Turn In

The sixteenth of August, two-thousand-thirteen has been a date marked and saved on my calender since February of last year.  A day that at times, couldn't come soon enough, but a date that most of the time, it seemed we were rushing toward at lightning speed.  Well, it has come and gone -- nearly a week ago now.  There is a weird quiet now that it is passed.  Maybe because the absolute c.r.a.z.y. life was up until then (okay, life itself hasn't calmed down that much, but I digress).

 I originally planned a more fun, two part post of our trip for Turn In, but I'm not feelin' it today.  Maybe I'll add deltails of our trip itself later... We'll see.

It is hard to find a place to start about what Turn In is like.  I have heard it from countless other puppy raisers, read the itinerary of the day several times, and have tried to mentally and emotionally prepare for this every day for eighteen months.  I have even told scores of strangers how it was going to be.

Let me tell you.  Nothing prepares you for it.  Nothing.

It was so good, sad, downright sucked, exciting, hopeful, and inspiring all at the same time.  You leave a chunck of your heart on that campus, but go home wanting to raise ten more puppies.

Dante and his litter mate, Deacon.

The day itself was good.  Life has been so busy, I hadn't had time to really process it until we got there, and then it hit me, and with all the "festivities," it was hard to think about much else, and it was a battle to fight the tears on and off through the day.

They way that CCI aligns matriculation with the graduation of new teams is so perfect!  It keeps you grounded and in perspective of just why you can do this.  There was a 13 year old boy who graduated with a Skilled Companion, and I had a view of his mom from where I sat.  She cried tears of Joy throughout the entire ceremony.  We don't give puppies up for "disabled people."  We do it for little K, and E, and the amazing, selfless wounded veteran that graduated that day.  

Dante and Novel.

Dante and I with Katherine and Novel.

Not to say that I am in any way perfect.  While I know I have raised this puppy for the right reasons, feelings of selfishness creep up in the exact minute you kiss that baby goodbye, and you really don't want to do it.  You only do it because you have to.  I wish that didn't happen.  I know every day I had Dante, and even in the hours and days following, I have wanted this, but I wish that even in the act of handing the leash over I had wanted it.

My last words to Dante were not good luck.  Even though his future career is unknown to me, it is not left up to luck.  Even if Dante doesn't make it to graduation, I have peace that Dante is right where he needs to be right now.  I know that God has the perfect place picked out for him, and I pray that I will be at peace wherever that may be.

Crazy

I cannot believe that tomorrow is the day that we head to Canine Companion's Southeast Regional Training Center.  The last week (let's face it, the last two months) have been on the crazy side.  It is a good thing because it has helped kept my mind off of turn in, and kept me sane.  

 Last week we headed to North Carolina for a week.  Moray stayed with Young's raisers, had a fabulous vacation, and grew about three inches. 

One of the many photos I received of Moray's grand time away.

Dante came with us, and also had a good time.  He somehow got hold of aluminum foil without us knowing, and was sick for the first three days.  We ended up taking him to our old vet there, and he is fine now.  But, he had fun on outings to new places, and seeing my older sisters one last time.

Visited my sisters' school

Sit (stays) at my sisters' school

Novel stairs checked off as well.

Saying goodbye to my sisters.

On our way home Monday, we picked up a sweet CCI puppy named Odina.  Odina is turning in with Dante, but sadly her raiser isn't able to take her, so she has spent the last few days with us, and will be flying with my mom, Dante, and I.  Odina is such a sweetie!  She is so good with her commands, is super cuddly, and gets along great with Dante and Moray.

Dante and Odina at Starbucks

Grocery shopping together

Hey, look! They are capable of being in the same room and NOT playing ;)

Last day together.  Moray is already 32 lbs!

Gonna miss watching these two play together.

At the vet.  Moray for his last set of shots, and Odina for a health certificate.  Moray is now legal to go to dog-friendly places, and Odina is cleared to fly!

Practicing his settling.  He always puts his paw on my foot to make sure I reward him for a job well done.

Counting

Fifteen days until we board a plane for Orlando, Florida.

Sixteen days until I leave Dante at the Canine Companions kennels.

Seventeen days until I return home with an empty leash.

While I knew before I even picked Dante up that this day would come, it is still hard to believe that my work with Dante is coming to a close.  

I'm going to miss this dog.  Sure, he has put me through a lot.  More so than I have posted here.  Most of the time sometimes I didn't think we were going to make it this far.  But we have.  And while there are certainly things he does - or doesn't do - that drive me crazy, everyday I stand in awe that this is the same dog that I had eight months ago.

I am past the panicking stage about Dante's skill level. I am past the Oh my gosh, if he doesn't make it it is all my fault stage.  I am at the point where, even with his quirks, I know he is ready for this.  Oh, and I am now entering the stage where I want to cry as each day brings me closer to August 16th.

