2010 in review

Here is a quick recap of what happened in 2010. (And an update on the holidays will come soon)

January- Started my journey with leash making, Paris was 10 months old, and Fullerton appeared in phase 8 of formal training.

February-Paris turned a whole year old and Fullerton was in phase 10!!

March-Things really started to click with Paris and I loved raising my stubborn girl. Not much else going on in March.

April-Hosted my first Green Leash Give-away (which reminds me I should do one soon), went from having 2 months left with Paris to 2 weeks, and Fullerton graduated as the best guide dog in the world!

May-Had to say goodbye to the Paris, picked up puppy #9 Picassa, found out Paris was cc'd for eye issues, moved to SLC, and decided Paris would be my forever dog.

June-Picked up Keiko from the puppy truck for another raiser in my club and got to spend a couple days with him, Got my Paris back and was thrilled to have her as my forever dog, and fell in love with Picassa and her quirky personality.

July-Picassa turned 1! I turned *cough, cough* 25. . . and started preparing for Fun Day!!

August-Went to Fun Day and made a couple new friends, Picassa went into heat :(, Found out I was receiving a Male Chocolate Lab to raise as my tenth puppy and was super stoked!! 8 days later I picked up Snickers and I love the boy to pieces! I also started a new job at an animal rescue and rehabilitation center and love it.

September-Picassa came out of heat, I started classes at UofU my new university, and Snickers became legal.

October-Snickers went on his first hike and I enjoyed my time with three of the most amazing dogs in the history of the world!

November-Had to part with my sweet girl, Picassa and send her off for breeder evals, found out Picassa was dropped from breeding and would be put into harness training.

December-Celebrated 6 months of having Paris as a pet and spent Christmas with good friends, family and puppies.

It was a great 2010, here's to an even better 2011!!! Happy New Year Ya'll!!

Snickers Meets Santa

For puppy class this week we all went to the mall to have our pups meet Santa Claus. This is the first time I have gotten my pups picture with Santa and I love it! Definitely something I would love to continue. All the dogs did great standing in line, unfortunately every time they got settled we had to get them up to move 6 inches and wait a few minutes before repeating the process. They all handled it like champs, even Lacole our clubs baby, she is only 16 weeks old. Anyway, here are the pictures.

The first is Snickers and Santa. Santa looked a little grumpy in most of the pictures but in Snickers he is kinda grinning a little so I am convinced that Snickers was his favorite. :)

The second is our whole group. Kyle, Sugar, Clyde, Julimae, Snickers (giving Lacole a smooch), Lacole, and Keiko laying in front.
























Our club looked totally ridiculous while we were getting pictures done. During each picture we had every member of our group whooping and jumping up and down to get each dogs attention. People behind us in line were definitely laughing at us! But, who cares we had fun. :) I love my club!

A Visit from Julimae

Okay, I majorly failed doing the 30 for 30 thing...but I was super busy at work and school with finals and everything. I think it's a good enough excuse, right? Well, last week Snickers went on his first puppy trade. He got a stellar report and the puppy sitters loved him. I traded for Julimae and had her for about 5 days. She is a sweet puppy and I loved having her. Here are some pictures from her play time with Paris, Marley and Rafferty. Hopefully I'll be a little better at updating the blog from now on. It'll be really nice to have a break from school. I am really looking forward to it.

30 for 30-Day 26 (Bummer)

I got the very sad news today that Picassa was dropped from breeding. I am very disappointed that there won't be any Kangaroo babies, but she'll still have the opportunity to be a guide dog. She is a stellar puppy after all. After her eye exam next week she'll be put into a training string. Good luck Picassa!!

30 for 30-Day 25 (Happy Thanksgiving/Picture Post)

Me and my crew wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. . .even though it's almost over. :) Here are some pictures from our morning romp in the snow.

Snickers crawled in my lap trying to get out of the cold.

It was -4 degrees outside so I look rediculous but at least I was warm.

