It's OFFICIAL!

He did it!!

Partner is officially a breeder for Guide Dogs for the Blind!

We can't be Partner's Breeder Custodians because Guide Dogs will call and need him down at the campus to be bred to an in-season female at a moment's notice and we are simply too far away for it to work.

Right now GDB is looking for the perfect, loving family for him where he will live as a pet (A well behaved pet). It is his new family's job to take him to his "dates". 

Once they find him a new family he will get a graduation date! At his graduation instead of presenting him to his visually impaired handler, I will be presenting him to his new family.

I have had a few people ask me if I was disappointed that Partner is going to be a breeder and not a Guide Dog.

The answer? 

I am THRILLED!

Although Partner won't go on to help a blind person directly, he is capable of producing hundreds of offspring! His puppies will go on to become guide dogs or even breeders. Indirectly, he will be helping countless people!

Very few male breeders are chosen each year and it is not only a huge honor that he was chosen but also a testament for what a rock-solid dog he is!

So what now?

Now I wait... 

Partner will hopefully be bred sooner rather than later and 4 months after he is bred I will be picking up my very first grandpuppy!

Until then...

Meet Kingston:

I have this guy 3 days a week to try and get him through some issues. So far so good! He's doing great and I'm having a blast! 

Recall, Breeder Evals and Waiting...

So, 3 weeks ago, I sent Partner back to San Rafael.

Since then... 

I have heard that he has been pulled for breeding pending his final medical exams!

This is great and hopefully means that he has passed all of his behavior tests and they are just waiting on the more extreme physical tests before passing him as a breeder.

Unfortunately... 

It will most likely be weeks before we hear anything more.

Oh well, no news is good news for now and I am crossing my fingers that he passes these last few tests because I am dying to raise one of his puppies!

Until then...

Puppy sitting!

Lots and lots of puppy sitting! So far, since Partner's recall I have gone only about 2 full days without a dog! It has been awesome working with some of the other dogs in our group and it's great to have something to keep me busy while I am waiting to hear about Partner.

Taos

Krista

Kingston

Recalled

The other day I received the news that Partner will be leaving me on July 21st.

I am going to miss him so much but I am really excited to see where he ends up! He is still unaltered and will go down as a potential breeder.  Because of this, I am waiting on getting my next puppy until I know for sure what he will be doing. If he does make it as breeder I am going to wait for one of his puppies! 

No matter what he ends up doing with his life, I know that someone is going to love him to pieces! He is SUCH a lovebug. 

FINALLY!

I'm so bummed with myself that I haven't kept this blog up! It has just seemed like so much work- but really, how long does it take to type a few sentences and post a few pictures?

Well... I am Finally posting! Yay!

And for good reason:

Carrie is in class!!!

Tuesday night on my way home from work I got a phone call! It was my Guide Dog group leader letting me know that Carrie has finally found a match and will be graduating on November 17th!

I am so incredibly proud of her! After 2 months sitting in phase 8, Carrie has finally found a match!

Phase Report...!

An exciting number appeared next to Carrie's name on the Phase Report this week!

Carrie is in Phase 8!!

Yay!!!

I'm so very proud of my pretty little girl!

Phase 8 means that she is going through all of her final testing to determine if the trainers think she will make a  safe and efficient guide.  If she passes these tests, she will be matched with her new handler. They will be "In Class" together for 2-3 weeks where they will learn how to work together as a team.

Good job Carrie! And good luck on your tests! Be good!

Carrie's Littermates:

Cameo, as it turns out, will not become a breeder. She was just NOT interested in the whole business behind that haha.  She will be spayed and placed into a string.

Cavalia is in Phase 4

Chip is in Phase 7

As far as I have heard, Cammie has been pulled for breeder

Group's Puppies:

Loomis has moved into Phase 1!

Spruce has still not shown up on the report. We're not really sure what's taking so long for him to be neutered and placed into phase 0... Hopefully he will be on the report next week!

Partner's First Week of College

I was one proud Mamma last week! 

Partner made it through his first week of college classes!

He did incredibly well! 

He slept through all of my classes and had no trouble hopping up and going to the next one with a simple "Partner, let's go"

There were a few incidents where he was a little... errr... gassy 

Haha.

I have to choose my seating with that in mind-which I haven't had to do for a puppy before.  I have never noticed this about Partner previously so I am hoping that it was just the changes that caused it and it goes away for next week.

Other than that he was so super good! He likes school and trots around campus smiling at everyone we pass.  

