Ouch!

As closely as we keep an eye on the puppies that have been entrusted to our care, as the saying goes, things happen. On May 31st, just one day after completing her FINAL GDA Puppy K(indergarten) class and eight days shy of her four month birthday, Poppy had a “thing.”

It was a morning just like any other morning…out to pee and poo at 6:00 am, kibble at 7:00 am and outside to play in the glorious sunshine shortly thereafter. As I drank my first morning cup of coffee and slogged through my crossword puzzle on our patio, Poppy romped and played with Daisy. Friday puzzles are the second hardest of the week (Saturdays are the toughest) so it’s not usual that it takes TWO cups of coffee to finish a Friday. That was the case that day. So, into the house I went for a second cup but as I was walking back outside, Poppy was at the screen door and wanted to come in. Unusual, as time in the yard is her favorite time of day. Odder still, she went right into her kennel. Hmmm…..maybe she needs her morning nap earlier than usual??? So I sat at the family room table for a few minutes to see if she’d fall asleep and then I heard her whimper. And as I bent over to see what was the matter, I saw the blood on her pillow.

[Footnote: Poppy’s toenail has never regrown. But there’s a silver lining! Every time I pick her up from her monthly kennel stay, I always check her paw to make sure I’m getting the right dog back!]

So what happened after I picked up groggy Poppy from the procedure? Let me introduce you to Poppy’s “village.”

It Takes a Village to Raise a Guide Dog

As any puppy raiser will tell you, you don’t raise the puppy alone. Besides your family, you have a whole network of people who are there to support you. From the amazing trainers at the GDA campus, who make a weekly (LONG) drive to teach the basics to our puppies (and who am I kidding, us!), the fellow puppy raiser friends you make along the way, to our Area Leaders who plan outings, organize and run the monthly meetings and keep all of us informed of and in touch and on track with GDA rules and responsibilities. It’s a terrific group of folks.

On June 8th 2019, Poppy turned four months old in San Diego, while Ted and I woke up in paradise on day two of our “celebration vacation.” To those wondering, “Where was Poppy?,” let me simply say that we were able to be in Kona because of our group’s dedicated puppy raisers who stepped forward to help!

Enter Lonnie Raimond, a high school nurse and a veteran puppy raiser! Lonnie did our home interview in 2018 when we applied to raise a guide puppy and she has been an invaluable source of information and advice since.

After Poppy injured herself – and knowing that Poppy would now need health care from her puppy sitter – I asked Lonnie if she would take her. Lonnie has a house full of pets (cats and dogs – including a newly re-homed guide puppy, Bauer) and a busy life but she readily agreed. And Poppy lucked out with Lonnie. Lonnie brought Poppy to school with her and Poppy became the school celebrity! I mean, really, who doesn’t think a four month old Lab puppy is the cutest thing on earth??? And not only that, it was a GREAT socialization opportunity for Poppy.

Aloha Kona and Aloha Home!

While we had a wonderful time celebrating our anniversary in a beautiful place, we were so happy to get back to our own village and our girls! Sincerest thanks once again to Lonnie and her “healing touch.” We could NOT have had the care-free time we had without her help.