Tag Archives: Guide dog

This Week’s Pupdate

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Yakira – photo by Lisa Thompson

I was so happy to see the number 6 by Yakira’s name on this week’s phase report. She made it through the holidays without missing a beat. On not so good news the other puppy from our club that was in for training has dropped off the report so he must have been career changed this week. I’m always sad when I puppy doesn’t make. They always have a good life ahead of them but it is still disappointing when they don’t have what it takes to be a guide dog.

On the home front Zodiac is doing really well. Thursday was his 10 month birthday. He is starting show more and more maturity. Just in time for a new puppy to join the family. We will probably find out when in the next week.Zodiac really enjoyed having Kai with us for a few days. He was better than I expected. Kai is growing up nicely.

Zodaic in front of the “official” puppy portrait wall

I finally got Yakira’s official portrait back from Pixels. The wall has seems kind of bare the last few weeks. I got it done before Christmas but the exposure needed to be tweaked because the lighting on Yakira wasn’t as bright as on the other puppies and she just looked like a black blob. They redid it for me but I told them I didn’t need it before Christmas. I still remember many years ago when we I was a picture framer and how crazy things got during the Christmas season.

Pupdate – Yakira, Casey, Puppy Club and #7

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Yakira – photo by Lisa Thompson

Yakira is continuing her stead pace through training. She is in phase 4 this week. Keep it up sweet girl, we are cheering for you.

Guide Dog News, a quarterly publication of Guide Dogs for the Blind, in its News of Our Graduates section listed Casey’s handler, Carrie as this years recipient of Reach for the Stars Scholarship. Congrats to Carrie on this accomplishment.

Our local puppy club has gotten too big and this week was our last meeting together. We meet at the Cold Stone in South Jordan to see Frosty and the other candy windows along with enjoying a tasty ice cream treat. It was a wet evening but lots of fun.A new club is being formed and we will be part of it. It is going to be fun to see what it takes to organize a new puppy raising club. We need to pick a name for our club. Any suggestions?

Right now the new club only has 5 puppies but more our expected soon. It seems that GDB has too many puppies in the kennels and they are looking for raisers. So we decided yesterday to apply for our next puppy, #7! He/she may be a co-raise with my friend Lisa, but we decided it was a good time to add another puppy to the household even if she decides now is not the best time to co-raise a puppy. So puppy #7 could arrive, by plane, in just a few weeks.

Pupdate – Yakira, Zodiac and Apex

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Yakira – photo by Lisa Thompson

First off, Yakira is in phase 3! Way to keep it up girl. I think she is going to make someone an amazing guide dog. More on what she is learning in phase 3 here.

sunset from Apex’s cruise

Next up, Apex and Sue just got back from a cruise! He is such a lucky pup. Here are a few photos from their trip.

Apex enjoying his cruise

Apex’s litterbox on the cruise

Last up is Zodiac. We went to the Eye Institute of Utah this week. They were so generous and donated a generous amount to our puppy club. Plus the pups each got a fleece blanket and a dog toy. It was so much fun to stop by so that the employees could get a little puppy love.

Nairobi, Zodiac, Sony, Yanni and Savoy at the Eye Institute of Utah – photo by Karen Fuller

Zodiac and Sony – photo by Karen Fuller

pups with their toys and blankets from the Eye Institute

Yakira – Phase 2

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Yakira – photo by Lisa Thompson

This weeks phase report put Yakira in phase 2. Yeah Yakira! I love it on Thursdays when the phase report is available and I can see her name at the end of the alphabetical list of dogs in for training. Here is what Yakira is learning in phase 2:

In Town and Responsible Lead

  • Body Handling Acceptance
  • Kennel Adjustment and Routine
  • Wearing the Harness
  • Pattern Training Progression
  • Planned Distraction Route
  • Up Curb Exercise #2
  • Physical Agility
  • Responsible Lead Session
  • Obstacle Course Progression

 

Waffle Book – addition

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Below are the additional pages I added to Waffle’s book to include her time in the high school program.  The first thing I did was to rework the Claraliz page to include the basics of what happened to Waffle after her transfer. Then I all the photos that Claraliz sent me plus a few of my own from Waffle’s first birthday visit and the five days she came for an evaluation. The bit of text on these pages is based on an email that Claraliz sent me when I asked her for memories and stories of Waffle. I ordered the book today, taking advantage of Blurb’s 25% discount code. I’ll be sending this book to Waffle’s new partner for Christmas. I hope she enjoys getting to know more about Waffle’s growing up time.

On September 30, 2011 Waffle was transferred to Claraliz Fernandez to finish raising. She was part of the Salt Lake Tech Guide Dog class for high school students. The students work hard in this class and have to attend for a year before they can get the opportunity to raise a puppy. Waffle remained with Claraliz and was apart of her life and family though out the school year.

Then in July of 2012, it was determined that Waffle wouldn’t be happy being a guide dog. She was evaluated to be a K9 buddy for a blind child but Waffle was too energetic for the kids that needed companions at that time. In August the perfect place was found for Waffle.

News on Yakira in Oregon

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Yakira at the top of our stairs with Zodiac in the background

We got word this week that Yakira is being spayed and will start training to be a guide dog when she has recovered. So, while I’m a little sad that she isn’t going to be a momma dog and we won’t be raising one of her puppies, I’m excited to have weekly update on the phase report. I know she could make a wonderful guide dog, as long as that is what she wants. Here is hoping that we have another graduation to go to in Oregon, probably around the first part of the year.

