He likes it!!

Sherman makes me laugh. He just has the sweetest personality and has so many weird quirks that make me laugh. Like his obsession with resting his rump on everything, be it a shelf, his bowl, my lap, my backpack, pretty much anything so that his bum doesn't have to go all the way to the floor. :) Anyway, for Christmas he got a Jolly Ball. (I got one for him before he came and it has been destroyed, so it has been a few months since he has had one.) He absolutely adores his Jolly Ball and will even abandon his beloved gough-nut to play with it. So last night around bedtime I opened up the kennel and told him to get in. Usually he goes straight in no ifs, ands, or buts and curls up and goes to sleep. Well, last night I told him to go to bed, he ran the other direction and grabbed his Jolly Ball which was in his toy bin and then ran in his kennel and curled up around it. It was so funny. I felt so bad taking it away and he gave me the most pathetic look. He has never tried to take a toy in the kennel with him before. My silly boy just keeps me smiling. :)

Oh, and he turns one year old in 21 days. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! He had a tiny growth spurt too I weighed him a few days ago and he is now a whopping 54.8 pounds. WOOHOO!

Hey, I'm Back!

Hey all,
Me and Sherman had a good Christmas holiday. We spent our vacation puppy sitting for a lady that I met at the GDB Christmas party. She has three dogs a pug/Boston Terrier mix, a Black Lab, and a cocker spaniel mix (?). They were great fun and we had a good time. Sherman did not like the lab at first, I was trying to bring the dogs out of the kennels one at a time to meet because I didn't want to overwhelm anyone. I had Sherm meet the cocker mix first and they hit it off and were buddies, then I brought out the pug mix, a little to hyper for Sherman and it took them a little longer to get along. I brought out the lab last and he is about twice Sherman's size and the first thing he did was pounce Sherman which Sherm didn't appreciate. He kind of avoided the lab while we were there but they were fine together. :) The three boys are very sweet and I am looking forward to puppy sitting for them again. Their owner is a very sweet lady! Oh, the reason I was puppy sitting and met her at the holiday party was because the lab is a career changed GDB dog that she adopted. So pretty cool.

On the 23rd me and my family took Trax up to Temple Square. This was Shermans second time on trax, the first time being 8 months old. He did really well, still popped up at every stop ready to get off. After about four of five times I told him to lay down and I would tell him when it was time to get off. I think he understood because he didn't budge until our stop. :) It was pretty funny because he didn't lay down the first 5-10 minutes of the trip and was cocking his head from side to side trying to figure out why the ground was moving and looking out the windows. My whole fam was laughing at him. :) Silly boy!

This is the Salt Lake Temple. I was hoping the picture would turn out better it is a little blurry but it was so cool how you could see the moon between the spires.
Me and the fam and the lights on Temple Square. They are gorgeous!
This was my last day with the boys. And this is the only time that all three of them were laying down and being still. They are fun dogs. It was fun taking care of several dogs again. I enjoyed walking three dogs at once. The lab was really good on leash so it was easy to walk him and Sherman, the pug liked to tug and run and zig-zag. It was pretty entertaining. And gave me practice for maybe. . . overlapping puppies. (After I heard about Shermans rumored recall I turned in my application for my next puppy and I am really hoping that it works out to overlap this time. Only time will tell but I am crossing my fingers!) I am going to miss those silly boys they were great. (I am not going to miss the drive. It was 40 minutes away from my house and work so I had quite the commute. Oh Well!) I liked it!
I am excited to spend the rest of my break at home relaxing until I go back to school in a few weeks. :) Hope everyone else is having a great break!

Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and that Santa brought you all you asked for today. Have a great day and hug those pups for me!

Happy Holidays!!!

Love,
Megan & Sherman (who is busy enjoying his new jolly ball, a few bones and a new tug rope)

Happy Holidays!!

Any of you heard of Elf Yourself? I have had a bunch of family and friends make clips of themselves elfed that I just had to get in on the action. Click here to watch me, Prudy, Tahoma, and Sherman in our little elfed movie. :) Too much fun!!

Murray for a day and Guide Dogs Christmas Party

I got Murray for the day today. I think he is absolutely gorgeous! His raiser flew to Oregon for her previous dogs graduation (GO CHAMP!!) and then back today so I kept Murray while she was gone. He is a very sweet boy and I really enjoyed having him.

He has a funnier looking run than Sherman. :)

Today was also our Utah State Guide Dog Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun as well. We invited a bunch of kids from the blind center to attend and learn about guide dogs and taking care of dogs and such. We set up stations and each club was in charge of a station where we did a guide dog related activity. Our club did puppy games. We taught the body parts of a dog and then played Simon says using the body parts (Simon says: touch the dogs nose, Simon says: touch the dogs leg, and stuff like that) The other stations were grooming, Juno work, dog training, and what its like to work with a guide dog. It went really well I think. One of the highlights for me was talking to Aerial Gilbert from GDB and her guide Hedda (a Female Black GSD) Hedda is gorgeous by the way. :) I asked her about the new harness. I haven't seen one up close before and she took it off of Hedda and let me look at it. It is so nice. The leather is really pretty on it and the handle snaps off and on really easy. It is really lightweight and seems to contour to the dog better. It looks like it would be a lot more comfortable for the dog too. She was also telling me that she got to try all the prototypes when the new harness was being designed so she got to put a lot of input on how to make the harness better. She really likes it, I can tell why. It is a really nice harness. She is a pretty amazing lady, I talked to her about all that she has been through and about all her travels with her dogs. She has had a pretty exciting life. :) It was a great meeting.

