# Hands-free at the mall, first time



## Josh Keller

For Murph's most recent training session we worked his positioning, cadence and obedience at the local mall, which is pretty busy for the holidays. His performance was excellent so I decided to give him a chance to go hands-free. We navigated through crowds of people, changed our speeds as the flow of people ebbed and flowed and worked his sit stay around screaming kids and all the parents oooing and awwing at him. He even posed pretty for some pictures with some local Officers and security guards. He didn't try to touch a single person and was nonchalant around everyone, even the skeezy methheads showing obvious fear of him. He was attentive and alert, but remained by my side and never tried to investigate on his own. I'm very proud and can't believe its possible to get this type of behavior out of a 5 month old pup. 
So many people ask me who trained him or how I get him to be so calm and it makes you feel proud that he's being recognized for his excellent behavior. His only failure is laying down when I'm having him sit-stay, so we'll have to tighten that up. But man.....so good.


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## Hellish

Great job you are doing with him. And the bond is very evident!


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## Josh Keller

Hellish said:


> Great job you are doing with him. And the bond is very evident!


Thanks so much! He makes the training so easy...


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## Thecowboysgirl

You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?


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## Josh Keller

Thecowboysgirl said:


> You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?


Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.


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## Hineni7

Well you haven't waited too long for SAR if he is only 5mos old.. BUT, SAR is a HUGE demand on time, finances, physical and emotional stamina. Training the dog is actually the easiest part, for as a SAR volunteer we humans have a ton of stuff we have to learn to be mission ready..

All in all, good job with Murphy.. He definitely is rocckin his tacticool gear.


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## Thecowboysgirl

Josh Keller said:


> Thecowboysgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?
> 
> 
> 
> Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.
Click to expand...

I don't have any interest in your medical condition.

I don't know how realistic it is for a dog to simultaneously do two such demanding jobs.


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## Josh Keller

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Josh Keller said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thecowboysgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?
> 
> 
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> Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I don't have any interest in your medical condition.
> 
> I don't know how realistic it is for a dog to simultaneously do two such demanding jobs.
Click to expand...

Fair point. I'm realizing it may be more than we can table for sure. I think it's still worth going through the training though, we can do casual nose work. Just want the pup to be satisfied.


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## Thecowboysgirl

Josh Keller said:


> Fair point. I'm realizing it may be more than we can table for sure. I think it's still worth going through the training though, we can do casual nose work. Just want the pup to be satisfied.


My service dog had hobbies that she enjoyed. SAR is not a hobby though, and it can even be dangerous for the dog and if a disabled person is depending on that dog to be sound, fit and able to respond I don't think it is even fair to ask a dog to be responsible for the safety and well being of their disabled partner AND the safety and wellbeing of whoever may be lost in the woods.

AKC Tracking is a good use of a dog's nose and fun for them to do with much less commitment or risk.


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## Thecowboysgirl

And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog. 

Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?

Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are properly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.


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## Soldes

Most excellent job of raising, caring and providing a solid foundation for this gifted pub. I'm confident and sure, that whatever direction you choose to go with the Murph, you will take every step and measure to assure that he will be able not only to handle it; but to thrive and be successful at it. So far, if he was a human in school, he would be in the gifted program!. At that age, our Red was not even close to be this well behaved and advanced. Kudos to you and your wife, for providing the home and support, that allowed for all his great qualities to be nurtured and developed.:gsdsit:


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## Josh Keller

Thecowboysgirl said:


> And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog.
> 
> Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?
> 
> Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are mayproperly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.


Lol, you just couldn't resist!


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## Josh Keller

Soldes said:


> Most excellent job of raising, caring and providing a solid foundation for this gifted pub. I'm confident and sure, that whatever direction you choose to go with the Murph, you will take every step and measure to assure that he will be able not only to handle it; but to thrive and be successful at it. So far, if he was a human in school, he would be in the gifted program!. At that age, our Red was not even close to be this well behaved and advanced. Kudos to you and your wife, for providing the home and support, that allowed for all his great qualities to be nurtured and developed./forum/images/smilies/gsdsit.gif


Thank you! That's much appreciated!


