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. =]