Dave & Teds Most Excellent Adventures 2013

[KatLen0405]

Today is only Wednesday

Dave, today is only Wednesday! :banghead::banghead::banghead: If you are leaving tomorrow for Kattawa you are going to be a day early.:lecturef_smilie: And everyone at work will wonder where you are on a Thursday!:dontknow::dontknow:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Dave, today is only Wednesday! :banghead::banghead::banghead: If you are leaving tomorrow for Kattawa you are going to be a day early.:lecturef_smilie: And everyone at work will wonder where you are on a Thursday!:dontknow::dontknow:
Taking that day off at the beginning of the week really threw me for a loop and sure enough, I missed a day ...... somewhere ..... :dontknow: which is easy enough to do, but I'm so glad you helped me find it ..... :bowdown:

As I had feared tho, we spent all of yesterday working on the sled & I'm Happy to report, even tho we're still no where near ready yet, things are progressing well & so far, I haven't blown anything else up :shocked: and am pretty sure we've found the root cause to our Melt-Down Incident :yikes: and are now in the process of trying to correct it so it doesn't happen again :clap:

Can anyone tell me for sure, as I'm still learning all this as we go, but with the battery on a 2011 RT-S, the correct method for adding any electrical mods is to first unplug the battery & the correct way to do that, from my understanding is to 1st remove the ground/negative (-) black connection then remove the positive (+) red connection from the battery terminals. Now upon hooking the battery system back up, the procedure is reverse and you 1st connect the (+) positive terminal then the (-) ground terminal ..... Correct???

My question is, when hooking the system back up, and with the positive (+) terminal connected, is it normal/common/usual on our Spyders, to get a small spark when 1st reconnecting the negative (-) ground terminal??? :hun::dontknow:

When discussing this with my brother, who has years of automotive wrenching experience, he explained to me that when I'm connecting the negative (after the positive has already been connected) there shouldn't be any sparks & if their are, that means something isn't wired correctly somewhere in the system ... :sour:

I've double checked just about everything with all the electrical mods that we've added over the years, and as far as I can tell, all seems to be working as they should, so I'm not sure why I'm still getting a tiny little spark every time I go to reconnect the negative terminal on the battery .... :dontknow: Could this be normal & OK for our Spyders? :dontknow: or is he correct? & something isn't wired right & I still need to keep searching... :dontknow:

We do have a Moto-Light Auxilary Fuse Block installed, and most of our mods are hooked into the system thru it, and then there are others (like the Garmin GPS) that are directly hooked into the battery with in-line fuses. Again, everything I've checked with all the added wiring seems to all be wired correctly.

In my experiences so far, I'm thinking if I had wired something backwards, like put a negative where a positive should go or vice-versa, that that item wouldn't work, and could surely cause a problem in the system, likely blowing a fuse....... correct??? :dontknow:

If my above assumption is correct, that's where I'm a little lost, cause everything we've added into the system, powers off & on and all works as designed, so there are no apparent added mods to the system that I can tell, that would cause the system to not behave in the normal manner ..... again, at least that I can tell. But I'm just a little worried why I'm getting that little spark when hooking the negative (-) teminal back up, if I'm NOT suppose to be getting any spark from it at all ....................... :banghead: is this really something I need to be concerned about??? :dontknow::hun:

Any suggestions or enlightenment would be appreciated :bowdown: cause we really need to get the sled put back together ASAP if we're going to be leaving tomorrow (Fri) morning for the Kuttawa/KY Lake/Lake Barkley Spyder get-together, but I don't want to do that until I know we're ok with the electrical system the way it is so we don't get a couple of hundred miles from home & experience another Melt-Down :yikes: situation :yikes:

 

[MarkLawson]

Dave, my experience has led me to expect a spark when connecting the negative terminal after the positive terminal. And yes, that is the correct sequence.

There are those who can say with real authority if I am right or correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Doc - Riverside]

Battery Hookup

When you hook up the negative battery terminal you will always gets some sparks. This is because there are some electronics that always need power ( Cluster) even when you power off the Spyder.

 

[eddieshep999]

When you hook up the negative battery terminal you will always gets some sparks. This is because there are some electronics that always need power ( Cluster) even when you power off the Spyder.

