Well, today our houseguests left. So when I got home from work there was nobody here. It was actually nice to have Hope all to myself...we went for a walk for about an hour and she is just laying next to me as I'm getting caught up on her blog. I was wondering how she would react wondering where the other dog went, but she seemed happy that it was just the two of us now.
I'm actually thinking one of the benefits of co-raising will be that I will get to spend more one-on-one time with her on the days I don't have Nick. It will also allow us to do the hospital visits on the weeks I don't have him which will be easier until Nick gets a little older.
On the other hand, I can't wait to get Nick back and see how they do together when there is less activity and its just the two of them together. He's been such a good pup so far and I think she will enjoy having another dog to play with. I think this co-raising will be a nice balance for me.
I just love this dog more and more each day...and feel so fortunate that she came back into my life.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
WAGS Therapy Dog
Hope and I were called last week to visit a hospice patient at a Board & Care facility in Citrus Heights. So yesterday afternoon, I spent a lot of time brushing her out (its shedding season!), doing nails, brushing teeth, cleaning ears (which she HATES!), and giving her a bath. Today when I called, the patient had changed her mind and didn't want a dog to visit after all. I had taken her to work with me, so she was all groomed with nowhere to go. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with Sutter's volunteer coordinator and received permission to visit the STARS unit at Sutter Hospital near work.
We visited about four patients today and she did very well. One of the patient's wanted her on the bed with her and I was so proud of her that she was able to get up gently on the bed (many of these patient's cannot move on their own and there's very little room for a dog on the bed, plus these patients are on respirators, so we have to be careful of the tubes), she even managed to relax enough that she was falling asleep as the lady scratched her on the head and on her chin. She even made little "kissy" noises at Hope and Hope gave her a little smooch with her nose which made the lady very happy. What a little miracle girl she is...
Normally, Hope wears a WAGS (Wonderful Animals Giving Solace) scarf that was given to us by Sutter to wear, but a friend had given her a scarf that is so perfect for her to wear as its pink and black with paw prints. So many times people think she's a boy, so this scarf is perfect as it makes her look more like a girl and is perfect for a black dog.
Here's a picture I took of her today sporting her new scarf!
It thrills me that Hope still has such a desire to work...this morning as I was getting ready to leave for work, I put on Hope's "working" collar. Even though our houseguest, Sergi, wanted to play, she was all work and just stood there without doing anything with him. Guess she knew she was in work mode now....
We visited about four patients today and she did very well. One of the patient's wanted her on the bed with her and I was so proud of her that she was able to get up gently on the bed (many of these patient's cannot move on their own and there's very little room for a dog on the bed, plus these patients are on respirators, so we have to be careful of the tubes), she even managed to relax enough that she was falling asleep as the lady scratched her on the head and on her chin. She even made little "kissy" noises at Hope and Hope gave her a little smooch with her nose which made the lady very happy. What a little miracle girl she is...
Normally, Hope wears a WAGS (Wonderful Animals Giving Solace) scarf that was given to us by Sutter to wear, but a friend had given her a scarf that is so perfect for her to wear as its pink and black with paw prints. So many times people think she's a boy, so this scarf is perfect as it makes her look more like a girl and is perfect for a black dog.
Here's a picture I took of her today sporting her new scarf!
It thrills me that Hope still has such a desire to work...this morning as I was getting ready to leave for work, I put on Hope's "working" collar. Even though our houseguest, Sergi, wanted to play, she was all work and just stood there without doing anything with him. Guess she knew she was in work mode now....
Geowoodstock VI - Geodogs
We went to Geowoodstock VI in Wheatland with a couple of friends on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It was the geocaching event of the year with thousands of Geocachers converging on a little sleepy community outside of Lincoln. Nick went to spend the weekend with his buddy Gerrit since he is still too young to be hitting the streets because he hasn't had his shots yet. Because dogs were welcome, I was lucky to be able to take Hope with us. She was a good girl and people commented on how well behaved all of our dogs were.
Didn't know she could drive a bus did you? Another one of her many talents, she was even glad to have Skipper as her co-pilot...
See the scarves the dogs are wearing? They are actually geocaching scarves with a subtle geocaching logo on it. I told Skipper's puppy raiser that Skipper needed a scarf, since Sergi and Hope already had ones of their own. So she caved into the pressure and bought him one so he wouldn't feel left out. What good geo-dogs!
Didn't know she could drive a bus did you? Another one of her many talents, she was even glad to have Skipper as her co-pilot...
