Christmas

Well Andrew and I hope everyone had a great Christmas yesterday. I know we did. We woke up about 8am and went downstairs so I could feed and potty Andrew. He then had to stay in the kitchen (don't worry he got to open his presents first). Andrew got two new bones, Wilbur got 2 new bones and doggy treats, lobo got 3 new bones, and my sisters yorkie got 3 stuff toys a new bone and 2 sweaters. Once all the animals had their gifts it was time to open ours. My sister and I got to open up the gifts from our parents then my mom and dad got to open their gifts then my aunt who came to visit opened her gifts then my sister and I finally got to finish opening the rest of our gifts. Andrew did pretty good yesterday. We are working on him not mouthing and chewing everything in site (hes a typical pup). On Thursday Andrew will be going to stay with another raiser and her guide dog puppy Shawn for about 5-6 days while my family goes on vacation to hawaii. If nothing exciting happens before Thursday then ill post again once back form my trip. So in case I don't get to update have a happy new years!!

Just like medford

Ok so we dont know for sure if medford is andrews dad but we are pretty sure he is. Besides looking a lot like medford Andrew has one other thing in common with medford both like to lay on the coffee table. He also likes to do the golden/frog lay just like medford use to.

First outings

Today Andrew went on his first outings. First we took him to my dads buisness where all the employees and customers got to love on him. He did excelent and enjoyed the attention. Then later today we took him to Albertsons. Hes still to young to walk in there so i carried him and boy was he heavy. All of our pups in training go to albertsons with us so the employees enjoy watching each grow up. He did excelent and when i put him down at check out line he just laid down while my mom paid. He showed no fear of the shopping carts which is good. I can say he had a good day today and cant wait for the day hell be old enough to do lot more outings.

Christmas party part 2

Well since i am in both fresno and bakersfield guide dog clubs that means two christmas parties. For Bakersfield group we have a low key potluck party. It was fun to see all the bakersfield dogs again and their raisers. Everyone enjoyed meeting Amdrew he did pretty good he had trouble laying still while i ate but it was expected since hes young. We also got andrews jacket that night. Again sorry no pictures it was to crazy trying to worry about andrew but i still had fun.

Christmas party part 1

So this post is a little late. Sorry life has been crazy. So last saturday was fresnos yearly christmas party which is lot of fun. We started outside at 10:30am working on commands and then went inside the boweling alley to play one game of boweling. We had a lot of fun and since i didnt hav a puppy i got to love on the others and enjoy boweling and not worry about what my dog is doing. I extra enjoyed this year since last year the party was only few days after my car accident which ment sitting out of boweling last year. After boweling we moved to a party room where we enjoyed a yummy lunch. Then it was time for the best part the dog theme gift exchange it gets real crazy. We play where we all bring a gift or two wrapped up and draw numbers then take turns picking a gift we are also allowed to take a gift from someone but the gift can only be stolen three times. I forgot to take my camera so no pictures.

Meet....

Andrew!!!! I picked him up sunday afternoon. Hes a very sweet boy and reminds me a lot of medford. He has done very well since i brought him home. First night he only got up twice and last night he slept all night. He has already learned to go up and down our stairs. We weighed him monday and he just turned 8 weeks old and weighs 15.5ib. We also got to see medford on sunday he was so happy to see me and i was happy to see him. His family was leaving him at the kennels because he had a "date" that day. Since ive been busy with andrew i havent got to choose a winner yet but i will by the end of the week.

Last Chance!!!

So this is everyones last chance to guess my puppy's name if you haven't or just want to keep guessing. I am getting a male letter "A". I know all the names of the pups in the litter so far no one has guessed any of the boys names. Remember if you guess right you get a prize unless there is numerous people who guess right then ill have to pick randomly somehow who wins. I will be getting mr.A tomorrow around 2:30 pm and since I won't be back into Bakersfield till late tomorrow I wont post the name on here till Monday, and the name of the winner. So have fun guessing. I will also post on Monday pictures of me with Medford, and me playing with the A litter.

Very excited

Im even more excited for Sunday now. I just got an email from Medford's family confirming they will be at the guide dog campus sunday to play with the A litter with me and my friend Kim. The best part is they will have Medford with them. I havent seen Medford in over 2 months (yes im sure i will cry when i see him). So now i have two things to be excited about seeing Medford and getting my new puppy. I'd say thats the best Christmas gift ever.

name game continues....

So i am down to six days till I pick up mr. A. I can't wait to meet him. I havent seen any pictures of the A litter so i still have no idea what hell look like. I hope he is healthy, chubby, and very fluffy. So now that its coming down to the wire its time to guess those A names. Remember the winner will receive a small prize. If you are someone I have told the litter names to(erin) then you can only guess one name. If I havent told you the names guess away. If more than one person guesses right then ill find some way to choose one winner. So guess away!!

its that time again......

