Zip’s Dog Blog (2.0)

I had the ultimately good fortune to spend four hours up in Concord with both Dad and Tracy this week. We were there
being represented by James Fox of the Disability Rights Center. As some of you may know the NH Department of Human
Services had given probably cause and was hosting a concillatory pre-hearing for the issue of the Grand Buffett denying
me access to their restaurant on July 5, 2007. They had suggested on that swelterring hot day that Dad simply put me
in the car – fortunately Dad knows better though sadly dogs are left in cars in hot weather way too often still

Anyhow Dad had requested that the Grand Buffett should pay for training to ensure their employees and establishment
fully understood the laws involved and could hopefully thereby prevent such discrimination ever again. This is done
typically by Kathy Gips:

http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org/neada/site/staff_kathy

The host had claimed he had health services approval to not allow Service Animals and would not acknowledge the A.D.A.
which federally mandates my access. He would not take any actin to acknowledge the laws on the card Dad carries nor to
call any of the agencies involved. Instead after much pressure and acknowledging Dad would still file a report, the
Grand Buffett ‘allowed’ us to sit n the bar and have others get food from the other room. This was at the time a
smoking bar which didn’t please Grammy but we wanted proof of our presence and so ate there despite the entire
unpleasant aspect of the experience.

Having declined Dad’s request in advance all of us sat in a conference room in Concord to prepare for the reality of a
hearing. Given their stance Dad increased his request at the hearing to include a $1000.00 donation to NHAB as a Good
Faith demonstration they understand the challenge faced by the blind community with such access violations. Had it
gone to a hearing there would have been the option for up to $10,000.00 in a fine, $10,000 in award to Dad for “Pain
and SUfferring” from the experience and of course the standard “Cease and Desist” for the discrimination as well as
Educational training. The great news is that the owner acknowledged the impropriety of the employee who no longer
works there, agreed to all the concillatory terms and will have a plan for follow up with the state to ensure all the
things happen within a timeline set on that date. It was a great victory!

Clouding that victory is the recollection that in our Avenue Q trip we did get denied service by a taxi until Dad
determinedly explained the law and the risk to the driver’s license should he fail to accept us. Similarly in our
weekend trip to Colebrook, Tracy and Dad were turned down from the Mohawk Cottages because the woman managing claimed
to not know the law and not want us there either way. When pressed she cited allergy concerns while holding her long
haired cat who I was appropriately ignoring. We will follow up there later but didn’t push that evening as we had a
priority schedule that didn’t need the challenge that night.

Last Friday, May 7, Dad and I took his Second Degree Black Belt test together. My part was to lay on his sparring gear
and food/water supplies while he worked hard on the floor with the other folks testing for various Black Belts, mostly
first degree. When it came time for the run it was my time to shine as Dad put me in harness and let me lead him on
the run. When he took his first degree he used a person to guide him as Ostend and he hadn’t developed the running
option which I can do with Dad. We were awesome and flawless along the route and gave support as well as received
support from our community of Belt Candidates. I admit that sitting in the field in the shade while Dad worked was the
easier part but folks were absolutely amazed at my Discipline. If only Dad would have let me run water out to him. He
did at least make sure I got mine and my relieve! Do check out our various pages and if you get to youtube you can
even see Dad’s Board Break which wasn’t so bad!

I did get my first trip to Dad’s second hometown of Colebrook, NH. We went up to celebrate the Birthday of one Tracy
“Mom” GOyette as adverised on my Twitter account. Beaver Brook Falls was still beautiful, the Balsams, Table Rock and
all of Dixville notch were nice but it was snowing our entire trip and on May 9 that’s just strange. We did get to
meet Gail Nugent, Scott her son and many other folk on our journey north. I even got to see the farm where Dad spent
some key growing up years. It was a relaxing trip if a bit boring since the high winds and snow kept us from making
the hike up there. A return trip will be required.
Speaking of hikes, while I don’t usually like boots, there are some mountains which require it and here’s some quality
boots (Thanks Sabrina!) and other fun dog hiking
options:

http://www.ruffwear.com/

They have a lot of cool things on their site including this pup friendly hiking map for the Northeast:

http://dogblog.ruffwear.net/2010/05/04/dog-friendly-trails-interactive-map/

Last quick note is that we did an interview with Tracy Caruso of WZID (Manchester) and it will air tomorrow (Sunday)
Morning. Check us out as we announce Beatle-Juice for next Friday. In fact, why not call NHAB or the Palace theater
and come out and join us for this great Beatles band which also is raising money for NHAB.

Oh…really the last thing, if you are thinking about that last notion of raising money for NHAB, the June 5 Blind
Awareness Walk is rapidly approaching and I definitely need more people on my team and sponsorring us. Please check
out our link if you can/want to help!

http://nhab10walk.kintera.org/quinn

Wuff!
Mighty Quinn

Things are pretty active around the homestead here and I’m going to catch you up on a multi-day tour that was pretty
impressive. So Saturday before last we loaded into the car and headed otu to Pack Monadnock to shoot some pictures and
video. Unfortunately there was an accident on route 101 and we high-tailed it back to Mine’s Falls park to do the
work. Dad’s GPS system for the blind was a bit spotty because sadly the company has announced their intent to
terminate the product which will eventually impact service fully as Wayfinder Access fails him. I guess we better
start looking seriously for a workable blind accessible GPS solution soon.

