A little after Christmas shopping!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to spend some time with family and friends! 


      Pat received a gift card for Cabella's and he was ready to go try and spend it tonight.  I've been wanting to take Churry there since I took her to Bass Pro Shop in Denver and she really seemed to like it.  Cabella's was not different.  She LOVED it!  Her tail was wagging and she was so very happy to sit and admire all of the animals.  We had a lot more time to spend in there tonight so we got to see everything for as long as she wanted.  We walked through the African animal display, the deer display, the main display with polar bears, goats, bears, deer, and all kinds of other animals.  Then we looked at the fish in the aquariums for awhile.  These were her favorites.  She also watched the water feature for quite awhile.  I'm quite sure she would have jumped right in if I would have let her!  Pat did not find what he was looking for, so I'm sure a return trip will occur soon.  I'm looking forward to having all of the this week to spend with her without having to go to work.  I have all kinds of ideas for where I would like to take her...we'll see how many we have time for!  At what age have you experienced puppy raisers taken your pups to the movie for the first time? 

What a great gift!

Of all of the many gifts I've been fortunate enough to receive and also been fortunate to be able to provide for my children...none of them come close to the gift of teaching my children this wonderful lesson of giving.  Someday, we will have to pass this treasure on to someone else.  Yes, it's easier to spend the hours of training on a pet you're going to keep.  And yes, it seems strange to some to continuously pay vet bills and buy toys, kennels, and beds for a dog that's not mine.  And yes, I get weird looks and rude comments from ignorant people out in public.  But, it's teaching my own children a wonderful lesson of tolerance and acceptance.  And someday down the road, my children will come to know that beautiful gift of giving something precious to us to someone else.  And that makes it all worth it!  Churry has been a blessing to me and under the Christmas tree seems to be a very appropriate place for her this season!

Puppy Training

   Churry had puppy class today and I am very glad I went!  It's always nice to get advice and expertise from more experienced puppy raisers.  As I said in my last post, Churry is getting very stubborn and I wanted some advice on how to handle it.  Well, don't tell my husband, but apparently he was right!  I'm being too soft and Churry has me figured out.  I've been giving commands multiple times in a very polite soft voice rather than expecting her to listen the first time.  I told them that's part of being a first grade teacher...I don't yell or talk meanly to my students!  They would start crying!  But, Churry's a dog, not a child, so I need to get firmer with her so she will stop training me.  I am happy to report that she is doing very well with "under and down".  She remembered our lessons from ballet class and went right under the table today to lay down when I asked her to.  But, while she can walk beside another dog and do a fairly good job ignoring them, she doesn't like other dogs walking behind her.  She wants to turn around and talk to them.  So we need some more practice with strange dogs walking along behind us.  Puppy class is always exhausting for her and by the time we got home it was a little past her dinnertime, so she stayed home with Pat rather than going with me to ring bells.  Although, I'm sure the kettle would have been full with her cute little self there to attract people!

Ballet Class

   I took Churry to Kinsey's ballet class last night for the first time.  Her teacher, Miss Linda, is super supportive of KSDS and loves dogs so she was very gracious in allowing me to bring Churry in there for some training opportunities.  The biggest part of this trip in particular was the information I was able to share with people about KSDS and their puppy raising program.  They had lots of questions!

     Besides getting lots of attention from little girls and their moms I really wanted to take Churry there because they have these wooden benches in a long narrow hallway that are perfect for working with Churry on "Down and Under" and for staying calm in cramped spaces, which she has shown some anxiety in before.  She quickly caught on to what I was asking, however, she apparently didn't enjoy the command!  I had her lay there for a few minutes, then would get back up and return to the bench to repeat the command.  After a couple of times, she decided that wasn't for her.  She plopped her bottom on the floor and wasn't moving!  So I would pick her up and scootch her to where I wanted her.  Since she realized she wasn't going to be excused from the practice, she decided to make it fun.  I would give her the command to go under and she would put her head down and go underneath my legs and do a somersault out the other side.  I thought it was an accident the first time, but she repeated this trick twice!  Sigh...I don't think this is what the command is supposed to look like!  On a good note, Miss Linda had her yellow lab there and Churry did wonderfully at completely ignoring him every time he walked by! 

   I also took her to Barnes and Noble on Wednesday evening so she could practice the "Down and Under" command and also practice just sitting in a public setting while I read without trying to get up to go see things or people.  She's really good about not trying to go over to people, but she stands up every time a person gets particularly close....just in case they would like to pet her I guess!   So we need to work on this a bit more. 

   She's doing better and better with her car sickness so it's been a lot easier to get her out and about.  She hasn't been sick since a couple of weeks before we went to Denver!  She also seems excited to go get in the vehicle now because she's learned it's fun to go places.  That's much better than her running and hiding from me when she would figure out I was planning on putting her in the car!

The holidays affect dogs, too!

   Being a 1st grade teacher, I know how exciting the holiday season is.  And, with that, behavior often gets very sketchy!  Apparently, Churry is a very intuitive puppy because she has caught the "naughty" bug, too!  Maybe going to Denver used up all of her minutes of excellent behavior and she needs some time to be naughty.  She has done many things this week that are very unacceptable starting with acquiring the habits of stealing food off of the table and drinking out of the toilet!  She has spent time in time-out multiple times this week for both behaviors.  She tucks her tail and begs for my forgiveness when I discipline her, but  it certainly doesn't stop her from repeating the behavior!  Then, in the mornings, she has began SPRINTING laps around our living room after she gets breakfast.  She generally just plays around with a toy and calmly hangs out with me until it's time for me to get ready.  Not anymore.  We have these little bursts of energy.  And the most alarming part of these laps is the hurdling leap she takes over the couch, which is now in a different spot because of the Christmas tree so she can literally hurdle it and land on the other side.  Impressive leaping skills, but not impressive indoor behavior.  On a positive note, she is very careful with the tree.  I absolutely love how she crouches down and very carefully walks underneath it being very careful not to touch the ornaments.  At least she has that going for her!