I must say, I am pleasantly surprised by the difference in maturity level of the college students.  In High School I was used to getting several inappropriate jokes directed at the dogs on a daily basis but haven't received any so far.

 I got several compliments on how well-behaved he is and my teachers all like him

I can't wait to take him back next week!  

Good Boy Buddy!

**Carrie Update**

Carrie is still in phase 7 this week.  Again, I'm not sure if this is her trainer failing to update Carrie's paperwork (for the zillionth time) or if it is something that Carrie needs to work on that is keeping her in the phases.

Hopefully if it is something she needs to work on she can get through it! 

So hard not hearing about them...

Love you girly.

Ventana and Ruby Graduate!

Today, two of our group's puppies graduated as working guides at Guide Dogs' San Rafael campus!

Ventana and Ruby are both now official guides and will both be staying in California.

Graduates lined up

Ventana's head in the front right corner

It was a great day for a graduation- not too hot which is always nice.  Unfortunately, GDB is redoing their dorms and graduation stage so this graduation was set up in a relatively tight area.  It was very hard to see and I was unable to get any pictures during the actual ceremony (Except a few of Partner).

Handsome Partner

After the ceremony, it was totally chaotic with so many people in such a tight space so I was only able to catch one quick (and not very good) picture of Ventana. 

Ventana in her GDB harness

I couldn't even find Ruby!

But Partner did get some pets and loves in by a whole bunch of people. It always surprises me how calm he is when people greet him.

A group of people surrounding Partner 

Rough Pets

Good luck in your new homes girls! And congratulations to your new handlers!

Top 2 pictures borrowed from Stanislaus County puppy raisers :)

Phase Report!

I wanted to share the good news with you all that this week Carrie has jumped to phase 7! 

I'm so so glad that she has finally moved out of phase 5! Hopefully either she worked through whatever was keeping her there or, as Ashley said, it is possible that her trainer has just been behind on her paperwork.

Carrie's sister Cavalia is in Phase 2

Her brother Chip is in phase 5

As for the rest of our club:

Loomis:

Was removed from breeder evaluations due to a littermate having a luxating patella. 

He has been altered and transferred to the Oregon campus.

He is in Phase 0.

Cameo:

Carrie's sister Cameo has been pulled for breeder! Yay! 

Their other sister Cammie has been pulled for breeder as well!

Spruce:

Spruce was removed from breeder watch due to 2 of his siblings being diagnosed with some form of dysplasia. He will be altered and placed into phase 0.

Ventana and Ruby are both graduating this weekend!

I am hopeful I will be able to attend- If I do, I will be sure to take pictures and post about how Partner does!

Bad, Bad Blogger!

I want to take a moment to apologize for the lack of updates to my poor blog! 

I really have no excuse other than laziness but with school starting on Monday, I am hoping that I will be able to get back into a routine.

I'm not really going to try to play catch up- Partner and I have been SO extremely busy that there would be endless posts!

All I will say is that Partner has been dragged with me everywhere and has handled everything extremely well! 

He is over 5 months old now and I am beginning to expect more from him. He will begin college classes with me soon (I don't think I will take him the first few days just so I can give my teachers a heads-up  that a dog will be coming to class) and has already been to a high school class with my sister! I was told that he did very well and slept the whole time (2 hrs) so hopefully he will behave himself in my classes!

Miss Carrie has been moving through her phases at an awkward and frustrating pace!

Generally, the dogs are in each phase for a week. 

My silly girl, decided that she would stay in phase 2 for 3 weeks and then jump all the way to phase 5! Now she has been stuck in 5 for 3 weeks! Ugh! Haha. 

Hopefully this Thursday, there will be a higher number on her report and whatever is keeping her in phase 5 is something she can work through!

Thanks for reading! 

Crossing my fingers hoping I will remember to blog more often!

Phase Report!

This week Carrie is in phase 2!

By now, Carrie should have, for the most part, adjusted to life in the kennels.  She should be used to wearing and working in the harness.  The instructors are going to begin to allow her to make her own decisions when it comes to her guide work and correct any mistakes she makes.

They will begin to increase the difficulty of her distraction work and continue her pattern training!

Groups Dogs:
Bev is in phase 8!
Bradyen is in phase 8!
Ruby is in phase 5

Ventana is in phase 5!
Loomis will be recalled next weekend and is going in for breeder evals!

Cameo will be recalled next weekend and is going in for breeder evals!

Updates!