I agree ref getting a spark - I changed my OEM Battery for the Odyssey PC680 and connected as you Dave described in his post
When I connected the Neg I also got a spark - Everything has been ok so I guess it is just normal as Doc say's

 

[OldCowboy]

:agree: Heck, I even got a spark from the neg terminal when I replaced the battery on my Sportster, a bike which is virtually electronics free.

 

[CurtG]

Dave, as others have said if there is even one device drawing power even though the Spyder is off you'll get a spark. I delt with battery powered equipment in the alarm industry for 33 years and if I new there was something that should be drawing power and didn't get at least a little arc there was something else wrong. Just as a side not the size of the spark will be proportional to the amount of draw.

Ride and ride safe,
Curt

 

[rcdurango]

This is true

Dave, you should get some spark because there are things still pulling a drain on the battery. And it being a loss connection it will spark. Once tight it will be fine. Start that bad boy up and go for a ride. See ya in KY.

 

[CyncySpyder]

We made it there & back in one piece

Well, no surprise here, but this weekend didn't go exactly as planned, but it (& us) did go ... :clap:

My brother was released from the Hospital on Friday so Teddy & I couldn't leave when we planned, and stuck around to help make sure he got settled in at his home with my other brother to help care for him.

Then, being up against the clock, I had to finally decide what mods HAD to be done to make the trip & what mods could wait, and then with those prioritized, complete them as quick as possible ... :trike:

Good news is, I didn't blow the sled up and we had no further melt-downs with us once again ryding on a burning Spyder (more on this later:dontknow

Happy to report, our In-Line Blower mod so far, seems to be a HUGE success with keeping Engine Temps down :yes: We installed a 4" In-Line Marine Blower like used on boats, used part of the OEM ducting for the intake mounted right at the top mount of the left-hand side Elka Shock and nothing on the other end of the blower, but with it pointed straight up to the KnN Air-Filter that now sits atop the throttle-bodies since we removed the OEM Air-Box & Resonator & replaced it with the KewlMetal Air Intake.

Along with this, we also added a little electronic display that shows the Time, Battery Out-Put & also came with a remote temp. sensor that we mounted about 2 inches away from the KnN Filter so we can monitor the Temperature the Intake is actually taking in.

On our 700 mile round trip Adventure to Kuttawa/Lake Barkley this weekend, we got to test it out pretty well, tho the temps were never really hot enough to really NEED it like in the dog days of summer, but it was still nice to have when we got caught in road-construction & I could watch our engine temps rise & rise, clicked the button to turn the system on, and within 2 minutes we were once again almost back to ambiant temps getting fed into the engine :clap:

I'll post more about this later, along with some pics we've taken, but I mostly just wanted to let everyone know, even tho the trip home yesterday was a very wet one, Teddy & I Have made it home (& me back to work) Safe & Sound & were glad to meet as many of you that we did at the Oasis Dinner on Saturday Night :clap:

 

[rcdurango]

Glad you made it.

Well, no surprise here, but this weekend didn't go exactly as planned, but it (& us) did go ... :clap:

My brother was released from the Hospital on Friday so Teddy & I couldn't leave when we planned, and stuck around to help make sure he got settled in at his home with my other brother to help care for him.

Then, being up against the clock, I had to finally decide what mods HAD to be done to make the trip & what mods could wait, and then with those prioritized, complete them as quick as possible ... :trike:

Good news is, I didn't blow the sled up and we had no further melt-downs with us once again ryding on a burning Spyder (more on this later:dontknow

Happy to report, our In-Line Blower mod so far, seems to be a HUGE success with keeping Engine Temps down :yes: We installed a 4" In-Line Marine Blower like used on boats, used part of the OEM ducting for the intake mounted right at the top mount of the left-hand side Elka Shock and nothing on the other end of the blower, but with it pointed straight up to the KnN Air-Filter that now sits atop the throttle-bodies since we removed the OEM Air-Box & Resonator & replaced it with the KewlMetal Air Intake.

Along with this, we also added a little electronic display that shows the Time, Battery Out-Put & also came with a remote temp. sensor that we mounted about 2 inches away from the KnN Filter so we can monitor the Temperature the Intake is actually taking in.