My family has an extremely busy schedule the next two weeks, so this week the lasts have already started, as it is Dante's last "normal" week here.  Saturday was his last puppy class, Monday was his last trip to Starbucks, where they adore him.  Last night we took a trip to Lowe's.  Walking the isles and practicing commands with Dante brought back so much.  This was one of Dante's first outings besides the library and post office.  This is where he learned the "Up" command on the many counters and boxed merchandise.  This is where, for the first time, he worked perfectly without getting distracted by another dog in the store.

It is easy to be caught up on remembering and cherishing these last few days with Dante.  And don't get me wrong - I do want to cherish them.  But thinking of a friend who will be anxiously awaiting the call if the dog her family raised makes a match next week, or the dozens of excited students who will be starting Team Training with their new service dogs on Monday keep things in perspective.  They keep me grounded that I can do this.  And not only that I can, but that I want to.
 

Down-stays

Stand-stays

 

Visit, while on a high chair

Under

Just being good

Up

He Fetches

Starting from when Dante was eight or nine weeks old, I have spent countless hours trying to teach him to fetch.  We started in the upstairs hallway, on a long leash, and once he got that down, we played off leash, then started over downstairs in the house, and so on.  Dante loves to chase after toys, but teaching Fetch was exhausting.  Trying to get Dante excited, switching toys every throw, and tons of treats.  On Sunday, Dante played Fetch for a full 15 minutes in the back yard (still with tons of treats), and I was floored that he stayed interested that long.

 Moray is a different story.  The dog fetches.  

Dante, Moray and I were playing in the backyard together, and I threw a ball for them.  Dante lost interest after a few minutes, and went to find a stick.  Moray raced after the ball and brought it to me.  I, of course, praised and gave him a treat.  I threw it again, not really thinking he would bring it back, but sure enough, he did.

I took Moray out by himself the other day to see if he would really Fetch.  He does.

I try not to compare Dante and Moray, but I am totally flabbergasted that Moray doesn't even need to be taught.  Sure, I want to put a "fetch" command with it, but it is so much easier when he is already doing it.

We take this oppertunity to work on impulse control and his commands, asking for a "sit" or "shake" or "speak" before each throw.

Sitting before throwing the ball.

"Speaking."

"Moray, here!"

It is SO much fun that Moray wants to fetch, and even seeks me out for attention when he is free in the yard.  Love this sweet baby!

1000 Words

 

Puppy Raising Workshop

Last Friday my mom, Dante, Moray, and I packed up and made the three-and-a-half hour drive to Nashville.  

Our Southeast Region Puppy Program Manager along with an Advanced Training Trainer came up to do a puppy raising workshop for Tennessee and surrounding area puppy raisers.

Dante has traveled a multitude of times, but this was Moray's first trip.  Being only 14 weeks old, he is not allowed to go on public outings yet, and just in the past few days have we turned a corner in potty training.  Needless to say, this was a huge trip for Moray, but he did fantastic.

We usually don't tell hotels we have a dog(s) with us, because we don't want compromised service.  It is easier to ask forgiveness, than beg permission. ;-)  We have yet to stay anywhere where they are not welcoming of our puppies, and this motel was great, too.  With Moray's unpredictable potty habits right now, it was much easier to stay in a motel where we had quicker access outside.

After unpacking and feeding the puppies, we went to dinner at Panera Bread.  Since Moray is not old enough to do public outings yet, we planned on sitting outside with them, but it turned out to be quieter and less distracting to sit just inside the side door.  Moray did well for his first time.  I think having Dante there to help show him what to do helped a lot!

We decided to go check out the facility where the workshop would be on Saturday, so that Moray would get a feel for it before it was busy and overwhelming.  The man working there was so nice and gave us a tour of the whole place.  Moray was a little unsure of some of the flooring, that I hadn't even noticed.  he does so well with taking on new things, that it is easy to forget he has not been exposed to a lot and needs a little more time to figure some things out.

My boys and I on a huge rocking chair

Saturday started with a trip to Starbucks with Young and his raisers for breakfast.  You think one puppy gets a lot of attention, try three!

"You got more kibble, right?"

I guess Young didn't like his "down" command ;-)

We had a fabulous time at the workshop!  Unfortunately, with my mom and I both working puppies, we took very few photos.  We gained so much information, and left with renewed motivation for why we do this. 

Moray was the youngest puppy there, so he got to do some demo-ing with our PPM.

  One of the things I was looking forward to most was meeting Katherine and Novel.  We have been following each other in puppy raising through our blogs and Facebook for over a year now, and it was so neat to get to finally meet them!

Novel, Puck, and Dante

Katherine and Novel, R and Puck, and Dante and I

In all, we had seventeen puppies and two graduate dogs representing five states.  It was so great to talk with so many people who understand exactly what puppy raising is all about, the good, the bad, and the funny! ;-)

The group.  Picture from CCI's Facebook page