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!

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ... Um, FALL ... Um, IS IT WINTER YET? Yep.

Yes, I know I haven't blogged for quite a while.  But I'm still alive and well.  Grandma is, too, and so are the MEE-yows.


I had my birthday!  "Mr. Big Ugly" (my PR dad) wasn't there this year, but I thought of him.  He would have liked seeing me in this getup (see above).  At least he would have made some sort of smart-aleck remark about it.


I still have my job at the George Mark Children's House.  If you recall, it's a place for children who have life-limiting illnesses.  

Here I am with Baby George and his family.  He was precious.  This picture was taken at the summer picnic; Baby George is in heaven now.


On Independence Day, I celebrated very quietly - unusual for me.  But my vet had taken a lump off my foot, and he decided that, while I needed to enjoy the Fourth of July temperately, I also needed decoration no matter what.  (I'm fine!)



Here I am at one of my other jobs - Paws to Read.  Honestly, I don't know which of my jobs I like best - they're all fun.  You're seeing me at Walnut Creek, reading to - well, actually, letting kids read to me.  Sometimes children will read to dogs when they won't read to anyone else.



And here I am with a really special friend at Camp Arroyo.  That's a camp disabled kids get to go to for two weeks every year.  I love camp life!  It's nice to have so many friends.

I don't just work; I go to school, too!  Here I am with my friend Thelma, and our teacher Laura.  We're in the (ahem) advanced obedience class.



I also help puppy-sit, just the way other people used to puppy-sit me when I was a pup and my PRs had to leave home.  Here we are with Stanford.  He's quite a handful - er, I mean, quite an interesting character!




I'm back at Paws to Read in this one.  It was Halloween dress-up evening at the library.  

This is another favorite job:  Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation.  This was their Halloween party.  Man, that hay was tickly.  (And speaking of Tony LaRussa, hooray for the World Series-winning St. Louis Cardinals!)


That brings me up to November.  One day Grandma took me out front, on leash.  She had me sit, and we watched a car pull in the driveway.  Then the people got out, and they were... my puppy raisers!  My dad said (this should be no surprise to you), "Hello, Big Ugly!"  I was so excited I could hardly stand it.  


Did I forget my good CCI manners?  Well, let's just say that what happens at home stays at home....


We had a great time!  I showed off games like "Which Hand Has the Treat?"  

My dad got really good with that one.

Here I am with my PR mom and dad...

...and my lovely Grandma who takes care of me and buys me such silly costumes.  Ahhh!


I introduced my puppy raisers to my MEE-yows.





This is Mocha.  She is 13 years old and has lived in this house since she was just a tiny kitten.  She sleeps with Grandma and me.  Mocha likes to "play the harp" on my torso - but her claws are sharp!  So I exert my authority... by getting up and moving to the other side of the bed.

Grandma rescued Muffin II when she (Muffin) was about a year old.  I grab her neck, and she licks my face.  Sometimes she even nips me, but it doesn't hurt.  Muffin is a foodie, so I have to eat my dinner all up before she has a chance to get in it.


Both MEE-yows have very weird eyes, as cats do (let's not say anything about dogs).  If Grandma ran short of cash for dog treats, she could rent Mocha and Muffin out as reflective markers for the neighbors' driveways.

...Be afraid... be very afraid.  This is what nightmares (and empty food bowls) are made of.

We had Thanksgiving at home, and I always have a lot to be thankful for.  Um, do I get my treat?











I wanted to dress up as a New England Thanksgiving Indian - but it turned out I dressed up as a Thanksgiving Mexican instead.  This dog looks good in any costume of any country!


Now it's close to Christmas time.  Christmas is great.  There will be more parties to attend - in costume, of course, I'm sure - and people to visit.  I think of my Creator at Christmas and how much He has done for this world and the dogs in it - and the cats, and the people.  And I have some special presents for Grandma.  I hope she has some for me, too.


Here's my Christmas photo.  May your days be merry and bright!

Kelda the Therapy Dog

Remember my saying that I passed the test for my Canine Good Citizen certificate?  Well, I've done more.  Attention, please:  Kelda the Wonder Dog is officially Kelda the Therapy Dog!

The proof is in the picture above.  (I have certificates, too.)

When you are any kind of service dog, you wear a cape.  That's so people know they can let you into their building.  (All dogs are too cute to keep out of any building, but there are rules.)  I'll wear the red cape for the Paws to Read program at the Orinda Library; I may have an adult day care job, too.  The Purple vest is for the Valley Humane Society Pet Therapy Program; I'll be in Paws to Read (yes, I like books) and hopefully some other activities.  The summer-yellow one is for Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation Pet Hug Pack.  I'll be part of birthday and learning-center parties that promote animal awareness, and other events, too - like Stars to the Rescue, where I may meet some celebrities!  Rrrrrowlf!  Is Rin Tin Tin still around?  Marley?


I'm going to love these jobs!  I can hardly wait to get to work!


Speaking of being official, three of my sisters have graduated from CCI puppy college and become Canine Companions:  Keilus, Kerris, and Kiwi.  Way to go, Special Ks!

Here's what else has been happening.  I have a friend at the fire department now.  We met at the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival in April.  I don't know if that will make any difference if my MEE-YOWs should set Grandma's house on fire.  (But why should they do that?  It would burn up their dinners as well as mine.)



In May I went with Grandma to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, to meet my Aunt Lori.  We had dinner at the Cypress Inn, which Grandma says is owned by an animal-lover named Doris Day.  I'd never heard of her, but maybe you have. 

Carmel is a town that loves dogs.  Here I am on the famous Carmel Beach Walk (yes, that's really the ocean back there)... 

...and on the dog-friendly beach!









There was another special day in May.  It was my birthday!  I am now two years old.  My age count is half my paw count.  Once you read down to the bottom of the page, you'll see my official birthday portrait - complete with pearls.

I had a party with Grandma and my buddy Alexis, whose PR is named Deb.  We had permission to do Ups on her!  I received a "cool" collar (Grandma can soak it in water and it will keep me cool)...






... and the inevitable, um, hat.



Then I had a big surprise.

My PR Dad walked in the front door and said, "Hello, Big Ugly!"  I hadn't seen him since last August when I started puppy college.  (Don't worry about the "Big Ugly" business - he says that to any dog who is a Lab instead of a Golden Retriever.  We must forgive him for not being too bright.)

I got to sniff my car again, and even get in it (actually, it's my mom's car).  It had fragrances not just from Colorado but also from other dogs.  My dad had brought five CCI dogs out to California so they could start their advanced training.  Too bad I didn't meet them.

Then we had another party, and there was a cake just for me which Grandma had bought from Dog Bone Alley!  It was made with things that are yummy and safe for dogs to eat.  It was as hard as a hockey puck, but Dad pretended he was going to share it with me.

Then he helped give me more birthday presents that Grandma had picked out.  I love how she spoils me.

This is the best one.  It plays, "Happy Woofday to You."  Oh, wait... that's "Happy Birthday."  Sorry.

After my party, we went to my class.  Dad got to take me through my paces.  I don't think he expected to do that, but he remembered everything.  I taught him how to go around the cones.  That was new for him.  He did well, don't you think?


The summer should be fun - stay tuned!