Wow, I have fallen soo behind on my blog! 

A quick update on what we have been doing:
Partner is getting big!

At his vet appointment on Friday he weighed 30lbs! He has officially had all of his shots!

On Saturday we attended the Jelly Belly Fun Day hosted by the Solano County puppy raisers! Partner did amazingly well considering he was the youngest puppy there! (Pups under 20 weeks needed CFR approval- Partner is 16 weeks but we were able to get approved just before the outing).

Partner at Jelly Belly

I am really impressed with this puppy! So far, he seems to have the ability to relax on outings while still being able to get up and go when its time. 

He has already been to the movies, monster mini golf, regular mini golf, and bowling (Along with less stressful outings such as the grocery store etc.) I usually try to wait when it comes to such exciting socializations but Partner has handled everything that comes at him in stride so far! He hasn't appeared at all stressed out by what we are doing. I always make sure that we will be able to leave an outing if it becomes too much for him but so far I haven't had to.

I have heard that Goldens are often the opposite of labs- They start off super easy and can develop issues later on. I am trying to expose Partner to as much as possible in a positive way in the hopes that these issues don't come up later on. I guess only time will tell if this is the right approach or not.

The one thing we are really working on right now is separation. Partner does not like to be left alone for very long! He is fine on a tie-down, in a crate or in an X-Pen while you are in his line of sight but the moment you leave the little brat comes out! He starts barking and crying and he has a long attention span!

It is so hard to put him in a cage and then listen to him cry forever! 

Oh well. Just one of the many things puppy raisers have to do in order to raise a well behaved doggy!

Now for a Carrie update...

Carrie is officially in phase 1 of her training! 

They learn a ton in phase one!

She is learning:

Clicker training

Formal obedience

Body handling acceptance

How to wear a harness

How to use a treadmill

How to focus around distractions

Pattern training

How to stop at curbs

Food refusal

How to back up

How to load in and out of the van for socialization

Wow! She must be a busy girl! I know that she is having the time of her life right now! 

Carrie has always loved to learn and I felt a little bad because, as puppy raisers we aren't supposed to teach any tricks. Carrie had to watch the Diabetic Alert Dogs learning new and exciting things and you could just see her thinking that she wanted to learn too. Now she gets to and I'm so happy for her! Hopefully she is behaving!

I also got an update from Emily telling me that she knows someone who saw her a while ago! They said that she had a roommate (Something I was thrilled to hear because I know they don't all get one) and that she looked super happy!

Group's puppies:

Brayden is in phase 8

Bev is in phase 8

Ventana is in phase 4

Ruby is in phase 4

Phase report!

Carrie is still in phase 0!

Phase 0 is usually the longest phase for the dogs and can last for a few weeks. 

Generally, they get all of their physical evaluations done in the first week (So hopefully, this means that Carrie has passed all of hers) and after that, they are waiting for a string and getting lots of free time and kennel enrichment. 

Hopefully by now she will also have a kennel mate!

I really hope she is being a good girl! She has only been gone now for a week and a half and I miss her so much!

Group's puppies:

Brayden is in phase 7!

Bev is in phase 7!

Ruby is in phase 3!

Ventana is in phase 3!

Phase Report!

Carrie showed up in phase 0 today! 

I was a little worried that she wouldn't be put directly on the phase reports as Guide Dogs is changing their system and some dogs won't be put into 0 right away.

Here is what she is doing in phase 0:

Phase 0: The Arrival Period

Health screening and kennel socialization

-She is getting her hips, eyes and heart checked

Walks on campus and playtime in an enclosed paddock

Doubling kennelmates that play well together

 Daily grooming  

Medication administration, as needed

Human and dog interactive play or cuddle sessions

Introduction to community run playtime

Kennel enrichment activities

Group's puppies:

Brayden is in phase 6!

Bev is in phase 6!

Ruby is in phase 2!

Ventana is in phase 2!

Gone.

This morning, we dropped Carrie off at the Guide Dog's campus in San Rafael, CA.

This past week has been nothing less than perfect- Carrie has been behaving wonderfully and we have spent these last few days doing a few really great outings and taking several long walks a day.  It was the perfect last week.

On Friday, our Guide Dog group had it's annual picnic- but this time, it was more like a party!  We got Carrie a cake:

And everyone brought enormous amounts of food! Everyone had a great time and I am so happy that Carrie's last puppy meeting was such a fun one!

That night Partner went home with one of our club's puppy-sitters so that we could give Carrie some one on one time.