On our 700 mile round trip Adventure to Kuttawa/Lake Barkley this weekend, we got to test it out pretty well, tho the temps were never really hot enough to really NEED it like in the dog days of summer, but it was still nice to have when we got caught in road-construction & I could watch our engine temps rise & rise, clicked the button to turn the system on, and within 2 minutes we were once again almost back to ambiant temps getting fed into the engine :clap:

I'll post more about this later, along with some pics we've taken, but I mostly just wanted to let everyone know, even tho the trip home yesterday was a very wet one, Teddy & I Have made it home (& me back to work) Safe & Sound & were glad to meet as many of you that we did at the Oasis Dinner on Saturday Niht :clap:

Dave, Glad you and Teddy made it home safely. I was looking at the weather and your trip looked like the wet one for sure. It was nice
to see you and Teddy again. Wish we could have visited a little more. Would have loved to hear more about the mods you have made
on the Sled. I have a few questions on some and the pro and cons. I just didn't want to be in the way of the mob that Teddy draws. I
know its hard for you two to get a bite to eat. Maybe some day it will be easier to sit down and chat.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the trip and maybe next time even the ride around the lakes. I think you two would enjoy.

 

[kinggeek]

Why did you do the marine blower mod? Were you trying to fix high engine temps? I also removed the stock air box and have been living in New Orleans, Louisiana and have had zero issues with engine temps.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Marine Blower Mod pics & a little explanation

As you can imagine, getting pics INSIDE the Engine Bay of a stock Spyder RT is difficult to say the least, but with all the OEM Air-Box & Resonator removed, its then pretty much wide open. The only major issue that's really been discussed amongst those of us that have done this mod, is that since we've removed ALL the OEM Plastic of the Air System, we now have no outside air being pumped into the Engine Bay area once we either come to a stop or are stuck in stop & go traffic. At crusing speeds, there's plenty of air-flow but at slow or stop & go speeds, the engine is then sucking in the heated air thats around it inside the engine bay.

One way to correct this is to pump (or suck/blow) the outside ambiant air into the engine bay, but until recently, there's not been a tried & tested way to do this with positive results. Well, we've done it, tested it on a very limited basis, and have the positive results we were hoping for, but much more testing & further evaluation will be needed before I'd say this is a viable solution that I'd personally recommend to others ...CYA ....

1st, we mounted an illuminated toggle switch underneath the top of the upper dash console so we could turn the blower off and on as needed. As stated, while moving, there's really no need for the additional air. We hooked this switch directly to the battery with an in-line fuse, that way we could opperate the blower for a few minutes even with all the power to the sled being off, like after a long hot ryde & we'd be stopping for only a few minutes and then continue on ryding, to help prevent 'Heat-Soak' from happening.


As you can see, Teddy was tired of SuperVising and just wanted to hit the road :banghead:



Here's where the blower In-Take is mounted to bring in fresh Ambiant Air from the Outside & we just reused the OEM intake piece that was previously mounted to the OEM Resonator.


Here's a pic of the actual blower mounted in place at the bottom of the engine bay. I thought about adding additional ducting to the exhaust end and having it right up by the KnN Filter, but after install & a little testing, found no need to do that. With it wide open like this, there's no restriction and it also helps to flood the entire area with the cooler outside air and that in turn, helps the Hot air to exit from the small side honeycomb grills at the top of the engine bay, under our middle deflectors.



I don't have a pic of it yet, but we also mounted a small computer type of fan right at the left side grill, blowing out, just to help evacuate the hotter air from the engine compartment, and you can feel the effects by hand or with watching the display as the temps quickly drop.

The marine blower we used was rated as the highest CFM output at the time we purchased it, rated at 235CFM I believe. This thing really BLOWS !!! :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

I also don't yet have pics of the digital display we installed, but it works well, tho its a Chinese piece and only gives the temps. in C instead of F or a choice of the two, but we're getting it figured out. Where as 22C seems to be around comfort level and getting over 30C seems to be pretty dang HOT

But we can now turn the blower on, and seriously, within 1 minute, you can watch the temp. reading at the Filter drop an easy 20C degrees & it gets all the way down to a degree or two above outside ambiant temp with just 2 minutes. At least, this has been our experience thus far on our just completed weekend trip to Kuttawa KY, tho the ambiant temps for this trip were all in the 40s to 70s, Im excited to give this a try in the summer & see how well it works with those type of temps. Heck, might even be cause for Teddy & I to take a long weekend trip south, like to Florida just to see ....