Sunday we hosted a BBQ at the house and invited the folks working the 2020 Vision Quest project to just enjoy some
social time. I got to play considerable with Zach and Bella in the tennis ball arena while mostly just enjoying the
folks sitting out and soaking up the spring. It was a good segue for our being announced on Monday as the newest Teva
Life agent and they certainly did some homework in their press release which has a lot of interesting links and details
about both Dad, *ME* and the 2020 Vision Quest:

http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=60140

Ultimately though I hope you all get to the Teva page to see our acceptance video and many other details as we get
ready to start sharing our blogs, podcasts, video and more with them out there!

So Tuesday we launched our new web page thanks to some great work by some good friends and we really would love to have
some feedback so how about taking a peek at Phase 1 now released:
www.2020visionquest.org
We are still awaiting some contractual work with NHAB to hopefully finalize the 501-C-3 status which will really
make us fully launch though in the meanwhile there’s some good things going on up there and we could use feedback to
help us shape our plans for the future even further.

Wednesday Dad had his second degree Black Belt pretest. He worked hard and was pretty satisfied. It’s now completely
official that this Friday he’ll be heading into his all day test with me. He already told me I get to lead him on the
run durin gthe test and I’m ready for that for sure.

Thursday morning we did our usual trek into downtown for Karate and Dad stayed for some MMA wrestling work in which he
didn’t fare as well as he’d prefer. Iw atch with concern but keep to my stay in the sunny corner of the Dojo which is
my home.

Friday was a visit from the ladies as John brought up the rarely seen Kira and Lady for some quality play time. We
made a couple of walk routes but nothing extreme. I will say it’s very tempting to relieve when other dogs are doing
this on the walk. Sure Dad and John are bag carrying members of the good citizenship dog walkers but I still know it’
snot the right thing in harness – sigh.

Saturday we were up and out early with me loaded into the back of Tracy’s Orange View and Jenifer riding with us. We
were off to the Welch Dickie Mountains up in Thornton, NH. Packs were loaded with water, food and gear for our journey
and I was pretty excited. We did test out our spot adventures and if you wish to see the Google topo-map journey drop
me a comment or an email and I’ll send you the lik as I’ve loaded up this post with links already. This is a great
loop and it has all sorts of terrain from stream crossings, steep slab scrambles, canyon crawls, steps and oh those
beautiful ledges. We took plenty of pictures and you can probably check them out on our various pages. We even shot a
little video but the highlight of the day if not my super leap over a canyon and onto a slab had to be Dad’s podcast
atop Mt. Welch. The sun parted as he began and while perched precariously for some atop an edge, Dad asked Tracy to
marry him. She said yes emphatically and did not push him off the ledge! It was exciting enough I let slide the lack
of tug-o-war for the summit and made up for it when we crested Dickie’s summit later. Down is always the hardest for
Dad and I generally will show him when it is a step he can manage normally. I stop at the edge and wait for his hiking
pole to tap it then I jump down on the hup-up if it’s easy. If I hestitate or whine he has to sit and step slowly for
the proper management of the next steps. What’s next is always a factor for him since while his pole or hands can
tell him much about the next step, he always has to plan that a step keeps him balanced over tht next step only because
what comes after could be many things for him and there’s no margin for error stepping forward – only back. Now I had
to keep him extra safe for Tracy as well since I absolutely want to be the ring bearer again as I was for Chris and
Kat.

It was an amazing hike and I wagged my tail so hard the entire time that the winds on Mt. Washington elevated to 95
this week. I was amazingly attentive to Dad and most on the hike will never look at my work quite the same – much as
predicted previously. Does this earn me my way into the Pemi trip? No way – that is decided on the merits of the Pemi
trip on their own with Dad’s safety, my safety and the trip success with minimal variables as essential parts of the
equation. I’m thinking it likely I’m out for that trip which means Dad will certainly have a much harder time being
led even though the humans may not think so. It means Dad will have a bit less feeling of independence and it
absolutely means his pace is slower for much of it. I think he’ll take a few more knocks overall but I’m willing to
accept it might be the right decision for overall reasons. I don’t like it and I want to always be tending his care as
was also evident on this last hike but I’ll accept Dad’s decisions. At least if I stay at home there is a guarantee of
being warm and dry most of the time.

Exciting times with much more still ahead as the tale and tail wags on!

Mighty Quinn

http://tevalifeagents.com/2010/04/26/944/

Hey all,

I will certainly write more extensively tomorrow but for now here’s some pretty fine news!

http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=60140

or check them out on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/Teva

Or check out our page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randy-Pierce-for-Teva-Life-Agent/325191306160?ref=ts#

Teva Life Agent good fortune all around!

Quinn
and the Fortunate Blind Guy

I’m a dry and well rested Quinn eager for a little activity as today looks to be better weather finally. It’s Patriot
Day which always lifts Dad’s spirits a bit but it’s also the 10 year anniversary of his saying Farewell to Modi. On
April 19 in 2000, Dad said goodbye to his then primary pal and he’s got a web page with some details here:

http://www.patriotzip.com/Zipshome/Modi/modi.htm

and also a bit on the Ostend page at:

http://www….patriotzip.com/ostend.htm

Dad returned last night a little weary and one of the uplifting details we got to share with him was that the Modi
Lilac bush was in full greenery after the weekend of rain.

So let’s talk about this weekend of rain thing. Firstly it was the UNH shakedown weekend which meant we were going to
test our Wilderness preparedness for the Pemi traverse. All gear loaded and packed Dad and I headed out at 10:00 a.m.
with the infamous Sherpa John:

http://www.sherpajohn.blogspot.com/

He is likely to have photographs and possibly a story at some point but in the meanwhile, he’s got an interesting read
and his kindness in picking us up was only a small sign of his quality. He was pretty marvelous during the coursework
and this weekend…the part of it to which I can attest.

