Kelda Keeps Busy in 2012 (So Far)

(This is one of Grandma's favorite photographs of me.)


Hello, folks!  It's Kelda again, woofing in to let you know that I'm alive and well.  


Living in California is still great.  I love my Grandma and my MEE-YOWS, and I never get bored.  I'm still letting children read books to me at the libraries, I'm still volunteering at the George Mark Children's House, and I'm still doing my public relations "meet and greet" events.  Not to mention the occasional hosting of CCI puppies-in-training, or sending them off with farewell parties when they go on to Puppy College.





Grandma has lots of friends.  Two of them are Mr. and Mrs. Jennison.  Early in 2012 they came to visit.  I wanted to be in charge of reveille, but I didn't have a bugle, so I did this instead.

I did a presentation at the Special Needs classroom at San Ramon Valley High School.  I especially liked this boy, so I wanted to show him that I still remember how to do a Lap (if you don't know what a Lap is, get a CCI dog to show you).  Somebody took this picture just as I was on my way up to put my front feet in his lap.  It made the kid, the teacher, and everybody else smile and laugh.  WOOF!  That's what it's all about!

Here's a picture of Grandma and me being official greeters at Stars to the Rescue, a fundraiser of the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF).  I like being in this group, helping provide a home for other dogs - or even MEE-YOWs.  Last year I was even a greeter at the Celebrities for ARF golf tournament.  I met professional baseball players, football players, and just general celebrities who were out to help save animals.  Oh yeah!

And here I am at an ARF birthday party.  If you live nearby (or even if you don't), you can arrange to have your child's or grandchild's party here.  These little girls learned how to treat animals properly - which is always more fun for them than treating animals improperly!  They went to a pretend grocery store to shop for pet food.  They went to a vet's office for a checkup.  Most importantly, they learned how to approach a dog who doesn't know them.  Then they got ice cream and cake!  I don't get any of the ice cream and cake, and I don't get to take home any of the birthday presents.  But Grandma brings me home and I get some of my own special treats.




I am doing a fabulous Sit... on a wall, with my Aunt Lori.  A well-mannered dog is welcome almost anywhere - especially in dog-friendly Carmel, California.

One of my special buddies is a CCI pup named Stanford (like the school).  He's a real character.  We have so much fun together.  Here, Stanford is the one in the yellow CCI pup-in-training cape, and I'm the one in the pearls.  We were at the East Bay Women's Conference.  With us is Jan Wahl, a TV personality from KRON-4 of the San Francisco Bay area of California.  I was there as an ARF "Pet Hug Pack" member (that means I'm part of a therapy team).  Stanford was there as my buddy, and also as a guest of the kind ARF folks who said he could hang out at their booth.  A handsome pup like Stanford is always good at creating interest in CCI.

And here we are at the same conference with author Gloria Steinem.  I don't know if she's into dogs or dog rescue, but Grandma says she's into doing things about people - which is OK too - and she seemed to like us.  You're also seeing Stanford's puppy raiser, Kristen Trisko.

All these public appearances are tiring after a while.  I love chilling out in the back yard with my toys!

Even though I'm not an official CCI dog, I have lots of tail-wagging CCI buddies, and sometime I go to their classes.  In this picture, I'm on the far left, with a red Gentle Leader on my muzzle and a big fellow sticking his nose into my face.  He's not a CCI pup, but he comes to classes, too.  Some of the others are Stanford's sister Sorrel, Nicole, and Brody - all part of the East Bay chapter of Northwest CCI.  I try not to get in the way at puppy class, but it brings back good memories to see them go through their paces.  This picture was outside a Whole Foods store, where they held a CCI fundraiser called "Nickels for Non-Profits."

In May, ol' buddy Stanford was ready to go to professional training.  So we had a party for him, of course.  Parties are among the things Grandma and I do best.

He wanted to get into Grandma's spa.  I thought that was a no-no.  Don't, Stanford!  Maybe he thinks it'll be his last chance.  As I recall, there isn't a puppy spa at the training center in Santa Rosa.  Bathtubs, yes; spas, no.

May 13th was my birthday!  I am now four years old!  (But, as you can tell, I don't look a day over three.)  I love birthdays.  I love birthday presents.  Well, who doesn't?  The only thing missing was - you guessed it - the guy who always calls me "Big Ugly."  But I hear that my PR dad, back in Colorado, remembered me on my new-puppy day.

And what would my birthday be without a silly costume?

All you people and puppies (and MEE-YOWs), enjoy your summer!