Leah's Busy Fall

I’m sleeping right now so I’ve got a short, spiky-haired ghostwriter taking my notes and putting them on virtual paper. Sometimes it’s very tiring being me. I’m either walking all day long or sleeping all day and all night. Oh, don’t sound so envious.

Mom’s been running me ragged.

After we came back from Road Atlanta, we spent just a couple of days at home catching up before it was time to go to Fontana – back and forth, no hotel this time – for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway. While mom was out doing interviews, I bided my time under the table in the pressroom. Her seatmate and friend Lynne said Jimmie Johnson asked Lynne if she was the one with the doggie that he met in February. She could have taken that bait and flown with it but Lynne said no, I wasn’t hers. Maybe I could have gotten a five-time champion to give me a hug. Bad Lynne.

We didn’t get to go out around the track too much but we did, when it was quiet, take walks through the motor-home area. Those people really know how to party, let me tell you! They were drinking hard at 9 in the morning every single day. At least there was some good grass around for me to do my business and it was nice to take a good walk around the concrete. Everybody wanted to be my friend but we just kept walking. Mom did stop for a Bloody Mary at one campsite; she said there was too little alcohol and a wee bit too much spice for her so she gave it to somebody else. That was a first.

We worked – well, she worked – hard once that race was done and we stayed home until it was time to go to Las Vegas for the NHRA races, the second to last race on the schedule. We went to Rancho Mirage first for a Lexus new car preview and then continued on, the back way, to Baker and up to Vegas. She seemed to be very happy with the back roads along the way and she didn’t heave the Scion tC she was driving into the corners too hard, thankfully.

We stayed with gal pal Toby during the race weekend and into the SEMA show activities. Toby is so nice and she’s got a great lap. I just love people with great laps. We walked the SEMA show Monday and Tuesday and drove home on Wednesday morning, which was a nice relief. We did a lot of walking at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway too, but not nearly as much as did at the Convention Center. That place is big!

A week later, it was time for the NHRA finale and we worked that one, too, going to Pomona’s Auto Club Raceway at Pomona – the virtual home of NHRA – five days in a row. Finally, mom decided enough traffic was enough and we stayed at a hotel the final Saturday night, spending time with Melanie Troxel’s mom and her doggie. I was on my best behavior all week long but by Sunday at the drag races, I needed to speak. Just once. One of the NHRA people told mom I was barking, but she checked with some other journalists who said I only spoke once. Mom thinks he really has it out for us, but we’ve discovered he’s like that with everyone.

After the NHRA banquet on Monday night, Carey came to stay for the LA Auto Show and we did the Blue Line trek on Wednesday and Thursday for press days. Mom dragged me all over the place and I jumped into and out of a few interesting cars. Can’t say which ones I like best because I’m really not sure. As long as they don’t force me to jump too high, I’m cool with it.

We went to a bunch of parties too and that was fun. We should have gone to the Hyundai party but our legs just didn’t work anymore.

We spent Thanksgiving with Christie instead of going to the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale. It’s always so loud and so cold there that maybe it’s better for me not to be at the racetrack for that particular race. We laughed a lot, mom and Christie drank a lot (well, they weren’t driving anywhere) and they fixed a great meal for all of us, including Scarlet Begonia. Scarlet and I have become good friends. The next morning we all went for a walk – the girls tried to leave us behind but we got out of the door and found them as they searched for sage. Then we came back and mom cleaned three pounds of lavender. Wow!

And now we’ve just returned from Orlando and the PRI show. We stayed at the fabulous Hilton next to the convention center and it was so cool. Unfortunately I couldn’t hold my water and peed on the carpet – mom was so embarrassed. And should have been. We walked all over that convention center floor but at least we got upgraded on the plane both directions so I could sleep coming and going.

Pretty soon it’ll be Christmas. Maybe I’ll write again before the end of the year? Or maybe not. If I can’t get to the keyboard and don’t have a transcription expert handy, let me tell you, it’s fun being a service animal and working with my mom. She loves me so much and takes good care of me. I’m a very lucky Chihuahua.

Leah on the Road (Atlanta)

I am so bored. It’s Thursday and there is nothing worse than sitting in a media center all day long while it rains outside. A girl can’t even take a reasonable walk to do her business around here!

We are at Road Atlanta in bucolic Braselton, GA, home of the 13th annual Petit Le Mans. We flew from Los Angeles, spending the entire day Tuesday getting here and even had to make a stop in Dallas to change planes.

That was okay because we were able to stretch and walk a bit. At the Los Angeles airport, mom had to remove my (frozen) Deli Fresh food roll from the suitcase because the TSA thought it was dangerous. Might be for them, but certainly not for me. It’s food, guys, get over it!

We got to the track on Wednesday and the weather cooperated, so we took some good walks and talked to people for quite a while. Then I sat around while mom shot some photos. We went to our no-tell motel in Lawrenceville, GA and walked out for dinner with Uncle AJ, who found the room for us. It actually turned out to be a fairly nice place and pretty convenient for the track. Thanks Uncle AJ.

He woke us up really early this morning and we got to the track by 7AM, to be in time for the photo meeting at 7:30. Mom took me out for a few walks and then went off to interview some guy from Porsche. It was raining again when she came back so that kind of ruined our options for the balance of the afternoon.

Now she’s typing and I’m doing what I do best – sleeping – while nine cars rumble by in the wet stuff. Mom keeps saying she’s going to go out and shoot a little bit but she hasn’t gotten up and actually done it, so I guess she’s lying, right?

