Stories from a GDB puppy raiser

This is my totally unflattering “I’m going for a run dad” “oh let me get a picture of you and Gaston and Daniel before you go!” picture…I’m blinking too…lol

Today we started out for the bus and work eagerly anticipating Gaston’s reaction to the wire crate at my job–the thing which would either let him stay through tomorrow or make him go home early. Well we got there and he did fine with it. Yaaay.

It was an exhausting day at camp, but somehow having a puppy makes it ten thousand times more fun. He spends most of the camp in the crate and then on my lunch break he gets to be loose in my break room and then he goes back in while I finish the camp.

I had this random guy come up to me (as is normal to puppy raisers) and ask a bunch of questions. Unlike most people this guy was really driving me nuts. He asked all the normal questions and then he just stood there and kinda watched me for about 10 minutes while occasionally asking random questions. Not watching Gaston, watching me. Eventually his bus came and he left. *whew*

The bus is pretty crowded, and he’s a huge dog!! We have affectionately nicknamed him “Moose”

 So far my experience with Gaston has convinced me that goldens are amazing and wonderful. He’s sweet, smart, can focus but also be goofy when not working, listens, and responds to corrections on the flat collar! I love this guy!!!

Haven’t seen the phase reports for the week, but as far as I know everyone is still in, and no one is in class…

The letter for the week? G! As in Gaston the male golden retreiver who is spending a few days at my house. He gets to be the first one to take the bus adventure with me this summer. Our club’s other golden might also get the chance in August.

Gaston’s raisers (our leaders) brought him over before youth group since it worked out for me to take him tonight. He’s the sweetest dog I think I’ve ever met! I’ve actually never puppy-sat a golden puppy before, so I was a little nervous at first. I did work with my friend’s golden at school (Guinevere) but that was never really on my own. But I’m in love with him already and I’ve only had him 4 hours. Oh, and he’s 14 months for those of you who are curious.

He has some typical golden traits–a little exciteable and very loving. But I was so so surprised at how well he handled the part of youth group he did get to go to. He just sat like a little gnome right next to my feet when I told him to sit, and he watched what was going on, but didn’t stress or anything. Tomorrow we take the bus to work and I’m hoping that all will go well. My leader told me that he’s had some trouble with wire crates and that’s the kind I have waiting for him at the campus, but hopefully there won’t be any trouble after all. If there is, I have to call her to come pick him up and end my perfect 2 days a whole 36 hours short.

I do have 2 very bad pictures of him, but I promise I’ll get some better ones up once they’re taken.

They definitely don’t do him justice, but it’s 10pm, so I couldn’t get the nice ones outside. We’ll probably get some tomorrow after work.

G is very happy, chewing a toy….I wonder if I could convince his raisers he disappeared………..

I know… I’m soooo boring. I’ll have an update Wednesday night or Thursday morning with my new doggy pal-for-the-weekend.

Even though it’s a day late, Happy 4th of July everyone!!

My 4th of July 2 years ago..

Puppies: ?, Gilby, Carlton, Webster (cc’d), Schroeder, August, Paulette (cc’d). I really WAS in this parade, too…I’m the black shape on the far right that my mom accidentally cut out of the picture…thanks mom.

Arturo and Guinevere

The pony rides

The people

The train

The butter-making

Downtown watching the fireworks from my dad’s office building

“Can’t you think up something scarier than fireworks??”

This year I worked during the afternoon, and then went to some friends’ house. No dog

Yeah, so Lawrence is still in 10! I’m really excited! I hope he makes the July grad with all his buddies. Remington, Loden, and Lassiter all moved up to 10 with him!!!! What good boys!

I don’t think I’ve ever told this story on the blog so if I have, bear with me. Lawrence was always extremely good, but he did the typical puppy thing of not liking to walk on leash. After a few weeks of working with him on that, he was confident and I could take him out in public again.

So my family and I went out to Red Robin for dinner and half way through I had to scoop up Lawrence and take him out to the bathroom or I knew he’d have an accident. He walked back in just fine and fell asleep under my chair. We finished dinner and woke up Lawrence who stretched and tottered out of the booth area (in that sleepy baby puppy walk we all know and love) and into the main isle (which was pretty small) and right then he decided he didn’t want to walk anymore. I tried getting really excited and talking in a high pitched voice, I tried the tug and the pop correction, I tried EVERYTHING and was really close to picking him up and carrying him out because by that time everyone was watching and laughing at him. But I knew that if I carried him, his stubbornness would pay off and he’d “win” the battle of the wills. So I didn’t pick him up. I gave my mom his leash and moved each of his feet, one foot at a time to get his puppy butt out of that isle and until he walked on his own. That’s probably my favorite memory of him.