But on this past weekend test, we did get caught in a few construction zones, and we could watch the Engine Bay Temps climb & climb and once it reached all the way to 40C which Google tells me is 104F & as soon as I hit the Blower Button it went directly down to the same as the outside air temp + 2 degrees.... YAY !!!

Now our next mod is to add on a little duct work to Teds Red Sled and actually pipe some of that unwanted HOT Air into Teddy's Ryding compartment area so when we're still ryding in the middle of winter, he can stay nice and cozy warm ......... man, I wish I were Teddy, cause this dog's got it made .......

 

[CyncySpyder]

Unintended Consequinces

Why did you do the marine blower mod? Were you trying to fix high engine temps? I also removed the stock air box and have been living in New Orleans, Louisiana and have had zero issues with engine temps.

The major reason besides as I posted earlier, was due to Unintended Consequinces brought on by my Walking Down The Path of Good Intentions & leading to my butt being on fire ......... :cus:

With all the chatter about Spyders going up in flames and boiling gas, I thought I should act & do 'something' when I had an issue a couple of weeks back with not being able to get the 'New' Fuel Cap off when we went to fill up. We were on dead empty & on a long ryde, so I knew what little fuel that was left in the tank was most likely boiling, & was erroneously (at the time) thinking that had something to do with NOT being able to get the fuel cap off. I later discovered they are unrelated, cause the Spyders Fuel System isn't pressurized like I had originally thought. Anyways, thinking I had a boiling gas issue, I took a page out of BRP's Fix-It Quick mod book & ordered some of that Heat Barrier they've been putting on all the 13s to help correct them from melting their mastercylinders etc.... and put the heat barrier around the fuel tank, especially toward the engine and exhaust areas.

Well, it must have worked, cause now I don't notice any boiling gas, BUT .........................
Now I notice that the seat is now much warmer than I had EVER Noticed it being before I did this mod. And it kind of makes sense, now that the heat barrier is protecting most of the fuel tank and the fuel inside, well the heat can't be absorbed there any longer and instead, must find other places/areas to either absorb into or disipate ............... in essense, creating my very own heated seat. Right now, as the temps drop, I'm really not complaining about this FoPa, but in warmer/hotter than h*ll temps, the last thing I think ANY of us want is ....................... a heated seat.

So that's the main reason for us to add the blower------

 

[CyncySpyder]

Here we go again ....... doing the 2 step

That is, taking 2 steps forward and one step back :banghead::banghead::banghead:

Our Brake Monkey (Not to be confused with the Trunk Monkey) is once again on our backs and bugging the living h*ll outta me :chill:

I understand the need to alert a ryder when there is a major issue that could lead to catastrophy, but really BRP, flash the Orange Screen Of Death Once..... Just one time to get our attention, even make us push the dang Mode or Set Button to acknowledge it, and then relegate the warning to the small middle warning area on the LCD, but for Christ's Sake, PLEASE stop the dang warning from completely taking over the entire LCD display ...... Over & Over & Over & Over again :banghead::banghead::banghead: I rarely EVER even glance at our analogue gauges and pretty much solely rely on the digital Speedo & Tach while ryding & this really turns into a P.I.T.A every time

Sorry, I just needed to vent that out into the Spyder-Verse so its off my chest :chill: Breath Dave, breath
There, much better now

Guess I'll give my bro a call & see how interested he is to try helping me do a manual flush of the brake lines to see if that has any effect on our issue :dontknow: I mean, we've replaced most the brake fluid, replaced ALL 3 brake pads, both front rotors (the rear rotor was replaced not all that long ago) and manually reset the previous Brake Failure Code & it did seem to correct the issue for the past 1400 miles, and here we find ourselves again :banghead:

Teddy & I went over to my buddies house last night, to see how he's getting along, and he seems to still be doing well. He had made some Spicy Taco meat & thought for sure Teddy wouldn't touch it, but ahhhhhhhh...... Teddy is a food hound and greedily Woofed it right down, as my buddy watched in astonishment. But in all reality, I'd give it about a 6.5 on the Spicy scale, tho my scale is a bit skewed compared to what most would find HOT and I warned my buddy about Teddy's allergies, so he only gave him a little bit, but he still Woofed it right down & was beg'n for more ........