Well now that I am down to 8 days till I pick up mr.A I figured it is time for the name game. As I said before I will be receiving a male golden or golden cross but I wont know exactly what breed mine is until the DNA results come in once the pups are 3 months old. I havent decided what exactly but the winner will receive some small prize. So let the name guessing begin.

p.s. Erin you only can guess one name since you already know the names of the pups lol.

Introducing....

Today my leader picked up her new puppy. He is a male golden born 10/8 to devine and preston. My leader raised preston so this is a grandpup for her. We also got to play with the other pups in the litter. So what is mr N's name? its...................................Nikon. He is very cute.

Two of Preston's pups
My leader Mary with one of Prestons pups

Nikon

Puppy meeting

Today was my first meeting back with the Fresno far sighted in about a month. I only made it to one meeting in November since I was busy and I dont have a puppy yet. It was great to see everyone again and catch up with them again. Our meeting was at fig garden its a small shopping center that has some great stores to take the pups in and tons of distractions too. I was lucky and got to work two different dogs this meeting. It was great to have a leash in my hand again. I first worked Pelham, and then Tippet. We had new perspective raisers so I worked Pelham first to show them what to do then handed them the leash to work him some while I supervised. Towards the end of the meeting is when I worked Tippet.

Tomorrow I will be driving up with my leader to play with the Preston litter and pick up her pup from that litter. I will have pictures to post tomorrow of the new pup and me playing with the pups too.

name game

So this weekend I am going with my leader to pick up her new puppy The puppy is a male golden born to destiny and preston(who she raised) litter letter N. So let the name guessing begin.

great news

I am very excited I just got an email with the names of the pups from "Medfords" litter. I am not allowed to realease the names until all the pups have gone to their raisers. I can say I am happy with the names, and cant wait to find out which of the four boys is mine. I will pick mr. A up on Dec 18. I also found out that Medfords breeder family is going to bring him to the campus to see me when I pick up my puppy. I cant wait to see him again.

This weekend will be fun. I am going with my guide dog leader to the campus to play with her last puppy Preston's litter. We will be picking up one of those pups from that litter. She will be getting a mr. N. We will also be picking up a male yellow lab pup for a new raiser in our group. Yes thats 2 pups we will be bringing back. I know 2 adorable pups in the car how horrible lol. I cant wait to meet them

happy early thanksgiving

So this is a bit early but i will be gone on vacation thanksgiving week and may not have access to a computer. I wanted to wish everyone a happy early thanksgiving. With thanksgiving about a week away we should all give thanks for the wonderfull pups we are able to raise. So here is a question that I would love everyone to answer. The question is why did you decide to become a puppy raiser?

Also I have set a goal for the blog. I would like to try and double the number of viewers to my blog by January 1 so if you could spred the word that would be great.

Great interview

I just had to share this article with everyone. Shannon is one of the raisers in my Bakersfield group for guide dogs, and she did an interview for the news about taking her guide dog puppy to school. Check it out!!

http://www.turnto23.com/news/29731020/detail.html

leash give away

Ok so fellow guide dog puppy raiser Mandy who is raising guide dog puppy Saxon is doing a special give away. She has started to make leather leashes to sell, and as special treat has decided to give away one leash for free. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog saying that you have 1. liked her clubs facebook page 2. posted a link to the giveaway on you blog/facebook/twitter

here is the link to her blog. Check it out!
http://www.doyourbusiness.org/

litter announcements

So since I dont have a puppy I thought I would update you on litters of pups that fresno far sighted dogs helped produce in October.

On October 8 Preston who was raised by my leader litter of pups were born. He produced 8 pups 2 males 6 females with female golden devine. The litter letter is N. My leader will be getting one of the male pups.

On October 22 Medford& Ralph with Pilar pups were born 4 males 4 females. Litter letter is A. I will be getting one of these pups.

On October 31 Heloise a female yellow lab bred with Jay had one pup a male black lab. Letter is Z. Far as I know Heloise family plans to get this pup.

Fresno breeder pups were busy this october.
Aslo Preston it was decided after that one litter would not be a breeder and is now phase 3 of 8 in training.

Medford will be a dad ....AGAIN

So when I had last talked to guide dogs breeding department Medford wasnt scheduled to be bred again any time soon. Well.... I got an email today saying that a female went into heat and they decided to use Medford as the daddy. He was bred to Damsel a female yellow lab. So now that there is another litter i have to decide do I get a pup from the first litter and hope it is a medford pup since two males were used, or i could wait few months and know for sure it is a medford pup. Its a hard choice. The thing is i prefer to have the more golden to it over the more lab. Ive always liked goldens more than labs, dont get me wrong i love labs but goldens have and always will be my favorite. If i take one from the first litter it would be 7/8 golden if it was a med but there is no promise it would be medfords. If i get one from second litter then it would be more lab but i would know its medfords. As of now im sticking to the first litter but who knows i still have some time to decide.

Happy Halloween

Wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.

