Family News

Rio is fairly attached to his big brother Kyle. I feel bad that he's going to have to say goodbye to him next Saturday. Never fear though...Rio's getting another family member soon.

I'd like to introduce you to Rio's new dad! I don't say much about the details of my personal life on this blog, but I have to share the happiness of my recent engagement.

 (Rio, my fiance, and me outside Cafe Rio a few weeks ago.)

We will be getting married this summer, and I couldn't be happier. Rio is pretty smitten with his new dad, so I'm pretty sure he's going to love having him around as a co-raiser. Life is good!

Winter Wonderland

Utah might be snowy and cold, but it's downright toasty here compared to where my sister lives in Idaho. Kyle loves the snow, so he thought this was a great deal. In fact, he spent a good portion of the time we were in Idaho playing with Boo and Kasie in the snow.

(Boo, Kyle, and Kasie taking a break from a game of chase.)

For the most part, my sister's dog Boo doesn't like to play with Kyle. Instead, they play independently in the same yard. Thankfully, the neighbors' dog Kasie warmed up to Kyle after a few minutes, and they became fast friends.

I wanted Kyle to learn to be outside in a fenced yard without me, and having Kasie around helped him gain the confidence to do so. The first day, Kyle kept barking to come inside with the people, but by the end of our trip he was comfortable spending time out of my presence. Since I always had a fenced yard with my other GDB puppies and pets, it was funny to have to teach Kyle this skill.

(Kyle chasing Kasie across the yard.)

Kasie and Boo's favorite game is chasing squirrels up a tree. They'll spend hours on end watching their favorite squirrel spots. I was a bit worried that they would teach Kyle this game, but he never quite figured out what they were up to. I guess Kyle's retriever instincts with small animals aren't too strong. That's perfect for guide work, so I won't complain.

(Boo and Kasie are jumping at a squirrel in a tree while Kyle wanders away bored.)

Just because I can throw it in, here's a shot of my handsome boy in the snow. This picture really shows how much he is starting to look like an adult.

(Kyle standing in packed down snow.)

I'm not a fan of cold weather, so poor Kyle hasn't had his daily walks for awhile. However, with my sister Kassie and Boo as companions, we found the motivation to brave the weather. The walks were beautiful, but I have to admit that the pups had wet paws, and the humans had soggy shoes and pants by the end of each walk. That didn't keep us from venturing out again though. It's always more enjoyable to walk with company.

(Kyle and I venturing down one of the cleared sidewalks. Nice sidewalks are worth crossing the street!)

Finally, since we had a photographer with us, Kyle and I got a rare picture together. Venturing into the winter wonderland was worth it to give Kyle a weekend that he loved.

 (Kyle and I on the sidewalk in front of the snow.)

Happy Birthday Sister!

Kyle and I went to Wingers this weekend to celebrate my sister Kassie's birthday.

Kassie, a couple friends, and I stuffed ourselves on popcorn, sticky fingers, and pie.

 (Kassie holding a giant slice of pie that we shamelessly devoured.)

Meanwhile, Kyle demonstrated his best guide dog skills by dozing under the table. Wouldn't life be great if good manners for humans dictated that we nap whenever we weren't moving?

(Kyle enjoying a snooze under the table.)

I may have a plethora of siblings, but Kassie is the only sister close enough to see on a regular basis. I love that she enthusiastically supports me in my puppy raising adventures. Kyle couldn't ask for a better cheerleader. Of course, he is rather fond of Kassie as well.

 (Kassie and I together at the restaurant.)

I hope this year is the best one yet for you, sister. May your dreams come true!

New Best Friend

This past weekend Kyle and I decided to take an impromptu road trip to visit my mom and Aunt Judy. Within an hour of deciding to travel, we had the car loaded and were on our way. Once again, Kyle was a good sport about the travel time. However, the friend waiting on the other side of the drive made Kyle's weekend.

