Helper Swims in the Ocean!

After our tour of CCI,  Helper got to swim in the Pacific Ocean!  My fellow Puppy Raiser Becca and her family brought their puppy Rozlynn for a swim too.  These two dogs have been together many times over the past 18 months. It seemed very appropriate for them to have one last big adventure together before turning in for advance training tomorrow.  They both charged into the ocean without any hesitation or fear.  It was a wonderful thing to watch!

Many thanks to Becca's sister's Sarah and Emily for holding the leads and going into the water with the dogs!  In this picture Sarah is holding Helper's leash.

Tour of CCI's Oceanside Facility

Canine Companions for Independence offers a facility tour the day prior to "turn in" so you can see where the dog you raised will be living.  The pic to the left is the courtyard area.  The kennels are in the picture.











This is a picture of Helper in the grooming room at CCI.   Her friend Sarah is cuddling with her.

Here is a pic of Helper with her good buddy Rozlynn at CCI.

California Vacation with Great Friends

When planning the trip to take Helper to CCI for advance training in Oceanside, I decided we would go out a week early to visit friends and family. We arrived in California on Thursday August 8th and stayed at the Marriott in Calabasas, California.  The hotel was great with Helper!  The bellman even took Helper for a quick potty break while I checked into the Hotel!   The weather was cool and a great break from the 100 plus degree days in Texas!  Consequently, Helper and I had a nice walk before retiring for the night.

The first person we visited was Marguerite.  She invited Marcia and Donna over for a lovely brunch. Helper loved meeting Marguerite's cats!

Then we went to Marcia house to meet the kittens that she was fostering.  Take a look at the two pictures of Helper and the kittens...she loved them!  The kittens were curious but cautious with Helper.

Marcia let Helper explore her beautiful courtyard.  Here Helper is at the door looking very happy to be outside!

Many thanks to Marguerite for taking these pictures!

Next, we spent the weekend at my good friends Pam and Gene in Los Angeles.  They have three dogs.   Moe and Cece are Pug puppies that are new to their family.  Kylie is their Weimaraner.  Helper had a blast playing with these great dogs!  It was fun to watch!

The top pic is of the Pam, Gene and the dogs.




The pic to the right is of Helper and Moe.  They had a special bond and were always playing with each other

After we left Pam and Gene's house  we headed south to see my friends Jena,  Jett. and their two children.    They have a beautiful home in Coto de Caza, California and had invited us over for a  backyard BBQ.  As I was distracted meeting everyone that was there for dinner, Helper made herself at home by taking a swim in the pool!  I was pretty embarrassed but Jena and Jett were  great sports and did not mind Helper getting in their pool.  Here are two pics taken while she was resting on the tanning ledge.

The day after we visited Jena's house we met up with a good friend from Coca-Cola.  Pat and I enjoyed a fun dinner to catch up and Helper enjoyed a quiet nap under the table.






Finally, we visited my Aunt and Uncle in San Diego for a couple of days.  Helper loved Joe and Rita!  Here is a picture of us enjoying the harbor.  Helper loved looking at the water.  She would do an "up" on the sea wall and take in the sights and smells of the salt water...a very new thing for her!

Trip to California for Advance Training

Well, the time has finally come to take Helper to California for advance training.  For the past several days Helper has been visiting people and places to say goodbye.  :-(  One of the very important stops was to see Dr. Hunter and the team at Lazy Paws Animal Hospital.  Helper had to have a health certificate completed for her to fly with me to California.  It was hard to say goodbye to all of our friends at Lazy Paw.  They all were great with Helper over the past 18 months!

The picture above was taken at DFW airport just before we boarded our flights to Phoenix and then on to Orange County.   Helper was great on the flights and changing planes in Phoenix!  She was a great ambassador for CCI during the trip!

Frisco Rough Riders Game

Helper and Nessie attended the Rough Riders baseball game tonight.  The Rough Riders are the farm team for the Texas Rangers and they attract quite a crowd of avid fans.  The pups were very popular with the fans and they were great about meeting tons of people!




The pic to the right shows Nessie and Helper meeting the Rough Riders mascot.  Helper was very calm and comfortable with the mascot while Nessie pulled away (she is on the left).  It just goes to show how big and scary some of these things look like to a dog.

