Dextra's Denied Access Adventure at Pizza Hut

On February 11, 2012, I was denied access at the Pizza Hut in Suffolk, VA, because of my Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, a female yellow Labrador Retriever. 

My family and I entered the Pizza Hut and I was immediately told that my dog was not welcome and I'd have to leave.   We tried to calmly explain to them that she was allowed and the hostess argued for a few minutes, before saying she'd go talk to her manager.

My kids got upset, so Gordon, my husband, took them out, while I tried to educate the hostess and manager.    I called to them, several times, that my dog was allowed and what they were doing was against the law.  When I heard no reply, I warned them that the police could be called on them for doing this.   Still no response, so I stepped outside and stood on the
sidewalk, while I called the police.   I actually called 911, and the operator
told me that all she had to do was tell the officer that a lady with a Seeing
Eye Dog was being denied access and he said "I'm on my way!"

While waiting outside for the officer,  The hostess poked her head out of the
door and  I was first told I had to show paperwork proving she was a guide
dog, no I don't, Asking to see any kind of paperwork proving that a dog is a guide dog is actually also against the law.   The only question they are legally allowed to ask is "What is the dog used for?"   My dog wears an official Seeing Eye, Inc. harness and is extremely well behaved, along with being very clean.  There was nothing my dog or I did to warrant this treatment, in fact, the whole time I was standing outside with her, she sat calmly beside me, never getting up, even as people passed by us.

A few more minutes passed and then she poked her head out of the door again and I was told I could come in, but they'd make
me sit near the door, in case people were afraid of my dog.  Told them that
was also descrimination.  Never once did the manager come to talk to me, during all of this exchange.  I was just told that they had called the regional manager, by the hostess.

Then the Officer showed up and I told him what had happened and he was
quite upset and went in to inform them of the laws they were breaking.  Shortly
after, the Regional Manager showed up, she was very nice, when she stopped to talk to me for a few seconds, before she headed inside to talked to her employees and the Officer. 

A few minutes later the Officer and Regional Manager came back outside and told me that it was straightened out and we had an offer of a free lunch. 

We did decide to go ahead and go in and show them how Dextra behaved.  The Regional Manager made the manager wait on our table, personally, and the Regional Manager came over and made sure we were doing alright, after we had ordered.  She told us she had gone over the laws, state and federal, with her employees and would be sure that the other employees were better educated in the future.   We thanked her for this as I believe education is so key in this and avoiding situations like this.   If the public was better educated people with service dogs wouldn't get harrassed as much as we do.

One of the odd things is, I've been here several times before with my guides and this is the first time I've had an issue, at this particular Pizza Hut.   I've had minor issues at another one in another nearby town, but was never denied access, it was more the other customers making rude comments.

I wasn't about to let these people get away with descrimination.   This is
the first time I've actually called the police, though I have filed
complaints and done some other actions to this kind of thing before, but it was
definitely my first time involving a police officer and I was happy to have one
that was apparently aware of the laws and wasn't going to let me be
descrminated against.  I've actually heard of cases where other guide dog users have called the police for being denied access and have the police officers side with the establishment.   Guide dogs are not a new thing and there are laws in every state and at the federal level protecting our rights to take them with us where ever we go.   It is amazing how much education still needs to be done.

I've lived in this area for almost 10 years and I still get asked, on a regular basis about my dog being in a store, restaurant, etc, jus tlike this Pizza Hut, places I go on a regular basis, and it is very annoying.   About 3 years ago, I did have to call our local Wal-Mart and talk to a manager about the harrassment I was getting from the employees every time I went in the store.   I told him I was getting really tired of it, as I was a very regular customer.   It must have worked, because now when I go in there, I rarely get asked about my Seeing Eye Dog, anymore.

Education, Education, Education!


So, thought I'd share with you all Dextra's Denied Access Adventure, doing my part for educating the public!

Thankful Day After Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we headed up to visit my in-laws in northern Virginia.  Along with visiting family we had plans to visit our 2 year old gelding, Marq Your Bible aka "Marcus", who we own in partnership with my mother-in-law and 5 others.  He is taking a short break, as he has grown so much that we decided it was in his best interest to give him a breather so he'd be all ready for a 3 year old campaign, with our first big goal of a first start in March and then head him to Colonial Downs this June and July, for the VA-bred races, hoping he will be stakes quality.

Our trainer, Diana McClure, is a wonderful woman and not only loves the horses she works with, but also loves children and helping them develop their love of horses.   So, whenever we can make it out to her farm, she offers my two daughters a ride on her pony horse, Brownie, who is quite famous in his own right, for being the lead pony for Big Brown before his Preakness win, among other things.

So, on the day after Thanksgiving, we went to Diana's farm and both my girls got to ride Brownie and Diana also graciously gave pony rides to my two nephews, one of which had never been on a horse.

All the children really enjoyed their rides and my oldest even got to ride twice, because she loves Brownie so much that she talks about him all the time and even brought him some carrots this time.   Diana is showing her how to get into a jockey position, which she also did in July, at our last visit, and a picture of that has gotten a lot of attention on Facebook and on Diana's website.

After our visit with Brownie, we headed over to a friend of Diana's farm to see Marcus.   Diana thought her friend's farm would be a better place for a short break, than her own, because of a nice hill in the pasture and he could be left turned out a lot more, with a few buddies.

When Marcus came up to the fence and realized who was here to visit he was crazing our attention.   I climbed the fence and groomed him a little bit.   He is not what most people would think of when they think of a horse who has been in race training.   He's so sweet, I groomed him while he was totally loose in his pasture, no halter, no lead rope, nothing, he just stood there relishing the attention that I bestowed upon him.

A few times, after I was done grooming, he wandered off, but always came right back for more attention.   The picture above is of Marcus coming over to me and giving me a good sniff and kiss.   He did this all on his own, I did not encourage him to put his nose to my face.   I know he remembers me.   I was there helping him come into this world, a difficult birth and he is lucky to be alive and healthy after such a hard time coming into this world.   I guess he and I will always have a special connection because of that tricky situation.

After he sniffed me over really good he wandered off, but came right back and I was standing by the fence talking to Diana and he came up and put his head over my right shoulder and just stood there with his gorgeous head on my shoulder listening to me talk and letting me rub on him some more.   He is so sweet and such a special boy, I can't wait for him to start racing.

