Leavin' on a ... puppy truck

It's interesting how much more protective of your puppy you get when you have a recall date. His days with us are numbered...

As of right now J-puppy is on the list of Utah dogs heading back for breeder eval in November. Cross your fingers and paws for him. He's such a nice boy. We really hope we get to see some little Joaquin's showing up around the GDB realm, but if not he will be an AMAZING Guide dog.

Back to school... okay- and some brags on J

Class this morning was not amusing for Joaquin.

Fall is coming! I'm excited for the leaves to turn and for it to be a little bit cooler... but I'm still not convinced of the excitement of school starting again. Last week was the first week of school. (only 2 more semesters and a internship!) Joaquin got to start it out right with going to see the kids in K-12 with Lindsey then heading off to higher education with me this week. He's such a great boy and I can honestly say- this dog was born to be a Guide Dog.

Looking back at pictures of him as a baby, besides making me really want a puppy, made me think about how far he's come since he was little. He just turned a year old and has gone from being a silly, wiggly puppy to a mature, grown up dog. No recall date set yet- so we get to enjoy the big guy for at least a few more months. I love it when they get to the stage where you can trust them with pretty much anything. He just got a headcollar last week to get him used to wearing one before he does go back for training- and even that doesn't phase him. He walks perfectly on a loose leash with it on and only rubs it a little when we stand too long (and even then it's super easy to get him to stop)... Okay so he deserves a little bragging every once in a while. His only fault right now is... he thinks he needs to take up too much room when he lays down. I guess I can deal with that...