Helper Visits Coca-Cola

Today we went to Coca-Cola's regional office in Dallas to visit with people I used to work with.  Helper went from office to office to visit all the people that were working.  It was a great experience for her to be in a corporate office environment.  If she graduates, she could end up going to work with her partner in a similar situation.  

Helper is 19 months old today!  She is a beautiful LGX (Lab Golden Cross).  She is mostly (98%) Lab and weighs 52 pounds.  The folks at Lazy Paw Animal Hospital think she is in great condition!

Summer Outings at the Willowbend Mall

This summer Marsha and I took Helper and Nessie to the Willowbend Mall for several children's programs.  It was a great way to expose them to large, loud crowds of people (lots of children) while we focused them on executing commands.  All events included loud music and performers.  They both did very well handling all of the distractions!

In this pic... Helper rest her head on Nessie as they take a break from the action.

Here Nessie and Helper participate in a photo opportunity with a fun character..."Flumpa".  I was impressed because they were both calm and did not hesitate to get close to "Flumpa" the frog.  Great control for a service dog in training!

Here Marsha is talking with a group of children that stayed after the program to meet with our dogs.  Helper is the dog on the left and Nessie is on the right.  As usual they are calmly accepting the attention of these children.

The last event of the summer was held by the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.  Here one of the clowns pose with Helper (on the right) and Nessie (on the left).

Allan Public Library Workshop

The Allen Public Library asked Canine Companions for Independence to conduct a workshop for the public interested in learning more about our organization.  Marsha put together the program and organized the event.  Several Puppy Raisers attended and spoke about our experiences raising these great dogs.  We got both pre event publicity and post event publicity from The Dallas Morning News. 

The wonderful puppies that participated are pictured above.  They are (left to right)  Nessie, Helper, Gordo, Baris...too cute!

Last Pool Time with Friends...

These are pictures from Helper's last back yard pool party.







This is Helper in a mid air jump into the kiddie pool.  She loves the water!

Break time and then one final dip in the pool to cool off from the 100 degree temperatures.  Look at all of those smiles!  Helper is going to miss her friends Nessie and Lizzie.

Greenville Public Library

Often times Puppy Raiser's are asked to bring their dogs to community events to help educate the public about service dogs.  These pictures were taken by my friend Linda at the Greenville Library.

In the top photo Becca and her dog Rozlynn, Helper and me are seated with attendees for the Children's Story Hour.  Both Rozlynn and Helper were very well behaved!  

In this picture two children are petting Helper.  Helper stayed "down" and allowed the children to play with her.

In this picture to the right, I am demonstrating the "lap" command to a Mom and her young daughter.

Fellow Puppy Raiser Becca organized our participation in this event.  Thanks Becca!

Helper becomes a regular at Baylor Physical Therapy

Since I was required to complete physical therapy for my knees, I took Helper to many sessions so she could experience the PT environment.  Helper fit right in.  She would greet the receptionist Christy and then my PT Marina.  They loved having Helper visit as did many of the other patients!  In this pic Helper is visiting one of the regular patients.

Helper was comfortable around the equipment and learned to settle in and wait for me until I was done with my session.  I am thankful that Marina and Christy let Helper come to the center because of the invaluable experience this provided to her.

Woodland Park Pet Resort

All female puppies in the SW Region of Canine Companions for Independence are considered "potential breeders" until they are turned in for advance training at approximately 18 months of age.  At that point they are evaluated and a decision is made.  If they are not going into the breeding program CCI has them spayed.  Consequently, while the female dogs are growing up with their Puppy Raisers they will go into heat at least one time.  When it happens CCI requires that the Puppy Raiser board the dog for three weeks.

The facility we use for boarding in North Dallas is Woodland Park Pet Resort.  This picture shows one of the play fields in front of the compound.  All dogs have several playtimes each day.  They have a pond too for dogs that like to swim...Helper is a swimmer!  It is a very nice facility!

Helper went into heat the Tuesday after Memorial Day.  She had a three week vacation from training while enjoying Woodland Park's amenities!

