The circle

So I'm sitting here with my little cuddle bug on my lap, he's falling asleep, and Janda's song came on my iPod. When both Janda and Arturo left, they had a song that just summed up how I felt. Janda's is Every Time We Say Goodbye.

I know it's early to be thinking about this, but I was looking at Vicente's Facebook page and then Janda's, and listening to his little baby snores was kinda sad. Raising guide dogs is one of the most incredible experiences in the world, and getting to see the joy all my working guides and career changes have brought their families is worth every moment, but I already can't stand the thought of sending back my little smart, vocal, sweet baby boy.

Vicente

Janda


I'll leave you with a section from the lyrics of Janda's song especially for everyone who has recently sent back a puppy:

"Everytime we say goodbye, I die a little,
Everytime we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,
Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know.
Think so little of me, they allow you to go.
When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it,
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to
minor,
Everytime we say goodbye."

The End

Janda graduated on Saturday. She's now the cutest guide dog in Colorado. Everything was pretty much perfect, and I am so happy with my favorite little girl.

Since I don't really have any more dogs in training, I'm done blogging officially. If I get another puppy in the future, I'll be back. :) But with being in college and the career field I'm going in to, it'll probably be a while before I can get another dog. I'll leave you all with a picture of my Bean looking amazing.

5 years

5 years ago, today, one little yellow lab puppy flew into Seattle to become my first puppy, my first love, and my first heartbreak. I love you Mr. Arturo!!

Yesterday Janda and a friend and I had a wonderful day in Seattle, and I'll post pictures of that later :)

Good 'ol days

I found this video while I was cleaning out old school files on my computer. It's of Janda when she was about 16 weeks old. :)

Black Snow

We had a boring day at home. Half way through the day, I decided we really needed to groom Janda. And by "we" I mean me. When I was done, I had a back yard almost full of black puppy fur. We had so much fur we could have probably made a mini Janda and sold it on eBay. Ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but that dog is a tiny little thing and loses hair like nothing else!!! Eekers!

I wish I had pictures. It's been a pretty boring week...she's really only been to school and the station, so not much fun stuff to report :)

The Pulling Problem

Can pulling be a sign of stress? I'm really trying to figure this thing out. Janda is a FANTASTIC dog except for her pulling problem--but that's a huge problem as it's aggravating an old shoulder problem that I got from when I had Arturo. I think I've narrowed it down to two things:

1. it's a sign of stress
2. she doesn't see why she should listen

It's not that she doesn't know what to do. I don't think her problem is even that she doesn't want to do it. I think she just has no motivation to actually DO it. Which is why when she's on food reward, she's great.

The reason I'm wondering if it could be a sign of stress is that when we went downtown Seattle, she was the worst I've ever seen her. She was absolutely not listening to anything. Corrections, commands, nothing. I got so fed up with her that I put her on the Halti a few blocks into our trip. Anyone who knows my philosophy with my pups knows that the Halti is a last resort. Then, today, while we were walking through campus at "rush hour" I realized she was trotting next to me on a perfect loose leash, on the flat collar, without food reward of any kind. She's done the school thing so many times, it's old hat. 

So can shutting down handler awareness be stress? She definitely pulls in other situations, too. Like on walks around the neighborhood she pulls all over the place and gets really sniffy. She also used to pull a lot at school, but not so much anymore. When we were at the grocery store, she pulled a little but after a good correction and re-focus, she was fine. 

Thoughts? Opinions? Advice? I have a competition in a week and a half and I can't be killing my shoulders since there's a PT test.

Our Day

Janda at school

Hanging out Downtown Seattle

Friends and Janda at the Aquarium

I love my sweet Bean!

She kept her foot on top of mine while waiting at the bus stop :)

Dear Mom,

I hope you and dad are having a great time on your trip! This morning I woke up and thought "oh no! Somebody kidnapped me!" and then I realized I was just at Anna's house still.

It's Thursday! So that means I get up real real early and bounce around until Anna feeds me! I'm very careful not to wake her up though. I always make sure she's moving before I stick my nose on the edge of her bed and just stare longingly at her.

Anna's gotten mean at school. She says that no one can pet me except for the drama kids. SHE says that's because the drama kids know how to do it right. But all I know is I want to squirm all around on the floor and she won't let me! She's also mean because she's making me slow down and not run up and down stairs. I'm just always in a hurry, mom! You understand, don't you? We walked up and down stairs for HALF AN HOUR today! I mean, I'm not complaining, but I think there's better way I could be spending my time....like napping or getting a belly rub.