The balance of our weekend was more of the same for me: sleep in the media center while Mom works and take walks when it’s quiet. I discovered there were a few really good places to sniff – even though Road Atlanta swears they don’t allow dogs, I can sniff out a fellow member of the clan in no time at all.

Qualifying took place on Friday and then we went to the Mazda party where they celebrated championship winners in Skip Barber, Formula 2000 and Star Mazda series, all powered by guess who? Mazda, silly people! We felt right at home after driving around in a Mazda2 last week – it was the same color as Mom’s toenails, fluorescent green. Anyway, the party was neat; I got some cheese under the table and a few veggies to munch on.

I have to tell you, the folks who run the media center at Road Atlanta are really accommodating to a doggie like me. They have a cooler so Mom can keep my food fresh – we arrive so early and leave so late it would be silly to carry it back and forth from the track – and Megan kept my water cup so we didn’t have to make a new one. The water bowl Aunt Cheryl gave us in April sprung a leak so we had to use a cut-down coffee cup. Mom likes to recycle, you know?

On race night, after it was finally all said and done and the darn fireworks were finished scaring me, the winners all came in to say hello and scratch my ears. Uncle Marino Franchitti gave me some special loving – he and his brother Dario are so cool and both of them were winners on Saturday (Dario won the IndyCar Series championship and Marino won his class in LM P2 and was part of the championship-winning Highcroft Racing team).

Then we came home on Sunday. No place like home but what a pain getting here. We couldn’t leave until 3:30PM in the afternoon so Mom fed me late (and I wasn’t terribly interested). We went for some walkies before heading to the airport and then it was time for “last chance” on doing my business.

We were upgraded on the first flight and met a neat lady named Kristen and sat in steerage on the second flight. The guy who was supposed to have the middle seat decided to take over all three seats (he was really big) so when he elbowed Mom she bitched a bit and he moved, leaving us with an open middle seat. Then the flight attendants said it wasn’t permitted for me to sit there, under FAA rules, so I sat on Mom’s lap the rest of the flight. They keep changing those rules by the minute, don’t they?

Anyway, we’re back in Long Beach, where the terribly hot weather we had before leaving for Atlanta has turned cold and rainy. Not sure if I like either one of those but this is definitely better than that.

I’ve attached a couple of photos: one is of me with our friend Carbon Chris and the other is of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (in the rain on Thursday) that got Mom all excited this weekend.

Ciao for now - Leah

No place like home

Well, we’re finally back from Indy and Chicago and what a trip it’s been.

We drove from Joliet to Brownsburg and it seemed to take all day! Mom claimed she wanted to work the MotoGP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the Chicagoland IndyCar Series race - and now that we’ve been through the trip down here together, damn good thing we didn’t go. She would have been SO tired and that’s dangerous.

Mom wrote furiously through Wednesday, with time out for long walks and for trips to Costco and World Market with Deb. We got lots of necessities of life at both places, and even took a side trip to Trader Joe’s for treats for Deb. We love giving her stuff… she’s such a good friend.

We went to the NHRA media luncheon on Wednesday and then Mom swung by Eric Medlen’s grave to talk with him about Karen’s death. While she did cry again, she seemed a lot more at peace after sniffling at Eric’s headstone.

Thursday we did some track time, stopped in at the John Force Racing open house and went to the Oakley dinner at St Elmo’s, where I amazed everyone by staying under the chair until Mom was silly enough to offer me some food. Then I woke up and became a dog again.

We really had a great time talking with car designer Chip Foose, in whose honor the dinner was held. Chip designed some cool new Three Palms lifestyle shoes for Oakley and some new neat Jupiter shades that look great on Mom. Chip even told her so several times during the weekend, as he was the NHRA’s Grand Marshal for the Mac Tools US Nationals.

Friday was my only day at the racetrack, and it started with a tour of Don Schumacher Racing. Seems they’ve got a new machine shop that got Mom all excited. It was so clean I didn’t even get dirty wandering around. I guess racecars have to get built in antiseptic environments.

I kept my Mutt Muffs on for much of the time at the track. The O’Reilly Raceway Park media center is right next to the dragstrip so it does get noisy and lots of vibration comes in. Mom gave me a chew treat, which I almost finished; she put it in the side pocket of her Oakley backpack (she must really like these people’s products, right?) and took it home for me to enjoy later. Unfortunately, she forgot about it but Sierra, the pointer, sure didn’t. She found the treat, ate through the mesh pocket and enjoyed it. Reminds Mom that dogs will be dogs sometimes, even if I’m the best-behaved pooch around.

I stayed with Deb for the balance of the weekend while Mom went to work at the racetrack, talking to people and taking photos. As for me, I got to go everywhere Deb did, because she had my identification and a note from Mom saying it was okay for her to be with me. I don’t know what happened at the track, but I was sure glad to see Mom every night that she came home – and I think she felt the same way. It was a party going on each night!

Finally, on Tuesday it was time to start the long trip home. Mom took two boxes to the post office so she didn’t have to schlep them back and then we drove up to Chicago in some kind of wind. The Mazda CX-9 we were in got buffeted by the gusts but Mom just kept her steady hands on the wheel and listened to music as though nothing was going on.

I keep waking up every time we arrived at a toll station and Mom had to bring the windows down. They sure charge a lot to get around Chicago, don’t they? The Hampton Inn we stayed at was very nice and the room was great with a tall, tall bed for me to jump on. They even had a “pet area” where I guess I was supposed to do my business, but nobody’s ever going to tell me where to go, will they?