Oh, and I cooked. :) We had to bring a potluck desert, or salad and I am a horrible cook. (I can make a mean bowl of raman thought) I decided to try and bake something. I decided on lemon bars and it went really well I think. They were quite popular, I made a HUGE pan of them and they were gone by the end of the night. (Darn, I wanted to try one.) I got some complements on them too. Maybe I will try to cook something else sometime. :)

After the meeting I took Murray home and I got there just as his raiser got back from the airport. She is a pretty young kid I think 11-13 years. (I am bad at guessing age) It was so fun to hear her talk about Champs graduation. She gave me the whole run through of graduation and it sounds like Champ is going to be just fine. He is already really attached to his handler because when she left to room to line up on stage Champ tried to follow her and was looking for her while they were in the room waiting to go on stage. Champs raiser even showed me a picture of Champ and his new handler. It was fun to talk with her about it we chatted for about a half an hour before I had to go. She was really excited about it. She was telling me all the things she wanted to work on with Murray so that he could be a guide dog too. I really love the youth raisers in our group, they are so enthusiastic and just great dog handlers who raise puppies for the right reasons. :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Guide Dog Sighting

Today me and Sherman went to the mall to finish Christmas shopping. (YAY! I am done!) Anyway, we were there for a few hours and were heading out to go to my car when we ran into a working guide dog. I didn't see him at first, a lady walked up to me and asked me what school I raised for. (That was a new question) I said Guide Dogs for the Blind." and then I saw behind her a man with his guide dog. She said "Oh, that is where his dog is from." He was a really handsome Male Yellow Lab named Murphy. We let Murphy and Sherman say a quick hello and then both boys laid down and waited while we chatted for a while. (I was very proud of Sherman for behaving himself) I learned that they graduated together from the San Rafael campus three years ago. I had parked on the other side of the mall so I walked with them for a bit while we talked since they were going the same direction. It was so amazing to watch them work. Murphy was so protective of his handler and was so alert and watching everything and navigating the crowds wonderfully. (I am always in awe when I see people work with their dogs) They said that I was the first raiser they have ever run into and it was great to learn where the dogs come from. I said that I never run into working guides and it was wonderful to see him in action. Maybe that will sink in for Sherman so he will know what an important job he has ahead of him. :) They thanked me for raising puppies and I went on my way. I really enjoyed talking with Murphy and his handler. It is great to see the final result and makes me want to work that much harder to help my dogs become perfect guides!

More fun in the snow. . .

It snowed again, this time we got about six or seven inches. I love snow! (Have I said that yet) So after a fresh sheet fell we went out to play again. (and for the record, Sherman is relieving regularly in the snow and doing great!) Sherman is doing great. I can't believe he is nearly 11 months old. That is just scary to me. :) I think he knows everything he should it is just polishing it all that needs to be done. :) He is still the sweet little boy he has always been with a little extra exuberance lately. I blame the snow, that is when it started. But he still keeps me laughing and still has such a great personality. I love him dearly. It will be sad to see him go. Anywho, back the the snow. I love the way Sherman runs, it just looks funny. So enjoy these clips and photos.

Looks like he is doing a somersault but really he is grabbing a big bite of snow as he runs. Goof!
Snow on the nose. Classic!
He kicks his legs out when he runs, it looks so funny!

Excuse the scream, I nearly fell on my fanny in the beginning of the video.

After running around he was shivering like mad, I felt so bad for him. So he got wrapped up and warmed by the heater. Such a baby!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland. . .

I love the snow! Sherman on the other hand was not a fan when he first saw it. (He is more interested in eating it.) It started snowing on Friday night and didn't let up until Sunday morning. Sherman was having some problems relieving in the cold, white stuff. When we got up early Saturday morning there was a good three inches on the ground. (by the time the snow stopped we had about six inches) I took him out to our usual place in the gravel (which was covered in snow) and I gave him the "do your business" command. He walked around in a circle and ate the snow as he went around. He did not even make an effort to go potty. I was getting frustrated and told him if he didn't go he would have to hold it for a long time. He still didn't go, so we left for our work meeting at 7am. He was good but fidgety all through the meeting and was doing a constant potty dance. We left at about 9:45 and I decided to stop by the house to see if he would go before puppy class. I stood out in the snow forever and still nothing. So, I told him he would have to wait until after puppy class if he didn't go. (I was determined to out-stubborn him until he went in the snow.) So off to puppy class we went. Sherman was a bit of a pill still doing the potty dance through puppy class.