Friends Visit

In May my friends Marcia and Marguerite came for a visit from California.  Helper loved spending time with them!  We even had the chance to visit their friend Ron at his lake house.  We all went for a ride on Ron's new boat.   Helper was calm on the boat and showed no fear!  This was another great experience for her.

During their visit Marguerite took many great pictures of Helper.  Here are just a couple of the pics taken in the back yard at my house.  

I love this picture because both of us look very happy!

Blue Bonnets

Texas in the springtime means Blue Bonnets in the fields.  This pic was taken at a park in Plano by my friend Randi while I held the other end of the lease.  CCI dogs are never supposed to be off lease unless they are in an enclosed area.

Helper Stays with other Puppy Raisers for 8 Weeks!

Because of my knee replacements I had to make arrangements for Helper to stay with other Puppy Raisers for eight weeks.  I was feeling fine after a couple of weeks.  However, my surgeon did not want me to chance an injury while working with Helper too soon.  So I put the word out to the Puppy Raisers in North Dallas and had a wonderful group of ladies (Marsha, Becca & Linda, Virginia, Terri and Teresa) volunteer to help.  Everyone took a week and then Helper rotated back to most people again for a second week.  This provided a great opportunity for Helper to get used to living in different households and taking direction from various people.  This type of experience helps the dog gain confidence for the ultimate transition...leaving their Puppy Raiser and going to advance training in California when they are approximately 18 months old.

The pictures below were taken by fellow puppy raiser Virginia.  She and her husband Allan took Helper into their home even though they already had a full house...four other dogs!  This is another great experience for Helper because she had to learn to get along with more senior dogs while living in their domain.  Allan is a doctor and after he spends a full day with patients he comes home and gives the dogs treats.  In this pic they all lined up in the kitchen ready to catch a peanut....what a great picture!

In the pic below, Helper is sleeping next to her suitcase.  Her theme song for 8 weeks was "On The Road Again"!  It takes a lot of supplies to provide for a growing puppy for eight weeks!

In this wonderful picture below, Allan is cuddling with Helper.  Even though it is against CCI rules to allow the dogs up on the furniture, I was thrilled to see this picture!  After all, Helper was going from house to house each week for eight weeks.  She needed someone to cuddle with!  Thank you Allan!!!

Helper Visits Me in the Hospital

On February 6th I had both of my knees replaced!  While I was in the hospital Helper stayed with her friend Nessie at Aunt Marsha's house.  On February 7th Marsha brought Helper to the hospital to visit me!  I found out how comforting it is to have a wonderful puppy cheer you up when you are in the hospital.  Look how cute she is with her head on the bed.  :-)

The two pictures below were taken on February 8th.  Both Nessie and Helper visited me in the hospital!!!   The hospital staff loved it!!!  They were both very well behaved.  Helper was so calm that she took a nap...under Nessie's head!

These hospital visits were great experiences for Helper and Nessie.  Service dogs often times must go to medical appointments with their partners.  Having had the chance to visit the hospital gives them both exposure to the sights, sounds and smells of this unique environment.

Play date with Greta and Nessie

One of my jobs as Helper's Puppy Raiser is to socialize her with various dogs.  This is important because a service dog must be calm at all times around other dogs.  My good friend and fellow Puppy Raiser Marsha brought Nessie (on the right) and Greta (the Golden Doodle on the left) over to have a play date with Helper.  In this picture Marsha has given the command for all of the dogs to go "down" and they are intently watching for her next command.

Helper attends a function at the Dallas Country Club!

My good friend Jackie invited Helper and I to go to a charity event at the Highland Park Country Club.  It was a great chance for Helper to mingle with hundreds of people that were very interested in learning about her journey.  There were several people in costume and below is a picture of Helper meeting "Elvis".  It is amazing to me that she is never timid around people in strange outfits...she is a confident puppy!  On the right is a picture of Helper meeting Jackie's friend Ellen (red cardigan) and me (white jacket).  Helper met lots of people during this outing.  She was very well behaved and held her "down" position under the table during the luncheon and speaker portion of the program.  A big thanks goes to Jackie for giving Helper an opportunity to experience this very large and unique function!  

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.