We drove to San Rafael Saturday morning and checked into a hotel. We spent the day taking her on an amazing walk along the ocean and giving her some time to just be a dog before her formal training.

I bent the rules a little Saturday night by dragging the hotel mattress onto the ground and letting her sleep with me "on the bed"-Ssshhh!

This morning- after yet another walk by the ocean, we took Carrie back to the Guide Dogs campus. It wasn't as hard as I always expect it to be. I'm sad that my time with her is over and that she is leaving me but I also know that she is as ready as she is going to get to begin the next step in her life.  

I don't know how she will do in training- I never know- but I do know that she is probably having the time of her life right now! And I am so happy that it was her that they handed to me last summer.

I think that doing the internship at Guide Dogs last year has really opened my eyes to what goes on after we drop them off at the kennels. I know for sure now that each member of the kennel cares about the dogs and each decision is made with the dog's well-being in mind. 

I am so thankful to everyone involved in Guide Dogs and the other Service dog organizations. I am so proud to be able to call myself a Puppy Raiser.

Pupdates and a Recall Date

Oh my goodness I have been soo super busy! I am going to go ahead and put everything we have been doing into one long post so that I can get it out of the way and move onto new things!

Last time I posted, I introduced you to Partner!

Since then I have gotten to know him a little better and boy oh boy is he an easy puppy! 

The first night, I put him in the kennel all prepared to have to listen to him scream for at least a few minutes- but he didn't make a single peep! He just went to sleep! 

So I went to sleep too- fully expecting to be woken up a few times in the night to relieve his tiny bladder. But again- not a peep! I kept waking up in the middle of the night to make sure he was okay. I woke up at 2, 4, and 6AM and each time he would wake up and smile at me but he didn't cry so I let him stay in there.

Finally at 6:30, I got him up just because he was so cute.

The next day, I drove a few hours stay with Emily for a few days with both Carrie and Partner. We took Carrie and her puppy, Keith to Bass Pro Shop, the mall, and hiking. 

Carrie did really well everywhere we took her! At Bass Pro Shop, she met some taxidermied animals and saw some fish! She was interested in the animals but not fearful at all! It was great to be able to expose her to so many things there! 

She also had fun on the hike with Emily's dogs! They got to go to a river and splash around some which Carrie loved!

While we were there, my leader called. "Are you sitting down?" she asked.  Right then, I knew what she was going to say. Carrie got the June 9th recall date. I was pretty surprised. My leader had said before that they weren't going to call dogs back before they turned 15 months old so I wasn't expecting this. My leader told me that Celeste felt that even though she is younger than 15 months, Carrie is more mature than the dogs older than her right now which means that she is going back.

I'm really proud of her and I hope she does well in formal training but I am going to miss her so much! 

Phase Report

Harlene graduated and is now a working guide for a wonderful woman here in CA!

Bev is in phase 2

Brayden is in phase 2

Ruby is still in Breeder Evaluations
Ventana went in for her formal training today! Good luck girly!

If you have any puppies you would like me to post on here as well, you are welcome to comment with the name(s)!

Phase Report!

Harlene is in class! Congratulations to her raisers, they did a great job with her!

Bev is in phase 1

Brayden is in phase 1

Ruby is in Breeder Evaluations!

If you have any puppies you would like me to post on here as well, you are welcome to comment with the name(s)!

Phase Report

Wow, I have been really bad at posting the phase reports! Part of this has been because we had only one dog in training.  But now, 3 more dogs have gone back and I thought I should probably start doing it again!

Weston Graduated a few weeks ago!

Harlene is in phase 8, just waiting for a match!

Bev is in phase 0

Brayden is in phase 0

Ruby is in Breeder Evaluations!

If you have any puppies you would like me to post on here as well, you are welcome to comment with the name(s)!

Phase Report

Noe has been matched!

Harlene is in phase 8!
Weston is in phase 7!
Hanalei's Littermates:
Halette is off the phase reports this week. I really hope this means she has been matched
Other Peoples' Dogs:
If you have a dog that you would like me to post the phase report for please comment on this post with the puppy's name.

Phase Report

A little late but here it is...
Noe is still in phase 8
Harlene made it to phase 8!
Weston is in phase 6
Jamaica  will be placed by Guide Dogs
Hanalei's Littermates:
Halette is in phase 8 still.
Other Peoples' Dogs:
If you have a dog that you would like me to post the phase report for please comment on this post with the puppy's name.