Why I Blog

I looked through my sparsely kept high school journal for entries about Turk and Mesa. Here is the sum total of my recorded puppy raising adventures from back then.

8-2-98
Turk passed his final obedience test and will probably be put in class soon. He will graduate August 15 or September 12. I miss him but hope he will be a successful guide.

4-28-99
Turk graduated September 12th and now works with a woman named Janet ... in Ohio. Becky and I are now raising Mesa, a dog who is nothing like Turk.

Yikes! That’s pathetic. I’ve found a few high school papers where I discussed puppy raising in more general terms, and I might post those later. However, I regret not having written more memories with my first boys.

This blog is a place to do better this time around by recording adventures for me and Kyle’s future partner. With that said, why do you blog?

Colorful Colorado

In Colorado there is a popular bumper sticker that states "Not a native, but I got here as fast as I could." My family moved to Colorado when I was almost 12-years-old and immediately agreed with that sentiment. They stayed there for over nine years. For a family that moves about every two years, that is a really long time.

Kyle's first puppy home was in Colorado. Thus, while we both ended up in Utah, the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign sure brought a huge smile to my face. Kyle was asleep, but we stopped a bit down the road so that we could both enjoy a break on Colorado soil.

(Kyle in a great down-stay near the top of Monarch Pass.)

The first stop on our trip was my hometown where my best friend from high school, Sarah, and her dog, Sam, live.

When we got to Sarah's house, she surprised me with an early birthday celebration. This was Kyle's first opportunity to watch someone open gifts. He got excited about the process and decided to help me.

(Kyle was really interested in seeing what was in my box. He was disappointed to find out that there weren't any puppy toys. However, I loved all of my gifts!)

Both Sarah and I were fairly nervous about how Sam and Kyle would get along. They have such different sizes, temperaments, and ages that we could have had problems. However, all our worries were for naught. They got along just fine.

(Sam, a 5-year-old Scottie, relaxed on the couch while Kyle sat next to him on the floor.)

Kyle and I spent our first full day in Colorado playing in my hometown. Kyle's favorite spot was Sarah's parents' backyard. He and Sam had a blast running around. The yard is huge, so it was a great place to practice off leash recalls.

(Kyle was "in the doghouse" for part of the time while we played in the back yard.)

The main purpose of our trip to Colorado was four days of camping in Marble. That meant Sarah and I loaded up both dogs and drove for five hours. Kyle started out on the floor and Sam had the back seat, but they both ended up sharing the seat in the end.

(Kyle and Sam curled up together on the seat.)

About halfway through the drive, we stopped at Independence Pass on the Continental Divide. The pictures show just how breathtaking this spot of earth is.

(Kyle and I in front of mountains in the distance. Kyle may be getting heavy, but I still can pick him up like a baby.)

When we sat down for a rest on a bench, we ended up meeting a puppy sitter from a Colorado club. I was suprised that she recognized Kyle as a dog in training since he wasn't wearing his puppy jacket. Sarah pointed out that I was wearing a "Born to Lead" tee-shirt. Silly me!

We had a great visit about Kyle, and the puppy sitter offered to take our picture. However, after being stuck in a car for the second day in a week, Kyle was a bit of a goof ball.Sam definitely put on a better show of his obedience training at that point.

(Kyle tried to squirm every-which-way in my arms while Sam sat calmly in Sarah's lap.)

A few minutes later, we headed down the trail and Kyle decided to sit wonderfully for a picture in front of the Independence Pass sign. I guess he just needed to get his wiggles out. Truth be told, I did too.

(Kyle sat like a human in my lap with his front paws hanging over my arm. The silly boy enjoys sitting like this whenever I let him.)

Kyle and I also had to get a picture with Sarah and Sam. If you look at our feet, Sarah and I are sitting in the exact same pose. That makes me laugh.

(Our group of four in front of the sign and a pond. I love the little ponds that dot this area.)

After we got to our campsite and pitched our tents, we headed to an old marble quarry to see the antiquated equipment. I was amazed by the shear quantity of marble. The marble used in the Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came from this area.

 (Kyle and Sam posed on a marble table that reminded me of Aslan's table in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.)

On another day of our camping trip, we headed to some natural hot springs. At first Kyle was really hesitant of getting in the water. However, after he saw Sam playing, Kyle decided that the water wasn't that bad. He especially liked trying to catch the water we squirted up with our hands.

(Kyle and Sarah sitting in a hot spring with the river in the background.)

(At one point I enjoyed a hot spring while Kyle dried out on the beach behind us.)

Usually our camping trips include a lot of hiking. Sarah and I have been known to hike two trails a day for a few days in a row. However, this year my broken foot limited our hiking abilities, so we stayed to flat trails and the main streets of tiny towns. Kyle and Sam loved all of the walking and stayed alert and active all day. At night, the two of them crashed in the tent. I loved having Kyle right next to me as we slept. He is my cuddle bug after all.