See the scarves the dogs are wearing? They are actually geocaching scarves with a subtle geocaching logo on it. I told Skipper's puppy raiser that Skipper needed a scarf, since Sergi and Hope already had ones of their own. So she caved into the pressure and bought him one so he wouldn't feel left out. What good geo-dogs!
Teaching the young-ins
Hope and I had some houseguests for a week between graduation and Memorial Day weekend, one of the two-footed variety, and one of the four-footed variety. In some ways, that made turning-in Zuleika that much easier as the house was full of people and dogs.
Our guests were my friend, Laurie from Oceanside and her 10-month old pup named Sergi who also happens to be Hope's half brother. They have the same mom, Toddy. Sergi also happens to be half-brother to Nick through their dad, Weldin. Yah, yah, everyone is related in the CCI world somehow.
The week Sergi spent here was a turning point for him that I hope will result in some changes for him that will continue when he goes back home. When he arrived here, he was busy, busy, busy, always wanting to do something, chewing toys with such energy and determination, and whining, whining whenever asked to be quiet and remain in a "down" or in a crate with any activity going on around him. There was lots of corrections and lots of what I call "bad dog water" (ie, spraying with vinegar/water) to stop the undesired behavior. Well, by the end of the week, he was a different dog...that edginess in him was gone, he learned to lay down and just "chill" and he stopped whining. I think Hope played a big part in showing him the ropes and that its ok to just relax and chill. It was so funny to see Hope teaching him, she would just "snap" at him and let him know he crossed the line, a few times making him scream like a girl. Because he is intact, there were times he tried to mount her, but she would just snap at him most of the time, so I encouraged the behavior with her when she did that to teach him a lesson.
Last Friday, Hope taught pups, Skipper & Sergi, how to swim. Sergi just followed Hope into the pool at home. And she taught another CCI pup, Skipper to swim at the lake. Unfortunately, I was working both times, so I didn't get to witness any of it. Here is a picture of Hope, Skipper and Sergi at the lake. (Yes, of course, the lake is fully fenced...)
And let's not forget the littlest pup, Nick, who at 10 weeks old, arrived home for the first time the day after I turned-in Zuleika. Hope was hot and cold with him, sometimes wanting to play, sometimes not. I think things were different with Sergi here, so we'll see how things go after its just the three of us. I'm counting on her to tire the little guy out before I have to leave for work in the morning! :-0
Our guests were my friend, Laurie from Oceanside and her 10-month old pup named Sergi who also happens to be Hope's half brother. They have the same mom, Toddy. Sergi also happens to be half-brother to Nick through their dad, Weldin. Yah, yah, everyone is related in the CCI world somehow.
The week Sergi spent here was a turning point for him that I hope will result in some changes for him that will continue when he goes back home. When he arrived here, he was busy, busy, busy, always wanting to do something, chewing toys with such energy and determination, and whining, whining whenever asked to be quiet and remain in a "down" or in a crate with any activity going on around him. There was lots of corrections and lots of what I call "bad dog water" (ie, spraying with vinegar/water) to stop the undesired behavior. Well, by the end of the week, he was a different dog...that edginess in him was gone, he learned to lay down and just "chill" and he stopped whining. I think Hope played a big part in showing him the ropes and that its ok to just relax and chill. It was so funny to see Hope teaching him, she would just "snap" at him and let him know he crossed the line, a few times making him scream like a girl. Because he is intact, there were times he tried to mount her, but she would just snap at him most of the time, so I encouraged the behavior with her when she did that to teach him a lesson.
Last Friday, Hope taught pups, Skipper & Sergi, how to swim. Sergi just followed Hope into the pool at home. And she taught another CCI pup, Skipper to swim at the lake. Unfortunately, I was working both times, so I didn't get to witness any of it. Here is a picture of Hope, Skipper and Sergi at the lake. (Yes, of course, the lake is fully fenced...)
And let's not forget the littlest pup, Nick, who at 10 weeks old, arrived home for the first time the day after I turned-in Zuleika. Hope was hot and cold with him, sometimes wanting to play, sometimes not. I think things were different with Sergi here, so we'll see how things go after its just the three of us. I'm counting on her to tire the little guy out before I have to leave for work in the morning! :-0
A weekend of goodbyes and celebration
It's been a busy couple of weeks that started off with the May, 2008 CCI NW graduation in Santa Rosa. It was time to say goodbye to Zucchini. All along I kept telling myself that her turn-in wasn't going to be hard as she's been such a challenge to raise. But a wise friend also told me that the hardest ones to raise, are the hardest ones to give up. That was certainly true with this pup. I think this was an especially hard turn-in because I know when she gets released I will not be keeping her, I will have CCI place her. So in many ways, this was truly goodbye as I will never see her again, making this turn-in especially difficult and unlike any of the others.Hope and I had a good last week with her going to the lake and taking a couple of nice long walks. It just won't be the same to see how excited Hope is to have us home and her pal to play with and go to the schoolyard to play, even though Hope could never catch her!