After our visit we went back to my in-laws for a late lunch, tried to get our youngest daughter to take a nap, but she was just too excited, so later in the afternoon we headed out for a walk, as our oldest wanted to go see the stream, she had seen on a walk, the day before, with some other family members.   It was my husband, my two daughters, and I alone, this time.   I had my Seeing Eye Dog Dextra harnessed up and I was following behind my husband as we went down the very steep hill behind my in-law's house.   Our oldest daughter led the way and my husband helped our youngest.   After a little while, we realized it was getting dark very quickly, so we turned around to head back to the house, but our oldest daughter was getting a bit upset that she wasn't going to get to see the stream again.   My husband got me to the bottom of the steep hill, where the path led through the thick woods up to my in-law's house and I took my youngest daughters hand and started back to the house as my husband took our oldest a shortcut to the stream.   I couldn't see hardly anything through the thick woods, I just said, "Dextra, forward!  Let's go back to the house."   And Dextra slowly made her way up the steep incline guiding me and my 2 year old daughter around the thick underbrush, bush branches, etc staying on what felt like the correct path, the several hundered feet up to the clearing where the house stands.   When she got us safely to the front sidewalk I dropped the harness and gave her a huge hug, petted her vigorously, and just told her how proud of her I was and what a super star Seeing Eye Dog she is!

These dogs are not trained to go hiking like that, but many guide dog users do go hiking, we just have to do it slowly and use the training they have to expand on it to train them about trails.   So, she isn't in the first to do this, but it was her first time doing it and she was amazing!

Dextra and I have only been together since April and she is only 2 1/2 years old, but she is proving to be so awesome and I can not praise her enough or thank The Seeing Eye enough for partnering her with me.   I look forward to a lot more adventures with this truly amazing young yellow Labrador from The Seeing Eye.

And, yes, my 2 year old was also adding her praises to Dextra, too.   It was so dark by the time I made it back to the house that all I could see was the outline of the house against the fading light.   I went inside and had my father-in-law turn on the flood lights, so that my husband and oldest daughter could find their way back to the house, which they did about 20 minutes later.

So, the day after Thanksgiving gave me a lot to be thankful for.   I am thankful for my sweet family, my awesome Seeing Eye dog, my horses, and my wodnerful trainer, Diana McClure.

Marq Your Bible to race, in part, for The Seeing Eye, Inc

It is amazing how God works and the inspirations that come from His faithfulness.

Already, there are three partners in our racehorse that are graduates of The Seeing Eye, myself, included.   On Sunday, I received an unexpected call from yet another Seeing Eye graduate who wishes to join the partnership.  

She has informed me that any of her earnings, past what will go directly back into the partnership, will be donated to The Seeing Eye, in her name.   This has inspired me to do the same with part of my majority interest in him.

I currently own 42% of Marq Your Bible aka "Marcus" and I now wish to also donate at least 2% of my earnings, past what goes back directly to the partnership, to The Seeing Eye.   I have been inspired by this new member and also by the faithfulness God has shown me and I am feeling led to do this.

So, now, Marcus will not only be owned by 4 graduates of The Seeing Eye and 2 other women, who are not blind, but he will be racing for the wonderful organization that we all love, that has provided 4 of us with amazing dog guides, The Seeing Eye Inc of Morristown, NJ.

Marcus will be taking a short break to do some more growing.   He has nothing wrong, but has been growing so much lately, that we just feel it is in his best interest to let him grow.   He will start his vacation next week and be brought back into training Jan. 1st, with a hopeful first race to be around the middle of March.

Become a fan of this wonderful horse that is now going to be racing for such an extraordinarily great cause

You can find his fan page on Facebook and also the farm fan page, Perfect Peace Farm, where you will receive updated news on what he is up to and see pictures of this totally gorgeous boy.

Marcus' fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marq-Your-Bible/193529944025899?ref=ts

Perfect Peace Farm fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perfect-Peace-Farm-LLC/173890696024170

Go Marcus, Go!
-----

A little background on me and my connection to The Seeing Eye.

I am currently working with my 4th Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, a 2 year old female yellow Labrador Retriever, who I received in April 2011.  

I received my first Seeing Eye Dog, Ginger, a female German Shepherd, in July 1994.   I have been blessed by this organization and the 4 great dogs I have been given.   I received my 2nd guide, Zach, in May 1995, a male black Labrador Retriever, and my 3rd, Nalley, a male Golden Retriever, in April 2002.   Nalley is still with me, at the age of 11, enjoying retirement.

These dogs have guided me at college, through graduation, on various horse farms and other jobs, down the aisle at a friend's wedding, been my ring bearer at my own wedding, guided me on the train trip we took for our Honeymoon to Saratoga Springs for the horse races, at several other race tracks, including to Churchill Downs for the Breeder's Cup in 2006, been with me when I sing solos at church, when I'm in choir, and countless other things, where they help me maintain independence.   I am forever grateful to The Seeing Eye for their dedication to breeding top quality dogs, training the best guides for those seeking a dog guide, and the support they give students while in class and graduates after we return home with our dogs.   It is a wonderful organization that I am pleased to be a part of and hope and pray that I can give back to, in part, with some of the earnings of this racehorse.   I will be combining my love of dogs and horses all in one, it doesn't get much better than that!

Hurricane Irene at Perfect Peace Farm and a few Other Things

As Hurricane Irene approached and the air pressure started to drop on Thursday, it sent our oldest mare, Messenger of Light, aka "Leia", into a gas colic.   She has been sensitive to drops in air pressure, int he past, suffering a gas colic about once a year, for the past 4 years or so.   We gave her some Banamine and she was quickly much better and never had anymore signs of a problem.   We kept a close watch on her for the next few days, but it appears that this episode had been mild, thank goodness, so no vet was needed.

We brought the horses into the barn on Friday evening, as the rain was supposed to start between 3 to 5 AM on Saturday.   We filled up all 3 huge water troughs, knowing we'd lose power, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of water for the horses.   After Hurricane Isabel, we were without power for a full week, actually about 6 hours or so past a full week.   So, I wanted to be ready for the worst.

We had our tub filled with water, I had cleaned out milk jugs and juice containers, and filled them with water, and I had a few big pots of water for the dogs and cat.

We woke up on Saturday morning to strong winds and heavy rain, but still had power.   I started lunch shortly after we finished breakfast, as I wanted to make sure we had something nice to eat before we lost power.   I also had my husband run some of my frozen foods over to a friend's house, as she had space in her chest freezer for them and had a generator, so i wouldn't lose all my food.