Judy's family has a six-year-old black lab named Lucky. Kyle and Lucky were instant best friends. I brought Kyle's tug toys, and they had a blast playing with them.

(Lucky and Kyle are running alongside each other. They are holding opposite ends of the Jollyball rope.)

Lucky is a lot stronger than Kyle. Thus, whenever they played tug, all Lucky had to do was stand his ground. Kyle pulled and pulled, but Lucky won most games of tug without exerting much effort. The boys were so fun together that we literally sat around and watched them for entertainment a couple times a day.

(Kyle and Lucky playing tug with the Jollyball. I love that Kyle's ears are flying because he had to exert so much effort to try and pull against Lucky.)

Lucky had never played with all of the GDB approved toys. Kyle gave Lucky one of his sterilized  bones. Before the week is over, Lucky will have a goughnut and a nylabone. Lucky also has a Furminator ordered from ebay. Lucky might not be a guide dog, but GDB has the best things for labs figured out.

(My mom held a sterilized bone for both dogs while they gnawed away at them. Spoiled boys!)

These dogs bonded quickly. If Kyle was on tiedown, Lucky stayed near him. Lucky always sleeps near Judy, but this weekend Lucky was a traitor and slept in the family room with Kyle and me. I took Kyle to church Sunday. When we got home Lucky started whining at my door of the van because I wasn't letting Kyle out quickly enough. Monday when I put Kyle in my car to head home, Lucky tried to jump in.

I wasn't the only person who decided to run away. After a weekend of fun, Judy headed to my home yesterday, but she left Lucky at home. Poor boys! We're just going to head south again sometime soon so that Kyle can play with his new best friend.

Random Vacation Memories

I promise that this will be the last post about the road trip to Idaho. These pictures include a hodgepodge of memories that are just too good not to include.

Papa loves dogs, so he had a blast playing with Kyle and Boo. After playing tug with Kyle for quite a while, he still didn't want to stop. In fact, the last thing they did before we left was play tug together.

(Kyle and Papa playing tug together.)

Kyle spent a good portion of Saturday running around outside with Boo and another neighbor dog. While Kyle enjoyed the rare freedom, he did check back with us frequently by peering in the window. Every time he stared at us, it made everyone laugh.

(Kyle intently looking at everyone through the window.)

On Sunday everyone decided to head to the river walk again. By then my foot was out of commission, so Kyle and I enjoyed reading in the grass while we waited for our family to return.

(Kyle looking regal as he lies in the grass.)

Monday night we finally took Kyle on an outing where only guide dogs would be allowed. Ricky and Papa had never been in public with one of my pups before, so this was a new experience for them. We celebrated Nicki's birthday at a yummy Mexican restaurant. Kyle stayed calmly under the table for the entire meal. That even included the wait staff singing to Nicki, much to her chagrin.

(Here's everyone I spent the wonderful weekend with: Papa, Nicki, Ricky, Me, and Kassie.)

After dinner we headed to the store to get ingredients for dessert and a few other odds and ends. Papa asked to walk Kyle. Since Kyle was in a head collar that night, I let him. They made an adorable team. Papa is fascinated with Kyle's career as a "blind dog" and repeatedly told me that he was going to be the best "blind dog" ever. I sure hope so.

(Kyle walked on a loose leash for Papa the whole time Papa had him.)

Papa was so good with Kyle that I hope he gets the chance to puppy raise in five or ten years. I've already planted the idea in his head.

Check out the video to see how well they walked together. At one point Papa took a wrong turn, but he even figured out how to redirect Kyle towards our group without pulling on the leash. Way to go Papa and Kyle!

I love my family! Kyle and I both had a blast spending a wonderful weekend with them. Hopefully it won't be too long until we're together again.

Day at the Sand Dunes

My sister Nicki and her family originally decided to visit Kassie so that they could go four wheeling at nearby sand dunes. I ended up as part of the plan because I invited myself along. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see my "almost twin" sister (we're the same age part of the year) and my adorable nephew. My brother-in-law is great, too!

