Homecoming Goodness

Be prepared to be inundated with tons of adorable puppy pictures! Picking up Rio and introducing him to his new home was a blast!

(Someone must have told Rio that the way to win my heart is by snuggling his head on my shoulder.)

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Rio is a transfer puppy. About eight weeks ago, my club leader told me about three lab puppies that were coming to Utah that weekend. Two had homes, but the third was a starter puppy. She asked if I would be interested in finishing the pup. My intention had been to start my own puppy, but on a whim I said yes and cannot be happier with my decision.

(Rio cuddling on my lap outside my friend's condo.)

I thought all three pups coming were female black labs. That was almost right because two were. I laughed out loud when I found out that the starter puppy was a male yellow lab. All four of my puppies have been MYLs. If I ever raise anything different, I won't know what to do.

The day Rio came to Utah, we had evaluations with our CFR. It was at that meeting that I found out that Rio was officially mine. My CFR also let our club guess his name. It only took about 30 seconds to guess Rio. I love Rio's name! It's my favorite puppy name and the only one I would have chosen for a pet dog. (Sorry Turk, Mesa, and Kyle.)

Rio was started by the leader of the club to the north of us. I never got to meet Rio in person before yesterday, but I did get to see pictures of him via a text, a blog, and facebook. I couldn't wait to see the boy in person.

 (Holding Rio out so that I could see his adorable face.)

Ever since my first puppy club had two gorgeous red colored yellow labs, I've longed for a red puppy of my own. Rio fulfilled my wish! I'm seriously so excited about his darker color.

(Red Rio showing off his fun speckled nose.)

I wasn't the only person eagerly anticipating Rio's arrival. My neighbors, friends, club members, family, and students we're all excited to meet him as well.

(Rio meeting my neighbor. She loves my puppies and is super excited that Rio plays gently.)

Of course, the most important meeting was when I introduced Kyle and Rio. Things couldn't have gone better!

 (The first sniffs as I let Kyle free from his kennel.)

Kyle and Rio are adorable when they play together. Kyle is great at matching his play style to other dogs' styles, so the boys hit it off well from the start.

 (Kyle and Rio sniffed each other for about two seconds before they began roughhousing.)

To wrap up the massive amounts of pictures, I took the boys into the backyard for some shots in their puppy vests.

 (Kyle whispering secrets into Rio's ears. Hopefully he was giving Rio tips for being the best guide pup possible.)

Rio needed a head shot for our club website. He is about the easiest puppy to photograph. I just love this adorable face!

(Rio with an charming head tilt and wrinkly eyebrows.)

After all the camera happiness, it was time to just snuggle Kyle and Rio. My friend Katie was with me to pick up Rio, and she acted as our photographer. Since both boys wanted attention, Katie stuck around, and we took turns cuddling both puppies.

 (Rio enjoying Katie's lap.)

There are tons more pictures and stories, and Rio hasn't even been home for 24 hours. The next year with Rio is going to be a great one!

Introducing #4

Just over an hour ago, I picked up male yellow lab #4. My new little boy is Rio. More information about the little guy and his big brother will follow later. For now, I'm going to go love on both of my puppies.

7.5 Hours until #4

Puppy #4 arrives in 7 1/2 hours. I cannot wait to meet the little one! It's seriously affecting my productivity at work.

It's not too late to cast a vote on who's coming. So far nobody is right, so you still have a chance to win.

Game Time

I'm no good at keeping secrets, but I've held this one in for several weeks now. Aren't you proud of me?

Kyle's going to be a big brother!

Part of the reason I was surprised by Kyle's late recall date was the fact that I had already applied for a new puppy. Since that pup is arrives on March 29, I'll have two puppies in training for six and a half weeks. The idea overwhelmed me at first, but now I'm looking forward to the adventure.

In anticipation of the new arrival, it's game time. When I found out about Kyle's transfer, I shared each puzzle piece of information as I gathered it. With puppy #4, I'm doing the opposite. I'm not going to tell anything. Instead you get to place a guess in each of the following categories:

Gender, Breed, Color, and Litter Letter.

