Franky-Doodle is a D4D!

So... I have been in contact with Cheryl, the head trainer at D4D, for the last few months. During that time, I have heard a lot about Franklin. At their birthday party, I simply went by "Franklin's puppy raiser", because everyone knew who Franklin was. All day I heard, "oh, we love Franklin". It was exciting to hear, even though I wasn't able to see him because his foster family wasn't able to attend the party. I was pretty disappointed, especially because there were other puppy raisers there that got to spend time with their dogs, but I was instantly drawn to another dog that I could tell had a Franklin-like personality, AKA- he was very relaxed. He was huge, and almost white in color. At first I thought it was blogging friend Burgess, but I knew that he was still in training at GDB. I then learned that the big boy was Bradley, previously known as Bracken, Burgess' brother. So I got to work with him the whole day, and it was really comforting just to cuddle with him.

I also got the news that Franklin had been ready to be matched with a diabetic person a few months before, and had caught on to the scent very quickly, but the trainers couldn't bear to give him up! But they said that he would be going into a class that started on November 2nd, and that they would be emailing me around the middle of November to let me know how he was doing. So, a couple of days ago, I got an email from Cheryl saying that Franklin had successfully completed training with his new partner and would probably graduate on February 10th. Yay for my baby boy!!!

Also, because Cheryl fostered him for a good portion of his time in training, she got some pictures of him. One of which, she showed me, is the desktop background on her computer. She is just one of the many that fell in love with my Franky! Here are the pictures she sent me.

For those of you with screen-readers, I hope this works! Please let me know.

Happy Birthday!!! -puts on black tophat-

Sorry for the Frosty the Snowman referance... I couldn't help myself. XD

Anyway, today is Pilaf's birthday!!! My, how time flies. It seems like just yesterday I brought her home from the hospital, er, I mean, kennel. =P I am more and more pleased with P-Lilly every day, and frankly, I can tell she is starting to get bored. I have to teach her something new every day just to keep her occupied! She is a smart one, and a sweet one. Such a people pleaser...

This last Monday Pilaf got to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for Homeschool day. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of her in the aquarium, but I got some great ones outside of it! I also got some cute pictures at Bubba Gump's, but they are on the wrong camera, so I will post them when I get them.

Here is my cutie!

Do you think any of these are good enough for a calendar submission? I really like the 4th and 5th from the bottom, but what do you guys think?

Wait for it... Pciture Spam!

Okay, so I figured I would give you all a little update on my brown rice and fine watches.

Yup, Pilaf and Cartier are doing really well! Both of them have their little quirks, of course, but I love 'em anyway!

Also, just a quick little note. D4D is turning 5, and its B-day party is Saturday!!! I am going, and I am pretty sure Franky will be there. I can't wait! Hopefully I will have plenty of picture to show y'all.

Now on to the puppy pictures. That is what you wanted to see, right? Thats what I thought...

First, our outing to the Fire Station...

Pilaf was a little ervous and excited at first, but she got over it.

Showing off her new snap-around collar. I love these things! So helpful for exciteable dogs like P-Lilly.

Cartier wasn't quite sure about the whole thing, but he was a good sport!

This is little Finney. He is a 16 week old moose, weighing in at over 40 pounds!!! Our little Aussie boy, donated from a school in Australia. What a cutie!

Now for a picture dump of both pups from the past 1-2 weeks. =]

"Hi Mommy!" =]

Pilaf posing.

Pilaf has been at a puppy-sitters the last few days (a new girl wanted a dog to takr to school) so I have been having fun with just the boy and myself. Hence the following pictures...

"Can we stop these now..."

The fluffiest part of his body is his head. He lost his body fluff really early on. In fact, my CFR thought he was a 3/4 cross when she first saw him!

Practicing his sit stay. As you can see, he is already entering his leggy stage. =P

But even with the long legs, he can't get rid of his baby face. =)

Don't be fooled by this seemingly innocent face...

Lights, camera, action shots!

Moments before he runs headlong into you...

And here he goes again...

"Look mom, I can fly!"

"Did you see me mom, did you see me?!?!? I was flyin'!"

Thanks for reading!!!

~Taelor, Pilaf, and Cartier

Finally... an update!

So yes, August was a very significant month for me! Fun Day, new puppy, 16th birthday, new york city! But I'll get to that later. To begin... Fun Day!

My parents and I were up by 4 and at the campus by 7 to set up our booth. Definitely a great time to arrive! Not many people are there, good parking spaces can be found, and it is a great time to meet individuals as there isn't too much confusion. I wasted no time in getting Pilaf adorned in a festive lei.

