Tales Of A Career Changed Dog

Some Pictures

2010-08-07T21:45:00.003-05:00

Mom tries to get me out alot to go to the river or to the mountians.

Fishing with dad and Levi

Levi is my best friend

Swimming at 11 Mile

Hiking at 11 Mile Resivior

Just a short update

2010-08-06T21:34:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't posted anything in forever! Our 4-H year is over now (my mom teaches the dog program). I am lucky enough to get to go to class with mom every week, but most of the time I don't work, I just chill in the middle.

I'm now having to put up with the baby crawling around and climbing on me. Mom says I have to be nice so I try to ignore him, maybe then he will leave me alone. I really don't like to play much, but the lil guy keeps trying to get me to chase a ball. How boring is that?

Last month I turned 6! I've started greying out on my chin, but other than that you can't tell I'm getting older. Mom gave me extra special treats that day and a new toy, but the toy was boring and the baby plays with it more than I do.

It's been awhile

2009-09-28T14:15:00.002-05:00

Well things sure have changed over the past month. I now have a baby in the house to keep an eye on. I'm being a good dog and watching over him. I even alert my mom when he starts crying. My mom says she is real impressed with how calm I am when he is around, but if he isn't in the room I can still be my bouncy self!

Another Update - Nothing Exciting

2009-07-07T18:09:00.002-05:00

Well things have been kinda hectic these past few months, but sadley not much dog related has happened. We are getting ready to move into our own place this weekend so Provo will once again (finally) have a yard to run in! I know he will be happier and enjoy having a yard instead of a tiny dog run.

I've still been teaching the local 4-H kids in the dog program. Provo is so good at class, he mostly just hangs out off to the side somewhere. We had our first show last weekend and lets just say our kids need to get serious if they want to do good at County Fair. This year our kids just aren't commited and treat is as just a social time. Maybe the show this wekend will go better.

Well nothing new has happened with Provo. He does have a birthday coming up in a week though, he is will be 5. Hard to believe my little guy is getting so old. Well here is a couple pictures.

Update - Not All Dog Related

2009-05-06T11:10:00.003-05:00

Well even though it seems like no one reads this blog anymore I feel like updating so here goes.

Pasyon left in December and has now moved out east to become a cattle ranch dog. I do miss the little twerp, but I know he is much happier. It turned out to be a good thing though for several reasons that I don't have a puppy now. Since just after we let Payson go we found out that I'm pregnant.

I do still have Provo. What a wonderful boy he is and I know he will do great with the new baby. He is going kinda stir crazy though since we have moved into a house that doesn't have a yard. We have a dog run, but it is really small, especailly when he is used to a large yard to run in. It is hard to believe that he will be 5 years old in July.

Sadley though I will not get to raise a puppy again for a very long time, if ever. We are teaching 4-H dog training and Provo loves to show off how it is supposed to be done.

Payson

2008-12-28T20:59:00.002-06:00

Well yesterday Payson went to his new home. Next summer he will be living on a farm in PE working as a cattle dog. It is very hard to see him go, but I'm sure he will have a better life.

Provo is still doing good and my landlady is liking him alot more. She has taught him about going under the fences, so now he is ok. So it looks like all things are working out, if only I could raise a pup again..........maybe someday. I'll try to get some new pics up when I can get my camera to work.

Have a Happy New Year if you don't hear from me before then.

Bad News, Lots of Venting

2008-12-19T21:59:00.003-06:00

Well this week has not been a good week for the dogs and I. Sadley I had to make the hard decision to give Payson up. We are currently looking for a home for him where he can work livestock and have lots of room to run. The place where I am living now is not a good situation for him, he has no freedom to run in the yard. To make things worse, he has started jumping out of his 5' run yesterday and today!

The lady I rent from has alpacas and she is afraid the pups will harm them. Provo is no problem when he goes out there, all he wants to do is eat the poo (GROSS!!!). Payson on the other hand has the herding instinct so he could be a problem. Anyways she decided last night that my dogs are not allowed to run in the back yard till I find a way to keep them out of the alpaca pens. This may not sound to hard to figure out, but she has it set up so the guard dog can go under the fence from the backyard to the pens. So poor Provo is stuck in the house unless under supervision. Payson isn't so well behaved and it is just not a good place for him. It is a hard decision to give him up, but I know it is best for him.

The only good news is we found a home for the last pup from the litter that Payson is out of, his brother Einstein. So tomorrow I'm supposed to take him over to my friends house and see is he will be a good dog from them. My camera is still not working, so no pictures still, sorry.

Finally Some Pictures

2008-12-11T13:36:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple pics of Provo and Payson. My how he has grown in the last six months. Provo is still doing well.

I Decided To Join In too..............27 I must be boring

2008-12-09T10:04:00.002-06:00

This is fun,Things I've Done. To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (always for GDB related things)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Long Overdue Update

2008-11-19T12:00:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm not sure if anyone still reads this blog, but I finally have computer access again. It sure has been a long time since I've posted. The pups & I moved a month or so ago now & we just now have computer access, so I'm sorry for the lack of news.

Anyways, Payson is now 5 months old! He is starting to settle down and is turning into a nice pet. He seems so small, since I'm used to Lab pups that are atleast twice his size. He spends most of his time over at my friends house where he was born running on the farm.

Provo is doing good too. He does get annoyed by his little brother pretty fast, but does teach him well. His newest playmate is the guard dog for the alpacas, a Great Pyrenese named Tally. They spend hours out romping in the yard.

My camera is broken so I don't have any pictures for you, sorry.

On Saturday I did get to go visit my third pup, Fletcher while we were in the area. Sadley it was a very short visit, but they are doing well together.

Update On Payson

2008-08-05T18:12:00.003-05:00

Well Payson & Buckwheat are settling in nicely. Their personalities are like night & day. Payson is a very confident, outgoing and head strong. He also likes to state his opinion alot. He loves to play with Provo & clings to me whenever we are together. He is a very fast learner, at 9 weeks he already knows sit, down & come. I can tell he will be a fun pup to train in the coming years, there is sure to be more than just obedince in his future.

Introducing..............

2008-07-22T14:35:00.003-05:00

.........................Payson............................

and

......................Buckwheat................

New Pups

2008-07-14T11:06:00.003-05:00

Well the new pups that will be arriving at the end of the month need some names. Any one want to help? I was thinking for my little guy maybe another "P" city name to go with Provo? The other pup will be my dad's & I have no idea if he'll let me help name him or not. Right now they are about 5 weeks old.

So here are some pictures of my new little guy:

Then the one my dad is getting:

Very Bad Blogger

2008-07-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

I have been very bad and not posted in a long time. Things took an unexpected turn & I was not able to get a puppy. My new landlord won't allow me to have a guide dog puppy, cause that would mean to many indoor dogs.

I still have Provo & at the end of the month my family and I will be welcoming in two new little pups (non guide dogs). I will try to keep this blog up with just news about Provo & his little "brothers". Then of course we have my parents dog, a Chow/Ausie/????? mix.

As far as the visits I didnt ever update about. Christina & Heddy are both wonerdul dogs. I'll try to do a short post of each. Our club is taking a break till fall, our three dogs went back for training on Saturday. Since we only have my leader as a raiser we held off on getting new pups till we can recruit more. So most likely there won't be any puppy sitting for a very long time.

Visiting Pups

2008-06-01T17:16:00.006-05:00

Well Christina was here over Memorial Weekend. I know, bad puppy sitter for not posting. The week has been kinda crazy. Anyways, she is a very high spirited girl, she will make a good guide for someone that is active. She is a very good girl, still needs some work, but don't all pups?

She went on lots of social outings and has wonderful behavior in public. She went to church, Burger King, Kwick Stop, the coffee shop I work at and many more places. She is such a good girl.

Then in June we had Heddy for a week. Heddy is a wonderful little girl. She is still very much a puppy, but will also make a good guide one day. She has the best manners when out socializing. Her raiser has done a wonderful jobwith her & I enjoyed the time we spent together.

Christina

2008-05-23T05:20:00.004-05:00

Well she is here. She is full of life too! Mom says she is use to other dogs, but she is always in my face or one of the other big dog's faces. She did just get here so I'm sure she will settle in just fine. We don't have any big plans while she is here, so we will post later.

Provo & Visiting Christina

2008-05-20T09:26:00.003-05:00

Last night we had a guide dog meeting at the river walk. We went in a little early so I could play in the river before. This was the first time this year I has gotten to play in the water so I was thrilled. After we had played in the water for awhile mom decided we would walk some & we did. Then all of a sudden I wanted back in the water so I jumped of the sidewalk! Mom was quite shocked, but didn't get to upset. The water was a nice fun cool down time after all the hot weather we have been having.

Well it is about time I update with all I have been up to. I have a new friend that I'm teaching to be a good puppy. His name is Koda & he is a 4 month old Husky/GLD cross. Mom will be puppy sitting him & his mom, Maggie in June. So I get to spend a whole week living at his house.

Koda Bear & Provo

Momma Maggie & Provo

Puppy Sitting

2008-05-19T09:49:00.002-05:00

Well we are getting Christina over the weekend. Mom is excited to have a pup again, even if it is for just a weekend. We will post once she gets here.

Then we get Heddy for a few days starting June 1st. We will have lots of pups to keep us company the next few weeks.

Exciting News!

2008-05-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

Mom is putting in her application for another pup! So if all goes well & there is enough pups we will be getting one right around my birthday in July. All three of our club pups are going back, so it will be all new pups. I'll keep you posted when we hear about an actual puppy assignment.