The first person to guess correctly will get a care package with a couple of Kyle's favorite toys. After all, Kyle has to be a part of this, or he'll get jealous. If nobody guesses correctly, we'll draw among the people who get 3 out of 4 correct. The game closes when I post a picture of the new pup.

*If you know the answers, please don't play. Your prize is being in on the secret. :)

Picking Up Kyle

Sunday was quite the adventure. When we got to the puppy truck, all the dogs were being relieved and Kyle was out of the truck. I waited until they put him back (without even peeking). Then  my mom and I helped walk the recalled dogs so that they could relieve themselves.

(I'm walking a black lab and neither of us are paying any attention to the camera.)

When all the dogs had been walked, Kyle came off the truck. He was a wiggling ball of energy. I didn't account for the fact that he had been on the truck all day, so I thought that was his everyday personality. Thankfully he later calmed down a bit. :)

(Our first picture together. Kyle was jumping all over me giving me kisses while I laughed my head off.)

Eventually I picked him up and we got a few pictures of me hugging him while we both looked at the camera.

(I'm giving Kyle a giant hug. I love that this shot shows off his eraser pink nose and light spots on his lips.)

(Kyle resting against me while I look off in the distance with a huge smile on my face.)

I let Kyle run off some energy, then we were on for round two of pictures--this time in front of the puppy truck. That was the moment Kyle won my heart forever. When I picked Turk up thirteen years ago, he put his head on my shoulder and fell asleep. To this day, that is one of my favorite memories of Turk. Kyle must have known that action was the fast track to my heart because he gave me a repeat performance and I melted.

(Kyle is resting his head on my shoulder while I stand with my back to the camera looking at the puppy truck.)

I wasn't the only person to get a transfer puppy off the truck. My friend and fellow club member Megan got a sweet nine-month-old female yellow lab named Picassa. She has the pinkest nose I've ever seen on a lab and a beautiful bushy tail. Kyle and Picassa weren't too cooperative for a group picture in front of the puppy truck, but we tried.

(Megan holding Picassa, and me holding Kyle. I feel bad because it looks like I'm about to drop Kyle in this picture, but I promise that I didn't drop him.)

While the puppy truck is known for delivering bundles of fun, it is also the place for dropping off recalled dogs (dogs ready for formal harness training). Megan just finished raising Paris. Paris is perhaps the best trained pup I've ever seen in one of my clubs (except Turk of course). While Megan got the fun of picking up a new pup Sunday, she also had to drop off a incredible dog. I have no doubt that Paris will go on to do great things.

(Megan kneeling next to Paris for one of their last pictures together.)

Since it was mother's day, my mom and grandma went with me to pick up my new little guy. My mom helped my sister and me raise Turk and Mesa, so she is supper excited to have another guide dog in the family.

(Here my mom is smiling while she holds the leash of her new grandpuppy.)

After the puppy truck, Grandma, Mom, Kyle, and I headed to my uncle's house for a mother's day dinner. My uncle's family was very receptive of Kyle, and they loved playing with him. When we took family pictures, they even offered to have Kyle in them. I have a wonderfully supportive family, and I am so thankful for them!

(Kyle and I are sitting on the lawn in between family photos.)

Kyle's first raisers wrote me a great letter telling me about everything they've done with him. One thing they mentioned was that Kyle loves to sit in their laps. I love cuddly dogs, so I hoped that habit would carry over to me. When I sat on the floor to watch a movie after dinner, Kyle curled right up in my lap and fell asleep.

(Kyle is curled in a tiny ball on my lap.)

I'm looking forward to many adventures with Kyle. He's a sweet little boy with a lot of spunk. :)

He's here!

I picked up Kyle at the puppy truck this afternoon. He is an absolute sweetheart. For now I only have time to post one picture, but rest assured that more will be coming soon.

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!