Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!
[Me and Paris in our Halloween garb. We both have red shirts underneath black shirts that are cut up and put back together with safety pine. Paris has black and red bows on her ears and a spiked collar. And I have handcuff earrings, a gargoyle necklace and black lipstick on.]

Paris sitting next to my pumpkin in her Halloween costume.

Hope all humans and dogs stay safe tonight! :D

Paris at Work

This is my third post for the night, so make sure to skim over the other two if you want. :D

I finally got the okay to take Paris to work with me. I am so happy she can come. My boss didn't even know she was there until the last little bit of my shift when I took her out potty. As I said a couple posts ago I work at a doggie day care and boarding place. She hangs out around back with me, I don't let her out with the other dogs! She does get a little concerned when I go out with them and leave her, but she will be fine. She has a nice little set up there too. A big cushy bed and toys. I have a spot to tie her down when I need her out of the way but usually she just follows me around.

Here she is in front of the small dog pen. She doesn't seem at all interested in the other dogs at all. She just likes to follow me.
Laying down while I wash all the feeding bowls. She is so patient.
And, I set up a dog bed for her and she chose the scale to lay on. (She weighs exactly 53 pounds, just in case you wanted to know. :D She is .3 pounds lighter than Fuller. . . hmm. . .
She is GREAT at work. And it really wore her out. She hasn't moved since we got home.

She has been a wonderful little puppy and I think she knows that I miss Fuller. She is being extra sweet and extra good. I just love this girl!! I don't think Paris minds being an only dog at all. She loves all the extra attention and there is more room now that the second kennel is moved out and she has the puffy princess bed with the two stacked on top of each other. She's not complaining at all. :D

Puppy Truck Day (well Training Van Day, I guess. . . If you want to get technical)

Recall day came WAY to fast. How did this happen?? I swear I just picked up my little man. Anyway, I didn't sleep much the night before (went to be at 1:30am and got up at 4:30am) Fuller wasn't too happy about waking up at the pre-crack of dawn. As you can tell by the below picture.
I got all ready and fed the puppies and then they both got loaded in the car at about 5:30am.

Paris in the back seat of the car.

Fullerton in the front seat of the car.

The pups were really quiet and slept most of the trip. We met up with Sarah and Millicent about half way and we drove the rest of the way with them. It was so nice to have someone to talk to. Making the trip by yourself to the truck and back home is depressing. It was really fun to talk to her and it gave her a chance to spend time with Paris as well. Paris totally remembered her and got so excited!! After the long trip (it took nearly 2 hours total) we arrived at the puppy truck/training van.

Here is a picture me and Fullerton posing with Forte and his raiser.

Me and Fullerton

Forte preparing to get in the van.

Me and Fuller outside the van.

Everyone was putting off loading their dogs in the van. We all chatted and took pictures and then stood there. Then we all knew it was just about time and started getting our pups ready. Me and Fuller inside the van.
I was able to control my emotions until a little girl had to load her puppy on, she totally lost it and I think she got a bunch more people going. Me included. No matter how many times you do it, it does not get any easier. This is my 7th goodbye and it still sucks. One lady there was dropping off her 18th puppy and someone asked her if it gets easier and through tears she said "no."

Here is Fullerton in his kennel. I was happy he got one of the big ones, when Sherman left in a van he got a tiny corner kennel. Fuller should have a nice ride. There was a well loved bone in there so he couldn't be happier.

Fuller in his kennel with the door closed.

Fullers brother Forte had the kennel next to him. That should make them happier as they know each other pretty well.
My last peek at Fuller. He got really concerned when I started walking away. This was one tough farewell.
I already miss my boy immensely. He will do great though! He should be on campus by n0w, and showing everyone just how awesome he is. Thanks for a great year Fuller!

Fullertons Final Days

Here are some pictures from Fullerton's last few days here.

We went Halloween shopping with a friend of mine. This was one intense Halloween store and you have to be hardcore Halloween to get stuff here, it was really creepy.