Wilbur in his king costume(yes being king of the couch is hard work)

More info

So after much back and forth with the head of breeding department at guide dogs I finally got all the info I needed about the pups. As you know Medford and another male was bred with pilllar. Once I heard that news I began to panic about would i know if I had a medford pup, and if not would I be ok with the other males pup. With this being my last pup for at least a little while I was hoping to end with a grandpup and wasnt sure if I would be ok with the other males. So I sent an email expressing my concerns to the head of breeding department. She informed that a DNA test would be done on the pups once they were 6 weeks old but would not have results till they were 12-14 weeks old. That made me feel little better knowing I would at least know who the dad was even if it was after i had it for a month. However, I still worried would i be ok with the other males pup if I ended up with it. I thought about waiting for his second litter but was told it doesnt like hell be used anytime soon and with only a certain time frame I could get a puppy I have decided to go ahead and stick with the pillar litter. I was told that the other male used was ralph a male golden medium color, and that he had a good success rate. After hearing that my fears were put to ease. I would be happy with whatever I got, would I be little disapointed if the pup i got wasn't medfords yes but I'd be ok with it which is important. I also found out that I can schedule to see the pups once they are 6-7 weeks old I know i will be taking advantage of this opertunity. My thinking if something happens that i dont get a med pup at least i can say i saw them.

Medford as a puppy

funny dog video

My dad sent this video to me. My first dog Wilbur is in love with food, so this video reminded me of him.

puppy news

Well I just talked to guide dogs and Pillar who Medford was bred with had 8 puppies on saturday. There are 4 males and 4 females, and the litter letter is A. Since Pillar was also bred with frozen sperm from another male we do not know yet how many are medfords. We have been told different things but we should know when they are 6-12 weeks old. Yes that means we might not find out until we have the puppy. So fingers crossed they find out at 6 weeks so we can know we are raising a medford pup and not some other males pup.

Puppies, puppies, puppies

So I got a very exciting email today from the breeding department for guide dogs for the blind. It said that at the time of the email she had deliverd 4 pups with 2-3 more still to go. Thats all I know right now and should no more info in few days. Also since Pillar was bred with Medford AND another male we arent sure what pups belong to what dad yet. There will be a DNA test when they are about 6 weeks old to find out. Once I know more ill post.

Medford update

I received this picture from Medford's family. I am told he is doing well, and enjoying the rope toy we gave him at graduation. In the picture is Medford with Gail the family's female black lab who was their first breeeder and is now retired.

Medford and Gail

update

So now that my life has somewhat settled down again I figured I should update everyone on what is going on. First Medford's first litter is due oct 19. Unfortunally the female was bred with Medford and another male so until they are born and dna test are run I will not know how many of the pups are his. Secondly I have received the news that my appartment has changed their minds and will not allow me to have guide dogs stay with me luckly I had signed a month to month lease since I was nervous if they would keep their word to allow the dog. So now I will be moving again at the end of the semester, so I can continue to raise. This means three months without a dog. This will be weird since it has been a while since I went this long without a dog. So since I will not have much to update about my blog will be slow for a bit. I will however keep everyone updated about medford's pups.

graduation pictures

Medford and I with his breeder keepers children
Medford and I in front of the congratulations sign
Medford giving me kisses
Medford and I before graduation

Family photo(my dad, me , medford, my sister, and my mom)
group photo (hilton, medford, heloise,and hobbs) with raisers and hilton and hobbs partners
Medford and I being called onto the stage
Making Medford sit before giving my speech

Tearing up during my speech
Medford sitting in my lap after graduation
Giving Medford one last hug

Medford graduates

Yesterday Medford graduated as a breeder. It started out with my family, my sister's boyfriend and I driving to San Rafael on Friday. We arrived to the Embassy suits at about 8pm, and checked in. I then let Palau run around our suit to burn her energy while I worked on my speech for Medford's graduation. Then it was off to bed. At 8am I woke up took care of Palau, and got ready for the graduation. At 10:40 am we headed over to the Guide Dog campus to meet Medford's breeder keeper family. We enjoyed sharing stories about Medford for a while, and then Medford's family had to leave. Once they left I enjoyed loving on Medford and showed my sister's boyfriend the campus. While walking through the kennels I happened to run into some of the trainers I had worked with during my internship few years back. It was great to catch up with them. I then headed back to the student dorms to have Medford and I picture taken. Then I met up with some memebers from my group for more pictures. We were having Medford and three other dogs from our group graduate that day, so we wanted pictures of all the dogs together. Then it was time for graduation to start. I was the second one to go on stage, and was allowed to say a few words about Medford. I had the worst time giving the speech, since I kept breaking down into tears. After my turn I was able to go sit in the audience and watch the students receive their guides. Once graduation was over there was a small reception where we had cookies to eat. Then it was time to say goodbye. We walked Medford to the kennels and checked him in. We then took him to his kennel and gave him the last few kisses. Then we had to walk away in tears. On our way home we stopped in Merced to drop Palau (who did great at graduation) off with her raisers. Yesterday was very emotional but I couldnt be more proud of Medford. I will post pictures from graduation once my mom emails me them.

