Happy Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to my two January boys!

Rocco turned four years old on January 20th. As far as I know he's still working as a Guide Dog, but I haven't heard from his partner since just after graduation. While I miss him, I know he's well loved and right where he needs to be.

Rocco (yellow lab) in his harness when he graduated in August 2011.

Frankie turned two on January 28th. He's just graduated as Guide in September and still doing well. No surprise there of course. We haven't heard anything from his partner, but that's OK since he is also well loved and right where he needs to be. We were told that it would be a bad idea to visit again even if invited since he's such a baby boy and very attached.

Frankie (yellow lab / golden cross) in his training harness

I miss both of these boys very much and I hope they got the spoiling they so rightfully deserve on their special day!

A Belated Birthday for Rocco

I didn't get a chance to post this up yesterday since I was pretty busy. But yesterday was the boy's 3rd birthday! I can't believe he's already three and has been working for almost a year and a half. It feels like only yesterday that Mary and I drove up to Guide Dogs to pick up our Mr.R, his brother, and a Mr. V.

I remember the sleepless nights of the first few months as Rocco adjusted to his crate and had his vomiting problem. I remember stumbling out of bed in the morning after only an hour of sleep with every intention of roasting him on a spit in the front yard. Then I would open the kennel and that sweet boy would bound out, give me a kiss, and go sit by his leash by the door and all I could think was, "Ok, boy...you may live another day." And that is how his nickname of "boy" was born. He grew to be an amazing dog!

Happy Birthday Rocco!!!

No, Really...It's Not Abuse

Right, so today I was going to post some pictures of Frankie's sleep over and let you all soak in some puppy cuteness. Instead, I'm going to go on a bit of a anger fueled rant.

Yesterday, during one of my many email checks to procrastinate work, I noticed that someone had posted a new comment. I moderate comments so that A) I always know when someone has commented on a post and I can reply quickly and B) I can delete any comments which I find offensive. Now, I haven't had to use B at all up until I saw the comment left yesterday. It was offensive. In fact, you might even say that this comment made me pretty angry. And I don't get angry easily. I get defensive easily and I get annoyed easily, but I'm a fairly patient person when it comes to controlling my anger. And yet this comment made me rage.

The comment was left by a person who goes by the username "XXAngelRXX" and was on a post from June 29, 2010 titled, "Oh Happy Day". This was the day that Rocco had decided that the crate wasn't all that bad and took it upon himself to go in and have a nap. I shared with you all my elation at the fact that he had accepted his crate which is a good thing for all Guide Dog Puppies and good for my sleep pattern. "XXAngelRXX" left the comment, "I would scream too if I had to be shut in a tiny cage like that!" And now, my dear readers, you all probably understand why I got so angry at this comment, but for those of you who don't understand I shall try and explain the best I can.

The one thing that makes me angry when people comment about PITs is when they assume that we are abusing our pups. We all hear it, "Why are you making that puppy work!?" or "It's abuse to make an animal work." These and all their variations are usually said with a certain amount of venom and disgust. While I really want to, I control the hand that wants to smack them across the face or the voice that wants to tell them off loud and clear. I politely say "thank you for your input" and just walk away. The reason that comments like this anger me so is because those people generally don't know all of the facts and they probably have overweight dogs at home that have been conditioned to a life of boredom and doggie bon bons. (If you ask me, that's abuse.) I don't remember the last time I was able to "make" Freya do anything and if we didn't let her work, that could be considered abuse. (Really guys, they love working and those that don't we don't "make".) With all of that said, here are the specifics as to why this comment offended me.

1. The size of the crate was determined by a picture. Sometimes, pictures distort the  image of things. That was a LARGE crate for a 5 month old puppy. At that point Rocco could still stretch and turn and stand in that crate just fine. About two weeks later when he had a growth spurt and could no longer stand in the crate because of his height I managed to borrow and extra large crate from the group until I could procure my own. (I didn't have an extra large crate for Freya because, let's face it, the girl barely got into her big girl before going back to GDB.)

