Halfway?

Well, it was just about 7 months ago, on the day after Thanksgiving 2009, that this little character entered our lives...and has been keeping us busy ever since!

Remember what a cute puppy I was?

Since then, Alfie's grown into that leash and collar a bit...

Look how much bigger I am!

...and, we hope, he's also growing into the role he'll eventually fill as a guide.

Need help crossing the street? 

Now, add 7 more months, and we'll be looking at January 2011...and guess who's scheduled to head in for his assessment?

 

Ummm...who?

If all goes as planned, Alfie will join a group of 5 others (including buddies Petey, Bob, and Celia) somewhere around the beginning of 2011.  They will be evaluated in many areas, both to make sure they're ready for Advanced Training and to give GDTx the information they will need to make appropriate client/dog matches.  After the assessment, the dogs will either go directly to Advanced Training, return to their raisers for a few months until an opening is available, or possibly even wait until the next assessment in certain situations.  Of course, though I don't even want to think about it, there's also the possibility that puppies could be released from the program if it's determined that their temperament or health is not ultimately suited for guide work.  However, I anticipate good things from all the puppies I know!!!

So we're somewhere around halfway!  The second half, in my mind, is actually the most fun.  Of course there are always challenges and I know enough to expect the unexpected.  But basically, by now you've got a nice, social, well-behaved dog who's house trained and reliable anywhere you might like to take him.  For the time that remains, you get to polish his skills, smooth down rough areas...and enjoy him.  Time flies way too fast!

Lovin' life as a guide dog in training!

Fun Fun Fun!

Splash Day! Guide dog puppies sure work hard, but they know how to play too. Every year GDTx hosts a fun day for the raisers, their puppies, and any well behaved pet dogs that care to join the romp. The location is a training/boarding facility in Bulverde called K9 Country Club, and there's tons of fenced in room to roam...sandy play areas...and a giant pond for swimming and splashing! The humans enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs, while the dogs just enjoyed goofing off.

We walked into the enclosure, I let Alfie off leash, and who was the first to greet me? DAKOTA!! Besides being our last puppy to raise for GDTx, he is now a diabetic alert dog and possibly one of the sweetest personalities in the world. After loving on me for a while he ran off to play, but came back to say hello again every few minutes. What a guy! He was soaked to the skin and covered with sand but I didn't care one little bit! I enjoyed catching up with Ben and the family...they all seem to be doing well. They had a JDRF gala to attend that night, so they didn't stay too long, because obviously Dakota would have to be groomed beforehand.

Here's a little video of Ben introducing Alfie to the water...you'll catch a glimpse of Dakota and some other dogs running around in the foreground. Please ignore my goofy laugh, I'm just excited to see "my" puppy again!

While several dogs swam nonstop, Alfie seemed to think it best to stay in the shallows. He enjoyed running in to grab toys, but then would run right out again.

C'mon, Twist, let's get our feet wet!

Catch me if you can!

Hi there tall guy! Alfie gets to know Russel.

So, is it worth swimming out to get that ball or not? (Verdict: Not!)

Fun in the sand...

Oooh, Bob found a stick!

...But Alfie won't let him keep it without a challenge...

Now for a game of tug!

Uh-oh, better get it back, Bob!

Trying to get the tennis ball without slipping in.

Alfie's not really known for playing fair...sorry, Piper!!

I think Celia's getting the short end of the stick.

Adorable Bob...he's all worn out and ready to go home!

Look at his tail! Cute...

When it was time to leave, Alfie was STILL very frisky and energetic. He's the energizer puppy! Anyway, as we headed to the car we had to cross this enclosure where a bunch of agility equipment was set up, so I thought I'd see how he liked it. He loved this thing where you run up a narrow ramp and cross a bridge that was about my shoulder height...any of you with agility experience know what that's called? The reason the he looks a bit put out is because I'm stopping his fun to take a picture!

I'm on top of the world!!

In other news, no puppy swap...yet! We were supposed to get one of the puppies from the Dominguez unit (Pawsitive Approach jail program), but sadly due to some sort of incident the jail had to go on lockdown. Let me clarify that this didn't have anything to do with our dogs or their handlers in the program! But security protocol must be observed for everyone's safety, so we're postponing the swap until things are back to normal.

And, speaking of the Pawsitive Approach program, Alfie and I had a bit of a surprise yesterday when we were called by the local news (KVUE) and asked to do an interview! They were doing a nice little piece on the Pawsitive Approach program here at the Travis County Jail, and also wanted to talk to a "traditional" puppy raiser. So Alfie and I got to be on the news for 5 seconds or so...he was ignoring the camera as usual so you couldn't see his face too well, alas! But he enjoyed meeting the reporter and cameraman, so we can add that to his list of training experiences I guess.

I'm a working dog, not a movie star!

Puppy Playday & Switcheroo

Saturday, Alfie was invited to a guide dog puppy playday at puppy raiser Tracy Schagan's.  Natalie, Darrell, and Bob came too, so there were three puppies:  black lab Celia, yellow lab Bob and chocolate doodle Alfie...so cute together!

Getting good pictures of these three live wires was pretty tough -- although Bob seemed to enjoy posing for the camera!

Bob's so adorable with his wrinkly puppy face!

We thought it'd be nice to get a group shot of the raisers and their puppies, but none of us had our leashes outside and the puppies didn't feel like cooperating.  That's Tracy on the left with Celia, who's in the middle of making an escape attempt; I'm in the middle with Alfie; he and Natalie are the only ones actually looking at the camera!  Bob's on the right there with Natalie, looking like maybe he'd rather go play with Darrell.  Oh well, we tried!

We all enjoyed the time to relax and the pups had fun wearing themselves out.  Meanwhile though, Tracy and I decided to try a mini-puppy swap, giving our pups a chance to expand their experiences with a new handler and new set of situations.  Alfie will go on an official (and longer!) swap later, but I thought staying with Tracy for a couple of days would be a great addition to his education.  She runs the Greenwood School, a learning center for children, and on any given day she's got about a couple dozen little preschool kids running around the place enjoying all kinds of activities.  What a great experience for Alfie, don't you think? 

Tracy's already raised several guide dog puppies, so don't worry, he's in good hands!  Meanwhile, we've got Celia for a couple of days. 

...Think anyone will notice the difference?!