Well, today happens to be my birthday and I decided to do something special for it. Most girls would buy themselves some new clothes or shoes or make-up or something along those lines. What did I do for my birthday? I sent an email to Graham about a puppy.
Hence the post title about descending into insanity. There's a part of me that is thinking, "Why in the world did you send that!?" but then there the other part (the larger part) that is glad that I did. It's time for me to have a puppy again and I'm ready to jump into it head first. In the end, the pros definitely outweighed the cons. Being a puppy raiser (or puppy walker as I should get use to calling myself) is who I am. I was hooked from the first puppy meeting in June 2008 and I've been very good for the past year and a half in waiting.
So...how many of you guessed that I would put in for a puppy before I even had a chance to puppy sit? Haha! To be fair to me, I was a puppy sitter back in October so I waited a good long while.
Anyway, I'm not making any promises as to when I can expect to be holding a new little puppy in my arms. It really is up to Graham as to when that happens. I put in my preferred dates to receive one and we'll just have to see what happens. But it's nice to know that something is finally starting to happen.
The Complete Adventures of Raiser Erin and a couple of naughty puppies.
Showing posts with label Puppy Raiser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puppy Raiser. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
Three Years and Three Days
Well, I'm a little late, but December 20th this year was not only the PWAP Christmas party, but it was my three year puppy anniversary. *smile* On December 20, 2008 I received the black ball of pudginess and fur that was once Freya. I still remember the car ride up to GDB in San Rafael. It was the longest car ride in my whole life and we moved by car from Texas to California when I was five. But we eventually made it up to the campus and a black lab was placed in my arms. Mimi over at Ours for a Year Lifetime remembered how she felt so inexperienced when she realised that other raisers had brought toys and blankets and what not for their puppies to amuse themselves with on the ride home. I felt pretty inexperienced too when picking up Freya (in fact Freya and Cabana were born within a few days of each other), but not for the same reason. We had brought a crate and lined it with newspaper for easy clean up. We even brought a few toys so that the long car ride home wouldn't be too boring for the new little puppy. But the crate was too small for poor Freya, so she ended up on my lap the whole way home. I think I've come a long way from that day.
At the Christmas party I had someone ask me how many puppies I had raised. I pointed to Hilly and said "She's only my third." She then said that three puppies was a lot...though we were in a room where people were on their 30th, 16th, and 7th puppies so I didn't really feel like it was a lot and Freya is the only puppy I've raised for the full length of time, but still. I guess to those who haven't raised any three sounds like a pretty big number. Anyway, she asked me how each of my puppies compared to each other. I struggled with what to say and eventually settled on, "Freya was my smartest, Rocco was my cuddler, and Hilly is my clown. They each have their own personalities that I had to learn to deal with." It wasn't eloquent or anything, but I think she understood. But it's got me thinking about what each one of my puppies has taught me over their time with me.
1. Freya taught me to be patient and consistent. I've always been a patient person, but I'm also a perfectionist. The two don't mesh well when raising puppies. I want it done perfectly the first time, but who can expect a 9 week old puppy to sit perfectly? She taught me that perfection is only worth having if you work hard towards it. And she definitely taught me to be consistent in my training. I couldn't let her get away with anything when she was a little puppy because she would take that as an excuse to be bad all the time. She was my first "trouble child" and she probably wouldn't have gotten past puppy in training if I hadn't learned to be consistent.
2. Rocco taught me to move slowly. Freya was "go, go, go" all the time and was ready for anything that came her way. She could have flown at 9 weeks and have been perfectly fine. She was just that kind of dog. Rocco, while still a trouble child, was a lot more mellow (though still hyper for a male) and wanted to take things at a lazy pace. He was ready for most things, but there were a few things that I learned should wait until the puppy is at least 6 months old. He also taught me how to deal with loud mouths as, if you might remember, I didn't get any sleep for the first 3 months Rocco was with me due to his poor crate behaviour.