2. Yes, Rocco use to scream in his crate...when he was a baby and the crate was so spacious that he could do laps in it. In fact, we usually put the babies in a smaller crate, but I decided to use the large so that maybe he would feel more comfortable.

3. I admit, I let Rocco cry it out and didn't coddle him every time he started screaming. "But Erin! Isn't that...*looks fearfully to both sides*...abuse!?" Well, no, actually it is not. You know when kids start throwing a fit, not because there's something particularly wrong with them but because they want attention or they want to be close to you all the time? That's what Rocco was doing. He wanted attention, he didn't want to not be touching me, and he didn't understand why he could snuggle all night. So, like trying to teach a child that that is their bed and that is Mommy's bed and Mommy can't hold you all the time, I was teaching Rocco that it was OK to be away from me sometimes and that I would always be there in the morning. Obviously, if he started crying after hours of silence I took him out and took him potty or tried to see if there was something wrong with him. And when we were going through the acid reflex stage and the everything I put in my mouth makes my tummy hurt stage I would take him out and cuddle him if there had been hours of silence. Poor baby had a hurting tummy.

4. Finally, crate training is not abuse. I know that a lot of people out there think it is, but it's really not. If fact, it is a lot safer than letting a young puppies sleep loose. Rocco was still at that stage where everything was food and long time readers will remember that anytime he put something that wasn't food in his mouth he would throw it up. If he was allowed to sleep loose he could eat something that upset his tummy, or worse, he could eat something that could be potentially harmful to him. I know he looked big in the picture, but we have to remember that he was only 5 months old which means he was still very much a puppy.

Well "XXAngelRXX" I hope that clears up some of the confusion. You see, these dogs are far from abused even if they need to sleep in a crate when they're babies to avoid emergency trips to the vet. In fact, we probably make a stronger bond with our puppies in the year-year and a half we have them than you would with a pet dog in the same amount of time. They are with us for 95% of the time and, let me tell you, we put every drop of love we have into these puppies. So, yes "XXAngelRXX", he slept in a crate as a puppy but the last thing I ever did to my Boy was make him uncomfortable due to the size of the crate.

Happy 2nd Rocco!

Baby 13 Week old Rocco

Rocco helped me vote for the first time.



Rocco in his cowboy outfit.

Rocco at my dad and stepmom's wedding.

Rocco wearing a goofy grin at Desconso Gardens.



Anoter goofy grin, only at a baseball game this time.



My handsome boy with his handsome smile.



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Rocco in Arizona over Christmas in 2010.



Rocco at just a few weeks under a year old.

 

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Rocco on stage in harness at Graduation.

Well, my handsome, little boy. I guess you're not little anymore, but you still are the most handsome! Happy second bithday Boy! I hope you're being spoiled rotten today.

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.

A New Breeder!

I like going to the official Guide Dogs for the Blind blog occassionally to see if they've got the new littermate photos up from the whelping kennel. With the "Litter Announcements" is also a list of new breeder dogs that have been added to the GDB breeding colony.

The new Litter Announcements were added yesterday and I just got around to seeing them today. I took a look at the darn cute puppy photos which of course made me want a puppy all the more. Then I looked down at the new breeders list. First off I noticed the two puppies who graduated as Breeders this past weekend who were raised in the other group in my town. Just a little shout out to Medford (MLGX) and Heloise (FYL)! Also, Estee (FBL) who was from Belle's last litter ever was on the list too, but we all know that she was accepted as a Breeder. Then I skimmed the rest of the group, not thinking I would find anything interesting, but guess what name I noticed on the breeder list? No guesses? I'll just tell you then.

Reann!

Reann is Rocco's sister, and I think looks a lot like Rocco. So far this litter has two Guides and one Breeder! Go "R"s!

Rocco's Graduation (Part 2)

*Warning: LONG and LOTS of pictures!*

When last we left off during our exciting "tail" of Rocco's graduation, it was just about time for all of the puppy raisers to meet in the Day Room before presenting their dogs.

First off, no one came to get us so we were wondering if we should head down to the Day Room or not. When we saw all of the other raisers there we thought it would be best to go too. We'd been sitting with Rocky and his raiser for about five minutes when Rocco's trainer came in, saw Ms.D, and looked very relieved. Haha! Apparently they had been looking for her. I swear, no one came to get us.