At noon, we had a gathering point at NH Hall in Durham where the class picked up final supplies and made the car pool
expedition out to Mendum’s Pond:

http://campusrec.unh.edu/index.cfm?id=85080655-ABC8-6866-55F698305C9557DE

I was pretty eager for adventure but rain falling on us steadily wasn’t my ideal. At Jen’s behest Dad had opted to
bring my “Dover Coat” which has water resistant nylon outer shell and a quick drying synthetic inner fleece. She was
awesome for the suggestion but as we’ll learn this would not be enough. I was glad to see all the folks from the class
and I have some favorites who seem particularly dog oriented to me like Kyle and Amy. Dad’s explained to me this is
part of the UNH KIN 551 coursework of which we are now an integral part. So we stood in the rain for roughly an hour
as we all got our things together and they did some briefing and teamwork things like the Sherpa pipe-cleaner beads. I
like this notion though I’m sad I didn’t get one, Dad told me I deserved all his beads several times over though so
that’s a little bit of a bonus. Basically everyone had ten beads and every time someone else did something
particularly noteworthy a bead was given to show appreciation. It was an interesting interactive dynamic but the
weather definitely got the better of it to some extent. It was raining but not too cold and before long we took a hike
with part of it on the trail and then an off trail hike to a ridge line where more standing around and conversing took
place. There’s no doubt I liked the walking and was proud of handling Dad through those woods. There’s similarly no
doubt I don’t like standing around in the rain and soon I was pretty well soaked despite the coat. We had a
presentation on LNT which is an essential first step in the process. Every student had worked on an educational
portion of our learning and Leave no Trace is an important part. The presentation was fine enough but still…sitting
or lying in the rain getting more and more wet is not a Quinn ideal. Learning Dad would have to dig a ‘cat hole’ for
me to relieve wasn’t thrilling either but that’s the reality in the camping world. Armed with this information the
group picked locations for camping, cooking and bear hangs. Normally a quick enough process the novice approach meant
a little time wanderring with less than ideal results. They got better but not this night.

I then stayed to the side while the group erected a pair of tarp ‘tents which would be our sleeping quarters for the
night. There was a lot of uncertainty and knot practice through this process and even the untrained camping eye of the
Mighty Quinn knew we were in a little bit of trouble. Guide Lines couldn’t readily reach the best support and the
ridge line was level and not tight enough. This would be a problem later. Some attempts to fix and then an acceptance
of the work took place but it was a longer than needed process…all with us steadily in the rain. The good news is my
dinner did get worked into this during the Bear Hang presentation. We had to wander a good distance away for me to eat
and relieve but I was happy enough and the mission was accomplished with some help for Dad as usual. Content with
Dinner I was a little rejuvinated before we sat around for the cooking and eating of everyone else, some slight tent
adjustment and then more courses and team building. The temperature also began to drop and while it didn’t snow on us
there was snow mixed into it outside of the trees. Brrrrr. When Quinn’s dry themselves they like to curl up, turn on
the heat engine and fluff the fur. This leads to warming and drying…unless we are still in the rain. So my coat
helped a little on core dryness but it also inhibits bur fluffing and drying. I was not at my best though I did curl
up with Courtney and that helped. We were all sitting under the cook tarp for this and that helped a little but the
ground was still wet and I was still unhappy. By 10 p.m. when we headed to bed and I found the true state of our tent
I was concerned. Dad had a sleeping pad which he mostly shared with me but the ridge line dripped water steadily on
all of us but in the middle particularly. One end higher helps alleviate this to drip outside the tent and more
tautness helps all of it. The fact it was so low it hit me at a stand also meant ever stand let contact water seep
onto me and everything near me…yuk!

Dad tried fleece pants for a base for me and his super water’proof’ coat over me. Wet from below and above was too
much and I even tried to share the mummy bag with some success at making myself a bit better but still mostly
miserable. It was a long night and neither Dad nor I slept as we tried to fight off the cold for me. He promised me
that by morning he’d have a solution but it was an unpleasant night which was true pretty much for everyone in both
tarp tents.

Early the next morning, Dad solo handled my trip for my relieve and then shortly afterwards we met Courtney out and
about. She helped us find a spot for Dad to tend his business and then very late we got to my breakfast because all my
food was subject to the bear hang principles as well. Sure I don’t want bears in our tents but I don’t like breakfast
so late either and I didn’t want to drink much water when already cold and wet but Dad says that was part of my problem
since I was burning water in trying to warm up. Still raining we packed up minimally and made a trek to a Pavillion
where dryness was found for the first time. It wasn’t warm but it was better and my shaking subsided as the group
talked about how to handle me. Everything from suggestions like warm water for me, better tent fixings and of course my
going home. Dad had undertaken side discussions with Tracy by text and Sherpa and Becky as the TA leaders.
Ultimately it was clear that to ensure my best safety and comfort Dad needed to get me home. The new question though
was would Dad stay behind. There was a lot more involved in that than may seem obvious and it would have a significant
impact on all aspects of the class as a result of whatever decision was made. To some extent this is all beyond my dog
responsibilities but I did understand when Dad decided he would stay. Everyone was pretty cold, wet, tired and
miserable that morning and probably many folks might have liked the easy out to return to comfort. Dad stayed and he
says it made a tremendous difference in his own experiences as well as those of the group. I missed him but I really
needed warmth and dryness. Tracy took good care of me and I only moped at the door a little…after warming up fully
in my own doggy beds. I got some good play which I needed and ultimately had some time to reflect. When Dad came home
on Sunday I was elated to see him even in his wet and dirty state. He said the group had really grown from the first
experience and applied a lot more skills and focus on making all arrangements better for the next night. He slept
mostly dry(er?) and well plus had great support from the entire class on all things. From the Hungarian Dance, to
trust falls; water purification to stream crossings, Lightning, self-care, Orienteering, Creepy Crawlies, history and
more team sharing and building events were all part of the experience. Leadership development inside the group and
bonds of friendship and trust for the bigger experience ahead at the end of May. He should probably blog but we have a
busy day off to NHAB for an Advocacy Meeting at noon before really addressing the 2020 Vision Quest work ahead for him.
We have already begun considerations for whether the Pemi is right for me. Could Dad do it without me? At what cost?
Could we prepare better to ensure my full comfort? We have thoughts on each and a lot of decisions to be made by the
end of this month and early next month.