A couple of good friends and fellow puppy raisers were my "designated driver" for the day. Since we had the earliest photo appointment, we had to leave early. I sat with Z in the backseat all the way to Santa Rosa and cuddled with her. After pictures, the dogs had a blast running at Gittinger Park, the huge playyard at CCI. Zucchini still remembered agility lessons and ran through the tire jump, across the dog walk, and through the tunnel there. She'd make a great agility dog because she is FAST! After taking a few pictures, we went out to lunch with a bunch of friends and then went to the ceremony.
Even though it was a sad day for me, it was also a day of celebration...A good friend of mine who I met several years ago through puppy raising when we were raising littermates (Rolie & Rubin as well as Hope & Hefner) came up to present her 4th dog as a breeder at the ceremony. He is a half-brother to Hope. Some other friends had dogs that were graduating. I was excited that Zucchini would be reunited with her buddy, Zane, who was graduating, but neither seemed particularly excited to see eachother after 6 months apart. Oh well...
After the ceremony, we headed back to CCI for the dreaded turn-in. Zucchini will have the same trainer that Hope and Marisa had. So 3 out of 4 of "my" dogs will have had the same trainer, what are the odds? We'll see how long she lasts, I predict I won't even make it to my first report. As usual, she walked off without a care in the world, I just hope she adjusts well to kennel life. Unlike my other girls, since she never went into heat, this was her first exposure to the kennels.
The one thing I've always been grateful for after turning dogs in is that I've always had a dog at home to greet me. I still remember Molly peeking into my car looking for Marisa after I got home from turn-in, and her running through the house looking for Rolie and Hope. Well, that's where Hope comes in (this is HER blog after all!)...it was WONDERFUL to have a dog to cuddle after what is always a difficult and exhausting day. She slept with me all night and was my pillow to cry on....
Here's to you Zuleika...whatever path you follow next, Hope and I will always hold a special place in our hearts for you....good luck.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Another walk along the Lake
I have been pretty good about trying to get out of work at a decent hour this week so that I can take the dogs for a walk. I took Hope and Z to Folsom Lake again, this time to Folsom Point. I haven't been out here for a while and it's amazing to see how much higher the lake is now. It's nowhere near what it usually is, but the past couple of years it has been pretty low.
We took a short walk along the levee between Folsom and El Dorado Hills and back, maybe only a mile or so. Tonight it was hot outside, but the girls didn't seem to mind. Since nobody was out there, I let them walk off leash. This picture isn't great as it was taken with my camera phone, but in the background, you can see a little "island". In December, I actually walked to this island because there is actually a geocache on it! That day it was a terrain 2, today it's a 5 and you need a boat!
Even though we probably only walked a few miles or so, the dogs were tired since it was hot out there. Between the two of them, they must have drank about a gallon of water. Well...maybe not that much, but it was a lot...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
One last romp at the lake
The weather was so nice this morning that I couldn't resist taking Hope and Zucchini for one last romp at the lake. We went to Willow Creek, my favorite spot to put in our kayaks and was one Molly's favorite places to swim. We walked a mile or so on some of the trails off the bike path and I stopped at one point to let the girls swim. Lots of kayakers and rowers were out on the lake already and lots of cyclists were out on the bike trail.
"You know, we'd rather chase the stick than pose for pictures..."
I guess this was probably the first time I had been back to Willow Creek since the day I took Molly out here on her last day with me last December. I saw the hiking trail off the bike trail where I had taken her to find a geocache that day, so I took the dogs down the trail. The area looked so different than back then when it was almost a flourescent green from the recent rains, today it was all dry and there was poison oak everywhere so we didn't stick around too long. Coming back here brought back a lot of emotions of that day back in December, but honestly, they were happy ones. Molly had a good last day on this earth and I was glad to bring Hope and Zucchini to this place that will probably always hold a special place in my heart now. I hope that wherever Molly is now, she is happy that I returned with Hope and Zucchini to this special place we shared together that day...
"Leaves of three, let 'em be..." say Hope and Zucchini
"You know, we'd rather chase the stick than pose for pictures..."
