Merry Christmas

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Malcolms first week

On December 16 I went to another puppy raiser's home to pick up Malcolm puppy #10 he is a male golden retriever and is 14 months old. He has a very sweet personality. Well when I picked him up in Bakersfield I was actually on my way to Fresno to take my school finals and since I have Agent I thought it would be too much to have both at the same time while getting ready for finals so he went to stay for a few days with a raiser in Fresno. Dec 19th after my last final I picked him up from the sitter. I then took him to eat at Cheesecake factory. He did great went under the table and went to sleep while I ate. After eating we ran into the mall so I could pick up the last of my Christmas gifts for family. Then it was time to head back to my appartment where he and Agent got to meet. I have been keeping interactions between the two short while they adjust to each other so far so good. The next day Malcolm helped run errands with me. Then I loaded Agent and Malcolm into my car to drive 2 hours to Bakersfield. Both boys feel asleep while I drove so they both are great travelers.

Malcolm playing in the yard

Malcolm posing in his puppy jacket by flowers

Malcolm showing off his silly golden grin

Malcolm with some Christmas decorations in the background

Guess Rudolph retired and Santa decided to let Malcolm be his guide

Malcolm making friends with Frosty

Saturday December 22 was my Fresno Guide Dog groups Christmas party. The party was alot of fun. First we rented a couple lanes to go bowling. We take turns holding the dogs while someone is bowling. All dogs did great Malcolm was interested at first but decided getting belly rubs was better. After we bowled we went into one of the party rooms they have where we do a big potluck. All the food was yummy. Malcolm decided to take a nap while I ate which was fine with me. After we all ate it was time to do the white elephant gift exchange, but we do it doggy themed. I ended up with a cute blanket with two golden pups on it. After that we sat around a little bit visiting. My leader had her 1 yr old grandson there he is very cute. He was in love with Malcolm and thought it was fun to sit on Malcolm and play with Malcolms face. Malcolm was a good boy and didnt care at all. After the party me, Malcolm, my friend, and her guide dog puppy Warren ran some quick errands. It was raining real hard and was getting dark so we decided to spend the night and drive back to Bakersfiled today. Since we stayed in Fresno we took the boys to see Santa and have their picture taken. Malcolm was swweet just walked up to Santa put his head on his lap and looked at him like ok you can rub my head now. We got a great picture of Malcolm with Santa. Warren was very excited to see Santa but was good and sat still for his picture. After pictures we went to Cheesecake factory to eat dinner both boys went under the table and fell asleep. Then we went to my appartment where they ate and we all went to bed early. Today we got up and went to breakfast at a place called Batter up they have the best breakfast both boys did great while we ate. We are looking forward to Christmas I'm sure all five dogs will be spoiled.

nonguide dog related

This post is not guide dog related but with the tragedy that occurred today in Connecticut I found it appropriate to take the time to say my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, survivors, their families, and the first responders. I am sure this is a day they will never forget. It has been amazing to see how everyone no matter of what gender, race, or political view has been able to come together to support those affected by this tragedy. It is a good reminder how short life can be.

Malcolm

My friend saw malcolm the puppy i will be getting dec 21 and sent me a picture of him. Id say hes a very good looking boy.

puppy # 10

I got the news today that I will be getting my 10th guide dog puppy in December once finals are over. I will be getting a male golden who is 13 months old named Malcolm. He is being transferred to me to finish till his recall. I am excited and cant wait to get him.

Thanksgiving..

This Thanksgiving im thankful for Guides dogs for the Blind for allowing me the great oppertunity to raise 9 amazing guide dog pups. Each pup has found their calling in life 3 of which decided to live with my family forever.

Happy thanksgiving!!!

Doggy Day care

So with Agent now being Career Changed it has been difficult to find ways to let him burn energy off. I take him for walks every day, but with his energy he needs to be able to run around. Also when he was career changed our cfr expressed concerns about letting me have another guide dog puppy, because he wasn't sure how Agent would do. So it was decided to sign Agent up for doggy daycare. I will take him once a week on Fridays so he can run and play with other dogs. Today was his first day and he was so excited that he tried to grab his leash and help me walk himself in. When I picked him up I was told he did excellent, and had lots of fun. They said his favorite thing was the swimming pool they have, and he made a friend with another golden. Im so glad I found something that allows him to have fun, and allows me a short break from him.