Palau

Sorry lot of this is late. I was in the process of moving so i didn't have internet access for a bit. So as I mentioned I am watching Palau a female golden/lab cross for 6 weeks. I picked her up on my way back from an outing to old sacramento. She is a sweet girl. Since I am still getting use to her we have been keeping outings to small quick outings to avoid any accidents. She has been attending class with me and has been great to have in class. She just goes under my desk and sleeps. I have found that she loves to sleep near her food and water dish. She is pretty different from her brother polaris who I had started. She has more confidence then polaris did and she looks like a lab while polaris looked golden. One thing both have in common they both love to cuddle. I look forward to our adventures together.

Now for some exciting news. We have found out along with Medford 3 other dogs from our group will be graduating. Pups Hilton and Hobbs (aka the H brothers) will be graduating as guides and pups medford and Heloise will be breeders. This will be a special graduation having 4 dogs from one group graduate together. Only 1.5 weeks till graduation.

news....

Well I got a call today that ive been waiting for since polaris was transfered. They have found me another puppy to care for short term. What that means I will be watching the puppy till end of October so almost a long puppy sit. I will be picking up a female golden/lab cross tomorrow on my way back from sacramento. Her name is Palau. The best part is she is polaris' sister. I am excited to have a puppy again even if it is for short time. Hopefully once my time is up with her there will be a pup who can be officially transfered to me to finish up until a Medford pup is old enough to come to college with me.

past pups cont.

Polaris male golden lab cross (7/8 golden 1/8 lab) pup # 8 transfered still a P.I.T
Medford a male golden lab cross (3/4 golden 1/4 lab) pup #7 breeder
Sweetie female yellow lab pup #6 cc'd for being distracted now living as a pet with my leader in bakersfield

past pups

Baron Male yellow lab pup # 5 working guide in CA
Lobo Male yellow lab pup # 4 cc'd for health now living as a pet with my parents

Fabrica female black lab pup #3 cc'd for dog distraction lives with family friends

Pascal male golden pup #2 working guide in texas
Wilbur male yellow pup #1 worked in georgia now retired and living with my parents

Here are pictures of my past pups i raised

answer to questions day 1 con.

Ok so another question I was asked was what it is like raising a puppy in college. To start I have not had a baby puppy while attending college due to the fact of where I live it would not be safe to have a baby puppy. The reason being it is pet friendly and all the dogs share the grass so since I do not know if all dogs have had all shots it is safer not to have a baby puppy. I would say raising in college is not easy but it is not hard either. As long as you have a puppy who can settle for classes and has a good bit of confidence where it can handle big crowds its not that hard. The best thing to do is plan your class schedule around your puppy. I always leave at least an hour between classes so I have time to relieve the pup, eat if I need too, and allow the pup to stretch. If I have a class that overlaps with the dogs dinner I pack the food in a container and take it to school with me so I can feed the dog before that class. So far I have had no issues with my professors about having a dog in class. Having a dog on campus has been great it has allowed me to meet to meet new people, educate others on how to act around a service animal as well as educate people with disabilities about the option of having a service dog. The one down side is it does somewhat limit what I can do. I did leave medford home sometimes for a couple hours so I could enjoy myself. If I am going to be gone for a very long period and can't have the dog with me I try to find a puppy sitter in my guide dog group to watch the dog. Taking random trips is very limited since unless the dog can go it can be hard to find someone to watch the dog last minute. Over all I would say even with Medford I had a pretty normal college year last year. I still got to hang with friends and do normal things sometimes with and other times without Medford. Granted I live in an appartment so things are different then if I was in college renting a house or condo that had a yard where I could have an outside pen allowing me to leave a dog little more often then I did with Medford.

