Helper Takes a Ride on the Polar Express...

As a special holiday treat my sister took her daughter, grand daughter, me and Helper to a train station outside of Utica, New York for a magical ride on The Polar Express!  As you can imagine, there were hundreds of excited children, dozens of Santa's elves and many people in costume to match the chacters in the book and movie.  Any of these things would have made your average dog nervous.  Not Helper...she was loving all the activity!  At one point as we were standing on the train platform waiting  to board the Polar Express,  a trained roared by on the adjacent tracks and blew its whistle.  We humans jumped!  When I looked down at Helper she was just calmly standing there happily wagging her tail.

In this photo Helper is meeting Santa Claus for the first time.  I was pleased that the constant motion of the moving train did not make her timid or nervous.  She did great!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!!!!

One of the wonderful things about spending the holiday with family in upstate New York is the chance to have a "White Christmas".  It sure is pretty to look at!   However, I was not sure how my Texas puppy was going to like getting out in the snow and freezing temperatures when she had to relieve herself 4-5 times per day.  My questions were answered when we got the first of several snowstorms.  Luckily my sister lives in a cute little town because each time we would go outside we had to walk in the street.   Most sidewalks were not shoveled due to the multiple snow storms that hit during the week before and after Christmas.  Helper did not care...she was one very happy puppy playing in the snow!  We would start out walking in the street and then she would charge over the snow banks created by the street plows so that she could put her face into the fresh snow.  Thankfully, I brought a long retractable lease with me so she could enjoy her time in the snow.  It was so fun to watch!  Here are a few pics of Helper at my sisters house after the first snowfall.  With her nice red jacket who would guess that she was a Texan?

 

A Visit to my Home town...Plattsburgh, New York

Holly and I drove to our hometown (Plattsburgh, New York) for the weekend to visit family and friends prior to Christmas.  This allowed Helper to gain three more new experiences that will serve her well as a service dog.  First, the road trip took four hours each way.  Helper was great in the car and during rest stops on the way north.  It was very cold, rainy/muddy and windy but Helper did not hesitate to go outside when necessary.  Secondly, we stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights and she had to sleep in a portable kennel.  This new environment was not a problem for Helper and she settled into the new routine immediately.  The third new experience for Helper was being outside in the cold  winter weather!  We were invited over to our friends Sue and Don for a puppy play date and it started to snow!  This picture is of Helper and Kerry (beautiful Golden puppy on the right).  Kerry's big sister Hannah is out of the pic because she wanted nothing to do with the "kids"!  It was wonderful to watch them play as the snow began to fall.

Helper's First Plane Trip Inside of the Cabin!!!

An airport can be a very stressful situation for a puppy because of the crowds, booming announcements over the public address system, luggage being dragged by strangers, people in wheelchairs, motorized carts, smells from all of the foodservice operators etc.  Because of these reasons CCI requires that you get their permission before you fly anywhere with your puppy.  It is very important that they have a good experience so that they are confident traveling as a graduate dog assisting their partner.  To help prepare Helper for the atmosphere inside an airport terminal, I took her to the airport a couple of times in November to walk her around the ticket counter, baggage claim and the security check points.  She did well and loved the attention she got from all of the workers and travelers!

The last time Helper flew on a plane she was 8 weeks old.  At that time she was put in a kennel and transported in the cargo section of the plane.  That was in March when she was sent to DFW Airport where my friend Virginia and I picked her up.  It seems like a long time ago!  

Today's trip was very different for Helper.  She is almost one year old and has the skill to accompany me in the cabin of the plane for my trip home (upstate New York) for the Christmas holiday!  The picture above was taken (by a fellow passenger seated across the aisle from us) on our first flight as Helper slept on the floor beside me.  Everyone was very nice!  On this leg of our journey (first of two flights) as we were exiting the plane, the co pilot actually tried to get Helper to sit in his seat for a great photo opportunity!   She was not cooperating so we settled for the pic below of Helper sitting in the cockpit next to the pilot.  The United Airlines crew was terrific!