I guess this was probably the first time I had been back to Willow Creek since the day I took Molly out here on her last day with me last December. I saw the hiking trail off the bike trail where I had taken her to find a geocache that day, so I took the dogs down the trail. The area looked so different than back then when it was almost a flourescent green from the recent rains, today it was all dry and there was poison oak everywhere so we didn't stick around too long. Coming back here brought back a lot of emotions of that day back in December, but honestly, they were happy ones. Molly had a good last day on this earth and I was glad to bring Hope and Zucchini to this place that will probably always hold a special place in my heart now. I hope that wherever Molly is now, she is happy that I returned with Hope and Zucchini to this special place we shared together that day...
"Leaves of three, let 'em be..." say Hope and Zucchini
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A week of lasts
Hope and I are now heading into our last week together with Zuleika, its hard to think she will be gone in a week. For me, the last week is one of the hardest times in the puppy raising journey. You go through a lot of "lasts", last week at work, last trip to the grocery store, etc. I was at REI last night and somebody asked me how much longer I would have her, it was hard to answer that it was only another week...
Today was the start of that...our last weekend together. I decided Zucchini deserved some fun, I've been working a lot of hours the past month since I started a new position and she has been a trooper at work. Today we went to Folsom Lake in Granite Bay, hiked out a mile or so, and found a nice secluded area for them to swim. They both enjoyed chasing sticks in the water. Like everything else, Zucchini beat Hope to the stick most of the times. Poor Hope, she is just too slow to beat Zucchini in anything that requires speed.
This is my favorite picture from today...(Hope is on the left, Zuleika on the right)
A wet, soggy, happy Hope!
Today was the start of that...our last weekend together. I decided Zucchini deserved some fun, I've been working a lot of hours the past month since I started a new position and she has been a trooper at work. Today we went to Folsom Lake in Granite Bay, hiked out a mile or so, and found a nice secluded area for them to swim. They both enjoyed chasing sticks in the water. Like everything else, Zucchini beat Hope to the stick most of the times. Poor Hope, she is just too slow to beat Zucchini in anything that requires speed.
This is my favorite picture from today...(Hope is on the left, Zuleika on the right)
A wet, soggy, happy Hope!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A new job - assistant puppy raiser
Hope doesn't know it yet, but she has yet another new job...
Last night, puppy #5 arrived home from CCI, but not my home just yet! I'm doing things a little different this time around, getting yet another black dog, but this time trying a male out. The biggest change is that I'm also going to be co-raising with a couple of good friends of mine, Kathy and Gloria. I think it will work out nicely and they were good about taking him the first two weeks since I will still have Zuleika for another week.
Hope has some big shoes to fill since I no longer have my Molly to show the pups the house rules. I know I'll never have another dog that will be able to fill that role, but I hope she will have some good influence on Nick. I have watched a friend's young pup, Gerrit, the past couple of weekends and she seems to enjoy having a pup around, so hopefully she will like her new role as the "Big 'Sis".
The "little" guy is not so little; at 8 weeks old, he was over 16 lbs a week ago, so he's probably getting close to 20lbs! This is huge by my standards, Zucchini was 11 lbs and most of my girls were 12-14 lbs. He comes from a litter of nine pups, he was the last puppy born, so his collar color was orange (same as Rolie!). I'm just glad I moved down to the 1st floor at work, I usually carry my pups outside as long as I can to avoid potty accidents when they wake up after a nap. 20lbs is usually about my limit for carrying pups down the stairs. Knock on wood, I haven't had any accidents at work yet, although I have some close calls (like right outside the entrance!). Let's hope we keep our streak going with Nick!
Here's a litter picture that was taken last Sunday and a picture of Nick with his wonderful dog-mom, Niobe:
Isn't he adorable?!!!!!
Zucchini's turn-in has really started hitting me the past few days, so its nice to know I will have Hope at home waiting for me when I get back from Santa Rosa and Nick will come stay with me right after that too.
Last night, puppy #5 arrived home from CCI, but not my home just yet! I'm doing things a little different this time around, getting yet another black dog, but this time trying a male out. The biggest change is that I'm also going to be co-raising with a couple of good friends of mine, Kathy and Gloria. I think it will work out nicely and they were good about taking him the first two weeks since I will still have Zuleika for another week.
Hope has some big shoes to fill since I no longer have my Molly to show the pups the house rules. I know I'll never have another dog that will be able to fill that role, but I hope she will have some good influence on Nick. I have watched a friend's young pup, Gerrit, the past couple of weekends and she seems to enjoy having a pup around, so hopefully she will like her new role as the "Big 'Sis".