(in the kennel is another pup from our club, Cielo, who happens to be Cabana's brother! I would never have guessed, because they look nothing alike! =D)

I spent the day working at our booth (we were the club selling the white t-shirts with the surfing pup on the back [my design! =)] and the blue "priceless" shirts.), and having fun meeting people, getting Pilaf's pedigree, snooping for information about my golden (about whom I still hadn't heard anything), and enjoying looking at the parents of all of my puppies. I also got some news about Franklin! I asked the head trainer for D4D how he was doing, and she said that everyone adores him, and he is now being fostered by her through training. She said that she just loved him, and that they aren't having any issues. I was so pleased. I also looked in the breeders digest for his parents, and he looks exactly like his mom. It almost made me cry to see it, as it just made me miss him more. Please graduate Frankie, 'cause I really want to see you again!

We then went to Pilaf's puppy meet, and out of 8 siblings, 2 were there, as well as their momma, Ryka. It was great to see them, and it is hilarious how similar Ryka and Pilaf are personality wise. They were like 2 peas in a pod! Polo and Pilaf were pretty similar, especially in looks, but Persia must have been mostly like her father, because she seemed to be the odd one out. Darker and definitely more relaxed! (Pilaf getting super excited about her momma. No, she usually isn't this rambunctious, but I let her play a bit since I had been working her pretty hard all day)

(from L to R: Ryka, Persia, Pilaf, and Polo)

Altogether, Fun Day was a great day! I enjoyed meeting people (I saw and semi talked to you guys, Emily and Kelsey, but I was too shy to introduce myself. You are both really pretty, and Burgess and Tahoe were stunning! And I knew Burgess was big, but... wow. Shelly, I had a great time speaking with you! I hope you enjoyed your vacation. ;]) and spending time at my "happiest place on earth", GDB! God willing, I will be interning there next summer!

So, about a week later, I got a call from guide dogs saying that my puppy had just landed from The Guide Dog Foundation in New York, and I could pick him up anytime I wanted. His letter was "c". Of course, I convinced my sister to drive me down the next morning, and we arrived at straight up 9 o clock. I was so excited, and soon found out that everyone loved him because he was the only golden puppy in the kennels at the time. I saw his bag in the kennel kitchen, but I made myself resist the temptation of looking at the name. Pretty soon they found my boy and brought out my bundle of fluff. Introducing... CARTIER (Kar-tee-ay) Isn't that so very French? Puppy Raising thought that he might have originally been named "Carter" by GDF, but already had a Carter, so they changed his name to something similar. Here he is!

He is definitely a funny fellow, but I love him all the more for it. I will hopefully get better pictures of him later!

Oh, and my 16th birthday was on the 31st (Fun Fact: Megan's PIT Fullerton's birthday was the same day!), and my parents surprised me with a trip to NYC!!!! We went just about everywhere, and even saw the Broadway musical, Wicked. So fun. I have been wanting to see it for years, and it was even better than I thought it would be. Altogether a great month!

Ten Things About Pilaf!!!

We were awarded this by Lisa and Ellie! Thanks guys!!! It gave me an interesting excuse for a post. ^_^

So, in honor of the award, 10 things about Pilaf:

1. Although she is a golden and lab cross, the older she gets, the less like a golden she looks. You wouldn't know she was a cross now unless I told you. =P

2. Even though she looks all lab, she couldn't act more like your steriotypical golden. Put her and the resident golden in our club side by side andthey act as if they were sisters!

3. She LOVES water, but not nearly as much as she used to. We are almost 100% positive now that her dangerous obsession with water was caused by an infection that she has had just lying away in her body since she was a young puppy.

4. Not only does she love water, but she loves anyone of the human race. She just loves people.

5. And because she loves people, she has figured out a most cunning way to draw them to her. She sits slightly in front of me, facing them. Then, she hunches her shoulders slightly, puts her ears all of the way back, gives a huge labby smile, and opens her eyes really wide. Then she stares them down. Ths, coupled with her small size and perpetually wagging tail, never fails to bring a human down. She wraps them around her little paws. XP

6. She is almost completely reliable around the house. Rarely does she pick something up off of the ground.

7. She has never made a peep while she is in the crate. Not even when she was a puppy! In fact, I am constantly afraid that I will put her in the crate and then forget about her, because she won't make a sound, no matter how long she has been in there. Kind of scary, actually.

8. She is very good at walking and staying next to me, even in situations that are stressful to her. And even though she is a very easily distracted dog, when you give her a little reminder, she will always give me back her focus.

9. She is barely 50 pounds, and so tiny. She is short and lean, but pretty long, and her tail is abnormally long compared to her body. It always curls up at the end, and when she walks, it wags from side to side with the curl always pointing upward. I hope that made sense, because it is really funny to watch her.

10. Even with all of her quircks, she is a sweetheart, and I wouldn't trade her for anything. =]

So there you have it! Pilaf in a nutshell. ^^

Now for some...

GOLDEN NEWS!