     Her behavior has not been a whole lot better on our nightly walks.   I don't know if she's feeling really energetic because the weather has been so cold or what!  I was nervous about taking her on an outing today because I was wondering if this would continue after I put on her cape and Halti, but, in her normal style, she did really well.  We went to the mall.  While in Denver, we had visited a mall, too, but always went into the department stores from the outdoor entrance, so she never experienced the interior corridors of the mall.  She did tonight and it was PACKED!  But, she handled herself very well.  She was very interested in everything, but never solicited attention from the millions of kids and left the food, trash, etc. on the floor alone.  She even took a ride on the glass elevator and she thought the things passing by her were very interesting on the way down.  One of the funniest things about taking Churry to stores is the slick floors.  She's not bothered by them until I ask her to sit down.  When she sits, she can't keep her bottom in the same spot because it's so slick.  She gradually slides away from me.  She knows she's not supposed to be moving away from me and she can't quite figure out why it's happening.  So she just looks at me with this confused look until eventually she is sprawled in a "Down" position.  Makes me really laugh!
     Hopefully, my work week is a little less hectic this week so I can get in some more interesting activities than walks around the neighborhood in the cold!

Pictures of our big trip

Churry did a great job practicing with the wheelchair...other than we need to work on "closer".  She held a "Stay" very well while Nicole wheeled in a circle around her.

Churry did not care a bit about this big moose.  She was ready for her nap!  I wish we would have had more time in here with her.  We will return soon to a Bass Pro Shop or Cabella's for more exploring! 

I knew my girls would be excited and jealous that Churry got to meet Justin Bieber!

Churry did not start off riding very well, but learned quickly.

And she loved the snow!

We practiced Down and Under for the first time on this trip.  Need to work a lot more on this skill!

Churry enjoyed looking at the fish and thought it would be okay to pose in front of them.

Add caption


Churry was not going to turn her back on this guy to pose for a picture!

Churry goes to Denver!

  Churry is on her first big trip with me.  She and I traveled to Denver to visit my sister and do some Christmas shopping.  I had debated for a long time about whether or not she was ready for the trip, but she has proven over and over the last couple of days that she was!  The first exciting place we visited was Bass Pro Shop where she met bears, fish, fox, beavers, and all kinds of other animals.  There will be pictures posted later of her posing with her new friends.  Then we headed to the mall where she learned a lot about "Wait" and "Sit" and "Wait".   After several hours of this we went to pick up my sister from school and went out to eat.  A restaurant was also a first for her.  We chose Noodles and Co.  It's a place you have to sit down, but wasn't too far from the door if she wasn't behaving.  Her behavior, however, wasn't a problem.  She sat in between my sister and I on the floor and only got up to look a couple of times.  Then it was time for more shopping.  And more "Sit" and "Wait".    She was very tired and thought surely it was time to go home for her nap, but no, I had one more stop in mind for her.  My sister attends CU Medical School for Physical Therapy.  So, what a perfect opportunity for Churry to be around some medical equipment that Nicole uses in her lab.  Nicole got out a wheelchair and they went up and down the hallway until Churry had it right, which didn't take long at all.  It was amazing how well she did, not only taking commands from someone other than me, but the way she so politely walked along beside the wheelchair on a loose leash.  After she learned to walk, Nicole practice some "Stays" while she wheeled in circles around her.  Churry sat perfectly still while Nicole did all kinds of things around her.  Then Churry even went through the door with her still in the wheelchair.  I must say I was impressed with my sister's coordination!  Churry waited when told to wait and did exactly what she was told to get maneuvered through the door. 
    Finally, she got to go home and was definitely ready for supper and bed!  The next day we headed to Castle Rock outlets.  Another perfect day for Churry!  She is doing very well at not soliciting attention from people and waiting patiently for us to do our shopping.  There was nothing particularly exciting or different in any of these stores, just LOTS of them!  She was getting impatient with our shopping by the end of this day.  I did find something very unusual that she wanted NOTHING to do with....water running in the gutters.  She would NOT jump over it!  She wouldn't even really get near it!  I found a spot where there was very little running and she took a flying leap over it so we could get to our car.  Silly dog!  Of all things to be scared of!
   We are now ready for day 3 of our big adventure, but first we have to watch the Cats on TV!  So she can have some rest time before she has to work again.  Some other new and interesting things about Nicole's house is the snow!  She is very fascinated by this stuff and had a great time running and playing in it at the dog park here in Nicole's apartment complex.  The apartment is a new experience in itself.  It's very strange for her to hear other people through the walls and not know where they are at.  Nicole also has a cat that she loves to play with!  They are having a great time right now, but Churry is still a bit wild for a small apartment.  She's used to having a big yard to run and play in, or at least more space in the house.  I'll post pictures of her exciting trip when I get home when I share about her last day in Denver.  Have a great day!

Shelby's Visit

         Since Churry got spayed on Wednesday, I don't have a whole lot of exciting news to say about her, except the night before she got to go shopping with Jordan and myself.  Now, if she could talk, she would probably have a lot to say about that terrible day.  I've never seen a more pathetic looking, agitated, relieved to see me, dog in my life as I did on Wednesday evening.  My mom went with me to pick her up from the vet and it was clear that even a dog knows a grandma when it sees one!  She briefly greeted me, but then went immediately to my mom for some sympathy and told her all about her awful day!  She seems to be recovering very well and thinks it's very rude that I won't let her play rough with her sisters.  

    When we got home from the vet Churry's sister, Shelby, was there.  She is staying with us this weekend and has been a lot of fun!  First of all, Shelby is a big snuggler!  Churry would never dream of sitting still long enough to cuddle with anyone and when she sleeps she prefers to do so in her kennel.  But, Shelby, on the other hand, can't get enough of snuggling with us!  She is such a sweetheart!  Shelby got to take in Topeka Ballet's production of The Enchanting Nutcracker, which my daughter danced in.  She was very well behaved.  She just sat under my feet the entire time.  I wondered what she would think of the dark and the loud music, but she took it all in stride and just hung out at my feet.  It makes me laugh when I think of what Churry might have done if I had taken her.  :)  It's hard to believe a year from now she will hopefully be mature enough to take to an event like that.

Crowded Stores!

     I was feeling quite a bit better today and also very tired of being stuck inside, so after Pat and I had lunch I took Churry on a little outing.  We went to Petco, where she met some ferrets, birds and fish.  Other than some slight interest in the ferrets she was fairly bored and just kept laying down.  So we practiced walking past other dogs and "minding our own business."  She really does not do very fantastic in pet stores for some reason.  She is not very attentive to me and usually is just  rolling around on the ground.  This is the only store she ever does this in.  I think the smell of all the other animals distracts her a lot.

    When we were finished in there we went through Office Depot and Tuesday Mornings.  These were both uneventful and not a lot for her to look at or see.  The last place we went to was Pier One.  The ladies in there were very nice!  It's amazing what you notice about stores when you are practicing with your puppy!  Pier One is a VERY crowded store with lots of tight spaces to maneuver through.  Churry was the best behaved in this store. (Thank goodness!)  She stayed tucked very close to me and didn't try to sniff or grab at anything.   Shopping with her is a lot like shopping with a toddler, except I can't pick her up and carry her!