We changed planes in Cleveland, Ohio and had enough time to go for a potty break outside of the airport terminal which meant that Helper had to go thru security again.  Just like in Dallas where we started our day, she navigated the check point like a pro!  I was very proud of her as I commanded her to "stay" on the other side of the security checkpoint as I walked thru the electronic detector and then called "here" for her to walk thru the detector by herself.  Everyone was impressed with Miss Helper!

The second flight went as well as the first one and when we arrived in Syracuse, New York we were met at the airport by my sister Holly.  It was a long day but Helper gained valuable experiences that will serve her well as a service dog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Helper had company for the Thanksgiving weekend.  Her friend Nessie (on the left) came to stay with us.  As you can see with all the toys, Helper and Nessie had lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Nessie is just five months old and her Puppy Raiser (Marsha) is already providing her the opportunity to "sleep over" at other Puppy Raiser's homes.  This is a great experience for a CCI puppy  because they get used to different living situations, different styles of handlers and being away from their Puppy Raiser.  This experience helps them to be confident in new environments and ultimately transition better when they go on to "Puppy College" for advance training when they are approximately 18 months old.

Paint Horse Show

Yesterday we went to Fort Worth to attend the Paint Horse Show.  Helper is amazing around horses...she loves them!  I think maybe they seem like big dogs to her!  LOL  This picture was taken as Helper performed the lap command (the puppy puts their front legs across your lap and their back legs remain on the floor).  As you can see she is totally watching the Paint Horse action in the arena!

VA Outpatient Clinic

This week Marsha took Helper to the VA Hospital in Fort Worth for their Outpatient Clinic.  CCI had a booth there to get the word out about our wonderful Service Dogs.  The picture below was taken as (left to right) Simba, Helper and Zeta relaxed during a slow period of the day.

After the event Helper went back home with Marsha to have a play date with Nessie.  As you can see from the picture below, Nessie patiently waited for her friend Helper to rest from her busy day at the VA Hospital so they could play later...so cute!

Why be a Volunteer Puppy Raiser?

When I am out with Helper I meet lots of people.  During these interactions I tell folks a little bit about Canine Companions for Independence and explain my role as a Volunteer Puppy Raiser.  Then Helper dazzles her new fans by executing a few of my commands!  During these interactions one of the most common comments I hear is "How do you give her up after having her all that time...I could never do that".  I tell people that it will be very hard but that I know how important Helper will be to someone with a disability.  Next I tell them about the person who brought me into the CCI organization.  His name is Jason Morgan and he is a retired Air Force Staff Sergeant ... he was a Combat Meteorologist in Special Operations.  Jason was injured in the line of duty in South America in 1999.  A couple of years ago he got his first service dog...Napal.  Napal is a handsome Black Labrador that is always at Jason's side.  Jason says that Napal has positively changed his life!  Together they make appearances at special events to help get the word out for CCI and Wounded Warriors.  Jason is a true inspiration!  He is the reason I can look beyond the sadness I will experience when Helper leaves me.  CCI dogs make a positive difference in the lifes of many people!

The picture below of Helper and Jason was taken a couple of months ago by the Editor of Plano Profile Magazine when they were doing a story on Jason.  Helper loves Jason!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Here is a picture of Helper at the Pumpkin Patch.  Happy Halloween everyone!

P.S.  I took Helper to Lazy Paw Animal Hospital today for her monthly weight check.  She weighs 49.8 pounds!  Since she is already 10 months old she will most likely max out at 60 pounds...a petite girl!

Helper's Friend Rozlynn

This beautiful Black Lab/Golden cross is Helpers' friend Rozlynn.  This pic was taken after play time in my back yard.  She is one month older than Helper. Both girls will go on to advance training together next August in Oceanside, California.   Rozlynn stayed with us for a few days this month while her PR (Becca) was out of town.  CCI encourages us to take each others dogs now and then so they get used to working with various people.  When they have positive experiences in different environments it helps to make them confident dogs.  Hopefully this also reduces the possibility of any separation anxiety when they go to advance training.

