Big Surprise

Hi Everyone,
I have some really big news! I studied really hard and did great on my final exam and I'm going to graduate with my partner on Sept. 8th!

I need everyone to be really quiet about it though because that is my birthday present to Dad.

I'll write more about my partner and graduation later since I'm just worn out and I need to sleep.

Training

Hi Everyone!

It has been three months since my last update and I have a lot to report. One of the instructors here at school helped me sneak out of the kennels so that I could go to the media room in the dorm to say hi.

In May, Mom, Dad and Mitch got me up really early and we drove to Ogden to meet the puppy truck. When we got there, Dad took me on a long walk and we stopped several times for pictures. Mom and Mitch took turns walking the other dogs that were also going back on the puppy truck while they waited for us. We were all pretty teary-eyed and it took dad a while before he was willing to take me to the truck. I kissed everyone goodbye and dad took me to the truck. I was sad to be leaving my family but I was also excited to begin my new adventure. Dad said a final goodbye and let Joe take me to one of the kennels in the truck. Joe and I became quick friends right around dinner time.

On the way, we stopped and stayed overnight in Eastern Oregon but the next day we arrived at the Guide Dog campus. I was really excited to be at my new school and to meet my new roommates. The campus is really beautiful and the people are really nice to us.

We all started going through medical evaluations but because I was on breeder watch, I had to go through a lot more. I was flying through the breeder evaluations until one day when the vet said that he didn’t think my heart was really into it. I would have liked to be a mommy but I knew that I would be a better guide. After it was decided that I wouldn’t be a breeder, they gave me the same operation that Julimae had while she lived with us in Utah. After my operation, I just got to take it easy for a couple of weeks while I healed.

After I was feeling better, I was put into classes with other dogs that were also training to be guide dogs.   On campus they call this a string, but I know from my other college experience that this is really called a study group.

My study group goes out a couple times a day and we have to learn a lot of stuff. There are eight training phases in all. Right now, I’m on phase 6 and it is getting tougher all the time. We learn about curbs, backing up, overhead obstacles, traffic, and how to ride the bus and train. We even get to walk on tread mills and get fitted for boots. The instructors are fun. In fact, they even teach us to disobey when we feel that it isn’t safe to obey.

A few of the dogs that I’ve made friends with here at school are starting to graduate and I know it won’t be long until it will be my turn. I had to already say bye to two friends from my puppy club. Tartan has decided that traffic is just too scary and he has dropped out. Rio has been accepted into home training and will get to finish his degree from home. Stan, Athens, Mozart and Roscoe are all here too which makes me feel good knowing that I’m not here alone.

Recall

Now that I’ve graduated from three schools out here, I will be going to Guide Dog College on May 7th to get my masters degree in Guideology. I’ll be going with two friends from the puppy club, Rio and Athens.

I hope to follow in the paw prints of my big sister Julimae and my big brother Meade. I wouldn’t mind being a mommy either. I think I would be a good mommy and I’ve already had a lot of practice taking care of my little sister Sharla. I know my family will have fun helping me pick out names for my pups.

Dad has already told me not to be afraid of being away from the house because there are only three things that can happen. I can become someone’s eyes, I can be a mommy or I can come back to a family that loves me.

House Arrest

Wow, I’ve been very bad about posting. I’m going to have to do a big update to make up for it but there isn’t much to tell. After being sick last month, I tried to catch up on everything that I had going on in life but I had to take another month off because I was under house arrest.

House arrest isn’t very fun. I could only go out in the back yard, couldn’t go to puppy meetings and I couldn’t go to school or shopping with Mom and Dad. I spent most of the day watching animal planet.

Plus, I had to spend the whole day in a diaper, or as mom and dad called it, my Daisy Dukes. On me… they worked, even though it was hard to wag. I guess that is what dad meant by having good jeans.

I also had to catch up on all of my class work and study real hard for finals. I think I did great on my finals but I don’t know about mom and dad. It must have been pretty tough on them without me being there to give them the answers.

Sick

Hi Everyone,
I haven't been feeling good and I didn't feel like writing. But now that I'm feeling better I figured I would catch up with what I've been doing.

I wasn't able to go out for the last three weeks. Mom took me to the doggy doctor and the doctor made me all better. Most of the time while I just slept because I wasn't feeling good and Dad let me sleep next to him in my brother Cruiser's bed. I really like doing that even though I had to wake dad a few times each night to go outside. We've been lucky with the weather and it wasn't too cold on me and dad at night.

The thing I hated the most about being sick was taking the pills. I found that peanut butter can help get anything to go down. I fell behind on my school work and my outings too. It took me a week to remember what I needed to do on outings because I got totally spoiled. Dad says that I'm back to being a perfect little girl.

The thing I missed most was playing with my little sister Sharla. The first thing I did once I got feeling better was to take her on a walk around the backyard. I love my little sister but she gets away with a lot of naughty things. The other day, she spoiled her dinner by filling up on homework... MOM'S homework! I thought mom was going to be mad but all she did was take pictures. I think mom is trying to convince the teacher to accept the assignment anyway.