answers to questions day 1

Ok so I recived some questions today and I will do my best to answer them the best I can. One question was have I ever blogged about my other puppies. The answer is no I have not blogged about my previous dogs Medford was my first one. However, I did mention Wilbur my first pup in some of this blog. Here is a little about each pup. My first puppy was Wilbur a male yellow lab. I received Wilbur in 6th grade. Wilbur was a loving boy, but we did have some issues with him while I raised him. To start he had tummy issues and would often have loose stools making it difficult for the longest time to be able to take him places. He was about 8-9 months old when he finally got over that issue. He also suffered from ear infections alot too. His biggest issue though was his love to steel food. He went on to graduate as working guide in Georgia. He is now retired and living a spoiled life as a pet with my parents. My second puppy was a golden retriever named Pascal. I received Pascal the same day I returned Wilbur. Pascal was coraised by me and my sister since at the time I had lots of homework in 8th grade which made it difficult for me to always have time for him. He was a good boy when working. His only issue was if left alone he would bark like crazy. Pascal got to attend my week long 8th grade graduation trip as well as go on stage with me when I graduated. Pascal went with me the first month or so of high school before he returned for his formal training. Pascal graduated as a working guide in texas. We received notice a few years ago that he had been retired for unknown reasons, but a year after retiring was reinstated as a guide to the same person(this was a first for guide dogs for the blind). My third pup was a female black lab named fabrica. Fabrica came to me my freshman year of high school. She was very interesting to raise since she was my first female. Fabrica attended school with me almost everyday once she was old enough. She had an issue of being dog distracted and chewing up things while loose in our home(yes she chewed up one of my mom's cell phones). She was career changed while in formal training for dog distraction. I was very sad that I was unable to keep her since I was attached to her, but I had to decide to keep her or keep raising and I chose to keep raising. She now lives with family friends who live near us so I do still get to see her and sometimes watch her if they are gone. After Fabrica came Lobo a male yellow lab. Lobo was still a pup (about 6 months old) when he was career changed. He was career changed for a health issue though vets can not say exactly whats wrong all we know is no long walks for him or hell start to limp. He is now a pet living with my parents. He and my dad are best buds. After Lobo I waited about 1-2 months before getting my next puppy. We wanted Lobo to settle into pet life and we were deciding if we could handle two dogs. My fifth puppy was Baron a male yellow lab. Baron started out a very easy puppy very mellow and easy going. However, not long after getting him he developed loose stools. We would get him better then as we would put him on his food the loose stools came back. After few months of this guide dogs had him go to the san rafael campus, and they ran test and found nothing wrong. We believe that we might have bought the wrong food, and that upset his tummy. When we got Baron back he had hit his teenage years so he became a little stuborn and would get distracted easly. As a result he was put on a food proticall where i rewarded him with a treat for focussing on me and not the distractions. Well despite being a lab he really was not food motivated. He would put food in his mouth suck on it then spit it out even hot dogs and cheese didn't work. In the end about a few months before his recall we got the letter to get him neutered. After that he was a lot better about working. He graduated as a working guide in California. I have not heard from or seen him since his graduation. After Baron I got Sweetie a female yellow lab. Sweetie was quite the puppy. From day one she had lots of energy. Sweetie was a very hyper dog so she was very limited on being able to go to school with me. As a result we decided to coraise her with my leader in Bakersfield. We coraised her till I left for college. When I left another raiser who I am friends with finished her. Sweetie was career changed for being to hyper and unable to focuss. She now lives as a pet with my leader I coraised her with. After Sweetie I received Medford who I had been blogging about. I also started a puppy named Polaris who I transfered a few months ago. I am now waiting on a transfer puppy to raise.

something new

Ok well since I do not have a dog to blog about at the moment I have decided to try something new for now. I have decided to answer questions that you as bloggers might have for me. So feel free to leave any questions you have for me in the comment box, and through the next two or so weeks I will try to answer them. Feel free to ask me anything about puppy raising for Guide Dogs for the Blind, what it is like raising in college, about any of my past dogs I raised, etc.

puppy sitting

So what is one to do while waiting for a transfer puppy to come? Puppy sit!! This past week I had the joy of getting to watch guide dog puppy Shawn. For those who aren't familiar puppy sitting is when a puppy goes to stay with another member of the guide dog group while their raiser goes out of town. Shawn was a good boy. He was a great dog to take to class so my teachers could get use to the idea of a dog in the class. All my teachers love him. He just went under my desk (well under as best as a huge 10 month old puppy can) and slept. It was really hot this week so I limited the outings we took. It was really nice to have a leash back in my hands, and I look forward to the next time I have a puppy.

p.s. pictures will be posted of shawn once i get on my own computer.

update

sorry this update is a little late. As I posted before Medford is now a breeder. I was informed that last week Medford went to his breeder keeper family. After I got the call from Guide Dogs for the Blind I also got an email with the name of the family he will live with, where they live, and how to get in contact with them. I sent an email to his new family on Monday introducing myself. I haven't heard back but I hope to hear back soon. We also found out that Medford was being bred this past weekend. We are hoping to get a puppy from this litter for my parents to start for me. In the meantime I am hoping a transfer will come up that I can finish while I wait on a Medford pup. So far no news on a transfer. It has been weird not having a dog with me at school. This was the first time besides my first year of college that I started school without a dog with me since I started raising guide dogs.