It was a really neat puppy class though, because we did puppy handling while blindfolded. It was pretty neat to experience. :) I handled Sherman the first round and then past him onto a new raiser and she did really well with him. Also the "R" word (recall) came up during class and Sherman might be going with the next batch of pups :( so sad I wasn't even thinking about recall yet. Then I got thinking he is 10 1/2 months old now so in two weeks he will be 11 months old and that means in 6 weeks he will be a YEAR OLD! YIKES! The next puppy truck to Utah will come the end of March or early April which will mean almost exactly a year with my boy. It is still a while away, but I guess I should get my application in for my next pup. :( Now what should I apply for. . . I have missed my girls but Sherman is such a love that I may ask for another male. We will see. :) Oh, two of the pups from our group are in class now, Champ who I puppy sat a few times. He is an awesome dog and will be a great guide for his person. And Darwin who has been in training over two years, because he was specially trained to be a wheelchair guide. We are so excited for him finally getting to live with and help his person. Way to go Champ and Darwin!!!!

After puppy class I went home and tried to relieve Sherman again he still wouldn't go. I was getting so frustrated and knew he was going to have an accident. We went inside I gave him some water and then he went in the crate. We did this all day and he still didn't go. Finally yesterday morning he went pee. I was so happy he got a lot of praise. (And let me tell you it was like Lake Sherman) He seriously peed for about 5 minutes straight. (I may have given him tons of water yesterday to get him to go. :) But still no #2. He held that all Sunday and finally today i took him out and he did his #2 in the snow (that reminded me of the big Triceratops in Jurassic Park. lol) So I am sure he feels a lot better now and hopefully has learned that the snow is okay to potty in. And we don't have anymore issues like that. So Me 1 Sherman 0. I WIN!! (I about gave up, and almost shoveled a patch of gravel for him, but I resisted!!)

Here are a couple videos of Sherman in the snow. I think he likes it now. Sorry about the post about pee and poo. That is kinda gross, but hey, we are all dog people right. :) In the first one he is running around and then the second one he scared the horse that lives in the field next door and the horse started running. Sherman was staring at it, it was pretty funny. Also in the second one Sherman got on our tramp which he never gets on but I guess the snow makes it not bounce as much. ha ha

That's not right. . .

Yesterday was quite eventful for me and Sherman. Everything went normal in the morning, we got up, I took him outside, fed him breakfast and while he ate I hopped in the shower. It wasn't until I got out of the shower that I notices something not quite right. Sherman's right eye was all goopy and he could not open it, and it was all red and puffy. It took me a while to get GDB approval for a vet visit but as soon as I did I called my vet and made an appointment, they couldn't get me in until 4:50pm (I worked at five but took it anyway) Then I decided to call another vet that a lot of the pups in our group go to and they could be me in at 3:20pm so I took that one called my vet canceled and then waited to leave.

I only had to wait a few minutes in the waiting room at the vet before they took us to get Sherman weighed (53.1 pounds), took his temp. (didn't like that much) and stuck us in an exam room. The doctor came in and immediately said "Dog, what have you done to yourself!" (not exactly what I wanted to hear but, whatever) We went through the whole "yes, he was fine yesterday and I noticed it today" thing she poked around at his eye for a minute and then grabbed his leash and mumbled something about an eye stain and she rushed out the door with him. Ummm. . . . I sat there forever waiting for her to bring my dog back, wondering what the crap she was doing with him. Then she walked back in and told me what a pill he is. (GRRR!!, only I am allowed to call him a pill) And told me that she did an eye stain on him and didn't see any scratches on his eye. (I thought the whole time that it was a bug bite of some sort so that shot my theory out) But notices a small tear in his Conjunctiva (sp?) The fleshy stuff around the eye inside the lid and said that was irritating him. She put a steroid in his eye and prescribed him some eye gel stuff to put in his eye twice a day and gave us the dreaded e-collar since he would not leave his eye alone. He was pretty miserable yesterday and I felt so bad for him. I have never had a dog that has had to go to the vet other than general exams and vaccs so this was new. (I think all my other pups not going to the vet made up for this "special" visit for Sherman) The GDB vet staff was very helpful and worked with me wonderfully. Many, many thanks to them. It is also the first time I have ever had a dog wear an e-collar, it is pretty ridiculous looking. Sherman does not appreciate it at all.

My sister thought that name tag was funny. (If you watch Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium, you will get it.)
He is doing much better today and hasn't had to wear the cone at all. His eye is still pretty red, puffy and gooey but not nearly what is was yesterday. I am so glad he is looking better. :)

It's been a while. :)

I had a fun and lazy holiday weekend. It was so nice to have so much time off of work and just be able to sit and veg with the family. I have also had Montgomery for the week while his raisers were out of town. He was a perfect gentleman. Thanksgiving was fun. Keeping with tradition we got all the food ready and in ovens and then left for a movie in the morning. We went to Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium. It was a really good movie. I LOVED it! Sherman could have cared less he just slept through the whole thing. Then we went home and both boys (Montgomery and Sherman) were on tie down while we got the rest of the meal ready. I love Thanksgiving, it has to be one of my favorite holidays. Time with the family, and food galore, what more can you ask for. :) After my part of the meal was done. (I was in charge of mashed potatoes) I took the boys out in the yard for a good romp. They both really enjoyed themselves. We went inside and they boys had to go in the kennel to be out of the way while we all ate. My sister got Yams (baby food) for my nephew for his Thanksgiving dinner. Which he did not enjoy and promptly spit out. Cannon also got the turkey leg because every year we give it to the youngest in the family. He just thought it was a fun toy and didn't eat it. :) After dinner me and three of my sisters took Sherman and Montgomery on a walk. We stopped by a park and played for a bit. After the walk we went to my grandmas for desert. It was good. We had bread pudding and pumpkin cheesecake. De-lish!