By the last full day of camping, Kyle finally got tired enough to take a nap. After a long walk, he crashed under a tree. Since he previously spent his time trying to eat the pine needles and twigs under the tree, this was major progress.

(Kyle is collapsed on his side in the shade of a giant pine tree.)

While we loved camping, it was nice to get back to Sarah's house. On our last day in town, Kyle and I visited the church were I grew up. That, more than anything else on the trip, felt like coming home. The congregation was full of people who shaped the person I am today. I loved giving them hugs and catching up on our years apart. I wish I could still see them every Sunday.

Since I come from a large family with several sisters who look alike, some people in the congregation questioned which sister I was when they spotted me in the pew. However, they saw Kyle and figured out that I was Amanda before having to ask. After all, they remembered me with Turk and Mesa in times past. Kyle was a saint (insert cheesy laugh here) at church and won over the hearts of all of my friends. He sure can be a charmer!

Kyle and I love Utah, but Colorado also has a piece of my heart. I know that Kyle loved going to his home state as well. I don't know if Kyle will make it back again before his recall next spring, but I look forward to many more adventures showing puppies-in-training where Turk, Mesa, and I grew up.

Kyle's Genealogy

I decided to trace Kyle's genealogy back five generations this morning. Call me a nerd, but it sounded like fun.

I actually decided to trace it because we have four Kentucky (a prominent sire) puppies in our club right now. All four have different mothers. I wanted to see if Kyle actually had any connection to all of them. He doesn't, but that's okay. I like Kyle's genealogy better.

Mesa is Kyle's great uncle! Man, that still makes me smile. In case that means nothing to you, Mesa is the second dog I co-raised with my sister Becky.

Mesa was career changed and lived as our family pet for several years. However, Mesa's sister Maddie was pulled as a breeder for guide dogs. Maddie's daughter is Vail. Vail's daughter is Stella. Stella's son is Dutch. Dutch is Kyle's dad. (That sounds like one of the long so-and-so begat so-and-so chapters in the Old Testament.) All that is important is that is that Mesa is Kyle's great-great-great uncle. How cool is that?

This recent discovery makes me all the happier that I am raising Kyle. It was meant to be!

Discovery Academy

Saturday our puppy club gave a presentation at Discovery Academy, a residential treatment school. In addition to our puppies, we had two career changed dogs, two puppies from other clubs, and one working guide at the presentation.

The presentation started with a sweet man sharing his story of how he became blind, how blindness affects his life, and the benefits of working with a guide dog. He brought goggles, blindfolds, and braille cards to make everything more interactive for the kids. My favorite part of the presentation is was when he took a short walk with Mariah, his guide, to demonstrate how they work as a team. Whenever people ask me how I can give my puppies up, I just want them to see a team working together. Their unity makes my loss completely worth it!

(Mariah is a 3 1/2 year old yellow lab. She and her partner are just starting their demonstration walk in this photo.)

During the presentation we spread all of the puppies among the teens who were watching. At times Kyle just relaxed, but he really enjoyed himself after on student decided to let Kyle climb into his lap. Kyle rarely turns down the opportunity to cuddle.

(Kyle is completely flopped over on his back with his tongue hanging out. The student who is holding him is scratching Kyle's belly. Spoiled dog!)

After the presentation, students grouped around the dogs. We explained training techniques to them. Kyle and I demonstrated how to play tug and how to do a food induced recall. The students then had fun doing these two things with him. For the most part Kyle was on his best behavior until the exact moment another raiser decided to snap a picture of us.

(Kyle jumping up and putting his front paws on me. We are making progress with this bad habit, but it isn't curbed yet.)

Kyle wasn't the only puppy getting tons of attention. Each dog was thoroughly loved on Saturday. For my sister, I have to highlight one puppy in particular. When Katherine, another raiser in my club, found out she was getting a female yellow lab with a B name, I hoped she would get a puppy named Becky. Becky is my sister who raised Mesa (and I was the co-raiser). Well, Katherine ended up with Breeze, but Breeze has a sister Becky who went to a nearby club. I got to meet Becky on Saturday. These pictures are for my guide dog raising sister who shares her name with an adorable puppy. :)

(Becky being loved on by five kids at once.)

(A closeup of Becky's face. I love that she always has such a goofy grin. This is a dog who knows how to enjoy life.)

After the meeting I had the chance to hang out and visit with people from my club while Kyle played with his friends. I love this puppy raising group!

(Kyle sitting next to Spike. Spike is a handsome red colored lab!)

(Kyle staring up at the camera with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His head looks huge at this angle.)

(Finally, Kyle worn out at the end of the meeting. He is ready to call it a day.)