KELDA'S SPECIAL EDITION 10TH BIRTHDAY BLOG!

Hello again!  I told you I'd be back soon.  And I should have been back sooner.  It's not my fault.  It isn't Grandma's fault, either.  The lady who does this blog for us went off on a vacation (imagine that!) and then she had to see a doctor about something or other.  I guess she just didn't appreciate the IMPORTANCE of this post...

... because I am now TEN years old!

How much is that in dog years?   I don't know.  I don't have enough paws to count that high.  Of course, some humans would say I'm OOOOOOLD (giving a slight doggy inflection to that word).  But I'm exactly the right age!

Grandma and I don't get OOOOOOLD... we just get better and better and better.  And that's a fact.

So...

Here I am with Grandma and my buddy Alexa.  Like me, Alexa was a Canine Companions for Independence puppy.  Like me, Alexa opted for a different career, and went back to Deb, who raised her.  She's been my BFF (Best Furry Friend) for years, and is always the first one I invite to my parties.  (My Canine Companions for Independence friends will be glad to know that Alexa's mama's breeder/caretaker was Cath Phillips.)

Of course, Grandma is really the first, because she has to plan everything.  And Grandma plans the best parties!

Alexa may not look too happy in that picture, but she really was delighted.  Grandma had a present for HER, too!  





Alexa and I played ball for a good long time.  Then we decided to rest for a while.  We didn't want to muss up our fur.

After that, we put on our beautiful party hats...

... and sat admiring the sign that tells us what the occasion is.  We were really impressed with it!  Too bad we don't know how to read.






We didn't get any birthday cake.  Grandma loves me too much to let me eat what's bad for me.  But she did let us have birthday treats (you'll see what they looked like later on).  We liked them so much that we didn't even notice my hat was coming off.



This is the REAL birthday cake.  Just out of kindness to us, Grandma ate it herself, with a human friend.

Get a load of this birthday table!  What presents!  Having another birthday isn't a bad thing at all.

Now, THIS birthday cake (look to the right) was really for me!  It squeaks!










I got a box in the mail.  It was from my PR Mom and Dad.  Unhappily, they don't live nearby, but they always remember my birthday.  I could hardly wait to open it... but I was good.  Want to know what was in it?

Well, I can't show it to you.  It was a bone, and I loved it.  Grandma always supervises that sort of play, so when it wore out it disappeared, but I sure enjoyed it for a while.

I'll be back to enchant you again with stories another time!

KELDA IS BACK - AND BOY, DOES SHE HAVE A LOT TO SAY!

How did it happen?  How did I wait more than a year before realizing I needed to write another post? Why didn't you remind me?  Oh... sorry.  That wasn't your job, was it?  Oops.

Well, let me tell you that it has been a busy, busy time!  Now I have to think back more than a year - to my NINTH birthday!  Grandma throws great birthday parties for pups!

This is me with my friend (on the left of the picture), Alexa.  We really know how to party.  WOOF!  (That means, "I love parties!")








Also last year, Grandma raised a nice, tidy sum of money for Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF).  That meant I was entitled to a fancy glamour photo shoot!  My lovely visage now adorns the walls at Pet Food Express in Danville, California.  You can see part of the picture on the top of this post - and here's the whole thing.  Autographed copies are available.  Well, um, they WOULD be if my paws could hold a pen....

I still work at the library!  At the terrific "Paws to Read" program in Danville, I met this wonderful family of brothers - and they're all good readers!  I love this job.  WOOF!  (That means, "Readers rock!")


There are days, of course, when my work is more low-key... like going to meetings with Grandma.  I get to meet a lot of nice people this way.  Here, I am about to attend another Alamo Women's Club meeting.  I am the AWC Club's Official Ambassador for Canine Companions for Independence, one of the club's charities of choice.  And.... flash!  Good news!  They selected CCI again for the upcoming year!   

Last year I had a medical adventure.  My nice veterinarian found a small mast cell tumor on my beautiful left ear.  You don't want a mast cell tumor, whether your ears are beautiful or not!  So I had to have an operation.  For three weeks I wore this pressure-sock "bandana" on my face, so that I wouldn't shake my head.  The color's not bad - but have you ever tried not shaking your head for three weeks?  'T'isn't fun.

So... here is the New and Improved Me, with my little ear.  Dr. Daniels at Canine Companions says it gives me character!  (My PR mom took this picture.)

Guess who came to visit last fall?  My PR mom and dad from Colorado!  They came with their latest pup, Kaffee, who was a BIG boy about to start CCI puppy college.  We had loads of fun at the DogFest celebration at Jack London Square in Oakland.  Dogs in costumes!  Dogs in CCI capes!  Dogs in a boat!  (On purpose - and they weren't steering it.)  Lots of money raised for a terrific cause!  WOOF (which means, "I love CCI")!  Here's my PR dad with Kaffee.