The next morning we arrived at the airport, did the silly security thing and spent time in the Admirals Club chatting with people and answering emails. When we got on the plane in first class, some gate agent came to Mom and started admonishing her for not providing a therapist’s letter in order to board the plane with me. Neither one of us understood that idea and finally the woman realized I am not a therapy dog, per se, but a hearing dog. Read my lips, lady!

So here we are, sleeping away in one of our beds back at home. All is right with the world and as they say, there’s no place like home. Tomorrow we’re off to visit Christie because Mom needs some R&R but today we’ll be working all day and playing at Second Saturday tonight. I hope the bands aren’t as loud as they were last time.

Oh, and here’s a photo of Larry Dixon, who won the Top Fuel category at the Mac Tools US Nationals. Mom thinks it’s his turn to win the title this year – I think she got a great shot of him en route to victory at the Big Go.

Ciao for now - Leah

Everything stopped at noon today, Monday August 30th. Mom continues to weep over the loss of her beloved niece Karen Anderson and worry about the strength of her sister Judy Fern. I can sense her bereavement but don’t know whether to lick her face or just stay on the bed.

We traveled to Chicago last Wednesday for the IndyCar Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. I managed to charm the racing world with my good behavior but Mom wasn’t too happy with me when I wouldn’t go potty at the racetrack. I do choose my places, you know?

When she discovered that Karen had died, mid-afternoon on Friday right after IndyCar qualifying, Mom was a mess. She just didn’t know what to do so after finishing her qualifying story, she started trying to get plane tickets to Atlantic City or Philadelphia. Maybe we could get to Margate City by the time of the memorial service on Monday at noon?

That wasn’t possible – none of the airlines had any seats available that could get us from Indy to either city so we were stuck in Indy, where we’ve got to work the NHRA US Nationals this coming weekend.

Mom has been devastated by this death; not even Father Phil de Rea’s counsel could cheer her up. It’s not fun to see her like this; are all humans this hurt by death? We dogs pretty much take it in stride and move on. Even when we get emotionally attached.

It’s just past that time now on Monday afternoon and Mom celebrated Karen’s life alone at Debbie’s house in Brownsburg, with only me, Hector and Sierra to keep her company. She said the Jewish prayers for the dead and cried some more. Then she kicked us out into the yard to all three of us would get out of her hair for a few minutes and do our business.

I feel very sad for Mom having lost her most favorite next-generation relative. I’ll try and find a way to cheer her up this afternoon if I possible can.

Thanks for reading this – hope you’ll say some prayers for Karen’s survivors: her mother Judy, her husband Bob, children Alex and Amy and brother Gary.

Love, a rather sad Leah

(oh, and I've included a pic of me on the pit walk before the race)

A moving experience

We’ve moved.

And that was a trauma unto itself. I know Mom had left me alone to go look at property a few times over the last few months with that promising, “I’ll be right back, sweetie-pie” she always gives me when she is gone for a little bit.

But how and why we moved is really the point here.

We’ve been in a tiny apartment since we became partners back in November of 2009. It was kind of like two shoeboxes separated by a walk-through kitchen. It didn’t look like we had a lot of stuff because there was a lot of storage. In fact, Mom’s friend Sylvi remarked, after the move was complete, “You have a lot more stuff than I thought, Annie!”

After she got back from Le Mans in mid-June, Mom started one of those regimens that included lots of walks for me, and lots of work for her. She kept typing while listening to her headphones and then writing, writing, writing on the computer. Those were totally boring days for me, only broken up by the walks that made it all worthwhile for me. She said she sent off five stories and over 100 images from her trip to France. After watching what went on in that little place, I’m inclined to believe it.

Before we could move, there was lots of screaming and nasty emails back and forth between the bankers and Mom, who still has some hair! Isn’t that amazing? And before we could move we had to have therapy – that meant going to a couple of races before it all took place.

We did the Sonoma NHRA race (now that was an awful drive back and forth – but at least we got to stay at Carey’s place where there’s lots of interesting smells and a weird cat named Waffle. We went to Denver the following week for another drag race, where I got to meet Barbara and Sky one night and Joy and Doug the night after the race. All of Mom’s friends are so cool. They love to spend time with her and they love to have wine with her.

It was very hot in Denver and I didn’t like that too much. But I kept forgetting to drink water so I guess any heat problems are my own fault.

The Tuesday after we got back from Denver, the thrash began. Mom started taking stuff out on a dolly and Sylvi soon came to join her. By Thursday there were two guys – David Hahs and Jim Bennett – doing the heavy lifting and by Thursday night we were sleeping in our new home, amidst boxes and detritus like you can’t believe!

By that Thursday night the refrigerator was installed, the floor was mostly done (the kitchen floor will likely be an ongoing trauma, as will the kitchen cabinets, which were not installed to Mom’s satisfaction – and still aren’t).

I wasn’t sure about this new home. The first couple of nights there were lots of loud noises that were different from the old place. I took solace under the bed on top of a soft suitcase and trembled – like the Chihuahua I am. It was difficult, particularly since we used to have carpet I could snarfle on and now all we have are a couple of small oriental rugs and wood floors everywhere else.

But I’m getting used to that and to the different natural light of this place. We get a lot of morning light here, where we had lots of light all day long in the old place. I never got to experience some of the hotter days Mom lived through over there. There is a lot of cross ventilation in our new home and Mom loves the view of the Villa Riviera from her bed.

We own this place now – well, we do with the mortgage holder. I think I’m on the trust deed, or was that just a Mom joke?