Monday morning we headed to the dunes. We had two four wheelers, but one of them decided not to work. Thus, we had to find another way to entertain ourselves while we took turns riding. After a brief walk around the parking area, we found a shallow lake where Papa and Kyle could get wet while Nicki and I visited and watched.

When I first had Kyle, he didn't want to walk through puddles. Thus, I was amazed at how quickly he voluntarily ran into the water. He'd run a large circle around me through the water and across the beach.
 There is no doubt that Kyle is a water-loving dog.

(Kyle standing in the water. At the lake's deepest point, it was probably 1.5 feet deep.)

Of course, getting wet didn't make enough of a mess. Kyle decided that he wanted to roll in the sand after a few runs through the lake. That effectively changed him to a gray lab.

(This is a shot of Kyle's underside completely coated in sand.)

Kyle never completely wore himself out, but he did spend some downtime soaking up the sun rays.

(Kyle lying in the sand. I love that his nose is completely covered. I'd brush the sand off, but it never lasted.)

Eventually Kyle got tired of the hot sun and decided to make a cooler spot for himself. Sometimes animals' natural instincts amaze me. Kyle has never dug in the past, but he taught himself how and burrowed down until he got to the cooler wet sand below the ground's surface.

(This is a great video of Kyle flinging sand everywhere as he dug himself a cool resting spot.)

Kyle never got to rest in his holes for very long because Papa always filled them in for him. I counted at least three seperate holes that Kyle created for himself though.

Papa loved having a K9 friend to play with in the sand. Kyle got too rowdy at one point and jumped on Papa. Other than that, they made great playmates. Kyle even sat patiently while Papa tried to bury him.

(Papa has a huge grin and Kyle has a grimace as Papa poured sand on Kyle's back. The sand was too dry to actually bury the patient pup.)

Perhaps Kyle's favorite part of the trip was the last few minutes. I walked Kyle through a spot that had a few burrs, so I let him sit on my lap long enough to check the pads of his feet. He didn't want to get up afterward. He still thinks he is a lap dog.

(Gigantic Kyle overwhelmed my lap as he rested on it, but he enjoyed the treat nonetheless.)

Of course, after a messy day at the beach, only one option remained for Kyle. He had to get wet again as he took a bath. He survived though, and is now squeaky clean.

(Kyle gets to sport a mohawk whenever I bathe him. He is less than impressed.)

After Kyle's fun at the beach, I want to go to a deeper lake where I can take him swimming. That would be fun!

Idaho Falls Riverwalk

While Kyle and I had a great time at my friend's farm, we were excited to see my sisters and headed to Idaho Falls for the second half of our trip.

When Kyle and I pulled into Kassie's house, the first thing Kassie and I did was let Kyle and Boo meet. Boo is Kassie's almost six-year-old black lab/chow mix. It took about a minute for Boo to establish her dominance over Kyle, and then they were great friends the rest of our stay.

Since Kyle had just sat through another long car ride and Boo was stuck home while Kassie worked all day, we decided to lod up the dogs and head to the riverwalk downtown.

(Boo and Kyle sitting on the back seat with smiles on their faces and their tongues hanging out of their mouths.)

Kyle and I loved the riverwalk, and Kassie was willing to act as our photographer so we actually got quite a few pictures together.

(Kyle and I sitting in front of a spillway on the river.)

(Kyle and I sitting in front of the river.)

It sure felt good to stretch our legs after half a day in the car. Because Boo isn't a service dog, she got to run around on the trail sniffing everything and chasing geese. I was so proud of Kyle. He didn't let working alongside Boo distract him in the slightest and walked on a nice loose leash with his head held high the entire time.

(At one point we got another family to take a picture of Kassie, Boo, Kyle and me in front of one of the spillways.)

The riverwalk was a perfect evening outing. Next time we visit Kassie, we'll have to make a return trip to the river.

Weekend with Sugar and Kassie

Almost a week and a half ago, Sugar and Kassie both visited Kyle and me. I finally found a few minutes to post pictures of our adventure.