  I'm looking forward to having some time with her big sister, Shelby, this week, too!  Hopefully, Shelby can give her some lessons about behaving while being groomed!  I hear Shelby loves to look beautiful!

Couches are not for PIT's!

Churry has been having a very difficult week with the couch.  She's not understanding the idea that she's NOT allowed up there.  We've had to work on it a lot this weekend because, once again, I've caught some bug from school!  You would think after this many years of teaching my immunity would be better!  This makes for a very boring weekend for Churry, but we have been working a lot on "Off" in regards to the couch.  It doesn't help when I fell asleep and wake up with her on my legs very comfy and gazing up at me with those huge puppy dog eyes! 
     She's also very sneaky about it.  So I know she KNOWS the rule, just chooses not to follow it.  She will do a "Here up" as invited and sit there and enjoy the petting.  But she will gradually and very sneakily (or so she thinks) get a little bit more of herself up there one back leg at a time and very carefully snuggle her way into me, watching me the entire time to see if I'm going to notice.  So I make her get off and the sneakiness starts again.  As naughty as it is, it sure is cute!

Puppy Gathering

On Saturday Churry got to go to the Lawrence/Kansas City area KSDS puppy gathering.  I love going to these.  I learn very helpful tips and love getting to talk to other puppy raisers and graduates.  Churry loved getting to play with new dogs, although at first I thought she might be scared.  She warmed up after a bit and made friends with her big sister, Shelby, who is coming to stay with us next week!  She also loved playing with Buttercup, who is an adorable yellow lab about her exact age.

After the playtime for puppies, they had to work.  She had to do an obstacle course where they practiced heeling by a wheelchair, greeting a person in a wheelchair, walking through a hula hoop, and ignoring distractions such as tennis balls, food, etc.  Churry didn't do too bad.  She would have probably done a lot better if I would have been behind the wheelchair instead of on her left side.  She is usually the one on the left side so it was a little awkward, but it did give me some ideas for how to work with her.  Then later, she got to practice her awesome Down Stay with lots of distractions.  She did fantastic!  That's her favorite skill to show off!  She ended her outing by practicing her modeling skills for a KSDS fundraiser flyer.  Topeka/Lawrence people:  Keep this in mind in January.  There is a wine tasting at Marcelli's in Lawrence that will benefit KSDS.  Too bad I despise wine!  Sorry Lisa and Mandi!  I'll just sell some tickets.  :) 
     Tonight we took Churry to Home Depot.  I wanted some practice beside a shopping cart before taking her at a time when I actually need to shop.  She did really well.  It was a night and day difference between this outing and her very first Lowe's outing where she was tugging on the leash and acting scared of the singing dancing monkey.  We did revisit those singing obnoxious animals and this time she just sat and watched them.  If I was a better puppy raiser, I'd remember my camera on these outings!    I think I'll do better at getting her pictures when she's older and I'm not totally focused on whether or not she may need to pee! 
    I think Churry is at an interesting age where sometimes she is very skittish about things and some times she is just calm as can be.  The outings I think are going to potentially be stressful for her she is very pulled together and acts very mature.  Times when I think she should not be having a problem at all she is pulling and acting silly.  It's these silly times where she will get startled by things she should be used to like birds or leaves.  Time will tell, but I think Churry's going to be a great partner for some very lucky person one day!

She's thinking, "I'm trying to heel, but this kid won't let me over there!"

Fred!

Add caption

Who needs toys when you have dead tree branches?

Add caption

But, Churry gets new ones anyway!      Churry has once again got to go shopping!  She gets more new things than I do these days.  She had worn out her favorite toy so I took her to PetSmart to get a new one.  She picked out Fred.  Hopefully, Fred is made as well as her last toy because it lasted through a good two months of her non-stop hard chewing and rough playing.  She did really well in PetSmart except for in the toy aisle.  She's as bad as a kid!  She wasn't grabbing anything, but whined several times.  I can't decide if it's because I wouldn't let her play with the toys or because she was bothered by something!  She really wanted to play with a tire toy, but I wouldn't let her have it because it was $25.00.  I told her maybe she could tell Santa she wanted that one. 
     Churry also went to a 4-H Dog Obedience class.  I had never been to a 4-H dog event before so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was perfect for her!  It was very well organized and ran.  The other dogs were very well-behaved.  We worked on heeling, extended Sit and Stays, Down, and about turns.  Churry did awesome!  She was just as good as the other dogs and I think would have won the "Stay" contest, but they finally moved on to something else.  I look forward to going back.  She needs to work on her commands around lots of distractions like that.  The only thing she didn't do well was heeling when another dog was right behind her.  She wanted to turn around and socialize!  They don't let the dogs have "play time" like they do at KSDS puppy class so I think she will enjoy that next week when we go to the puppy get-together. 
    Churry has also enjoyed some long walks this week.  The weather has been beautiful.  In order to keep her walks interesting, we've been walking in the leaves rather than on the sidewalk.  It gives her a different walking experience.  At first it was really distracting for her, but she's getting better.

Add caption

Churry was the cutest witch I saw on Halloween!

Add caption

Best Friends!

Churry meets my students!

     Churry got to meet my students for the first time yesterday!  Kinsey had an appointment so on the way back to school we stopped home and picked up Churry.  It worked perfectly because it was Kinsey's Star of the Week day and she wanted to share Churry with her class as well.  It was also perfect because Churry was only there for about an hour....perfect for her first visit!  Pat went with us for Kinsey's Star of the Week, so he was able to assist when Churry needed a break outside.  Churry did really well.  She was really excited and wiggly at first, but settled down very nicely after about 30 minutes.  She walked nicely and didn't solicit TOO much attention, maybe just a little!  She even handled the chaos of releasing to the busses like a pro!  There's something to be said for that!  She still did not care for the intercom AT ALL and whimpered at me a little bit.  She just doesn't care for that mystery person not showing their face!  I have confidence she'll get used to it, though!  I'm hoping to get her out for some good walks this weekend...outdoor walks that are enjoyable for me might be becoming limited with the weather getting colder!  I'll have to join the elderly at the mall!

Churry Goes Bowling!