Then on Saturday the football game was on so me and all the girls in the family went out for a girls day while my dad and bro-in-law went to the game. BYU WON!!! Anyway, we went shopping and then out to lunch followed by more shopping. I have decided that Sherman is not a huge shopper he gets bored. :) He needs to go to a little old lady and have a nice relaxed life. :) Somehow I don't see Sherman braving the streets of New York or being a college dog. He would be perfect for a little old lady who sits at home and goes on the occasional walk to the store or something. :) Sherm would love that. We also went to see the show Enchanted. I have not been in a movie theatre with that many kids in a long, long time but it was a really cute movie. The first 20 or so minutes I spend wondering what the heck was I watching but then it got cute. Montgomery left yesterday afternoon. I really like that dog. He is very sweet, and happy and really reminded me of Prudy a lot. Oh, and he is Shermans cousin. Their moms are sisters, so that is cool too.

Anyway, here are pictures of our weekend.

Montgomery in the backyard, stopped running just long enough for me to snap a picture.
The boys enjoy their bones on Thanksgiving day.
Good-night puppies. (I had to break out the second kennel for Montgomery's visit, Sherman wasn't to pleased that he had to be in the smaller one, "Face it Sherman, you are a small fry!" Oh I got Sherman weighed last week and he is in the fifties!!! 51.9 pounds. I am so proud. *sniff*

My Nephie getting his first bite of "real food" YAMS! (Yuck, would not have been my first choice)
"I did not like that!" I love his face in this picture. (Isn't my nephew just the cutest!)

"What am I supposed to do with THIS?" That is one big turkey leg.
They boys out front before their walk. They don't seem to have a family resemblance. . . I am sure it is there somewhere. (they are only 2 weeks apart too, Montgomery is humongous.)

Montgomery on the slide at the park. He is more interested in getting that darn Halti off.
Sherman in the slide. Talk about posing, wow.

And our family tradition has always been that we put up the Christmas tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. (can't start Christmas until Thanksgiving is over) My grandma gives each grandchild an ornament every year so our tree is very miss-matched and I love it. (The past 8 or so years all of my ornaments have been dog related. :) The one I got the year I got Prudy is a picture frame that has a picture of Prudy as a tiny baby with her tongue sticking out that my g-ma took. I would show it to Prudy every year. It was kinda sad this year. Also I made her a stocking the year she came home and we didn't put it up so that was sad. But I also made a stocking that I made for all my puppies (I decided it would be a pain to make one for each dog so it is generic) it says "GDB Puppy" on it and so that is Sherman's this year. He got into the Christmas spirit too. :) Here is my favorite black labby boy next to our Christmas tree.

Sherman and me in the news

Well as promised here is the link to the article about me and Sherman.
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/ view/244169/4/
I think the reporter did a really good job, the only thing that I hate is how she ended it. It seems so abrupt, and weird but, oh well. Enjoy!
Megan & Sherman (the famous puppy)

Puppy Truck!

The puppy truck came yesterday and I was able to make it up. It was the first time that I have gone to the truck were I wasn't saying good-bye to one of my pups and it was really nice knowing that I was going home with my own pup. :) Sherman was a little nervous I think he felt the emotion in the air. :) He was really good though I was very proud of him. (A bunch of people kept taking pictures of him, and complementing on how cute and calm he was, I agreed!) He was not all that fond of the new pups either. A few tried to greet him but he didn't want to meet them. It was pretty funny. All the babies were super cute too. There were seven puppies on the truck and three of them went to our group. We got Frisco, Myra, and Sparky (on the top of my list when I was guessing names for Sherman. lol) They are all adorable!! Then two of our dogs left for their harness training. It is sad to see them go it seems like just yesterday they were little fur-balls coming off the truck. I wish the best of luck to Conan, and Barrymore as they enter formal training!

Here are the pups on the truck waiting to meet their new puppy raisers.

This is baby Frisco.

This is little Myra. Siblings on the truck were Motown and Melrose, both MBL's.

And the little guy Sparky. Siblings on the truck were Sterling and there was another one but I can't for the life of me remember his name, they were both MBL's too.
I took Sherman on the truck to let him see what is in his future. It can't hurt to re-introduce him to it. He was a little nervouse but he did okay, I think it was because of the barking pups, he didn't like the noise they made. When I arrived at the puppy truck spot the truck was already there which was strange because it is usually late. :) I got out of my car and unloaded Sherman. The drivers came over and asked me who was with me. I said "Sherman." He started looking at his list and then I said. "He isn't leaving yet, I am not done with him!" Then he laughed. I am glad that I get my boy for a few more months. This Good-bye is going to be HARD!

