats the reason he's My Best Friend
Everyone loves him you cant pretend
When it comes to attention he can't comprehend
He's very smart and has lot's of style
He's a hero, His name is Kyle!
For warm ups he runs a mile
pick him first and he will make it worth while
He is big and his mom is small
He's not a baby so he does not crawl.
He is super cool you can't deny
Without Wings he can still fly!
He's the best dog ever! and that is why
At first sight you'll start to cry

KYLE HAIKU
trained professional
praises to cherished partner
second precious eyes

Kyle's First Full Day

I debated whether or not I should take Kyle’s first day off work so that I could just spend it with him. As fate had it, I got sick and had to call in a substitute teacher, so the decision was made for me.

We did get up in the morning to go put sub plans on my desk. The same students who made the welcome Mosley sign had made one for Kyle.

(This is the sign my students made. It says “Welcome Kyle” and has a puppy in a green vest.)

I ended up teaching part of first hour until the sub could get there. That was actually ideal as far as Kyle was concerned because it meant that he got to experience just a small taste of school before having to go all day.

When we got home Kyle was a great sport and played well on tie down while I slept for two more hours. Then we ventured downstairs where I put up the baby gate to barricade him in the living room. Kyle has great house manners! I’m so thankful for that. He played wonderfully with his toys while I worked on my thesis.

When the mail came, Kyle got a package. Ruby sent him the Kong prize he won on her blog. It took a minute to get Kyle interested in the package, but he ended up loving it.

(Kyle is investigating the packing peanuts in the package from Ruby.)

Kyle decided that his favorite toy in the package was the tiny Kong on a keychain. He ran all over the living room with it in his mouth and even tried to chew it. With the bigger Kongs available, I just had to laugh. Obviously Kyle doesn’t subscribe to the philosophy that bigger is better.

(Kyle is lying on his blue dog bed and happily chewing on my mini Kong keychain.)

After a bit Kyle decided that I could have my keychain. He investigated the Kong Wobbler and regular Kong. Now the regular Kong is one of his favorite toys. Thank you Ruby!

(Kyle finally found one of the actual dog toys interesting and is playing with the Kong Wobbler. I love how his ears are fanned out because his head is upside down.)

Later in the day I started feeling a lot better. I decided Kyle and I would go on a short adventure to the library. (You know I’m an English nerd when the first places I take my puppy are school and the library.) Kyle really struggled walking into the library, but once we turned in our books and found a table, he played with his new Kong at my feet. He eventually settled down for a nap. I tried to get a picture of him sleeping under the table with his legs straight in the air, but he woke up when I tried. Kyle was a great sport for most of the outing, but I made the mistake of pushing the limits of his endurance and kept him there so long that he got restless. After having Mosley last week, I have to remember that Kyle is still new to this working in public thing. Overall, I was happy with how he did, and I am looking forward to many more outings with him.

In the evening I discovered that one of Kyle’s activities is playing with his rope tug toy. He is missing several teeth, and I think pulling and chewing on the rope feels good on his gums. Hopefully all of his adult teeth will come in soon!

Kyle has a lot of spunk. His feisty yet gentle personality will serve him well as a future guide dog!

Mosley and Standardized Testing

I told my students that I would be puppysitting Mosley last week, so several students contributed to a welcome sign on the white board for him. After only two school days, Mosley is now the most popular student in my classes.

This is the second week of state core standardized testing, so my students are less than enthusiastic about coming to my class. Can you blame them? I hate to teach during standardized tests because all I do is sit at my desk and stare at my students filling in bubbles all day.

Mosley has made all the difference for core testing this year. Students who always stagger into my class at the last minute are showing up early to pet the puppy. Others’ sleepy eyes wander towards my desk where Mosley is tied down; then a grin literally spreads all the way to those same eyes. It is amazing to watch the instant transformation.

On a side note, every year art students make sculptures of themselves out of packing tape. Today students walked the halls taking pictures with their sculptures in different locations. Two students I've never met before noticed that it was my preparation hour, so they came in and took a picture of their sculpture sitting on a chair with Mosley at its feet.

Hopefully Kyle is as well received next week as Mosley has been thus far this week. Several students are so excited about the idea of training guide dogs that they are already talking to their parents about raising their own guide puppies. We’ll see if any end up attending puppy classes. Kyle might have puppy friends at school next year.