3. Hilly taught me that some dogs just shouldn't be Guide Dogs. Of course I already knew that not all dogs could be Guides. I had seen dogs in my group be career changed before and knew that it just wasn't their thing. But Hilly really taught it to me. Now that she's career changed I'm noticing it more and more because she doesn't have to be perfect. She's a sniffer and take opportunistic sniffs of the ground if I'm not paying attention (not Guide Dog material), she doesn't like being left alone so she gets into things (definitely not Guide Dog material), she hops (which isn't all that bad but she can't control it), and she is distracted by everything around her. I don't know if I had gotten her sooner if it would have changed anything, but I'm definitely glad I didn't try and convince Jim to take her back into training. They would have started to wonder if Jim was in a right state of mind. I mean, she hackles at stalling cars not because she's afraid of them but because the noise gets her excited. She just shouldn't be a Guide and that's not something I truly realised before Hilly. I think it's because she could be a Guide...but she just shouldn't be one.
Anyway, I know this was a long post, but I've been reflecting on what Guide Dogs has taught me and what being a puppy raiser really means to me. I've decided to ask for a puppy back in Scotland. I do want to puppy sit once before I do, so we'll see what happens. But I think I'm ready to juggle university and puppy. I'll keep you updated.
At the Christmas party I had someone ask me how many puppies I had raised. I pointed to Hilly and said "She's only my third." She then said that three puppies was a lot...though we were in a room where people were on their 30th, 16th, and 7th puppies so I didn't really feel like it was a lot and Freya is the only puppy I've raised for the full length of time, but still. I guess to those who haven't raised any three sounds like a pretty big number. Anyway, she asked me how each of my puppies compared to each other. I struggled with what to say and eventually settled on, "Freya was my smartest, Rocco was my cuddler, and Hilly is my clown. They each have their own personalities that I had to learn to deal with." It wasn't eloquent or anything, but I think she understood. But it's got me thinking about what each one of my puppies has taught me over their time with me.
1. Freya taught me to be patient and consistent. I've always been a patient person, but I'm also a perfectionist. The two don't mesh well when raising puppies. I want it done perfectly the first time, but who can expect a 9 week old puppy to sit perfectly? She taught me that perfection is only worth having if you work hard towards it. And she definitely taught me to be consistent in my training. I couldn't let her get away with anything when she was a little puppy because she would take that as an excuse to be bad all the time. She was my first "trouble child" and she probably wouldn't have gotten past puppy in training if I hadn't learned to be consistent.
2. Rocco taught me to move slowly. Freya was "go, go, go" all the time and was ready for anything that came her way. She could have flown at 9 weeks and have been perfectly fine. She was just that kind of dog. Rocco, while still a trouble child, was a lot more mellow (though still hyper for a male) and wanted to take things at a lazy pace. He was ready for most things, but there were a few things that I learned should wait until the puppy is at least 6 months old. He also taught me how to deal with loud mouths as, if you might remember, I didn't get any sleep for the first 3 months Rocco was with me due to his poor crate behaviour.
3. Hilly taught me that some dogs just shouldn't be Guide Dogs. Of course I already knew that not all dogs could be Guides. I had seen dogs in my group be career changed before and knew that it just wasn't their thing. But Hilly really taught it to me. Now that she's career changed I'm noticing it more and more because she doesn't have to be perfect. She's a sniffer and take opportunistic sniffs of the ground if I'm not paying attention (not Guide Dog material), she doesn't like being left alone so she gets into things (definitely not Guide Dog material), she hops (which isn't all that bad but she can't control it), and she is distracted by everything around her. I don't know if I had gotten her sooner if it would have changed anything, but I'm definitely glad I didn't try and convince Jim to take her back into training. They would have started to wonder if Jim was in a right state of mind. I mean, she hackles at stalling cars not because she's afraid of them but because the noise gets her excited. She just shouldn't be a Guide and that's not something I truly realised before Hilly. I think it's because she could be a Guide...but she just shouldn't be one.