The "little" guy is not so little; at 8 weeks old, he was over 16 lbs a week ago, so he's probably getting close to 20lbs! This is huge by my standards, Zucchini was 11 lbs and most of my girls were 12-14 lbs. He comes from a litter of nine pups, he was the last puppy born, so his collar color was orange (same as Rolie!). I'm just glad I moved down to the 1st floor at work, I usually carry my pups outside as long as I can to avoid potty accidents when they wake up after a nap. 20lbs is usually about my limit for carrying pups down the stairs. Knock on wood, I haven't had any accidents at work yet, although I have some close calls (like right outside the entrance!). Let's hope we keep our streak going with Nick!
Here's a litter picture that was taken last Sunday and a picture of Nick with his wonderful dog-mom, Niobe:
Isn't he adorable?!!!!!
Zucchini's turn-in has really started hitting me the past few days, so its nice to know I will have Hope at home waiting for me when I get back from Santa Rosa and Nick will come stay with me right after that too.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A weekend of fun
Yesterday was Zucchini's last "Big Dog" class, hard to believe she will be gone in a couple of weeks. It's such a mixed bag of emotions with this puppy. As much as she has put me through emotionally and financially over the past year and a half, she really is a sweet little dog who I have grown to love and much as I'd hate to admit it, I will miss that sweet little face of hers and that wiggling butt that wiggles like no other. I think Hope will miss her too, they have grown to be such good pals.
Our last class was held in Point Reyes, about a 2 hour drive from here where our CCI contract trainer lives. After class we had a picnic at Millerton Point, a great place to picnic and let the dogs run free. I went with a friend and her husband. All together we had 5 dogs, 3 of hers, and Hope and Zucchini. It was a full carload of dogs and people!
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the table at home so i didn't get any pictures of Hope at the beach. But, she had a great time running with the other dogs and rolling in the sand. Dang, I wished I would have had a camera to get a shot of her after her roll in the sand, half her face was full of sand and I think she got a mouthful of it too. Yuck! She (and Zucchini) were two tired (and filthy) dogs when we got home! I always worry about her playing rough with other dogs, but she did great, and even had a decent recall. That makes me happy because I have worked so hard with her on that as she had almost no recall whatsoever when I raised her as a puppy. Zucchini's recall yesterday on the other hand is another story...but this is Hope's blog so we won't get into that one! ;-)
Today, Sunday, I took Hope and Zucchini geocaching at Folsom Lake in the Beals Point area. We also found 6 caches! It's that time of the year when it's hard (and dangerous) to take the dogs because it is full of stickers, its tick season, and most of all, its rattlesnake season. For the most part, we stayed on the paved trails, but did have to venture off to find the actual geocaches. Hope and Z didn't seem to mind too much.
Here are a few pictures I took today (not very good quality) as they are from my camera phone:
Hope is laying down on the rock next the cache container...
Zucchini is in front, Hope in the back...
Our last class was held in Point Reyes, about a 2 hour drive from here where our CCI contract trainer lives. After class we had a picnic at Millerton Point, a great place to picnic and let the dogs run free. I went with a friend and her husband. All together we had 5 dogs, 3 of hers, and Hope and Zucchini. It was a full carload of dogs and people!
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the table at home so i didn't get any pictures of Hope at the beach. But, she had a great time running with the other dogs and rolling in the sand. Dang, I wished I would have had a camera to get a shot of her after her roll in the sand, half her face was full of sand and I think she got a mouthful of it too. Yuck! She (and Zucchini) were two tired (and filthy) dogs when we got home! I always worry about her playing rough with other dogs, but she did great, and even had a decent recall. That makes me happy because I have worked so hard with her on that as she had almost no recall whatsoever when I raised her as a puppy. Zucchini's recall yesterday on the other hand is another story...but this is Hope's blog so we won't get into that one! ;-)
Today, Sunday, I took Hope and Zucchini geocaching at Folsom Lake in the Beals Point area. We also found 6 caches! It's that time of the year when it's hard (and dangerous) to take the dogs because it is full of stickers, its tick season, and most of all, its rattlesnake season. For the most part, we stayed on the paved trails, but did have to venture off to find the actual geocaches. Hope and Z didn't seem to mind too much.
Here are a few pictures I took today (not very good quality) as they are from my camera phone:
Hope is laying down on the rock next the cache container...
Zucchini is in front, Hope in the back...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