    Churry had an exciting week this week.  She is improving by leaps and bounds on her Gentle Leader since the beginning of the week when she was regularly throwing herself on the ground and rolling around protesting wearing it.  She now is walking very nicely with it on and definitely knows that the tantrums are unacceptable!  She is a fast learner!  I was also excited to see her do a Sit and Stay command for Kinsey.  Kinsey gets irritated because Churry is always following her to the basement and she doesn't want to be responsible for watching her while she's down there.  So when Churry followed her over to the stairs, Kinsey put her in a Sit and Stay command, walked down the stairs, disappeared into the basement, and STILL Churry just sat there waiting to be released.  I finally had to release her myself because apparently Kinsey wasn't returning anytime soon and Churry was starting to look at me pathetically. 
   On Saturday, Churry got to go see horses for the first time at Rocking V Ranch in Auburn.  It was a great place to take her because she could observe horses up close and personal both being ridden and in stalls, lots of people, a loudspeaker, and a store with lots of new smells all in one trip!  She didn't have her best trip because she was a bit nervous about the horses.  She didn't hide behind me or anything, but did whine a few times.  I was relieved she didn't bark, but would have like if she could have relaxed a bit more. 
    Judging how she did on that trip, I hesitated to take her to the bowling alley on Sunday for my kids' activity they had planned.  I decided I would just walk her in there to drop the kids off and then go do some sightseeing with her at some places close by.  As it turns out, Churry was quite relaxed at the bowling alley.  She was PERFECTLY BEHAVED!  I decided I would just stay until she started to act stressed, but she never did so we ended up staying the whole time.  She did "down" when I asked, totally minded her own business when people walked by, left things on the floor alone, and basically just sat and calmly watched everything the entire time.  I don't know why a loud bowling alley would be more relaxing for her than the stable, but maybe those "big dogs" and all of those very different "stable/leather" smells were too much for her.  We'll definitely have to put in some training time at Grandma's house to have some more experiences with those things! 
     I'm excited for tomorrow night with all of the Halloween activities in the neighborhood.  It should be a great training/socialization opportunity for her.  She also gets to go visit Kinsey's classroom later this week for Kinsey's Star of the Week activity.  It will be her first trip to a classroom and will be a test run for seeing how close she is to being ready to visit work with me.
     Have a Happy Halloween!

Beds can be multi-functional!

     Churry has proven herself to be quite a problem-solver with her bed!  Apparently, it's quite useful as a blanket as well.  She has done this several times the last couple of weeks, but have not been able to get a picture because I'm usually busy when she's "relaxing".  But, tonight I managed to get some.  So, enjoy a midweek post!

And sometimes, she completely turns the bed upside down so the soft part is against her.

And just because I never want to forget this beautiful face...

I love you Churry!  You add so much love, happiness, and adventure to our lives!

Churry's very boring week!

    Churry had an exceptionally boring week!  I had Parent Teacher conferences and worked until 8:00 2 nights and spent a lot of time preparing for the conferences in the days before them.  It did make me feel so good, though, to see how excited she was to see me when I got home each night.  Just wish I had more time to spend with her.  Today we went to the lake to make up for the boring week.  She did awesome on her Gentle Leader and was a very good girl when we got really close to all the geese.  She sat down and watched them very intently, but didn't try to pull towards them at all.  She also did a great job of ignoring the other dogs and people who were walking everywhere.  She also did a really good job of ignoring Cooper, my dad's dog, who stayed with us all week while he was in the hospital.  Cooper barked at her quite a lot and she just sat there and stared at him without barking back.  I must say Churry has much better manners!  :)   They didn't get to play a whole lot because Cooper is recovering from a broken leg and couldn't play rough.  Keeping them seperated was quite a chore, which resulted in both of them being kenneled more than I would prefer.  Having two puppies in the house was a LOT OF WORK!  Thank goodness Bailey is pretty much self-sufficient and mature.  Hopefully, Churry has a better week next week!

Churry goes to work!

   Churry had her first opportunity to go to work with me on Friday.  We had a workday, so there were no students there.  She did a good job with sitting to greet people when we first got there.  Then, while we were working in my classroom she settled down pretty much right away and slept the morning away.  She was a bit alarmed at the announcement on the intercom because she could not figure out where the voice was coming from, but settled down right away after the voice was gone and went back to sleep.  I was relieved she didn't start barking at the mystery person! 

    Today she went on two more outings.  We walked around a VERY SMALL mall that just has a few stores in it.  She was good about ignoring the people, screaming children racing past her, and all of the other distractions that were in there.  We were introduced to automatic sliding doors again and she still doesn't get bothered by anything at all.  We walked through the aisles at Office Max where there were many interesting things at eye level for her.  I was worried she would try to grab something up, but I think she's so irritated by her new Gentle Leader collar that she's not noticing much of anything!  Then we walked through the Goodwill store where there were lots of clothes hanging.  She did really well at ignoring them, too.  One bad thing she did do was have a little tantrum in the store.  Her coping mechanism with this new collar is to throw herself on the ground, roll around a bit, and then refuse to get up.  And when she's on her back with her feet up in the air, it's difficult to get my arms around her to make her stand up.  Luckily, the tantrum didn't last long and she walked very politely back out of the store.  Then we went to the park where there is a kids train that runs.  We didn't ride the train because I didn't have any cash with me.  I actually didn't know it was still running at all.  I thought it shut down Labor Day weekend.  We just sat and watched it pull up and leave again.  I thought maybe it's loud bells and engine would bother her, but no, she just yawned!  Just those darn dancing monkeys that bother my cool as a cucumber Churry!  And I thought we were over the car sickness, but apparently the extended outing today was too much for her because on the way home...But on a positive note, she will load herself into the car!  My back appreciated that!  This doesn't help with the Expedition...so maybe I'll just take the car for awhile until she's big enough to get herself into the bigger vehicle. We are babysitting my parent's dog this week while my dad has surgery so Churry will have some fun company!  Have a great week!

Dancing monkeys!

Churry visited her first store tonight, Lowes.  She did a pretty good job.  I really need to learn how to work her Halti correctly so she can start wearing it or I need to find something else to help with her constant pulling!  Puppy raisers...any advice?  Other than the pulling, she behaved well.  As soon as we would stop to look at something she would immediately sit down and wait for us very patiently.    While we were there we looked at the scary Halloween decorations, but she didn't think they were very scary.  She just sat and had her "no reaction to anything" attitude she usually does.  So we continued on and found some Christmas decorations.  There was a nice variety of those stuffed animals that sing and dance.  She was quite interested in these.  She just did not think this was normal and didn't really want them to get too close to her.  Particularly the monkey that danced to Tic Toc.  She hid behind me and peeked out to see that one.  The others she just backed up a bit and stared at them.  Her tail was wagging the whole time, though, so I don't think she was terrified, but I do think we will be paying a return visit to the dancing monkeys!    We have now gone on a car outing three days in a row with no car sickness!!!  This makes it MUCH easier to take her places. 