Little Paulson gave up after a bit. Then we decided it was time to go inside. :)
Hope everyone had a great day. I know we did!

30 for 30-Day 24 (Blog Discovery)

I discovered another blog today that really made me laugh out loud. Especially

This Post,

and

This Post!

I think you all would really get a kick out of it, so when you have a spare minute you should go check it out. :)

30 for 30-Day 23 (Frontrunner Outing)

Yesterday we did a multi-club outing and weall rode the Front runner train together. It was a great outing and Snickers did superb. I was quite proud at how quickly he slettled himslef down for the long train ride. Here are some picture from the train.
Snickers' baby sister Kasha beating him up. He let her win as he is such a gentleman. Or we'll just let everyone think that. :)
It was a great trip for the dogs to learn to ride public transit and work on dog distractions as well. It's almost midnight so I better get this post up so ta ta for now and I'll post again tomorrow. :)

30 for 30-Day 22 (Back to the Grind/Fun in the Snow)

This morning I let Paris and Snickers run around with some other doggie friends in my friends backyard. This was Snickers' first snow and he had a blast! No issue at all in the snow. Here are some pictures from their romp.

Snickers after rolling in the snow.

My friends dog Bear. He's a lab/chow mix and love running around with my pups.

Bear in the rear, then Snickers and Paris in the lead.

Bear and Paris. They hit it off right away!

Paris, Bear and then Snickers.

Snickers with snow on his nose.

30 for 30-Day 21 (Major Failure)

Okay, this posting every day thing is tough! And I am failing majorly. . .I will try really hard not to miss again but this weekend has been crazy. For now I'll leave you this picture. Park City is covered in snow today. My car got plowed into it's parking spot at work and I had to dig it out. Not fun! Hope everyone else is having/had a great weekend. :)

30 for 30-Day 19 (Failure)

Darn, I totally missed a day. :( I am unhappy about that but I think I can get a free pass becasue I've been uber busy with work and my upcoming finals. I will answer your questions and suggestions in the next couple days and hopefully I don't miss again. Unfortunately this is it for now. . . Have a good day!

30 for 30-Day 17 (The Rest of the Pack)

Well, last night I left off with puppy #6 Spanky so tonight I'll continue with number 7.

Pup #7 was Fullerton the little red dog. This puppy had me wrapped around his little paw. I absolutely adored him and even more so when he was eight months and finally let me sleep through the entire night. He was a horrendous crate barker and I thought I was going to loose my mind until one day he just stopped. I thought I had gone deaf. :) Thankfully he never barked again after that. Fuller also had a lot of tummy issues while I raised him, I think I can count on one hand the number of times he had a solid poop. (Luckily this didn't keep him from being a guide dog as he was a star reliever) Okay, that's probably more info than you wanted but that was a huge part of raising this amazing little guy. Fuller was practically perfect from the moment I picked him up and besides the barking issues was the easiest pup I ever raised. He was also drop dead gorgeous! He left for breeder evals when he was 14 months old and after a month of evals was dropped from breeding and added to a training string. To say I was disappointed that there would be no Fuller babies would be an understatement. But, I was thrilled that he would have a chance to be a guide dog as well. Fuller did amazingly well in training and was in phase 10 out of 10 in two months. He had to wait another 2 1/2 months before he found his perfect partner. He was a last minute dog switch in class and by the time graduation rolled around he had been with his new partner for two full days. The bond they had was amazing and Fullerton is now Super Guide! His partner loves him and can't say enough good things about him. I am absolutely thrilled that he is a working boy because he loves his job!
Fuller 8 weeks old.
Fuller at his graduation.