My planning paid off and we lost power right after lunch, at about 1 PM.

We put our youngest daughter, almost 2 years old, down for her nap, hoping she'd sleep throught he storm and she did somewhat.   Her nap was a bit shorter than usual, but you couldn't blame her.

We had an old transister radio, so were able to listen to the news reports as to how bad things were, where the storm was going, etc.

Since we'd lost power I was not going to be able to watch any of the big horse races of this past weekend, but a friend of mine was willing to talk to me ont he phone and relay to me what was happening with the races.   I got to hear about the King's Bishop and Travers as they were happening.   She promised to call me the on Sunday so I could hear the big races from Del Mar.

Then it was time to feed everyone, so my husband went to check on the horses and feed them their dinner as I prepared our dinner in the house.

We got the girls ready for bed a bit earlier than their usual 8:30 bedtime and got them into bed as it got dark.

We had batteries to run the CD player for our youngest daughter, so she'd have her music to fall asleep to, but our oldest, almost 6 years old, was just a bit too scared by the wind and storm, so I laid some blankets on the floor next to my side of the bed and told her she could sleep there.

My two dogs, Nalley, an 11 year old Golden Retriever, my retired Seeing Eye Dog, and Dextra, a 2 year old yellow Labrador Retriever, my current Seeing Eye Dog, laid on the floor on either side of our oldest daughter.

Several times through the night, our youngest daughter woke up crying, so I had to go check on her.  I did try to bring her into bed with us, but she just will not sleep in our bed, prefering to play or talk.   When my husband started snoring she blurted out, at almost full volume, "Daddy, what are you doing?"    I tried to hush her and told her that Daddy was snoring, but she just wouldn't quiet down, so I took her back to her room, put the music back on and rocked her in the glider for a little while.   She did go back to sleep and I was able to get a bit more sleep.

We were then rudely woken up at 6 AM by our oldest daughter, who jumped up and called out, "There is no more storm!"   She was so excited that it was over.

My husband knew I hadn't slept well, due to our youngest, so he took our oldest and let me sleep in a bit more, as our youngest was also still sleeping.

They got dressed and went to feed the horses, let them out of the barn, and survey the damage to our property.

We were pretty lucky, no trees down, but some minor gutter damage and the roof over our patio got ripped off the house and flipped over the back yard fence, almost landing in our pond.   The legs are bent, the roof is bent, so I think it can't be put back up, it will have to be replaced, at some point.   Our mailbox also got damaged, so over all we were very lucky.

Sunday was hot, but there was a wind for mos tof the day.   In the evening we all went out to feed the horses and spend some time with them.

As they ate, Leia started to cough, and I instantly knew she was starting to choke, something else that she does about once a year, like the gas colic.   We were working with the other group of horses, but I kept an ear out for Leia and paid attention to how often she was coughing.

Our oldest daughter really wanted to get on the backs of Myra and Belle, our two ponies, well, Myra is a Half Welsh, Belle is just pony sized, but is an Anglo-Arabian, they are half sisters.   So, I led Myra, while holding our youngest daughter, and my husband held onto our oldest, as she sat on Myra, first.  Myra and Belle have not truly been broke to ride, but have been willing to let us put kids on their backs, so far, but this time, Myra decided she really didn't want our oldest up there, so let out a buck, but since my husband had ahold of our daughter, he was able to get her off and she was not hurt.   She was crying, but I think it was more from being scared.   She quickly stopped crying and I caught Belle and she eagerly got on Belle's back.   Belle was very good and didn't do anything, so that was great to help rebuild her confidence.

I noticed Leia was still coughing, so I said it was time for me to check on Leia more closely.   I handed our youngest daughter to my husband, so I could go into the pasture with Leia and Glory, to see how Leia was doing.   She had some snot coming out of her nose, due to her coughing fromt he choke.   I ran my hands down her neck to see if I could feel anything, but I just felt that all the muscles were super tight.   I then put my hands on either side of her neck and slowly and gently moved them from her throat latch area down towards her chest, trying to follow where her esophagus is.  I did this only twice, not really  knowing if it would help or not, but something just told me to do it, so going with my instincts and gut feeling, I did what just seemed to come naturally to me.   As I did this, I could feel Leia's neck muscles start to relax.   I led her around a few minutes, then turned her lose, when I realized she hadn't coughed even once since I had run my hands down her neck.   We stayed out there another 10 minutes or so and there was no more coughing.   So, the choking incident was also mild, just like her gas colic. 

I have never done that technique on a choking horse before and I just had a strong urge to do it.   The only thing I can tell you is that God was telling me what to do to help her, and because I listened she was healed and again, no vet was needed.

Let's just say my husband is so happy that in the two incidents with Leia, in the last week, that I'd saved us, easily, over $600 in emergency vet costs.

All I know is God has given me a gift to just know things about horses, what is wrong with them, how good they are going to be as race horses, if they are a nice spiritted horse or a mean horse, and so on.  I just have this sense and I want to try to use it more, share my gift.  I don't know how I will do this, but maybe some door will open for me to share this with others and not just use it on my own small herd or share experiences I've had with horses I've worked with int he past on this blog.

Sunday night was very hot and uncomfortable, as there was no wind and the humidity was up, but we managed to get a little sleep.

On Monday, a friend of mine offered to take my kids and I to her sister's house so we could all get cleaned up.   It was a nice break.

While we were gone my husband went for more ice and some milk.

Thankfully, at 9:30 PM on Monday, the power came back on, but since we were already in bed, the only enjoyment we got from it was that we turned on the fans.

Home phone is still not working, internet is super slow, but at least we have power now.   I've been trying to catch up on some new sin the world and some racing news and when I found out what Uncle Mo's owner said about finishing 2nd in the King's Bishop it has annoyed me greatly.    He said it was the "lowest of lows".   No, sir, sorry, finishing 2nd in a major Grade 1 stakes race is not a low of any kind.   When your beautiful 3 year old filly, who has the heart of a champion, is improving with each race, looks like she is going to finish a clear cut second, suddenly fades and is eased, then requires the horse ambulance to come get her to take her back to her stall, that is the "lowest of lows".   Being told she may not survive, because one of her sesamoids is totally shattered, that's a low.   So, please do not say finishing 2nd in that race was "the lowest of lows.", you have no idea.   I foaled that filly out, helped her come into this world, and it was a very difficult delivery, I halter trained her, loved her, played with her, etc, the heart ache of her injury was more than I can put into words.   Luckily, and praise God, she beat all the odds and is standing out in my pasture right now, and will hopefully be bred next year.   The jockey said it as a soft spot in the track that she found, it happens in racing, it's hard to deal with, loving horses the way I do, but it could have happened in the field, I've had horses get hurt in stalls, fields, etc, so I will keep racing, loving my horses, and taking care of them the best I can.