For now though, the Boston Marathon is being run on Patriot Day and I’m back with my Dad. The weather looks to be
beautiful and there’s some time for emotional reflection on one of my predecessor’s passing. Dad often says Modi
taught him a lot on how to be a better Dad for me and overall I’d say Modi did a great job because I am well tended and
loved.

Be Well!
Mighty Quinn
Shook Out at the Shake down

Dad’s been packing and repacking his pack multiple times over the last few days. We are doing a UNH shakedown this
weekend which means the Hiking/Back-packing course is taking us for a weekend away from civilization to practice the
skills we are going to use doing the Pemigewasset Wilderness Traverse. I’ve counted and recounted my bags of food and
Dad seems to have me set. He pulled out two toys this morning which are making the trip so I’m pleased to know I’ll
have some activity to keep warm. Keep Warm you ask? (paw-ses)… It was snowing on me when Dad took me out for the
morning relieve. I suppose it was snowing on him as well but then I’m not the one choosing *THIS* weekend to go
practice living under a tarp! Technichally I guess it’s a Bivvy but rain, sleet and snow pretty much the entire trip
will make for an interesting time. I’ll send a Twitter message or two if and when appropriate but ultimately I’m
incommunicado for the next three days.

I do have a lot of things I wanted to share about my New York Trip and door dodging skills as well as the traverse
Nashua events of yesterday. Sadly Dad needs the computer for some final things and so I’m escaping only with this
quick update. One last shout out to thank Sharon for her work/explorations into the possibility of a Quinn cam which
might broadcast live from future hikes! See the world through my eyes as I lead the big lug around.

Monday we have a morning Advocacy meeting in Concord so hopefully I’ll have an afternoon update with all the details
missed this time and over the weekend.

Be Well!
Mighty Quinn

Let’s get right to the first significant update which is that I can tell you the Mighty Quinn paw healed nicely and he
is sleeping in his Whicker bed all curled up and cozy with a reasonably healthy pad. So from Wednesday to Saturday
morning he healed sufficiently there was no sign of limp or discomfort and we continued with our rather full weekend
plans.

Instead of travelling to CT on Friday night, we instead opted to wake exceedingly early on Saturday. Quinn had
breakfast at 5:00 a.m. and didn’t seem to mind much. This may seem like no big deal but there is a slightly more
significant impact in planning schedules around a pup’s known schedule. We know when food and water goes into Quinn
and thus have a fairly consistent schedule/understanding for when it comes out of Quinn. This gets skewed when you
feed early and then are going to add multiple car rides, a commuter train, an (now off) Broadway show and a reverse to
some of the above. So we hit CT and the home of my Brother Rick by 9:30 and shared a cup of coffee. In this instance
shared was way too literal as I shared the full and piping hot cup with not only my taste-buds but also far too soon my
lap and the couch beneath me. Yes I poured piping hot coffee on my lap and I did verify there was no braille warning
label on the Patriot Mug of java graciously handed me by Tracy. I’m sure there’s a lawsuit thre somewhere but it
really was simply my own error and a badly timed slip of the hand. The ever agile Quinn leaped safely out of the way
and watched from a distance as I practiced various sound effects intended to alleviate the rather unpleasant
neurological stimulus from said lap to my brain. The setback was ultimately minor and apparently even under such
duress I have the appropriate respect for coffee to save half the cup which I later drank in retribution.

We made a slightly delayed departure to Bridgeport CT and our Commuter Train into New York City. Commuter trains are
not precisely wide enough for a Quinn and Randy which meant he had to work a little extra hard to ensure I could walk
down to our seat without difficulty. One of the amazing aspects of Quinn is how well he adjusts to the new rules
imposed by an environment. He not only warns me appropriately with his stop or pause but then allows me to take the
lead in establishing my comfort and choice of how to handle it after he’s made the alert. Walking down a small aisle
could be a stop at ever seat if he didn’t evaluate my adjustments and let me work within my comfort or skill at the
highest efficiency. He’s remarkable and quickly crawled under the seat for the first of many snooze opportunities.