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T22:31:00.003-05:00

Even though I haven't seen my fur mom since I was just a tiny little pup I want to say Happy Mothers Day to her & all the other wonderful moms out there. Hope you had a wonderful day. Here are some pics of my wonderful mom, Seneca.

Happy Birthday!

2008-05-08T17:12:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Aztec & the "A" Litter! It is hard to believe it has been six years since this wonderful litter was born. Aztec is still enjoying the working life of a guide dog with his partner.

New Tricks

2008-04-10T11:36:00.003-05:00

In my spare time, I have been trying to teach Provo some tricks. He is just starting with crawl, but he is getting it. Then the second video is the tricks he pretty much knows shake, catch & beg.

River Walk & more Puppy Breath

2008-04-01T21:09:00.004-05:00

We were supposed to have dog class tonight, but it was canceled. We did still get the puppy for the evening though. Meet Joey a cute little 3 1/2 month old Lab/Border Collie mix.

We went to the riverwalk, but I didn't get to go in the water. We just walked & it was fun.

Puppy Breath

2008-03-20T15:53:00.003-05:00

Well my mom's friend has a Golden girl named Maggie. About 5 weeks ago she has puppies! It was an accidental breeding so she was bred with a Husky. Sadly she had complications so she was rushed to the vet for an emergency C-Section. She had three pups, but only one was alive when they pulled them out. Here are some pics of the cute little fur ball. Isn't he cute?

Not much is happening around here. I went to the vet on Tuesday & got my shots. I'm a tad overweight, whenever I go to mom's parents house they overfeed, so........ I now weigh in at 85.5 pounds!

I'm Home!

2008-03-13T14:34:00.002-05:00

Well I'm home now from my first trucking experience. It was a fun trip, I didn't want to come home. I loved being with some one all the time. We didn't do anything special, since it was such a short trip. It was a little tricky learning to jump in & out of the big semi. I fell a couple times, but didn't get hurt. I'm looking forward to some longer trips. Mom says I have to wait till after I go visit the vet for my annual shots before I can go out again.

The Traveling Boy,
Provo

Travel Time

2008-03-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

Well I'm off on my first of many adventures. I'm heading off in the semi for a short trip with mom's dad. We are just going on a short trip to Durango. Assuming I do good, as expected, I will be taking more trips & longer trips. I'm planning on going out to CA with him on his next trip. I will write more when I get back.

Happy Birthday Mia!

2008-03-04T12:48:00.003-06:00

Well last night we had a "birthday party" kinda thing for Mia. It is hard to believe that cute little black ball mom brought home that one night last April is now a year old. We had a quick photo shoot with everyone in birthday hats, not very easy to do. Then we had some yummy homemade doggy brownies. Those things are so good!

Happy Birthday Mia!

Check out my ears!

Mia, Me, Sherri & Little Bit

Sherri & Bitsy

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-09T19:40:00.000-06:00

Well today mom took me to Petco for their first annual Valentine's party. They had a kissing contest, I didn't win though. We also decorated cookies & made Valentines day cards. I made a paw print card for my mommy & then one with my picture in it. There was a lot of dogs there, but I of coursed behaved myself. I have already eaten the cookie & it was YUMMY! Here are some pictures of the day.

Since our dog food suppliers has decided not to carry our food anymore, we had to buy some new food. Mom started switching me over tonight. It is yummy & much healthier for me.

Please Vote!

2008-01-31T13:11:00.000-06:00

I have entered a cute Birthday picture in the Hallmark contest that Emily mentioned. I hope you will all vote for me starting March 3rd, if I make the finals. I will post the address when it is available. Here is the picture:

Long Time

2008-01-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

Well we haven't had a computer for awhile, ours broke, but it is back now. So not much has happened since my last post. We have started dog training up again. I'm really enjoying getting out every week. Mom has had to work a lot with the other kids, so I have been working on my down stay. Then this week the leader decided it was time to start a distraction for the new dogs. So while all the dogs were working on heeling in a circle around the room I was put on a stay outside the circle. Then once mom was in the middle of the room she called me, of course I came running. Mom was scared I wasn't going to stop, but just slam into her. Everyone thought my sliding stop was so cute, they kept telling mom how cool it was & that I'm a good boy. Next week we are supposed to start the broad jump practice again. Maybe this year I will do it right in the ring. The leader is trying to talk mom into going to the highest level with me, utility. I think we are gonna stick with Grad Novice though.

Fletcher's Visit

2008-01-03T15:06:00.000-06:00

So I finally got to see Fletcher again! It has been three & a half years since they graduated and I've seen them once since then (they only live 2 hours away). I walked in the door & he was bouncing all over the place, thrilled to see me again. Once Beth got ready we all went to lunch, Fletcher was a little to excited so Beth didn't work him, just went sighted guide. After lunch he had calmed down enough that Beth worked him this time. We went back to the house, took some pictures & then just hung out for awhile. It was awesome to see my puppy & Beth again. Enjoy the pictures.

Kennedy

2008-01-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to wish Kennedy, my first pup, a very Happy Birthday! Kennedy & his brothers are all seven as of January 2nd!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T18:55:00.000-06:00

So I finally came home from mom's parents house yesterday morning. Then that night we went back to bring in the new year. I of course got the couch & crashed before midnight, but I was awake when everyone was saying "Happy New Year". Becky was baby sitting a little five month old, so cute. I was a good baby sitter too & kept checking in on the baby. Some of them chased me off, but mom knew I wouldn't hurt him. Then when he was screaming I was concerned so I just stood there starring at him & looking back at mom, hoping she would help him.

Then today mom went home after lunch, but left me here. She says it is because she will be going to Denver all day to see Fletcher, the pup she raised before me. I'm sure she will post pictures when she gets home. Happy New Year everyone.

Provo

My Christmas

2007-12-26T11:04:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I was sure spoiled this Christmas! I think I got the most packages. So I have a whole new collection of squeaky toys, a new collar with my name on it & some treats. My favorite is the big bone shaped pillow/squeaky toy.

I'm staying with mom's parents for awhile, since things at home aren't going so well. I may even get to go to Oklahoma this weekend, for more Christmas! I hear there is a new Rottie pup to check out. I'll talk to you all when I get home.

Guide Dog Meeting

2007-12-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

Well last night we finally made it to another guide dog meeting. We got to socialize with the jazz band at the school. Actually they just practiced while we sat in the corner to listen. Then we got to go on an elevator ride. It was crowded with 5 pups & 7 humans in the tiny little thing, but we managed. We worked on stairs & then rode the elevator once again. Once we made it back down we everyone switched pups, except I just laid there by myself, being a good boy of course. It was fun to see all the pups again. Mom wanted me to be a good roll model so I had to wear my Halti tonight, I wasn't to happy. Sorry there are no pictures, but mom forgot her camera.

Provo

Merry Christmas

2007-12-18T12:21:00.001-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I can't believe it is only a week till Christmas. I will not be spending it with my mommy either, I'm gonna be staying at her parent's house for the weekend. After I get back I will post some pics of me & all my presents (there is a rumor going around that I have a bunch!) So enjoy the pics of my "Christmas torture".

Christmas Baking!

2007-12-12T10:53:00.001-06:00

Well we have made some yummy Christmas presents for the four legged ones this year. Yes, Provo & I, made dog cookies for all the pups. We are also well stocked on treats for a while, since we aren't giving all of them away. What a happy boy he is now that he is getting spoiled. Here are the pictures:

Cooking is messy

Waiting So Patiently

"Bulldog Brownies"

"Peanut Butter Woofies"

"Veggie Bites"

"Munchy Crunchy Chicken Treats"

Special Dipped Bones

Finally Getting To Sample
(Being a career changed pup...priceless!)

Yay!

2007-12-09T20:58:00.000-06:00

Well I'm home now! Mom didn't come pick me up till late in the day though, but I was still thrilled to see her. On our way home we ran into some nasty fog & it really scared me. I kept sticking my nose up against the window & then looking at mom to make sure she could see at least. Then I finally got to scared & his under my blanket.

When we got home we made..........doggy cookies! The peanut butter ones came out good, but the beef ones burned. I still like them, but Bit won't eat them. In a little bit we will be making some more frosty paws! This time they will be Strawberry Banana!

Sorry there are no pictures, mom's camera broke! Anyone want to chip in to buy her a new one for Christmas? LOL

Overdue Update

2007-12-08T20:55:00.001-06:00

Well not much has been happening lately. I have been getting to go with mom a lot more lately, even though I'm very limited on what stores I can go into. I love going to the hardware store in town cause they always make a big fuss over me & give me treats!

Mom is starting to get into cooking things for me, I told you I'm getting spoiled. So we made Frosty Paws the other night. They are so yummy! I wish I could share them with all my non PIT friends. Then tomorrow we are making two batches of dog cookies to give as Christmas presents. I of course will be the official taster.

I have been staying with mom's parents the past few days since mom has been at working or gone for something else. I will be back at home with my mommy tomorrow afternoon!

