In just 10 days our 10th puppy in training for Guide Dogs for the Blind will be coming! We are expecting a female yellow lab with a name starting with the letter “G”. Keeping with tradition I am having a guess the puppies name contest. The prize is a personalized travel mat. There is no limit the number of entries per person but the deadline is June 28th. If more than one person guesses our little girl’s name, the winner will be picked by random drawing of those who guessed right. Just comment on this post to enter the contest.
Category Archives: My Life
Pupdate: Apex & Yakira visit
Yakira and Apex
We were privileged to spend a whole week with two of the puppies we raised, Apex and Yakira. They flew in from Florida, with their owners just to visit us and do some sightseeing in the area. They are both healthy and happy in their careers and their lives in general.
coming down the jet-way
We got gate passes so we could “help” Sue and Sharan, but it was really so we could see our pups asap. When they saw us they got super excited and ran to greet us. Not sure what everyone at the gate thought but it was super fun to have two happy black labs come running to say hi. It was so great going places with them.
Sharan, Yakira, Apex and Sue outside the Conference Center
the whole gang at our house
Only fly in the ointment was Fable was in heat so she had to stay home. We did borrow another puppy in training, Tamara, for a few days. I wonder what people thought to see three black labs traveling around together. There favorite activity was watching the Tabernacle Choir practice.
Apex at the Tabernacle Choir rehearsal
Yakira at the choir rehearsal
I was sad to see them go. Too bad they don’t live down the street so we could all get together every week or so. Can’t wait until we can swing a trip to Florida to visit them!
Apex
Yakira
Pupdate: Fable in season
Fable
While I was hoping that Fable would wait until after Apex and Yakira’s visit next week, Fable’s body had other ideas. There have been emotional signs for several weeks that her first season was approaching. So I have watched closely for physical signs. On Monday I thought she was starting to look a little swollen. Tuesday afternoon I found a small darkish drop on the kitchen floor. I checked Fable with a Kleenex and sure enough it came back with a pinkish stain. So the days of her confinement began and she missed puppy class that night. I’m so glad she got to have a fun weekend playing with Odie. He stayed with us for the holiday while his family had an adventure that was better off without him. Odie is a good puppy and Zodiac’s nephew which also made it really fun to have him.
Fable has 25 more days to go until her freedom. Her energy levels are much lower and she has that look in her eye that is typical of a dog in heat. Her body feels off and she doesn’t understand why. Today I had to pull the doggy diapers out because she started dripping in earnest. So far she is not at all a fan of the diapers. She should adjust to them quickly and be more comfortable with them soon. Things will get worse for her before they get better a couple more weeks from now. Poor Fable.
Next week I’ll have to share photos of Apex and Yakira. I’m so excited to see them (and their people too)!
Pupdate: Fable – focused
Fable
When she wants to, Fable has an incredible ability to focus. The challenge is getting her to focus on what you want her to focus on. Thankfully food is good at helping her focus most of the time, so GDB’s food protocol for training is a great tool for Fable. Sometimes when playing with another puppy, she likes to freeze in place and have a stare down with the other dog, then one of them flinches and the chase game is back on full blast. This weekend we are puppy sitting another puppy in training named Odie. They love playing together but he doesn’t like her focus game. Odie gets intimidated by her hyper-focus. Hopefully Fable will be sensitive to his feelings and not play that game with him anymore.
Our Digital Footprints
image from http://blog.energyearth.com
I read an article today on leaving our own digital footprints on AmericanFootprints.com. They offer a framework for creating your own digital memoir. While I’m not ready to sign-up it did get me thinking about what I’m leaving behind that really shares about who I am and what my life was like. Are there small adjustments in the way I live life everyday that would change the stories, feelings and memories that will still be around when I’m gone? I don’t know the answers but I agree with the idea that we need to keep things like this simple or they just don’t get done at all. Simple and incomplete is so much better than nothing at all. I remember hearing someone say once “what do you wish your great-grandmother had record?” What do I want my great-great nieces and nephews to know about me and why I made the choices I’ve made in my life?
I spend a chunk of time everyday organizing and tracking what I need to get done. I wonder if with a bit of a shift I could be recording simple stories about my day? The facts of my life are not what is important, it is the stories that make me who I am. Just some random thoughts for today. What are you doing to record your own stories?
Emma’s video
Emma.avi from Raelyn Webster on Vimeo.
About Emma’s puppyhood as a puppy in training for Guide Dogs for the Blind
Emma Book: last page and back cover
Though we are sad that Emma’s future didn’t turn out to be as a guide dog, we are so grateful to have had Emma in our lives. She was a joy to raise and we will always remember her droopy eye, snuggles and happy disposition. Emma has a bright future with Dennis. Time will tell if she will need an operation. Whatever happens Emma will live a good life and make a difference in the world. We look forward to seeing just where her new life takes her.
Emma Book: elated
Finally in January 2015 Dennis Marino, a volunteer at GDB wondered why Emma was still in the kennels? He had walked her several times I thought she was a really nice dog. He wasn’t looking for a dog but his question started the ball rolling and Dennis adopted Emma.
Emma lives in San Francisco and goes with Dennis to campus when he volunteers in the gift shop. Dennis’s dog walking is now with Emma, twice a day. They are a nice pair and so far Emma’s back is doing great. She has adjusted to life in the big city and the hills of San Francisco.
On March 27th 2015, we met Dennis on campus and got to see Emma again. It was so fun to see how healthy and happy she is with Dennis.
Emma Book: elusive
Because we want to keep raising puppies and Emma’s back wouldn’t be helped by an ongoing stream of young puppies we asked GDB to find the best place for Emma. Her mom’s family meet Emma one day when they were on campus and fell in love with her. But after talking to the GDB vet they decided that their lifestyle was too active for Emma’s condition.
In December Emma was assigned to a staff member to build rapport with until they could find just the right place for our Emma. She was well cared for and loved while she was in the kennels.
Emma Book: embryonic
Emma was evaluated for her potential as a breeder when she got back to Guide Dogs. But her EKG showed TVD or Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia, so she was spayed to prepare her to start her training as a guide dog.
Before she was assigned to a training string, Emma showed some signs of having a problem. As they investigated they discovered the last vertebrae in her back moved around more than it should. That was when we got the call puppy raisers dread, Emma was career changed for a “luxating lumbar”.
In hindsight there were subtle signs of her back problem but we didn’t recognize them. When I talked to GDB’s vet he said that her condition was something she was born with. Now it was time for Emma to find a new path in life, a different one then we had expected or hoped for.
telling family tales 