It's official

It is official my baby Medford is going to be graduating as a breeder for Guide Dogs for the Blind. We will present him to his breeder keepers October 8 at the Guide Dog graduation. It is a big honor for a dog to be selected as a breeder. We are sad that we wont be getting him back, but happy that he will be doing what he was born to do. We have decided that if a transfer dog does not come up in the next 2 months we will apply to get a Medford puppy to raise. We look forward to seeing our boy again in October, and seeing him become a daddy to some great puppies.

funday photos

my friend kim puppy shawn worn out after a long weekend
puppy pile

polaris' dad taylor

Polaris in his "nothin' but a polaris dog" shirt

Polaris and 3 of his siblings

polaris/ funday

This past weekend was funday at guide dogs. It started out with me, polaris, my friend kim, and her puppy in training shawn all driving up to san fransisco area. Once we got there we checked into our hotel room at novato oaks. After checking in we rested and let the dogs play some then drove to Tiburon to meet my Bakersfield group for dinner. When we got there we realized that there was a street fair going on and that they were shooting guns off for sailboat races. Poor Polaris did not like all the noise so I ate quickly and then went and sat far away from the noise as I could till the others were done. The next day was guide dogs annual funday. We started out by going to polaris' littermate meeting where we met some of his siblings phillo padma and palero. After that we went to the fresno booth to help sale some stuff for an hour. After our shift we were able to do some shopping. Polaris started to show signs of stress so we left him in a crate at the booth and continued to shop. We then went into the kennels to look around. I managed to get a glimpse of medford. I was behind a wall so i saw him but he didnt see me. After that we went got the lunch they were serving and continued to look around. At 1 pm we went to a syminar they were holding on the new training they were doing with the dogs. 2 dogs I knew were demo dogs. The next day was my fresno group annual ferry ride into san fransisco. We rode the ferry into san fransisco then got off and walked to pier 39 where we were able to do whatever we wanted for about an hour. Some of us went to eat lunch during that time. after the free time we regrouped and went over to work the dogs near a fountain and then in a glass elevator in a hotel. Polaris had to miss this day since it would have been to stressfull.

Now for the news on polaris. As you might have noticed polaris is a very soft temperment puppy. It was decided on funday that polaris would be transfered from us to a new raiser. The reason he was transferred was because of being soft temperment there was worry he would notbe able to handle college with me. Our leader took him to his new raiser yesterday. However, the new raiser is only able to keep him for a month. our CFR has told us if he looks like he has made enough progress my Bakersfield leader could take over polaris for a few months then if he is ready for college I could get him back. He could also get ccd at any point too. We also have the option to say to transfer him again to someone else after the month is up and get a different puppy transfered to me. We havent made any decisions and are taking it day by day for now.

I will post funday pictures another day

medford update

I just got an email today about Medford and hes been....................




tentively pulled as a breeder!!!



They are waiting on the results of the last few tests. If he passes he will become an official breeder for guide dogs for the blind. He will go live with a family as a pet and go up to guide dogs when he is needed. Unfortunally we don't live in the required distance to keep a breeder so he will live with someone else. We are happy and sad about the news. We are sad that we wont be getting him back if he passes since him and I were so close, but happy that if he makes the final cut he could be having pups that will change many lives.

polaris update

Hey sorry I haven't posted in a while life has been crazy, and I haven't been doing to much with polaris. So far we've taken a trip to the jelly belly factory where a club was hosting an event there. Polaris did great. We were able to spend a lot of time working on his issue with children's toys.By the end he was doing great and would go up to them. Other then that we've taken him on small outings. Mainly I have been taking him to the mall to work with him on crowds, different noises, etc to help prepare him to go to college. This weekend Polaris got to go to a puppy sitter in Fresno while I was on a trip. He got a good report. I missed him a lot while gone. It is hard to believe he will be 5 months tomorrow. He is still pretty small ecspecially compared to the others i have raised, but i've always wanted to raise a small one so it's interesting. We are looking forward to Fun day (for those who aren't with GDB fun day is a huge event for puppy raisers that gdb has. Its a great time to meet other raisers and puppy sibs.).

Medford update he is still in breeder evals. Hope to hear some news soon on if they are going to pull him as a breeder and complete the last few test, neuter him and put him in phase training, or cc him. I am sure hes having tons of fun up at gdb.

update

sorry I havent written in a while life has been crazy. I dropped Medford off july 10th at guide dogs for the blind. It was a very sad day. My mom and I drove to san rafael but got there during the lunch break hours so we went to the mall across the street and had some lunch and walked medford around. It took everything I had not to cry in the mall. Around 1pm we went back to the campus and took some last pictures of him and I together. We then walked around some and got to talk to some of the people who work at guide dogs and of course medford worked his charm. The best part was when medford and I got to meet a guide named wil and his partner. I enjoyed watching medford and wil, both big golden boys, check each other out. After walking around we headed to the kennels to officially hand my boy over. Soon as I walked in I started crying. We were allowed to walk medford to his kennel and sit there and say good bye. Of course first thing he did when we put him in his kennel was go for the water dish (he sure loves to drink lots of water). After that my mom and I drove the long drive home empty handed. As of now hes completed his 2nd week of breeder evals.

Now to update on Polaris. Polaris is a sweet boy he is now little over 4 months old and weighs 33ib very small compared to my other pups ive raised. He loves water. His favorite thing to do is put his head in his water dish and blow bubbles and then try to attack the bubbles it is quite funny to watch. He is a very soft temperment puppy so we are taking things kind of slow with him to help build up his confidence. We laugh at him cause he usually is scared of things that you would think hed be fine with and fine with things you think hed be scared of. His one big fear is of talking toys ecspecally if they are smaller then him. guess I have lots of work to do with him.