 

[CyncySpyder]

Feeling a little frustrated today

This last road-trip to Kuttawa/Lake Barkley just didn't do 'IT' for us cause I decided to leave a day later to make sure my brother was ok with getting released from the hospital, so in turn we missed out on all the group rydes and only got to see everyone for a couple of hours while at dinner at the Oasis, but that wasn't really any time to socialize, cause we were all trying to eat & I was trying to take care of the Carnival that happens pretty much everywhere Teddy goes. The HIGH point was getting to spend some quiet time with our gracious hosts :bowdown: Kathy & Lenny from Northern Indiana, back at the Buzzard Rock Resort :clap:

But as far as road-trips go, this one left much to be desired & I even questioned myself before leaving if we even should, cause I knew we were going to miss the group rydes and that the weekend was forcasted for showers and storms, but I guess I was just hoping for the best........ Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we went, cause we did get to meet some wonderful ppl from here on the forum, but it was all just too brief to really be enjoyed. And the ryde home was cold, wet and windy for the entire trip and I think that's what has me bummed the most, cause I still haven't finished Teddy's Passenger Area yet to make it rain-proof (or at least better than now) for the little guy so he's not just getting soaked like he did.

Guess I was hoping it would be enough to get this restless feeling for a good long road-trip at least somewhat subdued, but I think it may have just made it worse :banghead:

 

[OldCowboy]

Here's Some C to F Conversions For You

00 C = 32 F
05 C = 41 F
10 C = 50 F
15 C = 59 F
20 C = 68 F
25 C = 77 F
30 C = 86 F
35 C = 95 F
40 C = 104 F
45 C = 113 F
50 C = 122 F
55 C = 131 F
60 C = 140 F
65 C = 149 F
70 C = 158 F
75 C = 167 F
80 C = 176 F

 

[CyncySpyder]

We really needed yesterday

Sometimes, all I can do is laugh at myself .................................... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

I was so frustrated yesterday with the weekend not going as hoped & then having the brake problem reappear ..... well, you can imagine. So when I got home from work, it was nice & sunny out, in the mid 60's F and Teddy was wanting to ryde ...... as was I hyea: But the brake issue kind of takes alot of the joy out of the ryde, cause even tho we have no real brake issues with actually safely stopping, the Warning Indicator takes over the entire LCD display & it becomes the Orange Screen Of Death blocking your view of everything it displays until I acknowledge it by pressing the Mode button, then it will go away for a minute or two, only to rear its ugly head once again ...... over & over & over .......... Maddening I tell You :banghead:

Dealing with this very scenerio on the ryde home from work, I knew taking Teddy for a ryde wouldn't be the Joy that we were both seeking, & would only lead to more frustration for me. So I did the most sensible thing I could do & began once again, the process of trying to troubleshoot exactly what the issue is & if I can find a remedy :dontknow: Logical ..... right?

So I check for codes & we once again get the dreaded C0049 Code. Look it up in the Repair Manual & surprise surprise, the Code is for Low Brake Fluid :shocked: which I know can't really be the issue. I mean, just last week we replaced the rear pads & cleaned & sanded the rotor to make sure it was still nice and flat & not warped and after putting everything back together, the last thing we did was ......... Top Off The Brake Fluid

So I double checked the resevoirs, and if you've never really checked yours, let me say that the BRP Engineers that came up with this design of how they sit on an angle and how they have the Max & Low marks on the resevoir, well, its kind of like the coolant tank for the radiator, not the easiest thing to tell where the Full & Add lines are....... I'll be nice & just say that pps:

Ours appeared to be right at the MAX mark, but I still cleaned the caps & the area around them, just like the manual dictates & removed the caps just to check. Sure enough, it did appear that both the resevoirs were full, but something a bit odd that I noticed, was that the flexible part under the cap, the part with the slit in it, on the one cap, the flexible part was kind of 'pooching' out, whereas the other cap, the flexible part was flat as it should be. The Repair Manual stated to make sure that the flexible part was flat, so I just easily and gently pushed it back flat without issue. Took my finger and was able to push the plunger up & down inside both resevoirs so I know both the floats seemed to be working without issue. Even tho both resevoirs were showing the fluid levels at MAX I went ahead and added a few drops of DOT4 Brake Fluid, just for good measure, tho hoping I wasn't Over Filling them and causing more issues :banghead:

Well, I'm NOT saying this corrected our issue entirely, but yeah :clap::yes: IT WORKED :yes::clap: & the frig'n Code & ensuing ORANGE SCREEN OF DEATH dissapeared :clap::clap::clap::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

Man O Man, when I saw that, it was like someone threw lighter fluid on our spark & we errupted in a FireBall of Elation :yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: I mean seriously, I was GIDDY :yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:

Now I have to admit, thanks to Richard, I'm a little worried about getting into trouble now when we ryde :helpsmilie: You see, another part of the reason for making our Kuttawa Trip this past weekend, even tho I knew it most probably would be on the miserable side due to missing all the rydes and the weather was going to be crappy, was that our buddy Richard from Indy was going to be there and he had a Tinted Cal-Sci Shorty Shield for Teddy & I was eager to get it & try it on Teds Red Sled. Earlier in the year, we had gotten a used Clear Cal-Sci Shorty from another SpyderLovers Member from NewYork, but at the time, my index finger was messed up & not working correctly & when I went to install the shield, I scratched the living h*ll out of the thing I really liked the shield, being wider than stock & with the hole in the lower center, it was a great improvement in ryde comfort from better wind blockage & reduced buffeting and back-pressure :clap: So I figured getting another of the same thing, only tinted & without the horrible scratches would be a Win Win :clap::yes:

Well, I was wrong, in more than one way on this matter. First, the Cal-Sci Tinted Shorty is NOT the same as the Cal-Sci Clear Shorty, as I thought we had, cause what we had originally was actually the Cal-Sci Clear Medium pps: Opppppssssss. 2.5 inches shorter & about 4 inches narrower than what we had. WOW, talking about a HUGE difference. Its like we have a SportBike now, and I have to admit, the change is .................. INSPIRING hyea:hyea:hyea: Bad thing with that is, I thought of myself as a rather aggressive ryder before this change, but now ..... I kinda scare myself ..... in a Good Way tho :doorag: Shifting at 7-8K RPM really brings Teds Sled Alive hyea: Needless to say........ I like it :doorag: & I think Teddy does too :doorag:

[SIZE=+2] Shields for BRP Spyder RT

Size Height Width (low) Width (high) Price Order Stock 2010 26.5" = 69cm 25" 19"

Stock 2011+ 25" = 65cm 26" 18"

XL 25" = 65cm 29.5" 24" $230
Large 23.5" = 60cm 29.5" 24" $215
Medium 21.5" = 55cm 29.5" 24" $215

Tinted Shorty 19" = 48cm 25" 21" $140

[/SIZE]

 

[CyncySpyder]

A picture is worth a thousand .................... SMILES

Here's a few pics of the new to us (Thanks Richard:bowdown Cal-Sci Tinted Shorty Shield :clap: The only way I can describe this thing & furthermore ..... its effect on our ryding style :shocked: is .......................................

Its kinda like when a single young lady is going out for a night on the town & she slides into her 'Never Fail' lil black mini-skirt & it totally transforms the usually demure young lady into a Sleek, PowerFull Women that turns heads where ever she goes ......... yeah, kinda like that ..................................... hyea::doorag:hyea:.....