Churry hits Mass Street!

Yes, I know, I know!  I took her on her first official outing to a KU place!  That's only because I thought it was urgent she be warned about them!  Actually, she attended Dogtoberfest in the park and had a fantastic time.  First, we visited the KSDS booth and tried to help out, but she wasn't very interested in sitting and observing.  She had dogs to meet and places to see!  She played Doggie Limbo, which the lady was very impressed with her skills of "down and under".  She said it's the best anyone had done all day.  Good job, Churry!  And then she discovered the fountain, which she had a ball playing in.  And I find that one very interesting, because when it is bathtime at home it becomes a war zone in the bathroom with me being just as wet as she is. Hmmm....Then she saw a very scary looking man, who did NOT have a dog, who did NOT appear to be with anyone except the white dummy he had wrapped around his head that I saw him kiss at least twice.  The scary part is he was wearing a cat leotard, complete with a tail.   Yes, I'm talking about a skin tight leotard like Kinsey wears to ballet.  I told her, "This is what I'm talking about when we visit Lawrence."   I'm hoping there was a good explanation for him that I just am not aware of.  This is after we had already walked through a group of people on the way to the park who I sincerely hope were going to a Halloween party, but I"m thinking were just dressed for the day.  Other than the alarming people we saw throughout the day, Churry had a great time seeing the sights and meeting TONS of very nice people who thought she was the cutest thing ever.  Even the lady who asked about her career and then burst into tears thanking me for what I was doing.  I reassured her Churry was not leaving me tomorrow and that yes, Churry DOES have a very important career ahead of her!  And judging from her behavior today, she'll be a champ at it!  I was shocked at how well she minded her manners and quite relieved, too.
     Then, we went to Pat's work where she was able to experience the sights and sounds of the cabinet building shop.  She handled it like a pro, too!  Sometimes, I worry that she's deaf because she's so calm.  She does look up and notice sounds, she just doesn't react to them.  So that's a good thing, I hope.  The only thing she didn't care for at his work was the paint room.  We determined she must not like the smell coming from it.  That was fine because it's not my favorite place there either.  She was so exhausted that she finally just laid down on the floor and slept through all the racket of the huge generator coming on and off and the really loud air hose thing Pat was using. 
    And the best part of the day was she went all the way from Lawrence to Topeka without getting sick!   

Do I seriously have to wear this thing?

Churry received her puppy cape in the mail today!  We have gone for a couple of walks with it on and she has been very good with it.  She sniffed it a bit and tried to chew on the front, but after just a couple of corrections she left it alone.  I can't wait to take her on her first official outing as a service puppy!

Since she was behaving, I allowed her to sit by my flowers to get her picture taken.  She's usually not allowed in there, but she handled herself very well with just sniffing them and not eating them!

She's such a pretty girl!

2 months!

Miss Churry has been with us for 2 months today!  Here is my favorite thing that she's currently doing.  She loves to sit and get petted, but here in the last week she has started wrapping her front legs around you and sitting up as you pet her.  She just sits in this position until you're done petting.  It's very sweet!

So far Churry has almost mastered:
Sitting until released (at home anyway)
Staying until released
sitting until being released to eat her food when I feed her
ignoring her food if I drop it in front of her, etc.  We're still working on ignoring floor crumbs in general. 

Things that Churry knows, but chooses to ignore:
Down
Heel (unless there is absolutely nothing entertaining to pull me towards)
Kennel Up
Come

The difference between Bailey and Churry

I stayed home from work today because I was sick.  So this morning when Pat was getting ready to leave for work, Bailey refused to get off of her bed, which is beside ours, to go out to her kennel where she stays during the day.  She just sat there and kept looking up at me and refusing to move.  Every now and then she will get up and lay her head on me.  Bailey has always been VERY perceptive of our moods and knows when we are sick.  Churry, however, being the puppy she is, kept sprinting in to our room and jumping up on top of me and trying to pull the covers off.  At one point she got so irritated at me for not getting up that she BARKED at me!  :)  She had no sympathy for me whatsoever!  At least she misses me!

What in the World is that Giant Bath?

We finally got to take Churry to Bailey's favorite place, the lake!  She was very curious about it when she first saw it and was pretty timid about going in.   Pat dumped her in a couple of times in the really shallow part and she just stood there and stared at him like "Why in the world did you just do that?"  She didn't rush out, but she just didn't know what to think.  One thing she did do was run from me, and fast!  I thought she was running away, but we figured out she was chasing the waves down the shoreline.  She just couldn't quite catch the wave!  It was a pretty busy weekend and everywhere I wanted to take her required her KSDS Service Puppy vest...so I hope I get it soon because she ended up being stuck at home when she could have been with us.  :(  She is getting so big and more energetic by the day!  She's really needing a LOT of run and play time these days!   She and Bailey have a great time in the backyard each night, but we noticed she is trying to chew poor Bailey's neck off.   So maybe she needs to calm down just a bit with her rough housing!

Churry's brother Perdido and her sister Avalon also have a blog I follow if you are interested.  They are in my blog lists.   Perdido must be a very good boy because he goes to church every Sunday.  I cannot imagine taking Churry there!  Great job Daisy (Perdido's raiser)!

Churry, the golden skunk!

Churry had a fun time at our friend Gentry's birthday party this weekend.  The people were very nice to her and she did a good job laying beside me the whole time, even when the wrapping paper would land on top of her.  There was also a very small baby there that she REALLY wanted to go check out, but I wouldn't let her.  I didn't think the mom would have appreciated a puppy kiss on her son!  Every time the baby made a sound Churry would sit up and look at it and then me and back to it and then me.  She was very confused!

And yes, Churry looks like a golden skunk right now!  She has a stripe of adult fur going down her back.  I can't believe she's big enough to be losing her soft puppy fur!  Her adult fur is just slightly darker than her puppy fur, which I kind of expected.  I'm glad she's going to be a light colored golden.  I think that's prettier!  She's also lost 2 teeth!  She's growing up so fast!

Last of the puppy shots!

Churry got the last of her puppy shots today!  Hurray!!  She also got the most car sick she's ever been...that was a nice mess to clean up.  But, she got to play with her buddy, Cooper, tonight.  That's my Dad's puppy that's a couple of weeks younger than she is.  They have a great time together.  I didn't get home from work in time to get any pictures, but Cooper will be here tomorrow again, so I will try then.




Look at this "stay"!

Churry and her best buddy, Bailey!  They are listening very intently to something Pat is saying. 

Thanks mom!

