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Post by Gretchen Dolphin on Jun 4, 2008 17:22:45 GMT -5
Lucky recognized Gretchen, and when he saw her, he spy hopped and clicked at her. Gretchen blew her whistle, ready to start the session. She decided to start out with a husbandry session. Gretchen asked Lucky to present his tail fluke. "Good," Gretchen said to Lucky when he presented his tail fluke, blowing her whistle for good behavior.
Gretchen checked all over Lucky's body to make sure he was healthy. Shen then gave Lucky a rubdown for his good behavior and compliance. The rest of the session was spent bonding with Lucky, even though Gretchen and Lucky were close. Lucky would follow Gretchen where ever she went.
Gretchen dove into the water. She slapped her hand on the water to tell Lucky to come to her. Gretchen waved her hands and Lucky waved his pectoral fins. "I love you," Gretchen said to Lucky when she gave Lucky a kiss on the rostrum. She held on to Lucky's pectoral fins and they danced. Lucky pushed Gretchen around the pool. It is amazing how powerful dolphins are, Gretchen thought to herself. Lucky gave Gretchen a dorsal tow, pulling her all around the pool. Gretchen gracefully got out of the water and back onto the floating training dock.
It was close to the end of the session and Gretchen decided to work show behaviors with Lucky. She sent Lucky to do a back flip. Without hesitation, Lucky did his back flip perfectly. Gretchen gave Lucky a reward of fish for doing so well. She then sent Lucky to jump around the pool. Lucky jumped high and nodded his head at the same time. Gretchen clapped while Lucky was jumping. When someone clapped, Lucky would jump higher.
Gretchen asked Lucky to slide out, and Lucky complied her wishes. "You did a good job today," Gretchen told Lucky. The session ended on a positive note. Gretchen was proud of what she accomplished. She was proud to show off how well Lucky performs. "That was fun," Gretchen said to herself.
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Post by Khris Carrie on Jun 5, 2008 17:25:53 GMT -5
Khris sighed as she navigated her way through Dolphin Cove and into the Back Pool Section. With her wet suit still on, her hair up in a messy pony tail and a clipboard in hand, she was looking a little out-of-place. She was on her way to Back Pool A, where she was to observe one of their newest trainers, Gretchen Dolphin.
According to the sheet her Uncle had given her, Gretchen was a thirty-one year old woman from Chicago. She was currently training Lucky, a thirty-four year old, male bottlenose dolphin. Khris had never met her personally, but had heard of her through her Uncle.
She sighed again, hoping this would go over quickly. It wasn't like she didn't like interacting with people -especially those she would be working with- but she would rather have been working or relaxing with Echo.
Khris walked up the stairs to the back pool dock and stayed there, watching the pair work together without being noticed. As Gretchen went through the behaviors and interacted with Lucky, Khris took notes. At the end of the session, she graded Gretchen's training skills and interaction with Lucky on a scale of one to ten. She would pass the sheet up to her Uncle who would review it and then he would observe Gretchen himself.
When Khris was done "grading" Gretchen's training skills and interaction, she made herself apparent on the dock. She walked over to the edge, closest to where Gretchen was swimming. "Hey there!" she said brightly. She then turned to Lucky. "And hello to you mister Lucky-man." She then turned her attention back to Gretchen.
"Hey, I'm Khris Carrie," she explained. "I'm the niece of the owner, Bobby. I work with and train Echo, the baby bottlenose dolphin." She tried to be as friendly and courteous as possible.
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Post by Gretchen Dolphin on Jun 7, 2008 0:01:04 GMT -5
"Hi, I'm Gretchen Dolphin, nice to meet you Khris" Gretchen told Khris. "This is Lucky" Gretchen said, pointing at Lucky who was right in front of her. Lucky clicked at Khris and Gretchen. Gretchen kneeled down deckside and patted Lucky on the head. Lucky let Gretchen pet him without any fish. Gretchen threw buoys and balls into the pool. Lucky loved the enrichment items Gretchen threw in the pool. Lucky swam to where the balls and bouys were in the pool. Lucky dribbled the balls and swam around with a bouy in his mouth. "I enjoy watching him play with the enrichment items I give him" Gretchen told Khris.
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Post by Khris Carrie on Jun 7, 2008 11:09:46 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you too, Gretchen," Khris replied with a sincere smile. She turned to Lucky. "And how could I not know Mr. Lucky?" She smiled as she watched the older male swim out to play with his enrichment items. The nineteen year-old watched as a dolphin who was fifteen years older than her enjoy his basketball and bouy.
"Yeah, watching them play is so much fun," Khris replied to Gretchen. "And usually extremely entertaining." She paused to watch Lucky swim around with the bouy in his mouth. He was such a show off. "But I can't do much with my little Echo, he's only two months old. I mean, I'll bring in a hula-hoop or a plush ball or something, but I'm very tentative about letting him play with harder objects just yet."
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Post by Gretchen Dolphin on Oct 18, 2008 15:59:15 GMT -5
Lucky threw the ball to Gretchen. Gretchen threw the ball back to Lucky. "Echo will grow faster than you know it." Gretchen told Khris. "Dolphin calves grow up so fast. I enjoy watching their progress." Gretchen told Kris "Lucky enjoys his home. It is time for a training session." Gretchen told Khris. "Kris, would you like to assist training Lucky with me? I am training Lucky for the interaction programs offered here. Since Lucky doesn't know you, I am getting him used to interacting with people he doesn't know." Gretchen blew her whistle. Lucky came up to her. Gretchen collected the toys in the pool as Lucky gave them to her.
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Post by Khris Carrie on Oct 18, 2008 17:58:58 GMT -5
OOC: Just to let you know I changed Echo's age to 6 months old.
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BIC: Khris smiled and nodded. "Yep, they grow up so fast! I can't believe my Echo is already 6 months-old." She looked over at Lucky as he swam around. I wonder how big he'll get to be, she thought to herself as she watched him swim. "It's so great that he enjoys it here, and that he didn't mind the move too much."
Khris watched Gretchen get the toys from Lucky and nodded, although it appeared Gretchen couldn't see, since her attention seemed to be on Lucky. "I would love to help you out, Gretchen!" she said enthusiastically. "We need some good dolphins for our interaction program. I hope to train Echo for that when he's older. Maybe in about six months I'll start, he'll be a year by then." She said that last part as more of an out-loud thought, but didn't mind that she said it aloud.
She walked over next to Gretchen. "Your will is my command, oh trainer of Lucky," she said jokingly, though entirely serious. She would not move a muscle without Gretchen's consent. Gretchen knew Lucky, Khris did not. But she was ready to help, always willing to do what was good for the dolphins.
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Post by Gretchen Dolphin on Oct 24, 2008 18:52:46 GMT -5
Lucky is a great interaction dolphin. He loves people. Gretchen went onto the platform in the water. "Khris, wait until I get Lucky situated." Gretchen told Khris. Lucky popped right in front of Gretchen. Gretchen targeted him and gave him fish. "Ok, Khris you can get in the water now next to me." "We're going to do some fun interaction behaviors, such as a pec shake and petting his fluke, and rubbing his side. Are you ready?" Gretchen asked Khris.
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