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## Sabis mom

Josh Keller said:


> For Murph's most recent training session we worked his positioning, cadence and obedience at the local mall, which is pretty busy for the holidays. His performance was excellent so I decided to give him a chance to go hands-free. We navigated through crowds of people, changed our speeds as the flow of people ebbed and flowed and worked his sit stay around screaming kids and all the parents oooing and awwing at him. He even posed pretty for some pictures with some local Officers and security guards. He didn't try to touch a single person and was nonchalant around everyone, even the skeezy methheads showing obvious fear of him. He was attentive and alert, but remained by my side and never tried to investigate on his own. I'm very proud and can't believe its possible to get this type of behavior out of a 5 month old pup.
> So many people ask me who trained him or how I get him to be so calm and it makes you feel proud that he's being recognized for his excellent behavior. His only failure is laying down when I'm having him sit-stay, so we'll have to tighten that up. But man.....so good.


Since we had to routinely patrol through busy malls and areas, I did a lot of work in them with Sabi and she never ceased to amaze me. She was accepting of exuberant children and unconcerned about incidental bumping from passers by. She was also fond of the laying down in a stay, I never bothered about it as long as she stayed but if it bothers you I would get on correcting it before it becomes a habit. 
He is growing into quite the cutie and I like the googles.
We had fun on city buses, Sabs enjoyed the ride and was generally well received. The only problems we ever had out in public stemmed from the fact that she was used for narcotics detection and since her reward was treats and she was a pig, she liked ratting people out. It was generally amusing to watch her walk through a mall or bus and indicate on people. The look of fear on their faces was always worth a chuckle. So if you want some entertainment value added to your walks teach him that.:laugh2:


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## Thecowboysgirl

Josh Keller said:


> Thecowboysgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog.
> 
> Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?
> 
> Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are mayproperly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, you just couldn't resist!
Click to expand...

No. My life has been hugely impacted by this. I don't talk about this stuff for fun, or to bother people.

I talk about it because it matters, laws are changing, attitudes are changing, and every single person who takes a dog out with a service dog patch on needs to be aware.

We have a responsibility to every other service dog team out there


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## Hineni7

Absolutely!! WAY WAY WAY WAY TOO MANY FAKE 'SERVICE DOGS'!!! People feel entitled to call their dog a service dog or service dog in training because he performs a 'service' of making them happy... This is NOT a service!! For people with legit disabilities, to have their dogs attacked by these dogs, or to be refused admission to a place due to ill mannered fake service dogs is UNACCEPTABLE!

I am disabled, my girl has been trained to perform several functions to aid me, however, I do not use her in the public for this because she is a SAR dog first, and while I may have difficulty without her aid, I can manage and have for years... My new pup is being trained as well in case I do have to use one in the future... 

You may be training your pup for yourself or someone else, that is fine, however, just by your tone in your writings I doubt you have had the stress and worry that comes with the having a service dog be attacked, to not be admitted or to be harassed with endless questions, people trying to distract your dog whose sole purpose is to stay focused on you and task, or people taking pictures without permission, etc etc.. This is not to be taken lightly! Thecowboysgirl was not disrespectful, she was bringing up a valuable and timely point and was trying to educate you if you didn't know or were new to a service dog.. The rights of the disabled with service dogs is being challenged constantly due to entitled people taking advantage of a situation... Not cool...


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## Josh Keller

Thanks for the Uber informative and educational posts! ?


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## Hineni7

Thank you for reading it in the tone it was meant (respectful, but firm in the education). Text doesn't always come across well. And as I said earlier, very well done with your training with Murph.. He is a handsome boy!


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## Josh Keller

Hineni7 said:


> Thank you for reading it in the tone it was meant (respectful, but firm in the education). Text doesn't always come across well. And as I said earlier, very well done with your training with Murph.. He is a handsome boy!


No worries! Nobody here is saying anything I'm not well aware of. Even in the non-canine forums (BJJ, MMA, Motorcycles, etc) I participate on the topic of service dogs comes up from time to time and there is a lot of hatred toward them. Not just the fakes ones either, the truth is a lot of people just really hate dogs and don't think they should be in public for any reason. I'm well aware of all the laws, the worries, potential future legislation, etc. That's why I made this Brag post, because my 5 month old pup surrounded by thousands of people, didn't touch or bother a single person. Not one. To me, that was a great accomplishment and maybe the most important thing for a dog who's going to be working in public. This would all be a non-issue for everyone is people stopped trying to take their peacocks and donkeys on planes...

Yes, this is all backed by an actual medical condition and doctor. But, in this town of 100,000 people I've never seen a single working dog, or any other dog, in public the 4 years I've lived here. In fact, even in Home Depot that I shop in quite frequently I've only ever seen two other dogs. Its a complete non-issue here. Yes, dozens of people photograph Murph when we're in public, yes many people ask about him, his training, why we have him, etc. None of it bothers me though, you have to expect having a dog like this in public whether you're in a wheelchair (that is to say an obvious disability) or not is going to get a lot of attention. I mean, he's wearing super cool reflective ski goggles....how could he not get attention? My responsibility to the service dog community is to do everything in my power and spend whatever it takes to ensure he's well-behaved and never causes a commotion, never bothers anyone and represents his breed and job appropriately. 