Last day

Today is my last day with medford before my mom and I drive him up to GDB. I will post about dropping him off and post pictures when I get back tomorrow. Good luck Medford i am glad i was given the oppertunity to raise you. I love you big boy.

some lasts

This week Medford and I will be doing a lot of last things together before he heads of to Guide Dogs. Yesterday he had his last meeting with my Fresno group. The meeting was at a bowling alley, and Medford did great. He was very interested in watching people bowl but not so interested that he was distracted. I was presented my pin and certificate for raising Medford that day also. Medford and I also had our last drive from Fresno to bakersfield together. I am going to miss driving with him. Tomorrow Medford will have his last meeting with the Bakersfield group.

A quick update on Polaris he is almost 4 months old now and weighs 22ib now. Small guy. He has stared loosing his fluff and getting more short strait golden hair look now.he is a sweet boy who still has lots to learn.

count down

Well it has been decided that my mom and I will be driving Medford up to the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus on Friday. That means about 6 days left with him. Im going to miss him alot, and I know he will make me proud.

It's official!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but life has been crazy. Medford and I finished my 2nd year in college few weeks ago. It was bitter sweet. I was happy to be done with classes, but sad that it would be the last time I attended school with Medford. Well today we got a call(if your a puppy raiser you might know what call I mean). I was told Medford has been added to the recall list, and we will have to make arrangements about getting him to the puppy truck on its way back to the campus. I am very excited that he will be going off to doggy college, and look forward to seeing what path he chooses for his life. At the same time I am very sad to see my big boy go, because I love him so much. He will be on breeder eval so I won't hear anything about him for about a month. Good luck Medford

Hard to believe my boy looked like this one time

And then grew into this good looking boy.

san fransisco pictures

Sleepy boy

Medford and I in San Fransisco

Medford and Montego are brothers but are so different

Giving his brother Montego kisses

Medford in front of BART

San Fransisco

Well last weekend was very busy for Medford and I. Not only did Polaris arrive and we drive to Bakersfield to meet him, but we also joined my Fresno group for an all day trip to San Fransisco. To start that week I had puppy traded so I had a different dog named Hilton that morning. Hilton is a black lab who is very sweet. Since I was not sure what Hilton would be like that Saturday morning I got up at 4 am to get us both ready to go meet his raisers at their house to puppy swap back and then drive with them to meet my leader. Medford was very happy to see me, and I was happy to see him. He got good review from the puppy sitters. Once we swapped puppies we loaded into their van and drove to meet our leader Mary. Once we met up with Mary we got into her car to continue the drive to the BART station in Pleasanton. The dogs did good in the car considering there were 3 of them. Once we got to the BART station we had to wait a little bit till the rest of the group arrived. We then bought our tickets, and got onto BART. All the dogs did excellent and laid down in front of us till we got to San Fransisco. We then got off BART, and walked about 3 blocks where we met up with Marys daughter Melanie who surprised Medford and I by bringing Medford's brother Montego. Medford was very excited to see his brother. It was fun to watch and see the simularities and differences in both of them. We did have a misshap on the trip one of the dogs had her entire nail break off. We were able to bandage her up, and had her rest the rest of the day. Medford did great on this trip. He was able to potty on the street when I told him to. He was not scaredat all by the crowds or loud noises. After walking around for few hours it was time to head back. Again the dogs did great and slept the whole time on BART. We stopped as a group and had dinner at Baja Fresh on the way home. All the dogs went under the chairs and were very good while we ate. The ride home all three dogs in the van i rode in slept. Overall we had a fun day. I will post pictures another time.

And the new puppy is.......

Introducing ...... Polaris! He is 7/8 golden 1/8 lab cross born 2/18/11 to taylor and malou. I am told by my mom who is in charge of him until school is out that he is a sweet boy but hates his leash and is very stuborn about pottying outside.

spring break

Sorry this is a little late. Last week Medford and I headed home to Bakersfield for spring break. We both had lots of fun. To start on Sunday my dad and I took medford to the kern county museum to walk around. We got an extra bonus of a huge car show there that day. There was lots of people, loud music, and bunch of distractions. Medford handled everything perfectly. From there we went to go look at some trailers for camping. After that we went to the mall to have lunch at red robin medford was a very good boy and went to sleep under the table. He was a big hit and everyone kept saying he looked like a big bear cub lol. We then ran to petsmart and got things for the new puppy. Medford was a little confused why we bought all these bones and he couldnt have them. We then spent the rest of the day by the pool relaxing. On monday we met up with my bakersfield guide dog group. After the meeting me and one of the other raisers took our boys to cold stone. we then traded puppies to take home till wednesday. Her puppy is young so it was good practice for me to have a young pup, and it was good for the other dogs to get use to a puppy again.On Wednesday me and the raiser traded back dogs. boy was i happy to have Medford will go back in May or June.