Churry thinks it's fantastic that Mr. Hageman, my boss, hands out a gift card at every staff meeting.  Because when I win it, guess who benefits...Churry, of course!  She's enjoying her brand new bed!  She thinks it's much better than going on these little car rides to get over car sickness!  Churry has been busy already this week.  She went to the kids' 4-H meeting on Monday night and was SURROUNDED with love from kids.  She thought she was pretty special.  Then, she went on an extra long walk last night and met some birds for the first time.  Churry thought they were pretty neat and thought she might want to fly around with them, but she couldn't jump up quite high enough.  After that little workout, she got an extra long brushing and went to bed.  I thought about taking her with me to pick out her new bed and drop the kids off at church, but I just don't trust the other dogs at Pet Smart yet, so she hung out at home playing with Bailey and Pat.  She's such a good dog!  She's learning so fast and makes me feel so good every day.  I love how she's so excited to see me every day when I get home from work and would just sit for hours letting me snuggle and pet her.  She very much wants to please me and learn more every day!  She's a pretty special dog!

Churry, the sock thief

Yes, Churry has discovered the joy and wonder of socks this weekend!  I've decided to give her some more freedom in the house off of her leash so she's been able to explore.  The result of that was her finding socks, socks, and more socks.  It's hilarious watching her try to hide them from me.  She thinks if she prances through the living room with her head turned away from me I won't notice the sock hanging out of her mouth.  After confiscating at least 30 socks, nerf gun bullets, and various other odds and ends she has found during her "free" time, I decided she must be bored with her toys.  So I made a trip to Pet Smart and she has 3 new "big" girl toys.  She's been bored with her other toys for about a week now, so it was time for some new ones anyway.  She now has a  couple of squeaky toys which are very entertaining!

Churry also took 3 field trips this weekend.  Unfortunately, I learned why she has an aversion to the vehicle...apparently, it's making her tummy hurt because she got sick on 2 of the 3 trips.  :(  The first night she went to a landscaping night at my school.  She did really well with the kids that were there.  She sits very calmly and lets them pet her.  I was going to let her play on the playground equipment because there are pieces of equipment with very different surfaces that you can see through to the ground as well as moving things to play on.  But, it started raining, so we'll go back another night.   The second field trip was to the Huff and Puff Hot Air Balloon Festival.  It was the biggest event she has been to and she did wonderful.  She was very calm around all the people and was not bothered at all by the balloons.  She did pull a LOT on the leash trying to eat everything in sight on the ground....sticks, leaves, etc.  Then today, she went to school with me to work.  Not too many distractions, but good for her to get out of the house anyway.

And Churry can "stay" for 30 SECONDS with me about 3 feet away from her!  I was very excited that she seems to understand this command!  It seems to take her about 2 weeks to really catch on to things pretty well.  Now, if she can extend that and work on it with distractions...

Have a great week!

A visit to the vet

    Churry had her second visit to the vet today for another round of shots and a check-up.  She is up to 13.7 pounds.  On her first visit, which was a couple of days after I brought her home, she was 9.2 pounds.  She's growing fast!  The vet thought she looked fantastic though.  In 3 weeks she goes back and will get her last round of puppy shots and her rabies shot.  I'm excited for that, because after that she gets her cape and we can actually go somewhere! 

   Churry has shown a great distaste for a couple of things this last week.  I don't think it's fear, but a definite distaste.  The vehicle and the stairs.  So tonight when we got home we hung out at the top of the stairs for about 15 minutes.  I gave her a couple of little pieces of food to get her to sit there with me and pretty soon she started to very slowly creep down them.  She got all the way to the bottom.  I was proud of her for overcoming the fear so quickly!  We will have to keep working on the vehicle.  I really think it's just too hot for her taste when we first get in and she'd rather go back inside.

    I took Bailey and Churry on their first walk TOGETHER last night.  They did wonderful.  They both do really well on the leash individually, I just wasn't sure how it would go together because they like to play.  Churry changed from walking right beside me, which is where she generally prefers, to walking out in front beside Bailey, which is where Bailey prefers.  She had to trot along very quickly while Bailey was walking really slowly.  Churry kept on looking up at her as if she was looking for her approval for walking so well.  It was pretty cute!  I do miss the workouts that Bailey gives me with her normally quick pace.  She doesn't pull on me at all, we just walk fast.  Bailey has been getting her exercise with runs out back instead of walks so I guess if I want a workout, I'll have to go on two separate dog walks until Churry can keep up with us.  I also decided it was time to get rid of her puppy "playpen" because I'm tired of my house being clogged up with our dogs' furniture.  So I'm using a trick I learned this weekend to keep track of her.  I have her hooked to my beltloop.  It's working really well!  She's much happier being right by my side.

     I wanted to post some new pics, but when I went to download all of the pictures that Pat took of her last night, I saw he didn't have a memory card in the camera, so I'll have to take more this week.

Churry's Big Week!

    Churry has had a big weekend!  We started off the weekend with an outing on Friday night.  We went over to our friend's the Garrett's for a remote control car race.  Now, Churry has been around Pat and Jacob's cars a lot in the yard.  In fact, she even did "sit" and "down" the other day several times with the cars racing right by her.  I was very proud!  But, I wondered how she would react to all the people, kids, and lots of cars racing around the track...She did fantastic!  She just sat and watched them for awhile, then decided it would be time for a nap.  She stayed at my feet the whole evening without tugging on the leash or trying to be Wild Churry.  She was even very polite to the toddler who liked walking her, etc.  She had a great night.

    We then got up at 4:00 the next morning to go to PUPS days at KSDS.  She didn't get sick on the long ride this time and she didn't even have to "go to jail" in the back because she rode very nicely on the passenger floorboard.  Yay!  At PUPS days she was very well behaved while we learned a lot of valuable information.  It was wonderful listening to the trainers, the vet, and get grooming advice for Golden fur, which is MUCH different than Lab fur!  The result of that was me coming home and ordering a new grooming kit just for Churry...SSSHHHH!  And Churry learned to potty on rocks while we were there.  That may seem silly to celebrate, but Bailey sure wouldn't do something like that! 

   I met so many wonderful people while I was there and it felt good to hear how well they thought Churry was doing.  I haven't mangaged to ruin her yet!   I was also amazed at all of the wonderful donations that Lisa got for the drawings, Silent Auction, etc.  She's awesome!!!!  And I've always been very appreciative of Hill's Pet Nutrition for supplying all of the puppies' food for free, shipped right to our door.  But, I also learned that they supply the food after they have graduated AND retired!  What an awesome company!  They certainly are very generous.  For those that don't know, KSDS places their dogs with their matches at no cost to the person receiving them.  I think that's pretty awesome!  Companies and individuals that provide generous donations certainly are appreciated and help them to do this. 