#8 was Paris. Paris was a transfer puppy that I got when she was 7 months old. She is a ridiculously stubborn and ridiculously smart puppy. A potentially lethal combination if you ask me but seeing as she is my pet now you can be assured that I love this girl more than anything! Me and Paris had a bit of a rocky start, Paris is the kind of dog who will not listen to anybody until she trusts and respects them. She completely ignored me for the first three weeks and had my entire puppy club convinced that she was deaf. After that three weeks she did start to listen to me and everything was practically perfect from then on. Okay, that's not a very glowing report about Paris but she is absolutely without a doubt my heart dog and I am thrilled to have her as my pet. Paris is about the best dog I have raised. Her commands are flawless, she has fantastic house and public manners, she was amazing around little kids, she picked up on new things incredibly fast and she was bomb-proof (Literally), she is by far the most confident puppy I have ever raised! Paris left for formal training at 14 months and I knew without a doubt she would be a guide dog. Things didn't really work out though as she was quickly career changed for eye issues that caused blind spots in her central vision. I was devastated as I didn't think I could bring her back and no other organization would accept her with her vision impairment. After a rough couple days I decided I would make it work and she would be my forever dog. That was the best decision I have ever made and she pet life and her get along famously. She has been a pet for 5 months and I have never regretted my decision. I am incredibly blessed to have this dog in my life.
Paris at 7 months.
Paris right before training at 14 months.

Picassa was my 9th puppy. Another transfer dog I got at 9 months old. She was a challenging puppy to raise because we had to work through a lot of fear issues. Luckily she seems to have overcome them and is a confident little girl who loves to go out and about. I was so proud of the progress she made in the 6 months we were together. She always tried so hard to please and always wanted to do the right thing. I really enjoyed our time together and I learned so much from her. She was always such a happy dog and I really miss her yodeling. She is currently going through breeder evals at the California campus and I am sitting on pins and needles every day waiting for news. I know she is through with all her initial health exams and now she is doing her formal breeder evals which can take up to four months but there are a lot of people here rooting for her. :)
Picassa at 10 months old.
Picassa and I the day she left.

Puppy number 10 is of course the famous chocolate puppy Snickers. Snickers is an amazing puppy! He has slept through the night from day one and never been a barker. (I was really worried as he is Fullerton nephew) He is a very confident puppy and not a single thing has phased him so far. He does amazing in public and is always on his best behavior. His house manners still need some work though. :) I am already desperately in love with him and think he has the potential to be an amazing guide dog! I am really looking forward to the next year with him to see how he grows and progresses.
Snickers 8 weeks.
Snickers at 5 1/2 months.

So there are my puppies in a nutshell. Of course I could write novels on each one but I didn't want to bore you so that's the cliff notes version. :)

30 for 30-Day 16 (The History of my Pups)

I thought for today's post I would tell y'all about all my puppies. Sorry if this is horribly boring but too bad. :)

Prudy was my first puppy. She was born May 1, 2002 and I received her the end of June that year. I enjoyed raising Prudy and we went through a lot together. I raised Prudy during my senior year of high school and my first couple semesters of college together. We were also in a car accident together that I almost died in and Prudy wouldn't leave my side while we were in the hospital. She went through a split season my first summer with her so she was around a year old. Back then we boarded females in season at the vet so I dropped her off for her month long stay while being in heat. After the longest month EVER I got to go pick up my girl when she was finished with her heat. A week later while at a puppy meeting I noticed blood again. Not good. . . she went and spent another month at the vet for her second month of heat and after that she was spayed. So after 2 1/2 months of being at the vet I got back a fat, lazy puppy who forgot all her training. I kept her until she was almost 21 months old to get her back into shape before she left for training. When she was in training she made it to phase 8 out of 10 before being career changed for separation anxiety and relieving in harness. I got the call that she was cc'd and the next day was on my way to pick her up and make her my pet. She was an amazing pet and I loved every second with her. Unfortunately she passed away when she was six and I miss her every day.
Prudy and her brother Patriot the day they arrived at 8 weeks old.
5 year old Prudy in the snow.