Grand Central Station! As Quinn might have mentioned in a prior post, the last time we were there it was part of our
work at Guiding Eyes to earn the right to graduate together. People jokingly refer to any excessively busy locale as
“Grand Central Station” and there’s a good reason. it does tend to be an excessively busy locale and 1:00 on a
Saturday afternoon was no exception. Quinn was excellent in his work really marking each staircase for me to ensure I
was safe. He wouldn’t buy the urging to proceed until I’d clearly tapped the step to show I was on my game. Managing
to swerve, stop, sidestep and otherwise adjust to the varying levels of mostly inattentive and rushing travellers
around us was just another skill he managed as if it was a bit of play together. His tail was high and the lad was
eager for the adventure. I probably apologized to five or six folks but all of whom I was assured had been the
offender according to folks with me who observed the process. I never mind offering the apology since I don’t know the
actual fault of it but it does amuse me that in all of that I never had any of the actual offenders offer me an
apology. I wonder if Quinn thinks my saying “I’m Sorry” is a subtle code for “Excuse me but given that I’m the blind
one and this magnificent dog is flawless, do you think you might perhaps consider being a bit more attentive to your
own walking?” Actually I suspect he’s already onto dodging the next flurry of chaotic patterns of people while
tracking the human I’ve asked him to follow.

We had a good cab ride with Quinn and myself in front thus getting him the slightly more spacious leg room of the
shotgun seat. This is interesting since our reverse cab ride involved a driver determined he would not allow Quinn to
ride with him. Having learned the lesson well I ignored him fully and got into the cab to begin discussions fully.
Monique was already up front and had explained the Guide Dog factor but he wasn’t listening. A brief cacophany of
Rick, Tracy, Monique and Randy all gave him the answers while he protested but then with a request for the chance to
explain it to him, I made it clear that he was absolutely welcome to call the police and that if he chose to disallow a
service animal from his cab he could lose his license as a cab driver. I asked how he wanted to proceed and suddenly
(imagine that!) he understood and was apologetic. It’s really sad how well we all need to understand how to advocate
for ourselves and that’s true of all people. I’m particularly of that belief in the medical world actually but in the
Guide Dog world it occasionally has it’s significance as well.

The Show itself was marvelous even now off Broadway. Seating was comfortable and sufficiently spacious though Quinn
prefers not to hve to lay on a slope which is what you get in most theater environments. Still it worked well and soon
we were back into the bustle of the city and retracing our route almost all the way back to our starting point.

We had a mission of misdirection and surprise. My brother Rick has long been one of my inspirations. He was the
seemingly perfect child and that makes since because I really believe he’s only improved upon that theme in becoming a
fantastic adult. Rick is turning 50 this May and the fifty decades are all loaded with poignant accomplishments though
none any better than the ones I still expect ahead for him. Monique had planned a fantastic surprise party for him and
in thematic fashion we would be at a faux castle with “King Richard” having a court of friends who all arrived in very
short notice (roughly two weeks) to celebrate his Life and 50th Birthday. The garb was splendid and the surprise for
Rick was tremendous which is not only difficult to manage but well worth it. It was a Marvelous evening and I’d like
to take a few liberties with Quinn’s blog to share a bit about someone so remarkable. I’m going to start with the same
note I did that evening as I introduced him. In 1989 when in two weeks I had gone from fully sighted to legally blind
with one entirely blind eye and the other roughly 50 percent reduced into tunnel vision. I was 22 years old and rather
unsettled with everything. My brother at 28 was certainly rather busy in establishing his own life which included his
wife and two young children. When he spoke to me on the phone and asked if there was anything which could be done, he
was leading up to his offer of one of his eyes as potentially a donor for me. Now being someone who had just lost an
eye, I had an appreciation for the impact at that point and the significance of the offer. That’s Rick though, he is
fiercely loyal and the expression of giving your right arm isn’t nearly enough to describe his generosity. He would
have given me his eye if it was possible and that’s an offer I’ll never forget even now some 21 years later. It’s
that same devotion and generosity of time, labor and love which ensured the Hall was full in short notice to help us
surprise and celebrate with Rick.

I grew up with Rick and I watched as his hard working style meant passionate pursuit of practice for his flute and
music as well as schoolwork. The only wonder at him being High School Salutorian is that someone actually had a
slightly higher GPA. He did all this while often desiging Board Games we played together or helping me find some
adventure. When we moved up to Colebrook NH he realized that his twelve year old Brother needed a little more of his
time and despite being six years older, he made sure to give me that time. It was then he became a close friend of
mine which is something which has never changed since. So whether singing and playing music, searching through the
woods, sharing books or just talking, I’d found an ideal role model who was also my best friend and Brother.

It wasn’t easy having a Brother who made every adult marvel at his intelligence, work ethic, artistry, manners and
more. Folks loved Rick and deservedly so but it sure was a tough act to follow. That’s why I didn’t really follow him
too well. I absolutely had him as an inspiration and mentally we grew so alike it still stuns people today. I took as
many different pursuits as possible because I knew I couldn’t achieve his pace and approach while being happy as my own
person. The influence he provided was tremendous and the more I learned to expand my reason the more value I continued
to take from our growing closer and closer. It’s something he simply manages to do with people and that is evident by
the six thousand contacts in his email or the hundreds of friends he keeps in the social media world of today. Some
people can manage a family, job and a hobby or two. Rick manages all that with a hobby or seven and he doesn’t half
heartedly approach any of those. He’s founded Flute Choirs (yes, plural!), Founded Larps, sustained ailing Larps and
been the marvel of things theatrical, ingenious or technilogical many many times. His emplyees are so moved they
attend his 50th in force and struggle to contain emotion as they talk baout unheralded devotion and loyalty which he
inspires in those who work with him. No big deal to me as this isn’t the first company in which he’s done just such a
thing. How bout Family? His Son Chris sang Leader of the Band and well out of his comfort range, he challenged
himself to show his Father a depth of love and appreciation that moved all who heard him. Chris says he could not
imagine a better Father and he’s probably right. People say these fantastic things half heartedly and often after
someone’s passing when respect suggests it is a necessity. Person after person got up to speak about Rick as an
inspiration because in doing what he does he empowers them to do what they wish as well. It’s a real and palpable
appreciatoin of a remarkable man…and he’s my Brother. So I’ll step off the soap box barely telling you why he’s so
amazing but if you must know, do yourself a favor and spend some time with him – you’ll be better for it.

