Dog bones = worse than legos

The thing about having a perpetuate puppy in the house is that there are ALWAYS toys on the floor.

I pick them up, puppy pulls them out. (Not like I would rather him chew on something else... Please chew on the toys.)

Last night was not the first time I've stepped on a bone, but it was the first time I started bleeding from stepping on a bone. You'd be surprised how much a little knick bled.

Graduation

I know... I know... It's taken me forever! Mostly because I don't like uploading a million pictures all at once. (I'm sure you couldn't tell by how many pictures I sometimes bombard you all with.) So... here's the story:

Saturday morning we woke up, grabbed some breakfast at Black Bear (best OJ EVER!), and went to Saturday Market. Saturday Market is basically one of my favorite places in the world and screams "Portland" to me... I knew we only had a short time so we got there right as it opened and walked around for a minute. We had to leave by 11 to get to Boring by 11:30- unfortunately I didn't factor in that I had to take King to the Kennel Kitchen to be boarded. By the time we got there, raisers were already in the dorms so we dropped Erica off and ran to drop off King. By the time we got back to the dorms, Sharon and Placer had already made their way to the common room and had found Erica. He was excited to see everyone... I'm pretty sure he was the most excited to see my husband (which is funny because he was definitely my dog.) This is probably one of my most favorite part of puppy raising:

Placer seems excited to see us again

He can't decide who to say hi to next.

Placer's happy to be graduating...

Erica (my fantastic co-raiser) and Place

 He seems a little bigger, fluffier, and a little darker now- it could be because King is small, white, and has short hair. The rest of the day went really fast. We gave him his "Man Toy" from when he was a puppy. (If you're familiar with the Boo Boo Bear Protocol, Placer used a Boo Boo Bear for about a month- only we felt like that didn't sound manly enough, so he had a "Man Toy"- a Fleece rope with tractors on it.) Once we gave him that, he was much more interested in reuniting with it than us. We also gave Sharon a "Golden Survival Kit" as he is her first golden. She mentioned on the phone how different he is that her previous lab- so we have her a pocket lint roller, some HandiWipes (in case he gets something in his fur), and some hand sanitizer (for the golden drool).

After graduation was over we were able to take Sharon out for dinner at the traditional Oliver Garden. It was so great to see what a fantastic Guide Dog team they are and hear more about what he will be doing.
Again, it reminded me of what a great job GDB does at matching these dogs...

It was such a great trip and fun to see Placer again... even if it was completely exhausting for everyone. King was definitely ready to come home by the end...

Erica and King sleep on the backseat on the way home...

King learns to swim

Okay... So its not really swimming, but if you knew this guy's dad, it basically is. That dog wouldn't tough water with his paws for anything... This is really good. King even kind of likes it a little. He was super thoughtful the whole time. Trying to figure out why I was allowing him to step in the giant water bowl- and why I kept throwing his toys into the water when he had to snorkle them out. It was pretty funny.

Hey Jude

It was Judith's birthday yesterday. I can't believe she's 12 years old now! She still acts like she's 5 most days. We feel so lucky that she got to come live with us for the last almost-year.

In the last year, we have gotten "reacquainted" with the sweet black lab that stole our hearts 12 years ago. She's gotten quite a few new nicknames, and a few old ones have resurfaced ("Hey Jude" being a recent nickname, just try not to break out in song.) She's learned that while she is only allowed on the couch when she is invited, really she can't let an empty couch stay empty while we aren't home. She's also figured out all my hiding spots when playing "Hide and Go Seek" (Her VERY favorite game).

We love her happy wagging tail that greets us every time we walk in the door.

We love how excited she gets when she gets to go on a car ride, and how she fools people at puppy class into thinking she's a little old lady that doesn't ever wake up.

We love how when you get close enough to pet her she rolls right over for a belly rub... and if you stop she will "gently" remind you with her paw.

We love how if you aren't giving her enough attention, she will remind you and nudge her nose onto your lap.

 I got an email from Judith's person, Ruth yesterday. It was so sweet and possibly made me get a little teary eyed- okay, A LOT teary eyed. I feel so blessed to have gotten to know Ruth over the last 10 years. This is one of the reasons I raise... not only does GDB give a blind person independence, but they change so many other lives- Mine included. Thank you GDB for doing such a great job, and this is an example of how you are changing lives:

Dear Judith    

Today is a special day for you as it is your 12th birthday.  You have been a special dog all your life.  First you learned your obedience and socialization from Mickelle and she sure did a good job.  Then you went back to GDB to learn to be a guide.  You did so well they chose you to be a breeder which is the best of the best and they sent you down to San Rafael.  But you must have decided you didn't want to be a breeder so never did come in heat again.  When you were about 2 years old they sent you back to the Oregon campus to be a guide.  A month later I was ready to graduate and they chose you for me.  It was love at first site.  We worked as a team for 9 fabulous years and then it was time for you to retire. 