Medford

Medfords breeder keepers sent me a picture of Medford today. They say hes doing great and they love him to death. As much as I wish he couldve been my forever boy I am so happy hes with such a great family who keeps in touch with me. As I was looking at the picture of Medford I realized how much Agent looks like him just a bit lighter than medford.

Happy 1st birthday!!

  I can't believe my boy is a year old today! Seems like yesterday I was waiting for the email to say Medford's first litter was born. Agent got to have lots of fun these past 3 days. On Saturday he got to go have fun with my dad in the mountains, Sunday I took him over to Fresno State and to a pumpkin patch to get pictures of him, and today I got to enjoy snuggling with him and he even got some ice cream as a treat. He got many new toys for his birthday too. I am glad Agent is mine forever. I look forward to many more birthdays with him. In case you are wondering who Agent is Agent is the new name I gave Andrew when he was career changed. Enjoy pictures of Agent I took Sunday.

Hanford train trip

  Once a year my Fresno guide dog group has a meeting where we take the Amtrack train from Fresno to  Hanford to allow the pups a chance to experience riding a train. Well today was the day for that trip. Since I do not have a puppy of my own right now I took another raiser's puppy named Atlanta (female yellow lab) for them. One thing about taking the train usually something happens, and today it happened to be that our train was an hour late. The plan was to take the 11:35 am train to Hanford get off walk some get some ice cream, and then head back on the 2:42pm train. Well since our train was an hour late that would have meant almost no time in Hanford (and no Ice Cream ) so we asked if we could change the time we came back to the 5:06pm train which worked out perfectly since we weren't rushed then. Once the train arrived we all got on and enjoyed the train ride (it was about a 30 min train ride). We then got off in Hanford and met up with one of my friends from Bakersfield and her Guide dog puppy Warren. No one in my group knew they were coming so it was a fun surprise for them to finally meet Warren since they had met his dad Shawn. After that we walked around some of Hanford, did obedience, and did some games to see how the pups did with their commands. It was then time to head over to get ice cream. The place we go to has the best ice cream, but sometimes not the best customer service. Our waitress came up to us and asked if our dogs were service dogs and what type were they. We explained that they were guide dogs for the blind and we were training them. The waitress told us she needed to speak to her manager but did not think we would be allowed to have the dogs in there. We told her that we have been going there for many years, but she could talk to her manager. In the end we were allowed to stay, but you could tell the waitress wasn't to happy. After ice cream it was time to take lots of pictures of the pups, and rest before getting back on the train to head home.  I had lots of fun, and Atlanta was a good girl for me.

Guide dog puppy Nikon taking a nap while we eat ice cream

Atlanta being good while I eat my ice cream

Nikon getting his picture taken

Atlanta in Hanford

Warren loves having his picture taken

group walking through Hanford

Puppy in training Graham didn't know what step he should lay on

Atlanta posing for pictures

Puppy in training Ivana 

puppy in training Frank

one year

One year ago today I had the honor of presenting my 7th guide dog puppy Medford as a breeder for Guide Dogs for the Blind. In the one year he has been a breeder he has had 5 litters. He has a great family he lives with and is very well loved. I have had the honor of raising one of his pups Andrew who has been career changed and is now my forever boy. I look forward to seeing more Medford pups go through the program.

Whats next

First I wanted to let you know Andrew now named Agent has settled into pet life with me pretty well so far. He enjoys getting to play with toys he use to not be allowed, and he enjoys getting on the couch and bed. He gets a little sad when I have to leave him home while I go to school or run errands, but he never throws a fit like I thought he would.
So what are my plans now that Andrew is career changed? Will I get another puppy? The answer is right now I am taking a break from raising. I will do some puppy sitting for now so that I can focus on Andrew and letting him adjust. I am hoping that during winter break I can get a puppy transferred to me. However, I have to get a few things in order before I can agree to take another puppy on. First I have to find a part time job that will allow me to bring the puppy to work. In the past my parents supported me so I could raise and focus on school, but with me getting closer to graduating from college I need to start getting my feet into the working field. Also I need to make sure Andrew will be ok with another dog coming to live with us (thats why I will be doing lots of puppy sitting). Long as those things go as planned, and a pup can be found for me I will hopefully get another pup at the end of the year. So fingers crossed.