OK, I am supposed to tell you that Poppy is officially in training. I'm not too sure how that is any different than the last couple weeks, but Mom says today was 'turn in' day. So, Poppy has moved from "holding pattern" to training. Go Poppy, go! Look for more updates soon!
Wags and Wiggles,
Dagan
Just a few more pictures of Poppy as she was saying good bye to her buddies. Mom didn't get many good ones of her face, cause she was SO busy taking everything in around her one last time.
She said good bye to our work friends, Lorraine and Randy:
Then got a last snuggle from Elena:
Sharon came in to say good bye too, but she doesn't do pictures! Silly Sharon!
One last cute face shot:
OK, now it will probably be a couple weeks before we have any more news to post! Poppy had her cardio exam on Thursday and is now hanging out in the kennels until the rest of her of classmates at the end of the month.
Wags and Wiggles,
Dagan
Hi! I'm Dagan! Poppy asked me to keep up her blog for her. I'm the little brother/nephew she mentioned. Sadly, she left the day I came, so I didn't get to meet her. Bummer! So, I got all my instructions from Mr. Yogi Kitty. He's not fond of me - that's for sure! I think he just misses Poppy. At least I hope so. I want him to be my friend.
Anyway! Poppy is checked in to college and was happy when Mom left her. She had her heart exam today, but Mom won't hear how that went. Now, she's hanging out and getting used to college life before classes begin on February 1st.
I probably won't have many updates for you between now and then, but you can check me out! Dagan's Dogma Come say hi and see how cute I am!
Wags and Wiggles,
Dagan
Well, it seems that the end of the line has come early for me. I had big plans for the next 3 weeks. I was going to go to the city with Mom and Dad. I was going to say lots of good byes to all my favorite people. I was going to go visit my Dad's family and say goodbye to them (I already said goodbye to Mom's family last weekend). And, most importantly, I was going to have a little brother!
But, guess what. I came in season today. So, I'm bummed that my time at home has been cut short! I have to go off to school early and hang in the kennels before starting college.
I have a lot to think about now. I have a ton of decisions to make about my life. First, I have to get through my cardio exam on Thursday. Then, I will start working with my trainers. Hopefully, they like me! I really hope they like me! I am not sure that I want to be a guide dog. It takes SO much responsibility to be a good guide! But, I guess that's why I am heading to college - to figure out what I want to do with my life. Mom and Dad say they will be proud of me no matter what I decide to do. I know they love me and will cheer me on through whatever I decide to do. I can't wait to figure out what's next!
So, this is a goodbye that has come too soon! I will have Dagan keep you all up to date with how I am doing in college. I'll make sure that he and Mom start a blog for him too - so look for him in the blog-o-sphere soon.
Hope to see you at graduation!!
Love and Licks (lots and lots of them!)
Poppy
Dad brought me a present tonight! I went to work with Mom and when Dad came home, he had my buddy Max with him. Max's dad works with my dad. Max's dad to work all night tonight, so Max came for a sleep over! How fun is that?!?!
On top of sitting with my Mom, he thinks that I make a good pillow! How rude!
Oh how I would love to be friends with these guys - err, gals! Girl power! Sometimes these girls live where Mom and I work. And sometimes, the very same sheep live across the street from our house! I'm not sure how they get from place to place! I never see them move. We come to work and they are at home. Then, we go for our lunch time walk and there they are! If it takes Mom and I 15 minutes to drive from our house to work, I wonder how long it takes the sheep to walk over. Maybe I'll be able to follow them some day.
That's where they end up - WAY out in the field! Too far away for me to make friends. I'm not sure why they don't like me. Think I smell?? I'm just a little puppy.
I think it was the shorty out front. I don't recognize her. They came so close, I almost tried a play bow to see what they would do.
So, maybe Shorty will convince them that I am OK. Maybe someday, I will get to go romp in the field with them. Maybe someday I will call The Ladies my friends. Maybe someday, I will swagger right up to them and enjoy some oats and corn from their feed silos with them.Mom and Dad decided that we were going to go see a movie the other day. We were running a little on the late side, so we ran into the theater. We saw a movie called Blindside. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do at a movie. They rushed in and there was all sorts of great smells! I could feel my mouth start to water! Dad bought some popcorn and we went and sat down. The ground was REALLY cold! That's not comfy! I tried to take a nap, but I was SO cold that I started to shiver! I tried to convince Mom to let me sit her in lap - cuddling always makes it warmer. But, she wouldn't let me. Sigh. So, I sat there with my head in Mom's lap until it was time to go!