To help me feel comfortable, Mom has kept the bed the former owners left behind (I wonder how Lilly is doing without it?) and covered it with blankets and towels so I can find my right spot. I love to dig into all of it and play with my little toy that John and Laurie gave me. It makes Mom so happy to see me play with toys because she likes them so much.

I’m writing this from Sonoma where we’ve driven again, this time for the IndyCar Series race. It’s not as noisy as the dragsters but the droning sure is annoying for me. I don’t know why Mom keeps putting those Mutt Muffs on me because all I want to do is shake ‘em off! She leaves me in the media center more often than not so I don’t get too much of the noise, but they’ve put us right next to the window so it doesn’t matter – it’s noisy!

We’ve got another big run back to the LBC tomorrow evening and then we head for Chicago on Wednesday – we’re just as busy as can be!

Oh, and I've included a photo of the view from the bed, taken through a rather dirty window at dusk

Dear Leah

Dear Leah:

Leaving you at John & Laurie’s home was one of the most difficult things I’ve done over the past few years. After more than six months of being your partner, 24/7, we’ve become (well, in my opinion anyway) as tight as a human/animal duo can get.

The two airplanes rides I kept wishing you were straddling my lap so we could both sleep well. The first trip lasted almost four hours (kind of like the one we took home on Tuesday afternoon) and the second nearly eight hours. Your company would have been so nice – but I’m sure you would have wanted to get up, go potty – and there wasn’t anyplace to do that.

When I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris, I missed you even more. I had to wait more than two hours for the train to Le Mans and, had you been with me, we could have taken a nice walk outside the airport – even though the weather wasn’t terribly cooperative.

The ride down to Le Mans – in first class on the train – was so lovely. We could have watched the scenery together, taken another nap and generally passed the time giving one another the love.

Ian [Bamsey, my editor at Race Engine Technology] met me at the train station and we went over to the Sporting Hotel, where I’m staying until the race begins. There are three flights of stairs to the room, which is tiny. The WC is down the hall, as is the shower. Not that you’d care, of course, but the stairs are kind of steep.

We went to Scrutineering after that, in the town hall by the grand cathedral of Le Mans. It was so crowded I would have had to carry you to the media area. People were jostling to see the Peugeot racecars and I nearly got squished myself!

In the media area, there were so many questions about you: people that have met you wanted to know why you’re not here in Le Mans. I had to explain the difficulty of traveling overseas with you and the fact that I’m going to be so busy I couldn’t give you the attention you deserve. But every time I have seen another doggie in this town, my heart dips as I think of you and how much I miss you.

These days have been busy with work during the day and relentless play at night. Ian and I have been trying to deplete France’s supply of wine and failing miserably. But it’s sure helping me sleep at night that is for sure!

Every time the photo of you from Fontana flashes on my screen in the rotating scrum of wallpaper, I just want to stare at it for the five minutes it covers my desktop. We have become such good partners over these months and I miss you so much. (That seems to be the theme of this letter, doesn’t it?)

I’ve been so busy at the racetrack trying to get interviews and people photos in the can so that I can shoot on the track during the 24-hour race. It would have been so difficult for you to work with me during that time, but it seems you’ve been busy yourself, going to car dealerships and to show-and-tell at school with Emma Martinez. I guess you were the star of the show at school and Emma looks so excited in the pictures John sent along.

I’m glad John, Laurie and Emma – not to mention Lilly and ALL the cats – are keeping you busy. And that you’re getting along with all of them, even sleeping with cats? What has the world come to?

Still and all, life without you isn’t nearly as complete as life with you, Leah, and I’m counting the days until we see each other again. Keep that snarky sweatshirt I use for gym nice and warm, smelling like you, until I come back on Monday.

On Friday I had to do lots of interviews because there was no on-track activity. I walked more than 12 miles that day, including to and from the tram and hotel, of course. Your little legs would have been a mess, I am sure! As the week has progressed, even more people have asked for you. You really made a positive impression on the international media at Sebring with your excellent manners.

The race begins Saturday at 3PM (sorry, 1500 hrs) and lasts until the same time on Sunday. I’ll be coming home via Paris (won’t see the city; just the Charles de Gaulle airport) on Monday after spending the final night in a hotel with nice towels, sheets and a comfy bed.

The exhaustion I’m feeling riding the train to the hotel can’t be explained. I was up on Saturday morning at 6AM and got about 3 hours of sleep on the media center floor. It seems to get harder every year. So as much as I’ve missed you and longed for you, it really was the right thing to leave you with the Martinez family.

It sure looked like you were okay with them and took care of everyone around you, even the little girl with the broken ankle who didn’t know she liked dogs until she met you. Leah, you sure are infectious that way. That’s probably one of the many reasons you have this job being my partner.

For that reason and so many more, I can’t wait to have you with me again, my sweet patootie!

Love,
Mom


I've attached some photos of the swarm of people around the Peugeot, the train station, my favorite bar (Mulligan's), the view of my room and from my room too!

Leah goes to summer camp while mom's in France

Mom went to Le Mans, France. I went to John, Laurie & Emma’s place for some R&R. It was like summer camp with a little work thrown in.

Mom left me at the Ark – that’s what she calls it – the night before she left for France to work the Le Mans 24-Hour race. We’d had a few preliminary visits prior to this particular Friday evening and I felt fairly comfortable with Lilly the beagle, but I still wasn’t sure about Sophie and Abby the cats.