Anyway, I know this was a long post, but I've been reflecting on what Guide Dogs has taught me and what being a puppy raiser really means to me. I've decided to ask for a puppy back in Scotland. I do want to puppy sit once before I do, so we'll see what happens. But I think I'm ready to juggle university and puppy. I'll keep you updated.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
A Reflective Mood
This past week has been a little hard on Raiser Erin. Not Erin, but Raiser Erin. She's the girl inside of me who comes out every so often. You know, the Puppy Raiser inside of me. Yeah...she's not been having the best of weeks. Raiser Erin is the one who gets sad when thinking about Rocco and how I couldn't finish up his PIT phase and the one who frets about whether or not I'll be able to raise while I'm here in Scotland for University.
The answer to this last question is, I still don't know. I still don't technically have a place to live next year and at this point, with a month left until we need to move in, I'm going to have to take what I get which means the big possibility of NOT being allowed a Puppy. This is part of the reason Raiser Erin has been having such a hard week. Every time I think about just settling for a place that won't allow a Guide Dog Puppy that puppy raiser inside of me gets a little sad. I know it won't kill me to take a break, but I've missed doing it and I think raising for a different school would be so interesting. I mean, here the raisers start the puppies learning the "find" command. Like "Find the Crosswalk" or "Find the Bus Stop". I think it would be so cool to be able to do that. And they still use Shepherds here. When I go back to the States for my Masters work I'm going to be in California which means I'll be able to stay with GDB. But we don't use Shepherds and I really, really want to do a Shepherd. They also use flat coated retriever which look like Black Golden Retrievers. I wouldn't mind raising one of them either. But, I've gotta have the house to do it. One of the people I'm moving in with next year is interested in doing it as well which is great. But...yeah...house.
Now this other reason might seem a little petty at first, but bear with me. One of my biggest flaws is that I get jealous real easy. And I'm very, very competitive. Some of you know, some of you may not know, that I went to meetings for almost 6 months before I got Freya. When I was going through this, going to meetings and having the "pick up" date changed over and over , I didn't know that that wasn't normal. Then, when three other raisers got their puppies within a month of joining the group I did feel a little...well I felt bad. The jealousy crept up and I had to remind myself that for some reason, it was meant for me to take about six times longer to get my first puppy and that it was ultimately a good thing. And it was. I stand firmly by the belief that if Freya had gone to a different first time raiser then she wouldn't have passed. But still, I felt like those 6 months I spent going to meetings every week I was being made to prove myself and when the other raisers didn't have to prove themselves I spent time worrying as to what was wrong with me. Obviously nothing is wrong with me, it just happened the way it did and I've come to terms with it. But, well, this past week a raiser and friend of mine got assigned a new puppy. Her second "golden cross" (though technically this one is just a golden with a pinch of lab) and her third puppy in only a year and a half with the group. Now, you all know that Goldens are my favourite breed and if the three years I've been in the group I've asked for a golden or a golden cross. I've never had one obviously and it just sets off my jealousy to know that this is the family's second Golden in just a year. I mean, I'm very very happy for them, but again...I'm feeling like I have to prove myself for a Golden. I know that isn't true. Part of the reason they've been able to raise so many puppies in such a short amount of time is because they're all into it whereas my family...well they're not exactly supportive of my raising puppies. My father was the reason I didn't get another puppy the day Freya was dropped off. He's not into raising and I understand and respect that. It's his choice and unfortunately his house. I don't think he'll ever, ever admit it to anyone but I think he gets to attached to the dogs. I'm pretty sure he missed Freya a lot when she left. But, don't tell him I think so.
Basically, I'm wondering when I'll get to raise a puppy on my own terms. Obviously you can't pick and choose which puppy you get, but I would like to be like the other raisers who turn in their puppy app and get assigned a puppy a month later. I'd like to be able to put on my app "Golden or Golden Cross" and get assigned one instead of being told "Sorry, but not this time."...again. It probably won't happen until I own my own place. And I want to be very clear on this, I love Freya and Rocco and both of them needed me. I didn't think I would grow attached to Rocco, but he's such a part of me that if he's CC'd I'm going to try very hard to get him to Scotland with me before giving him to my Mom and Step-dad for the 3 years I'm here. But, still, I would like to be like those other raisers just for one puppy.