Trip to Kroger Pharmacy

I went to the Kroger Pharmacy today to get a vaccination and brought Helper with me.  While we were waiting for the Pharmacist, Helper got a chance to practice the "under" command in the waiting area.  She is getting to be a big dog now and weighs 47.4 pounds.  Yet she was able to get into position under a small end table.  Helper held this position for almost 30 minutes with many distractions...good dog!  This is an important command for a service dog because when they are out in public with their partner they often have to go under a table at a restaurant or under at a desk at work etc.

After we left the pharmacy we walked around the grocery store.  Helper never pulled to get closer to the food shelves and kept her attention on me.  She was perfect!    

Cottonwood Art Festival

This past weekend Marsha (Nessie's PR) invited Helper and I to the Cottonwood Arts Festival so we could practice commands in a very distracting environment.  Marsha was puppy sitting for another CCI dog named Tulah.  Since Helper is just one month younger than Tulah it was a great chance for her to spend time interacting with a similar size dog.  The picture above is of Helper (on the left) and Tulah (on the right) posing in front of another type of animal...iron sculptures of a moose, a Texas Longhorn and a giraff!.

Marsha took the photo above to show the view from Tulah and Helpers perspective.  There were hundreds of people and almost as many dogs attending this festival.  Our puppies attracted a lot of attention because of their beautiful looks and wonderful manners!  They were both fantastic representatives for CCI!  Many thanks to Marsha for including Helper and I in this great learning experience.

Allergic Reaction...Very Scary!

This morning after Helper had her breakfast we went outside so she could "hurry".  We were only outside a few minutes and as usual Helper was sniffing the ground as she looked for a spot for her bathroom break.  Nothing in her behavior was unusual.  However, when we came back into the house I noticed that Helper had swelling around her eyes and it quickly got worse and spread to her muzzle.  I was pretty scared but Helper was normal and she even wanted to play!  Even though it was Sunday I sent a text to my Vet before heading out to a 24 hour Animal ER.  Luckily Dr. Hunter called me immediately and told me to give Helper 75mg of Benedryl.  Since Helper was not in distress we decided to wait an hour to give the Benedryl a chance to work.  When the hour passed Dr. Hunter called and I told her Helper was not much better.  She was wonderful and told me to meet her at the office (Lazy Paw Animal Hospital).  Once there she gave Helper a steroid shot.  Within a couple of hours Helper was back to normal.  The only thing I could think of that caused this episode was that Helper probably made contact with Fire Ants or some other type of insect when she was nosing around the yard.  I am so grateful to Dr. Hunter/Lazy Paws for her wonderful response to my emergency!

This is a picture of my sweet puppy...she looks like an alien!

Puppy Outing at RISE

One of the responsibilities of a Puppy Raiser is to take your puppy to some of the events where CCI has a booth or presence.  By attending these events the puppy benefits by being in a new environment and gets to interact with lots of people and other dogs.  One of these events occurred this weekend.  RISE is an organization that modifies sport equipment so that people with disabilities can partake in the activities they love.  Because CCI had a booth at this event we were able to educate potential clients on  the great benefits of having a CCI dog.  The picture below shows five of the puppies that came to this outing with their PR.  Helper is on the far left hand side of the photo.

Helper and Nessie

September has been a very busy month for both Helper and me!  I was on vacation in Alaska during the first two weeks of the month so Helper went to another Puppy Raiser's (Marsha) house while I was gone.  It was a great experience for Helper because Marsha G. is a very experienced PR and she has a 13 week old puppy that she is raising named Nessie.  Because Helper is the only dog in my household, she gets very distracted when she sees dogs at various events...all she wants to do is play with them!  This is a bad trait for a dog that is training to assist someone with a disability.  My goal is to have her interact more frequently with other dogs so that it becomes routine and she does not lose focus when we are working/training.  Helper's time with Nessie was a great start to more dog to dog interactions.  This first picture is a great photo that Marsha took of "the girls" practicing their door manners at Marsha's back patio door.  They are beautiful!!!!

