Quinn and Charley are becoming good friends.

Thank you everyone for asking how I am enjoying retirement, how Charley is doing, and how we are getting along. At the risk of sounding like Sally Field, I just have to say, “You love me! You really love me!”

At first I thought retirement was overrated. So boring. Charley would go out with Ellen, and I would sit on my bed in the kitchen and wait for them to return. But now friends come and take me for long walks in Kennedy Park near our Berkshires B&B, and I am going out with Ellen for walks, rides in the car, and visits to my friends at Glad Rags and the post office.

Charley is great and enthusiastic about hearing sounds and alerting Ellen. And Charley doesn’t need a trapeze to fly through the air! He loves to fling his toys and then run and catch them, except when he flings the toys a little over exuberantly and they land in the sink.

He loves to play ball. I go out to watch him, but when I’ve had enough, I take the ball away from Charley and hide it. How else is the little terror has to learn who is numero uno at our Berkshires bed and breakfast?

He loves people and trips with Ellen. She reports that he is really very well-behaved in public. We just have to work on extending this to the private sector.

I have discovered that not only is Charley Ellen’s hearing dog but he’s mine, too! When Charley hears the stove time, the alarm clock, etc., he flings himself at Ellen (I just used to tap her lightly on the arm), takes her to the sound and gets a treat. Now I follow him and I get treats, too! This just may work out.

PS – How do you like Charley’s “natural” new hair styling?

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here The Start of a Beautiful Friendship.

New Kid on the Block!

Quinn of our B&B in Berkshires says, “I would like to introduce my new brother C. Charley PAII. Charley, Ellen’s new hearing dog, is a Bichon mix and a bundle of energy. He makes me dizzy with his antics!”

“Charley has arrived on the heels of our sad loss of Piper, whose kidneys failed at 14 1/2, and Charley is working hard to soften the blow.”

“Charley is a shelter dog found on the street in a greatly neglected condition. But Brian, NEADS (National Association for Assistive Dog Training Services) trainer par excellence, had faith in this little ball of fluff. Soon Charley was in the MA prison program, where professional trainers like Brian work with minimum security prisoners to train service dogs. A warm and welcoming couple took Charley home on weekends to give him different experiences. Charley then went to NEADS training center to be trained for Ellen, just as I was 13 years ago.”

“Ellen and Charley have just returned to our inn in Berkshires from 7 days of intense training. Charley nails the sounds he alerts Ellen to — stove timer, alarm clock, door bell, smoke detector — perfectly and with such enthusiasm he nearly knocks Ellen over. He is not so great yet at obedience, but then he is a shelter dog and one who learned how to survive when he was on the street. They both bonded at first sight.”

“All is okay as Charley and I learn to live with each other, as long as he realizes that I am Alpha Dog and doesn’t try to play with Mrs. Hedgehog.”

Charley is settling in well at our Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast as he makes the transition from “inmate” to “innmates.”

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here New Kid on the Block at our B&B in Berkshires.

So meet Curly (we are already referring to him as Charley)! Curly/Charley, Ellen’s new hearing dog, is an 18-pound Bichon mix, and my trainer Brian reports that Curly/Charley will be an excellent hearing dog. Ellen will go to NEADS in April for a week of training with Curly/Charley, and then he will come home to our Berkshires inn.

Since Curly/Charlie is white, I’d better not teach him to roll in the dirt as I love to do when Ellen’s not looking!

Hi! I'm Curly aka Charley!

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here Meet the New Family Member at our Berkshires Inn.

Earlier this week I had a similar experience.

When I was a puppy, my brother Dakota and I went to NEADS, the National Education for Assistive Dog Service, based in West Boylston, MA. From there we went to the prison in Portland, ME, as the first puppies in Maine’s Prison Pup Program to be trained as service dogs. Once a week a trainer came to train the inmate who would then train us.

When I was nearly a year old, I went back to NEADS for further training to be Ellen’s Hearing Ear Dog. My trainer was Brian, and I love him but he worked me hard!

My trainer Brian and me

After several weeks of learning to respond to the alarm clock, stove timer, smoke and fire alarms, doorbells, and the name “Ellen” so I could alert Ellen. Then Ellen came to NEADS to train and bond with me.

That was 11 years ago. Ellen and I have been the best team.

Over the past 11 years, I’ve done a lot of traveling all over the US and Canada, made hundreds of friends, enjoyed concerts, festivals, theater, movies, and baseball games, and scomped up some gourmet food people happened to drop on the floor. (Sitting under the cheese table at cocktail parties is the best spot for this!)

I’m in really great shape, if I do say so myself. My hearing, however, isn’t what it used to be. So soon, Ellen is going to need a new Hearing Ear Dog and I get to stay with Ellen at Birchwood Inn and become her pet.

This week we drove to NEADS to talk about the new dog. I recognized NEADS right away and jumped up and ran to the door when I heard Brian’s voice for the first time in 11 years.

So I am going to retire. Oh, not yet! It will most likely take 9 to 12 months to find the perfect dog for Ellen. And when the new dog arrives at our Lenox Bed and Breakfast, I’ll get to sleep in, roll in the snow and lie in the sun. I’ve had a good run.

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here Daisy Hill Puppy Farm.