I had to go back to the Oregon Campas to train for a new puppy.  I brought home another little black lab named Kalissa, but I called her Lissa.  I tried so very hard to keep both of you but it was more that I could do.  So I had to make the hard decision to let you go.  I was so happy when Mickelle wrote to me and said she wanted you back.  It would be full circle, you began and would have your retirement years with your puppy raiser.  What a blessing for you and for me too to know you would be with someone who loved you as much as I did. 

Now you have been with Mickelle for one year and you are 12 years old now.  Mickelle tells me you are doing wonderful and that you are assisting her as an assistant puppy raiser.  What a full and complete life you have lived as a GDB puppy, as a guide and now a retired lady still doing your job well. 

You were my heart dog, Judith, and you will always be in my heart forever. 

I love you precious Judith,

Ruth and my little Lissa

We sure love this special, sweet little black lab.

A friend said that this is Judith's "come hither" look.

Driving home

Graduation was great.

Seeing friends and family in Portland and Seattle was great.

And now the trip home.

King looks just about how we feel right now (sorry for the quality)... Only a few hours until we are home in our own bed.

Visitor

Here's Kai.

Another one of our visiting club dogs.

He's a 13ish-month-old cross and very sweet. He is slightly immature, but you can only expect that with half of him being golden retriever. ;) One more day with this guy and yea back home, and Judith will enjoy a little break until we get back from graduation and King comes home.

Planning

Yesterday we got the offical email.

The Goldog gets to be known as "Team Sharon and Placer" from Shawmut, MT. It's only 9ish hours from here... Not too bad, right?

Planning this trip is kind of crazy. It sounds like we will be caravanning (is that a word??) up there with another raiser who will give my co-raiser a ride back to Utah while Rick and I do the tourist thing in Portland and Seattle.

It will be fun... Although I'm sure King will be EXHAUSTED by the end.

We can't wait though!

The Call...

We got it.

The Call. 

Today was dog day in Oregon and some lucky person got told they were getting a Male Golden Retriever named "Placer".

I hope they already know how special Placer is- and he's shown them his stuff!

April 27th!

Congratulations and Good Luck to the new teams! We are crossing our fingers they all do well!

Vinnie

It's taken almost a year to be able to write this post. Everytime I think about writing it... I can't.

Last October my mom called me and said she didn't think Vinnie was going to be around much longer. He'd had diabetes for about and year and been doing great but the last few weeks had been having seizures about once a week. For a while everytime she thought he was done, the next day he would wake up as happy, normal Vinnie. During that time, I went over to visit him as much as possible and treated it like the last time I might see him... Just in case.

This day was a little different. He had started seizing at about 1 am and they kept going throughout the day, every few hours. He wasn't getting up, and he was ready to go. I was able to go over, pay down next to him, and give him one last pep talk... Tell him to save me a place near his house. Where he is, I want to be. (Augh! 6 months later and this story still makes me cry!) 

Dr. Summers has been his vet since the beginning and is basically the best. When we brought him in, she layed on the floor with him and cried. We gave him one more hug and said one more goodbye. I never thought I would have to do this... My big yellow lab was supposed to live forever. He knew it was time though and he told us.

Resisting the puppy face

Over the last several months, King has learned how to stay home in the crate while Rick and I are at work. (When I have students to work with in the classroom, King doesn't get to go to work.) Lucky for him, this is soon coming to an end... Classes end officially next week, and then the dreaded Finals Week. After that King gets to start being the office dog again. He is probably one of the "clingiest" puppies I've had, so I'm sure he will love getting to be with me most days. Sometimes that quality drives me crazy, but Marnie loves it because she always knows exactly where he is: right at her feet. He loves to follow me around the house and if I stop somewhere for longer than 30 seconds, he's as close as he can possibly get to me, without getting right in my skin...
...And sometimes when he does this, it's so hard to resist not letting him up on the couch. Don't worry, we always reluctantly resist. (I pushed him off after I took the picture.) Are you sure you're not part golden, King?

Thursday updates

Pilgrim was pulled out of class :( He still has hopes to graduate as a guide. Maybe he just felt bad leaving his siblings behind. He rejoined Placer and Primrose in phase 8, while Pryor was placed in class in San Rafael!

Keep going P dogs! You can do it!
Class starts next Monday. Crossing fingers and paws their new partners come along soon!

In other news, King is doing very well on getting over his body sensitivity issue. He doesn't fight so much and gets out of the car willingly now! Yay!

Here's hoping for another week of positive things happening with the pups!

Thursday again

Another Thursday and another report...