The Ark family have a great backyard to pee and poop in and I quickly found “my” spot. They don’t let us out there alone because there are hawks, they said. That’s fine with me because I’m accustomed to having someone watch me do my business. And they clean up my waste with a shovel like immediately. Wow, that’s service.

Anyway, I knew Mom had been upset about something and she’d been packing, but I didn’t see my dinner bowl or any food going into the suitcase. That got me a little out of sorts because suitcases usually mean somebody’s leaving and I want to go everywhere, like I have since last November.

Mom left her grungy Gale Banks zip sweatshirt to remind me of her smell. The first couple nights I was all over it. Well, I sit in the same sweatshirt at home, so it’s really nothing new.

What is new that I’ve developed an attraction with a cat toy. It’s fun to bat around. I haven’t played very much in the last year or so – or maybe forever, who knows – but this has been fun. It’s just a little furry thing, but it’s fun. John thought I just wanted to get to the cats with this thing, but I really like it.

John took me to work with him on Monday. We’d had a fun weekend but it was time to go to work. He sells tires, so we went to a bunch of car dealerships and John had his meetings while I relaxed on the bed/airline blanket Mom left behind for me. We even went to Taco Bell and John let me have some cheese. I just love cheese; so does Mom.

The next day I stayed home with Laurie while John went to work and Emma to school. And I found out that this is really summer camp – I get to chase cats and play with all their toys. And I get to go grocery shopping and put my nose on the floor. We even voted! And then we joined Emma for “show and tell” where Emma used me as the prop. John & Laurie both came to school to explain what I do.

It was fun watching all the kids ditch the building when the big bell rang. I like to run like that too.

These people know how to do summer camp. I was so tired I fell asleep on the couch with Laurie, Lilly and the cats. Please don’t tell. I kicked Lilly off her big red dog bed on the floor and got her a bit upset. Lilly sure talks a lot, unlike me. I just sleep a lot.

On Wednesday we went to dealerships again. Some of them were really nice and I got to sleep in the parts director’s lap at a Cadillac store. That’s part of my job, I guess. We picked up Emma at school later in the day. It sure was fun watching all the kids flying out the door when the bell rang. I don’t like the bell, though.

On Thursday I went traveling with John again to a big tire warehouse. There were a lot of them – so many more than we see at the races – but they weren’t as big as the racing tires. I used my charm to help John get a bigger order from the guys at the warehouse, so he must be happy I’m here. Then we went to school – again – for Emma’s award ceremony and the final day of school before she joins me at summer camp.

The school named me mascot of the week. Wow, what an honor. John had to tell everybody my story again and we got a round of applause. It’s all been fun but I sure miss my sleep next to mom while she works… I love the soothing sound of her keyboard.

Finally it was Friday and still no sign of mom. We stayed at home with Laurie, who was so pleased that Emma pulled straight “A’s” on her report card. It was kind of chilly, even though it’s June, and I was so glad mom left my lightweight pink sweater I got from Amanda for Christmas.

We went to the park with Emma and some of her pals and there was this one little girl who was afraid of dogs. I quickly helped her overcome that fear by falling asleep on her lap. Now she wants a dog just like me and isn’t afraid anymore. (At least I got to do some work). This same girl has a fractured ankle and is in a cast, so spending time with me was just the therapy she needed.

On Saturday we went to the movies and saw a dog movie. Doesn’t that figure?

I kept looking at the door and waiting for mom to show up, and she finally did after dinner on Monday night. I have never been so happy. Neither has she? But we want to keep in touch with John, Laurie & Emma and come over regularly to their house. After all, every working dog needs someplace where they can go and just be a regular ol’ pooch. I have to admit I miss the Ark but I know I’ve got friends who are happy to have me over any time.

Leah goes to Indy

The month of May is dedicated to the Indianapolis 500, and that means we are in Indy until after the 94th Indy 500 is over on Sunday May 30th. We arrived on Wednesday night the 12th and, of course it was a beautiful day on Thursday and most of Friday before the track opened for practice.

No surprise that rain came in around the time the cars went out and it’s been chilly and damp ever since. Mom tells me it’s always like this in Indy – that’s why we send ahead a diverse amount of clothing and rain gear.

I’m not sure about this place. People are always starting engines in the garage area and they have such a funny smell, almost like tequila. My favorite area – aside from the excellent restrooms that line the place – is the drivers’ coach corral, where we can visit my new IndyCar Series friends. We keep running into Chuck, Uncle Dario’s driver, and Waddy, who works with Uncle D’s teammate Scott Dixon. They just give me love like nobody’s business.

I’ve also had a chance to meet Shug, Buttermilk, George and Oscar, who are Uncle D’s (the first two) and Scott & Emma Dixon’s doggies. We’re all getting along really well out there in the coach area. We go out there whenever the track is cold and nobody’s running the engines, so I can get some exercise, amuse the public and do my business. After almost two weeks here, that’s my favorite spot – outside of Debbie’s house.

While we’re here, we stay with Debbie, Hector and Sierra [no], who have a wonderful back yard to romp in. I am so unaccustomed to being able to run and play without a leash on and that’s almost a cheap thrill. The bed at Debbie’s is very, very comfortable for me and she’s got lots of nice blankets for me to use. Mom is talking about getting me a blanket of my own so I can retire the red airline one.

They serve food to the media every day and mom gets me treats from the third floor for later in the afternoon when my blood sugar is down – or that’s the excuse I’m making. At least we’ve got my regular food roll for breakfast and dinnertimes, as well as the eggs and cheese I get mid-afternoon. I’ve discovered I like blueberries. Figure that!

