I ain't no Indiana Jones...by Meagan

Talk about a weekend overload of exposures!

Thursday, my dad (Todd) had the day off work. So he, Ellie and I went to get the oil changed in the car and also to get the car washed. Unfortunately, we couldn't be in the car while it was getting washed (yes, being in a car during a car wash, is on Ellie's exposure checklist) but Ellie got a front row view of the brushes, water, and blow dryers. Close enough for a first time exposure.

Ellie wasn't a fan of the blow dryers, but by the time our car came out, she was fine!

Saturday was soccer, then Ellie's first parade. The VFW in our area hosts a Veterans Day parade every year. It's not very big, but perfect size for our community. Ellie did beautifully, even with all the motorcycles coming by... until an army type truck rolled in front of us. Ellie then decided it was time to "scamper" (and by that I mean BOLT) back to the sidewalk where the parents were. It was quite funny actually.

Waiting for the parade to start

Police cars were in the very front of the floats, so we ran to see them up close... yes, they had their lights and sirens on!

The police liked Ell... some shouted "beautiful dog"... why yes, yes she is :)

Ellie did wonderfully with the noisy motorcycles!

Just like any good old parade, the "floats" throw candy and beads.

Sunday was a H-U-G-E day for Ellie and my family. We went to Downtown Disney to see the Lego set ups that the Adult Lego club in Tampa had created. (My brother, Collin, is a Lego fanatic. Fanatic being a MAJOR understatement) 

You know, DTD doesn't look that big on the outside... people, the place is huge. Thankfully we planned on an entire day outing.

Ellie wasn't too thrilled about the water fall. Since the water wasn't spewing a consistent distance all the time, Ellie must have thought it was a water monster or something.

We managed to get turned around and snap a quick picture.

See the footing? Ellie didn't care! Woohoo!

 

You've GOT to admit... this is cool. Yes, it's made entirely out of Legos.

We spotted these totally cool Lego dogs outside of the Lego store. Ellie's reaction was SO funny!

Ellie wasn't quite sure what to think about those dogs that didn't move and smelled a lot like plastic!

While we were walking around, Ellie spotted another working dog. Each of these dogs are service dogs. They were all SO well behaved. Ellie behaved as well! Maybe because she knew these were "official dogs" None of them pulled or tried to get a sniff of the "golden girl". I was extremely impressed. What a great looking group of dogs!

Photo op!

Ellie was needing to busy so Dad, Collin and I went to find some sort of busy patch away from people (which can be harder then you think!). After successfully finding a nice patch of St. Augustine, we headed back to the Christmas store where Diona and Kaitlyn were waiting. But of course, you can NEVER pass up the chance to do the Cupid Shuffle!!


Ellie as you can see, was not as excited as the dance, but she did get pretty happy with the napkin she grabbed! Dad was impressed I didn't break much stride! :)

Note: We do not let Ellie jump up on things, but considering she was scared out of her skin at the first fountain, and she was actually "wanting" to see what all the splashing and commotion was inside of those rocks, I let it go.

The fact that Ellie is a just a head short of me, is a little scary.

We totally forgot that Ellie has never seen fish! Sure we've been to Walmart and let her see their puny little tanks overflowing with Goldfish. But nothing like this! Next stop, the Florida Aquarium!

The Rainforest Cafe has an awesome "Jungle in the Amazon" type feel. The lights even grow dim and thunder sounds... here is Ellie's reaction...

The restaurant also has replicas of animals everywhere... and they move! Ellie noticed the butterflies, the snake and last but certainly not least, the elephant...

As you can see, it was extremely busy. So I'm sure that added to Ellie's anxiety.

Sportin' some shades.

Ellie was very done with all her excitement! Once we got to our car, she had the look of "I can't possibly take one. more. step."

And the reason "I ain't like Indiana Jones"...
After coming home from DTD, my facebook status read "I ain't no Indiana Jones, but seriously, people-over-20-years-old, if I have ANOTHER one of you touch my dog *after* I said "NO petting" I will use the end of Ellie's leather leash as a whip, to pop the back of your hand. Got it? Good." 

Now, I know that's not very nice, but after a *family* has walked up to you and the 4 year old boy asks "May I pet your dog", and I politely say "When you see a dog with a coat on, your not allowed to pet because they are working, thank you very much for asking though" (yes I do add that last part!), DO NOT expect me to be as kind to the MOM of the child who then proceeds to reach out and you guessed it, PETS ELLIE! Seriously? Yes. Seriously.

Yes. I was a little steamy by the end of the day (mainly because several people pulled that stunt). But that's what I'm here for...  making the public aware of service dogs. 

Really, explaining to people what Ellie is for, and my experiences during my puppy raising years, is pretty fun. But in a place like DTD, every ten people want to stop and tell you their life story. That's pretty much why I carry a cell phone... my family and I tend to get separated  ;-)

Well, I hope you have a good weekend... Ellie and I are off for a nap!

    Meagan and Ellie May