Her half brother is gearing up to make his first start this fall.   So, watch out for Marq Your Bible!

So, Hurricane Irene is gone, leaving some with more damage than we got and I know some lives were lost.  My thoughts and prayers are with those who's lives have been devistated by this storm.   I pray lives can get back to some kind of normal as quickly as possible.

Bunny and Zach: My Two Matchmakers

Today is my 9th wedding anniversary, so I thought I'd write about how my horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me know when I'd met the right man.   So, I will start with some stories of how they told me that I hadn't, before I write about how they told me about Gordon.

I had only owned Bunny for about 2 months when I was asked out on a date by a guy who had a few horses of his own.   So, after going out to eat, he took me by the stable where I boarded Bunny, for him to meet her.

I got her out of the pasture and took her to the roundpen, for us to spend some time with her and so he could see her in action.   I free lunged her around us, meaning with no rope attached to her, at all, she only had her halter on.  The guy and I stood in the middle of the roundpen talking, as Bunny went around us and after she was done with some light exercise, I told her "whoa!"  And told her she could come to us, which she did. 

At this point, I had already learned that Bunny really didn't like men very much and she avoided their contact, as much as possible.   Well, she stopped, put herself right between us and then flat out refused to let this guy get near me.   Every time he tried to move to the same side of her, that I was standing on, she would reposition herself, to block his advances.   Again, remember, she had no lead rope, no lunge line, nothing, so neither of us were controlling her movement, at this point, it was all her doing.   I don't think the guy realized what she was doing and why, but I figured it out.

Since Bunny was letting him touch her, but refusing to let him get near me, she was trying to tell me "Not him!  Stay away from him!"   I listened to my horse and never went on another date with him.

A few months later, my roommate, who was also blind, but had a lot less vision than I do, had a guy come over to talk and get to know one another.   I got back from a class and found them sitting outside on the near by brick wall, where they invited me to join them for conversation.   I was reluctant, but my roommate insisted, so after feeding Zach, I brought him back outside with me and sat down next to my roommate.

As the conversation continued, with me now included, we were learning that I actually had more in common with this guy than my roommate did.   This guy and I seemed to be hitting it off, but I knew he was there to see my roommate and I was not about to steal him from her, I am not that kind of person.   So, as it was getting cooler, I said that I wanted to go back inside, and my roommate agreed that it was getting cooler, so we should go inside, and she invited the guy to come in with us.

Our dorm room was more of a small apartment, as it had three rooms, a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

My roommate went and sat in her favorite chair leaving only the sofa and table and chairs open.  I sat down on the sofa and hoped he'd sit closer to my roommate, but instead, he sat right up next to me, which started to make me very uncomfortable.   Zach sensing this, came over and I started petting him on the head. 

Zach was a big black Lab, about 78 pounds.  He and I had been partners for about 1 1/2 years at this time, so we had a very solid relationship and were very in tune with one another.  Zach was an awesome guide dog and just the best friend, he knew me very well.

So, this guy starts talking to my roommate and as he's doing so, he quickly takes my hand, which of course increased my uneasiness tenfold.   Zach looked up at the guy, as if to say, "What are you doing?"   I may not be able to see very well, but I have enough sight to see some things and I also just could sense things from my animals and seem to know what they were thinking.

Zach seeing that they guy was not going to let go, as he put his head under our hands, trying to get us to pet him, when that didn't work, he took his nose and tried to pry the guy's fingers off of my hand.

I was keeping silent, because I didn't know what to do, I was in shock, I think, that this guy was taking advantage of the fact that my roommate could not see what he was doing.

Zach's antics weren't working, so this extremely well mannered and very quiet Lab took two steps back and let out the biggest bassiest bark you can imagine, startling us all.

The guy's response was, "Why is your dog barking at me?"   So, I knew Zach was staring straight at this guy, that bark was meant for him.

The guy temporarily let go of my hand, but when he took it again, Zach let out another bark.

At this point, I decided that this creep needed to go, so I gathered up my courage and just said it was getting late and that we had studying to do.   I stood up and the guy agreed to leave, but as he was about to leave, he reached out and tried to give me a hug.   Zach barked again and got right betwen us, refusing to let the creep do what he wanted to do.   I just played dumb and got the guy out of the room as quickly as possible.

I immediately told my roommate what had happened and that this guy was a creep to take advantage of the fact that she couldn't see what he was doing, when he was there to see her, in the first place.   I mean, we agreed, that it would have been okay, if he had been polite and not done these things and afterwards called her up and said, "Hey, I don't think it is going to work out between you and I, but I did like your roommate, would you mind if I asked her out?"   She would have accepted that, because she isn't stupid and she realized we had a lot in common and were hitting it off.   But, no, he couldn't do the decent thing, which told me, that I wouldn't go out with him, either, because he'd learn what I couldn't see and try to get away with stuff behind my back, because I'm not stupid either, I wouldn't return any of his phone calls.

A few years later, I started emailing with Gordon, after a few months, we started talking on the phone, and then planned to meet on New Years Eve of 2000.   So, yes, Gordon and I met online, before it was the fashionable or "in" thing to do.

I invited him to dinner at my Mom's house and said that he should come early and we could go see my horses, before dinner, at the barn I boarded them at.

When he got there, I introduced him to Zach, who met him happily, licking him, wagging, etc.  I left Zach at home and we went to the boarding barn to see the three horses that I owned at that time, Bunny, Mayo, and Mayo's son, Baron.