Silly puppy

I went to the store earlier today and when I got out I put Shermans jacket on and started walking thought the parking lot. Halfway through the parking lot Sherman stopped dead in his tracks. I looked back at him and told him "lets go." He started walking again but was walking sideways and grapevineing (is that a word) behind me. It was pretty funny looking. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him so I stopped for a minute and then tried "lets go" again, still walking sideways. So I checked his paws to see if something was hurting them. In the process of checking out his feet I realized that he had slipped a leg out of his jacket so the chest strap was under his left leg and went around his right. My silly pup is a little Houdini I still can't figure out how he slipped a leg out. I was laughing pretty hard, what a goofy pup!

Free Rice!!

Free Rice!
Hey everyone, my cousin sent me this link. http://freerice.com/index.php

It is a game where you guess what a word means and every time you guess right they donate 10 grains of rice to a developing country!

I donated 800 grains of rice in like 10 minutes. And I learned a lot of good new words. So go play and tell us how much you were able to give. :) Have fun!!

Fall Fun

Sherman has had some pent up energy the last couple of days so I decided to take him to my parents house so he could have a good romp and let off some steam. He really enjoyed himself! I also brought out a kong for him and he ran around with it in his mouth, flipping it around and chasing it.

I also finally got my fall pictures that I have been meaning to take for the last few weeks. He looks so handsome in the fall leaves.

101 things about me. . . **UPDATED**

So Since I am very bored, and I don't write about me very often I decided to make a post with 101 things about me. :) Enjoy!!!

So, I thought of a few more:
*When I drive over train tracks I take my feet off the pedals so that I don't slow or accelerate.

*One time a tie on my pants was sticking out my car door and hitting the side of my car and me and my sisters were convinced there was a hobo in the trunk.

*When I drive through a yellow light I kiss my hand and hit the roof of my car, even if I am not driving and have done it for years and don't notice until a someone points it out to me.

*I got my hair caught on a hanger at a department store once and my mom was so embarrassed she abandoned me.

*When I am driving I yell at people who don't use their blinkers and get extremely frustrated with people who drive slower than the speed limit.

*I love roller blading.

*I love fishing but hate to eat them and feel bad when they die because they swallow the hook before I can release them.

*I don't like to touch raw meat so I never cook it, I have become kind of a vegetarian unless someone else makes the meat, then I will eat it.

*I love jell-o.

*I love Veggie Tales!!!

*I feel naked without my cell phone.

*I carried mace in my pocket, per my mothers instruction, when I went to New York and actually pulled it out once when I got lost in an ally in times square and there was a group of guys huddled by some crates.

*I have a reoccurring nightmare that I have had since I was 6 and the last time I had it was three weeks ago.

*I don't like ice cream!

*I can fall asleep anywhere, in any position, and I sleep like a rock.

1. I have four sisters and one brother (who could count for a few). And we all get along really well, and are so different that it keeps things interesting.

2. I was born July 24th. Which is Pioneer day in Utah (the day Pioneers settled in Utah) There are fireworks and everything and until I turned 11 I thought that fireworks were to celebrate my birthday and it was because we were in Oregon that year and there were no fireworks. I was very sad and cried because nobody in Oregon knew it was my birthday.

3. I love music and singing. Even though I don’t have that great of a singing voice.

4. At one time or another I have played piano, banjo, clarinet, bass clarinet, penny whistle, flute, and the jaw harp.

5. I spent three weeks in New York the summer after I graduated from High School and saw nine Broadway plays including Wicked (BEST SHOW EVER), and Gypsy (with my hero Bernadette Peters on her closing night so she gave a speech afterward). I want to go back to New York so bad!!

6. I eat my food in circles. Well, anything that you eat with your hands so the outside gets eaten first and my last bite is from the very center.

7. I count stairs as I go up or down them.

8. I LOVE cooking for other people. However, when I am by myself I just use the microwave. :)

9. I’m shy unless I know you.

10. I have an irrational fear of spiders, and scorpions. I guess I really just hate all creepy crawlies. I am getting chills just thinking of them. Although I did save worms when I was in elementary school, I would pick them off the blacktop and put them in the grass on rainy days. (GROSS, I can’t believe I touched worms!!!!!!!)

11. I have changed my major at least 15 times since I started college. One of those majors was aviation science in which I passed the entrance exam (still have no idea how I did that) and got to fly a plane with an instructor and that is when I realized that I have a fear of heights. :)

12. I raise guide dog puppies for the blind.

13. I have a need to help people, and feel bad when I do things for myself.

14. My favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. (I could live off of it)

15. I have a friend that I have known since I was 2.

16. One of my favorite people in the world is my High School Drama teacher and I was terrified of her when we first met. I still have lunch with her every once in a while.

17. I have never had braces, although I did chip a tooth in 2nd grade when I fell off the monkey bars and hit a pole.

18. I broke my thumb in ninth grade while skiing with my dad, but didn't get x-rays for another two weeks even though I was in excruciating pain and couldn't use my hand. I haven’t been skiing since.

19. I got a presidential student service award when I was 17 for raising guide dogs pups.

20. My grandpa was my dentist until he passed away and now my uncle (g-pa’s son) is my dentist.

21. I was a drama freak in High School and was cast as Snoopy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown because my drama teacher thought that I could get inspiration from Prudy who I was raising at the time. I also played Clairee in Steel Magnolias which was one of my favorite roles.