I know that Kyle's first raisers had a pet dog. Since he has lived with me, Kyle hasn't had many opportunities to play with other dogs. Sugar is only two weeks older than Kyle, so she and Kyle made great playmates. However, when I first let Sugar and Kyle play together they were pretty rough on each other.

(Kyle is pouncing on Sugar while she bares her teeth at him. They both look pretty vicious.)

After a few corrections for overly rough play, I put them both in down stays with bones to entertain themselves. They did a great job with this one even though neither was on tie down.

(Sugar and Kyle are both in great down stays. Both happily chewed on their bones and ignored the other dog just three feet away.)

The next day my sister Kassie came into town for less than 24 hours. This was Kyle's first chance to meet one of his human aunts. He took to Kassie immediately. She sat on the floor and he pulled one of his typical maneuvers. He curled up in her lap and made her hold his bone while he chewed on it. Anyone who will let him do this is okay in Kyle's book.

(Kassie is sitting with Kyle in her lap while he gnaws away at the bone in her hand.)

My family is full of dog lovers. I have five younger sisters and three younger brothers so we make quite the clan. All six sisters are adults and four of us have homes of our own. That means that four of us have dogs. My brothers also have dog fun with dad's two pet dogs. Needless to say, Kyle was a happy addition to the whole mix.

Kassie wanted to bring Kyle a present when she met him. Boo, Kassie's black lab/chow mix, didn't like her nylabone, so she brought it for Kyle. He loved it and already has it pretty worn out. In return, Kyle and I sent a Kong wobbler back for Boo. She now eats a large portion of her meals in it. Yes, my family spoils our K9 members.

 (Kyle curled up against Kassie's leg chewing on his new Nylabone.)

During all the introductions, Sugar also got plenty of attention. With two humans, the dogs got plenty of love. Of course, they both liked to vie for the same human's attention at the same time.

 (Kyle on my lap with Sugar on the floor in front of us.)

Kassie is 5 1/2 years younger than me, so when I raised Turk she was too young to help much. When Becky and I co-raised Mesa, Kassie didn't help much either. Thus, with two dogs Kassie got a new adventure. We took both dogs to the bank and grocery store, so Kassie got to walk a guide puppy in public for the first time. She loved it! Kyle and Sugar made it easy since they are both so wonderfully behaved in public.

Later in the evening, Kassie and I headed to our favorite hangout spot...a local arcade. Since we weren't sure how the dogs would handle all the noises, strange lighting situations, and other odd goings on, we only took Kyle. He did so well, we really could have taken Sugar too. Kyle didn't even blink at all the fun. He simply curled up at the skee-ball, video games, and basketball hoops. The only event that caught his attention was the air hockey. Kyle put his front paws on the table, but I think that was basically because he wanted to see what was going on

(Kyle and I playing air hockey. I had to get a picture before correcting him and making him stay down. He was too cute!)

When we got home, we let Kyle and Sugar play in my spare room while Kassie and I visited. Sugar got tired and stretched out on Kyle's dog bed. After a while, Kyle noticed that there was enough space for him too, so he joined Sugar on his bed. I was impressed that they wanted to cuddle each other without play fighting.

(Kyle is on the bed while Sugar is half on/half off the bed. Sugar chose her position first.)

Early the next morning, we took Kassie to the airport, and I was left with two dogs and one human again. The day before, my club leader had Kyle, Sugar, and Mara. She walked the three of them for two miles. I'd never walked two dogs at once, but Kris inspired me. I figured that if she could walk three dogs for two miles, I could walk two dogs for three miles.

(Kyle and Sugar both walking on loose leash. Although they are almost the same age, this picture shows that Sugar is a lot bigger.)

My neighborhood is great because it is still zoned for livestock. On our walk, Sugar, Kyle, and I got to see horses, cows, and goats. Even though Kyle sees these animals all the time, Sugar actually did better around them. She didn't even blink at any of the animals, while Kyle backed away from the horses a bit.