We first went out to meet Baron, who happily met Gordon.   Then we went to the mare field and I went to try and catch Bunny or Mayo.   Mayo was one of the alpha's and she and the other alpha seemed to be having a bit of a fuss, so Mayo was not going to let me catc her, at first, so I went to try and catch Bunny, who could be hard to catch, at times.  But this time, Bunny allowed me to catch her immediately and I walked her over to Gordon.  She nuzzled him as he offered her an apple and she eagerly accepted it.   I turned Bunny loose and she stayed near Gordon and then I went to catch Mayo, who finally was willing to be caught, as her arguement with the other alpha mare was settled.   Mayo also eagerly met Gordon and accepted the apple he had brought for her.

Two weeks later, Gordon came to visit me again, and we again went out to the barn.   This time I put Bunny in the roundpen and Gordon was going to take some pictures of her, for me.    Gordon stood outside of the roundpen, so he wouldn't be in the way and could get ht epictures.  

I took Bunny's halter off and she was totally free, as I sent her around the roundpen.  I put her through her paces, walk, trot, and canter, and then I set up a small jump.   After she would jump, she would go over to where Gordon was standing and stop.   He kept laughing, because he said he felt like she was asking him how she did.   It was really like she was asking that, becasue it was after each and every jump, she'd come to a complete stop right infront of him.   She was letting him pet her, too, which was amazing, because through the years, I had truly seen just how much she distrusted men.   So, I also took her stopping to see him and le thim pet her, as she was telling me, "I like this one!"

Later that evening, we went to a movie and so we went back to my place to clean up and for me to pick up Zach.  Gordon's car was very small and there really wasn't much floor room for him, at my feet, where we usually put our guide dogs, for their safety, so I allowed Zach to sit in the backseat.   Zach jumped into the back of Gordon's car and immediately started licking him on the ear.   Again, I think Zach was saying, just like Bunny had earlier that day, "I like this one!"

So, my first horse, Bunny, and my 2nd Seeing Eye Dog, Zach, helped me pick out my husband.   They have bothed passed away, now, but I will always be grateful to both of them for helping me find such a wonderful man!   Thanks Bunny!   Thanks Zach!   You two were awesome and so trustworthy, that I knew I could trust your judgement completely in this matter. 

Bunny and Zach helped me get a good one!   Gordon is a wonderful husband, the best father to our two little girls, and most of all, he's my best friend!   Happy 9th Anniversary hubby, I love you!

Learning it's not Riding, but it's the Horse I Love

I was on a major high, Bunny was improving and we had just had one of our best rides, ever, on a Thursday afternoon, but the following Monday, my world came crashing down around me, when I got the phone call every horse owner dreads.   Bunny was hurt, kicked by another horse in her pasture.   I was told she had a cut on her hind left leg, she was acting a little lame, so the vet was on his way out.   I was told they'd call me back after the vet left.

Monday was not one of my usual days to go out to the barn, so I didn't have a ride, so I frantically started calling everyone that I knew, that might be willing to give me a ride out to the barn, but everyone was either not home or too busy.

I had a meeting to go to that afternoon, where voting would be held for the officers for the group of disabled students.  I had been acting President, because the previous year, I was elected Vice President and the President quit college.  I had asked for help from the Secretary and Treasurer, who had different disabilities from my own, meaning they were not visually impaired.   They did not help me at all.   I had worked to try and get a therapuetic riding program started at the college, as we had the horses, the students on the Equestrian Team were willing to volunteer their time, and a fraternity had offered to build a ramp, but the faculty just didn't seem to want to do it or even try it, but I kept fighting for it.   Well, at that meeting, I was not voted to any position at all, in the organization and I could hear whispers amongst the people of that other type of disability, as they all were of one type, about not voting for me for anything.   They voted themselves in, so that all the officers of the group, now had the same type of disability, so there was no longer any diversity in the officers to make it seem like they really stood for all disabled students.

After the meeting, I pulled aside a friend of mine, who drove,, and told her what was going on with Bunny, and she said she'd come get me in about a half hour.

I rushed back to my room, unharnessed Zach, my Seeing Eye Dog, and got him taken care of, so I culd get out to the barn and not worry about him.

My friend arrived and we rushed out to the barn.  I had not heard a word, from the farm all day, not since the call that morning, about the injury.

When I got there, I was told that the vet had to x-ray Bunny's hind left leg.  I was told he was worried it was a significant leg injury, possibly a fracture of some kind.   I rushed to the stall where they had put Bunny and she was still heavily sedated, her leg wrapped tightly.   Her head hung low, as I entered the stall and I just wrapped my arms around her beautiful head and cried. 

I just could not believe this was happening.  My beautiful horse, who had been through, who knows exactly what, in her earlier life, before me, but obviously some kind of abuse, obvious neglect, and now she may be fighting for her life with a leg fracture.

I was told that the vet would call me the next day with the results of the x-ray.

I stayed with Bunny for a long time, just hugging her, trying to comfort her and myself, at the same time.  Praying to God that she would be alright.   I started praying that she would just live, even if I couldn't ride her again, I just wanted her to live, because I loved her and I just didn't think it was fair that she'd finally found love and to have her life end so shortly after it.   It was September and we'd only been together since the middle of May.

My friend had to get to her evening job as a reader for a blind friend, so I had to tear myself away from Bunny and I promised that I'd get back out to see her as soon as I could, hugging her and kissing her multiple times, before I left the stall.

I got back to my dorm room and hugged Zach, who was happily waiting for my return.  I made myself dinner and as I was about to sit down to eat, there was a knock at my door.  It was one of the those other disabled students coming to talk to me.  She had been designated the one to come inform me why they had decided to get rid of me, in such a cruel manner.

I was apparently not doing enoughf or them, they thought I wanted all the glory over the therapuetic riding program, and so on.  They hated that I used the word "I" when referring to things that I, alone, had done, without their support, they wanted credit, too.   They had wanted to sit in on meetings with the faculty for the therapuetic riding program, but had not, because someone else had told them not to, not me, but I was the one they blamed.  They decided that they also thought that all the blind and visually impaired students were getting special treatment because the Director of Disabled Students was blind, himself, but this was the furthest from the truth.  Anything time they wanted a ramp put in, a curb cutout put in, anything, it was granted, we aske for the room numbers to be lowered to eye or shoulder level, with braille put on them, and no, that couldn't be done.  Nothing was done to help make things better on campus for the blind students, except for readers, given longer times on tests, and so on, but any additions to buildings, like numbers or names, being put in braille or at eye level, for us to read more easily, on our own, without always having to ask, was too much trouble.

