Puppy Camp

Last week was the end to puppy camp for Rocky and Spike. I had the Spike-a-roo for 2 weeks. He was the best puppy camp puppy that we have had. Rocky and Spike have some of the same characteristics and Spike also reminded me a lot of Sherman.

Back in March when I was given the option between a male or female, black or yellow puppy from the B09 litter, I knew that I wanted a male, just couldn’t make up my mind between a yellow or a black boy. I finally decided on the yellow to follow my pattern of yellow black yellow black. Spike was the black boy, so it was fun to have him for two weeks. I also decided it was probably a good thing that I picked Rocky, Spike would have never been called Spike, he would have been called Sherman (since my mom called him that the entire two weeks we had him.)


[Spike, black lab from the chest up, sitting in the sun with fence and green bushes and grass behind him, he is wearing an orange striped collar, and is looking at the camera]

Rocky enjoyed being an only dog for 2 weeks and got lots of loving by his puppy camp mom. I saw Rocky once during camp at church and he was quite happy to be with Spike’s mom.
Spike was able to go to school with my mom and to class with me. Spike has very good house manners and was very sweet. I was sick with a bad cold the 2nd week we had him and he would not leave my side.


[Ely, yellow lab laying on his round white bed with Spike, black lab laying in front on his brown square bed, both are looking at the camera]

I really enjoyed Spike’s time with us, the only thing he wanted me to tell his puppy raiser was that he wanted a little brother or sister. But there is a cute little 9 week old puppy in training named Sparky living just around the corner now so maybe that will help.

8 months old!

[Rocky from the chest up wearing a red snowflake bandana looking to the side with a field in the back ground]

I can’t believe Rocky turned 8 months old on Friday! I can’t believe I have had him for 6 months already! He has grown up so much in the past month and is so comfortable with anything he gets exposed to. He is now up to 65.8 lbs. and still growing! What I really don’t understand is that there is just a 10 lb difference between Rocky and Ely. Rocky is just good about hiding his weight! I don’t believe that Rocky realizes that he is quite so big, he still tries to get through places that he went when he was little; granted he makes it, just takes a little bit more maneuvering.

[Rocky sitting in field wearing his blue puppy in training coat]

8 things about Rocky on his 8 month birthday

1) Rocky is the only dog I know who enjoys loud noises; most dogs move away from loud noises, but Rocky seems to enjoy them. He especially loves the hairdryer and the vacuum cleaner.

2) He loves to be under stuff. When he goes to class with me he loves to be right under my chair.

3) He is great on leash walking right where he is supposed to be.

4) Rocky has a great memory, if he gets corrected for something, he normally won’t do it again. He is also great at figuring out stuff. (Like how to open doors that aren’t latched.) He is one smart boy!

5) He is a snugger, I love snuggles! Rocky loves to snuggle up next to Ely.

6) He is a very laid back pup; when he was little he was a rock on the end of the leash, he is no longer that, but people can’t believe he is a 8 month old lab, since he is so calm.

7) He loves to go places, doesn’t matter where it is. I know he will do great in any situation.

8) He is a famous pup! He is on a greeting card. Not just any greeting card, but a singing greeting card! (I just can’t let it go to his head that he is now famous.)

[Rocky chewing on his bone with his greeting card in front of him]

[Rocky’s greeting card- Rocky with his front paws hanging out of the car with his head resting on the car (the car is red, it was originally a white car)]

Thanksgiving

[Rocky asleep on the floor during thanksgiving lunch]

Happy late Thanksgiving! Rocky and Ely enjoyed their Thanksgiving hanging out in the woods in the country at my grandparents house. In honor of Rocky, I found a very yummy recipe for Rocky Road pie that I made. Rocky and Ely got to meet some family dogs and went for a long walk. Rocky enjoyed hanging out in the country with his favorite people and his favorite role model, Ely.

[Rocky and I with the finished Rocky Road pie]

Rocky and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I, for one, am very thankful to be able to raise such sweet puppies for such a great cause. I am also thankful for my family and the best pet dog in the world, Ely.

[Rocky sitting with an open field behind him just before sunset on Thanksgiving day]

The N7 boys

Here is a little update about the N7 boys! They were some smart little guys and all went through training really fast! This litter had a 80% success rate of being guide dogs, and the 20% couldn’t really help it, since it was medical.

Sherman graduated in August as a guide dog

Buttons graduated in September as a guide dog.

Simon was career changed due to health issues.

Patriot graduated in either September or October as a guide dog.

Beau graduated in October as a guide dog.

It is amazing to think that 5 little puppies could change 5 people’s lives forever! I know that whoever got these boys, whether as guides or pets, are blessed to get such sweet dogs to tackle the world together!

*Pictures taken by SEGDI when the puppies were around 6 weeks old*

Guess who turned 7 months old today?

It would be the Rock star! I can’t believe he is already turning 7 months!

So on his 7 month birthday 7 Reasons why I love raising for SEGDI

1) The people- I have made so many friends with wonderful people who I would have never met otherwise! If I ever have a problem they are always eager to help in any way! I love my puppy raiser family!

2) The puppies- SEGDI has the best puppies in the world and somehow I keep on getting the best of the best! They are all so smart; they love to work on top of having great personalities.

3) The Staff and Trainers- there are not words to describe how wonderful they are! They are fabulous about making the raising process so much fun and do a remarkable job keeping the puppy raisers informed once the puppies go back to college. The trainers are miracle workers!