Guide Dog Christmas

2007-12-08T20:53:00.001-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and the kennels were still, with most dogs now asleep having eaten their fill. The Labradors sprawled out, quite snug in their beds, while visions of ANYTHING edible danced in their heads. And the Goldens and Shepherds curled up on the floor, some twitched in their sleep and some even did snore. The dog food was stacked in the feed room with care, in hopes that a trainer soon would be there. On the window ledge, one of the kennel cats lay, surveying the lawn at the end of this day. Something was different, that little cat knew. Tonight something would happen, it had to be true. For that day as the workers had left to go home, They'd wished Merry Christmas!before starting to roam. The dogs had noticed it too during this past week's walks, the trainers seemed just that much happier and eager to talk. In the mall where they worked through the maze of people and stores, there were decoration and music and distractions galore! Most dogs pranced along without worry or fear, but some balked at the man on the sleigh and those fake looking deer. The cat was almost asleep too when he first heard the sound, a whoosh through the air and a jingle around. It reminded him of a dog's collar when the animal shook, but this sound kept on growing. He'd better go look. From the ceiling there came a faint sort of thunk, as the kennel cat climbed to the highest pile of junk. Once before people had worked on the roof, and come down through the trap door to a chorus of "Woooof!" But the dogs still were quiet, all sleeping so sound, as this man dressed in red made his way right on down. He patted the cat as he climbed past his spot, then made his way right to the trainers' coffee pot. A shepherd sat up, not fully awake, then a Golden followed her with a mighty loud shake. That did it! All the dogs sprang to life with loud noise. In spite of the din, the old man kept his poise. He filled the pot full and it started to brew, then he pulled up a chair and took in the view. Dogs all around him, so carefully bred, he knew well their jobs, the blind people they led. Some had stopped barking and looked at him now, while others delighted in their own deafening howl. Laying a finger in front of his lips, the jolly old man silenced the excitable yips. "You all may not know me, but I'm Santa Claus," the old man smiled and took a short pause, While he filled up his mug with hot liquid and cream, "I've always wanted to stop here. It's been one of my dreams." The cat had climbed down and was exploring Santa's sack. "Yes, little kitty, that's an empty pack." Santa smiled as he drank and looked at those eyes, deep brown ones and gold ones held wide in surprise. Some of these dogs, he'd seen just last year, in their puppy homes, cute and full of holiday cheer. He'd seen the effects of a pup on the tree, but now they were here at the school, just waiting to be. "I didn't bring you presents or bones just to chew. I'll tell you something better, what you are going to do." "You all will work hard and the trainers will share, both praise and correction, gentle and fair." "You'll go lots of places and face big scary things. You'll ride buses and subways and hear fire sirens ring.""Cars will drive at you but you will stand strong, not moving into danger, not moving toward wrong." "And then just when you think that this trainer's the best, the kindest, and funniest person, toss away all the rest," "That trainer will begin to ignore you and give you away, handing your leash over despite your dismay." "Now the person who pets you and feeds you will be a blind person. That's a person who can't see." "This man or this woman may see just a tad, but their view's missing parts or the focus is bad." "So you, well trained dogs, will act as their eyes. You will work as a team and discover the size" "Of this great world we live in, because you will go a million new places with this person, you know." Santa sipped at his coffee and looked over the brood, knowing what he had to say next might sound kind of rude. "Not all of you will make it and become canine guides. Your time here isn't wasted though. You won't be cast aside." "Some of you will be drug dogs and some will find bombs. Some will become pets in a home with a dad and a mom." "All these things are important. People wait on long lists, to receive such good dogs as you, the school folks insist." The last drop of coffee had gone into his cup as Santa turned, smiling at each wide eyed pup. "The best gift of all is to give something back. That's why there's nothing for you all inside of my pack." Draining his mug, Santa went to each pen, and petted and scratched each dog again and again. "Now next year and many more years after that, you all will give gifts wherever you're at." "You might lick a hand that's had a bad day, Or notice a car and step out of the way." "You might help catch a crook or discover some loot, Or just bring some joy to a tired old man in a funny red suit." "Your master will love you and treat you with care. In return, your training and trust will always be there." After the last dog had been petted and soothed, Santa put away the coffee pot and made ready to move. Up the ladder he rose to the door high above, with a smile and a wave as he slipped on his gloves. And all the dog ears were pricked as he disappeared out of sight. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!"

So Embaressing!

2007-11-17T19:24:00.001-06:00

Mom has been in a weird mood today. Here are the pictures to prove it. Why am I so tolerant of what she does to me?

Just for the fun of it here is a few pics of my "sisters" They decided to torture Sherri to, by putting a shirt on her. She is smart & hiding from everyone now. I love my mommy too much to hide, what if she has food for me?

Little Bit (isn't she cute?):

I've Been Spoiled Lately

2007-11-17T19:19:00.001-06:00

Mom had been extra nice to me & spoiling me a lot lately. I have gotten lots of stuffed kongs, like back when I was in "college" & lots of people scraps. I have lost most of my "chubbiness", so I can have those things again. The other day mom finished off the peanut butter & gave me the jar!

She has also been letting me sleep in her room again! She made me my very own bed again in her room. She used both of my old comforters, my blankie & her pillow. I'm not spoiled at all, just well loved.

Diet Time?

2007-10-13T11:05:00.000-05:00

Well can you tell I have put on a few pounds? Mom hasn't switched me over to the lower protein food yet.

Note: I wasn't trying to put the coat on him it just happened to land on him & was a perfect picture.

The Past Few Days

2007-10-13T10:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated anymore on Christina, things have been go, go , go. So here we go on the last few days.

Thursday:

I really needed to take her on a walk to get rid of some of the energy, but I had to babysit my little sis. Can't walk Christina properly & push a stroller, so we hung around the house. She did fairly well for a high energy pup. While I went to work for the afternoon she had to stay in her crate, not real exciting. After I got off work I decided to try to calm her down for the evening ahead. She spent some time in the dog run with Provo to burn some energy, then a short walk. The excitement came in the evening, we had our 4-H achievement night, in the local high school. We had a dinner the first part of it & she would not sit still at all. After everyone was done they split up the parents & kids. When the kids walked into the auditorium the parents were all cheering & clapping for us. Christina wasn't bothered by that, but she was pulling real bad, since she thinks she needs to be front of the line. One we sat down she actually laid calmly until I made her get up. We had to go on stage a few times to receive club awards & I had one award. Then after we picked up our last award she decided not to sit still anymore. She was biting at things & the kid next to me really hated her, for some reason, so once she started acting up I moved to the back. She did finally settle down, for the last 20 minutes or so.Friday:
Well I had to work an eight hour shift at work today, so that means lots of crate time for baby Christina. Once of work I called her raiser to work out timing for taking her home. It was going to be awhile so we took her shopping with us. She was constantly trying to get the gentle leader off the whole time we were out. I did get her to sit still long enough for a cute picture at Barnes & Nobles.
Well I like to get pictures of Provo with all the puppies we puppy sit, not always an easy task. So here are the best ones. Aren't they cute? I can sure see family resemblance in them.

So I'm back to being puppyless for the time being. Anyone want to send a pup to CO? Provo enjoyed the new pup, even though he was upset when the green vest came out & he had to stay home, but he did ok.

Christina is Here!

2007-10-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm gonna let mom take over for the Christina updates, since I can't really tell you everything. She is really fun to play with though.

Christina is here! I picked her up this morning from her raisers house. She sure is a live wire, but a fun girl.

One of the first things we did after getting her was go for a long (1 mile) walk. On our walk we met some horses and a couple donkeys.

Tonight we went to the Canon City Fire Station with my 4-H club. We made them dinner & in return they showed us around and took us for a ride in the ladder truck. Christina did really, really well. After dinner we went down to take pictures around the fire truck. Since Sarah is our club president she got to choose which truck & she chose the ladder truck. After pictures were taken we went for a ride around the block in the truck. Christina tucked in there real nice & seemed very comfortable in the loud truck. Back at the fire station we got to go on a tour around the fire house, the taught us all about each truck & what they do in the fire station when not out fighting fires. It was awesome to watch them & learn everything.

Yay! We are so excited!

2007-10-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well we are going to be puppy sitting again! I can't wait. Mom will be picking up Christina in the morning. We will have her till sometime Friday night. The cool thing about Christina is that is my niece.

Last night we got to go to the guide dog meeting, we haven't been a a very long time. Before we went to the meeting we got to go to PetSmart. I haven't been out in a long time so I was kinda wild though. We met up with one of the pups from our club there, Dagwood. At the meeting we worked on obedience mostly, with a little bit of dog-to-dog interactions. I got passed around at the meeting quite a bit to. Megan even went with us & she worked me some! I was kinda naughty & lunged at Dagwood a few times. I think he is so cute & just wanted to play with him some. One of these days maybe we can puppy sit him.

Provo & soon to be Christina

What Happens When You Try To Cook?

2007-09-14T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well I tried to help mom make breakfast this morning. Not a good idea since I only have paws. Here is the proof........

I got to work again!

2007-09-08T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well this morning we had our presentation for the kids about working service dogs. When we first got there I was thrilled to see that we were at my old church! I was so excited to see my old church friends, but then discovered it was a totally different thing. So the kids weren't distracted by me before we started I had to hang out in the kitchen. Once it was time to start I got to lay in the middle of a circle of about 20 or so kids. Some of them kept sneaking over to see me & one put his hat on me. Mom talked about some of the things guide dogs do to help the visually impaired. Then mom & the teacher talked about grooming, training equipment & we demonstrated obedience. Once it was all over the kids were allowed to pet me & I was thrilled to have all 20 kids climb on me. They didn't really like the tail hitting them, but I can't help it when I'm happy! So it wasn't quite what we expected when we were asked to talk about GDB, but still a fun morning. Sorry, no pictures today.

Because of the time we had to go straight to mom's work. So her mom, Peggy, came to pick me up along with Hayleigh. Today is Hayleigh's 2nd birthday!

About the time Hayleigh's party was to start we were outside waiting for people to arrive. At one point mom put Hayleigh on my back & let her ride me. She was really happy, I wasn't sure what to think. Mom didn't have her camera, maybe she can get a pic from Sarah. It was a Kodak Moment, if only we had a camera. I was locked in their bedroom during the party since some people who aren't very nice to me came over.