Ultimately, it would be nice to make a post here without being questioned, second guessed, told I'm doing something wrong, etc. But in the few months I've been here I've accepted that's not going to happen. Regardless, the attention seeking side of my personality simply won't let me not post these pictures of my beautiful GSD so people who can appreciate him can give him a thumbs up.


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## Steve Strom

Rodeo Western Wear. New belt buckle?


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## Josh Keller

Steve Strom said:


> Rodeo Western Wear. New belt buckle?


Man, I already own every buckle they sell there!!


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## Josh Keller

Hey Steve, you would've appreciated my Halloween costume this year....


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## Steve Strom

Did you light your head on fire when the trick or treaters came to the door? Lol.


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## Josh Keller

Steve Strom said:


> Did you light your head on fire when the trick or treaters came to the door? Lol.


Hahaha, no but I did use my Segway to glide up and down the street chasing them to and from the house!


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## Steve Strom

Segway? Did you move there from California or something?


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## Thecowboysgirl

Josh Keller said:


> No worries! Nobody here is saying anything I'm not well aware of. Even in the non-canine forums (BJJ, MMA, Motorcycles, etc) I participate on the topic of service dogs comes up from time to time and there is a lot of hatred toward them. Not just the fakes ones either, the truth is a lot of people just really hate dogs and don't think they should be in public for any reason. I'm well aware of all the laws, the worries, potential future legislation, etc. That's why I made this Brag post, because my 5 month old pup surrounded by thousands of people, didn't touch or bother a single person. Not one. To me, that was a great accomplishment and maybe the most important thing for a dog who's going to be working in public. This would all be a non-issue for everyone is people stopped trying to take their peacocks and donkeys on planes...
> 
> Yes, this is all backed by an actual medical condition and doctor. But, in this town of 100,000 people I've never seen a single working dog, or any other dog, in public the 4 years I've lived here. In fact, even in Home Depot that I shop in quite frequently I've only ever seen two other dogs. Its a complete non-issue here. Yes, dozens of people photograph Murph when we're in public, yes many people ask about him, his training, why we have him, etc. None of it bothers me though, you have to expect having a dog like this in public whether you're in a wheelchair (that is to say an obvious disability) or not is going to get a lot of attention. I mean, he's wearing super cool reflective ski goggles....how could he not get attention? My responsibility to the service dog community is to do everything in my power and spend whatever it takes to ensure he's well-behaved and never causes a commotion, never bothers anyone and represents his breed and job appropriately.
> 
> Ultimately, it would be nice to make a post here without being questioned, second guessed, told I'm doing something wrong, etc. But in the few months I've been here I've accepted that's not going to happen. Regardless, the attention seeking side of my personality simply won't let me not post these pictures of my beautiful GSD so people who can appreciate him can give him a thumbs up.


My impression has been that at least an equally big problem if not the bigger problem is not people who are actually setting out to scam, but people who think they are close enough and not causing any harm (they are) or people who are legitimately ignorant: the dog is actually an emotional support dog and they don't know the difference between an ESA and a SD or understand that one can accompany a disabled person in public and one cannot. None of this is directed specifically at you by the way, just my observations of the service dog issue lately

Closely followed by legions of owner trainers who are sure their unusual and unsuited breed will be the exception to the breed traits and make a great service dog (it won't, and it will likely cause a huge amount of trouble in the process). And sure also the people who want their emotional support alligator on the plane

I'm glad you are training your dog and he is setting a good example. The way you talk about your dog and what you plan to do with it raised some questions in my mind, and if you post stuff like that online anybody is gonna say anything they want. 

I started doing rally with my first SD when she retired because she was depressed. We nearly didn't make it into the ring one time because she alerted and began to perform a task that was not opposite of being able to go into the ring and do our thing there. She is a true working dog and nothing will stand in the way of her doing her job. It's just rally, we lose an entry fee, who cares...but if I had decided to also train her as a SAR dog and I was out trying to save someone else and my issue came up, then what? She has to choose to stop doing one job and do the other...I wouldn't put her in that position. It doesn't make sense. 

So just casually saying yes my service dog will do SAR or whatever... "among other things" doesn't really make sense if it is a legitimate working service dog. If it isn't being trained for you then you're going to get deployed and be called out with the dog and take it away from the person who depends on it to go find someone else? Doesn't really make sense either.