These other diabled students blamed me for a lot more and the blind population for a lot more, and I knew, from previous experience with one  of them, that some of them were jealous that we could walk across campus on our own, with the help of a cane or guide dog, but they could get driver's licenses, so it made no sense to me, why they'd be jealous, but one of them had come straight out and said to me, "Well, you can get up and walk across campus anytime you want."   I pointed out to this individual, that she had a van parked in the parking lot, that she rarely drove.   Oh, well, I thought, if they were going to dislike or even hate a whole population of a different type of disability, it was their loss.

I called another blind friend of mine and he was so mad about my treatment that he was ready to start a revolt of some sort, but mostly I needed his comfort to talk about Bunny, since my roommate wasn't back yet, for me to talk to, and I had to talk to someone about all that was going on with Bunny and the organization, it was so much to take in, all in one day.

I do not know why different disability groups pit themselves against each other, it baffles me.  I think so much more could get done if the different disabilities would work better together, even at the college level, like I'm sharing in this story, that really happened.

That night, as I cried myself to sleep, I prayed again, just asking for Bunny to be alright and to live, even if I couldn't ride her again.

I waited all Tuesday to hear something, but I didn't.  I called the vet office, but I was told he was not available and that he was trying to consult with another vet, about Bunny's case, before he talked to me, which did worry me and frustrate me a bit.

Finally, on Weds. morning, I got a call from the vet and was told that Bunny's hind left leg was indeed fractured, the outer splint bone was broken, a clean break, and there was a hairline fracture to the cannon bone.   I was told she would probably live, but she would need to stay in the stall for 6 months.  Another option was to put a plate and screws in, but being a college student, I could not afford that, so he said we'd just do stall rest and see how she healed on her own.

I bought her a calcium supplement and I began part time work out at the barn, because I could not afford stall board on my limited income.  I worked off some of her board, by filling water buckets for over 50 horses, sweeping and raking the large barn aisle, helping clean tack, clean out the grooming and wash stall area, and any other odd jobs that I could do around the barn.

I bought her a blanket, as winter approached, because it was apparent she was not going to develop much of a winter coat, in her current situation and the area of the barn, she was put in, was more open air and if there was a cold wind, there was  not as much wall protecting her from it.

I hung a sign on her door, that the blanket was only to be put on and left on at night, if the temperature got below freezing, but I'd come out on days where it was in the 60's and find her still blanketed, sweating.   I would just cry.  I longed to be able to take care of her myself.   SHe developed thrush, while I was home on Christmas break, because no one bothered to clean out her hooves for me and her stall didn't get cleaned properly, because some of the pople who cleaned the stalls only thought of her as a "crazy Arabian".   True, it was a barn of 99% Quarter Horses, so some people showed their breed bias.  

There are some people in the horse industry that for one reason or another will decide they don't like a particular breed and there is nothing you can do or a horse of that hated breed can do, to change their minds.   I may have my favorite breeds, but I still like all horses and try hard not to trash a whole breed, just based on limited expossure to that breed, because you never know that horse's true background and if it is breed related issues or it's background due to poor handling, training, or even abuse.

Finally, I just could not afford to keep Bunny there any longer, so I started looking for another place to board her, in late January of 1997.  Happily, a friend of mine was working for a small boarding farm that wasn't too much further down the road from where Bunny was currently boarded and she promised to take excellent care of Bunny and help me in her rehab.

So, I moved her in Febuary.   At the six month mark, we started limited turn out, as the bet had said to do, but it was obvious that Bunny was still quite lame, so I had the vet come back out and x-ray her leg, again.   The news was not good, though the cannon bone had healed, the splint bone had not healed at all.

I was again, left feeling devistated, what was I going to do.   The vet said if it hadn't healed in 6 months, it was not going to heal, leaving her lame and probably in pain.   So, we discussed the options, I still could not afford the surgery to put a plate and screws in her leg, to stablize the bone, so the only other option was to remove the lower portion of the splint bone, from the break downward.   The vet could not tell me if she'd be sound or not, after this procedure, but she would at least be out of pain.   He offered to do it for less than he usually would do that kind of procedure, realizing the situation I was in and not wanting to have a horse be in pain.

So, Bunny ws taken to the vet clinic for the surgery, where the lower three quarters of the outer splint bone on her hind left leg was removed.   She stayed there a week, before my friend and I went to go pick her up and take her back to the farm.

It took us 45 minutes to get her on the trailer.   We believed that having to ride in a trailer, twice, with her leg hurting, had made her afraid to get into the trailer.   We finally got her on and I knew I'd have to work with her more, once she completely healed.

After a month rest in the stall, she started limited turn out, again, and I anxiously watched her on her first day out in the roundpen.   My friend, Mary, and I stood there waiting to see what she would do and it didn't take her long, before she started to trot around the perimeter of the circular roundpen.   We turned to each other and I don't remember who spoke first, but both of us were amazed at what we were seeing, Bunny was sound!

A few weeks alter the vet came out to check on Bunny and I had him follow us into the roundpen, Mary closing the gate as we passed through.  I turned Bunny loose and with my limited eyesight I just watched the vet's face, because I knew Bunny was sound, I wanted to see his reaction.   I sear, even with bad eyesight, I saw his jaw about hit the ground.   He turned tome and said, "Not only is she sound, but she has one of the best trots of any horse I have ever seen!"   He couldn't believe it.   He had not expected her to go 100% sound or sound that quickly.

He said I could start trying to ride her in a month or two, when she got stronger, and just make sure I paid attention to her soundness, which of course I promised I would.

But when Bunny was ready for me to start working with her again, it was like we had gone back to day one or actually even worse.   Her freezing episodes were more frequent, almost every single time I got on her back, I never got to go but about 10 to 20 feet, she just was terrified.   As I'd done before, i'd lean forward and hug her neck and just talk to her.

Through prayer and just being with Bunny, I made the decision, that I was right in my prayers, when she first got hurt, I did not care if I rode her ever again, I just wante dher to live.  Yes, it was a bit upsetting that I couldn't ride a physically sound horse, but I could not put her through the terror anymore.  Something about being ridden terrified her and I could feel and sense the pain, the emotional and mental pain, she was feeling, and I just could not do that to an animal that I loved so much.

