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!

Happy Birthday to two special girls

Today is my 2nd guide dog puppies 6th birthday! Wow, I cannon believe Tahoma is that old. She continues to be an awesome guide dog in Ohio and is doing a great job. Happy Birthday Homie!

[Tahoma a Female Black Lab in harness.] Also,

Last Saturday (May 1st) was my 1st puppies 8th birthday. I still miss her and think about her often, there will never be another dog to replace Prudy. Happy birthday to all the other P puppies wherever they may be!

[Prudy a female yellow lab after she was cc'd layin on her back on the couch. That was always her favorite spot.]

Prudy's b-day and got some news :) :) :)

Today would be Prudy's sixth b-day. So right after work I took Sherman up in the mountains to do Prudys favorite thing, hike. We had a good time, got a little lost but it was fun to be alone for a bit. We sat down on the top of the mountain (well, not quite the top but close enough) and reminisced about all the good times we had with Prudy. I miss that girl so much and wish she was here to celebrate with us. I think Sherman understood that because he put his head in my lap and momentarily left his manliness behind to cuddle with his momma up on the mountain for a while. It was nice to have a cuddle with my little buddy since he really isn't very cuddly.

I also got the mid-may news!!!! You all ready?!?!

Sherman is going to be a big brother!! That's right in just a few weeks I will be picking up my next puppy. I don't have an official assignment yet, all I know is that it will be a male lab. I am so excited. There was a breeder raised in Utah who had a litter in March and the raiser of the breeder dog is having a pup from that litter flown out to raise and they are going to send mine out with that one. My puppy is not going to be from the same litter though, I know that much. I am so excited!! So I will be overlapping for 2-3 weeks until my Sherman leaves. I can't believe it is just over four weeks until he leaves. It is starting to sink in that he is really going, especially because when someone asked me when he was leaving today and I had to say, "next month" I haven't had to say next month yet. . . *tear* So this should be an interesting month! I hope that Sherman is ready to be a good role model for the new little one. :)

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.

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

More on Bryce Canyon

Now that I have more time I wanted to give a better update about Bryce Canyon. :) We had so much fun and the views were amazing. Definitely a place that I would like to visit again. You can go on a lot of hikes and still not see it all! The first day we got there around noon so weren't going to go on any hikes, we were planning on driving around and looking. But we started looking and all wanted to stop and explore a bit. So we got out and walked around and my dad found this 1 1/2 mile hike that he wanted to go on. It took us down the side of the cliff and through the narrows beneath. I wasn't sure I wanted to take Sherman because the path was quite narrow with cliffs on the left. That made me nervous so I left him with my mom at the top while she sat on a bench with my grandma and we all went on the short hike. (also at the beginning of the trail was a no dogs allowed sign and there was a ranger standing there so I didn't want to push it. :) The hike was fun and really hard because it went down and around some narrows and then pretty much straight back up, my legs are still sore. Anyway, it took us about an hour to get through and we were all tired after so we went back to the hotel for a rest. My mom said she talked to the ranger while she was on the bench and he said that it would be fine for Sherm to go on the hikes with us because he was a service dog. WOOHOO! When we were ready we decided to go on a longer hike. This one was 5 1/2 miles and was still gorgeous. Sherman was fantastic, he was tired by the end but so were the rest of us. We ventured away from the trail and hiked up some of the hills for a better look at the surroundings. At the end of the trail I sat on a bench with Sherman while my family took a potty break before returning to the hotel. While I was sitting there a nice British woman (who had the coolest accent) came up to me and was asking me about Sherman (who I thought was sleeping) after a while she asked me what his name was. I said Sherman, and as soon as I said his name he popped his head up and he had a cigarette butt sticking straight out of his mouth. (ha ha what a goof) I told him to drop it which he did. The lady said, "you should teach him to stop that habit, it causes cancer in dogs too." We both just laughed. After that we all went back to the hotel watched The Office (best show EVER) and went to bed. The next morning we went on another hike, well first we drove around for a while because my dad got lost and he wouldn't ask anyone where the trail started. While we were driving around we saw a sign for helicopter tours around the canyon and my g-ma wanted to go. We stopped at the airport and got info and her and my mom got tickets for one. (jealous, I have never been in a helicopter before) Me, Sherman and my sisters and dad went on a hike while my mom and g-ma hung around the hotel getting ready for their ride. After our hike we drove a bit and found a sign for Mossy Cave so decided to go explore that. It was a 1 1/2 mile hike to the cave. It was so fun. There was water dripping from the ceiling so we were all pretty soaked after walking around in there for a while. There was also a waterfall by the cave and we played around over there too. We got back in time to see my mom and g-ma off on their ride and so we went into the shops and just played around in the little town there. Sherman really enjoyed himself and I think it was a great experience for him going on all those hikes, I was so proud of him. He behaved himself perfectly and I couldn't be happier with him.

