Refrigerator Art

A friend drew me a picture of Kyle (or what she is guessing he will look like) to hang on my fridge. Since I am moving in two days, I promised to hang it on my blog instead. Enjoy!

Kyle's a winner already!

This past weekend a friend and I went on a major shopping spree to buy the last of what I need for Kyle. He is now the owner of a crate, food bowls, cleanup bags, a long line, and much more. He is going to be one spoiled boy.

A few minutes ago, I learned that Kyle is getting one more thing before he arrives. Before I even knew about Kyle's transfer, I entered him and the dogs I puppy sit in a contest. Ruby's Raiser just emailed me to let me know that Kyle won a Kong Wobbler and a tray to help freeze water in his Kong. I even get a cute Kong key chain. Yea! The best part of the contest is how the winner was selected. Click here to see a video that had me laughing my head off.

Thank you Ruby! Kyle is sure to enjoy his prize.

Puzzle Pieces

Tonight my sister Kassie sent me a series of texts that made me laugh. She said, "I have this random image in my mind of a lab puzzle with random words on the back of each piece like Kyle, 18 weeks, May, etc. Some pieces are missing, but is makes it even more exciting...Like a stretched out Christmas! Extend the fun!"

One of my club members who seems to be a wealth of knowledge concerning all things related to guide dog trivia, sent me most of the information I was hoping to know about Kyle. His parents are yellow labs named Dutch and Gracie. Kyle and his littermates were born on November 24, 2009. All seven puppies, six males and one female, are yellow like their parents. His sister is Kaya and his brothers are Kearney, Keegan, Keifer, and Kendrick. (One brother is unaccounted for.) Thanks to Guide Dogs for the Blind's blog, I was able to snatch pictures of Kyle and his litter.

(This is Gracie, Kyle's mom.)

 (This is Kyle's litter when the pups are only a week old.)

(Here the litter is two and a half weeks old.)

(This picture and the three that follow are individual shots of the pups on Christmas day. Which puppy is Kyle?)

Now that I have seen pictures of Kyle, even if I don't know which pup he is, I think I can be a little more patient for the next two weeks. Every one of these little guys is adorable. Since Kyle will be five months when I get him, it will be a fun game to even try and identify him in these pictures.

Yea for the wonders of the internet! With that said, does anyone out there know where the rest of this litter ended up? It would be fun to meet or hear about Kyle's littermates.

And his name is...

Kyle!

This new puppy is following in the pawprints of my first two guide dogs. All three are male yellow labs. Because Turk and Mesa had four letter names, I secretly hoped this new pup would also have a four letter name. When I got the phone call tonight telling me that his name is Kyle, my wish was granted. I wasn't expecting him to have a human name, but I'll get used to that fact.

Now that I know Kyle's name, I am curious to know if anyone out there knows anything about him or his litter. I'm trying to be patient since Kyle will be here in a couple weeks, but patience has never been one of my virtues.

Transfer Puppy

At my puppy club meeting last week, Kris, my club leader, briefly mentioned that an 18-week-old male yellow lab that needed to be transferred from a club in Colorado. I immediately offered to take him although Kris was not sure if he was still available. Today she found out the little guy is available, and he is mine!

It's a good thing I got over excited about buying things for my new puppy because he is coming way sooner than expected. This little boy will be here some time in the next two and a half weeks! The latest that I'll get him is May 9. Yippee! I wish I knew more about him, but I will just have to wait and be surprised.

Yesterday my leash, tie down, and toys came in the mail. It sounds like they made it here just in time. I still have a few things to buy, but a friend and I have a shopping spree planned for this weekend. Now I just have to get moved into my new place asap so that my puppy and I have somewhere to live. Life is crazy busy, but it is good!

Starting the tale...

Every tale has to start somewhere. Perhaps the logical place to start this story is still two months off. On June 25th my third puppy that I'll raise for Guide Dogs for the Blind is due to arrive. So far as I know, he hasn't even been born. In fact, all I know about him is his gender. Because I don't have a fenced back yard to contain a female when she is in season, I will definitely get a male puppy.

While my puppy's arrival is two months off, I am anxious to meet him. In preparation, I've had way too much fun shopping online. Today my first purchase came in the mail. My FURminator should keep my car, home, and clothing puppy hair free. Because this is the first symbol of my pup's impending arrival, I am oddly excited about a dog brush. In fact, it is next to me on the couch right now. Call me crazy!

Although a dog brush is a silly place to start a puppy raising journey, that's where this one began. Soon more exciting adventures will follow.