So that was the real reason I stole Quinn’s thunder on this week’s blog post. He’ll be back for the next one I’m sure
and in the meanwhile:

Before I depart, Quinn asked me to share this little gem from his Twitter account. PBS has an interesting documentary
ahead and you can preview some aspects:
Meet the dogs (and people) featured in the documentary “Through a Dog’s Eyes” coming to @PBS April 21:

http://to.pbs.org/duqoAB

Be Well!
Randy
& the Mighty Quinn
www.zipdogblog.com

Good Morning everyone,

I’m writing this from the pup list which as some of you might know is a TLA (three letter acronym) for Physically
Unable to perform. Wednesday at some point in the afternoon which I think was the Hayward’s visit redux, I managed to
get an emulsion on my front left paw on the big pad. I was tender and wouldn’t play on Wednesday night which is how
Dad realized there was a serious issue. We did minimal work on Thursday and Dad determined I needed all of Thursday
and Friday to heal. When Tracy arrived home last evening I did limp up to her for a little sympathy but by evening’s
end I was trying to suggest I could sprint around the house in a pattented puppy spaz. Dad wasn’t buying the miracle
and has made me stay quiet today. This does at least give me time to write a blog post.

First up a shout out to my buddy Beast, service pup in training, who apparently has had his second tail injury
recently. The first one barely phased him so I’m sure he’ll be fine but just in case good luck Beast. That said, I
went to visit Beast last weekend and we got to play a bit in their back yard while Stefani took some pictures. She’s
suggested the facebook world might find some of these pictures here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50355&id=1036926732&l=4fda27a7f4

I probably should create one of those tiny url deals but I’ve got this sore paw and hopefully you all understand!
While there you might visit with Stefani and her family who have a fairly remarkable story and approach. I’m a
believer life has a lot of inspirational opportunities for those with a little vision…and I don’t mean sight. Give us
a couple more weeks and hopefully we’ll unveil the 2020 Vision Quest to all of you and show you exactly what we mean in
the short and long term.

Last weekend was fantastic weather and we spent a lot of time working on the yard. We really put some work into the
Ostend Shrine Dad has for his previous Guide and it looks great. There’s always more yard work but since my job is to
lay ontthe lawn with everyone and roll over occasionally to warm and cool different sides…I say bring it all on!
Grammy came over and was a fantastic help and it reminded me how much fun we can soon be having with summer BBQ events
in the back yard. We did this for two days and surrounded an Easter Family Breakfast here in Nashua. I’m getting a
good dose of Uncle Rick and Aunt Monique because this weekend we are heading down to stay at their home. For Christmas
they gave Tracy and Dad a trip to New York City for a show and we are off to Avenue Q on Saturday. I haven’t been to
the Big Apple since we were there for our Emmy Nominated HBO video. Before that I hadn’t been there since Dad and I
were in class at Guiding Eyes and did the mid-day Manhatten walk which is required for our graduation. Grand Central
Station was no match for the Mighty Quinn and Avenue Q (for Quinn) will certainly work fine too.

So on Wednesday I went to visit the Dr. Crisp Elementary school in Nashua. I guess that Doctor brought Dad into this
world a ‘few’ years ago! We went first to a first grade class because our friend Bella was there and she introduced us
to her class and let us talk about me for awhile. It went very well as an impromptu appearance and they were great
kids. That was our practice session for Zach’s third grade class presentation. We talked about “Persevering Through
Adversity” but worked in a lot of time for my part in that process. To listen to Dad talk about me you think I must be
pretty amazing. Still it went reasonably well and the teachers sent us a very appreciative note. We’ll have to go
visit them again in the future.
After the talk school was over so we took our friends Zach and Bella for ice-cream and had a great trip….well except
for the part about hurting my paw. So wish me some fast healing today so I can be ready for the weekend trip to New
York.

One final note, Guiding Eyes lost an employee of over 39 years as Jose Vargas passed away this week. He greeted every
class every morning with a “Good Morning Beautiful People” which I can still hear. He was an amazing person and they
have a seroius loss. Go to their website and read many deserving tributes to him. So from me I just wanted to say to
Jose: “Farewell to a Beautiful Person.”

Mighty Quinn

As a progressive pup I’ve been using Twitter when away from the computer which means I’m sharing smaller updates and
not always recalling to share them here. I’ll try to keep pace with my weekly blog intent but do feel free to follow
me on Twitter. I’ve also been entertaining requests for facebook and may branch out there in the not too distant
future as well. Fear not the blog is a primary passion and updates of a longer and more detailed format will be coming
here steadily.