Every day has been a succession of waking up way to early, going to the track, sitting on the floor the media center while Mom works, going to walks and going home way too late in the evening.

Nobody seems to believe that I can sit in this media center throughout the day without having to wander around and/or relieve myself. I guess I’ve just got better manners than any other dog they’ve met? Occasionally I’ll bark at mom so she puts me on her lap when she’s writing. It’s the most comfortable spot in the place for me.

Qualifying weekend was something else – where we’d had cool, icky damp weather leading up, suddenly there was nothing but heat and humidity – and here we are on race day with more of the same.

I knew race day would be something else, but when mom got me up at 4:30 in the morning and that cannon went off at 6 while we were walking to the media center, it was so, so scary!

I mean, it was bad enough some bozos set off firecrackers near Debbie’s last night to scare me; I just wanted to run and run and run when that cannon went off. It’s almost 11 in the morning and I’m still shaking from that! I understand Indy is all about tradition, but seriously now?

Mom’s been walking me all over this morning because when it’s “last chance” it’s really last chance. I don’t like this heat on the asphalt and concrete; it really hurts my paws. But I guess it keeps my mails trimmed a bit more to walk on the stuff. I’ve been panting a lot from the humidity – we don’t have any of that in California.

Even though it’s not legal, I’ve got my own credential for the IZOD IndyCar Series. A friend made it for me and it’s got my name, my picture and looks really, really official. Aunt Kika gave me an IZOD collar (and pad), so we’ve got the hard card hooked up to that. Brian Barnhart, head of the IRL racing division, thinks my credential is really cool. I’m so glad he has a sense of humor. Mom said it’s the first sign she’s seen of one.

I knew this was going to be a big day – we’ve been building up to it for almost three weeks, haven’t we? There are so many people here mom has to carry me around a lot to keep me safe. She doesn’t want anyone to step on me.

The race was SO loud and everybody kept talking in the room. Mom was up and down and all over the place.. It was all I could do to get under the blanket and block it out. I did not want to wear my muffs in the media center; they just aren’t that much fun, you know?

And the good news? Uncle Dario won the race! I got a nice head scratch from him after the press conference – I do attend nearly all of them – and that felt so good. The next morning, mom left me at Debbie’s and went for the daylong photo shoot (she said it seemed like a day but it was only an hour or so).

Lucky Shug and Buttermilk had their pictures taken on the winning car with Uncle Dario and Aunt Ashley – talk about lucky dog sperm! They got to do their thing without wearing leashes too because they’re so good. I do like S&B, along with Arthur and George. They were fun to sniff all month.

Later in the day we drove to Chicago. Not the best time to do that, as some big thunderstorms came through. The first time I heard the thunder I looked at mom wondering what was going to happen next. Then a big boom came and I got on the floor of the car! I shook the rest of the way to Chicago; it was so scary.

We got home last night (Tuesday the 1st of June) and we get to spend some time together until Saturday. I am going to John & Laurie’s house, aka the Ark, while mom goes to Le Mans without me. I know she’s really distraught about that, but we’ll be together again before we know it.

Leah goes racing

In this house, we live to race. It’s what pays for dog food and other essentials of life.

My mom, Anne Proffit, knows that racing is life and everything else is waiting. Except, of course, for the writing work she does that leaves me on the sofa bored beyond tears. I just have to sleep and wait until she says it’s time to go for a walk. Then we race around the blocks here in Long Beach – or wherever we are – until I’m tired again and bereft of pee-pee and/or poo-poo.

Now racing is loud – and this is nothing new I’m telling you. I didn’t know anything about loud until we went to our first NHRA drag racing event, the 50th annual Winternationals in Pomona. We drove out every single day, from Wednesday through Sunday of that weekend. That’s about 100 miles roundtrip.

The week before, we’d taken in the AMA Superbike testing session at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana and tried out the Mutt Muffs that mom’s friend Ray told us about during the PRI show. They are hearing protection meant for dogs that fly with their owners in small planes. They work pretty well for racing, too.

I keep trying to take them off but mom puts them back on. I scratch my ears like crazy once we get someplace quiet again. I really don’t like them but I know they’ll protect my ears so I can continue doing my job and that’s what really matters here, you know?

So, we went to the drag races and the first day mom just held me in the media center while the cars went off on the racetrack. I wore the ear protection so it wasn’t that bad. The second day she left me with Johnny Gray, who drives a Pro Stock car. He’s got a really nice hauler with a dog-perfect lounge. They turned on the television and I waited and waited until mom came back.

We did that for the next two days and it worked out pretty well until it came down to final eliminations and mom needed to go shoot. She left me with her friend Jeannie in the media center but Jeannie didn’t know what to do when I shook off the muffs. I survived; she was embarrassed.

The next week we went back to Auto Club Speedway for the NASCAR race, and I became the first dog ever allowed in the Cup garage. They say that’s something special but I’m not sure. All I know is that I got a lot of hugs and kisses from people, including Tati Papis and her kids. She and mom have been friends for a long time. When Jimmie Johnson won the race, his crew chief Chad Knaus said this was the first time he’d seen a doggie in the press conference. I threatened to ask the first question but kept my trap shut.

Our next race was the Gatornationals in Gainesville, which required my second trip to Florida – the first was last December for the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show. This was an adventure, as we went to visit mom’s friend Steve the first night and then drove through tornado warnings and monumental rain from Melbourne to Gainesville. Heck I slept through it all but mom looked frazzled when we finally stopped for gas and my opportunity to pee.