Bunny and I had been through so much in that first year of our relationship and she taught me that it was not riding that I loved, but it was her, the horse itself, and riding was a perk, a plus, a benefit, and a privilege of horses and I learned that if you truly loved a horse, you would not put them through that kind of mental pain, just for the perk of riding it.   I didn't think it was fair to put her through that, so I decided that my beautiful Bunny would become a broodmare and most of all, Bunny would be my beloved friend, I'd never part with her, because I would not risk someone else trying to ride her.   It is what love does, it grows and learns to accept and to sacrifice.  No, I never felt that awesome canter of hers ever again, but I knew that if I was patient and found the right stallion to breed her to, she would pass it along to her babies and one day I would feel it again, just on her children, not on her.

My love for Bunny was so strong that I just knew I would not pain her any more with trying to ride her and I told her it was okay, that she did not have to worry anymore.   I knew she'd had a few foals before I got her, so I told her she would get to have more babies and I swear I sensed happiness from her, that this was what Bunny wanted and she would pay me back for my love and understanding, in time she did, when Belle was born in 2003, she gave me my dream horse.

All for Love (Bunny's Story, Part 2)

Bunny arrived at my college riding instructor's farm a few days before I made it back to college from Virginia to Tennessee, in May 1996.   This had given her a chance to settle in a bit at her new farm, going through quarentine, so when I arrived, she was ready to be moved to the mare pasture and make some new horse friends.

The first few times I went out, I just groomed her, getting her used to going into the grooming area, which she had been a little bit afraid of, the night she had arrived, and also just giving us more time to bond.  I just took lots of time with her quietly encouraging her to enter the grooming area and eventually she would just walk right onto the concrete and go with me to one of the grooming stalls.

Since I am legally blind and can not drive I had to find rides to the barn.   I was able to find rides with other students heading out to the barn or I paid someone to take me out there, but it still wasn't every day, like I wanted, but I got out to the barn as much as I could.   I usually left my Seeing Eye Dog Zach, a male black Lab, back at my dorm room with my roommate, who also was blind and had a Seeing Eye Dog, so I knew he was happy.  It was usually quite hot out there, so I did this for his own comfort.   He did come with me sometimes, and I would tie him nearby or put him in the huge crate that I had bought for him to relax in.

Bunny continued to not be too hard to catch for me, despite the previous owner's warning of her being hard to catch.   Sometimes I'd have to patiently wait for her to come to me, taking about 10 minutes, but, she would usually come quicker than that.   On the days she wanted to be hard to catch, she would run around me in circles, as I stood there waiting for her.  She'd let me know when she was ready to be caught by stopping, then turning towards me to look at me, as if to say, "OK, I'm ready to be caught."   If I chased her, it would take me a lot longer to catch her, so I learned fairly quickly not to chase her and let her just get it out of her system and she'd let me know when she was ready.

After I was sure she was getting more settled in I started taking her to the roundpen to work her and start working with her on voice commands and her steering.   The roundpen is a great place to teach all of this.   She was a fast learner, so she progressed quickly with her ground work and I was soon starting to get on her back, again.

We were making great progress, she was learning to steer, but on some days I would mount her and she would just stand there, frozen, refusing to move.   I could sense that something major was bothering her, but I couldn't figure out what it was.  I just felt sadness for her, something just wasn't right.  I would lean forward in the saddle and lay on her neck, just hugging her and talking to her, trying to get her to relax, sometimes it would work, but most times it didn't.   There were days that I got on her that we were lucky if we moved 10 feet from where we had started.   I never pushed Bunny too hard, because I just sensed that something from her past was causing this and it was not  me.

That summer, my instructor was not there very often, as she was out doing the Quarter Horse show circuit, but she knew I could handle things and when she was home she'd watch Bunny and I and see the progress we were making.

On days that Bunny was willing to work, we'd go to the riding ring and walk and trot, working on steering, stopping, and other confidence building things, but mostly I just rode her and didn't over do things, so not to stress her.

As August approached and the beginning of the fall semester was about to start my instructor and I talked about the upcoming riding class at college, which she also taught.   She would usually bring student's horses that were boarded with her, to the college campus riding arena for class, and she said she would have room for Bunny and she thought it might be good for Bunny to come along.   I was thrilled that I'd get to take actual lessons on my own horse, for the first time in my life.

Bunny was brought with 5 other horses and at first I would take her to an empty stall at the livestock center and get her ready.    However, we changed this one day, when I left her stall to go get something and when I came back one of the guys had moved her, to put another horse there.  When I went to find find her, she was tied to a plank that was nailed to two posts, right next to where the cars would go by.   And, well, before I could move her, and right as my instructor was also appearing on the scene, a car went right behind Bunny, scaring her.   She reared up and the plank came right off the posts.   She began to drag it, but luckily, being a very smart horse, she quickly put her head down, stopped moving, and waited for us to get to her and out of this potentially dangerous situation, as she was headed towards the road.   After that, my instructor had Bunny brought to the main school barn, so I wouldn't have to leave her and she was put in the one cross tie area, and everyone was told that they were not to move her from that spot.

For the actual riding class, my instructor and I talked that Bunny should be lunged first, having her walk and trot around me in the center of the big riding arena, so she could see all the action without me on her back, and we'd wait for her to show that she was relaxing before I'd get on her.

We also agreed that I would not canter her, just yet, as we were not sure she was ready for it, in such a big arena with so many other horses being ridden around her.   And most times she listened and only trotted when the others cantered, but one glorious afternoon when the instructor called for everyone to canter, Bunny decided she was ready and willing and she picked up her canter, and for the second time I got to feel the most comfortable canter I have ever felt on any horse that I have ever ridden.    We made it about halfway around the arena, before my instructor asked me to slow her back into the trot.   We were both very proud of her and were thrilled that she was making so much progress.

My next riding lesson was at my instructor's barn and she had me ride Bunny.  Bunny was having one of her more nervous days, but she was not frozen, she just wanted to follow the other horses, for their comfort and I couldn't get her to stop following the others, so my instructor had me bring her down to one end of the ring and had the others stay at the opposite end of the ring.   She then had me ride Bunny in small circles around her.   After a few minutes she had me stop and walked over to me.

My riding instructor was a very nice lady, but she rarely talked of emotions when it came to horses.   She looked up at me and very seriously said, "Lisa, I have to tell you something.  The look in Bunny's eyes is sheer terror.  I truly believe that the only reason this horse is not bucking you off right here and right now is that this horse loves you."   This was something I'd never heard this woman talk about, the love of a horse for a human, so for her to say this to me, it makes it mean that much more and so much more believable.