Update from Casey

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Casey

This week marked one year since we put Casey on the truck back to Guide Dogs for the Blind. So I took that as an excuse to send a quick email to Casey and her partner. I was so excited when I got an email including photos back! Here are some excerpts:

Casey and I are doing really well. Casey has settled into the school routine nicely and has been well received at the law building. She provides comic relief in lectures because she tends to groan, snore and grunt her way through class! We have some long days – I have night classes on Tues. and Thurs. but she manages to get me home safely which I very much appreciate.

I just ordered her a raincoat because she HATES the rain! We have had nothing but sun all summer and fall – very unusual. It just started raining really hard a couple of days ago. She does not like puddles – avoids them like the plague, and slows down to a crawl when it rains. Did you guys notice this? I am hoping the raincoat will make her happier – rainboots might be next!

She’s also doing well at the swimming pool where I swim (she stays on deck with a tie down). She keeps a watchful eye on me when I get into the pool but eventually has a nap.

She happily chews on her nylabone and rolls around on her back, chasing her tail a few times a day. Our cat, Sammy, is still quite cranky about her but she steers clear of him. We have many, many different routes that we do around the neighbourhood and she knows them all – loves the chip trails at a nearby park and walking near the ocean. I love being able to go out for pleasure walks now – was not able to do that before, and now I walk a ton with her which is amazing. We get our fresh air and exercise every day.

Casey

Casey and her “cousin” Jasper

Nothing makes my day better than an email from one of pups unless it is an email from one of our pups including photos and I got both! We hadn’t heard any thing since just after they got home from class and I was concerned that we were going to have any ongoing contest with Casey. So this email was even more cherished. I sure hope that we can have some contact with the puppies we raise as they move on to the main purpose of their lives.

 

Good-bye to Yakira

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last group photo with me, Zodiac and Yakira

We got up at 5 a.m. on Monday morning to get Yakira to the puppy truck on time. The drop off spot is about an hour from our home and they leave the first thing in the morning, after breakfast and walking the dogs already in their care. We like to get there early enough to help the puppy truck drivers walk the dogs. It seems to help make the process of sending off a puppy a little easier. There is a nice little walking path by the hotel where the puppy truck stops for the night.

Bill saying his last good-bye to Yakira

After all the dogs were walked it was time for all the new recall dogs to get on the truck. There were three dogs that morning and we went first. The puppy truck has two tiers of kennels and Yakira ended up on the top row. She got a large dog biscuit upon getting in to help make the kennel a more positive place. We said our last good-byes and took the last photos. The puppy truck drivers patient all the raisers. No one is rushed but no one takes unfair advantage of the situation either.

The puppy truck stopped Monday evening in Meridian, Idaho and finished the trip to Boring, Oregon and the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus there on Tuesday. We don’t expect to have any news on Yakira for a while. I think at this stage if we get news too quickly it probably won’t be good. Casey was dropped from breeder evals in just a couple of weeks. Banta was in breeder evals for months. We got some news after about a month and a half that she was in the last stages of breeder evaluations.

We all miss our sweet and gentle Yakira. But Zodiac is taking it harder than I expected. We are puppy sitting a four-month old yellow lab named Tim. I thought that would be enough to keep Zodiac from being too sad but it has worked. There is a sadness in his eyes and he doesn’t have much interest in many of the things that usually attract his attention. It seems the bond between Yakira and Zodiac was even stronger than we knew.

50 for 50 #40 – Have a Party

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Party Table

When I made my idea list at the first of the year of things I thought would be fun to do to celebrate my 50th year, one of them was having a party. We have the tradition of having a farewell party for each of our puppies in training before the return to Guide Dogs for the Blind for the next stage of their training. Today it was Yakira’s turn to be the guest of honor. It isn’t anything fancy just a chance for our friends, neighbors and family to say good-by to the puppy. It is kind of a thank you for the little things they do in helping us raise successful guide dogs. For many people it is the first time they have seen the dog “out of jacket” and how they behave at home. At Apex’s party many people comment on how much like a regular dog he was at home.

voting for official portrait

We have a few treats and it is just a time to relax and enjoy each others company. I think the party helps me to mentally and emotionally prepare for the puppy to leave us. For Yakira’s party we had everyone vote for their favorite photo to be used for Yakira’s official portrait on our puppy portrait wall. We also had a card for everyone to sign. I’ll keep the card up somewhere until Yakira finds her next place in life, either as a breeder, a guide dog or in another career. Bill made cookies and caramel (these were a huge hit) and we had Scooby snacks and popcorn.

Yakira’s card

We also had a couple of Yakira’s good friends come to the party. Clifford (my sister’s career change dog) was here the party and Osaka (a fellow puppy in training) came to say good-by too. The four pups had lots of fun together. I have a celebration bandana that Yakira wore as the guest of honor (and so that visitors would have an easier time keeping track of who was who). With three black labs in the house it was quiet the party. The only treats for the dogs were bowls of ice cubes, given out at regular intervals.

Yakira, Clifford and Zodiac playing

It was a fun evening and both Yakira and Zodiac are exhausted. For that matter so are us humans. We have an early start tomorrow to get Yakira to the truck in the morning so I’ll wrap this up now.