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. :)