Besides all these feeling going on with Raiser Erin (realises I've gotta take a 3 year break and trying very hard not to be jealous of a good friend because that friend doesn't deserve it) she's had a hard week because it's looking more and more like there won't be a transfer for me over the summer. I was hoping beyond hope that there would be a puppy who needed their last months taken care of by an experienced raiser, but it doesn't look like that will happen. So, I have to resign myself to puppy sitting for the summer. Some people are able to be sitters...but I'm not. I'm gonna do it, but it's been hard on Raiser Erin to give up on that hope of a puppy of my own for the summer.
I'm in a fairly reflective mood right now. The first step to ending the problem is admitting it. Yes, I'm jealous but I'll get over it quickly now that I've admitted to myself that I am. My friend doesn't deserve that, she deserves me saying how happy I am that she gets to have another puppy and that I hope he's the best puppy in the world. Which I do. And I've gotta start preparing myself for the inevitable 4 year break (1 year down...3 to go). It's not going to kill me. In fact, it'll make coming home and having that next puppy placed in my arms all the more enjoyable.
The answer to this last question is, I still don't know. I still don't technically have a place to live next year and at this point, with a month left until we need to move in, I'm going to have to take what I get which means the big possibility of NOT being allowed a Puppy. This is part of the reason Raiser Erin has been having such a hard week. Every time I think about just settling for a place that won't allow a Guide Dog Puppy that puppy raiser inside of me gets a little sad. I know it won't kill me to take a break, but I've missed doing it and I think raising for a different school would be so interesting. I mean, here the raisers start the puppies learning the "find" command. Like "Find the Crosswalk" or "Find the Bus Stop". I think it would be so cool to be able to do that. And they still use Shepherds here. When I go back to the States for my Masters work I'm going to be in California which means I'll be able to stay with GDB. But we don't use Shepherds and I really, really want to do a Shepherd. They also use flat coated retriever which look like Black Golden Retrievers. I wouldn't mind raising one of them either. But, I've gotta have the house to do it. One of the people I'm moving in with next year is interested in doing it as well which is great. But...yeah...house.
Now this other reason might seem a little petty at first, but bear with me. One of my biggest flaws is that I get jealous real easy. And I'm very, very competitive. Some of you know, some of you may not know, that I went to meetings for almost 6 months before I got Freya. When I was going through this, going to meetings and having the "pick up" date changed over and over , I didn't know that that wasn't normal. Then, when three other raisers got their puppies within a month of joining the group I did feel a little...well I felt bad. The jealousy crept up and I had to remind myself that for some reason, it was meant for me to take about six times longer to get my first puppy and that it was ultimately a good thing. And it was. I stand firmly by the belief that if Freya had gone to a different first time raiser then she wouldn't have passed. But still, I felt like those 6 months I spent going to meetings every week I was being made to prove myself and when the other raisers didn't have to prove themselves I spent time worrying as to what was wrong with me. Obviously nothing is wrong with me, it just happened the way it did and I've come to terms with it. But, well, this past week a raiser and friend of mine got assigned a new puppy. Her second "golden cross" (though technically this one is just a golden with a pinch of lab) and her third puppy in only a year and a half with the group. Now, you all know that Goldens are my favourite breed and if the three years I've been in the group I've asked for a golden or a golden cross. I've never had one obviously and it just sets off my jealousy to know that this is the family's second Golden in just a year. I mean, I'm very very happy for them, but again...I'm feeling like I have to prove myself for a Golden. I know that isn't true. Part of the reason they've been able to raise so many puppies in such a short amount of time is because they're all into it whereas my family...well they're not exactly supportive of my raising puppies. My father was the reason I didn't get another puppy the day Freya was dropped off. He's not into raising and I understand and respect that. It's his choice and unfortunately his house. I don't think he'll ever, ever admit it to anyone but I think he gets to attached to the dogs. I'm pretty sure he missed Freya a lot when she left. But, don't tell him I think so.