Gainesville was cool. I got to stay with all kinds of different people during the times when mom went to the line to photograph the cars. I met all sorts of neat people and we had a good time, as usual. From there we went back to Steve’s for a few days and took lots of walks on the beach in between work time for mom. I got to meet some of Steve’s neighbors and we spent time with Linda, another good friend.

Then we went to Sebring for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Nice drive there in the Mercury Milan hybrid we were driving for the duration; it’s got very comfortable seats and I, of course, have my bed and American Airlines blanket, which makes any car seat comfy.

We had to walk up and down a lot of stairs but at least there was plenty of green space outside to go potty. People took lots of pictures of me wearing my hearing protection and we met a bunch of cool people. Everybody was very nice to me but some people didn’t understand that I’m a working girl and made life a bit tough for mom, but our friend Nancy was there to smooth things over.

Nancy watched over me when mom had to go outside and made sure I was comfortable. She has such a nice lap. We stayed with our friend AJ, who wasn’t terribly sure about the arrangement at the start but he came around. They all do.

After the race we went to Orlando and flew home – for three days! Mom really botched those travel plans because before we knew it, we were off to Tampa for the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg. We stayed with Al and Sandee in their beautiful condo and it was so nice. So are they!

When we went to the media lunch the first day, Uncle Dario (Franchitti) offered his coach as a place for me to stay when mom was shooting photos. I got to meet his mom Marina and dad George and they threatened to take me back to Scotland with them. Chuck took great care of me and made sure I was still there when mom came back after each IZOD IndyCar Series session.

Racing is a lot of fun. People take good care of us, and mom works hard to make sure we have plenty of dog food on the table. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I'm Leah

I’m Leah, and sometimes I’m a very tired certified hearing dog. I seem to always be on the move and even though my Mom and I are both quite small (I’m a Chihuahua and she’s less than five feet tall), we always seem to be doing something that requires me to be active.

She writes and photographs stories about motorsports and also reviews new vehicles. Because of the latter job, every week there’s a new car. Some are more comfortable than others for my little blue bed with the red airline blanket that I got on my first trip to Florida.

Sometimes I get lifted into cars; sometimes I jump. I really like to jump and that always surprises my Mom, Anne Proffit. She thinks because I’m just a six-pound buff and white Chihuahua, I can’t jump. Just ask the black Chihuahuas – we jump way higher than they do. I know, you’re thinking some Wesley Snipes line, aren’t you? White Chihuahuas can’t jump?

But anyway, riding in cars with Mom is always interesting. I know she drives a lot slower than she used to before I came to live here, which s most of the time. I think the only fast drives she has these days are when she doesn’t want pointy ears coming out of the dashboard when she photographs clean cars.

Sometimes she’ll forget I’m there and take a corner aggressively. My bed either goes to the central tunnel or to the door. Like that hip-hop song: From the window to the wall. Then she’ll look over with that soft smile and say, “Sorry babe. Don’t know what came over me.”

I’m learning a lot about cars. Quite a few cars have very plush seats and some others just don’t. You can get comfortable with a hard seat but you have to burrow into your bed a bunch. Now the Chrysler 300C, the second car we had after I came to work with Mom in late November last year, that had plush yet supportive seats. Easy to sleep on, for sure.

I really liked the Mercury Milan hybrid we had for a week and a half in Florida, too. Mom never had to shift her seat around much and I was able to sleep through sheets of rain. We couldn’t hear the radio but we got through safe as houses. I had to lick her face a long time when we stopped; that was a tough drive, even for a pro.

We did a lot of driving in that car, going from Orlando to Melbourne to visit Steve, up to Gainesville in that rain (and tornado warnings) for the NHRA race, back down to Steve’s for a couple of days, then off to Sebring for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, then back to Orlando so we could fly home. It’s a great place to sleep.

She really likes the sports cars. When we went to Chicago in mid-January, we picked up a Hyundai Genesis coupe with a 3.8-liter V6. Sure there was some remaining snow on the ground but once Mom got into this car and hit the throttle, I knew it was hold-on time. She enjoyed that one – seats weren’t bad either, even though they were firm. The blanket sure helped.

We took that Genesis down to Indianapolis for the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) annual banquet. Mom’s the western vice president and so we needed to pitch in before it all went down. We stayed with Debbie, Hector (a black Chihuahua) and Sierra, a pointer – also known as “Sierra no!” because she’s always getting into stuff.

Debbie’s got a great house with a built-in bathroom called a yard. We don’t have one of those in Long Beach. We use everybody else’s yards and regularly clean up my poo-poo with bags. We don’t have to do that at Debbie’s but we do have to make sure not to get out of the yard as she’s on a busy street. The space under her back porch is really nice. I like to sniff it out, even in the winter.

The day before the AARWBA banquet, we helped set up the tables at John Force Racing. All the mechanics pitched in to help and I had the best seat in the house. Mom put me on the dais so I could watch everybody else work. It was a nice change from always being on duty. The night of the banquet we tried to find something fancy for me to wear but I ended up with my usual orange vest. It fits, after all. I had my own seat because Debbie had to go to another function. Even got a little chicken to go with my usual dinner. That was cool.

We spent time with our friends Shane and Amy while we were in Indy and even saw Yogi Behr, too. Didn’t drink a lot on this trip – Mom was on such good behavior, especially since they were charging for drinks at the banquet. What’s with that?

To prepare for the racing season, when we got back home Mom took me to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana where the AMA Superbike riders were testing. She took the Mutt Muffs with her to test them for me while we were out on pit road. I don’t like them one bit, but when I shook them off the first time, I realized this was for my own good. I kept trying to scratch my ears when she put the ear protection on me – heck, I still do.