So obviously you know stuff about your situation that I don't know...or maybe these are just things you hadn't considered, who knows?

My next Service dog in training I have done AKC tracking with-- tons of fun and he loves it and is good at it but I do consider what I am asking him to do that might conflict with other things I've trained him to do and need him to do...and if we dont make it out onto the tracking field because of my medical problem then at most I've lost an entry fee, not someone else's safety on the line.

And I compete at obedience with all of them-- that seems to be good training and helps us prepare for public access although I may have to make a request at some point for him to compete with SD gear on 

The service work comes first and I am always prepared and able and willing to give up any competitive endeavor because it conflicts with that.


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## Josh Keller

Steve Strom said:


> Segway? Did you move there from California or something?


Say bro...that's crossing the line!

Actually, I bought two Segways and one electric unicycle specifically to keep Murph exercised. I work full time and teach/train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 8-10x a week and I just don't always have enough energy for a jog. So my wife, son and I go gliding around the neighborhood with the dogs. Its a blast man.


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## MineAreWorkingline

Josh Keller said:


> That's why I made this Brag post, because my 5 month old pup surrounded by thousands of people, *didn't touch or bother a single person.* Not one. To me, that was a great accomplishment and maybe the most important thing for a dog who's going to be working in public. This would all be a non-issue for everyone is people stopped trying to take their peacocks and donkeys on planes...


These are German Shepherds, they are among the most loyal of breeds and really aren't all that interested in strangers even as puppies although some are more social as youngsters. They genetically should be aloof, and that can start at just a few weeks of age or not until later in life. This is expected GSD behavior. it is a part of their written breed standard. They come out of the box like that, no training needed.


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## Steve Strom

> Say bro...that's crossing the line!


Yeah, you're right. I almost said Oklahoma, but the jiu jitsu made me think twice.


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## SuperG

Josh Keller said:


> one electric unicycle specifically to keep Murph exercised.
> 
> 
> Okay......I learned to ride a regular old school unicycle as a kid.......it was a bit of a process......but if your dog is riding a unicycle.....now I will be impressed.
> 
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> SuperG


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## Josh Keller

SuperG said:


> Josh Keller said:
> 
> 
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> one electric unicycle specifically to keep Murph exercised.
> 
> 
> Okay......I learned to ride a regular old school unicycle as a kid.......it was a bit of a process......but if your dog is riding a unicycle.....now I will be impressed.
> 
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> SuperG
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> These are German Shepherds. Since the unicycle was invented in Germany it should come as no surprise that a proper GSD would take right to the unicycle.
> 
> Actually if you haven't seen the electric unicycles they are super cool. I have the Solowheel Glide 3. It goes 20mph and has a range around 20 miles. Very fun little toy!
Click to expand...


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## SuperG

Josh Keller said:


> SuperG said:
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> 
> 
> These are German Shepherds. Since the unicycle was invented in Germany it should come as no surprise that a proper GSD would take right to the unicycle.
> 
> Actually if you haven't seen the electric unicycles they are super cool. I have the Solowheel Glide 3. It goes 20mph and has a range around 20 miles. Very fun little toy!
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> Ohhhhhhh....okay......my mom has one of those......she likes it
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> SuperG
Click to expand...


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## SuperG

I guess I was expecting something like this.......at the least....


If you could get Murph to do this.....it'd be a real attention getter.













SuperG


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## Josh Keller

SuperG said:


> I guess I was expecting something like this.......at the least....
> 
> 
> If you could get Murph to do this.....it'd be a real attention getter.
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> SuperG


Umm... That's amazing. That's exactly what I have, took me 5 days before I even learned to stand on it. How the heck do you teach a dog to do that?!?!


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## RSharpe75

SuperG said:


> Josh Keller said:
> 
> 
> 
> one electric unicycle specifically to keep Murph exercised.
> 
> 
> Okay......I learned to ride a regular old school unicycle as a kid.......it was a bit of a process......but if your dog is riding a unicycle.....now I will be impressed.
> 
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> SuperG
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> You learned to ride a unicycle at school? Was it clown school?
Click to expand...


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## SuperG

RSharpe75 said:


> SuperG said:
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> You learned to ride a unicycle at school? Was it clown school?
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> It should have been......cuz I learned to juggle while riding the unicycle......never did have the giant shoes however.......
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> SuperG
Click to expand...


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## konathegsd

I love the tan colored Rex specs. Gonna be getting some of those to match his other tan tactical gear.


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