Graduation!

Friday Kyle celebrated a special event with me. I received my master's degree as Kyle cheered me on.

I debated walking across the stage with Kyle since I've seen several great pictures of other raisers doing just that. After much debate, I decided to be less conspicuous. Hence, my friend Liz and her husband Luke kept Kyle in the audience for me. I wanted Kyle to be there for the event, and this seemed like the perfect compromise.

After graduation  I met up with Liz, Luke, and Kyle. Liz completed the same master's degree I just received. In fact, she was my encouragement to go back to school. Throughout the program, Liz understood all of the up and downs and was one of my biggest cheerleaders. At graduation she brought me a beautiful bouquet.

(Kyle though my flowers smelled wonderful and wanted to eat them. I love his tongue reaching toward the bouquet.)

We found my thesis chair and I got a picture with her. Remember this is the woman who doesn't really like dogs. After we took a couple human only pictures, my chair is the one who suggested that we get a couple shots with Kyle in them. I love that woman and her support of all aspects of my life!

(Kyle in front of me and my thesis chair. I'm actually wearing the my chair's graduation gown and hood from her master's degree.)

I didn't start puppy raising again until I finished the coursework for my degree. Kyle arrived a couple weeks after my last class ended. Having him around for this stressful summer of thesis work sure made the process a lot more enjoyable. Thank you Kyle for cuddling me when I was too stressed to think and for giving me an excuse to take a break and go for a walk! We made it!

A year from now I hope the roles are reversed as I get to attend Kyle's graduation!

Playing with Picassa

Last week Kyle enjoyed a play date with Picassa and Sugar. Tuesday Picassa came over to play with Kyle. Kyle loved the interaction with other dogs on both occasions.

Kyle and Picassa spent a lot of time tumbling all over each other. While they played, I worked on my thesis, which means I was silly and didn't get any pictures of the fun they had together.

One thing that both dogs enjoyed was dinner time. Kyle gets slightly possessive of his food when other dogs are around, so this was a great training opportunity for him. He did a great job of waiting to eat even though another puppy was in the room. Of course, when Kyle finished first, I had to distract him so that Picassa could finish eating in peace.

(Kyle and Picassa intently stared at me while I prepared their meals. Picassa was so hungry, she even licked her lips.)

(Kyle did his nightly stare down of his food dish.)

(Picassa was also intently focused on her meal, but she was willing to look at the camera for a picture.)

Picassa has such a happy personality. Her tail is constantly wagging, and she seems really eager to please. I wanted the chance to play with her more, so I convinced Megan to trade puppies just for the night so that I could interact with her a little more.

My plans for Wednesday were mostly centered around working on my thesis. Picassa and I spent a lot of time in my thesis chair's office working on an important draft. We made the deadline, but Picassa spent a lot of time sleeping under my thesis chair's table.

(Picassa slept curled up like a little puppy under the table.)

Neither Picassa nor I could spend all day sitting and working, so we did fit in a few walks around the interior and exterior of the building to stretch our legs. We even stepped into a class for a couple minutes. Picassa handled the new environment wonderfully.

Picassa ended up being great moral support. When I was dragging and didn't want to type another word, she would pop up and put her head on my leg. Picassa didn't expect to be petted or try to get attention in any way, but she was just checking in. Honestly, if this girl doesn't make it as a guide, she displayed perfect therapy dog behavior. She would be great in that career!

(Picassa resting her head on my leg. She has sweet eyes in this picture.)

My thesis chair is not a dog fan. (I appreciate her because she is so supportive of my work with Kyle even though she doesn't like dogs.) It's taken time, but Kyle learned to ignore my chair because she ignores him. Picassa hasn't learned that lesson though. Every time my chair came near, Picassa touched her cold, wet nose to my chair's toes. I corrected Picassa, but inwardly I laughed at my chair's reaction. Thank you Picassa for entertaining me when I would have been bored otherwise!

After I finished my thesis draft, Picassa and I ran errands. She did a great job! Every little kid, and some adults, wanted to pet her. She received several complements for being a cute dog and being well behaved.

(Picassa loved running errands. She smiled up at me when I wanted to take her picture.)

At puppy club Megan and I traded back puppies although other raisers actually worked with Kyle for the duration of the meeting. Our meeting's theme was actually a surprise birthday party for Megan and Picassa. Their birthdays are only one day apart. Happy birthday to Megan today and Picassa tomorrow!

(Megan and Picassa posed with the sheet of brownies. The top is decorated with a paw print and the words "Happy Birthday Megan and Picassa!")

Picassa, you are an incredibly happy girl! You are welcome to play with Kyle and me whenever you want to do so.

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.)