Thursday night I was attacked by a dog that came over to my house! The owners are afraid of him being stolen again so they take him everywhere with them. Well he didn't like me & he had to tell me about it. Mom put me out on a tie-down in her truck, since they had no concern about their dog's behavior. If it had been mom's house she would have kicked them out, but she couldn't. Why do people let their dog's act out at other people's houses? They didn't even ask to bring him over! Sorry, I'll stop ranting now.

Guide Dog Talk

2007-09-04T11:34:00.001-05:00

Well this morning mom got a call from a friend requesting we give a presentation to a home school group about guide dogs. I'm very excited to go to "work", since I have been able to for over a year! I'll let you know how it goes, maybe mom will get some pictures.

Provo

River!!!

2007-08-25T18:22:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't been doing much lately. Mom is trying to get good about taking me for a walk again every night. Normally we walk about 1 mile, but last night we went 2! I was a good boy & am enjoying the new routine. Last night I got to make friends with a yellow Lab named Jazz. We were walking along & all of a sudden she came out to greet me, fortunately she was friendly. A few of the times we went we took Hayleigh along, but not much anymore.

Today mom took me to the River in Canon! She even got some pictures for you to enjoy. So here they are, I'll try to post more often, but life is pretty boring now a days.

Update

2007-08-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Well county fair is over. Mom didn't do so well with the rest of her projects. Her market goat didn't make weight, so she wasn't able to sell in the auction. So I guess that means no agility course for me, since she won't be getting a check from him. She is also having problems getting any of her Nigerian Dwarfs to sell.

Guess what she did for me! She took me to the river in Florence! We went into the river a few different places. One of the places I decided to go in, but didn't realize that is dropped off so I fell into the river! It was fun so I did it a few more times. Then I just stood there in the belly deep water till mom decided we needed to go. Mom didn't take her camera so no pictures sadly. Maybe next time. I sure hope she takes me again soon, since I was really happy.

Tail Wags,
Provo

County Fair Dog Show Is Over!

2007-08-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

Well today we had our dog show for the county fair. Mom gave me a bath last night in prep for the show & then blow dried me. I got a little crazy, even though I'm normally good, when she was drying me & I ended up tipping the stand over. As normal I wasn't able to play with my sisters to keep me clean, which gets annoying.

This morning I knew we were going somewhere since mom had groomed me & packed my bag. I didn't want to be left behind so I made sure to keep mom in my sight at all times. We left early for the show this morning. Once we made it to the park, after running a few errands, we were one of the first families to arrive. So we got checked in & then set up under a tree for some shade. Before long Sarah showed up, but Rocco wasn't with her. He came along a little later with her mother. Since we were around an hour early we had lots of time to kill. So mom did some last minute grooming, we worked for a while, walked around the park & then just hung out. I got to see my friends Dianna & Dave again, they used to puppy sit me when I was a puppy in training. I got really happy & started bouncing all over the place since I hadn't seen them in so long.

Once the show started we had down stays first (or long downs as they are called in the show world). I had to stay for three minutes while mom was hiding from me somewhere. I of course did perfect & just tried to take a nap. After they finished with everyones long sits & downs, we only had downs, it was time to start the classes. Margie put Grad Novice, our class, top of the list since our pups get tired fast. There was only two of us, Sherri & I in the Grad Novice A class. Our first task was a heel on leash, which I was ok, but lagged some. Now the rest was off leash & I didn't really feel like doing most of it. We did a moving stand for exam & I sat instead of remaining in a stand, oops. Then we did a heel free, which was a total slacking time for me. I started out lagging a bit & then just decided to stand there & watch her finish the exercise. Next we had a drop on re-call, which was really bad too. I didn't want to leave mom for this exercise so I waited till she stopped & dropped in front of her instead of where I was supposed to. I did at least finish when she told me to! Next we had the figure eight, which I still did not do. I kept waiting & cutting through the wrong ways. Our last exercise was the re-call over broad jumps, one thing I have done awesome on at home. Today I just didn't feel like working though. I just sat there when she called me, until the judge said to try again. Then I did come, but didn't jump, instead I just walked all over them. So needless to say it wasn't a good presentation on my part & we ended up with a white award (which isn't good).

Next was our showmanship class. I did a little better on this one, since I love to show off. Of course today I was lagging a lot, but other wise I did awesome. Mom didn't think she did all that well, but we actually got called in for run offs. We ended up getting Grand Champion Senior Showman.

Since other people had mom's camera we didn't get many pictures, but here are a few for your enjoyment.

Me with my buddy Rocco

Both of these are from Showmanship

This Jumping Is Fun

2007-07-27T19:03:00.000-05:00

Well mom has been working with me some more on the jumps. I'm getting pretty good at it too! I'm only about 21" tall, but have worked up to jumping 24". It has been alot of fun having this new challenge & I love to learn new things. Mom is going to try to get a whole agility set up for me (or at least the cheap home kits). She has been working on this new thing with me for the show next week. I hope I can pick it up pretty fast, since the show is 5 days away! She will call me then tell me to down part of the way before calling me all the way to her. It doesn't make any sense to me, but whatever mom wants, right? We are going to try going down to the river here in the next couple weeks, but with fair next week we aren't sure when.

Tail Wags, Provo

Finally Went To Dog Training!

2007-07-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well mom finally took me to dog training, I hadn't been in 4 weeks! Mom got me really excited before we left asking if I was ready to get dressed & go bye bye. Since she likes to put my Career Change bandanna on me when we go out. I got so excited & was bouncing all over the place that I kicked the stroller and it went flying across the room. My sister Sherri got to go with us to. We didn't go straight to the park like normal after picking Trevor up though. We went over to mom's Uncles house. We had to stay in the truck though & after awhile mom's father arrived with Becky. I was so happy to see them, since I really haven't seen them since I moved out with mom. When we got to the park we were early so we went to the swings like normal. Just before class started Sarah arrived with some hamburgers for mom, Megan & Trevor. Mom shared hers with me! I'm so spoiled! During class we worked in Margie's group while Megan had to go with Joan's. Margie convinced mom to try showing me in the Grad Novice class, which is like 5th year or something like that. I'm so smart & can jump way ahead. I started picking up on everything really fast, except I still need lots of work on the down on re-call.

This morning we started working on the jumps since I have to do a re-call over the broad jumps. It is a lot of fun & I'm really enjoying the new challenge. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. The first one is the just for fun jump, the other one is the actual jump (the white one) for show.

Tail Wags, Provo

2007-07-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well more people actually read this blog than I thought, so I will keep it. On Saturday I turned 3! Sadley we didn't do anything for me since mom had to work. She keeps saying I'm getting to be an old man.

On a side note, county fair is right around the corner. I haven't gotten to show at all this year, so hopefully I will remember everything. I also haven't been to dog class for a month now.

Mom has most of this week off so will be spending lots of time with me!

Long Time

2007-07-13T18:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it has been since I posted! Many things have happened. I moved in with my best friend/sister Sherri. Things are going good here, but they don't like me getting on the computer much so I don't know how much longer I will be able to keep this blog. If anyone still reads this blog please send me a comment so I know if I should still post or not.

We have missed all of the dog shows so far, only one left. This last dog show is county fair, so I can't miss it! We also haven't been to dog class for the past three weeks, so not much to post.

I like it over here, I have my own chair to lounge in! They know I'm special here & they treat me like it. I get to play with the pups all the time, until someone makes us settle down.

Mom has to leave now, so I have to go to my room. Hopefully I can post again soon.

Busy, Busy Weekend

2007-05-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

Well this past weekend I got to go to a church retreat with mom, Megan & her family. My "sisters" Sherri & Mia also got to come along, in addition to that new little pup they call Little Bit or Mouse.

We spent the night at Megan's on Friday night, actually mom took me over before work on Friday morning so I was there all day. When mom finally made it back for the night it was getting kinda late so we just hung out in Megan's room watching a movie. Mia joined us since she was getting to rough with Mouse, so they needed some time apart.

Saturday morning was crazy with last minute getting ready. Us pups got locked in the back yard for most of the morning so we weren't under foot & so that we could burn some more energy before the weekend. Once we finally loaded the people & dogs into the van to leave it was around noonish. We had to go get gas & meet these other people who where going to follow us up. It took about an hour drive to get to the camp, Red Mountain Youth Camp. First thing we did was relieve then time for some exploring. Megan, Mom, Mia, Sherri & I all went exploring down at the creek. We walked for a very long time, till we ran into the tunnel under the main road. We decided to turn around here. Mia wasn't real happy about the water, but enjoyed it a lot after this walk. Since most of the other people hadn't arrived yet we didn't have our cabin assignment so we just hung out on the balcony for a while. Once we found out which cabin we were staying we put all our stuff in there to save our beds. I spent most of the rest of the evening out on the balcony with my "sisters". There are lots of kids in this church so we were not lonely at all. It was kinda annoying some of the time. They also had a talent show after dinner in the dining hall, so I had to stay in the cabin. Since other people are in the cabin she made me stay on a tie-down, but it was long enough for me to sleep on the bed. Since mom wasn't feeling well we tried to go to bed early. The other girls stayed out till like 11:30 & when they came back they were loud. So it was like 2am before we were able to get to sleep or at least mom, since I can sleep through almost anything.