Basically, I know nothing. All we know is that he is a golden retriever that wasn't born at GDB because he is flying into GDB from somewhere else on the 17th. This could mean that he is from a different state, or a different country. We might not have any other information until he actually arrives on the 17th. I don't know if his whole litter was donated, or if it was just him. But I only know about him. We don't even know when he will be ready to pick up, because they have to tattoo him, make sure he is healthy, etc. So for now, he is Mister Mystey Golden. =D

News!!! =D

The last few weeks have been pretty average in the guide dog world. Pilaf is doing amazing, we went to 4 movies in the theatre this month, and she was perfect in every one. Didn't eat anything off the ground once! She turned 9 months old on the 22nd, and is continuing to mature Although I do believe that she is one of those dogs that will be a puppy at heart for the rest of her life. =]

Okay, so now on to the real news that I am dying to announce to you all. On August 17th, a new individual will be gracing my life...






He is 10 weeks old...







Flying in from another school somewhere internationally (don't know where yet)...







And this ball of fluff will be landing straight in my arms for the next year and a half. =D


Yes, the day I have been waiting for has finally come. I am going to be raising a Golden Retriever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This 10 week old little bundle of joy was donated to GDB from some other guide dog school in another country (vague, no? I thought so), and I will be picking him up the week of August 17th. And as of right now, that is all I know. I am just so excited!

When I get the pup, Pilaf will be almost 10 months old. A little younger than I was planning on overlapping (I was going to get a puppy in late September or October), but I do not foresee any issues. Needless to say, I have been screaming inside since my leader told me yesterday afternoon. Here comes puppy number four!

I will update when I know more. =]

She's BACK!!!

Yes, my Pilaf baby is home! After spending three weeks in San Rafael, we went and picked her up this morning. She was declared officially healthy when her Urinalysis and blood test came back fine, but they never did find out what was wrong with her. XP

Anyway, everyone we met said that they loved her, and she was "just so friendly!" I am also very pleased to announce that her water obsession is completely gone! Not only is she leaving water in the bowl after she finishes drinking (something she has never done), but she is drinking normally, not all hunched up like she used to. This makes me think that the source of the problem was whatever medically was wrong with her. We also got to take a look at a bag in the kennel kitchen area that said that a little Black Lab Female named "Peeka" was to be picked up soon. So cute! All together a great trip!

Oh, and just because I thought you guys should see it, here is the design that is going to be on the top left shoulder of the Ts that our club will be selling at Fun Day. PLEASE NO STEALING!!!

Some News...

Well, I do have some news for you guys. The veterinary clinic at GDB has decided that the antibiotics that she was on the few days leading up to her arrival at GDB had pretty much cleared up the virus. They also know that he has some sort of infection (WAY too high white blood count) but they can't seem to find the infection. They are basically giving her a sort of blanket medicine,that covers many different infections, and it seems to be working. She will have more tests done on the 25th, and if they turn out okay, she can come home on the 30th!!! A long time for a pup at the kennel, but as long as she is healthy, I'm not complaining! =D

However, with this medical issue, we have stumbled across a behavioral issue as well. Pilaf LOVES water, to an extreme extent. If you place 7 full bowls of water on the ground, she will drink everything in all of them. She "tanks up" on water, and will drink until you tell her to stop. She doesn't lose her head or anything, she just keeps drinking as if she is still thirsty. If you call her name however, or touch her or anything like that, she will immediately stop and come to you, but then she will go back to the water. She has done this since we first got her, and I always shrugged it of as a "golden thing," as did some other experienced raisers in our club. So from the beginning, I just limited her water and would fill up her bowl every couple of hours rather than leaving it full for her all the time. This tanking up on water isn't a good thing, as it can seriously hurt her if she drinks too much. So she is on several water protocols, and we hope they work!

On another note, I will be gone for the next 2 weeks to various camps. I am looking forward to catching up on your blogs when I get back!!!

So Pilaf and I went to the GDB campus today...

... And I came back puppy-less. D=

No, my 8 month old puppy is not recalled, but she will be having a stay at the kennels.

My Pilafer is sick. I can't really go into detail, but she has had blood tests, a urinalysis, etc, and they still can't figure out what the heck is wrong with her, so the vets at GDB are looking at her. My CFR said not to be surprised if she is CC'ed for this. We just don't know at this point what is wrong. Whatever it is didn't really come on suddenly, and we think it has been growing, unbeknownst to everyone, for a while. It could be just a urinary tract infection, or it could be something as severe as diabetes. We are all just hoping and praying for good news.

Gnarlybones!!!

Yes yes, here are the lovely Nylabones that have been chewed by many a dog in my house. Chewed enough, I think, to be submited into Cabana's (and raiser's too, of course) contest!!!

So... here is the first, and less-chewed, of the two. This one is relatively new, as I got it as a present from our club for being an active member. =]

Before:After:

And the second, very dead, and almost too small even for a puppy- gnarlybone! =]

Before:

After:

And no, my dogs have never broken a piece off of it or something. It was just chewed that much! XD

My destructive puppies... *sigh*