Taken Too Soon...In Memory of Thompson III

There are quite a few people that I have become very close to since I have started puppy raising. They are the people that I wouldn't want anything to happen to them. They are my second family and I would do anything for them.

Tuesday afternoon I finished work, got in my car and did my usual checking of my phone. I got a text from my friend Laura.. and I read that her puppy in training, Thompson had passed away. My stomach fell and I burst into tears. She called me and filled me in on the accident. He had passed away because of a pool accident. I don't want to go into too much detail, but in the end, they had done everything they could by taking him to the vet, and the little fighter who was pushing through with all his might, was in the best hands if he went to rainbow bridge.

I was just with him two nights ago, and the co-puppy raisers are the last people that you would ever want to hear that this would happen to. I wouldn't ever want this to happen to anyone in fact. I am writing this post in memory of little Thompson, and to give awareness to people who have a pool that they let their dogs swim in or that they have taken their dog to swim in. Please keep an eye on him/her.
Accidents happen, and all that we can do at this point is learn from it.

Rest in Peace little buddy.. I Love You.

Ice Cream Puppies!

Tonight our local GRC (Gold Rush Champions) had an ice cream social at an amazing food and ice cream parlor called Leatherby's.

"Hi, I'm Spunky.. want some ice cream?!"

Felice, Service Dog, driving the Ice Cream Cart

Spunky and I already had a busy day after she had her first experience at the gym, then attended a movie, but we were both up for going and visiting our buddies to get some ice cream (yes I know.. I went to the gym... but I was working off my calories so I could eat it.. well that's what I tell myself).

We had a large group of us at dinner (35 +), and we all took up two long tables. My favorite part had to be all the tiny pups attending dinner..It was nice to get a baby puppy fix. Little Thompson, Froomin and France were there for me to cuddle with. 

Baby France..She made me want a black puppy so bad!

Silly Froomin 

My mom and I sat with our friends Wendy, Dave, Mark and Debbie. Our other friends were there too but they weren't sitting near us.. so we didn't get a chance to talk. We ordered our dinner and chatted with everyone, and I held the baby puppies! When our dinner and ice cream arrived, I had to snap a picture of it with my new pal for the next few months, Flat Stanley. He is visiting with Spunky and me to attend our vacations.. which we will report back to an Alzheimer's facility who colored the Stanley's for us with our photos about once a week. The lady who works there has a Facility dog through CCI and graduated in May 2011 with my mom! She has become good friends with our family.

Don't eat it all Stanley!

Puppy Photo Bomb!!!!! Appearance by Thompson

It was a great outing and an awesome chance to visit with friends. I can't wait for the next social outing. )

Folsom Prison

Today my mom and I took Felice (service dog) and Spunky to the Folsom Prison Museum. Since it's Summer time and we have so many museums not far from us, I decided they would be good outings for us to do. The prison isn't too far so we had some lunch and then headed over there.

Felice and Spunky in front of the Museum

As we we were walking through the museum I noticed there was a grate in the floor, which isn't something you would normally find inside. It turned out to the an air conditioner. I haven't really worked on grates with her and this was the perfect opportunity. We walked back and forth over it with lots of treats and encouragement. After some time working on it, I even got her to sit on it long enough for a picture.

Did it even with a smile on her face!

 We went further inside, and started checking out all the displays. It was really cool reading all about the things about prisoners, what they did there, old items they used to use at the prison and more. I enjoyed seeing all the old tools and the tools that prisoners made that were eventually confiscated. In the back of the museum there was a mock cell that had an animated talking prisoner. It told us about the daily life in the prison, what the walls were made of and other cool facts. 

"Don't make me stay, Mommy!"

 

Old surgery table

After we had left the museum we checked out a few things they had displayed outside, and got to look at the prison from afar. We weren't allowed to get to close, but we did go behind the "no visitors beyond this point" for a quick photo op.  

Pretending to be Rebels.

At the end of the day we stopped back inside the museum so I could get a shirt, and Spunky passed out on the floor. I guess it was too hot for her outside. We aren't huge fans of the 100 degree weather, while being a fluffy golden!

I can't wait to visit other museums over the next few weeks! I get to enjoy the places I haven't been before, while making it a good outing and getting some cute pictures! I would call it a successful day.

 

The Wonderful World of IKEA

Now IKEA wouldn't be the first place that I would have thought to have brought my dogs for a training day.. heck I don't think I would have ever thought of it! I follow a fellow puppy raiser/friend and she blogged about her trip to Ikea with her pup. My first thought was.. I have to take Spunky there! My mom and I picked a day that we could go.. and we headed there in the morning.

When we got to the store.. we headed inside and rode up the big elevator. As we were walking through the displays, I saw many different opportunities for practicing the commands "up" "down" "under" and "heel". We also worked on not forging. My mom's service dog, Felice, had fun shutting all the drawers as my mom opened them. 

Walking through Ikea is like a huge maze.. there are many twists and turns and lots of people. It is a great way to keep your dogs attention in a huge busy store and get them to do their commands with many people looking at them. 

Practicing the "here" command

When you come to the end of the display floor they have a mini restaurant that you can eat at.. so my mom and I stopped there to grab a bite to eat. The dogs got a chance to nap after practicing and working on our commands. After lunch we went to the downstairs part which is where you pick up the items  you would like to buy, then then we headed out.

It was a very eventful day.. and a great training trip. When we got home everyone was ready for a nap.. and we all took one. Spunky is still sleeping off the days activities.

1st Dog.. 1st Advanced Training Report.. 1st of the Month

Though July 1st may have been just the same as any other 1st of the month, for me it was the 1st day of the month I would be receiving Halo's first advanced training report. Though our region tells us that we will receive the report within the first 2 weeks of the month, I was already glued to my e-mail, pressing the refresh button on my phone every few minutes.

Waiting for the very first report is so nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time. Halo had been there for 6 weeks and I was DYING to know how she was doing. I was very interested to see how she had been behaving and working for her advanced trainer, Michael. I had met him at her turn-in and talked to him for a while.. and then found out about 3 weeks after turn-in that he was her trainer.

Halo's letter to me

July 1st had come... and gone.. and my fellow puppy raisers and I called it a day on checking our e-mails.

I woke up on the 2nd and was logging onto my computer to type out Spunky's progress report when I got a text from my friend Bonnie that our advanced training reports had arrived. I rushed to open my e-mail tab (the files don't open on cell phones.. I think they do that on purpose.. I'm glad I was home or that e-mail would have been torture until I could find a desktop).

I opened the attachment and was very proud of what I saw. She was in good health, and the only issues that she had checked off were barking (It wasn't elaborated as of where that was observed), rough play (no surprise there to me) and being afraid of walking through doorways ( not sure where that came from.. but it has been improving since turn-in). She was doing well learning her advanced commands and did well on her trip to Barnes and Noble.

Turn-In Day

I was really proud of her first report. It felt nice to be able to see how she was progressing.. and I can't wait to see her next report. I wish I could watch Halo as she learns the advanced training commands..