Sunday morning we were up early. Mom took me & Sherri out to relieve & then she fed us. Since no one else was up at this point mom crawled back in bed, but I wouldn't let her sleep. Once Cilla got up with Mia I was really ready to get up. Mom decided to take Sherri & I for a walk since she didn't want to be in the cabin any longer & some people were still trying to sleep. Mom spent alot of the morning in the cabin alone with just us pups since she didn't want to play the games they were playing & she was so tired. After the morning church service we went to the vollyball game. We didn't stick around long since mom isn't really interested in sports. Mom, Sherri & I headed off on another hike since we had nothing better to do. After a few hours Megan joined the three of us & we walked in the creek again. Everyone was talling us not to walk the creek since someone had seen rattle snakes. We decided to walk it anyways & not to walk in the tall grassy area, nothing happened to us. Mom even let me run off leash, since there wasn't much places I could go & I have very good obedience. In the evening they had a big camp fire, but since it was during dinner they wouldn't let me join them. Mom left the singing ealry so I didn't have to be alone. Since everyone was upset with mom over not playing games the night before mom left me in the cabin while she played Imagin If with a bunch of girls. It didn't last real late so I was happy. Since I'm such a good boy mom decided to let me sleep loose in the cabin tonight. I spent most of the night on Megan's bed with her.

Around 5am Monday morning I decided that Elizabeth, another girl in our cabin, should be up. I started to wake her up, but mom hollored at me. She made me come lay on her bed so she could keep an eye on me. Once I thought she had fallen asleep, I checked & she looked like she was so I went back to wake Elizabeth. Mom caught me again, which really scared me this time since I thought she was sleeping. Since I was being a brat she put me on a tie-down till she was ready to get up at 6:30ish. Then she did the normal morning routine with both me & Sherri. Since no one was up yet we went on our hike, this time Megan met up with us after about 5 minutes. We ended up hiking off the property. Mom & Megan decided to pick a bouquet of wild flowers for mommy. We walked down the road & found lots of nice flowers, Megan even hiked up this hill for some. After our 30-45 minute walk we headed back to give mommy her bouquet. She loved it! We went back to the cabin before breakfast so that we didn't have to stay out on the porch alone again. After brunch mom played Killer Bunnies with the girls so I still had to stay in the cabin. Mom wanted to play in the cabin since she didn't want to leave me alone anymore. Since mom isn't really into playing games with all those people she hung out in the cabin with me. She wanted to go for a walk, but since she couldn't find mommy she had to keep Mouse. Since Mouse is so small it is hard to walk with her & me. So I just got some time to burn energy with Mia. After an hour or so Megan came to find us & the four of us went to the creek again. We walked all the way to the tunnel again & this time we went through the tunnel. It had lots of icky bugs in it & the other side was very grassy so we went back through the tunnel & headed back to camp. Once we got a ways out mom let me off leash again, I only took off on my own a couple times, but I was good about coming back. Once we made it back to the place we get out of the creek there was a bunch of girls playing in the creek. Mom made Sherri & I stand in the tunnel while they had a splashing war. I wanted to join in, but they said no. Today I was very bored since Mom sat with Megan watching softball most of the morning/afternoon. She did come get Sherri & I after a while to get us out of the cabin. We went on walks too, since mom got bored with watching sports again.

The camera died part way through the weekend, but I will get pics posted soon.

Dog Training

2007-05-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

Well we had another night of dog class at the park. Mom took me along, but once it was time to start she passed me off to Trevor. She said that the baby, Mia, needed to work. So I laid over there with Trevor, Mommy, Hayleigh & their new little pup, a Chiweanie. I don't really care for the little thing, but most people seem to like it. I behaved myself quite well, most of the time. When they did long downs mom made me work this with Sarah. I was happy to get to lay with my friend Rocco. Mom was so proud of how well Mia worked. We have only had her for three weeks today, but she did almost everything without to much help. The long down she did well for the first minute, but three minutes is a long time for such a little girl. So for her age & the amount of time we have had her she did better than expected.

Half way through class the groups switched from showmanship to obedience, this is when mom took me to work. Mom started me off leash right away, after once round of heeling on leash. I actually worked better for her off leash than I did on! I had almost perfect obedience on all the exercises. I did lay down on my stand for examination just before the trainer got over to me. Then on the recall I forgot & did the formal GDB re-call instead of the 4-H, but atleast I came right away on the first command. Mom is still learning that with me I need a form command to come, not a happy command. Probably goes back to my GDB training, since it could just be a set up distraction. I didn't even look up when the ambulance came by with sirens on. Sometimes having a GDB background is helpful!

After dog class we had to take Trevor home. At one of the stop lights Megan & her family pulled up beside us. I was just staring at the car, hoping to go play with my sisters. I thought it was very weird to see them, since I really never have seen them in their car before.

We Finally Made It!

2007-05-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

Well most of you might have noticed that I haven't gotten to attend a guide dog meeting since we puppysat Acero in January. Well Monday night mom took me, Mia & Megan! I got to see, not actually greet each one, the four new pups. We have a MBL named Gene, MYL named Dagwood, two FBLs named Christina & Hedy. All of the pups are around 12ish weeks, so right about the same age as baby Mia. Before the meeting I got to say hi to Christina, she is an active little girl like Mia, but atleast she doesn't chew my ears.

Once everyone made it inside I had to lay down by Megan instead of in the group. Megan decided to come with us even though she would be bored out of her mind. I kept crying since I was being left alone while mom worked with the baby. For over half the meeting we just hung out & discussed behavioral issues that needed to be addressed.

Once we started doing some heeling I still had to sit by the stairs with Megan. Mom worked Mia, but she wasn't wanting to walk so mom had Megan walk with us. Mia will do almost anything with me close by, she thinks I'm her security blanket, or that is what mom tells me. All we really worked on was heeling (or for guide dogs working on a loose leash), so I was bored. Then mom was horrible & switched pups with Ken! I really didn't like her passing off my baby sister for another pup, since I wanted to get out & work with her.

His Name Is Milo!

2007-05-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

We found his owners today! His name is Milo, not Rambo, thank god! He is about 1 year old or so. He was so happy to be reunited with his family & they too are happy to have the little one back.

Staying Busy

2007-05-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

Wow, we are staying busy with puppies coming through our house. Why is is that if Becky is the one to bring home a stray dog it is ok, but if I bring one home it is unexceptable? As you probley figured out already we have a stray pup in our home right now. He is the cutest little Minuatre Schnauzer. My sis is calling him Rambo, I don't like it & neither does he so we are trying to come up with something else. He is an awsome little boy, but has some fear issues. Hopefully we can find his family soon before my parents make me take him to the pound. Our pound is very, very bad place. Enjoy the pictures of him.

We Tried, But Didn't Make It.

2007-05-03T10:12:00.000-05:00

Well I entered some of Provo's baby pictures in the contest for GDB's 2008 calander, but we didn't make it sadley. So here are the cute pictures I submitted . I was going to post one other that I wanted to submit, but it was the wrong coat. I can't find this picture sadley, but will post it once I find it again.

Pictures For Your Enjoyment

2007-05-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

Mia Update

2007-04-26T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with this new girl! She did awsome her first night. She slept from 11-5:30! She didn't really like the crate so she needed some help settling down. I slept right next to her crate & put some music on to help her settle down. This morning she has been awsome to! We did have one accident this morning, but that was because I wasn't watching her. She is also very, very smart. She has only been here overnight & she already is picking up sit & relieving on command. She also accepts the leash real well now. Provo is still enjoying taking care of the baby too!

I'm missing having her around here. She has settled into her new home very nicely. Very smart little girl, is already mostly housebroken. She also knows how to sit & come most of the time without help. Provo has been going over to help calm her down some.

I want a puppy now too!

Mia Pictures

2007-04-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

Happy News!

2007-04-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a very long time since I posted. Sorry about that, but I'll try to be better. Well I have been spending alot of time in Penrose at Megan's house. Mostly while mom is at work I spend the day there.

Yesterday I spent the day at Megan's house while mom went to work. The only wierd part was Sherri went to work with mom, so it was just me & the family.

Tonight I have a cute little baby spending the night. She is an adorable little 8 week old Black Lab/Aussie mix named Mia. I will post pics soon. Mom has been taking lots of pics of her all night. She is going to live with Sherri tommorow.

Provo & Mia

I'm Getting Spoiled!

2007-04-03T07:47:00.000-05:00

I got to go over to my sister, Sherri's house yesterday after mom got off work. I spent about half the time out in the yard playing with Sherri & the other half inside with mom & Megan. After Hayleigh got up she played in the back yard with us. She kept sitting on me when I was laying down. I was chewing on my bone & didn't want her to steal it so I tried to get up, but mom told me to stay. I just ignored her after that. I tried playing with the cat one time, but she isn't very nice to me. Mom told me to leave the cat alone, but I wouldn't listen so she made me do obedience.

Today I get to go spend the day over there while mom is at work. I'm so excited to get out of the house!

Drindle

2007-03-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

Mom brought home another goat for me! She says he is gonna be her 4-H market goat this year. His name is Drindle & he is gonna be a big goat, not a dwarf like everyone else.

Drindle Walking Up Behind Me

Being Good While Drindle sniffed my tail.

We didn't have dog class this week since Margie was sick, so I had to stay home. Mom went out to Penrose, but didn't take me since she went to Sarah's first. I was pretty bummed.

Provo

It's Been Crazy

2007-03-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted. Things have been very crazy around here. We have had lots of baby goats born in the last month. Sadley most of them died, so we only have two left alive. Mom had several in our room to bottle feed, but that didn't last long. The one that didn't die ended up back out with her mom. Sadley mom didn't get any pictures of me with the babies.

We have had dog training several times, but not last night. Mom has been working me off leash most of the time. I do pretty good, but sometimes get lazy like my "sister" Sherri.