A picture of Rocco (R) and Rocky (L) in the Day Room.

Anyway, for those of you who don't know, this time in the Day Room is a time for you to be alone with your puppy. You spend an hour getting to know your puppy's new person, but these fifteen to twenty minutes is for you to really say good-bye to your puppy. It's actually the second hardest time for me during the graduation. It was especially hard with Rocco. That's not to say that I love Rocco more than I love Freya so saying good-bye was easier. With Freya her graduating was like a big "take that!" to everyone who thought she couldn't make it so all I was thinking was how proud I was of both her and myself. But I always knew that Rocco would graduate so not having that "take that!" attitude, I found myself trying really hard not to start crying before going on stage. Both Mary and I took advantage of our time alone with Rocco.

Rocco jumps up on his Mother Mary and gives her a kiss.

Rocco and me sitting down in the Day Room
Rocco in Harness. He's looking so mellow and mature.

Rocco and Rocky laying down and being absolutely perfect!

I got down on the floor and cuddled with Rocco.

He was very affectionate and lovely. It's almost like he knew what was going on.

Well, after the opening and the presentation of the new Breeders and the CSI: Miama stars presenting an award to a real life Blind pheorensic scientist it was time for the dogs to be reunited with their blind handlers. Freya and I were one of the last...Rocco and I were one of the firsts. Still tyring not to cry we walked out on stage and presented Rocco to Ms.D...I also gave a horrible speech. I had it all planned out in my head and I knew what I was going to say and then I got up on stage and was like "Rocco was my second puppy *trembly voice* and...uhh... *"Erin, don't you start crying now!* he was special..." I don't cry at these things because all I can think of is the happy stuff. I cry after, but never during. It was an odd experience for me. I totally forgot to mention how much easier it is to give up your puppy when they go to a wonderful person and Ms.D is simply wonderful. *face palm*

Mary and me walking Rocco on stage. My head is down, but I swear that's just how I walk.
Ms.D giving her speech. I'm still holding Rocco because she gave her speech before taking him. He was so bad on stage.

Me handing off Rocco's leash. She handed me the microphone without taking Rocco and so into the mic I said, "Here, let me just give you this." *face palm* I'm sure I sounded horrible.

Then we got refreshments and Rocco got to say hi to Lance again before leaving. Now, Ms.D went down the hall with her husband to get some dog food and left us in the room with Rocco and her best friend. Mary and Ms.D's best friend started talking so I just sat down on the floor with Rocco and started petting him and told him how he had to be a good boy or else I would be so disappointed in him. And that, my dear friends, is when I started crying. That also happens to be the point when I started crying at Freya's graduation. When I was left alone after presenting her. I think it's going to be a trend now. But, yes, I started crying and Ms.D's best friend looks over at me and says, "Don't you start now. You're going to make me start!" Haha!

Rocco (R) and Lance (L)

Then it was really time to say good-bye and to watch my boy walk away from me.

Rocco walking away with Ms.D and her husband. "You know you're a puppy raiser when you find such joy in handing over your dog's leash to someone you just met."
A close-up of them walking away. "You Know you're a puppy raiser when you'd rather see your dog walk away than stay."

It was a lovely graduation and, if I haven't said it enough, I can't believe the great matching powers of Guide Dogs for Blind. My first puppy went to the absolute perfect person and now my second puppy is starting his new life with the absolute perfect person for him. Good luck and many Guiding years to Rocco and Ms.D!

*This post might have caused me to cry*

Rocco's Graduation (Part 1)

*Warning! LONG and LOTS of pictures*

Graduation day for me started out really early in the morning. Mary and I wanted to leave at 6:30am just in case there was traffic, but Candie was driving and she said that we could leave by 7am and be just fine. So, Mary and I are standing outside of Mary's house at 6:50 waiting for Candie. She was running a little late and, of course, Mary and I were going crazy. Haha!