    This week Churry gets to visit the vet again and we will continue working on the skills we have been introduced to so far.  Have a great week!

  

Early Bird!

I love having a puppy, but I sure wish that Churry would sleep just a bit longer!  I've put my foot down and decided she cannot have breakfast before 5:15.  She was getting earlier and earlier each day with when she wanted to get up to eat.  I put my foot down at 4:30.  She is learning to "lay back down" though so hopefully she'll just start sleeping until then to begin with.

We worked this week on sit, stay, and down.  She definitely knows what I mean on all of those commands, but is very choosy about when she's going to do them.  We will keep working.  I've also found something that she can practice "up" and "jump on" with.  This is important for visits to the vet and for people who need to groom her on an elevated surface.  I also think she knows "heel" but can't really tell if she knows the command or just knows that's the position she is supposed to get in when I'm ready to walk somewhere. 

She is very different from the snuggly little puppy Bailey always was.  She doesn't particularly like to snuggle when she sleeps.  If she's going to sleep she wants to get in her kennel to do it, not lay beside me.  But, she does like to lay with me when she's just hanging out.  This week she has discovered that she can squeeze herself between my lower back and the couch when I'm sitting on the floor and that has become her favorite spot. 

I'm excited to take her to the vet next week and see how much she has grown.  We have really been able to tell a difference this week.  Especially when we see Kinsey holding her.  She's just about to outgrow Kinsey's strength!  I'm really looking forward to PUPS days next weekend to see what new things we learn!

Scary Barbie Jeeps!

I think I have discovered something that Churry needs some more experience with.  Barbie jeeps are very scary!  Especially when you are sitting next to them and they suddenly take off!  Luckily, the jeep in question lives just a few doors down from us so we can revisit with it frequently until we are accustomed to it.  I'm sure it won't take my brave girl long because she was already comfortable by the 2nd time it drove by.  But, we will revisit anyway to be sure.  And those sweet girls down the way provide excellent socialization for Churry!  She gets better each time we meet a new kid. 

I also started working on Sit and Stay with her.  She is doing wonderfully!  It's been much easier to teach her than "Down" because I can give immediate verbal reprimands when she breaks the stay.  I tried to get Bailey to be a distraction after she had done it really well a few times, but Bailey also knows Sit and Stay VERY WELL and would not move when I put Churry in one.  Then when I released Churry, they both came charging across the kitchen to get the praise!  So she actually wasn't all that helpful tonight, but I'm glad she can review her skills as well.

One thing I really want to teach Churry to do is enjoy kayaking with Pat and I since that is something we love doing.  Of course, we can't do that until she gets the rest of her shots...so I wish she would quit growing so darn fast!  By the time it's safe for her to go, it may not be "safe" for me to get in a kayak with her!  I need to figure something out to get her accustomed to the rocking motion before we go. 

First Puppy Get-Together

Churry enjoyed her first puppy get-together today in Lawrence.  I was really nervous that she would behave horribly and bother the rest of the class, but she did fantastic!  I was so proud of her.  Even though she didn't know how to do all of the commands that the older puppies did, she got to practice on the ones that she does know.  Such as sit, and sit, and sit some more, and sit when other dogs are getting to do other things, etc.  It helped that it was her afternoon napping time, but I was proud of her anyway.  And, I must say, relieved to see that the puppies are puppies, not robots,  and are not perfect at all times.  It was really helpful to see some of the commands I'm supposed to be teaching in action, not just written in the manual. 

Churry had the opportunity to meet Pat's remote control racecar during her playtime last night in the yard.  She is so brave!  I must say I don't think Churry is really scared of anything, a bit uneasy at times, but handles it very well.  Once she got used to it for a couple of minutes, she had a ball racing it around the yard.  And she worked on "No Barking" at things.  She does not hesitate to give people and objects a piece of her mind if they are not doing what she wants!  She has a pretty high sense of self-esteem for such a little thing!  :)  I don't think I heard a bark come out of Bailey's mouth until she was six months old...and very rarely now, only if she thinks there is someone outside at night. 

We are still working on "Down" when in a sitting position and I plan to start working on "Stay" this week, too.  And, as she proved to me today at puppy class, she ENJOYS being on her back.  Apparently, just not when I try to do it, so we will work on that as well. 

Back to School

       I have always had a bittersweet time going back to school.  I truly LOVE my job, love the kids, the classroom, making lesson plans, buying school supplies, all of it!  Yes, I'm just a big nerd!  But, I hate knowing it's the end of the summer and the precious time I get to spend with my children.  And this year,  I hate knowing it's time for Churry to learn about the kennel for a few hours a day while we're gone.  I don't remember Bailey ever getting so sad when I would leave.  She would just lay down and go to sleep.  Now, I wouldn't call Churry's reaction sad...more like ATTITUDE.  She was NOT IMPRESSED with me shutting her in that thing after getting to play and get showered with attention for ONLY 2 hours this morning.  She was very excited to see me when I got home at lunch and after school, though, so at least she doesn't hold a grudge!
      And I am very happy to report that she has not had any more tantrums at night.  We moved the kennel into our room so that she could sleep right beside me.  She has slept very peacefully the last couple of nights.  Everyone is happy about that!
      Churry had her first visit to the vet today, too.  So, after being irritated about being in the crate, she got to go have stuff shoved in her nose and her butt and get a shot.  Not my way of ending my already crappy day, but she didn't seem to mind.  In fact, she LOVED the vet.  Apparently the table felt nice and cool because she layed on it and rolled on it and just generally acted like she was in heaven.  Then she got to go home and have supper and take a nap with me, which I enjoyed very much because she doesn't really like to snuggle a whole lot unless I'm carrying her.  She'd prefer to lay on the kitchen tile because it's cool.  After that she got an especially long play time with Bailey in the yard.  Hopefully, she's extra tired and will sleep a bit later in the morning. 
      She's getting better and better every day on her leash.  Her attention span is very short and she is very willful when she wants to go someplace different than where I had in mind.  But, when she is paying attention to me, she walks pretty nicely on it.  She also really enjoys the "TUG" command.  It's become one of her favorite activities.  I'm very impressed with her strength when she sets her feet and pulls.  For 9.7 pounds, she can really pull!  We are still working on using our manners when I get her food out, although she is improving every meal.  She also does not enjoy her daily grooming.  I don't know why, most females love being at the spa!  Maybe she's just not old enough to appreciate it yet.  I know I'm looking forward to my birthday pedicure this week!   I hope everyone has a great first week back to school if you're there with me or a great week otherwise if you're not.
    