Sherman passed out on the trail. It was funnier in person. We were walking and stopped to take a pic of my sister standing on this big rock and Sherman just collapsed, he was on an incline and so was sliding down but didn't move at all, just let himself slide down so his face was all squished. Me and my daddio were laughing so hard.

I have been going through and backing up all my picture files and came across this one. It was taken just days after picking up my first puppy Prudy. This is my all-time favorite picture of me and one of my puppies. (My hair could have been a little less fluffy!!! but oh, well. My sister insisted on doing it for me) Anywho, I postponed my senior pictures because I wanted to have my new guide dog puppy with me. And, I love how it turned out. I love her tongue hanging out, it is just priceless! She is the one that started everything and she taught me a lot. I sure do miss my girl!

My boy is back!!!

My boy came home today!!!!! He was such a brave little guy. He was so happy to see me, he went crazy in the lobby of the vet when he saw me. He got lots of hugs and kisses from me and I think he is feeling much better. The vet said he is still quite swollen but it has gone down a lot. I think my biggest problem is going to be keeping him still for the next week. The first thing he did when we got home was run for his gough-nut. (the green toy in the pic) It is his favorite and then he ran around the room flipping it around. Not the behavior I expected from puppy who recently went through surgery. He also has some bad diarrhea, but I am assuming that is normal. Hopefully that goes away soon. It is the first time that Sherman has had it and frankly, I didn't miss it. :) I am just so happy to have my boy home.
Yesterday, I got the call from my vet saying that Prudy's stuff was back. This is her paw print. It turned out so cute. It isn't anything like I thought it was going to be, but it is so much better. I love it!!

Puppy Parents

I decided to follow in Brittany and Emily's footsteps and make a parent post. I have been trying to get a hold of all this pictures for ages and the only one I am missing now is Klondike who is Prudy's dad. He is quite hard to locate, but oh, well.

Flower + Klondike = Prudy
(Prudy in her fat days before getting those pesky 20 lbs off) She looked much better after the diet I promise. :)


Davida + Jessel =
Tahoma

Paula + Astro=
Glennie

Vonnie + Kinsey=
Adeline

Yolette + Norbert=

Sherman

(Norberts pic is not very good. I took a picture of the picture in the breeder book at Fun Day)

It is fun to look at all the similarities. I like seeing where my pups get thier looks from. :)

Thank You!!!!

I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this difficult time. It really means a lot to me! It is nice to know that I have so many friends, most of which I haven't met, who really care. Thank you so much!!
Megan, Sherman, & Prudy ( the angel dog)

Another at the Rainbow Bridge

Here is a post I wasn't planning on writing for another 30 years or so. I am sure you are all familiar with this poem:

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Well, Prudy passed away today. I am absolutely heart broken as she was and always will be my baby. I got a call from a woman while I was unpacking things at my apartment. She told me that Prudy had been hit by a car and she thought she was dead. Of course I lost it and started wailing while I was on the phone with her, I asked where she was, while I grabbed Sherman, my keys and wallet and was headed out the door. My little sister was headed to my apartment so that I could help her get her books for her college classes and so I called her and told her to head home. The whole drive I was wondering the kind of scene I was going to drive up on. All the worst going through my head. I was wondering if I really wanted to see her in whatever shape she was in. I drove up and saw her lying on her side on the sidewalk, and she looked oddly peaceful. None of what I imagined was there, no blood, no guts, she was just laying there as if she was asleep. I got out of my car and slowly walked up to her, the people that lived in the house that she got hit in front of where there and were telling me what had happened and the driver had left to get her kids from school. (turns out the lady is in our neighborhood and is friends with my mom and has a kid in my moms class) I sat down next to her and started stroking her. A few minutes later my sister drove up and got out of the car and came over. The people there got a blanket to wrap her in and loaded her into my car. I drove to the vet, the whole drive I almost expected her to lean over the seat and rest her head on my shoulder like she always did. The vet was very nice and came out with one of the vet techs to help me get her out. He knows me and Prudy pretty well. He is a good friend of Dads and I worked for him in 8th grade. Also Prudy has allergies so we have been there quite a bit for follow up exams. He asked which dog it was and when I said Prudy he, and a few of the nurses said, "Aww, not Prudy." While they were getting her out of my car the vet tech kept telling me how sorry she was and how she had always thought Prudy was such a sweet happy dog. That made me feel a little better knowing that she had touched more lived than just those in my family. They are going to have her cremated and the people who do the cremation are going to make a mold of her paw, I thought that was really nice.

I am going to miss my girl so much. I am going to miss her happy face and wagging tail when I get home, her constantly staring at me while I eat, the crazy puppy mood she gets into every once in a while, her biting my ankle when she gets excited, the way she would jump with me on the trampoline, the way she would follow me around the house no matter where I went, the clicking of her nails on the floor, the way she felt when I gave her a big bear hug, the weight of her head on my shoulder as I would drive, how excited she would get when you would say "Do you wanna eat," or "Lets go for a ride." and how she knew exactly what those two phrases meant, the way she would hog the entire bed, the way she would move the sheets and blankets so that they were the perfect position for her (and always off of me), how she would calm me down after a stressful day, how her ears where darker than the rest of her, how she is so patient with my puppies and with small children, how she has a way of making everyone love her, how expressive her eye-brows are, how gentle she is when she licks your face, how she snorts and grunts and rolls around on her back when she is happy, how she begs for belly rubs, how she gets so exited when she gets told she is a good girl, and so much more. I know that she is happy and she was not in pain. I can't wait to see her again, but until that day comes a big void has been left in my life. Prudy will always have a piece of my heart and I will never forget her.

Big Day

Since it is a Utah State holiday tomorrow (and also my b-day) I have today and tomorrow off of work! I decided to walk Sherman around my school campus since I am starting there again in a few weeks. He was great. He was checking things out as we went. He loved the water fall and was interested in the statues of people they have all around. He did his "pet me" dance in front of one of them. It was so funny, he got frustrated when it didn't pet him and we were on our way again. We went around all the offices, cafeteria, classrooms, library, and bookstore. I was very proud of him, he even ignored a piece of smooshed up bread on the ground (a first!) He looked at it and started leaning toward it and then when we got right up to it he stopped and looked and me and then kept walking. I was so very proud, he is starting to make more and more choices by himself and I know he will do great while we are both attending college. I know he will do wonderful with the added crouds and noises and teachers and rolling backpacks and all the above. I can't wait to start school again. (Is that wierd?) Here he is by our school mascot (the Wolverine. . . even though it looks like an evil weird looking bear or something.) This is the statue outside of the student center. Sherman is also growing like a weed. I took him the the vet to get an "official" weight on him and he is a whopping 40.3 pounds. (kinda pathetic I know, can you say mini-lab. . . lol) He is now almost as tall as Prudy, but he has a real long, tall and slender build.

Dumb little tricks. . .