Anyway, after school, dinner, and a play session at home, we started out going shopping and then to Anna's community group for Bible study. I was so excited! I love the people at community group, and they love me! But then Anna got a call from her Police Explorer Chief and said we had to go to Honor Guard training instead. I know what THAT means. Boring boring boring sitting and learning and watching people march. Ugh. I have to do SO much sitting and watching! Anna says it's good experience to watch soldiers march in their full uniforms and big boots. I think it's just boring. That's puppy stuff!

So, if you feel like coming to get me, I'm all for it. Except, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we have a short day of school and then Anna is taking me to the Seattle Aquarium and Pike Place Market. And we get to ride the bus!! So wait till Saturday to come get me back...I love you!

Well, I'm sleepy. These college kids stay up SO late..... *yawn* night mommy!!

~Janda

Pup-tastic

How could anyone NOT want to be me? I have the cutest, sweetest, wonderfullest puppy in the planet lying on my beanbag chair. She also happens to be most affectionate and probably shows more "emotion" than any of my previous pupsters.

Today I picked her and her paraphernalia up on the way to school. After school, she got to come home for the first time in.....a while! She was so super excited to be back in the house! Tail wagging non-stop for the first 10 minutes. Had to make sure all her favorite toys were still in the toy box. Had to make sure the beanbag was still there. Had to make sure her water bowl is where she remembered it. Of course it all was, and now she's happy after some good exercise and a long day of school.

She has approval to come to the police station for my explorer meeting tonight. That'll be a fun experience!!

Home again, home again

Janda's coming back! I know I'm a pathetic blogger when I don't have a dog, so be glad she's coming back!! :)

Tomorrow morning I pick her up for school and she'll be spending the next 2 weeks with us. My little brother is excited, I'm excited, and quite a few people are excited to hang out with her!

Of course I'll blog while she's here!!

APRIL FOOL!

Now that it is officially April 2nd, I first of all wanted to make it clear to anyone who didn't bother to check out the "picture link" that the below post was an April Fool. Janda is still happily living her life as a fantastically well-behaved puppy in training.

On that note, I want to wish the wiggly little Bean a very happy 1st birthday! Today being the official day she turns 1! And she now has her own Facebook fan page, so feel free to search for "Janda" and become a fan :)

SO

I don't know any other way to say it. Janda's been cc'd. Not that I haven't seen this coming, but it still doesn't make it any easier. According to my leaders, it has to do with her distraction problems. She was doing so well on food reward that I guess when they started taking her off of it, they weren't seeing the progress they expected for an almost 1-year-old puppy. Right now I'm still waiting to hear what the family is planning on doing about placement. This is their first career change, and they've always said they would keep Janda, but now they're facing the concept of having her AND trying to raise another pupster. I would take her in a heartbeat, but I'm afraid my parents aren't so down with that.

I'm really disappointed. I thought she had great potential all along. I know I shouldn't cry this hard for a dog that wasn't technically "mine" but at first I could really see her as a breeder, and then she got spayed, and then I kept saying someone would be SO lucky to have her as their guide. Now this. I guess she'd be a great therapy dog. She was always great with kids. I dunno. I really don't. At this point I have to just pick myself up and move on with the week. It kind of works out because she wasn't going to be able to come to school with me this quarter anyway. But it also means her family will have to postpone getting a new puppy until May at earliest....so they will either adopt Janda and then they will have to wait to raise again until she's more mature, or if they let GDB place her, they still have to wait till May because that's when their work schedules open up. Ugh.

Those of you who've gone through career changes for things you feel like "if only I'd worked harder on that problem" how do you deal with it? I feel so guilty because I'm sure I could have worked harder on getting her to ignore distractions. I guess part of it's just personality and you have to accept that, but I know part of it is training. And I suppose no one is really "at fault" but what if?

On a brighter note, today is Vortex's birthday! Happy birthday big 2-year-old!

And a friend of mine who's a photographer took some pictures with Janda and I on Monday (since I'm on spring break) so here's the album. Please vote for your favorite, we're going to send one of them into the calendar.

Wow

I just realized something today, as I took Janda to school. She's turning a year old in a few weeks. And she's a female. Fortunately a spayed one. To any big GDB decision makers who might be reading this blog, Janda is a great puppy, she just needs a little while longer. Maybe until September. She...........has problems! Yes, that's it. Problems. I mean, not problems that can't be solved with a little time. And it's stuff you wouldn't want to waste the trainers' time with so, I mean, what the heck. She can just stick around for a few more months........right?

Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

This is what we here in Seattle do when the sun comes out...