Here is Fullerton checking out a corpse.
Fuller really liked this one, its like the girl from the ring climbing out from under a display.
Fuller standing in front of a creepy lady. If you pushed a button the eyes glowed and she moved and talked. Fullerton wasn't bothered by any of the crazy Halloween stuff at all.
Fullerton in front of a skeleton covered in spider webs.
Fuller in a Rasta Hat. This is the only thing he would keep on, he looks so goofy.
Another angle of the Rasta Hat.
Fullertons last day of school:

Everyone in my music class said goodbye to Fuller. It is a small class so we all know each other pretty well by now. They were always so in awe of how Fullerton could sleep through all the music and screechy sounds in that class. Everyone really liked when Fullerton would come to class.

One of my classmates put his sunglasses on Fuller.

Fullerton curled up in a ball on the floor during class.

I will miss the goofy positions he gets into in the car. I don't see how they are comfortable.

Fullerton's last outing was to the park. There were lots of little kids there and he loved all the attention.

Here he is by the park sign.

Fullerton on some of the park equipment.

Fuller wasn't a fan of this bridge, the floor moved so he hurried across.

Going up a ramp made of tires.

Fullerton at the bottom of the Volcano.

Fullerton laying at the top of some stairs.

Fullerton sitting inside a beehive.

Fullerton sitting on top of a T-rex head.

That was Fullerton's last day. He is such a good boy!!

Random Rambling from a Puppy Raiser who Can't seem to sleep

Fun Things about My puppy Form Filled Out. . . . . CHECK
Tags Taken off Collar. . . . . CHECK
Recall Bath Done. . . . . CHECK
Nails Clipped. . . . . CHECK
Ears Clean. . . . . CHECK
Teeth Brushed. . . . . CHECK
Furminated. . . . . CHECK
October Monthly Filled Out. . . . . CHECK
Puppy Coat Washed. . . . . CHECK
Plenty of Snuggled and Kisses from Mom. . . . . CHECK
Camera Battery Charged. . . . . CHECK
Lots of room on Camera Card. . . . . CHECK

Well, I think Fullerton is all ready for college, now the question is, am I?

The most commonly asked question puppy raisers get asked is "Isn't it hard to give them up?"
The short answer is YES!! When we are given the responsibility of taking a puppy and preparing him/her to be the best guide dog candidate that we can, you can't help but get attached. They are right there with you all the time, every day. Like parents with children we watch these puppies grow. Help them to make the right decisions and learn from their wrong. We celebrate when they succeed and shed tears when they don't. But it is the joy of having an impact on that dog's life and knowing that they are special and meant to serve a purpose in someone's life...that is what keeps me motivated to raise the best puppies I can. So that someone can feel the freedom of walking down the street with confidence. I LOVE being a part of that, it is the best feeling in the world.

Anyway, since I am tired I am jumping around a bit so here are some words for Fuller:

Goodbye Fullerton! I am going to miss you dearly, you are a remarkable little boy and I have been honored to be your puppy raiser. We have been through a lot together. There have been many highs and many lows. . . fortunately more highs. I am so proud of your progress and how far you have come from that tiny little puppy who did nothing but eat, sleep, scream, and poop. You have proven yourself over this last year and you have matured wonderfully into a very reliable young man. You are so ready for this next step in your life, you have shown me recently that you are ready for more. You have squirmed your way into my heart and there will definitely be a hole left when you are gone. But there is someone out there waiting for you, someone with a hole in their heart that you will surely fix. You have a huge journey ahead of you but you will do great. Do your best and know that I love you.