I did get a few requests to understand the legal results of our being denied access. We were saved from the soggy
Monday commute by a call from the Attorney handling the matter for N.H. presently. They think we are being more than
reasonable in only requesting education for the restaurant in question. We actually have the right to request a fair
bit more due to their willful (our opinion) denial of service for discriminatory reasons. The owner of the
establishment does not speak any english and doesn’t take the matter seriously having had several other stunning
decisions in the past. He once removed designated drivers from his establishment because he felt soda purchases were
too low a profit margin for his preference…stunning. So as the Labradour variety of the designated driver, the ADA
is clear I’m allowed to Guide Dad into restaurants though Dad is required to ensure I’m clean and well behaved. These
aren’t at issue and on Monday the lawyer for the restaurant was suddenly far more willing to work with our reasonable
requests and has made a request for an additional week to arrange the proper approach for a settlement of the
educational variety. Stay tuned but in the meanwhile the Concord trek was cancelled. Just as a matter of awareness,
the cost of a cab from Nashua to Concord is $80 or $85 One-Way depending on who is called. This isn’t a ride we want
to take often but the nature of public transit inter-city in NH is such that by bus it would be a trip from Nashua to
Boston and then Boston to Concord. That’s roughly three hours of just bus time never mind transit times…and that
presumes we are already at the Nashua bus terminal which is two city bus rides from our home. Now try to plan all that
before 10:00 a.m. and on a day rainy enough there’s ark building rumors. I would vollunteer to pair up with a Female
yellow lab btw. She should love tug, tennis ball and lots of long walks…when it’s not raining. Hey, I’m just saying
if there’s truth to this ark rumor I want to be prepared!

So how about our trip to UNH? Second time we attend class and second heavy, flood level rainstorm. We actually had to
drive through a ‘washout’ point on the way home! I gave a quick synopsis of the course last blog time but we are
getting steadily more into the learning each week. The class is helping read sections of the book to Dad and a lot of
blind awareness is an under-current to the class learning. This is an outdoor education course and they tend to be
practical, hands on and interactive whenever possible. For example, this last class everyone donned a blindfold and
worked on their backpacks without the benefit of sight. This was intended to give them an appreciation for the main
points of packing and organization. There’s a lot of science put into the approach because carrying 40 or more extra
pounds for 36 miles through multiple 4000 foot mountains seems like something worth taking seriously. I was amused
watching folks new to their vision deprivation trying to spread out around the class floor and go through their packs.
Dad did likewise as the instructors: Brent, Becky and Sherpa John reviewed the included items to ensure folks
understood what was and was not wise for clothing in the Wilderness. Dad needs to update a few supplies before the
Pemi loop but we are mostly set for our rapidly approaching weekend excursion.

Added into the various mix of discussions was one of my favorite topics: food. The hikers have to plan for close to
3200 calories per day as they’ll burn a lot more than normal out there. I told Dad he needs to do some research about
my own caloric/kibble intake. Sure I’m partially hoping to just increase my consumption but he suggests education is
the right approach. All I know is I want my water without pesky bacterial risk and that means filtration or iodine is
in the future so likely some experiment is ahead there. His backpack is rated at 70 Liters so that’s 35 two liter
bottles of Quinn water…of course I would sacrifice much for the extra kibble. Dad has agreed to carry all my food to
leave my attention purely on my harness work which I think is not only admirable but definitely necessary. How else
will I have stamina for a little tug on the trail!?! To help him out with this the other students in the class are
going to split up carrying Dad’s food which doesn’t seem entirely fair but we aren’t drawing battle lines here. Back
on the education front the weekend trip is called teh “Shakedown.’ Each student has to prep an educational
presentation on various topics from “Creepy Crawlies”, Bear Hangings, Weather, history … and Dad has to come up with
an idea entirely his own to present. Any suggestions out there? I’ll share Charlee Bears and a paw-graphed photo of
Quinn to the best suggestion sent in comments here, twitter or direct email. I do have my very own email now as I’m
part of the 2020 Vision Quest project so:
Quinn @ 2020visionquest.com will come to me and get you a response. I still prefer interacting through blog comments
when possible though. Regarding those suggestions, Dad has to present his concept next Tuesday so now lolly-gagging
with suggestions!

By Friday of this week we get to submit a sample menu for our Shakedown trip. We are working with Kyle and Jenny to
plan this and I’ve already finished my menu:
Canidae No Grain Kibble 1 overflowing cup per meal x 2 meals per day! Also add in 5.4 charlee Bears per day for good
performance and that carb boost you need to get you going!

Anyone in the camping arena have a KLMNO meal for Dad? Kalorie, lightweight, minerals and vitamins, nutrients and…oh
I better go read the book again! Oatmeal and Ramen noodles only go so far after all…and this from a dog who eats the
same meal every day…

On that front, I’m embarrassed a bit to report a food change. Dad noted some problems over the last month in
my…output. As such he’s taken to mixing about one half cup of warm water to my dry kibble. Not only does this make
a tasty gravy but it also has alleviated my challenges. Not sure how he’s going to do this in the Wilderness but I’m
liking the Gravy!

That’s all for now – talk to you next week unless those suggestions need replies. Don’t leave me hanging!

The Mighty Quinn

See…we nailed that Bruschi tribute perfectly at 54:54

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Mar28_IrishF_set1.shtml

Randy
& the Mighty Quinn
www.zipdogblog.com

Good Morning!

