Of mice and MEE-YOWS...

Here's what I've been up to lately:

Kelda helps clean up the yard! A big (enormous!) tree blew down right after Christmas.







I didn't get in on the fun when the men came with their chain saws...





...but later on, when my PR dad started cleaning up the clutter, I saw a way I could really be of service.

After all, I want to be a service dog, don't I?







So I picked up leftover sticks and other items to carry out of the way.





Well, I intended to do that, but they were so much fun to carry I forgot about being helpful.











Funny thing. My dad didn't say thank you.









Kelda's buddy, Mr. Grey! He probably shouldn't be my buddy because he likes to get service-dogs-in-training into trouble.



In the pictures, he may seem to have a mean look, but he really likes me.


No, really, he does.











Kelda's buddy, Jasmine! Jasmine is a grown-up Lab - she and my older cousin Zebrina (who used to live here) were buddies. She's my buddy, too. Look - she has a pink nose just like I do! When she comes over, we play and play...



..and then she shows me all the places she and Zebrina used to dig in the yar... oops. Forget I said that. I wasn't supposed to tell.




Kelda doesn't jump so much! (??) My PR mom told me she noticed I was trying to be good about not jumping on people. Mom says it's especially important that I not jump, because I now weigh 57-1/2 pounds and that's a lot of jumping power. So I really, really tried the other day when her friends came. I only jumped a couple of times. Maybe three. Um, maybe four. But I was so excited to see them (they really like me) that I wiggled and ran around the house in circles and barked very loudly. My mom sighed....

Kelda meets a Fake Mouse! I hear there's a more famous Fake Mouse in California (that's someplace west of here). But we only went up the road to a birthday party at a noisy pizza place.

Here's the birthday girl, Megan...


...Here I am with one of her big sisters, Jenna...











...And... here's her other big sister, Katie.




(They're my PRs' granddaughters.)

Well... I know what a mouse is. I've learned that from my buddy, Mr. Grey, who has a speaking (sort of) acquaintance with several in the neighborhood.

And what did I find?


Well may you ask! This dude has the last name of Cheese, but I don't think cheese would melt in his mouth. He doesn't even smell like a mouse!

Pathetic!

Kelda rests from her labors!...

New Year's Resolutions

Happy 2009!



This is my very first New Year's Day. I've enjoyed the whole holiday season. I received some good presents (a dinosaur and a nylabone, and also a kong toy with tails).

We've had lots of people visit us, an we've visited them. If this is what a CCI service dog's life is like, I really wanna be one!


My cousins (are they my cousins? My PRs' children belong to them) came for three days. Here are Loki and Odin; they're handsome Norwegian Elkhound boys. We had a good time together. They chased squirrels, and I chased them.


They like ice cubes, too, just the way I do.






I'm told it's the time to make resolutions, so here are a few, and what I'm - really, what my PRs are - doing about them.


I RESOLVE to eat my food, not bolt it.

I do love mealtimes! But I still chow down too fast, so...

...my folks have given me something to help me. Yep, it's a rock. No, I don't eat it, silly! I just eat around it. It makes me take more time.



I RESOLVE not to jump on people. I like people, and I like jumping. Why not put them together? It's hard to remember not to. So...


You wouldn't want to drink out of this can. It has little baby rocks in it. My PRs don't throw it at me (although they may be tempted). But it makes a big noise when I start to jump on somebody. I don't like the noise, so I try not to jump. I wiggle instead. Hey, I have to do something!



I RESOLVE not to be a fraidy-MEE-YOW about stairs. I don't know why, but sometimes I look at a stairway and want to run in the other direction! If my people pick me up and put me on the steps, I'll do what I should. But I'm a big girl - I've almost outgrown my medium-sized CCI cape - and it's hard for them to pick me up. So... I'll try to be brave. Maybe. (No picture for this one - they have their hands full of me.)











I RESOLVE to wear my tags on my collar every time I go out. This is my new friend. She came to play with me because she decided to walk around the neighborhood without her tags. It took all day long to find out that she really lived just over on the next block. (I hope she'll come back. With her tags.)

I RESOLVE not to get into big trouble. Hey, this wasn't my fault!

Yes, I admit I've pulled up plants and jumped on the picnic table, but nothing like this! I tell ya, I didn't do it! It was the wind! Don't blame me!

The Twelve Doggy Dos and Don'ts of Christmas

I warn you that this is a long one. But, you see, I've been hearing about Christmas. It sounds good to me!

My PRs say Christmas is when my Creator came to earth as a human being. Personally, I think coming to earth as a dog would have been classier. But they say he knew what he was doing.

Lots of things are happening. I told you about the tree in the house. I have to leave the tree-sparklies alone so everyone else can enjoy them. I'm not to drink the water in the tree stand. Not even if I'm thirsty.



But I go to parties at other houses. Around the neighborhood, I see lots of lights; even deer have lights all over them. (My former neighborhood just had the regular kind.) At least, they look like deer.

I get to ride in the car more. I do lots of shopping with my PRs. The Post Office people know me on sight.