Basically, I'm wondering when I'll get to raise a puppy on my own terms. Obviously you can't pick and choose which puppy you get, but I would like to be like the other raisers who turn in their puppy app and get assigned a puppy a month later. I'd like to be able to put on my app "Golden or Golden Cross" and get assigned one instead of being told "Sorry, but not this time."...again. It probably won't happen until I own my own place. And I want to be very clear on this, I love Freya and Rocco and both of them needed me. I didn't think I would grow attached to Rocco, but he's such a part of me that if he's CC'd I'm going to try very hard to get him to Scotland with me before giving him to my Mom and Step-dad for the 3 years I'm here. But, still, I would like to be like those other raisers just for one puppy.
Besides all these feeling going on with Raiser Erin (realises I've gotta take a 3 year break and trying very hard not to be jealous of a good friend because that friend doesn't deserve it) she's had a hard week because it's looking more and more like there won't be a transfer for me over the summer. I was hoping beyond hope that there would be a puppy who needed their last months taken care of by an experienced raiser, but it doesn't look like that will happen. So, I have to resign myself to puppy sitting for the summer. Some people are able to be sitters...but I'm not. I'm gonna do it, but it's been hard on Raiser Erin to give up on that hope of a puppy of my own for the summer.
I'm in a fairly reflective mood right now. The first step to ending the problem is admitting it. Yes, I'm jealous but I'll get over it quickly now that I've admitted to myself that I am. My friend doesn't deserve that, she deserves me saying how happy I am that she gets to have another puppy and that I hope he's the best puppy in the world. Which I do. And I've gotta start preparing myself for the inevitable 4 year break (1 year down...3 to go). It's not going to kill me. In fact, it'll make coming home and having that next puppy placed in my arms all the more enjoyable.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
November 6: You Can the Puppy Away...
But you take take the Puppy Raiser out of the person.
This is something I've recently discovered. How did I discover this? Well, here's a great story. I told myself that I was going to take my bone shaped poop bag holder (a must have for every puppy raiser) off of my purse before I came here to Scotland. Well, that didn't happen. So I ended up running through the London airport (some issues there, but don't get me started) with blue poop bags streaming behind me. I've taken the poop bags out of the dispenser, but I've left it on my bag. Why? I'm not too sure. It just feels like that's where it's suppose to be. I am also wearing my dog tags every day or taking them with me in some form or another. I tremble with rage at the people who don't pick up after their dogs when they go on the sidewalk. I must suppress the urge to laugh at someone as they're saying, "sit, sit, sit, sit, sit". Really? Do they think that kind of repetition will get the dog to sit the first time? No, silly person. They're just going to think it's ok to wait a minute or so until you get kind of annoyed then they'll sit.
It's a fact. I'm a puppy raiser through and through and I'm going out of my mind without a puppy. I'm thinking about trying to find a place that allows animals for next semester so I can raise one here. I just don't think I can go from January till June without a dog.
This is something I've recently discovered. How did I discover this? Well, here's a great story. I told myself that I was going to take my bone shaped poop bag holder (a must have for every puppy raiser) off of my purse before I came here to Scotland. Well, that didn't happen. So I ended up running through the London airport (some issues there, but don't get me started) with blue poop bags streaming behind me. I've taken the poop bags out of the dispenser, but I've left it on my bag. Why? I'm not too sure. It just feels like that's where it's suppose to be. I am also wearing my dog tags every day or taking them with me in some form or another. I tremble with rage at the people who don't pick up after their dogs when they go on the sidewalk. I must suppress the urge to laugh at someone as they're saying, "sit, sit, sit, sit, sit". Really? Do they think that kind of repetition will get the dog to sit the first time? No, silly person. They're just going to think it's ok to wait a minute or so until you get kind of annoyed then they'll sit.
It's a fact. I'm a puppy raiser through and through and I'm going out of my mind without a puppy. I'm thinking about trying to find a place that allows animals for next semester so I can raise one here. I just don't think I can go from January till June without a dog.
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