Things I will miss about Fullerton:
1. The way he followed me around the house, even if he was in a deep sleep he could sense if I moved and would be by my side in an instant.
2. The way he was never coordinated enough to scratch himself while standing up and would always stumble.
3. How excited he would get whenever I walked into a room, even if I was gone for about five seconds it was always as if I was absent for an eternity.
4. The way he shakes when he sleeps. When he was little I thought he was having seizures. :D
5. How when he wanted attention he gives me little licks on the fingers or toes.
6. How freakishly smart he is.
7. How he would snort when he was trying to sniff something from too far away.
8. How it felt when I gave him a big bear hug.
9. The way the end of his tail gets puffy when he is happy.
10. How he has a way of making everyone love him.
11. How happy he would get when I told him he was a good boy.
12. The way he always laid his head on my feet while I did my homework,
13. They way he would snort and grunt and roll around on his back when he is happy
14. How excited he would get when I touched his leash and jacket.
15. How he would always watch TV with me.
16. How he always managed to moan really loudly during the quietest times in my classes.
17. The sloppy way he drank his water.
18. How everyone thought he was a girl. (a kid once asked me if he was the mom of a couple of the other puppies in our club)
19. How he would make himself comfy on my clean clothes on laundry day, I would always find him curled up in my laundry basket.
20. How much he challenged me and how much he taught me.
21. How much he loved ice cubes and would never leave us alone if we opened the freezer.
22. How content he was and easy to manage.
23. How easy he made it to talk to people and make friends with strangers.
24. How he would give 110% with everything.
25. How he could calm me down after a stressful day.


Okay, I think I have to be done now as I have to get up in a little over 4 hours to go drop off my boy *sigh* Look for another post tomorrow. Sorry this is kinda a downer of a post.

8 Things at 8 Months

So, I decided to jump on the boat here and do Paris' 8 things at 8 months, so here goes:

1. I love how Paris' forehead wrinkles when she gets curious about something.
[Paris staring at some mice at the pet store]
2. I love her big floppy ears and how they are so big they fold in the front. (Unfortunately her ears are hardly ever dry because a certain boy *cough, cough* can't seem to keep them out of his mouth!)
[Paris running in the yard]
3. I love how she is ALWAYS happy and her tail is wagging non-stop!
[Paris' wagging fanny]
4. I love how willing she is to go anywhere at a moments notice, even if I have to wake her up to go. She never complains.
[Paris walking in the grocery store]
5. I love how content she is the lay down and wait patiently once we get somewhere.
[Paris laying down at the doctors office]
6. I love how well she settles in the car. She is a great passenger!
7. I love her adorable and droopy face. She is so freakin' cute, I can't get enough of her.
and Last but not least: (This actually might be my absolute favorite thing about her)
8. Her amazingly, awesome down. She just can't hit the deck fast enough! Finally got it on video, this also shows #3 as well, how happy she is. Ha ha, she is so nutty I love it! She cracks me up every time.

2 Days and Hiking

Yesterday morning I found out that the puppy truck date has changed. . . again. This is the first time that the date has changed so much for me. Hopefully this is the last time as my schedule is really screwed up for this week now. :D He is now leaving on the 23rd so we have two extra days together. I am thrilled to have more time with him. I have to miss class to go drop him off so I will check with my professor tomorrow to make sure that is okay. :D

Also, yesterday after puppy class me, Lauren, Hannah, Karen and a friend of mine went hiking at Bridal Vail Falls. It was so much fun and I am so happy everyone came.

Spike before we started the hike.

Gorgeous view of the mountains.

The waterfall

Me and my pups, Fullerton and Paris. They were really good on the hike!

Mara, Fullerton and Paris

Mara, Fullerton, Paris, and Spike

Pretty little Paris

Fullerton and brother Forte. Forte was so sweet giving Fullerton little licks on the face.

Fullerton and Forte at the bottom of the falls.

Paris with the waterfall behind her. (Just look at those muddy toes!)

Fullerton and the Fall leaves.

Fuller and Paris and the fall leaves.

Paris was so cute resting her head on Fullerton's fanny.

Paris and Fullerton on the bridge over the Provo River

Me Fullerton and Paris on the bridge.

All five pups on the bridge. Forte, Mara, Fullerton, Paris and Spike. I think Spike has a crush on Paris. He kept giving her little kisses.
I tried to get a few pictures of Paris in the leaves but she collapsed. It turned out being really cute. :)

Fullerton in the leaves.

I really like this picture of me and Fuller. I am sitting on the ground and Fuller is in my lap. Both of us have big grins on our faces. :D
It was a really fun hike and people and dogs seemed to enjoy themselves. I don't know about the rest of the dogs but my two were bushed. I think they are still sleeping it off today. They are both VERY muddy though and in desperate need of baths. I may do that today. :D