So, I am back to regularly scheduled blogging, back to guide dogs and my pups in general. So to start the week off I thought I would share little clips of the dumb little tricks that I have taught Prudy after she was cc'd. I was going to get her certified as a therapy dog so I taught her some fun things, but after working really hard with her she has too many fear issues to be happy doing that. (I am surprised she wasn't cc'd for fear issues) She was my "special" (ed) puppy. lol Anyway, they are pretty pathetic! She never caught onto the over of "roll over" and she NEVER barks so "speak" is weak too. But the paw thing she does pretty well :)

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This is Lucy the pup I am watching for the summer. She is really good at hoping around on two legs. She can get quite a distance too.

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Prudy Update

After Prudy was initially diagnosed with allergies she was put on Z/D ultra. I was supposed to have her on it for nine weeks to determine if it was food allergies. After three weeks on that nasty food she was almost worse. Her coat got really coarse and dull, she had really bad indigestion (expecially at night. I had to leave my window open) and she started getting little sores all down her tail and was itching more than before, and she just smelled horrible. So, I called the vet and told him that I hated the food and what kind of alternative I could use. He had me come back in for a recheck for her. We decided that it probably wasn't food allergies so we did the blood test to see exactly what she is allergic to. (He also gave me a full refund on the food which was really nice.) Now she is back on her regular food and already looking a lot better and has more energy. The vet called me today and said that the results from the test were in and that she is allergic to dust mites and storage mites. So, basically dust and mold. Now I am waiting another week until her meds are all made up and then I can start her on an injectible medication that she will have to be on. I am glad that we are over the hump and are able to get somthing to make her comfy. The poor girl has been miserable for a long time. I spent most of the day deep cleaning my room and washing my sheets so maybe that will help too.

Prudy's Fifth B-Day!!!!

I can't believe that my baby girl is five years old! So, to celebrate her b-day I took the day off to have a mom and daughter day. First, I took her to Petco to pick out a new harness because hers is getting rather old and ratty, we also got a furminator. (Yes, I finally gave in and got it, that brush is the most amazing thing ever, I nearly filled an entire garbage bag full of Prudy and Sherman hair. It was awesome!!) After that I took her up the canyon to go hiking. She loves hiking and I will usually have to jog to keep up but I let her lead me wherever she wants to go. Then we went back home and I gave her a bath because she jumped into a little lake/river under a waterfall (a little one) Then I made her a cake. I had a good time and I hope she enjoyed it too. I still can't believe she is half a decade old.!!!

New harness. The last one she picked was green, this time she choose red. She looks good in it.

In the little pond under the waterfall. I don't think it qualifies as a lake. lol

Hiking up some rocks. She chose the most dificult way to get up the mountain. But she loved it and once we got to the top the view was AMAZING!!!!
Prudy takes in the beautiful view.

Back in the lake on the way down the trail.
Prudy gets a bath, and of course we can't leave Sherman out.
Prudy waits impatiently while I put icing (pureed cottage cheese) on her cake.
I was a cake decorator for a day about a year ago. That skill finally came in handy while decorating her cake with shredded carrots and peanut butter.
Finished product.
Prudy REALLY wants to eat her cake.
The cake is finally ready. Prudy waits patiently for the "okay"
MMMM. . .the best cake ever!!!

Warning:
The next picture you are about to see is the most grotesquely amazing picture that I have ever taken. It was totally a fluke but it turned out awesome.

You can totally tell how much she enjoyed her cake.
This is how Sherman enjoyed Prudy's b-day. I was so sad that he isn't old enough to go hiking or to the pet store, so he stayed home most the day. He didn't complain though.

So Prudy had an eventful b-day. Of course she didn't eat the whole cake. The rest is wrapped up in my fridge. I may pull it out and give her a little piece every once in a while. What a lucky spoiled dog. She is glad to not be a PIT otherwise she wouln't get those fantastic b-day treats. (Last year she got Frosty Paws Ice Cream, and loved it)

Megan, Prudy (the big b-day girl), Sherman, & Adeline