The way out of the movie was the best part ever! I saw my friend from work! Judy was there! I got to say hi to her and meet her husband and their friend. I got some belly rubs and head pats. After we said good-bye to them, I got to meet these guys:
I'm starting a new group - watch out Alvin! This is Poppy and the Chipmunks! That's right, boys, I'm in charge now! Simon, Theodore - we need to keep Alvin in line so WE can have more fun! What do ya say??
What? We have to go home? Oh. OK. Guess you boys are on your own!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
OK, I know that I am going off to college in a few weeks and Mom and Dad will be getting a new puppy to raise. What I didn't know is that he's coming early!! I'm getting a baby brother! I'm so excited that I will get to corrupt...err, I mean play with him!
Ya know what is really cool??? His dog-mom is my half-sister! My dog-mom's name is Carlotta. She has a daughter named Anista. And Anista has a son named... Dagan! And Dagan is coming to my house! So, he'll be my brother and my nephew at the time time.
Like me, he's another transfer puppy. But, he's way younger than I was when I came here. He's just a little baby right now! He doesn't even have his big boy shots yet!
It's kinda confusing, cause he's only sorta coming before I leave. First, Mom is taking me to GDB for my shots. I'm spending the night there to have my cardio exam on Thursday. Mom is hopeful that Dagan will coming home with Mom. If not, she will pick both of us up after my visit with the cardiologist. We will be together through the weekend (so check back for pictures!), then he's going to Hamlin's house. After that, he's going to 2 other raiser's houses so that Mom and Dad can spend as much time with me as possible. Wow! If they are doing all that, I must be pretty special!
So that's it! I can't wait to meet my baby brother/nephew!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
I love being comfy! I think creature comforts are great! I love lush green grass to romp in! I love a cushy bed to sleep on. This is the best life ever! Or at least it is when Mr Kitty doesn't do naughty things to my comfy bed! These are a few of my favorite things!
Playing in the grass is fun - especially if there is a bone or kong out there to play with!
But, this is the life! LOVE the comfy beds!
If only people would leave me along so I could get some sleep and make good use out of this comfy bed! Yeesh! Good night!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
OK, once again I am posting about a past event where I am feeling like I should be insulted! Yes, I went to the wedding. Yes, I enjoyed the wedding! Yes, I wished people well! I even helped babysit Brian! But, where are the pictures of ME?!?! Not a single picture of me! I feel a pout coming on!
A while back, we all headed down to Fresno for a wedding. It was my Auntie Sue's sister getting married. It's all kinda confusing. I'm not totally sure how these people relationships all work. Mom calls Kelley her Sister-in-law-in-law, but I never never heard anyone call her that before. It's all a little strange, if you ask me! So, Kelley married the goofy bald guy, Bernie. He's a fun guy! Super silly and a lot of fun!
There is the lucky couple! So happy! Mom and I spent most of the time at the wedding with a sleeping Brian. He was sooo sleepy, but has trouble falling asleep when there is a lot to see. I feel his pain! I'm the same way! If I close my eyes, I might miss something exciting! That wouldn't be fun! So, Mom sat with Brian and convinced him to sleep in her lap. Since Mom was tied down to one spot, they stuck me with her too. Mom thought it was great - she didn't have to stand in a single line! Food, champagne, people - they all came to her! No crowds to go through, no waiting! All she had to do was ask for something! That's the way to go!
That's the champagne-getter! Dad was good at bringing that back to the table! Fingers crossed that I get to go to another wedding soon! But next time, I want to do some dancing!!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
Dad loves taking pictures! He also loves sunsets. The two go together well. Some times, we go out and take a bunch of pictures just down from our house around sunset. I love going with him! You never know what you will see. Mom stayed home this time to work on dinner, while Dad and I went out exploring. We were sort of heading for the beach, but got distracted by the entrance to a farm. So, we stopped there to take some pictures.
Here they are!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
No! Not scavenging for food! That would get me in SO much trouble!! My puppy friends and I went on a photo scavenger hunt with our puppy raisers. It was in our mall and there was a list of clue that we had to figure out and take pictures of. Dogs were in every picture. It was a lot of fun! I couldn't be with Mom or Dad because they wrote the hunt clues! Little did the team know that I would be their secret weapon! Mom and Dad may have written the clues, but I was with them every step of the way!
