My time with Rocky

I have been working on a certain project since before Rocky went back. It took me a little extra time since I had to sort through over 15,000 pictures from the last year. I hope you enjoy the video below of Rocky’s Journey as a guide dog pup! Rocky would not have been so ready for the next chapter in his life without everyone who had a special part of his life. A big thank you to everyone who gave up some of their love to Rocky! Another big thanks to all the stores, restaurants, and companies who opened their doors wide open to Rocky so that he could learn!

Rocky’s training report for May!

I got Rocky’s first report card today! His trainer was out sick, so it was a little later than the rest of the dogs. However, what was on it more than made up for it being a little late. Rocky is being a rock star in college! He is meeting expectations in pretty much every category that he would have been exposed to in phase one! I am a little shocked at how much he has done in just the short 2 or 3 weeks that he has been working with his trainer! I could not be happier with how his training is going!

On the report card they get ++ for exceeding expectations, + for meeting expectations, and W for working on. For Rocky’s first report card he got all +’s , so he is meeting expectations in all the categories he was graded on!

Rocky got meeting expectations in the following categories:

• Accepts harness
• Forward
• Straight line concept
• Left
• Right
• Down curbs
• Up curbs
• Traffic
• Left, Left
• Right, Right
• Food scavenging
• Obedience
• Scent distractions
• People distractions
• Small animal distractions
• Dog distractions
• Children distractions
• Kennel behavior

The trainer’s comment was: Rocky and I have just started working together. He has a great personality and is responding well to training. I enjoy working with him.

I am so happy that he is listening to his trainer and doing an awesome job in college! Keep up the fabulous work, Rocky! You keep on making me proud!

Rocky’s first report card is now displayed proudly on the front of the refrigerator!

Rocky aced his first big test!

I found out this morning that Rocky passed his x-rays! I have been waiting for that e-mail for the past 5 weeks. Rocky is also still being considered for a breeder. He is still getting the same training as all the other guide dog candidates but he just has a few extra eyes on him.

Rocky also got moved from the receiving kennel to the main kennel today!

It has been a very happy day for our puppy group. All of Rocky’s siblings passed their x-rays and Rocky and his sister Cassidy are still breeder candidates. One of the pups in our group was also matched in class! Hopefully the happy news will continue for the next few months!

I am so happy my little college student aced his first big test!

Happy Mother’s Day

We would like to wish a very Happy Mother’s Day to all of the fabulous SEGD mom’s. An extra special mother’s day to Sensei, Susan, Lucy, Morghan and Bella; the mothers to my wonderful pups who had a part in making them great guide dog candidates.

Also a happy mother’s day to Colt’s sister Tina who is getting ready to have her second litter of puppies in the next week or so!

A happy and sad update

Sorry for lack of posting recently, I have been a little busy with the end of the semester and finals. So Thursday, let’s just say, was a very non normal day. First, I was a little stressed with papers and studying for finals. However, my day got a lot better when I got a text message from one of the trainers at Southeastern through tweeter. It said ‘Rocky the rock star’ and had a link. The link was a picture of a very grown up proud yellow lab, who just happened to be my sweet little boy!

To say I was happy was a huge understatement. It is amazing how much he has grown up in the month he has been at school. I showed Ely the picture and he went and got a toy and brought it over and just wagged his tail and put on his happy ears; I think he recognized Rocky. I also got an update from one of my spies who found out that Rocky is in a kennel with his brother Spike and he is doing well. Seeing a picture of Rocky gave me an energy boost to write a paper and study.

Before I left for work Thursday afternoon, I checked my e-mail to find a note from my area coordinator. It was a very unexpected e-mail and was about something that I never even really thought about happening. I guess I have just prepared myself for every other situation, except this one. So Sherman, the puppy I raised before Rocky, was returned to Southeastern as his partner is having health issues and can’t keep him anymore. Sherman is now back at Southeastern. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for Sherman’s partner to give him up. They had a bond from the beginning and the love for each other showed whenever I got to talk to his partner. I just hope and pray that Sherman’s partner is ok. I know making the decision to give up Sherman was so hard, but I totally understand why he needed to give him up. So what is going to happen to the Sherminator? Well, he is back at Southeastern being evaluated to see if he would work with another student. He is still young so hopefully he will be matched quickly or if he want to choose another career, I am good with that too. I guess Sherman was meant to bless someone else the way he had already blessed me and his partner.

So now I have 2 pups in for training, one at the beginning of the road and one at the end. I think that if given the chance that Sherman and Rocky would be best buds and partners in crime. They share some of the same personality and traits and they both are major sweet hearts.

According to Ely (as translated through one of my family members) he would like his former house mates to come home, along with all of the former residents that he has met. That would be all of my puppies, as Ely got to meet Alexander when we went to see him. Colt was still around when Ely was a baby. Then there is Sherman and Rocky who Ely helped trained and attempted to teach them a thing or two. I personally think it would be very cool to see all my puppies at once; however they are pretty spread out over the southeast, so I don’t see that happening, but it is pretty cool to think about.

So to my boys in college, behave yourselves and pay attention in class. Don’t do like you did when you went to college with me, I don’t think the trainers would appreciate you falling asleep when they are trying to teach you something. I can’t wait to hear about what road you want to go down, keep making me proud and don’t party too hard. (And Rocky stay out of the water buckets, they are not mini swimming pools :) )