I didn’t mind the sound of the motorcycles but the next weekend, I had to live with the NHRA Full Throttle Series drag racers. But that’s for another time.

My first few weeks

My name is Leah. I’m a Chihuahua – I may be about four and a half years old, but none of my people are really sure.

I was found at the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter by the Sam Simon Foundation, who liked my benign nature and desire to work, so they took me to Malibu and spent five months training to be a certified hearing dog. Actually, my training was completed in a bit less than five months, which makes me a quick learner.

They placed me with Anne Proffit, a journalist and photographer who lives in the tiniest little place in downtown Long Beach – it’s a good thing we’re both really small, you know? Our four days of training went off really well. I did all my jobs, responding to the “hup” sound, the timer, the fire alarm, door knock and the phone. I actually have some problems with the phone, because Anne does not get a lot of phone calls.

But never mind.

Our first week together was kind of placid but then the fun started. Anne – can I call her Mom? – took me to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale the night before Thanksgiving so I could get used to race car sounds. She’s totally into racing of all types. It wasn’t too bad with the USAC Sprints and Midgets; I even met Pancho Carter’s Chihuahua there and went poo-poo together behind the pits.

The next day she took me to Thanksgiving in Laguna Beach. Man, these people do love to party! They drank a lot of wine, ate a lot of food and laughed a lot. We stayed over that night because no way was Mom in any condition to drive home. Me neither! We shared the bed with Christie but she was scared of rolling over on us so she went next door and slept with Robin instead. Bet she finished the bottle of tequila while she was there!

The next week I got subjected to the Los Angeles International Auto Show. We had a guest in town for this event – Carey Russ – and he stayed in our second room on the blow-up bed. It’s fun to have two people to pounce on. Carey nicknamed me “Yoda”, but said I look like a young Yoda, not the old guy in the Star Wars movies.

We rode the Blue Line up and back and we went outside several times so I wouldn’t have any problems in the halls. I walked so much I thought my legs would fall off. They didn’t!
I made lots of new friends at the show, charming them with my stretches. I even calmed Mr Viktor Muller from Spyker Cars, who was just starting to talk with GM about buying Saab. He said the time I sat in his lap (dander notwithstanding) was the best he had at the show. That made me feel good!

After Carey left to go back north, we had a couple of days of peace and quiet. I’m discovering that’s how it goes with Mom. She is either frenetically busy or I’m bored while she works on the computer. But at least she always takes me out for long walks every single day. We usually do between 3-4 miles together, according to her pedometer, so I get enough exercise.

The week after the LA Auto Show, Mom took me on my first trip to Florida for the Performance Racing Industry show. Oh boy, the planes were easy for sleeping and the flight attendants were so nice. They gave me a blanket (I’m still using it with the bed I got at the Foundation) and I can sleep the whole way from LA to Orlando without having to go potty.

(Did I mention that I’m very, very fussy about when, where and how I go potty? When I get off a plane, I don’t just empty my bladder like some mutt. I have to wait until I find just the right spot, even if it takes a couple of hours, and circle several times before I can pee. Even though I am a girl I like to lift a leg. Mom is learning the difference in posture for when I do #1 and when I need to do #2.)

The day before the show started in Orlando, they had a Roundtable and I got to meet Robert Davis, who heads up Mazda Motorsport. He sure knows how to stroke a girl and we get along so well. Whenever we meet up with him now, he always volunteers to take care of me so Mom can go do interviews. How cool is that?

The first morning at the PRI show, we were late because the bus driver didn’t come on time and Mom was ticked. She was supposed to meet friends for breakfast so we were rushing trying to get to the breakfast (I just wanted to have a morsel or two off her plate). Somebody kept calling her name and she didn’t respond – she is deaf after all – so I just stopped and looked toward the sound. She was so shocked and appreciative. It made me feel good!

She dragged me all over the floor – I think there were 1000 exhibits and she had to pick me up occasionally so I wouldn’t get trampled. It was really, really exhausting. Thank goodness she brought my bed everywhere we went so I had a familiar place to rest. Every night we went out and partied. She had a lot of fun with her friends and I got my ears and back rubbed by some very nice people.

The only thing I didn’t like were the karts, although I really liked meeting Tonio Liuzzi. He’s so nice. They made the worst sounds and smoked a lot. Because the noise bothered me, her friend Ray said to get me some Mutt Muffs. She did and we’ll talk about that later.

After the show we went to spend the night with her friend Steve in Melbourne before flying home. He lives on the beach and that was cool. Steve and Mom drank a lot of wine and laughed a lot (but they didn’t make out… I’ve been waiting to see if she ever does) and she was a wee bit hung over when we drove back to the airport the next day.

That was it for traveling, pretty much, but it was fun getting upgraded on the flight back from Orlando. We did go to Christie’s for New Year’s – actually the day afterwards. I really like it at her place in the desert. She’s got one old dog named Scarlett Begonia that everyone calls Lollipop, a cat named Chairman Mao that I can torment and a llama whose name Mom always forgets. There used to be three llamas, but only one remains.

Anyway, it’s so cool to be able to go off-leash out at Christie’s place, except Mom doesn’t let me go out by myself at night. There are coyotes and mountain lions out there and I am a rather small creature after all. I can bark and hold my own with other dogs and Chairman (I just love to scare him) the cat, but don’t think I could survive mountain lions and coyotes on my own.

© 2010 Leah the Certified Hearing Dog