While staying with Nessie, Marsha took great care to expose Helper to new situations.  One day they all went to visit another Puppy Raiser (Terri) that has a horse in a nearby stable.  Terri introduced them to horses and mules!  Helper was very interested in making these new friends...she is not afraid of anything!  Take a look at the picture below.  That is Terri in the left corner holding Helper's lease as she lets the mules sniff her and makes her way to the ponies on the right.  Nessie let Helper go first!

I owe a big thank you to Marsha for taking such great care of Helper while I was gone!  

Puppy Class

One of the important requirements for a CCI Puppy Raiser is to go to class with your puppy twice per month to learn basic commands.  We are lucky in our area to have a great trainer!  Jeanie has been a trainer and owner of her own dog care/training business for many years.  She has attended sessions at CCI's regional offices in Southern California so she knows what it takes to prepare our puppies for advance training and ultimately graduation.  This picture featuring Jeanie with two puppies was taken after our class today.  When you are looking at the picture, the dog to the left is Hala and the dog to the right is Helper.  They are sisters from the "H" litter raised until they were 8 weeks old by the Poole family!  Tomorrow they will be 8 months old.  Happy Birthday to Hala and Helper!!!  It was fun to see them together at training today.

Our Trip to Cinemark Movie Theatre

Another experience I wanted Helper to have was a trip to the movie theatre so today we headed over to Cinemark.  I brought a bone, ice chips and her blanket to keep her occupied.  Much to my surprise when Helper began crunching on the ice chips and then her bone the noise seemed to be amplified in the quiet theatre!  After I took those items away from her I picked her up (all 45 pounds of her!) to hold her in hopes of getting her settled.  At the quietest point in the movie she let out the biggest yawn ever!  Some people laughed but others were not so amused, so I packed up and we left the theatre.  This pic  was taken in the lobby on our way out of the building.  She would not look at me for the picture and I honestly believe she felt bad because we had not completed our task at the theatre.  We will try again in the near future and this time I will not bring anything that crunches!

Bad Mommy...

As a first time puppy raiser I did not think I had made any big mistakes until today...
Helper was in my study while I was working at my desk.  She got a hold of a binder clip and when I realized what she had in her mouth I told her to "drop" it.  Instead of dropping the clip she ran around the corner. When I got to her to check her mouth for the clip it was gone.  I automatically grabbed the hydrogen peroxide and squirted it in Helpers mouth to make her vomit.  Oh boy does that work to get things up!  Much to my surprise...no binder clip in the vomit.  So now I was convinced that I needed to take her to the Lazy Paw Animal Hospital ASAP.  As I was rushing around to get my purse, keys etc. and get her out the door I found the binder clip!  Poor Helper...all that bad tasting hydrogen peroxide for nothing.  Here she is after all the excitement.  I felt terrible!!!!  Needless to say she got extra treats after things settled down.

Happy Birthday Helper...7 months old today!

Helper is 7 months old today!  She is so proud of herself when she can pick up two toys at the same time as in this picture.

Holy Roller

This is Helper's favorite outdoor toy...a green Holy Roller.

She is a big girl now and weighs 43 pounds!

Max Does Not Want To Play!

In addition to raising Helper, I have two beautiful purebred British Shorthair cats.  Max and Stoli have had the run of the house for almost 10 years and I adore them!  You can imagine how the addition of a puppy rocked their world!  I had hoped that they would all become great friends but that has not happened.  CCI wants the puppies exposed to small animals so that they learn how to behave with other creatures.  So far Helper just wants to play with the cats.  She will bring them her favorite toys even as they hiss at her.  In these pics she is bringing Max her treasured Froggy.  In the second picture Max is winding up to punch her in the nose...which must feel like a powder puff since he does not have any front claws!

Notice how long Helper is now...she reaches the breakfast bar.  I am going to be more careful what is left on the counter in case she takes up "counter surfing"!