Kaffee and I are waiting here - very politely - for a treat from my PR mom.  Unfortunately for us, she was busy taking pictures.

We did some sightseeing, too.  I made Kaffee sit in the back so that - well, so that I could sit next to my PR dad.  He's my heartthrob!  Kaffee and I were raring to go - but my dad looked pretty tired out from all the dog "rassling."  (Okay, so we played a lot.)



We all went to the plant nursery, where we saw some nice plants and met some nice animals!  I made friends with this sheep.  Baaaa!  (That's sheep language for WOOF!)

Well, sadly, we had to say good-bye to PR mom and dad  - so they could take Kaffee to puppy college in Oceanside.  So I returned to work, helping Grandma facilitate pet therapy visitations at Camp Arroyo.  You remember Camp Arroyo, don't you - the special camp for kids with disabilities?  Here I am with Bryanna, one of my special friends.  WOOF!  (That means, "I love my friends!:)

Here are a couple of other work pictures.  I go to a lot of places!

Last January, Grandma brought home a new addition to our little family.  Kimmi was rescued from a flood in South San Jose in January of this year.  Now she spends her time trying to give me kitty kisses!  

Here's the last photo - one of my favorites because it's one of my very special PR mom and dad.  It was wonderful to see them again and I hated to say goodbye... so I just said, "WOOF!"  That means, as you surely know, "See you next time!"  And... next time won't be long for YOU, because pretty soon you're going to get an extra-special blog post!  Don't you wish you knew what it was?  WOOF!  

Happy Howl-idays! KELDA IS BACK!

The Marvelous, Magnificent, Kolossal Kelda is back with her annual report!  Here's my Christmas picture.  I have to admit I wasn't a fan of that old metal truck bed.  Or... maybe I'm just daydreaming of a white Christmas.  Where I live, a white Christmas is really a dream.  I don't live in Colorado any more!  But the photographer is a nice lady.  If you live near Grandma, contact her and she'll send you the link to the business.  (My PR mom thinks the round tail lights look like Christmas balls hanging from the sides of the truck.)

I'm sorry I don't do this blog more often, but the fact is that my grandma keeps me very busy - that and the little problem with the paws and the, um, keyboard.  But here's a fast chronological view of what I've been doing in 2016.  Ready?

Libraries are good!  My teacher friend, Miss Dodd, conducted a book signing and reading at the Orinda, California, Library.  I attended  and everyone got to pet me afterwards.  I visit several libraries!  I participate in Read Across America (on Dr. Seuss' birthday) in Miss Dodd's first-grade classroom every year, where Grandma and I read to the kids.

Here I am, listening attentively, as the kids from Murwood Elementary School read to me.  (I look serious here because it was such a good book.)

Here's something else I've done this year: I returned to take a few refresher classes in doggy dancing.  Here's a picture me getting ready, thinking about my moves!  (I recommend this exercise for all YOUR dogs.)

Back to books (I like them a lot):  The Girl Scouts had a reading project with therapy dogs.  I really enjoyed listening to their stories, and I LOVED the sign they made for us!

It's hard for Grandma to believe, but the month of May gave me birthday #8!  I don't look any older, do I?  Well, maybe my rose nose is a bit rosier.  My wonderful PR Mom and Dad always remember my birthday, along with Grandma.  I had my doggy friends over for a play date and to help me eat my delicious treats!

We're big on parties, anyhow.  I always get excited when my CCI doggy friends come over for a play date and enjoy the treats Grandma passes around!

Now here's a summertime photo. I am volunteering at Camp Erin, a bereavement camp for children who have lost a parent or sibling.  I was wearing a pair of goofy sunglasses, and when this girl saw me, she started to smile! It was a very wonderful experience to see all these children smile and laugh again.  

I had a rather sad day this summer. We said goodbye to Miss Trish, the children's librarian at the Walnut Creek Library. For several years we've helped with Children's Storytime there, with Grandma reading to the kids. She worked with Miss Trish on this project. But Miss Trish has moved back to Canada! She wanted to be closer to her grandchildren. That's okay with me, but I miss her!

Here I am being silly at Camp Arroyo.  I'm sure you remember that name!  It's a camp for special needs kids held every summer.  Grandma facilitates wonderful therapy dog teams to visit with the kids and bring joy to their faces.
Bryanna and I have been friends for several years, with Grandma often
handing over my leash so Bryanna could take me for a walk. She put her sombrero on me! Aren't I cute!
Do you remember Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)?  Mr. LaRussa also hosts birthday party for kids.  While enjoying birthday treats, the kids learn about humane awareness toward animals, as well as how to care for them.  Grandma and I go up on that little stage.  Then she educates the kids about therapy dogs, how to approach an unknown dog (by the way, that's not just a dog you don't know - it's also a dog who doesn't know YOU), and how to ask to pet.  It's really a great program - loads of fun for the kids, and also for me!