It’s been a rather full weekend and early reports show it won’t slow down today or tomorrow. I want to jump right into
the fun stuff though. Yesterday we travelled to Lowell, MA to partake in a road race called “Irish Legs are Running.”
It was a five mile course from Hook Slide Kelly’s Pub through Lowell. I’ve never run a road race and Dad hasn’t in
years. Several of the folks with us also hadn’t run in eons if ever. There were plans and there was Sponeteneity the
latter including a rather marvelous feat by Ben who signed up for the race last minute as he decided watching us wasn’t
to his preference and he was confident he’d made enough progress. What progress might you ask? Oh just a three month
anniversary from having a major open heart surgery…incredible! Yes, it was safe and reasonable just ludicirously
ahead of where his Doctors would expect. Our group of eight friends (counting me of course) have been tremendously
supportive and encouraging of each other and that showed brilliantly again today. I was assigned to Carrie as she was
intending to set a higher pace than most of the group. Now I ran in a heel with her on one of our private runs earlier
but my preference is to follow Tracy or Kara foremost in this group of friends. Thus when the gun sounded and Tracy
was first off at the higher pace in a throng of starters, I wanted to catch Dad up to her but he kept telling me I had
to follow Carrie. Now I’ willing to adjust but Carrie wanted to run – get this – *IN* the road. I kept showing Dad
the sidewalk and he kept sending me back to her which made for a great serpentine route on the first fifty yards.
Exasperated by her not willing to follow the rules I even dropped back to Kara for a bit as she was running with
Scottie and I knew she would learn the rules. Sadly Dad was insistent so I agreed and started out with Carrie in
earnest. That is…until we caught up with Tracy on a long slow uphill for the first mile. I dropped right in behind
her and wanted to follow…only again to be told that’s not how today would be managed. My tail was still wagging with
the adventure of it all but as we moved onward I locked onto carrie finally and officially for the race. No more
sperpentine or challenge, I was just running with Dad and it was fantastic with all sorts of excitement and supportive
people lining the road. I was so good I don’t think most of them even suspected Dad is totally blind!

At the first Water stop we were isolated enough to pull up and stop and let Dad drink, I’d had plenty earlier and had
already drained it all from my system with promises of all I wanted aftre the race. Dad had a cup and was told to
throw the cup on the ground but littering isn’t a strength of his even knowing people were there deliberately intending
to pick it up. THey told him to just run and so he told me “hop-up” and I took him right to the other dog sitting at
the water table…hey he should be more clear in his language and Carrie was still drinking anyhow. That was the only
snafu of the race and Dad was good otherwise.

The weather was cool in the thirty degrees which is ideal for running, I never really had to pant as a cool down
mechanism and we dogs have no trouble with endurance running. Unlike Dad’s panting for air, I pant only to cool down.
So the race was smooth sailing for me. I will say cobblestone streets were not my favorite and a section that suddenly
needed us on the sidewalk wasn’t so good either just because of the crowding but we slowed down for it. We also did
get warned of about five spots with broken glass…sigh… but we pulled into the five mile finish after a slight
downhill stretch and all of us feeling like we could run harder if we wanted. In honor of  Tedy Bruschi and Carrie’s
tremendous tolerance, we crossed the line at 54:54 which is just under an 11 minute mile pace. It was fun and staying
by the finish line, belly full of water, to cheer our friends was a highlight. Derek had not only run with Tracy for
much of it but had carried some of her layers as they went along. I was eager to greet them all and then took my nap
as they sat and had a little food. Awesome day…and best yet I got home and Dad deliverred on Tennis ball in the
backyard where I showed off my over the shoulder catches for Coach.

Friday night we had gone to a house concert where we got to hear Liz Longley play for us. She’s fun, talented and well
worth it – even a twitter bud of mine- but the highlight for me was our hosts. Stefani and Ralph have two great
children and a super pup named “Beast” who at 21 weeks is training to be a service dog as well. We got along really
well and he was fantastically well mannered for a young lad. At 54 pounds he’s going to be big so I thought I’d teach
him some calmness I might need later! We played and curled up together through dinner and the show and I think we’ll
have some real outside playtime in the not too distant future. There are pictures out there on the web and I’ll try to
point you to them eventually! Meanwhile, good luck to Beast – I think you are going to be a star…a very BIG star.

So today I’ve got to take Dad to Concord and sadly it means cab time as the notice is short. The department of Human
Services is doing a pre-hearing on a nearly three year old complaint. A restaurant in Nashua refused to let me guide
Dad inside and claimed they had approval of the Health Services. They were adamant and didn’t care what any federal
laws suggested. Dad only wants to see them forced to take an educational course to alleviate this situation and that’s
reasonable but they want to ignore it until and unless it goes to trial. THis is their last chance tot take the easy
option and I’m glad to showcase my talents to the hearing board. The owners never questioned me for my cleanliness or behaviour, only for their either lack of education or more likely stubborn approach. While up in Concord we may make trips to NHAB and get our BeathleJuice concert tickets for May 21 as well as a trip to CWB (the lawfirm for 2020) and ensure allt he paperwork is properly managed. Dad’s been doing a lot of work on this with many friends and soon he may even try to recruit a few more people to help on various aspects. Overall though he isn’t letting work on that
reduce our time or work. As reward for the day in Concord I have a second puppy play date with Erin’s dog Cody
tonight. It’s rainy which isn’t so good for playing outside but we’ll manage a little I think. After all Towels were
invented to dry down wet, dirty play dogs…right?

Tomorrow we not only have Karate all morning but we go to UNH again for the evening course in Durham. Dad and Tracy are both getting the 8 week benefit of the backpacking course that is allowing a crew of ten students to learn how to manage not only a wilderness traverse but to do so with Dad and I as added ‘help’ to the process. Managing thigh deep snow on the Twinway for example…even at the end of May. Fording deeper streams (yech!) to start the trip and of
course tending all our safety while still experiencing the Wilderness as a team. It’s a good group of folks and I’m
looking forward to our big adventures ahead. Last Tuesday was the first and easy round but we only have two more
courses before we do a weekend event of camping together as a practice for the deeper wilderness!

So that’s the Quinn rounds for the week (or so). I’ve met many great people and I’m loving life steadily…it’s good
to be a Guide in a home of adventure!

Be Well!
MQ