We ended up getting there just fine and a little early. It was just enough time for Mary to check Lance into the kennels and for us to go to Panera and inhale some soup before checking in at the Day Room. We sat with Rocky's raiser (who also graduated yesterday) and talked about how excited we were and how nervous we were to meet their new people. We waited a full 30 minutes to meet Rocco's new person and see Rocco again. I think it could be considered torture, but while we were sitting there a training comes up to us and says, "I was Rocco's trainer." It doesn't always end up that the dog and its trainer end up in class together. She told us how much she loved Rocco and that he learned really fast and really easy. Then she told us that Rocco was going to the most wonderful lady. It was so good for us to hear that because we had tried to call Thursday and Friday and never got through.

Finally, it was time to see our pups again. With Freya they led in all the graduates and let the raisers meet them there. They're doing it a little different now and leading the raisers to the graduate's room. I like this way a lot better because you're alone with the graduate right from the beginning. Also, last time at Freya's graduation, I was the last raiser to get paired with their puppy. This time Mary and I were the first (probably because Rocco's trainer was there and wanted to match us up first)! We went straight to their room and this is what I saw;

My first glimpse of Rocco and his new "mom," Ms.D.

Rocco's trainer wasn't lying. Rocco was paired with the most wonderful lady I could ever imagine! I could tell that she and Rocco were already totally in love with each other, but Rocco's heart is big enough for all of us. So, as soon as he saw me he decided that he would not be the good Guide Dog I know he is and went a little nuts! I brought both of them a gift in a lovely bag and guess what...Rocco ripped it when he jumped towards me. Haha! Right away Ms.D handed the leash to me (perfect way into my heart). I tried getting down with Rocco but he was just too crazy! So I said hello standing up. Ms.D also had people coming to the graduation as her cheering team and they were wonderful too (gosh, Canadians really are lovely people. I know people joke about that, but I think it's totally true). They adored Rocco so much and that's so nice to see.

Because Rocco was being so good Ms.D decided to give him a little treat. He's such a lab! His entire attention went from everyone to directly on her.

Rocco looking up at Ms.D after she gave him a treat. "Please Mom! Can I have more?"

But then he decided that he wanted to pose for the camera and be sociable. He's such a cutie pie! I don't know if you can tell from some of these pictures how BIG he's gotten but Ms.D said he was 72.5 pounds! He looks so good and has filled out so nicely.

Rocco looking straight at the camera with a goofy smile.
Rocco with Mary and Me. The light wasn't that great, but we're all smiling!

Rocco with Ms.D and Mary and Me. Rocco is looking right at Ms.D!

Then it was time for pictures. We were led from the room to the picture place and took all of our pictures. Obviously Ms.D got her picture alone with Rocco then Mary and I took a picture with her and then we did separate raiser pictures.

Rocco and Ms.D in the picture room.

A close-up of my handsome boy in his harness!

Mary with Rocco and Ms.D in the picture room.

After pictures we were allowed to visit some more. I of course took more pictures. We exchanged gifts and Rocco knew that there were a lot of toys for him and he kept looking over at the suitcase where they were packed! Silly boy! Ms.D had also never heard that Rocco will be Mr. May for the 2012 calender so I got her one of those.

Rocco and Ms.D with the dead present bag.
Rocco smiling and looking all happy in harness.

Then it was time to go back to the Day Room and get ready to present our puppies. Stay tuned for Rocco's Graduation (Part 2) either later tonight or tomorrow.

Phase Report

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M In Class!!!!

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M In Class!!!!

Regina 4Y16 LAB F 0

Hermes 46Y1 LAB M 3

Halette LAB F Spayed and Healing

Belle puppy EATON is in phase 8 this week!!!! YAY!!!! And Belle puppy EPIC is still going through medicals in phase 0. Also, Belle puppy ESTEE has been chosen to be part of GDB's breeder colony! Hooray! Hoping for an Estee puppy when I get home. She's also been at Belle's breeder keeper's home for about a week on a trial. I'm so hoping that Ken and Nancy are going to keep her. I would love to see pictures of Estee's future litters. Ken, Nancy, Belle, and Estee are going to be at Rocco's graduation THIS SATURDAY, so I'll get pictures of them together. *If you know Estee's raiser don't tell her about Estee being on a trial with Ken and Nancy. I'm not sure if GDB or Ken and Nancy has let her raiser know. But I had to share to good news about Estee.*

The Letter! (And Some Lasts)

I got the official letter today! The one that tells me who Rocco is paired with and where he's going to be living and working. So...guess where he's going!