(A beautiful white and brown paint horse with the mountains in the background. I love the scenery in our community!)

(Kyle and Sugar in perfect sits while watching the horses. Notice that Kyle is behind Sugar. He didn't want to get as close.)

Kyle and I loved puppysitting Sugar, and she is welcome back any time she wants to visit. Kassie already knows that she has an open invitation to visit whenever she wants. :)

On a final note, here are a couple adorable pictures of the two pups. Their personalities and looks couldn't be much more different, but they are both incredible dogs!

(This shot of Kyle looking at the camera shows off what my mom dubbed the "skid mark" on his lips.)

(Beautiful Sugar! As the only golden retriever in our club, she is adored by all. Since she is on breeder watch, maybe some of us will be lucky enough to raise a Sugar puppy someday.)

Data Review Crunch Time

Next Wednesday I have a data review meeting for my thesis. The good news is that means I am only about two months off of finishing graduate school and having a lot more time for Kyle. The bad news is that means Kyle gets to be bored while I frantically type my thesis.

Last week my thesis chair told me I have to work on my thesis at least 12 hours a day without ever answering my cell phone. Then she added, you cannot do anything but work on your thesis and maybe walk your dog. Since she's not a dog person, that shows how much Kyle has won her over.

Daily walks aside (which three days a week we interpret as hikes), Kyle has spent a lot of time lounging around. One evening when he couldn't cuddle with me, he decided to cuddle my backpack.

(Kyle is curled in a ball and resting his left shoulder on my backpack.)

Later Kyle decided to lay in an extremely weird, and what appears highly uncomfortable, position on my backpack. You have to realize that bag is full of books and has hard water bottles in each side pocket. Odd puppy!

(Kyle is on his back with his front half on my backpack slanting downward. His legs are curled up so that he looks like roadkill. Sad.)

Since the backpack adventures, I've moved my work to my spare room/office, where I am much more productive than I am on the couch. This has caused Kyle to get creative again. My desk isn't that big, but he manages to curl up in the little space my feet and trashcan don't take up underneath. He is always happiest when he is touching me.

(Kyle is sleeping between my legs, which you cannot see, and a leg of my desk chair. His legs are extended to take up the last little bit of free space.)

Tonight it got to be way past bedtime, and I was still hours from submitting the draft I promised my chair before the morning. I finally took pity on Kyle and brought his bed alongside my desk. Of course, Kyle had to pick an odd way to sleep on it.

(Kyle is asleep on his back with his top half on the carpet and his bottom half on his dog bed. His legs are out to his sides. The left front leg was wrapped around my chair until I moved to take the picture. Even in his soundest sleep, Kyle likes to be near me if possible.)

My mom was on the phone to me when Kyle started barking in his sleep, so I put the phone up to him, and she got to hear it. He has the funniest little barks, whines, and groans when he dreams. Thankfully, they aren't very loud, and I'm a sound sleeper.

Yes, you did notice that I was breaking the no cell phone rule. That is because I have one of the best mom's ever. She stayed up until all hours editing chapter four of my thesis. When one of my professors told me her dad wouldn't even read the bound copy of her thesis, I had to brag that my mom reads and edits every word of my thesis. I sure am loved!

Back to Kyle... Lest you fear that he isn't getting socialized, we had a wonderfully fun puppy-filled weekend that is a large contributing factor to our crunch time now. That post will have to wait. In the mean time, I have to admit that Kyle has gotten three new toys lately to somehow makeup for asking him to entertain himself for hours every day. Isn't that a bad parenting technique...buying your kids toys instead of giving them attention? Does it count for dogs? I'm afraid so. Sigh!

(Kyle is happily chewing on his new XXL red Kong. He actually got this toy because he got his large red Kong stuck in his mouth, and it scared me. I was nice and resisted my temptation to find my camera and take a picture before I pulled it out. Now he only gets his large Kongs when I'm in the room.)