22. I dance like a seizing hippopotamus.

23. I love scrap booking.

24. My favorite animal is the wolf followed closely by dogs.

25. I love Disney movies and my absolute favorite is Beauty and the Beast.

26. My dad was my principal in Jr. High. (It had it's pros and cons.)

27. My entire family (mom, dad, older sister, bro-in-law) are all in education so I am trying my hardest to break the cycle but haven’t found anything that I like as much. (Even most of my little sibs want to be teachers)

28. I once skipped school with a group of cheerleaders because I wanted to be “cool.” I only missed first period.

29. I hate cliff jumping. I tried it once and I did not like it at all. I’d rather just stay on planet earth.

30. I broke my ankle on a slip-n-slide and haven’t been on one since.

31. I love winter and snow!

32. If I were stranded on a desert island, I’d bring a dog.

33. I love the smell of a rainy day.

34. My favorites TV shows are: The Office, Lost, Friends, and Alias. (and I quote each of them at least once a day, and own each of the seasons that are on DVD)

35. I HATE chocolate. I absolutely can’t stand the stuff.

36. I have my camera with me all the time. I don’t go anywhere without it.

37. I was in a pageant when I was sixteen.

38. I saved my sister from drowning when I was 10 and decided I wanted to be a lifeguard when I was older. Which I did for three years until I had a save with a head wound that freaked me out and I didn't want to lifeguard anymore.

39. I went to every dance in High School after I turned 16.

40. I placed first with a scene I performed at Shakespeare festival in High School. (and it was in French and I don’t know what I was saying during half the scene.)

41. I am a night owl and can’t ever fall asleep before at least 3am.

42. I cut my finger off with scissors when I was 8 and after the doctor sewed it back on he said that I would never be able to move it again but it works perfectly. Four years later, I ripped the same finger open on a rosebush and had to get it stitched up again. (My finger looks like Frankenstein’s)

43. I love hiking.

44. I love white water rafting.

45. I HATE leaving messages on peoples answering machines.

46. I HATE talking on the phone. I would rather e-mail or talk face to face.

47. I am allergic to dogs.

48. I love being with my family.

49. When I was little I was attacked by a German Shepherd and people are surprised that I am
not afraid of dogs because of that.

50. I love playing sports but hate watching them.

51. I HATE shopping.

52. I love roller coasters.

53. I love getting together with old friends.

54. I’m horrible at sticking to a budget, but I still try every month.

55. I bite my nails, and have tried to stop countless times.

56. I really wish I had more time to read.

57. I love taking Sherman on walks every day.

58. I can only eat tomatoes on Sandwiches, or in salads.

59. My mom is allergic to pork. We never had it growing up so now I really don’t like it.

60. I am addicted to Nacho Cheese Doritos

61. I have an aunt that adopted a bunch of Vietnamese kids and another aunt adopted two
little black boys. (they are adorable!!!)

62. I am almost done reading the Harry Potter books for the first time.

63. My favorite Disney Villain is Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

64. My first dog ever was a poodle, cocker spaniel, golden retriever mix named Molly.

65. I have been in an airplane twice and once was to New York and back and the other I was flying it.

66. I carry poop bags in my wallet, back-pack, pockets, car, and text books just in case.

67. I want to own a Mini-Chihuahua and a Great Dane at the same time.

68. I have arthritis in my hands and elbows and I am only 22.

69. I also have grey hair which I have given up plucking because there is too much now. (I have a patch for each dog.) :)

70. I am so paranoid that my car is going to get stolen that I lock it even if I have to run into my house for ½ a second to grab something.

71. I was in a car accident when I was 17 and it was so bad the paramedic told me I should have died.

72. I am totally turned off by gamers.

73. I went into the Bastian Mansion once. (The Bastian’s are extremely rich people in Utah County) It was huge!! And Amazing and I can’t believe they let me in there with Adeline. (My aunt used to guard the house because the guy is very private but I happened to meet a friend of his sons and he invited me over. I didn't know he was a Bastian until we drove up to the house, I was in SHOCK!)

74. I would rather freeze to death than burn.

75. I have a Beta fish (Sir Rio Grande) that has been alive for three years!!

76. I scare REALLY easily!

77. Rabbits are the only animals that I am afraid of. (The black vacant eyes creep me out)

78. When I was little I would play Power Rangers and I was always the pink ranger.

79. I love when Sherman wags his tail in his sleep and it makes a soft thumping sound.

80. I hate confrontation.

81. I am a major pack-rat and have trouble throwing things away.

82. Every once in a while I will burst out with laughter for no reason at all.

83. I always have a running commentary going on in my head so I space off a lot.

84. I burst out in song randomly. (My whole family does, I think it is in our genetics) We all have trigger words that will start a certain song. (I try hard to turn it off when I am in public)

85. I LOVE Broadway and have seen Wicked three times (once in New York with the original cast and twice in San Fran with a touring group, and I would see it again in a heartbeat)

86. I got stitches in my head when I was six because I was hitting my head against a wall because it was making my brother laugh and a picture fell off the wall and the nail went in my head and gave me a big gash. I still have a scar and no hair grows around it. Luckily I have thick hair so it is barely noticeable unless you know its there.

