Tag Archives: puppy raising

June 2019

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.

Some how, in some way, Princess Poppy’s right pinkie toe was literally hanging on by a thread. Poor Poppy!

After conferring with GDA, I took Poppy to my personal vet, where they were directed to bandage her paw to see if her toenail would “reattach.” Unfortunately, that was not to be. And on Wednesday, June 5th, Poppy’s scheduled follow-up vet visit and less than 24 hours before Ted and I were scheduled to leave for Hawaii to celebrate our wedding anniversary, Poppy had her toenail surgically removed.

[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.

Lonnie taking on two at a time! Labs are so motivated by food….and Poppy learned obedience when she was a little one in the GDA puppy nursery!
Poppy LOVES her new home-away-from home. And Lonnie made Poppy feel very welcome and safe.

<– Meet High School Principal Dave Napoleon (it’s HARD to pose with a pup who has a bubble collar on)! And Lonnie ROCKED IT with Poppy’s girly-pink bandage change.
Poppy taking a snooze at Lonnie’s home with her career changed pup Nixon. Poppy looks so little next to him!

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.

Puppy Class!

Today was Poppy’s first puppy training class! She did really well – and so did her littermate, Pongo. I’ve been been practicing basic commands with Poppy since last Saturday and the GDA trainer, Hanna, did an awesome job in class today. I got some really good tips – Hanna is a great teacher and enthusiastic cheerleader.

So, here’s an interesting fact that you may not know: a guide dog, when traveling in a car, bus, train, or airplane with their human, sits on the floor at their human’s feet curled up in a little ball. As a puppy raiser, it’s my job to begin this training as soon as possible. Since I was uncertain how to do this driving her by myself, I bundled her up in Daisy’s old puppy Pawaboo travel harness and clipped her into the backseat seatbelt buckle and off we went. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about putting Poppy in the harness (Daisy went berserk when I tried it on her the first time) but Poppy was born for this. She walked around with the harness on like this was her millionth time doing it. Well, OK, I thought, how will she be in the car?

Driving Miss Poppy

I kept glancing back on her waiting for her to let me know she wasn’t having any and – again – Poppy showed me that she was born for this! She sat up (probably wishing she was bigger so she could look out the windshield) and looked at me as if to say…hey! let’s go! How cool is that! But then I thought, what happens if she goes nuts when we’re on the freeway???

Hard to get a good picture hanging the phone over the back seat!

But, one mile into the I-15 North….you guessed it…she was born for this!

After the conclusion of puppy class, Hanna showed me how to travel with Poppy on the front passenger floor. You can either tie down the leash under the passenger seat (if you can) or close the leash in the glove box. I used the glove box method.

At the risk of sounding like a nervous Nellie (I know, too late), but in my defense not having done this before, I was a bit unsure of how Poppy would do…

…but honestly, I don’t know why I had any concerns. She WAS born for this!

Team Poppy

April 16, 2019

In just two short months, on June 17th, it will be 8 years since I entered the hallowed realm of retirement. During this time, I’ve studied art history, learned to draw and paint, took piano lessons, traveled to many interesting places with my husband, golfed, enjoyed family vacations in Hawaii and family BBQs at our home, welcomed three grandchildren into our family, spent many wonderful evenings enjoying dinners with friends, and most recently, raised our dog Daisy from puppyhood (she’ll be two years old May 3rd). During all this time, the one thing I haven’t done is actively donate my time to an agency in need. That is, until now.  

On Friday, April 12, 2019, my husband and I welcomed into our home a tiny, yellow ball of fluff and energy that we named Poppy. Through the puppy raiser program at Guide Dogs of America https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org, we’ve begun our adventure of raising a dog who has a truly special purpose. She has been bred for the gift of sight. 

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There will be puppy classes, advanced training classes, trips to and from the GDA campus in Sylmar, monthly meetings and outings with our regional puppy raising group, gadding about town and our neighborhood with Poppy in her GDA jacket and…if Poppy passes all medical checks, we will return her to GDA in 16 to 18 months for guide dog training school. IF Poppy completes that training, she will be teamed up with a person who needs a sharp set of eyes and a brain full of knowledge to get her new human from place to place.

As I sit outside with Poppy on this beautiful morning, watching her nap peacefully after a fun play time of squeaky toys and tug-of-war, I am overwhelmed with emotion thinking of and praying for the possibility of Poppy being the gift of sight for someone in need. I’ve witnessed first hand what that gift means and how it’s given life back to that person and can think of no other thing I want to do with my time than to help play a part of giving that gift to someone else.

So, the journey has begun! This is our sweet Poppy.

You can find more information about becoming a puppy raiser here. https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/gda-programs/puppy-raising/