Well he’s still alive! I have to contact Arturo’s owner family to get any info on how he’s doing, so I e-mailed them yesterday after the presentation at the library. This is what she had to say:

Anna:

Raleigh(Arturo) is doing great. We set out at 5:30 am tomorrow morning for our big Sunday walk with Molly, a black lab. He loves the walk. We do that before church and before all the hot weather hits. He has been getting all the attention he can stand at work with my guys. He is also finally enjoing fetch and much more playful now that he is slowly getting away from being a “working” dog. He is such  joy and I love him so much. I can not imagine life without him.

Hope your summer is going well.

******

Today Festival and I got to go to our public library along with the other youth raisers in our club and talk about guide dogs to whoever stopped in. It was a lot of fun to get to hang out with the other youth raisers Abby and Lantana, Rachael and George, and Graeme and Pace. Abby’s mom was also there, and she did most of the talking, so we raisers got to let people pet the dogs and talk the whole time.

Pace hates looking at the camera.

Festival is adorable! Whiney, but adorable!!

I fell in love with George the moment I saw him….

All of us: Abby and Lantana, a girl who was interested in raising, Graeme and Pace, me and Festival, and Rachael and George

I didn’t post this yesterday, but Lawrence decided this whole “guide dog thing” is still really a cool idea. He moved up to phase 10 and we’ll start the waiting (and hope for a July graduation!!) His buddies will probably jump up to join him next week, but for now they’re in 9.

Our older golden, Gaston, gets to spend a few days with me in 2 weeks, and I’m taking our club’s baby Festival to a guide dog presentation tomorrow at the library. Yay for guide dogs!!!!!

Today I stole Mr. Fellow from his raisers. It’s such a great name! The entire time we’d say “let’s go little Fellow”. I love it. He’s such a doll.

Of course, being a black, it made it three times harder to get decent pictures of him…

We went to our outdoor mall while school was still in session and he was a pro! This little guy is only 3 months old, but he was so fantastic! Most of the time he’d just sit. Sometimes it was hard to get him going after he’d sit or lay down, but he was the PERFECT dog to take shopping! Just lays in one spot, put him on the long leash, and you can walk around all you want–he’s not budging.

As I was leaving See’s Candies, I spotted a little black ball of fur in a green jacket that I didn’t know, so of course I had to go say hi. Fellow and I met baby Marlissa (not sure how you spell it) who is just brand new. I believe 11 weeks. Her raiser was meeting with some other people so I couldn’t talk very long, but she did wink at me for her picture.

Then we just kept shopping and Fellow just kept sleeping. He was so great, probably the best puppy I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of puppies. Well, not raised them, but had them at my house. I’m like the baby puppy sitter and starter raiser both in one.

Then we went over to my church while my shopping buddy (and partner in crime) had a meeting with my youth pastor. So Fellow and I took pictures. Well, I took the pictures, and Fellow just looked cute.

And lest you think I don’t like taking pictures……here’s some more:

Oh before I forget, funny story. Not sure if this is “guide dog approved” or not, but it’s just one of those things. After we finished shopping at the town center (the outdoor mall) we decided we needed to go to just one more place–the thrift store, to find a belt. The little Fellow had such a busy day so far that I really didn’t want to take him in, but I knew I couldn’t leave him in the car ’cause ya get two teenage girls into a thrift store, and it’ll be a while. So I brought him in with a brilliant idea–he could ride in the cart! It worked really well, and he slept the entire time. Once he fell asleep we put some clothes over top of the cart to make it darker, quieter, and so people wouldn’t freak out seeing a black lab in a shopping cart. But it was soooo cute!! He slept for an hour and a half straight, we checked in on him every once in a while, and he never woke up. Silly sleepy boy.

Then we came back to my house for his raiser to pick him up and he and Mary (my partner in crime) and I hung out on the lawn in the gorgeous sun and…..guess what??? Took pictures…

We had a great time, and I’d be happy to have my little Fellow back any time. In the meantime…anyone got a puppy out there who wants to go shopping tomorrow???