Dog Days of Summer

Our typical Texas summer heat has kicked in (100 degree days) making it hard to get Helper the exercise she needs every day.  Consequently, when we play outside it usually involves water!  She loves to play in the kiddie pool and get sprayed with water from the garden hose.  I must say this is quite fun for me too...she really makes me laugh when she goes wild with the water.

Backyard Playtime

The weather has been great this spring and we spend 2-3 hours outside each day.  Here Helper is taking a break on the patio from a game of fetch.  I can not believe how quickly she is growing.  She loves to play and runs very fast.  There is no way I could catch her if she got away.  That makes her training very important!  Twice a month we go to Puppy Class to learn and practice new skills.

New Bed for Helper

She looks like a baby holding her bottle...so cute!
This is her new bed from the Frontgate catalog.  They promise the bed will hold up to "aggressive chewers".  I hope they are right!

Helper now weighs 27 pounds!

So Sad......

Helper looks sad.  I wonder why?  She is laying on a towel today because she has just destroyed her second bed from Cost Co!!!!!  She is so smart that she unzips the bed cover and shreds the inside foam cushion when I am not watching.  I am thankful that she has not eaten the foam...she is very smart!

First Trip to a Resturant

Today Helper and I had lunch with my friends Jackie and Larry.  We went to Gordon Biersch.  Since this was a first for Helper, we sat outside.  She was very well behaved for a 12 week old puppy.  Jackie took this great picture.
The tan strap around Helper's face is called a gentle leader.   CCI requires that we use this tool on all the puppies.  It does not hurt her or restrict her from opening her mouth to eat or play.  It helps to direct her and makes it easier to control her when walking.  All that said...she does not like it!

Lazy Paw - Puppy and Kitten Workshop

Helper was invited to attend a workshop today at Lazy Paw Animal Hospital for new puppy and kitten owners.  She was treated like a princess!  The pic above features the entire staff including both Dr. Hunter and Dr. Bilhartz posing with Helper.

While at the clinic Helper made friends with the Bilhartz' beautiful dog Katie.  They even had the chance to play in the hallway before the workshop got started.  This was a good experience for Helper to learn how to play with a larger dog.  They both had a blast!

Here Helper is getting her paw print by Lazy Paw Manager - Kinsey.  A special keepsake!

As a service dog in training it is important for Helper to always look to her leader for direction.  Here is a great shot taken by Dr. Hunter of Helper watching me before the workshop got started.

Another important command that Helper must learn is "under".  This is a pic of Helper under my chair during the workshop.
Thank you Dr. Hunter for taking all of these great photos!  Helper and I learned a lot and had a great time at the workshop!

First Vet Visit-Lazy Paws in Frisco

One of the most important responsibilities a PR has is to ensure that the puppy gets great health care.  My Vet of choice is Lazy Paws in Frisco...they are wonderful!  I have been taking my cats (Max and Stoli) to Dr. Hunter and Dr. Bilhartz for several years and I would not have trusted anyone else with Helper's care.  The pic above is Helper's first visit with Vet Tech Tammy.  Dr. Hunter started her series of shots and she got weighed.  It is very important for a service dog to maintain a healthy weight.  Today she weighed 18 pounds.  She did great!

Helper Stays with Other Puppy Raisers

March 11-18, 2012
Since my sister (Holly) was visiting from upstate New York, we had planned to tour New Mexico and then spend a couple of days with our cousin Ron in Austin.  This presented a great opportunity to let Helper stay with other Puppy Raisers for the week.  CCI encourages this because it encourages the puppy to be flexible, confident and take direction from another person.  It also exposes them to different pets as is the case in this photo.  The above picture was taken by  PR Jackie.  She has an adult CCI dog that she raised named Houston.  Although he is a great dog, he was released from the advance training program early so he is happily living with Jackie as a pet.  CCI calls these dogs "Change of Career" dogs.  Only 36% of the CCI puppies actually make it thru the advance training and get paired up with a graduate.  Those dogs that do not make it are so well bred and trained that there is a very long list of people that want them should their PR not be able to take them.