Last night we had our 4-H meeting & I got to go! Mom had to do her dog demonstration so I was there to assist her. I was a perfect little gentleman as always. I even got to play with the little kids!

Before our meeting we went out to Megan's house. I had fun running around the yard with Sherri for awhile. Then I got to play with Hayleigh for some time. I love playing with little kids.

I also went to the vet today. Dr. Ball gave me a shot to prevent some kind of sickness. I weigh a whole 63.5 pounds, Dr. Ball thinks I'm at a healthy weight.

Dog Training

2007-02-22T09:23:00.000-06:00

Well Tuesday night we had dog training, but before we went to class we ran to Penrose. I thought we were gonna go out to Megan's house so I got real excited when we got close, but mom kept driving. I was real bummed so I sat against the wall & would give her the saddest eyes I could. I really wanted to go see my other family. We ended up going to Sarah's house instead. It was ok, mom did give me some of her dinner! Then I got to see my friend Rocco & his brother Trey. Trey was haveing some issues with aggression tonight though, so I avoided him.

On the way to dog training I got to ride in the cab since we picked up Sarah's other dog, Bandit. Since she is a very old girl & I love to play they didn't want me pestering her. I layed on Sarah's lap most of the time or sat in the middle looking sad since I didn't have a window seat. I know what everyone is thinking, but no I'm not a spoiled little brat.

At dog training mom took me & Rocco so Sarah could work Bandit. We didn't work like such a well oiled team this time. I kept laggin & Rocco was forging ahead. By the time dog training started though it was going much smoother. We worked like this for about half the class before mom took Trey, since Sarah was getting no where with him. Rocco & I didn't work so well for Sarah so she worked with just me, since I was being lazy. Then when it came time for long sits & downs Michelle handed Trey back to Sarah & took me again. I of course did perfect on my stays, even when she started throwing silverwear to distract us (don't worry it was only a spoon). Pretty soon mom ended up with Sherri too, I was happy to be with my sis again. Once we started working on figure-eights I went off leash, since that is how mom plans to show me. Everyone was so impressed at how well I held my heel position off leash, since I haven't had that much off leash training. We did heeling off leash & then played a game of simon says. Simon Says is very confusing off leash especially, since all the dogs were lumped together instead of having space between us. I started wandering around during the game with no clue what I was doing.

Visitors

2007-02-22T09:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had a couple of cute kids over that mom was babysitting. These aren't your normal two legged people kids though, they were goat kids! Mom had to take care of them since they are bottle babies while their owner went out of town for the day. Most of the time I only got to see them through the crate. A few times though mom let me visit with them on leash. The little boy was very friendly & would come up to me. The girl on the other hand was very shy & never let me say hi. They are soooo cute & I really wanted to play, but mo mwouldn't let me. Mom says we will be having some kids of our own here in the next month. She has three does expected to kid between now & March 15th!

Arcadia

2007-02-15T09:16:00.000-06:00

Well things have turned out well for Arcadia. Her family has been found so she is leaving today. Her real name is Lady, but they have decided to change it to Katie, since she responds so well to it. I guess someone stole her is what the owner said & she must have run away from them. I'm sad to see her go, but know that her family really misses her.

On the plus side Katie's family is planning to breed her & will give us a pup for free. I really hope we can convince dad to let us get one, but we are already working on that one.

I really miss having my big playmate around, even if she did tower over me.

Provo

Play Time!

2007-02-08T09:35:00.000-06:00

Well today I got to go over to Megan's house to play with my new sis, Arcadia! We spent most of the afternoon over there playing in the yard, laying around the house or getting into trouble. After I finished investigating the yard Arcadia & I started playing. She is so big & she likes to leap in the air so it was real fun playing tag with her. Sheri even joined us for the first part, but decided we were just to boring after a bit. We spent a long time out running in the yard & I kept trying to eat something under the porch, which made mom mad. Then after we stopped playing mom & Megan went into the house with Arcadia, but left Sheri & me outside.

After they finally brought me in Arcadia & I had to go on draglines since we just wanted to play again. Mom gave some of my toys to Arcadia since I don't play with most of them. She was nice enough to keep my favorite toys here, especially since some of them aren't strong enough for her. I kept going to the laundry room to eat the spilled dog food & mom kept dragging me back out to the living room. Then once all the food was cleaned up I started eating the lint! Mom got real annoyed & started following or sneaking up on me everytime I went into the kitchen. Pretty soon the baby was awake & I had to say hi to her. She is the perfect size for me, her face is at the perfect level for giving kisses. She really liked me & didn't mind having the two extra big dogs running around the house. Since I was wearing a dragline she kept trying to walk me, mom made me go with her too! Once Megan's mom got the laundry out, we kept running through it while she was trying to fold it. Once Arcadia even walked right through the laundry basket, I was nice enough to go around atleast, but not avoide the clothes on the floor.

Mom lets us back out in the yard a few times, but we didn't want to play once we got outside. Then as soon as we got back in the house we would try to start playing.

Tail Wags,
Provo & Arcadia

Dog Training & My New Little Sister (Kinda)

2007-02-07T00:25:00.000-06:00

Well we had dog training once again this week. Since mom was working till late her mom had to bring me to the 4-H building. We started earlier tonight or atleast we were supposed to. Mom & Megan actually led the class tonight since the trainer didn't feel well. Since no one showed up till 7pm we had the advanced class early, even though it was only the two handlers with dogs. For the first part after we arrived at the 4-H building mom just let me & Sheri run around. Then we worked on some heeling, re-call, long sits, long downs. Then she took me off leash! I of course behaved perfectly, she was able to verbally correct me the few times I needed it. I was also introduced to a new advance exercise called the "down on re-call". How this works is mom would call me then make me lay down part way to her. It really confused me at first, but after a few times through I was almost perfect at it. Then Beth arrived with her pups. Mom did make me go back on leash though once Beth arrived, since she & her mom aren't very resspectful about leaving me alone.

Once all the kids started arriving & the group had split into two groups we began. Mom & Megan just stood in the middle of the room with us pups on down stays. Since I had kinda worn myself out during the "advance" class I was ok with just laying down for a while. Mom did jump in with me a few times or used me for a demo, but most of the last hour I spent on a down stay. Megan decided to do the figure 8 with Sheri & I tried jumping in with them, but mom made me go back to my spot. She also used me as a distraction for a little bit.

Now about my "little sis". No, mom parents didn't decide to let her raise again, sadly. At the end of dog training this big Great Dane girl came bouncing in. Everyone freaked out that this "huge dog aggressive Dane" was running loose. Mom put my extra collar on her to control her while everyone filed out of the 4-H building. She was real cute & only wanted to play. I got to visit with her for only a brief second before mom pulled her away, since Beth couldn't handle the two of us (me & Sheri) visiting the big pup. Mom & Megan have named her Arcadia and she will live at Megan's house, since mom's parents are dead set on NO BOG DOGS IN THE HOUSE! They already think I am too big, but agreed to let mom keep her here IF she got rid of me, thankfully she isn't willing to give me up for Arcadia. Megan's parents on the other hand are very open to her living with them & have fallen in love with her. So I now have a younger sis, but she is much bigger than me. Mom thinks she is around 8-12 months old, she still smells like a pup too!

Happy Tail Wags,
Provo & New Sis Arcadia

Pictures of me with my friends!

2007-02-06T10:01:00.000-06:00

Well we finally have the pictures of me with my friends, Sheri & Rocco. These didn't come out real great so we are hoping to get some better ones tonight at dog training.

I have been being left at home alot lately since mom is starting a new job at a dog groomers. I really miss having her home all the time, but atleast I don't have to stay locked in my crate!

Snow! & My Week

2007-02-02T21:27:00.000-06:00

Well we have gotten even more snow this week. I was really happy to have the white stuff to play in, except that mom won't come out to play with me. So far we only got a light dusting, but it is still snowing, so who knows how much we will end up with. I was glad it waited to start snowing till Wednesday though.

I got to see my buddies on Tuesday at dog training once again. This time I even got to see Rocco & meet his little bro Trey! Mom came home with Megan, Sheri, Sarah & Rocco before dog training to pick me up. Once the three of us dogs got in the truck together Rocco & I started playing. Sheri just stood there looking at us like we were crazy. Well by the time we got down to the 4-H building the beginer class was supposed to be started already, but no one was down there. We waited around for about 20 minutes before Sarah's family had to leave so they gave us Trey. That meant 4 dogs in the back of our truck! The leader finally showed up & was suprised with how many dogs were in the one truck. Since we had only three handlers & four dogs, mom doubled up dogs, she took me & Rocco. While waiting for everyone to arrive we decided to warm up, I worked with mom & Rocco for awhile. Then mom took Sheri after giving Sarah Rocco back. We worked nicely along side each other, except that Sheri kept lagging. Once class started it was back to being mom working with Rocco & I. The leader offered to take one of us, but mom refused to hand either one of us over to her. We started out working on heeling & I have to say we had almost a perfect heel position. Mom thinks they should have a team obedience class. After heeling for awhile Sarah was getting tired of Trey, since he has NO TRAINING at all, so mom took Trey. Rocco went back to Sarah & Becky (a parent) took me, I didn't get to work, but layed off to the side. While working on long sits Trey had an accident, so mom took over Rocco while Sarah cleaned up the mess. After some more heeling mom decided to pass Trey off to Megan, so mom was now working Sheri. She didn't come get me this time to double up since we were working on "pillon" exercises. We had to weave in & out of the chairs, so mom would take Sheri through & then take me through. She actually used treats with me, so that made me really happy. After class we got all the collars put back on the right dogs. Since class was over I got to visit with Mia. This made Sheri jealous so she came out from under the chair she had curled up under. She decided I shouldn't be playing with the cute puppy so she decided to stand in between us. Once we finally left mom dropped me at the house before taking Megan & Sheri home. Mom's camera broke so we have to wait for Megan to get us pictures of the three of us pups.

