This is the hardest entry to write. It is about turn in day...Friday, August 16th. I was able to hold myself together as we were getting ready and left the hotel, as I drove the 25 minutes to the civic center where the matriculation ceremony takes place, as I dressed Helper in the back of the car before entering the building and even when I checked in with CCI's Puppy Program Manager. However, when I sat down to change Helper out of the gear (collar, vest, leash, gentle leader) that she had used for 17 months and into the new things she would use moving forward...I started to cry. There was no way I was going to be able to walk across the stage with Helper in the symbolic gesture of turning Helper in to CCI for advance training. So I spoke to the CCI Puppy Program Manager and she arranged to have me skip the ceremony and take Helper to the kennel privately while the ceremony was taking place. When I got to CCI's SW Region office and kennel, Helper knew that something was wrong because it took a lot of encouragement to get her to eat her last meal...that never happens. The reason CCI ask you to feed the dog before coming in to the kennel is to make sure they eat one last time with you in case they get anxious and decide to skip a meal or two. The picture at the bottom is of Helper in her ceremonial cape in the back of the car when she did not initially want to eat. The picture of her looking away was taken just prior to us entering the facility. I could not get her to look at the camera. However, you can see how nice she looked with her light colored fur and the bright blue matriculation cape.
Something that several experienced Puppy Raisers told me was that the dogs do not even look back at them as they are being led away. Not true for Helper...she was happy to meet a new handler but as they walked away (with her tail and whole butt wagging!) she looked back at me as if to say "this looks like fun, aren't you coming?" It broke my heart. :-(
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