We talked about what was going on and she told me that Bunny's mannerisms, attitude, and other behavior led her to believe that Bunny's early training had been very bad, possibly even cruel, maybe even abusive.   Obviously, we don't know this for sure, but Bunny showed a lot of classic signs of a previously mistreated horse.

So, Bunny was cooperating with me because of love, something that I bet she had not really known before.   It is amazing what love can do.   And I definitely loved that pretty little grey Anglo-Arabian mare, that was a give away rescue, that was about to be sent off to auction.  I was so happy to have her in my life and knew we were going to do great things.

It was all for love, my love for Bunny and Bunny's love for me.

Sunday Morning Nightmare

This is not about a horse, but it is about my new Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, my 4th guide.  I wrote it and thought it was very important to share it, to help the awareness of this particular problem that a lot of guide dog users face.  This article is about to be published in Paw Tracks, as well.  

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SUNDAY MORNING NIGHTMARE
by: Lisa Calhoun

A Sunday morning walk in Morristown, NJ started out so nice, the cool spring morning energizing my new Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, and I, as we smoothly made our way through town, crossing streets, weaving around pedestrians,quickly passing by people sitting in café’s with no distractions.   My instructor following me, just behind my right shoulder, explaining the new route for me, as key landmarks approached or if I needed any further details on our new path.  We talked casually as we made our way through this new route and as we were nearing the end, suddenly things went from a peaceful morning walk to a nightmare.

We were two blocks from completing the new route when my instructor informed me that there was a dog up ahead, but that the people were backing it up into a doorway.  Dextra, a very small female yellow Labrador Retriever, walked calmly up the sidewalk as we approached the dog.   Suddenly from my far left, I heard a deep growling sound and then instantly it lunged and was on top of my poor little girl.   She quickly turned to the right, trying to avoid the attack, but the dog was unrelenting and kept on top of her.  She got me to the curb, I swear she tried to stop to tell me it was there, before she continued into the street, taking me between two parked cars.   My instructor helped me, to make sure I didn’t fall, but luckily I have very good balance and I was fine, so he then quickly turned to helping my poor defenseless dog, who was still suffering a brutal attack in silence.   He was able to get the aggresser off of her and almost got bitten himself.  He then took my arm and we quickly made our way down the sidewalk and away from the mean dog, I heeled my poor dog at my left side, as I kept calling out, “Oh, God, no!”  I just repeated it over and over again, not able to get any other words out, asI fought back tears.  I was trying to stay brave for my dog, so she wouldn’t distress any further and get more upset by the whole horrific situation.

I put Dextra at sit and my instructor quickly went over her, looking for any signs of a wound.  Her whole neck was wet, on the left side.  At first, he did not see anything, then he made sure I was okay, which I was, just shaken by the experience, as any blind person would be that found themselves in this situation.  Unfortunatley, I had been through this before, with my 2nd dog, Zach, who suffered two attacks from a Chow that my boss had at a horse farm I worked at.   I was lucky, then, as it did not affect my dog’s work, so I prayed and still am praying this experience has not affected my brand new Seeing Eye Dog, as the incidentwas less than 24 hours ago.

As my instructor examined my dog he looked back at where the people had been with the dog, but they had quickly disappeared.

As we walked sighted guide, Dextra happily heeling at my left side, he explained what he had witnessed.   There were two people holding the dog, one holding the leash and one holding the dog by the collar, so he thought they would keep control of it, but when the dog started to growl, the person holding the collar just let go of it, and it happened to be right as I was passing infront of the dog.   Luckily, there was a parking lane, so when my Seeing Eye Dog had bravely taken me into the street, to get away from her attacker, she was still thinking of her job and did not take me into traffic.

When we got about a half block from where The Seeing Eye van was parked, I went ahead and worked Dextra back to the van, to give her a bit of a boost in confidence.   She did a great job.

When we got back to The Seeing Eye, my instructor inspected my dog again and this time, he found a puncture wound on the left side of Dextra's neck.   He took me sighted guide back to my room and there,I had to part with my dog, as she needed to seek medical treatment and be checked over more thoroughly.

It was the longest two hours I have experienced in a very long time, waiting and wondering what was going on with my new partner.   I had been told at lunch that they had called the vet in from home, so that was part of why it was taking so long, but it didn’t help my nerves as I awaited the word on how she truly was doing.

I was also told a Police Report was in the process of being filed and my instructor had driven right back to town to try and track down the people with the dog.   Unfortunately, he didn’t have any luck.

I finally got my girl back and she does have a puncture wound on her neck, but should be fine.  She is getting antibiotics and the wound is being cleaned and cared for properly, alongwith her now wearing a regular nylon collar, instead of the usual training collar.  I let her sleep in her crate, last night, so I could take the collar off, to let even more air get to the wound, to help promote healing.   Tomorrow she will get a Rabies booster, just to be safe, since we have no clue as to the vaccination history of the dog that attacked her.

It is a reminder that things can happen so fast and things can change so suddenly, from that peaceful wonderful Sunday morning walk, to a nightmare in a split second.   I wish people walking their dogs would keep better control of them and if the dog is aggressive in the least, it does not belong in town around people walking, especially where Seeing Eye Dogs and guide dogs are.  Dog attacks are one of the biggest reasons dog guides are retired, as it can damage their confidence and more.   I was lucky with my male black Labrador Retriever, Zach, and I hope I will be lucky with Dextra, this gorgeous perfectlittle female yellow Labrador Retriever, she did not deserve what happened to her, no dog deserves such a thing to happen to it.   Stricter laws are in the works in some states to make it a higher crime for a guide dog to be attacked and I am now going to do what I can to help the cause of getting these laws passed.


UPDATE:   It has been three weeks since the attack and Dextra, my little yellow Lab is doing great.   She has healed physically and seems to have had no lasting mental affects from the attack.   We are now home and she is joyfully working for me, getting along with my retired Seeing Eye Dog, Nalley, and happily interacting with my husband and two young daughters.   She is a great worker and I am thrilled that she is such a mentally solid dog that she was able to overcome what happened to her, less than a week into our partnership.

My father-in-law, a former Virginia General Assembly member, is helping look into what can be done to make the laws stricter here in Virginia, as when he was in office, he was the sponsor of the Vicious Dog Act, so this is one of his causes and he will help me do what we can, here in the state of Virginia.