Dog Training

2007-01-25T12:06:00.000-06:00

Well we had dog training again an Tuesday night. I finally got pics of me with my friend Sheri to post. The one of us sitting is kinda blurry & the other one looked better in the camera. Mom is gonna try to get better photos next week & even some of me with Rocco if he shows up. We picked Megan up at Cold Stone early, so Sheri & I sat in the truck while they went to get ice cream. Once they got back to the truck we were moved to the back end. We headed over to the 4-H building, but no one was there yet so mom took me out to run in the snow before class. Then the Saint Bernard came lunging towards us, but decided to go for Sheri instead. Fortunately he wasn't aggressive, but it was still very intimidating for her. I got to see & kinda play with my friend Mia before class as well. Mom handed me off a couple of times to either Sheri's mom or Mia's mom while helping Mia's mom with some things. This week they actually split up the advanced & beginner classes, so we would get more working time. It didn't really happen that way though since the teacher still decided to take us into beginner steps. We worked on lots of heeling, I'm getting very good at perfect heeling! Then on figure eights, but that didn't last long before we decided to work on long downs with distractions. Mom & Megan were walking over us, around us & we were even laying next to each other, almost touching. We both did very well without breaking. After we completed this we were with the group again on stand stays. This was the worst part of class, the teacher made us stay for a whole three minutes! After we got most of the normal show things practiced our teacher decided to play Simon Says. This was crazy since everyone was running into each other or all the stuff set in the back. We also lost right of the bat since Simon didn't tell us to stop, but mom did since we were about to run into a wall. On the next game we did better, but still crazy running into things.

After class we drove to Penrose to drop of Megan & Sheri. I was happy to finally be able to ride in the front with mom again, since it wasn't so crowded now.

Tail Wags,
Provo

New Toy

2007-01-19T13:57:00.000-06:00

Mom bought me a new toy the other night, a frog, since she likes to call me one. He had a squeaker in him, but it stopped working that night. I still like to play with him though. Here are some pictures of me with it.

Dog Training

2007-01-16T21:47:00.000-06:00

Well dog training went good. mom thinks I was a little to crazy, whatever that means. I didn't get to see my buddy Rocco or his little brother Trey, since they didn't come. Sarah did come though so mom brought my sister Toven to the meeting for Sarah to work with. It was crowded in the truck on the way down there & I hogged most of the seat. Mom kept trying to get me to scoot over, but I wouldn't budge. Once we got there mom put leashes on both of us & let us out. We did our business & by this time Sherri's family arrived. I got real excited to see my friend again so I raced to see her, but the leashe wasn't quite long enough. Mom kept me back till I could sit like a gentlemen. I lunged to visit a few times, but to no avail. Once we headed in the building it was crazy since there was all these dogs piled up just in side the door. Once we got in & made it to the dog free side of the room mom made me sit & stay. Mom let me greet Sherri once she made it to my side of the room. Once we got started we worked on heeling most of the time. I was a little rusty on my sits, but otherwise I behaved. Once we started working on the "watch me" exercise (that mom decided to skip) I was passed of to Megan & Michelle took Sherri. We worked some more on heeling & I behaved pretty well for Megan. She even gave me a few treats! Once the class was over four of the handlers (mom included) decided to stick around to work long sits/downs & re-calls. I did perfectly on my long sits/downs. I didn't even break when Megan walked off with Sherri, who was laying right next to me. Mom was so proud of me & gave me a treat. I also got to meet Michal's new pup Mia, a Golden Retriever.

Acero Has Left

2007-01-16T10:08:00.000-06:00

Well, mom has finally given me back my blog now that Acero is gone. I really enjoyed having a pup to play with, but he was more than I wanted to handle. I did get left out of my crate about 99% of the time, instead of using the crate though. We didn't have space in our room to add a second crate, so 1 crate + 2 dogs = Me getting lots of freedom! I did miss just getting to sleep in it though, he would always climb in with me, so I have spent lots of time in there since he left.

We have had lots of snow all year. Every weekend since the 5th, we have gotten hit hard with the snow. They say we are supposed to be getting more snow this weekend. I love the snow, but it is getting a bit annoying since the wind makes the temp drop below zero.

Another exciting thing is that I get to start dog training tonight! That means I get to see my buddies again, Sherri & Rocco. Mom says that Rocco's little brother Trey will be there too, so I get to meet him.

More Acero Updates

2007-01-16T09:50:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately things are kinda crazy. Well Acero left on Sunday, but I have to tell you about Thursday-Sunday.

Thursday things were pretty much just hanging out around the house, working on his barking issues. He improved a lot, but still needs so much more work. In the evening we went to Wal-Mart & he behaved perfectly. This time we actually didn't get stopped by very many people.

Friday was another day just to hang around the house. I did go run some errands, but Acero had to stay home since a couple of the places weren't guide dog friendly.

Saturday he didn't get to go on any more outings, since the only place I went was to the movies & didn't want to have to worry about him barking or being a garbage mouth.

Sunday we didn't socialize him any either. Our church was cancelled due to all the snow. Then the class we went to doesn't allow pups in training in the church, so he had to stay home. He did get a nice little bump on his nose though. One of my goats had a bad experience with our old dog Oliver & is now aggressive to dogs. So Acero just stuck his nose through the fence to investigate the goats & Fenwick bit his nose! Poor guy won't go near the fence now.

The Past Two Days

2007-01-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

Well I figure I should tell you all what Acero has been up to since he arrived Monday night.

Tuesday:
We started of the morning going to breakfast with some of my family at Mr. Ed's. Acero was an excellent boy laying under the table the whole time. It was funny to hear the comments when a pup suddenly appeared from under the table. No one ever knew he was there, except the few that had arrived before him. Since he was being so good I also let my cousin pet him outside afterwards & he was calm for a change. After breakfast we stopped by the post office real quick before heading on home.

The rest of the day we just hung around the house for awhile. He kept stealing my shoe from the front door so he ended up on a tie-down for a lot of the after noon. In the evening we went to a 4-H meeting. He did pretty good laying quietly during the meeting & didn't even get up when the little kid came running over to him! I was so proud of him. After the meeting during refreshments he wasn't as good. I did allow one kid to pet him, since he was behaving, but once he started jumping around the petting came to a screeching halt. He also tried stealing the poor little kids cookie, but I was watching him so he didn't get his mouth on it. After the meeting we headed home & he spent most of the night on a tie-down or in the crate.

He also got to meet some of the goats today, like Kip.

Wednesday:
This morning didn't start out as anything exciting, just hanging out around the house. Today he was obsessed with stealing the not approved toys, since my family insisted on leaving them around for the other dogs. His favorite was the rope, I finally decided to throw it behind the couch to get him to stop obsessing, even though it didn't work.

This afternoon we went to Coyote's Coffee Den for me to apply for a job & meet up with Megan. He started out real well behaved, once we found a table he laid quietly till all of a sudden he jumped up & let out a couple of barks. It was a little embarrassing to say the least. I'm not sure why he did it, but fortunately it was the only incident. After we met up with Megan we all had to cram into the truck again. First stop was Wal-Mart, he behaved like a wonderful gentlemen, except for a little pulling of course. He was quite interested in the singing valentines day stuffed animals, it took quite a bit of correcting to get his focus of of them. We also worked on the dog food isle, which was quite an adventure with all the people, buggies & smells to inhale (for Acero that is). Once we finished looking around we checked out & headed to Michelle's house.

After a brief break at the house we headed back out, first stop was at the post office, but Acero stayed in the car with Megan. Then we headed over to Hastings for some shopping. Acero behaved very well, with only a few reminders for not pulling. Once we finished at Hastings our next stoop was City Market, but on our way we decided to stop at Rent-A-Center. They didn't have anything that would work out for either one of them so we headed to City Market. He was very well behaved in City Market, but of course needed reminders about not pulling.

After we sat in the truck while Megan & I ate our food we headed to pick Trevor up. He wasn't answering the door or the phone & his neighbor finally came out to help us. She told us he wasn't home yet, but he would be home soon. So we waited around for him, but Acero was in the crate since no dogs are allowed in the apartment complex. Acero had to ride in the crate since it was so crowded with three people up front. Once we finally made it to the church we all piled out of the truck & I went around to get Acero. Acero was good for the meal part, till Micheal started calling him. Then during game time he got really bad. He is very ball obsessed & we were playing basketball on one side and air hockey on the other side. He was getting all worked up & corrections weren't stopping him so I decided to take him back in the other room to refocus him. We did puppy push ups for a little bit & since he seemed to have refocused I took him back in the game room. He sat there for a few minutes real good, but then he just started vocalizing & even lunging, so we decided it was time for the crate. We left not to long after I crated him, this time there was only two people in the front since Megan's mom came to pick her up. We headed down to my grandpa's office since someone was coming to buy the bed. After sitting in the truck for quite some time the people finally showed up. After the people looked at the bed & purchased it we headed to Trevor's house. Once I had dropped Trevor off we headed home for the night.

He Is Here

2007-01-09T00:27:00.000-06:00

Well Acero is here till Sunday. It will be an interesting week since we will need to remind him that he isn't the boss. He has been with a totally green handler the past week plus & was allowed to push them around. He is getting better in the few hours since we picked him up, but still needs reminders. We took him to Pet-Smart after the meeting & he did pretty good once I started using the flat collar to correct on. After Pet-Smart we walked over to Cold Stone for some ice cream. He did good, slept most of the time since they were very very slow.