Angel or Demon Churry? HMMM?

       I will just start this post off with I really and truly adore Churry!  She is sweet, well-mannered and a very fast learner!  We worked on learning to sit yesterday (including when meeting somebody, while I am visiting with another person, and before we go through the front door).  She is doing very well with that. 
       Now, yesterday morning during my post I mentioned the 20 minute tantrum the night before when I told her it wasn't play time in the middle of the night.  HA HA HA!  Last night she woke up at 3:00 so I get up to take her out.  She very obediently went where she was told to.  If you don't know, service dogs go on command in the spot I have selected, while still on their leash.  Unlike Bailey who spends 10 or 15 minutes looking for the PERFECT spot and refuses to go when on her leash.    Anyway, we went back inside and I put her back in her kennel expecting some whining and barking like the night before.  When it started I firmly said, "No!"  She responded by sticking her little head at me and barking LOUDER!  So I ignored her and went and crawled in bed.  (With Kinsey, who woke up to inform me my dog was being terrible and because Bailey had taken my place in bed.  She was appalled at the behavior coming from her little friend.)   An hour later, the tantrum was still happening.  So I thought maybe she really needs to go again.  So I waited for a pause in the fit.  I didn't want her to think she was getting her way.  Well, when I got her out she acted like she was absolutely starving to death and I had fed her a bit earlier than I had the night before and breakfast wasn't that far away.  So, I thought I'll feed her, play a bit, go to the bathroom again and we can go back to bed for a bit before it's time to get up.  So we did.  She got to the point where she was done playing and just kept laying down beside me to sleep.  This was about 5:30 by then.  I thought, Perfect, I can put her in her kennel and catch a couple more hours.  No.  As soon as I put her back in the tantrum started again.  And lasted for another hour.  I finally just got up to find she had gone to the bathroom AGAIN!  But, in her kennel.  While we were cleaning it up and Churry was continuing to have her fit because we put her in another kennel, Bailey just sat there and stared at her.  I think she's shocked.

And I think my puppy is training me.

Today, we are having puppy boot camp with the potty training.  It is going much better.  Of course, she's peacefully sleeping the day away or at least trying to.  I had given her too much freedom yesterday, so today she is in a "puppy play pen".  It's an enclosed "fence" that is a larger area than the kennel, but not the whole living room and kitchen, which was clearly too big for her yesterday to be responsible in.  She's been an angel!  Back to my sweet little Churry!  Hopefully the demon Churry does not visit again tonight! 

   On a more positive note, she has shown NO FEAR at all of loud sounds.  The neighbor started his lawnmower really close to us and she just looked at it.  I was holding her and she didn't even flinch.  Just turned her head to look and watch it.  I ran the vacuum cleaner and she just sat up in her playpen and watched it very calmly.  She was also a very polite host to Kristie B. and her family today.  I was proud of her behavior.  We are going to meet Heather and her girls today.  Hopefully, her manners continue over there.

Welcome Home!

         We have made it through almost 18 hours!  Ventura is doing fantastic!  Picking her up gave me this overwhelming feeling of responsibility that this little life was mine to shape and nurture, teach and correct, love and play with.   She did fantastic on the car ride home...sitting in my friend, Heather's, lap for the whole ride.  Immediately upon getting her out at home, though, she  vomited!  Hopefully, her car sickness doesn't persist.  She went on another short ride later that night to drop Kinsey off for a sleepover and seemed to do great.  Then we went home and met Bailey.  Bailey is such a good dog!  She is a little mother hen to her.  If she doesn't come to me when called, Bailey would walk over and stare down at her like, "You're supposed to be doing that right now"  I let Churry off her leash for a bit so the 2 could play, but they didn't really do anything.  Bailey was being SO gentle and wouldn't run and play with her.  Churry ran along beside her while Bailey just very slowly walked along.  We were very relieved Bailey has shown absolutely no jealousy or aggressiveness.  I didn't expect any, but she's been an only dog for 3 years.  Of course, Churry has tried to sit in her leather recliner, either! 

     

           I had forgotten what little peeing machines puppies are!  It would be easier if she wouldn't SIT DOWN to pee!  I actually praised her last night because I thought she was very politely sitting and waiting for me to get a drink.  But, then I noticed she had peed.  It was the only accident she had had in the house though, until I left Pat in charge of her so I could shower.  In the 15 minutes I was in the shower she had 3 accidents!  Apparently, she had drank a whole bowl of water with him.  And she had just had a whole bowl with me!

        Sleeping went really well.  She put herself in her kennel and layed right down and went to sleep.  I made the mistake of waking up at 1:45 and thinking she surely had to go potty.  So, silly me, WOKE HER UP, took her out to potty.  She went like a good girl, but then had a major tantrum when I wanted her to go right back to bed instead of playing.  After her 20 minute fit, she quieted down and went back to sleep until 6:00.  So, I'd say she did really well.  I think tonight I'll just let her sleep though!

      I can't wait to spend the day playing with her today and working on some sitting!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  I decided I wanted to write a blog to keep everyone who is interested up to date on my puppy.  I can't tell you how excited I am for this experience and feel very honored to be allowed this opportunity.  Just think...in 2 short years, my new puppy may be making a difference in someone's life!  Many people have asked me where in the world I got the idea to do this.  Well, back when I was in Middle School or High school my mom and I encountered someone at a horse show who was raising a service puppy.  I really thought it would be a cool thing to do and the idea has been sitting in the back of my mind ever since.  It was just never really the right time to do it.  When I ran across a KSDS booth at the Wichita Lawn and Garden show, the idea was brought back.  I talked to Pat and when he didn't object, I knew it was something I had to do.  I had my application in the mail in a week.  My kids are, of course, very excited about the idea of another puppy.  More importantly, they are excited about the idea of helping change someone's life for the better.  I got the "official" letter in the mail yesterday telling me I have a puppy waiting for me.  Pat, Kinsey and I went shopping and bought some little toys and a leash and collar.  Kinsey thought that hot pink would be best for a little girl.  I told her that's fine, but I get to pick next because that is definitely NOT my color of choice!  I figured puppies grow fast.  Many people have also asked how I'm going to manage to give the puppy back in 15-18 months.  I just have to remind myself through the whole experience why I'm doing it.  I also have a beautiful lab named Bailey that will never go anywhere!   I can't wait to introduce her to her friend next Friday and begin my new adventure.