 

[KatLen0405]

Head over to The Ohio Rally

Dave, if you are looking for some place for a good ride this weekend - don't forget that the Ohio Rally is going on. It's not that far from you and they have LOTS of good rides planned. Go over there and get your fix!! :f_spider::f_spider: Check out the Ohio Spyder Ryders page for all the info.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Sorry we've been quiet on here lately, but I've been struggling with this decision

Its with a very heavy heart, but I know its the right decision at this time, that Teddy retires from his work as an Active Member of the Emotional Support & Therapy Program which he's done for the past (almost) 3 years now.

I've tried my best to keep this Thread centered around all things Spyder related and to keep his Professional life seperate, but we all know that life doesn't always go as planned and much of our personal lives have spilled over onto here & we've shared much of it with YOU, our Spyder Family.

I don't think I've ever publicly told this story, probably due to my own guilt, but also in trying to keep his two worlds seperate, but here goes.

When we 1st started our classes, one of the first lessons our Instructor taught us, was that if another person has the Service Animal in their pocession, we (the handler) are never to take our attention off the animal, to ensure the safety of both the animal & the person who has pocession. Well, a little over 2 years ago, while we were visiting a Special Needs Day Care, I made a horrible mistake to Teddy's detriment, and ultimately, that has lead to todays heartfelt decision that it best the little guy 'Retire' at least from Active Duty. There was a rambunctious little 5 year old that was holding and petting him when his teacher tapped me on the shoulder & quietly asked if she could tell me something, motioning me to walk a little ways away so it was in private. Not thinking, I turned my back to Teddy & the lil boy and asked the teacher what was up. She then began to explain to me how the little boy that was holding Teddy was developly 'slow' and he also had been known to fly into rants of uncontrollable rage. As soon as I realized what she was telling me, my attention was turning back to Teddy's safety, but it was already too late. Before I could even turn back around, I heard the peircing sounds of Teddy Yelping in pain and as I turned, I saw the lil boy still holding Teddy tightly with one hand and his other hand was full of Red Hair from Teddy's Mow-Hawk :yikes: I immediately ran back over to them and grabbed Teddy from the lil boys hands and asked the lil boy what he was doing and he replied in his lil boy voice that he wanted to ware da Mow-Hawk

When I realized what had happened, that he litterally tried to pull Teddy's Mow-Hawk off his head, and now had a hand full of his hair, I was so upset, I actually yelled at the lil boy that he couldn't do that. At the beginning of every class that we would go to, we would usually do a little 5 minute question & answer session to acclimate the kids about Teddy & what they could & couldn't do, and why he had a red mow-hawk & that it was real & didn't come off, so I was upset at this kid for trying to do something I had explained he couldn't do. But I was forgetting, this was a Special Needs Class & that just because I might have explained something, doesn't mean that they understood. That's why we're suppose to always have our attention on the Service Animal, just to ensure safety.

Teddy was never aggressive toward the lil boy, never tried to bite him or defend himself, which I am SO thankful for, but he wanted away from that lil boy at all cost & ever since that day, Teddy has had an aversion to being held by anyone else besides myself. I called our Instructor about what had happened and how Teddy was acting & our Instructor basically explained that the trauma had been done, and sometimes, what has been done can never be un-done, no matter the amount of training we do, the animal may never fully recover and will show signs of stress if put in an uncomfortable situation they don't want to be in. And ever since, no matter child or adult, Teddy will only give most people only 5 seconds to hold him, then he turns into a worm, NEVER being aggressive, just a wiggly worm and he wants down at all costs, even if it means hurting himself.

We only tried to do the kid thing 2 more times after this incident happened, and I realized, a Therapy Dog that can't be held, is like having a loli-pop that you can't suck ....... it just leads to frustration, so that's when we made the decision to go the other route & concentrate solely on Seniors, cause usally most adults know better than to try an pull off a dogs hair, and they need love and attention sometimes even more than the kids do.

So for the past 2+ years we've concentrated on Seniors, but even that has lead to challenges, like how do you teach a dog about Professional Detachment :shocked: when one of his favorite residents passes ....... You don't :dontknow: I'll admit, as rewarding as this has been for the both of us, Emotionally speaking, its been very hard on me.

Teddy will still be doing his:doorag: 'Thang'hyea: and making ppl :clap:Happy :clap:where ever he goes, especially on his Sled, just not in a proffesional manner any more. I truly think this is the right decision at this time.