Author: Jacqui Lowman

The Kindness of Strangers is On Full Display

(July 9)

Dear Folks, 

Here we are at the Microtel in Elkhart, IN.  It is a modest place, but very wheelchair friendly.  

Today we were in NY, OH, and IN.  

We stopped at a Service plaza in IN for a break.  We walked around outside, then went in to use the restroom.  We heard a  woman behind us calling, “Sir. Sir!”  She came around to the front of us.  We realized that she was taking to us.  From the back, she thought I was a guy.  She saw the dogs and probably thought I was blind and had gone in the wrong spot.  We asked if they had a family restroom.  She led us to it, but it was being cleaned.  That lady left her cleaning and let us use the bathroom.  She waited and helped us out, before resuming her cleaning 

We have stopped at three service areas so far.  At every one, someone has helped us.

Hugs and wags.

The Lowman Family

A Rest Day in Worcester, Then Buffalo

(July 7) Today we had a great day visiting our good friend, Kristin Hartness, and her family. They live right outside Worcester.  

The Girls started out with some wrestling at the hotel.  Then we went to Kristin’s.  They have a fenced area and other dogs.  Everyone had a splendid time.  

Kristin’s father also wrapped some repair tape around our seatbelt anchor: the plastic coating had broken.

We plan to stop by Kristin’s again in the morning before heading to Buffalo.  It will be the last time the Girls can run off leash until we get home.

(July 8)

Dear Folks 

The good news is that we made it safely to Buffalo.  

We started the day out at Kristin’s.  The dogs played while we visited as Kristin was watering her plants.  It was such a nice visit and we left later than planned.

It is surprisingly hard to find hotels with

Wheelchair accessible rooms in the Buffalo area.  We thought that we had found one with the Candlewood Suites.  That was incorrect.  Their advertised room does not work for a wheelchair user.  You can’t get next to the toilet, use the shower, adjust the thermostat, the soap is in a dispenser that you cannot reach from a chair, etc.  

We had a bad omen when we came in to check in and the young lady desk clerk was up on a chair.  This probably sounds like a joke, but it is true.  She was up on the chair because there was a rat running around.  

We are glad that we are here for only one night 

Hugs and wags.

The Lowmans

The Lowmans officially leave Maine for seven weeks

Crousville, ME – Worcester, MA (422 Miles)

Dear Folks 

These photos don’t look very exciting, but they are to us.  They indicate that we made it to the Homewood Suites in Worcester safely.  The Girls had definitely worked up an appetite.

Leaving Maine on the last day of a holiday weekend was probably not the smartest thing we have ever done.  The traffic was heavy, so the trip took several hours more than usual.  At one point, we saw a sign that said: Massachusetts–15 miles, 58 minutes.  We were very grateful to get here safely and get into a cool place.  It is HOT here.

As we’ve discussed in the past, we think that most people don’t realize that spaces marked “Van Accessible” have wider striping to accommodate ramps.  Two non-vans were parked in those spaces.  So we backed in–not our strong suit, but we did it.  

So–already adventures and only Day 1!

Thank you for your thoughts and good Karma.

The Lowman Family

Hello, Everyone! Saint and Dusty here. Every day is a blessing for us and even though we have gone on a lot of adventures in our time, it’s the average ones that stick with us the most. Every day begins and ends in Mummy’s bed. On days we stay right at home, usually we hop on
the treadmill for a little walk (or jog) to keep our hearts healthy and our legs strong to stay in shape. Usually Mummy just works at her desk the whole time while we do this. If we have to go to campus, we then ride the lift downstairs and help Mummy get ready and then we load up in
Miracle and ride to UMPI.

Once we get to campus, most times we will stop by Mummy’s office and help her take off her coat and gloves when it’s cold. Then we make our way down the hall to the classroom and lie down on our bed at the front of the class. Sometimes we sense students looking and smiling at us, sometimes not. Sometimes we fight with each other over who gets the most space
on the bed, sometimes we don’t. A lot of classes involve a lot of Mummy speaking but also a lot of conversations between students and Mummy and students with one another. Each class seems very talkative. Although there are those few times a year when a movie is played and the room
gets very dark. Those are always the best days for sleeping.

After the classes are over for the day, we go back down the hall to Mummy’s office while she stays for a while working on her computer. Our bed in her office is right under her desk so we can be close to her. Sometimes guests will stop in and make things a little more interesting. Some nights Mummy is there very late working, reading her students’ work and giving them
feedback.

Once we get home, we do everything in reverse, going back up the lift and back into bed. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. We will finish this blog by saying something we’ve heard Mummy say in her classes before. You can have good days and bad days, but most of the time you just have days.

Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.

Today, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on something that happened this semester. While Mummy was with her students and her focus was on their work, we experienced abuse from a student we had thought was a friend. We are very good dogs and would never do anything to make a scene such as barking for Mummy’s attention while in a meeting. In fact, service dogs like us are trained not to bark and we take that training very seriously.

So, when a student came up to us and tied one of our gentle-lead-nosepieces to one of our vests, we became stuck together in an awkward position until the end of the meeting. We might have been stuck for a longer time if a couple of Mummy’s other students had not stayed behind and realized we needed help. Mummy was very upset that we had been treated that way because she knew we did not do anything to the person who tied us together.

We decided that we should share what happened to bring some awareness to the issue. As services dogs, we will not defend ourselves, so unfortunately this means people could get away with abusing us. It hurts knowing that people might abuse us because we love everyone so much. If it can happen to us, then it can happen to any service dog. Even though there is an ADA law that protects us, abuse can still happen. We feel grateful that Mummy was there and that the abuse did not escalate any further. Other service dogs may not be as lucky. So, Mummies and Daddies, please be aware of the company who is around your service dog or fur baby because we cannot tell you if they harm us.

Here is a picture of the newly broken plastic hook on our vest that the gentle lead was tied to.

Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.

Saint and Dusty