4) The graduates- these amazing individuals make it a little easier saying good bye to your puppies. They love their guide dogs and it is remarkable how much they bond in such a short amount of time! I love to hear the stories from the graduates!

5) The people involved- from dedicated volunteers who play with the baby puppies and get them used to being touched and handled, to individuals who walk the dogs in for training, to the wonderful puppy sponsors who pick out some great names for these wonderful puppies, and everyone in between! There are some extremely dedicated volunteers at SEGDI!

6) The color and location- I have always loved the color blue and love that SEGDI’s coats are blue! I love that I can wear and accessorize my puppies with as much blue as I want! I love that SEGDI is in Florida; in February when I am sick of the cold weather I can go to walk a thon and it is nice and warm!

7) The impact on the raiser- before I started raising let’s just say I was a bit on the shy side. I hated talking to people whom I didn’t know, but then people came up to me and wanted to talk about the adorable puppy at the end of my leash. Over the past years, I have done so many presentations about guide dogs that I have lost count, which is something I never would have done before I started raising. I can now talk about my puppies and SEGDI for hours! I have also been able to help a lot of people with some of their doggy problems and since I never had a dog before I started raising that would have been something I never would have dreamed of doing 6 years ago. On top of everything that I have learned, my 5 sweet puppies that have been a part of my life the past years have each taught me a life lesson and have left a part of themselves behind.

Thank you Southeastern for having such an impact on my life!

Happy 7 month birthday Rocky!

A fun filled Fall day

We started the day today bright and early; we first headed down to my old school for a fall festival. It was kind of a wet, cold day so there were not very many people to begin with, however that quickly changed. There was one little girl who was just beginning to walk who was fascinated with Rocky’s nose. Rocky was such a good boy and let this little girl poke him in the nose. There was a ton of temptations for the Rock: food, kids, balls and bean bags, and marshmallows everywhere thanks to marshmallow guns. If I had set up a booth with a sign saying “pet the adorable puppy for just 25 cents”, I would be rich! I got to teach a ton of kids that you always need to ask before you pet any dog especially a working dog.

One of my little first graders that I teach on Sunday mornings, was there and came running up and wanted to pet Rocky. We have not been able to be at our normal service for the past two weeks due to my rock climbing class. Let’s just say if all of the kids tomorrow are like this little boy, Rocky should feel very well loved!

We left the festival early to go to our puppy meeting. We stopped to check on Ely and to let him out. We found that Mr. Ely had not been such a good boy while we were gone. He got into some trash and made confetti of it. Ely had a small staph infection on his skin so he got a cortisone shot on Thursday which always makes him really thirsty and hungry. Hopefully this won’t last much longer, but at least he is feeling better.

We then headed to puppy meeting. We had a very special guest at our meeting; a fabulously renowned trainer from SEGDI led our class today. It was one of the best obedience classes I have participated in. I learned so much and got a lot of helpful hints on how the trainers teach and work with the dogs. It was a GREAT meeting!

On the way home Rocky crashed (curled into a ‘tiny’ ball) and he has been asleep ever since he ate his dinner.

(sorry for the lack of picture, I will do better next time!)

A not so fun trip to the vet

I have had a crazy busy week, so this is coming a little late. Last week we got approved to have Rocky’s two baby teeth, which he was holding onto, pulled. We had been hoping they would fall out on their own, but then they started getting really irritated and he didn’t want anyone to look at his mouth. On Wednesday he was playing with one of his friends and somehow broke one of the teeth at the gum line. I had called the vet and had already scheduled his appointment for Thursday. He could not have any food after 6 pm on Wednesday night, so he enjoyed an ice cube for his good night treat.

On Thursday morning we got up early, since he had to be at the vet between 7 and 8. He was not too happy about not getting to eat breakfast. There were quite a few other dogs being dropped off and they were all not happy at all. Rocky was the happiest pup in there, he didn’t know what was coming.

super Rocky!

After filling out some paper work they came for the Rock. He happily went back with the nice lady.

The vet called my dad since I was in class, and said that everything went well and that we could pick him up after 3.

When I went to pick him up they put me in a room to go over discharge stuff and then they went and got Rocky. He was very happy to see me, and was very wiggly, until he went to check out. Rocky just sat there looking extremely pitiful. He had all the ladies working the front desk wrapped around his little paw. He got lots of love. He was a bit wobbly on our way out. After a quick potty break, he hopped in the car and didn’t move till we got home.

What Rocky's teeth looked like, but a lot worse, this was taken about a month before his teeth were pulled. His big boy teeth came in all the way and his baby teeth got stuck.

Ely was very happy to have him home and gave him a sniff down. Rocky slept the rest of the afternoon away. He was still a little out of it Friday, but by Saturday morning, he was back to his happy, somewhat more energized self. Unfortunately, I left the house Saturday morning at 6:30 am for my rock climbing class and was gone all day; Sunday was the same way so the boys didn’t get to see a lot of me last weekend.

A trip to the dentist

Rocky went to the dentist with my mom the other day. We are not allowed to go to the dentist without bringing a puppy with us. They love it when the doggies come. Rocky did fabulously and everyone loved him. He was a little restless to begin with, but then quickly settled down and went to sleep. He then didn’t want to leave! My mom had to wake him up to go.

Since he was such a good boy, he got a sticker, which will be going in his scrapbook. The dentist and hygienists always have to look at the dogs’ teeth to make sure they are nice and clean and they always are.