There is another part to Christmas. I'm not sure of the name; it sounds like "Sandy Paws" to me. My four-footed friends say this part is important if you like toys and treats. But this Paws character is like your PRs and your puppy class teacher: you're expected to be good!

So, to help us all be good, here - according to my canine buddies - are some dos and don'ts for this season:

1) Do let people enjoy you. Be friendly. Shake your paw if you're asked. Don't jump on people, especially short people like puppies... er, children (you could hurt them). Do let folks scratch you behind the ears if your people say it's all right.

2) Do let the people, not you, sit on the furniture. It isn't just because of our impeccable good manners. They look stupid sitting on the floor. We look better. And we can get up more easily, too.


3) Don't whine if your people put you in your crate or tether you to a chair during parties (do you see my leash tied to the sofa leg?). Do just sit there sweetly, looking as cute and pathetic as you can. You'll get a lot of "awwws" that way!



4) Don't chase the MEE-YOWs around the Christmas tree, even if they tease you. Knock the tree over and your people will be really upset. Do pose by it nicely, and someone will probably take your picture. If the MEE-YOWs want to get themselves into trouble, stay well away.


5) Don't eat the Christmas decorations. Sandy Paws might get upset. Your people definitely will. Besides that, you could get a major tummy ache. You don't know what those things are made of.

6) Speaking of eating (or not eating), don't eat tinsel or "icicles." Those are stringy things that some people hang all over the tree. It's all shiny and looks like fun. But it messes up your insides big time. No matter how much you enjoy visiting your vet's office, you won't like that trip!



7) Don't eat electric cords, either. How can I explain this? There are tempting little chewy-plastic-coated wire thingies between each light on the tree. There are bigger chewy-plastic-coated wire thingies like that on the floor, too. Do not chew on them! You might suddenly meet your Creator in person, and your family will cry.



8) Do eat doggy treats; don't eat people treats. My PR mom loves a treat called chocolate, but she won't give me any. She told me why. For us dogs (and MEE-YOWs, too), chocolate is poison. Other poison treats are raisins, grapes, and macadamia nuts. Don't eat any of those, not even a little bit! See #7 for what can happen.

9) Don't eat string, ribbon, wrapping paper, balloons, house plants, children's toys, the new gloves your PR was just given, or sharp objects. Doing those things is just plain silly. (I'm not saying I wouldn't try it - I'm just telling you what my buddies say.) Do, however, save your wonderful mouth for those chew toys they are going to give you. People, you'd better come through on this.


10) Do - if your people want to give you a special food treat - ask for veggies. Veggies are good! I like carrots best. Baby ones. Cut julienne style, thank you very much.




11) Do ask your people to get you a Christmas bandana. It makes you look as festive as everybody around you. Don't thank them by chewing on it. Chewing on it only makes it look tacky. A bandana is good. That and a Nylabone. Chew only on the Nylabone. Maybe with a little peanut butter on it. Mmmm, yes.

12) Everything is more at Christmastime - sights, sounds, smells, people. Maybe we won't get as many walks or as many naps as we're used to. It's easy to end up with a big case of stress. Do... try NOT to! Our body language will tell. We delightful dogs don't speak people (and people don't speak dog), but we're probably getting stressed out if we yawn a lot, or lick our bottoms a lot, or drool a lot, or keep our ears or tail down, or have a funny look in our eyes, or chew things we know we shouldn't, or, um, do you-know-what in the house (!), or run out the front door without permission. Remember, Christmas is just for a short time, and life is still good! Soon everything will settle down and we can take our naps again.

Do you want your people to know more about how to make Christmas merry for you? They can try these online places for starters:

http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/dangers_of_chocolate_for_dogs
http://www.csst.org/canine_stress.html
http://dog-training.suite101.com/article.cfm/dogs_suffer_stress_too
http://dogs.about.com/od/dogcarebasics/a/xmas_safety.htm

My four-footed friends and I wish you a Meowy Christmas and a Yappy New Year! (Yeah, I know that's old, but it's new to me, and I like it!)

Mother's Day in December

Look! Do you notice that my nose is turning pink?

I think it's cute. Pink is my favorite color, maybe. Except when I'm hungry. Then dog food is my favorite color.

(I have a glassy look in my eyes because I was tired. Supervising these people is hard work sometimes. I have to take them for walks. I have to give them other exercise - like picking up my toys in the back yard and putting them away. I have to make sure they go up and down the stairs (good aerobic exercise for them) to check up on what I'm doing. I have to make sure they feed me. I have to take them when they go on errands in the car. Sometimes I have to take them to the office. I constantly have to show them what good manners are. I'll admit that sometimes I wonder: can't they do anything by themselves?)

I said I would tell you about my mama. So I will. It's a pleasure.

A lot of people worry about dogs whose job is to have puppies. But Canine Companions for Independence wants their mama dogs to be as healthy and happy as their puppies are.

Here's Mama!

Isn't she beautiful? She has a pink nose, too. I hope I'll be as pretty as she is when I grow up. (Check out the prodigy pup who's wearing the puppy cape already. Maybe that's me. Or maybe it's my sister Keilus. I honestly don't remember.)