Ontario Canada!!!!!!

I can't believe he's going to Canada. I'm so very, very excited! This will be the second puppy in a row to graduate and go to Canada! Pauli and now Rocco. He's also been matched with a woman. I expected him to be matched with a man because of his size.

Now, I'd like to point out...I have a working guide in South Korea and soon a working guide in Canada. When will I get a dog working in California? Haha!

On to the Hilly update!

Hilly went to play with Bella today. Bella is the new wheelchair guide for the lady who lives in my town. I went to help her shop today. Hilly and Bella are best friends. They're about a year apart in age, but they definitely love each other. This may be the last time that Hilly gets to play with Bella and it was definitely her last shopping trip with them.

She also went to her last hair appointment today. I know my hair stylists is going to miss her. She loves all of my puppies. Hilly (and all of my puppies) loved going there because they knew that all rules were pretty much put on hold. The hair ladies got to pet her and love her.

I can't believe she's doing all these lasts. I think tomorrow we'll be going to Whole Foods for the last time to say good bye to all of her fans there. We'll also be going to the movies tomorrow to see Hilly's last movie.

Phase Report

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M In Class!!!!

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M In Class!!!!

Regina 4Y16 LAB F 0

Hermes 46Y1 LAB M 2

Halette LAB F Spayed and Healing

I'm so glad to see Regina on the phase report this week! I can't wait to see her fly through the phases like her brothers have! I'm guessing she was probably on breeder watch and was spayed, but I could be wrong. But since Rocco's whole litter wasn't in the littermate booklet this year I'm thinking she was already back up on the campus. I'm still waiting to hear about Reann. Maybe she's made it as a Breeder! Then I'd have lots of puppies to request when I get back! Haha! Belle puppy EATON is in 8 this week!!!! Hooray. Other Belle puppy EPIC is finally on the phase report after being neutered and is in phase 0! This is a very exciting phase report for me.

Also, go over to Ashley's Blog and hear the good news about Medford (from Fame's famous "M" litter).

Not So Wordless Wednesday

This Little Guy Plus...

One of these Harnesses

Equals...

Four very happy Raisers!

That's right! We got the call yesterday late afternoon that Rocco was in class and due to graduate on August 27, 2011. I'll still be in town so I'll get to go! This is the retrain class so I'm wondering who Rocco has been matched with and what kind of Guide they had before. You know you always worry if their new person is going to love them as much as you do, but I find that worry a little less prominent as Rocco's person isn't new and since I've gone through it before and know that no matter where they go they are absolutely loved.

Oh! Rocky is also in class and will be graduating with Rocco on August 27!

10 Days to go before I get to see my baby boy again!

Thirteenth Phase Report

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M 8

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M 8

Hermes 46Y1 LAB M 1

Halette LAB F Spayed and recovering

Belle puppy EATON is in phase 7 this week! Woohoo! Go Eaton! One more phase to go buddy!

We haven't heard yet about Rocco. What's happened for the past two dogs to graduate (Jonah and Pauli) is that they were on the phase report on Thursday (that would be yesterday) and then on Friday (today) Mary got the call that they were in class. This is what I'm hoping is going to happen with Rocco. If not, maybe he's in the retrain class that'll get their dogs on Monday. I found out recently that Rocco's second raiser wouldn't be able to make it if he graduated on August 27 and I'm not able to make it for the next graduation on September 18. So, I've decided that whenever he decides to graduate is just fine because he'll have someone there no matter what. Of course I'm hoping to see him, but if that doesn't happen I'll get to talk to his new handler and that'll be just fine with me.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

A picture of the GDB harness...

The harness is on my mind as of late with the hope that Rocco will graduate soon and Hilly's possible recall on the horizon...eval with Jim tomorrow. Don't know if I'm ready.