Placer is still hanging out in phase 8 along with Primrose.
And Pryor is in phase 7 still.
And..
Pilgrim is in class!! (Way to show your siblings how its done!) Congrats to him, his new handler, and his raisers :)

It's kind of funny, sometimes I feel so superstitious when I have a dog in training. I worry that looking at graduation dates too early or looking at the report too much will cause a CC or something. According to my superstition... I think I might have jinxed myself this week.

I have a friend that is moving to Portland and couldn't fit all her stuff in her car so I told her I was planning on going for a guide dog graduation up there soon and could probably take a few boxes. I told her I didn't know when, but she could pack 2 or 3 small boxes that she wouldn't need immediately and I would get it up to her in the next few months. Way to go, Mickelle... We will just cross our fingers, throw some salt over our shoulder, and say a little prayer for Placer ;)

Old school

Don't worry guys, I'm not rebelling. There is a reason we have an old puppy coat on little King.

At 8-months-old, King has decided that his life is scary. He would rather not wear his puppy coat or get out of the car when we go places. So, to remedy one of these issues, our CFR has recommended he an old style puppy coat around the house for body sensitivity. (If we go out he still has to wear his regular uniform.) He seems to really not mind it at all... In fact, I think he minds it less than his smaller, regular puppy coat. He will now put his head through both coats if I have food on the other side of the neck hole. Yay!

He also seems to be doing a little better at getting out of the car. We've been using some good suggestions from our CFR and it's definitely bend helping. It used to take about 15 min to get him out (without forcing) and when we went to puppy class the other day it only took about 7 or 8. Little victories... Little victories. Needless to say, we do socializations just for him instead of doing something we need to do and he just happens to come along.

Hopefully, this is just a temporary thing. King is a very sweet boy and I think will make a great guide dog for someone. We sure love him!

Today's the day...

Today's the day we tackle the backyard.

You know how all winter it's basically impossible to clean up the yard because of the ridiculous amounts of snow?

Yeah, worst day ever is when it comes time to clean all that up after the snow melts.

Wish us luck...

Go "P" Dogs

Now starts the weeks of waiting for class. I'm fine waiting for class... although every time I hear about a dog getting CC'ed from phase 8, I have a mini-freak out. I feel like there should be like phase 8.5 or a "Class Ready" next to a dogs name that shows the dog has passed all tests and is clear on health- just waiting for a match... and maybe I'm asking too much.

This week Palm has disappeared from the reports. Does anyone know what happened to her?

So... we have all in phase 8: Pilgrim, Placer, and Primrose
and in phase 7: Pryor.

If all 4 graduate, that's pretty good for a golden litter of 10. Cross your fingers for them!

Here's to at least another few weeks of waiting... next class starts the 18th.

Puppy swap

This is Lotus. He's a very large 11-month-old male yellow lab. Sweet little King went to Lotus' house for the weekend, while Lotus gets to play here.

Judith is not fond of this arrangement. Lotus is a *very* intact male and doesn't quite understand that Judi isn't that kind of girl...
We have made some progress with Lotus, but I think Judith will appreciative King much more now.

Puppy-in-training vs. Retired

This is a day in the life of King: 

Getting comfortable at the hockey game

Watching the game seemed like more fun...

Waiting by the dressing rooms while shopping

Shopping at Scheels

Riding the train home...

A day in the life of Judith:

Sleep

A walk around neighborhood with 5-year-old, Aunt Ali

Life is good...

Phase 8!

Whew! Good boy, Placer! You did it!

Now you just have to finish up your final testing and wait for your perfect match!
I'm so proud of him and how well he has done... I can't wait to see him again- hopefully in the near future at graduation!

Good job, Goldog!

Other P pups:
Pacer CC'ed for "Wet Mouth" (Drooling)
Palm 1
Pilgrim 8
Placer 8
Primrose 8
Pryor 7

Phase 7

Phase Report day!

Scrolling down the list of P goldens:

Pacer 3
Palm 0
Pilgrim 8
Placer 7
Primrose 8
Pryor 6

These "P" dogs are rocking it at GDB!

Only one more phase left until Place is ready to meet his new partner. We are cheering for him! Here's hoping he doesn't have to wait much longer!

King of the bed

Sometimes King has his bossy-pants on.

Usually when it comes to the dog bed, he's got them on. It's a little funny actually because he hasn't done anything except try to scoot onto the bed while Judith was already laying on it.

He acts like he's willing to share, but Judith definitely is not so she gets up and moves to her blanket on the other side of the room.

Last night as I was observing them, I noticed that King no longer has to "try to share" he just walks up tp the bed, sniffs Judith, she does her little "Go Away"growl and he will sit and stare at her. After about a minute of staring she will get up and walk away to her blanket and King will happily take his "rightful" place in the middle of the dog bed.

No wonder Judith likes it when he's not around...