Mmmm Homework

Training update! Keiko and Lacole are in class!!! I'm so happy for both of them.

My Little Sister

I have a new little sister, her name is Sharla and she is reallly little and reallly cute. We went to the airport and got her on Wednesday. It was a really fun adventure. I went with mom and together we checked Mitch out of school and went to the airport. When we got there, dad was waiting for us. I dragged Mitch over to dad because I was pretty excited. We waited at the same spot where I was delivered for a long time and there was no sign of any other dogs. Dad and I walked around the baggage claim area and there were people coming and going like mad around there. No one was expecting me to be in the airport and I almost got ran over a couple of times. Dad protected me when he thought that people were getting too close and I'm happy to say that I'm still in one piece. We went back and found mom and Mitch and waited some more. Mom got tired of waiting and started making phone calls to find out where my little sister went. She finally found out that she was at a different part of the airport. So, we all went out, got in the cars and went to find my sister. We finally found her and we made our introductions. Everyone was pretty excited but Mitch was the most excited of all of us.

Mitch and Sharla

I love my new little sister and I know that we will be good friends. We are already playing with each other and we already share clothes and do all of the things that sisters do.

Sharla in Silvana's clothes

Cruiser is taking his role as a big brother very seriously. Every time he hears a noise, he comes running and checks on his girls. I even think the cat likes her, even though he starts to hiss like he is losing air, whenever Sharla goes near him.

Big News!!

I'm getting a little sister on Wednesday. No one knows much about her yet. What we do know is that she is a yellow dog and her name starts with "S", just like me. I bet dad gets really confused at first and will call me by the puppy's name. We also know that she was born in San Rafael and that she will be flying and not coming on a puppy truck. Just like me. We have so much in common already, I know I'm just going to love her. Dad said that I have to be a good sister and teach her things just like Julimae taught me. I already know the first thing that I'm going to teach her. The toys are mine but she can play with them whenever she wants. I will also take her on walks around the backyard. 

Our puppy club has been playing the guessing game. That is where they try to guess the puppy's name. I'm not sure what they win but it sure is fun hearing of all of the names that have been guessed. Mitch's choice is Sarsaparilla. A lot of people want the new puppy to be named Sarsaparilla. That way, people can say 'here comes Silly and Sassy' whenever we go out in public.

We also had some really great news at the last puppy meeting. Snickers was placed in class and he graduated with Antigua on Jan. 14th. We hear that their partners are just wonderful and that they are already making great teams.


Training update. Lacole is in phase 3 and Keiko is in phase 5. I'm proud to say that Antigua and Snickers graduated on Jan 14th. It is so good to see my friends doing so well.

Christmas and New Years

A lot has happened over the last few weeks. First I got to learn about Christmas. Christmas is when families come together and share their love for one another. There might be more to it but that was what I learned from observing my family. It was really fun. On the night before Christmas; Dad told me about Santa. I had already met Santa in the mall but dad told me more about him. Like how Santa travels all across the world bringing toys to all of the good little dogs and cats in the world in his magical sleigh that is pulled by Labs. Dad said that there were even a few Golden Retrievers and Lab/Golden crosses that help too. And how at the very front, was a guide dog puppy, so Santa didn't lose his way as he traveled throughout the world.  I was wishing that I could have guided Santa's sleigh, but, I was happy at home hearing the stories that dad was telling. After a while, I started to get sleepy and I wanted to go to my kennel to sleep. Dad told me that I should stay upstairs with him and mom so that Santa could visit our house and leave his presents for me, Cruiser and even the cat. Dad was pretty sure that the cat would get coal again this year so the family got him something so he wouldn't feel left out.

As I slept that night I was awakened by something that sounded like dog tags jingling against each other. I thought it was just Cruiser so I went back to bed. The next morning when I woke up, I forgot all about it being Christmas and began to focus on the important things...FOOD. As dad took me outside, I saw that someone had been in the house and left things for all of us. I saw a funny sock with my name on it and it was bulging so much that I thought it was going to pop. There was one for Cruiser and Rocky Cat too.
After we all ate, we sat around and opened the presents. I got some pretty cool toys and I couldn't wait to play with them. I got in my bed and played the rest of the day and into night before falling asleep.

A week passed and dad was really happy to get another day off. He said it was for New Year's day. Mom made dad and me go to the store and everyone there told me happy New Year. My new year was three weeks earlier when I turned one. I was already three weeks into my second year and I was a little offended that everyone had forgotten my birthday already. I just wagged at them and went about my business of walking around the store with dad. Pretty soon we were back at home and I was enjoying my Christmas toys again.


Training update: Antigua is in class!!! She will graduate on the 14th. Snickers is in Phase 8...Way to go Snickers. Lacole is in Phase 3 and Keiko is in phase 4. I'm very proud of my puppy club friends.