My 2nd puppy was Tahoma. She was born May 5, 2004. She was always a sassy and stubborn little girl and I really loved her. She was a tough puppy and challenged me a lot, especially after mellow, easy Prudy. Tahoma was incredibly smart and I knew she had great potential. She left for formal training 4 days after her first birthday. After about four months Tahoma was pulled for breeding. She had a litter of seven puppies the end of November and after they were weaned she went back into training to be a guide. She cruised through training and then graduated as a working guide dog. She is now working in Ohio with a blind Rabbi and spends 2 months a year in Israel and also travels around the east coast so her partner can officiate at weddings. He teaches at a college so she goes there as well and all his students just love her.
Tahoma at 9 months.
Tahoma in harness.

Glennie was number 3. She was born September 27, 2005. She was my first transfer puppy so I got her when she was 5 months old. She was also the first puppy I raised while living in California. She had some issues to work through and I was up for the challenge. She was food and toy aggressive and didn't like going out in public. She made wonderful improvements during our short time together but being a guide was just never in the cards for this girl. She was career changed at 6 1/2 months and is now living as a pet in California.
Beautiful white Glennie 5 months old.
Glennie sleeping in the sun.

#4 was Adeline. She was born October 25, 2005 and I got her as a transfer puppy too, she was a little over 5 months when I got her. She was a great dog and we hit it off immediately. She was a sweet dog and loved to go out and about and meet new people. She was also about the happiest dog I've ever had, her enthusiasm was contagious and she always put a smile on my face. She left for formal training at 17 months old and was quickly career changed for a fear of men which shocked me. She is now living with her first raiser and is a therapy dog and runs agility as well. She loves her life and is in the perfect place for her.
Adeline at my work at 8 months old.
Adeline showing off her jumping skills in the Agility arena.

My 5th puppy was Sherman. He was my first male and I was really nervous about that. My fears were ill founded though as Sherman was just about the best puppy in the world! I absolutely fell in love with this cuddle bug. He was a mellow, go-with-the-flow dog and took everything in stride. When he left for formal training I had no doubt he wouldn't be a guide dog, but I was wrong as he was career changed for soft trachea. Bummer! I would have kept him in a heartbeat but he is the type of dog who needed a job so I asked if there was another school that would take him. A few days later he was taken into the Dogs4Diabetics program and after almost a year of training he graduated as a medical alert dog. WooHoo!! He is a happy working dog and his partner is just perfect for him.
Sherman at 8 weeks.
Sherman enjoying his new job.

Spanky was my 6th puppy. He was a transfer that I got at 11 months. I raised him while I worked at a summer camp for blind and VI kids. He was a great camp dog and all the kids loved him. We did have an ongoing battle with my socks. He ate 12 pairs of my socks while I had him and I still to this day can't figure out how he got them. He was career changed before he made it to formal training for some fear issues and is now a very loved pet in Oregon.
Spanky 4 months.
Spanky at 14 months.

Well, that's all I have patience for now, so the rest will be tomorrow. :) Enjoy!

30 for 30-Day 15 (Half Way)

Well, today is the half way mark for the 30 post in 30 days and I am really running out of things to post about. So, I was wondering if my readers had any ideas for what they'd like me to post or any questions you'd like to ask me. I'd be happy to answer them. :)

And because he's so gosh darn cute here's Snickers being his curious little self.

30 for 30-Day 14 (Love my Boy)

No matter what kind of day I am having this sweet boy can always put a smile on my face. Thanks Snickers I needed that today. :)

30 for 30-Day 13 (Babysitting Help)

A few days ago I babysat my niece and nephew while my brother-in-law was in the hospital. Paris and Snickers were just thrilled to help me out too.

Cannon my nephew really wanted Paris to sit in the chair with him so he pulled up up and rocked for a while.
Then he wanted to brush her so he grabbed a comb.
Hazel my niece also played with Paris and crawled all over her and pulled her ears and tail. Paris was thrilled.
Of course Snickers was there as well. He was such a good boy and did really well with the kids running around.
Watching our fifteenth episode of Blues Clues. . .
It was fun to watch them for a while as I haven't seen my niece and nephew in a long time. They've both gotten so big, I love these kids to death. They are great!