Raising a miracle.....

Stinson II (1/24/12 Celine II x Oz III), a Golden Retriever/Labrador cross.

Stinson's age.....

PitaPata Dog tickers

Sunday, June 27, 2010

10 months and having fun!

We took Chewy to the May 15th SER Graduation at SeaWorld, along with a couple of friends. He was a very good traveler.

We met several of his favorite people there - he was a very happy boy and he did really well during the 90 minutes we were seated (for his age!).



Yesterday we had a puppy pool party and invited Sadie, a boxer/pit mix rescue in the neighborhood, about 6 months old.  She'd never been in a baby pool and REALLY loved it and Chewy loved playing with her.  They all needed a bath after playing and making mud. 

Monday, May 10, 2010

Duchess is home...

Chewy's had lots of 'under' practice at The Community Foundation of Sarasota over the last weeks. I've been volunteering there 3 afternoons a week. He loves everyone there and they love him!
Chewy and I and Phyllis and Holland went to Fruitville Elementary last month. We were invited to speak for Career Day and CCI was a huge hit. The students LOVED Chewy and Holland and they both behaved beautifully, completing their commands correctly.
Received the email last Monday and Duchess came home on Tuesday (apparently her 'fear of loud noises' resurfaced). Her tail hasn't stopped wagging and Chewy is THRILLED to have another buddy. They play really well together and we're happy she's home, too.


Sunday, April 11, 2010

Almost 8 months old....

Our new CCI NCR friends, Cheri and her puppy, Demi, left for Michigan this weekend. We had a farewell breakfast this week and the three puppies were very well behaved (evidence below!).
Cracker Barrel's gift shop is a great place for exposures. This was a mechanical stuffed puppy that rolled around on the floor and laughed hysterically. L-R Demi, Holland, Chewy
On our way out, the three 'kids' posed for a picture under the bench on the porch. They all stayed for a long 'down' - very impressive! L-R Holland, Demi, Chewy
I've been volunteering at the Community Foundation of Sarasota three times a week. Chewy is learning 'under' and waiting patiently for me when I have to leave the desk. He's improving with each visit.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Out and about

We've been busy these last weeks. Among others, Chewy's been to the bank (above)....
to the Community Foundation of Sarasota (in the elevator here).....
with CCI puppy Holland II to the Sarasota Library (in front of the huge aquarium)...
to the hair salon downtown (I know - the leash is on the collar!-he was on tie down next to me while I got my hair cut and I forgot to switch it back).....
and, fnally, to the Senior Friendship Center for volunteering. I forgot to get pictures of our obedience class with the other CCI puppies - I'll remember this month. All of the puppies did really well in the class - we have a great instructor in Jeanine. Chewy has learned all of his 6 - 10 month commands now and we're just working on reinforcing them with distractions - that's the fun part! He absolutely adores babies and toddlers (wonder if his breeder host family had them??) and, so far, hasn't shown real fear of anything.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Play Date!

Phyllis and I and the puppies (Chewy, below center, and Holland, below right) went to North Port to visit CCI NCR (North Central Region) raiser Cheri and her puppy, Demi (on the left). They had a great time together - didn't stop running and playing for an hour. That's Tiller, my career change guide dog ("you do have a treat, right?") on the left, along with Chewy ("hmmm, that ear looks mighty tasty!") and Demi ("what do you want me to do now, huh, huh, huh?").
The CCI puppies start a new obedience class next week - pictures to follow.......
I received the most recent monthly training report on Duchess, the last guide dog puppy I raised. She's in Phase III (final phase) and is on track with all of her training. They're still working with her on the loud/strange noise aversion and are optimistic she will overcome it as her confidence and level of maturity increase.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Almost 6 months already....Happy Valentine's Day!

He really is a handsome boy!
Working really hard on the 'down' command in the car.
He came with us to the surgery center to drop me off for wrist surgery very early in the morning.
We went to the SER campus for a tour in December with Phyllis and Holland II. Chewy and Holland had a great time running and wrestling in the play yard there.

I can't believe it's been two months since I last posted. The holidays were very busy! Chewy is doing great - very smart, patient, happy, loving and handsome! We're just starting to work on a whole new set of commands: car, roll, shake, stand, under, bed, off, jump, side & heel. Whew-going to be busy!