During this week Helper also went to work with another PR named Debby.  She works in a medical office and is allowed to bring service dogs in training to the office.  This is excellent training for Helper because she could end up being paired with someone who goes to work everyday.  Debby told me that she was wonderful!!!  She was quiet, well behaved and delighted everyone who saw her!

Finally, Helper also went to a convention this week!  CCI has booths at conventions to get exposure to groups that may need the use of a service dog.  This pic is of Helper at the Case Managers Convention in Dallas.  She was the youngest pup at the convention and very popular with attendees!

All in all she had a busy and productive week!

First Night In Helper's New Kennel

Last night Helper was great!  She slept all night in her big kennel with no messes!  These are bedtime pics.  She loves her yellow Duck and used it as a pillow for part of the night. She is so cute flopped over the side of her bed with her head resting on the duck!
If you take a close look at Helper's right ear you will see that there appears to be green between her ear and her head.  That is because CCI puts a green tatoo inside their ear flap for identification purposes before they send the puppies to their Puppy Raisers.  Helper's tatoo reads 12018.  The 12 means she was born in 2012 and the 018 means she was the 18th puppy born to CCI this year.

Helper Arrives in Texas!

This was the big day!  One of the other Puppy Raisers (Virginia-also my mentor in the CCI program) took me to DFW Airport to get Helper.  We arrived at the freight terminal at 9:00AM and waited for one of the employees to bring out the crate.  All of a sudden you could hear puppies barking and then out came two dog kennels.  As it turned out one of Helper's litter mates was also flown to DFW to meet her Puppy Raiser.  I took my crate outside to let Helper get out to toilet.  As you can imagine there was not much grass to be found at the airport so I immediately plopped down on the first piece of grass that I saw.  After thought...how many other animals have used this same piece of grass that I was sitting on to do their business before or after a long flight???  Bad choice of a place for me to sit down...ugh!!!  This picture was taking by Virginia as I first took Helper out of the kennel...she calls it "Which End Is Up?".  As you can see when I grabbed her from the mid section to remove her from the crate I was caught off guard by the fact that her front end was so much heavier than the back!  So basically she did a nose dive into my lap!   The ride home was wonderful...as Virginia drove I cuddled with my sweet 8 week old puppy.

"H" Litter

I am so excited to pick up Helper in the morning I can not sleep.  So I decided to show you a picture of  Helper's litter mates.  They are just too cute!  All of CCI's litters are assigned a letter of the alphabet when they are born.  CCI then names the dogs using names that start with the letter of the litter.  This litter is the "H" litter born on January 5, 2012.  They were turned in to CCI yesterday.

This was Oribel's first litter and she produced 8 wonderful puppies that hopefully will go on to be service dogs, facility dogs, skilled companions or hearing dogs for people in need.  In the pictures below of the nursing puppies, Helper is the puppy on the far right with the dark green ribbon.  The puppies are all so young that their eyes are still closed.  Many thanks to the Poole family (Oribel's Breeder Caretaker) who took these pictures!

Helper's Mother and Father

Helper's Mom is Oribel and she is a Lab Golden Cross (97% Lab).   She is a beautiful dog!  She lives with her Breeder Caretaker family in Northern California.  Helper's Father is Hickman and he is a full Lab.  He is a handsome boy!   He lives with his Breeder Caretaker family in Northern California.   All breeding dogs must live within a short distance of CCI's National HQ in Santa Rosa, California.  This is a requirement because when the female goes into heat they are taken to Santa Rosa and matched with one of the breeding males that has been brought to the center for this purpose.  Once the female is pregnant she returns to her family and they take care of her during the pregnancy.  The Breeder Caretaker family also helps the female deliver the puppies at their home and they are responsible for socializing the puppies during the first 8 weeks of their lives.  It is a big job!  At 8 weeks of age the Breeder Caretaker brings the puppies to Santa Rosa for a check up before they are sent to various Puppy Raisers around the U.S.