My mama was once a CCI puppy just like me. When she got older - and smarter - she went to puppy college (advanced training), just as I'll do the end of next year. The teachers liked her there, too, just the way they liked my daddy. Not only was Mama smart and friendly, she was also calm - and very healthy. (Calm? How did I get related to her? Maybe I'll be calm when I grow up. Maybe pigs will fly. Maybe MEE-YOWs will fly. Maybe I'll get puppy treats whenever I want them. "No," my PR mom says, "just you wait," so I will.)

The teachers looked at her and thought, "Maybe she'll make a good mama." So they checked her and double-checked her, mostly to make sure she was healthy. I have to be healthy, of course - and service dogs need to be healthy, because they have such important jobs to do - but my mama had to be super-healthy. That makes her Super-Mama! Happily, she passed all their tests with style. She didn't even complain (not even the way I was complaining at the beginning of this blog).

SO... instead of graduating and helping somebody with a mobility problem, she was adopted by some special people in Santa Rosa, California. They loved her right away and were delighted to have her in their family.


Mama had to live in Santa Rosa for two important reasons: 1) that is where the special CCI vet is, and 2) that is where the daddy dogs are!





When the vet thought it was a good time, Mama got to spend some time with Daddy. So then I was born.

And I wasn't the only one!

That's me, with the bright pink collar, looking around for something to get into or chew on.

My mama has had other pups at other times, too. The vet (as well as her family) always gives her lots of time to rest before she has puppies again. After just a few litters of the cutest, smartest puppies you'll ever see (of course), she will retire from her puppy job and spend the rest of her career supervising the family that loves her and that she loves.

So you see - you don't need to worry about my mama. She's just fine!




Interesting things are happening at home. My PRs brought a tree right into the house. And then they hung all these wonderful toys on it - and they won't let me touch even one! Sometimes it's a dog's life.

Giving Thanks

I'm getting to be a big girl!

When I came here a tad over four weeks ago, I weighed 36 pounds. My PR Mom took me to my doctor's office last week, and when I sat down on the scale it said I now weigh 47 pounds!

My PRs say my legs are longer. They don't have to bend down so far to scratch me around the ears (or hand me a puppy treat). My collar fits me better, too. One time, when my collar was a little too big, I slipped it, and did I ever have a good time! I thought going after me would be good exercise for my PR Dad, but somehow he didn't see it that way. So then we had lots and lots of Gentle Leader practice (sigh).

But I'm not done growing yet. My feet are still too big for the rest of me! Get a load of these paws. I'm going to be a gorgeous, GIANT service dog. Sooper-Kelda! Faster than a speeding squirrel! Able to leap over wheelchairs in a single bound! Wait a minute - I don't know if "leap over wheelchairs" is a command. And speeding after squirrels is definitely not a command. I don't do that. Ha ha. I was joking.



My family celebrated Thanksgiving, and I did, too. Imagine - a whole day just to say, "Thank you!" (or, in my language, "Rrrrrrr-ooof!"). My PR Mom says the Pilgrims were thankful to their Creator for giving them a new home, for keeping them alive, and for new friends. I have the same Creator, so I'm thankful for those things, too. I am also thankful for MEE-YOWs, puppy treats, fenced back yards to run around in without a leash attached, car rides, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

My Gentle Leader and anybody's stairs? Not so much.

I celebrated first by going out to the country for a couple of days. There were some very nice dogs there. They're much older than I am, but they were CCI dogs when they were puppies, so they showed me a lot of things I need to know. They're really good at "here" (golly, they go right up to the person calling them!) and "wait" - better than I am.








The people are nice, too. And I also met some new kinds of dogs called "cows," "chickens," and "horses."


Then I celebrated by traveling a long way in the car. We went to see three little girls and their mama and daddy, and all of them are related to my PRs. There were other people there, too, and another dog - a "hot dog" named Maisie.


I met some other dogs as well.


They're so little that you can hardly see them in the picture. But not everybody can be 47 pounds like me. Those little dogs sounded as if they were scolding Maisie and me for being in their neighborhood. But I knew better. They were just making pleasant conversation. The way the people were saying, "Quiet!" makes me think it wasn't very pleasant for them. You'll be pleased to know that I was quiet. I know what a service dog should do! (Not that I always do it.)



I learned to stay away from that big thing the little girls play on. Ouch!







But I didn't jump on anybody (much)...
and I put on my very best manners...
and everybody was glad I came.

Then... I got a Thanksgiving-weekend treat.

Do you want to know a way for your people to make you happy? (Christmas is coming!)

Get them to get you one of these funny-looking things.

It's called a Kong toy, and it's fun to chew on (and it bounces, like I do).



But this makes it even more fun: Get your people to put a little peanut butter inside it.
Wow! Good stuff. GREAT thing to be thankful for!


I might come when I'm called for peanut butter. I might stop jumping on people for peanut butter. I might even be better on stairs for - no, wait. Can't promise anything about stairs. I'll tell you about stairs another time.