Also tomorrow is the big day Mr.P arrives!!

puppy news

Well i am now back from spring break. Medford and I both had a great time. I will post another day about all we did. Now for the fun news! I just got my puppy assignment for my new puppy. I will be getting a male cross 7/8 golden 1/8 lab born 2/18/11. The parents are taylor and malou. The letter of the name will begin with letter P. I am told the name is very strange. so let the name guessing begin. I am also excited because I know 2 people getting brothers to my puppy so that will make it extra fun. Puppy arives on Saturday cant wait.

easter bunny

I took medford today to meet the easter bunny. He was a little unsure for few seconds, but then realized that there was nothing to be scared of and in the end really liked the bunny. Medford even gave the easter bunny a big sloppy kiss.

long overdue updat

Sorry i haven't posted for little while life has been crazy. Well last thursday I got real lucky and had the day off, so I was able to go to the fresno city college disabilities awareness fair. Our group had a booth set up to talk about puppy raising, but also mainly so some of the kids could see the dog. It was a great experience for both us people and the dogs. I was able to take both wilbur and medford with me. Both boys were well behaved and enjoyed the attention they got. After that we left for Bakersfield for the weekend. Both boys enjoyed being home. However, since Medford and wilbur have issues being loose together they had to stay seperated except when on leash or tie down. Wilbur's way to let everyone know he was back was to steal my moms cheeseburger from her plate. After we ate Medford and I went with my dad to join my mom in watching my sister play in school's powder puff game. He did great and slept pretty much the whole time despite it being real crowded. Saturday was another busy day for us. First my mom and I took medford to the vet. He had something wrong with black part around his eye and a small lump on the inside of one of his ears. The vet thinks its just a scratch that is healing on his eye and is unsure what the lump is we have medicine to put on it and have to make sure it doesnt get bigger. They also discovered that he was starting to get an ear infection so we have medicine to put in his ear. Poor guy just falling apart lol. After that I had my hair appointment. Then Medford and I met up with another raiser Kim and her pup shawn and went to John's incredible pizza. Both boys were very well behaved and were not phased by the noises or crowds of people. We were there for a couple of hrs. We got our hands stamped so that we could leave and come back in if the dogs needed to potty. Yesterday Medford and I returned to fresno. Wilbur stayed behind, since he and medford were not getting along it was to difficult to have both. He will get to enjoy running in my parents big backyard and sleep with my sister and her yorkie princess(hope he doesnt squash poor princess). Also yesterday I got word that there is a good possibility I could be getting my new puppy April 30. fingers crossed. Unfortunally i will be on a trip that day with my fresno guide dog group so I wont get to see him soon as he gets off the truck but ill get to see him the next day. so if all goes as planned 25 days till the new guy comes.

Day 1 of 2 dogs

Well today was my first day having both Medford and wilbur. Started out with me getting medford back from the puppy sitter at our meeting. Since I couldnt work both dogs i started out with working medford while someone else worked Wilbur and then after a while switched and had wilbur while someone else had Medford. After that We went back to my appartment. I tried to let them play together, but the got little out of hand so they had to be seperated. guess im going to have to work on the 2 getting along while loose. I also gave each boy 15 minutes of time alone with me so that they dont get jealous of eachother. This should be interesting since both are big time mama boys. All I know is I am worn out from today.

wilbur is home

After 6 long years wilbur is here to live with me forever. we picked him up from the foster family he stayed with last night today in tiburon. he was very excited to see me and my mom. he is already being spoiled and enjoying retired life.

Its official!!!!

We got the call today that we can pick up wilbur tomorrow!!! After waiting 6 years for him to retire I am excited. We will be picking him up from the foster care home he went to today. I will enjoy getting to spoil him big time.

14 months old and wilbur update

Well its a little bit late but Medford is now 14 months old! it is hard to believe. Now that he is 14 months old it is only a matter of time till we get notice of Medfords recall. Time has flown by with him and I know i will miss him a lot when the day comes to return him. He has come a long way since I got him.
Also this past weekend we got a call saying that there is a good chance that we will be able to get wilbur back this coming friday. Its taken a while because they were trying to find a flight that could fly him cargo from oregon to san fransisco and at a convenient time. well they kinda realized that the planes that could fly him cargo were really only leaving early in the morning. so the plan is that they are going to fly him cargo if they can find someone from the campus who is willing to drop him off early in the morning at the airport on wednesday. then on friday my mom and I will drive to the san rafael campus to pick him up. fingers crossed that we get the call saying everything is a go cause i don't want to wait any longer.

take me out to the ball game

Last night Medford and I did a first. We joined my guide dog leader Mary, her husband, and her guide dog puppy Preston at a Fresno state baseball game. Medford did really good he was little excited at first because he saw Preston, but after a while settled in. He really enjoyed putting his head on the seat in front of us and watching the game. Both dogs were a big hit at the game, and got lot of attention.