87. I would love to go to Germany, Australia, and Hawaii at some point in my life.

88. I name inanimate objects like my car (Lola), my computer (Vladd), my VCR/DVD player (Diablo) the list could go on forever. And when I talk about these items I refer to them by their name. “Ya, Lola is doing great!” :)

89. I have naturally curly hair which I hate and spend hours straightening.

90. My favorite color is green.

91. I like the smell of puppy breath and Frito feet.

92. I have not grown an inch since 7th grade when I was really tall at 5’ 2” but when I got into High School everyone was taller than me. I don’t mind being vertically challenged. :)

93. In my life I have had pet cats, rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, chickens (and
roosters), a turkey, ducks, a cow, hamsters, frogs, fish, and a crab.

94. It takes me a long time to trust people.

95. My sister got in a car accident that caused a woman to go into labor.

96. I love camping, but don’t get to go very often.

97. I am a foot-a-phobic. I can’t stand feet being anywhere near me, they really gross me out.

98. I can’t ever say linoleum on the first try. It usually comes out lilolium.

99. I wear pants all the time, I hate shorts, and skirts, but wear the occasional Capri.

100. I never wear high heels, I fall off of them if I do. Sprained my ankle pretty good once, so I don't wear them anymore.

101. I am blessed.

It went well. . .

I think my interview went pretty well today. She came over at ten this morning and was here until around one-ish. She said she wanted me just to do what I do in a day and to ignore her. So, I grabbed my leash and hooked it on him, clipped his jacket to my back-pack and we left. I relieved him and the photographer was amazed at how he did his business on command. (Hopefully those pics don't make it into the newspaper) I put his jacket on and we walked across the street and hopped onto the shuttle that goes to campus. Sherman was a good boy and sat between my legs. It was really weird to be on the shuttle with a bunch of other people and having this photographer snapped hundreds of pictures of me and Sherman. I got a lot of strange looks, more than Sherman usually attracts. :) We got to campus and we went to the bank and bookstore. After that she stopped taking pictures for a while and flipped out a notebook and started asking her questions. None of them seemed too strange, it was mostly the typical questions like, "Is it hard to give them back?" and questions about breeds, and length of time with puppy raisers and the process after and all of that. She also asked for the history of all the puppies that I have raised, which I hope she doesn't focus on the number of pups but more on the program but I don't know. We got back on the shuttle and to my apartment were we got in my car to run the rest of my errands. Still talking and taking pictures. It is really hard to focus and walk when you hear "click" "click" constantly behind you. Sherman kept looking back at her, which I didn't mind to much because it was quite distracting. I think she pretty much covered everything and she said that the article would be in the paper next, next Monday. So, the 19th. She said that she would e-mail me any good pictures she got but she can't do that till after the article is published, and if she needs any more info for her article she is going to call me. :) I will definitely be posting the link and hope that I didn't say anything too stupid. :) Now I am nervous to see what she got out of is since I have heard that most reporters will twist words to make their articles more interesting. Dunno, we will see what happens.

Got the call!!

No, not that call. :) The photographer from the news paper called me today. She is going to come over to my apartment tomorrow at 10:00am and then follow me around for a few hours talking and taking pictures for her article. I am kinda nervous and hope to be a good representative for GDB. Sherman is all bathed and brushed, ears cleaned, teeth brushed, nails clipped, water/lotioned, (he gets dandruff after baths and it helps if I mix a bit of lotion with water and put it in a spray bottle, then I spray it on him and brush it into his coat), and I just pulled his puppy coat out of the washer. I don't have classes on Wednesdays so we are going to run errands and stuff. Wish us luck!

Also, I finally went over to my parents house and picked up the rest of my stuff. One of the things I brought over was Prudys fluffy bed. Sherm would always try to steal it from her so I thought he would like it. It is a bit to big for his nook but he loves it. He is already very comfortable, as you can see.

Photo Shop is awesome!!!!

I have discovered the wonder of photo shop. I love it!! This is my first time playing with it and I am still figuring it out but I wanted to touch up this picture I took tonight of the pups in our club for our website. :) After three hours I was finally happy with what I ended up with. I put in the before and after pictures so you can see what I did. Yay, for photo shop editor!

Before

After
Pups from left to right: Montgomery, Conan, Sherman, Ontario, Murray, and Barrymore. (We are missing two pups, Hartley and Rondelle) They are all so cute. At puppy class we were having a debate about who is the cutest. I think it ended up being a tie between Ontario and Murray. :) How can you not love any of those pups?! They are all adorable. (I am personally partial to Barrymore myself. (After my pup of course he is my #1 little man) The picture took a while to accomplish (both in getting the pups to simmer down and the editing) but it turned out pretty darn good! (if I do say so myself)

This one is for Angel. Sherman wants her to know that he really is a sweet, sturdy, and dependable guy who is working very hard to have a solid and rewarding career and blames his mom for dressing him up like a thug. ;)

Happy Halloween!!