We got home & he has spent most of the time on a tie-down, but is being pretty good. He did bark at my sis once though, but I got that stopped pretty fast. Sorry the pic is so bad, but it is hard to get a good one of him.

Guide Dog Meeting

2007-01-08T23:50:00.000-06:00

Well tonight I went to my last guide dog meeting (or atleast for a very long time). My friend Sherrianna (Sherri, as I like to call her) & of course her mom went to. We both rode in the backend of the truck the whole time, since it is crowded up front. The two of us just laid down 7 snuggled to keep warm. We went to DQ first & both of us got some french fries, being a CC means so many happy things. Once we got to the school where the meeting was at our moms let us run around & relieve till it was time to go inside. Once Alice showed up I went bonkers trying to go see her, even though she had left little Louise in the car for the moment. Once we went inside we waited a long time for the meeting to start & mom made me refocus by doing push up. I HATE when mom makes me do push ups, they are really annoying. To start our meeting we worked up & down the halls doing heeling, very boring if you ask me. After doing this for a while mom traded pups with Megan, so I kept staring at her. We probley did this for about 30 minutes before the meeting started getting exciting. Since we were starting to work on different stuff mom traded back pups. We worked on "seeding" which is where the people put down approved toys & non approved toys or food! I was a good boy & didn't go for anything, but the bone. I looked at the food, but didn't want my next jerked for being naughty. After this & some more standing around mom passed me of to Ken this time so she could work with Louise. I was very happy since Ken is a really cool guy & I was all excited. He told me I should go visit him again sometime soon. Then Carol (the lady who has had Acero for the past week) asked mom to take him to I went to Carol. Carol was very impressed by how calm & wonderful of a boy I am. I did everything she asked me to & just lais around during the down time. Finally Alice decided it was time for me & mom to do our grooming demo. Mom did all the grooming on me, until she got to the nail clipping & teeth part. Then she handed me of to Alice & used Louise. Alice was ignoring me so I ate the chips she left on the floor as a distraction till mom said something. After the demo it was time to get Acero's stuff to head out.

We went to Pet-Smart after the meeting. Mom bought me a real fun squeaky toy that I love showing off now. I tried to get Sherri to play with me, but she isn't into that kind of stuff. Then Megan & my mom went to Cold Stone for ice cream shakes, but the two of us dogs had to stay in the truck while mom took Acero! I sure miss the days I could go anywhere with her.

Bad Boy

2007-01-05T23:46:00.000-06:00

Well mom wasn't to happy with me today. Somehow the gate didn't get latched & so I went fo ra joy run! After she came out to find me & found the gate open she knew I was gone. She started walking around the neighborhood, but no sign. She went back to the house & got a call from the neighbor that I was found lying in there semi warm garage. So mom walked all the way over in the fridged blizzard to retrieve me. I was so happy to see her I drug the poor lady who was on the other end of the leash. The whole way back home I was so happy about the snow & that I was going home I kept trying to do the Lab run, but was quickly stopped by the end of the leash.

On another note, Acero's arrival was pushed off till Monday. The leader decided the new raisers who are puppy sitting him now should keep him long enough to attend a meeting with him. So I will be going to my first puppy meeting since my career change (or since my re-call for that matter last October). I'm kinda bummed since I was looking forward to having a snow buddy, but alas I have to play alone.

Mom has told me that dog training will be starting back up again on the 16th, so I will get to go somewhere every week now. I'm also excited to see my friends Rocco & Sherianna! Maybe mom can get a pic of the three of us so I can post it!

Happy Bouncing Tail Wags,
Provo The Snow Plow

This Blog Is Changing

2007-01-04T13:46:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to let you know that this blog will now be about my career changed boy from Guide Dogs For The Blind Inc, Provo. I will not be raising or puppy sitting (after Acero comes next week) until I move out on my own. So from now on Provo will be writting in this blog.

Provo's Day

2006-12-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone, this is Provo again. Well since mom doesn't have a puppy right now she told me I could tell you about my interesting day yesterday. We were helping out a friend by running her store, it is a clothing store, so I of course got to tag along. We went down about a half hour before we had to open so I got to run around & explore my new surroundings. The first thing I did was run up the stairs, I love to play on the stairs. After finding nothing exciting upstairs I ran around the store checking out all the other dog smells. Mom says there is normally a big Chow/Newfoundland mix there named Chewy. Once the store was opened I got to be the official greeter! I got trapped behind the counter a few times for being to social. Mom thinks that not everyone loves me, isn't that a crazy idea? At the front of the store was a rack of fur coats that I liked to lay behind, mom always told me to get away from it though. One of the times I went behind it I knocked it over on myself. One costumer spent some time on the floor with me. She asked to take me home, but mom won't let me go. It was a fun day getting to spend the whole time running around with mom & not having to worry about the crate! My only complaint was mom wouldn't let me out the front door! She took me out in the alley to relieve me, but I wanted to run & play so I sat at the front door a lot of the time. I scared a few people passing by when I jumped up on the windowsill.

Sorry, there are no pictures, mom camera decided to die yesterday when she wanted to take pics of me.

Puppy Sitting Again

2006-12-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

Well asuming my leader doesn't change her mind we will be puppy sitting a MYL named Acero for the first week in January! I'm real excited that Provo will have a friend again, even for such a short time. I'll let you all know when he gets here.

Merry CHRISTmas!

2006-12-20T14:48:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, Provo here again. Mom still hasn't brought me any new pups to play with since Tempe left. I'm getting kinda bored without a puppy to play with, since the old dog doesn't like playing in the cold. Mom is working on getting dad to let her raise one more pup before heading off to shcool next fall.

We will be staying home for Christmas & having Michelle's granparents over. I've already gotten my christmas presents! Mom gave me a squeaky fleece bone toy & my buddy Rocco gave me a sqeaky monster fuzzy toy. I have been annoying my family with the squeaky toys, but isn't that my job? I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas this year & you get lots of wonderful gifts. Hopefully before long I'll have a puppy friend to post about.

Provo

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, this is Provo. I wanted to get on & wish you guys a Happy Thanksgiving while mom wasn't watching me. I'm really enjoying the spoiled life a pet dog, but really miss getting to go everywhere with mom.

We were supposed to have a pup this week, but since we weren't sure what we were going to do for Thanksgiving Michelle was told we couldn't do it. I really miss having a pup around, it is fun to have someone with my energy level to play with instead of the grouchy old dog.

I think I here mom coming down the hall so I gotta run.

Tail Wags & Puppy Kisses,
Provo

Tempe Has Left

2006-10-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Well, Tempe was taken to another puppy sitter's house today. Since she was in season she was taken to the club leader instead of the raisers. The poor thing has been in the crate so much yesterday & today due to her being in season & me not having supplies to keep her from getting blood everywhere.

I'll keep you updated on when I get a new pup.

Michelle & Provo

A Very Stressful Day

2006-10-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

Well today was very stressful for poor little Tempe. This morning she was rubbing her fave alot, like when the pups try to get a Halti off, but of course she wasn't wearing one. Well I didn't think much about it since she has been acting weird lately. Well around 1:15 or so my mom called me to let me know something was wrong with her. Her face was so swollen she looked like she had a Shar Pei head. It took alot to get ahold of someone to get approval to get her to a vet, but finally I got approval from GDB & the leader. Well I stuck her in the crate to head to the vet, she wasn't to sure about riding in the crate since there was a goat right next to her in another crate. She had to sit in the crate while the goat got his vet check out of the way. Then we went inside for her to be examined. This is also when I found out she is now "officaially" in season. The poor girl was getting blood all over the exam room. Well Dr. Ball decided it was most likely a wasp that she tried to eat & it stung her in the mouth. He gave her a couple of shots before sending her home.

Now I have to find some way to keep my carpet from getting all bloody, but still allowing her time out of the crate. Since I don't raise females I'm not prepared for a female in season. This is so very crazy.

By now the swelling has disipated, but there is still some. Hopefully when we wake up tommorrow it will be totally gone.

Michelle, Provo & Tempe

Update

2006-10-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately, but I've been away from the internet alot lately. Anyways, I still have Tempe. She is a wonderful little girl, but has been acting out lately (we think it is because she is coming into season). She has had lots of experiences lately like a crowded 4-H Achievment Night, another Guide Dog Meeting, Church, Staying with yet another Puppy Sitter, House Sitting with me, Youth Group and so much more. She is awsome in public when out socializing.

This is Tempe at the 4-H Achiement Night. She was Very Bored By the whole thing.

Michelle, Provo & Tempe

Tempe

2006-10-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

Well, my latest puppy is a litle feamle Yellow Lab named Tempe. Tempe is about 7 months old now. I will be puppy sitting her for about three weeks while her family is on vacation in Hawaii. She is doing awsome here with me.

Last night we had a guide dog meeting at the Riverwalk. She was real good around the other dogs, but pulled alot on the walk. She was quite interested in the ducks, but settled down once we started walking along. She really excelled & loved the end of the meeting were we worked on FIR (food induced recall)!

Provo is enjoying having a little frind to play with again as well. They love to play, somtimes a little too rough.

Intro About Me

2006-10-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm a puppy sitter for Guide Dogs For The Blind Inc. (GDB). I have raised four pups for GDB as well, but now I'm just puppysitting. So here is what it is like. Provo is my career changed pup that also helps me out with the pups.

Michelle & Provo