Two Years Ago...

...on this very day, we brought Alfie home for the first time!  Little did I know that that tiny ball of fluff and puppy breath would grow up to make himself a permanent part of our lives, bringing his special blend of humor, mischief, and affection with him. 

What a personality he's proved to be! Perhaps one of Alfie's most amusing traits is his natural curiosity.  I have never seen a dog as interested in every detail of our daily lives as Alfie. For example, the first time Tim did some work in the crawlspace beneath the house, the rest of us nearly died laughing as we watched Alfie trot alertly from room to room, tracing Tim's route by snuffling into the heat registers on the floor.  Then, one day, I helped Tim up into the attic to check on the insulation -- Alfie, who of course was watching these proceedings, gave an unexpected and valiant attempt to follow right behind him!  I had to hold him back, much to his irritation.  As he heard Tim's footsteps above our heads, Alfie followed his progress around the house, looking up at the ceiling with an occasional excited bark.  From time to time, he would just stop and look at me intently, as much as if to say:  Well, aren't you going to do something about this?  When Tim finally reappeared, Alfie greeted him as if he'd just gotten back from the moon, or perhaps some mysterious fourth dimension.  What an adventure!

Life is better with a friend by your side.

Right by your side!

Thankful

Thanksgiving week -- and there's so much to be thankful for!  I'm not so sure that Alfie understands the concept of thankfulness, as we know it.  But there are many things that make him happy, most of them very simple:

Games of fetch

Games of find

All games

Learning new skills

Showing off old skills

Friends and family

New people

Walks

Dinner

Breakfast

Anything that smells funny

Anything that smells

Squirrels

Rabbits

All other animals

Morning

Night

...so, you get the picture, he's happy pretty much all the time!  There is very little, in fact, that makes him unhappy.  The three main things:

Being ignored

Being left behind

Having to skip a meal

Enjoy all the little -- and big -- things that come your way this week, giving thanks for them all!   As G.K. Chesterton said, "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy First Day of Summer

On a beautiful summer afternoon, what could be better than going to the lake?  The Ozarks are full of lakes, and right now, they're full of water from recent rains.  Most places require dogs to be on lead, but Alfie's long line gives him plenty of freedom to play without getting into any trouble.

Alfie enjoyed wading in deeper...and deeper...his favorite thing was grabbing little twigs and leaves floating on the water!

Dog-paddle!  (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun...)

Magical day.

Enjoy your summer, everyone!

It's Official!

Alfie, what have you got there?  Something you want to mail?

Oh, look -- it's to Guide Dogs of Texas!

Here's what's inside...

...yeah!!  Okay, I know Alfie's really been ours since February.  But somehow in all the flurry of activity we didn't get an official owner agreement on him until just now.  Larry Gelvin called me to let me know he was sending it...now it's signed and on its way back to Texas.  Feels great!

Let's celebrate!

Bark In the Park

This morning Alfie, Charissa and I enjoyed a visit to Springfield's Bark In the Park, a fun event for dogs and their people benefiting the local dog park.

On the way, I enjoyed stopping by some of the Master Gardener demonstration gardens.  I'm trying to learn more about gardening in this zone, in hopes of having my own garden soon!

Okay, okay, I'll pose in front of the flowers...

We weren't really sure where to go at first so I let Alfie lead, figuring he'd sniff out the excitement sooner than we could.  Sure enough, as we topped a little hill we saw it all set up...a bunch of vendors, a stage, some music, and a whole lot of dogs of all different shapes, sizes and colors.

Shaggy dogs...

...silky spaniel dogs...

...sweet dogs!

There was a little talent show where people and their dogs were going up on stage to perform, but apparently not too many had signed up so one of the organizers went out looking for participants.  On the spur of the moment, Charissa and Alfie joined in too.

It was so fun watching the dogs on stage...I don't think any of them quite did what their handlers wanted right off, but hey, it was a crazy distracting situation!  They were all having fun and that was the main thing!

Love that smile...

And this guy was a real ham too!

Alfie's turn!

When Alfie and Charissa got up on stage he looked out on the audience and had his usual "ohhh...cute..." effect on the crowd.  Major distraction!  He didn't do what Charissa wanted right at first so she improvised, having him "stand high" and finishing by putting him in a down stay, sprinkling treats around, and having him "leave it."  That is not a trick per se, just good doggie behavior, but it got an approving round of applause from the onlookers!

All in all it was just a lot of silly fun and a chance to meet a bunch of new friends.  Cool!

After all that excitement Alfie was pretty worn out on our way back to the car.

Think I'll go home and take a nap!

Home to Stay

Yes...Alfie made it home!

Alfie wriggled and licked my face so hard he knocked my sunglasses off!

Doesn't he look happy?

Alfie was thrilled to see the girls again. 