From the cool biker dude. :)

Potato chips

Today at work I was counting down tills and had Sherman tied down to my desk. My co-worker came in and sat in a chair behind me and I let Sherman say hello to him. I wasn't really paying attention because I wanted to get the tills counted fast and go home. After a few minutes I heard the crunching of my puppy eating something he shouldn't. I spun around in my chair, opened Sherman's mouth and pulled out a potato chip. I looked at my co-worker and he was holding a bag of potato chips. I was a little more than upset. I have practiced food avoidance with Sherman and he always does so well, then the one time it isn't a set up he goes for it. I was also mad at my co-worker. I felt bad because I have been really stressed about things this week and sort of took it out on him. I don't remember everything that I said but some of the things I said were, "Why would you feed someone elses dog?!? What if in the future he is guiding someone and is offered food and now he thinks it is okay to take it and gets distracted by the food and gets himself and his blind person hurt?!?!?!?!
So I may not have handled that the best, and over-reacted to the situation, but WHAT THE HECK! Seriously, why would you feed someone elses dog!? I just don't get that. GRRRRR!! I am frustrated! I guess I am going to have to do more food avoidance exercises with Sherman. Apparently he needs it.
:(

Happy Birthday Adeline!

Today Adeline is two! I e-mailed her new mom a few days ago after I heard about the fires because they live in that area and was getting nervous because there was no response. Today I finally heard from them and everyone is doing fine. Whew!! I hope that Adeline is happy and has a very special day. :)

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow. . .

Here are the pics I promised. :) In story format. . .

What is this stuff? It's over here. . .

And it's on this side too. . .

Mom? I don't get it.

All I know is it tastes GOOD!!!

This one I took at work the other day. This guy that I work with always brings this cup holder thing because his hands get cold when he holds his drink. It is cloth over two of those slap bracelet things. Well, it was sitting on the counter (unsnapped) and I accidentally knocked it off the counter. Sherman went to investigate and it snapped closed over his nose. We were laughing so hard and I had to get a picture. The look on Shermans face was priceless. :)

Our Friday and more

Me and Sherman had an interesting day on Friday. My mom called me at 11:30 to tell me that at 12:30 she wanted me to come and talk about guide dogs to her 1st grade class and then rotate to the other two first grade classes. She told the other teachers that she was going to read her class the book Rugby and Rosie and then have me come and talk about puppy raising. The other teachers thought that was a good idea and asked if I could talk to their classes too. So, with an hours notice I had to prepare to talk to three first grade classes. It went really well and I was just amazed at how smart these six and seven year old were. They asked really good questions. One of the classes a little girl raised her hand and I called on her and she asked, "does your dog have a nickname?" I said that I sometimes call him the Sherminator or squirmin' Sherman and the whole class burst out with laughter. What goofy kids. Then in another class a little girl raised her hand and asked, "what do blind people look like?" I have NEVER been asked that before so it caught me off guard. I answered, "well they look like everyone else, they just can't use their eyes so they use canes or dogs for transportation so they can travel safely." Like I said smart kids. :) I was very happy with how it went and I think the kids learned a lot. Later that day I was walking Sherman around the neighborhood and I got stopped by a photographer from The Daily Harold. (a newspaper in Utah) She was telling me how every Monday there is an article that gets written by a photographer and that she would love to interview me and hang out for a few hours with me to take a few pictures. So I gave her my contact info and she said that she would call me in the next few weeks to set up a time. That is exciting, but I am also nervous. I have never been in the newspaper before (except my name and picture because I spoke at my high school graduation) Actually I dunno if that is something that I have to run by my leader or not, huh? I will let you know how that goes. :)

Yesterday it snowed and I got some really cute pictures of Sherman but Blogger is being obstinate and not letting me load them so I will try again later. :) I remember the first time it snowed last year was on Adeline's b-day October 25th so that was significant and this year it was on Sherman's 9 month b-day, also significant. I don't know why but 9 months seems like a milestone. Sort of a so close but yet so far in regards to recall. I am now realizing how attached I am to this dog and how attached he is to me. I left him with my sis the other day for about five minutes while I ran out to my car to get something and when I came back he went berserk! I think some puppy trading is in order. I haven't left him with anyone since the beginning of summer.

Oh, and Sherman had his first meltdown today. I was at my gg's house (my grandma) and she lit her kitchen on fire, there was smoke all over the house and the fire alarms went off. Sherman freaked out and after we got the kitchen put out I went over to check on him. (I had him on tie down next to the couch) He was spinning circles with his tail tucked between his legs. You could see the whites of his eyes. He looked terrified. I felt so bad for him. I walked over and as soon as I was close enough he dove between my legs and went stiff. I couldn't get him to move to save my life. I finally sat on the floor and told him he was okay and he crawled on top of me (literally standing on my shoulders) I made him get off of me and then went into the kitchen and got some ice cubes. (there is nothing a few ice cubes won't cure) and he went totally back to normal. Silly puppy. Anyway, I better go, I have lots of homework to do. :)

Have a good night everyone!

New Website

Hey Everyone,
The last week or so I have been working really hard to create a website for my puppy raising group and think that now it is ready for viewing. To see it Click Here.

I hope you all like it, let me know what you think. It is my first website ever so I am pretty proud of it. I am hoping it looks okay. :)

I also have a long post about my day yesterday but I don't have time now, I will do it later. :)

Prudys daddy

Prudy's dad has finally been located. I have decided that she looks more like her dad and less like her mom. She has her moms color but definetly has her dads head, eyes and unimpressed face. :) What a cute family they are.

Flower + Klondike = Prudy