New Class

I would like to congratulate the class that just graduation from the San Rafael campus this past Saturday. May you have many years together as a working Guide Dog Team.

And I would like to welcome the new class to the campus today! Dog Day is Wednesday...wonder if Rocco will be in there somewhere.

*sits by the phone and waits*

Twelfth Phase Report

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M 8

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M 8

Hermes 46Y1 LAB M 1

Halette LAB F Breeder Eval

Belle puppy EATON is in phase 6 today! Hooray! Oh, and remember way back when? When the "E" puppies had just been placed with their raisers and ELI contracted Parvo? Well, a few weeks back he was CC'd for hip problems and guess who he was placed with. He was placed with the vet who saved his life as a puppy. I think that's such a lovely story. I hear he's happy and healthy where he is and I wish him the best of lives as a spoiled pet of a vet.

As of right now, we're really just waiting for "the call" for Rocco. I'm so proud of my goofy boy and I just can't wait to see him again!

Eleventh Phase Report

Because I was out of town yesterday, I didn't get to post this.

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M 8

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M 8

Hermes 46Y1 LAB M 0

Hanalei LAB F Breeder Evals

Halette LAB F Breeder Evals

Hanalei and Halette won't show up on the phase reports unless they're dropped from Breeding. I really hope at least one of Hilly's sisters makes it as a Breeder. I did find out at Fun Day that she was the only female from the litter who was already dropped from Breeding, And since there is only one male in the whole litter that means she's in the minority. Oh Hilly... Anyway, let's go "H" litter!!!! And now to get this out...

Rocco's in 8! Rocco's in 8! Rocco's in 8!

Now we just play the waiting game...

18 Month Day

Yesterday Rocco turned 18 months old. I think it would have been cool to see that he was in phase 8 on his 18 month day, but again, we all know that the reports just weren't updated for those pups on the CA campus. ;-) Anyway, I really couldn't think of an 18 month thing for Rocco, so I just thought I would say how proud all of his Moms are that he's doing so well up at "doggie college". We're all waiting for that fateful call from Jim telling us that he's been matched with his blind/visually impaired partner. I hope his "in class" call comes at an interesting time like Freya's did.
Anyway...Happy Month Day Rocco!!! I can't wait to see my bouncy, cuddly, goofy, caring, smart, sweet, happy, sensitive, energetic, silly, brave, strong, kind, playful, focused, big, handsome, yellow boy again. Hey...that was 18 adjectives!

Tenth Phase Report and Mostly Wordless Wednesday

The report came out a day early, so I really couldn't do my normal "Mostly Wordless Wednesday". Here's the bit of the report that I wish to report. Now you may say, "Erin, your boy jumped two phases and then held in one phase for two weeks. Doesn't that make it less of an accomplishment?" No it does not. If he needs an extra week to get out of 7 then that just means that there is something in that phase he needs a little extra help on. He still went through phase 6 real fast. And what I think happened is that the dogs that are at the California campus didn't get updated this week because Fun Day is this Saturday.

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M 7

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M 7

Havasu was unfortunately not on the phase report this week. :-( I'm trying to figure out what happened, because she was still only in medicals. Do I freak out when littermates have medical problems? Yes. But I'm sure Havasu is still having a blast and will be placed exactly where she's meant to be. Belle puppy EATON is in phase 4 this week!

Speaking about Belle puppies...this was going to be my Wordless Wednesday. :-) I know, she's adorable. This is a video of Freya grabbing onto one of her back feet. It's like she's saying, "I'm bored! My feet are itching to go somewhere."

Eighth Phase Report

Rocco 4Y13 LAB M 7

Rocky 4Y14 LAB M 7

Havasu 45Y7 LAB F 0

Look at those boys go!!!!!!! Do you guys remember last phase report when they were in 5? Well, they jumped two phases this week! Hooray!!!!! Go boys! Havasu is still on medicals so we're still rooting for her. Belle puppy EATON is in phase 3! Congrats to his raiser!

Still no word on Rocco and Rocky's sisters. Ah! Hope they're on the phase report soon!