He just leaned into them, snuffled, and wagged himself silly.



 Many, many thanks to Larry Gelvin and all those at GDTx who helped make Alfie's adoption possible.  We appreciate you ALL so much!  Alfie's a special boy and we're so happy to have him!!

At home in Missouri.

A couple of days into his new life with us, he seems to be relaxing and settling in well.  Our days usually start off with an hour's walk/jog through the surrounding neighborhoods, woods, country roads, and even a nearby cemetery.  He's still good about keeping a loose leash, which is nice, although we no longer stop for every overhanging branch and manhole cover in our path!  For the most part I am very thankful for his guide dog training and plan to keep it up.  There are several areas, however, that I've loosened up on -- much to Alfie's delight.  One of those is that now he's no longer working, I've started allowing him to greet people who want to pet him on our walks.  He loves this new attention and has been very well mannered about it.  This morning, we had a nice chat with an elderly gentlemen who wanted to pet him, as he'd just recently had to put his golden retriever to sleep.  Alfie seemed to know that he just needed some extra love and laid his head gently on the man's knee. Sweet... 

He has also discovered the formerly forbidden toy...RUBBER BALLS!  Guide dogs aren't allowed to play with them but in his new civilian life, Alfie has discovered that they're great for chewing and fetching! 

It's interesting that although we're in a new house in a new state, Alfie remembers all our little routines and seems to be picking up right where he left off.  For example -- when I put the kettle on for a cup of tea, he will come nudge me with his nose to alert me right before it boils.  I've always thought he just must not like the sound of the whistle, who knows?  Funny boy!

Alfie seems happy and relaxed, even at grooming time.  I pick him up, put him on the grooming table, and go to work...he just flops down and closes his eyes.  He's not asleep, just relaxed.  Nice, because there's a lot of fur on this dood!  The next pictures you see, he will be sporting a shorter haircut...

...For now, we're just glad to have him back!

Lovin' my new life!  Woof!

Thursday!

If all goes as planned we'll be bringing Alfie home this Thursday.  You can imagine the excitement around here!   And yes -- in response to the inquiries I've been getting -- I promise there will be pictures taken!

Alfie's A Winner!

...And here he is sporting his winnings:  a custom-made collar from Mimi and Cabana's birthday giveaway!  We've enjoyed following Mimi and Cabana's journey on their terrific blog, Ours for a Lifetime.  Mimi is also a talented crafter with a delightful online boutique, Sheekoo  (very fun to check out, by the way!)  Which is probably why she can do amazing things like effortlessly whip out adorable dog collars!

Even working dogs have a fun side...how 'bout this sporty orange collar?

Here's a better picture of the collar from the side...sturdy nylon webbing with accent material stitched on top.

It also has pretty heavy-duty fittings, all nice and secure.  The pattern's great for a boy dog, all trucks and stuff, and there's even a dog riding in the back of one of the trucks...

We like the orange.  When we got Alfie as a baby puppy he wore an orange collar and they called him "orange boy!"  Plus, with Austin being the home of the UT Longhorns, you just can't go wrong with that color.  So...maybe it's not quite regulation...but he's enjoying it for the time being! 



...Thank you Mimi!



Is someone getting tired of posing for pictures?!

Happy Birthday!

A year old already?  Seems like just yesterday we were bringing home this little guy...

...and now he's getting so grown up!

My birthday wish for Alf?  That he'll have a long and happy life working...and playing...with someone he loves!

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!

An Enchanted Day

You might well wonder where this picture was taken -- in a wind tunnel?  We have quite the silly hairdos!

The answer is, we were atop this giant rock. 

Yes, those little specklike things on top are actually people!  Enchanted Rock is a granite dome that rises 425 feet above the surrounding Texas hill country, covering an area of 640 acres.  That's a lotta rock!  To climb it, you begin by following a trail through a brushy, boulder-strewn area...but when you get to the rock itself, the trail comes to an end and you just start walking up. 

It's steep, but actually not as bad as I thought it'd be...pretty much just a giant hill, only made of rock.  Nonetheless, I thought taking a break halfway up would be a smart idea!

Several times I would reach the horizon of what I'd thought was the peak, only to see that it actually stretched away much further than I'd imagined!  Of course Alfie found all this quite exhilarating.  He behaved well on leash and seemed to enjoy taking in the new experience, all the while keeping to his guide-dog "rules" and working through any obstacles that cropped up.  If there's one thing for sure about Alfie, it's that he loves a good challenge...so this was right up his alley.  He wasn't the only dog to make the hike -- we passed a couple of terrier types on the descent -- but he pretty much ignored them (yay!) 

All in all, it was a great day...and a fun new experience for all of us!

We're on top of the world!

I came, I smelled, I conquered!