Back to Blogging?

I have been debating whether or not I want to get back to blogging for the last several weeks. 

I started this blog in the hopes that I would take more pictures and keep better track of all of the wonderful times I have had raising these puppies but somewhere down the line I got lazy and stopped posting!

Now, of course, I am mad at myself because I have so few pictures and written memories to look back on from Partner's early life with me.

So now I have decided that I want to try get back to posting for my own personal reference.

So for starters....

Carrie graduated way back in November and moved to Colorado with her amazing handler :)

Unfortunately, shortly after arriving in CO it was discovered that she had a torn ACL. They think it happened during her training- somewhere in between her original health evaluation in the beginning of her training and being placed with her new handler.
So just after becoming an official Guide Dog, Carrie had to undergo surgery for her torn ACL and a few months of bed rest.
Luckily she is now fully recovered and back to guiding!


Partner just celebrated his first birthday a little over a month ago!

He is a wonderful dog! He's about 65lbs right now. 

He comes to college with me still and is coming to work with me.  

He still hasn't shown any fears at anything I have thrown his way so far which really surprised me. From everything everyone told me about raising the Goldens for GDB and getting a chance to work with a few of them myself before getting Partner, I was definitely expecting a dog whose confidence needed to be built up gradually.  Instead I got a sturdy puppy whose over-confidence is actually what we are working on.

Partner has so many amazing qualities! I trust him home alone more than I did with any of my other puppies. There have been a few days where it hasn't been possible for me to take him and he is stuck at home for up to 8 hours alone.  I have never come home to any messes and he has always just been laying near the door waiting for us to get home.

He walks well on a leash, is relaxed and easy-going in public, can sit still for long periods of time and still has the get-up-and-go to be happy when it is time to start moving again. He is a little bit dog distracted but is correctable and can be redirected.

He really is an incredible dog and I am so happy that I have been able to work with him! 

As his recall date nears, I realize that I really only have one major issue to work on with him: Barking. Partner's only real issue that I see (Occasionally dogs get Career Changed for reasons that their raisers didn't even realize was an issue) is that he has some separation anxiety. The strange thing about it is that it is inconsistent; sometimes he barks immediately after you leave him locked in a room or kennel and sometimes he is completely fine.

I have started bringing him to work and instead of letting him play with my coworker's dog in a separate large outdoor run, I have begun locking him in a kennel. Sometimes he barks and sometimes he doesn't... I'm hopeful that a few weeks of being in a dog kennel while I'm working will prepare him for when he does go back to GDB for his formal training.

Within the next 1-3 months we will get a recall letter letting us know when to bring him down to Guide Dogs.  He is still on breeder watch so he will more than likely go through breeder evaluations upon his arrival. 

For now, I am just trying to spend as much time with his as possible! I can't believe he is already almost 14 months old!

Today's the Day!

Today's the day! 

After 5 months of training, Carrie is finally graduating!

I'm so excited to get the chance to meet her new handler and say hello (and goodbye) to my pretty girl before she leaves for Colorado!

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.

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!

Sisters

Can you tell?

Carrie

Cameo

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!

Wordless Wednesday: Bending the Rules...

I don't know how many other puppy raisers do this- I probably shouldn't be mentioning it on this blog haha- but every year, just before we turn in our puppies, we let them bend a rule or two just once. 

I thought it would be fun to share some photos of the rule Carrie got to bend! She got to have her first ever edible toy! Guide Dog puppies aren't supposed to have edible toys due to the fact that they can be dangerous and Guide Dogs pays for all the vet bills! So for Carrie's toy, we chose an Antler chew as they are less likely to splinter or chip- they are ground down slowly, and they contain beneficial ingredients such as calcium.  She was 100% supervised during her chew time and it was picked up when that time was over.

And oh goodness was she a happy girl! 

Here are about a million pictures of how happy she was: ;)  (To get the full effect, click on them to make them larger and scroll through that way!)

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! 

Wordless Wednesday

 Trying to figure out my new camera...

uhhh...? Haha

Frankie!

Final Evaluation

Last night, Carrie had an evaluation with our CFR, Celeste.  Since Carrie is over 14 months old, this was considered her final evaluation.  This is the time when our CFR evaluates her maturity level and overall behavior and decides when or if she will be on the recall.

Carrie did SO well!! 

I got there a little early and another puppy's eval. was still going on.  Celeste was able to see that Carrie can walk calmly into a room with other dogs and immediately settle under a table while we waited for the other dog to be done.  

After that, Celeste took Carrie outside and walked her around a little bit. She took her up to the road to see how she would do around the traffic.  Carrie wasn't phased by it and she walked well on her leash! 

When we got back inside, Celeste told me that she had been watching Carrie during the leader's meeting on Saturday and had really liked her temperament. She mentioned that she loved how Carrie is able to just kind of relax and go with the flow when she is somewhere where she needs to be calm but then has the get-up-and-go and the drive needed when it is time to go do something. 

She said that Carrie is ready and told me to be prepared for her to get called back soon after she turns 15 months. She also said that she would be recommending her for breeder! Unfortunately, I had to break the news to her that Carrie is already spayed due to her cross-bite :(. 

I am so incredibly proud of Carrie! She did so well and, even though I am sad that she will be leaving me soon, I do know that she's ready! It will break my heart to say goodbye but I know that no matter what she decides to do, she will always be my silly, happy-go-lucky girl!

I love her sooo much! 

Leader's Meeting

Today Carrie spent the day with my mom at a leader's meeting!

A random Carrie picture :)

For those that don't know, GDB puppy raising clubs have a head leader and co-leaders and my mom is one of the co-leaders.  Once a year, leader's meetings are offered so that leaders get the opportunity to go and learn the new happenings of Guide Dogs.  Each leader brings a dog and they learn more about fixing problems etc.

My mom took Carrie which had me both excited and nervous! I was happy that she was getting to experience a new environment with so many other dogs but I was a little bit nervous because the CFRs all attend the meetings as well. (It is the CFR's job to evaluate each individual dog and decide whether or not they will go on to their formal training).  

It turns out, I had no reason to worry.  My mom said that Carrie was a really good girl, our CFR handled her a little and didn't bring up any issues.  My mom did bring up Carrie's tendency to rub a little bit with her head collar when it first gets put on.  She didn't seem too concerned about it but did give us some helpful tips that I will be using from now on.

I guess she was also used as a demo dog for "go to bed". Which I hear she did well at once she understood what was happening! I think my mom forgot that there was a lot going on and Carrie decided to take a  few seconds to sniff around haha.  After that though she brought her A-game and did exactly what she was supposed to.

I'm really glad Carrie got to go and experience this! I think it was really good for her and it was nice to hear that she did so well.  

While she was there, my mom also learned that they are really trying not to call dogs back before 15 months which means I will probably get a little more time with my girl! Yay!

P.S> Stay tuned for some interesting news tomorrow!

14 Months Old!!

Today is a big day! Carrie turns 14 months old today which means that she is technically old enough to be called back to Guide Dogs for her formal training at any time! (Yikes!).

For her 14 month post, I just wanted to share 14 of my favorite pictures of her. (You have probably already seen them all since they are my favorite haha).
So, in no particular order, my favorite pictures:

Itty Bitty Baby Carrie

In her Guide Dog Puppy attire

Dressed up like a princess for the Nutcracker Ballet

Working hard in English class

Her trip to Disneyland

Her first birthday

All smiles!

Silly Sitter

First Christmas

What a good girl!

The first picture we took of her!

Carrie and I at the beach

Senior portraits

Disneyland hats!