G

May I please have permission to brag now?  This year I was awarded my Therapy Dog Excellent (ThDX) distinction.   I completed over 200 hours of therapy work, which
qualified me to receive this award!

That's all for now.  Grandma and I wish sincerely all of you - and your special furry friends -

HAPPY HOWL-IDAYS!  

We'll be spending Christmas in Carmel again.  I'lll send a photo next time.  Okay?

Kelda's Annual Report

Well, it feels that way - doesn't it to you?  It seems as if I'm a major corporation.  You have invested your interest in me for WOOF years, and now you get a yearly accounting of what I've been up to.  (And you don't have to vote for a board of directors.  Grandma's my director and that's the way she likes it.)

I hope you and your families (including the four-footed members of your families) have had a great twelve months!

Last year, almost at this time, Grandma and I were totally preoccupied with YET ANOTHER World Series won by the San Francisco Giants!  Yes! Let's hear it for baseball!  It has everything good in it - running around in a big yard, going after balls, chewing on bats... oh, wait.  I guess you're not really supposed to do that.  But it's a thought.

Here I am at Camp Arroyo.  Do you remember Camp Arroyo? It's a very special summer camp where groups bring disabled kids so they can spend time with each other.  (Some of these children have never met another child with a disability like theirs! Maybe that would be like a dog not knowing anyone but MEE-yows.  Not that being a dog is a disability.  MEE-yows... that's another question entirely.)  The kids get to do a lot of things together, too, like crafts, horseback riding, and even rock wall climbing.  I'm part of what they get to do.  They love me and the other therapy dogs who spend time with them. Grandma and I are coordinators for the pet therapy teams.  I do the charm part of the job, and she does the work.  

This is the 2014 picnic at George Mark Children's House, a privately run home-away-from-home for very sick children.  I love this place.  Did you know that every child's room is decorated in a wonderful theme?  The people who work here are so nice, and they take good care of the kids - and of the parents as well.  Special events, like this annual summer picnic or a holiday party, are times for the families whose children spend some time at the house - and also the families whose children have passed away - to get together and reconnect.  They are always considered part of the George Mark family!  Grandma and I spend a lot of time here.  Here I am with Xavier, one of my friends.

Don't you wish you could do all the fun things I get to be involved in all year?  Here is Miss Kelda Jean at the ARF Golf Tournament.  My job was to greet all the golfers who participated in Tony LaRussa’s celebrity competition.  It was to raise money for a wonderful cause - the Animal Rescue Foundation.  Dontcha love the hat? (Excuse me a minute while I wag my tail enthusiastically.)

And here's another fundraiser, for - what else?  Canine Companions for Independence!   My friends and I helped with the publicity for Dog Fest at Oak Hill Park.  Let me make some introductions: Tatum, whose career job is having CCI puppies, is on the left; LaRussa - named after Mr. Tony LaRussa of ARF and the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team - is in the middle; and Yours Truly is on the right.

Yes indeed, I am involved in a lot of fund-raising.  Grandma is very talented at doing that sort of thing.  I just wag the tail.

Oh, look - here's a reminder of some fun not long ago.  I went with my friend Marvin (he's in the hat; I'm in the Giants gear), his person Ada Beth, and Grandma to the Ramsgate Winery.  It's so nice to have friends.

When I was living in Colorado, we always hoped for a white Christmas.  That isn't going to happen in Southern California, but we have a wonderful day anyhow.  Grandma and I (with Aunt Lori, too) celebrated it at Carmel Beach.  It's great.  What do you do for Christmas?

And this was my Happy New Year card - because, after all, I AM a princess!

Then, this past spring, it was my birthday.  I am now seven years old!  That apparently makes me a Senior Citizen in the dog world, but I feel just like a pup.

I celebrated with my good friend, Alexa.  She loves to play K-9 Kannon!

Oh, finally, here's something you really need to see.  Grandma usually takes me to Pet Express to bathe me.  But lately she hasn't been able to drive - so I have a new friend named Loel.  She comes right to our house!  It makes me feel pretty special... and I smell even better than I feel.

That's my 2014-2015 report.  Love you!  Keep your tails wagging!

P.S.  Last week was graduation week at CCI training centers all over the United States!  I hope all the newly graduated teams will do very well!  For all you pups who have just started puppy college:  learn the best you can, have some fun, and wag your tails a lot.  If it turns out that you don't like your training, you're not failures - you just have great jobs elsewhere.  Like me!