1. find sunniest room in the house
2. find the biggest spot of sun in that room that guide dog puppies are allowed to lay on (i.e. not on the bed)
3. nap 

With this beautiful sun, I'm planning on doing a mini photo shoot this afternoon. So if that happens I'll post pictures. We're taking my brother to the DOL so he can get his motorcycle permit this afternoon. But other than that, it'll be a nice, low-key day!

And Life is Good

Today Janda came back home!! She has been absent in this house for....several months and boy have I missed her!! Today we went to school and then went to the mall to redeem some gift cards! She was a dream to handle in 80% of the stores! Walking down the mallway, loose leash, I was the happiest girl in the world.

Strangely, though, she had a weird reaction to one of the smaller, cramped stores. She was fine when facing into the store, but as soon as she turned around so that she could see the door, she started half pulling to get out. Maybe she's claustrophobic? I'm going to test that theory whenever I get a chance. It was just strange, since I've never seen her do that before.

But she's on food reward for pulling and it's been working like a charm. Right now I'm sitting on her bed with her, and she's asleep with her head touching my knee. I just love having a puppy again. :D

Coming soon...

Next week Janda will be coming to school on Tuesday and then start the weekend at our house on Thursday. Expect some much more exciting posts soon! Right now, about all the news we have is that she was spayed last week. I don't really know why...her sisters are all super soft and NOT being spayed....

School

The word is officially in. Janda WILL be resuming her duties as faithful school companion this quarter. My parents still don't want her riding in their car (which I drive) so it will work as follows:

Tuesdays and Thursdays

• 8:30am I will pick Janda up at her house and walk just down the road to the bus stop
• 9:45am we will arrive (via bus) at the college and wait a while for my class to start
• 10:30am she will sit through Communications (the professor of this class knew Vortex and met Janda when she was just a tiny baby pup and will be VERY excited to have Bean in class!)
• 11:30am she will either sit through Scene Tech or join one of our other puppy raisers on campus if I have to work in the shop where the noise would damage her ears
• 12:30pm we'll act together in Acting (the class where 1/2 of the students knew her from last quarter and have been asking almost every day when she's coming back)
• 2:30pm I hope she won't howl as she listens to Voice class practicing (my professor in this class also knew Vortex and asked me yesterday when I was going to bring back another puppy)
• 3:50pm we will board the bus heading back to Janda's house
• 5:00pm Janda will arrive back home, exhausted

It'll be a full 8 1/2 hour day for both of us, but she's old enough that it'll be a great experience for her I think. Plus she will get to ride the bus--a great experience since a lot of visually impaired people use public transportation frequently.

Meeting and Bean

Yesterday we had our club meeting and I got to see all my babies! Well, they're not babies anymore...they're huge! I love that, since I'm a sitter, I walk in and all the dogs go crazy! :)

Sutter-Bug chillin' before the meeting

Janda and cc'd pet "Webster" showing off their stay

Moses..one cute pup

Margie who is the oldest and will be leaving next :(

Janda's December picture

Janda and CCI puppy Dilbert

Two pups in one day

Today my last class was cancelled so I ran over to Janda's house and grabbed her for our trip to Echo Glen for the day. We have a new class of dogs in and there are 6 tiny little puppies they delivered for us, too.

one of the tiny puppies

another one of the tiny puppies. You know the little stuffed animals GDB sells? This puppy is about that size.

so is this one :)

All 6 of them

4 of our program dogs

Most of our program dogs.

This session we have 2 labs a black and a yellow, a GSD, a deaf great dane, a border collie cross, a beagle cross, and a boxer. It's gonna be a fun one :D

Look at that cute girl. Working with these shelter dogs make me appreciate how well-behaved our little squirrels are.

Tonight I'm picking up MYL Sutter for about a week and a half. I am beyond excited! I have only worked with Bean for so long that I'm REALLY looking forward to having a boy!!!! So look for real posts starting tonight/tomorrow!

Official Welcome to Fall

Fall isn't official until you get fall puppy pictures!! Today I got me some of those, as well as a few at Echo Glen. Preparing for her breeder scrapbook ;)

Behind closed doors live many great kids and several great dogs

Janda in front of the Canine Connections building

Yes, Bean's a volunteer too

Walkway at Echo Glen

I know, she's cute

I don't usually put her in the Halti, but the training at Echo Glen is all on Haltis so we use it there

Look at that cuuute faaace

With just a few tweaks, this would have been a great calendar picture

This reminds me of my senior pictures for some reason

Yes! She's mastered the "look at me" command :D