We had to find some Mexican food at Rubios
Find a bench that would fit us all
Take an elevator ride
Visit the mall map
Find a way to get on TV
Get some Smoothie Action in
Jack and I had to ride the kiddie roller coaster
And Nick and I had to write a letter to Santa
It was a lot of fun! Despite me looking like a dork in the picture with Nick. I was trying to lay down! I was sleeeeepy after all that running around! Oh well!
I hope we get to do it again soon!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
Another one from the depths of my memory! (And they say that dogs don't have long term memories! Ha!). For Thanksgiving this year, Mom, Dad and I went to Dad's parent's house for the family gathering. It was a lot of fun! There was a lot of people there - Dad's parents, his sister, niece and 2 bothers. Phew! Lots of feet to walk around! But, there was someone better than all the people there... Accord!! Yippy!! I love getting to spend time with Accord! He is SO much fun to run with! We got to run in the yard and have a great time, but once in the house we had to be good! All those 2-foots means that there are a lot of people to trip up with us walking around.
I hung out on one side of the couch and Accord was on the other.
I only had one problem with the day. The people spent the whole time in the kitchen. They cooked some, ate some, cooked some, ate some, cooked some then all sat down to have a big dinner. But not a single thing for me! Sure, I got tossed an ice cube here and there, but that was all! Just look at the counter!
Eventually, I was given some dog food. yippy. I'm actually kind of insulted about this whole situation. I was perfectly behaved! I sat when told to do so! I came when I was asked! I was quiet and chewed on my own toys. I didn't beg for any of that food even once! Accord, on the other hand did beg - and he got food! He got TURKEY! How the heck does that happen?!?! No fair! I'm thinking of staging a revolt next Thanksgiving! Or maybe I will just boycott the whole holiday! No fair! No fair! No fair! I'm a hungry Labrador!
Sigh. These people will never change! Guess I better learn to live with it!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
OK, so I am going way back with this one! We had some random holiday back in October called Halloween. By its name, I thought I would spend the whole day howling. But, instead of howling, these crazy people dressed me up! How insane is that?!? I already wear a fur coat all the time, plus a puppy coat when I am out in public. How many things does one dog need to wear?!?!
So, Mom and I went shopping one day and we went to this crazy store. It was full of people wearing crazy things. There were ghosts and zombies and even a president or two! Crazy! So, I thought I made it out safe and sound, cause Mom didn't put any of that stuff on me in the store. But, alas, I was not safe. I ended up like this:
Mom called me her "Delicate Little Flower." I think she was being sarcastic though, cause everyone laughed at the word delicate. What?!? Do people not think of me when they hear that word?? I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not. And, not only did they make me dress like a dork, they couldn't even take a good picture of me looking like a dork! I'm blurry! Geez!
This is how Mom and Dad ended up. They were Bacon and Eggs. Which, would be good, if they let me eat it. But, as usual, I wasn't allowed to touch them. Ugh!
Uncle Andy and Auntie Susan came over with my cousins a couple months ago. My two-foot cousin Brian is 4 and my 4-foot cousin Granger is old! He was one of Mom's other guide dog puppies. But, he's a diva and doesn't want to work.
So, Dad and Uncle Andy hung out and played drums. They are both drummers and Uncle Andy was helping Dad with some conga lessons. Brian really likes the drumming and he joined in too.
After Brian was done playing with the guys, Mom, Auntie Susan and I decided that we should go look for pumpkins. I LOVE the pumpkin patch! It was SO much fun!
Brian and I discussed some pumpkins, but couldn't decide on any to take home. But, it was icky sticky hot outside anyway. We didn't stay long because it was too sticky and because Mom and Auntie Susan didn't have enough hands to walk Brian and I AND pick up pumpkins. So, we just looked at the pumpkins and animals, then headed back home.
Brian got so tired that he decided to make a chair out of this pumpkin. I would have laughed if he got pumpkin seeds in his pants!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
Happy New Year!! I was going to do a "Year in Review" post, but duh! You can just go back and read whatever you want to! I don't want to bore you with the details of what I have done! I thought about listing my New Year's Resolutions. But, I'm a dog! I don't make resolutions! So, I am kind of at a loss for what to write in my New Year's post. I know! Shocking that I am a loss for words! I don't have any pictures from our New Year's Eve celebration, because Mom and Dad are boring! BORING! They both have colds, so we stayed home and watched movies and cuddled. Not a ton of fun for me, but it's all good. I guess I will tell you about what is to come in the next couple weeks for me.
First, on January 14th, I have to spend the day at GDB for a Cadio exam. I know! Strange! They called a bunch of us in early for exams because we are being watched to be breeder dogs. That's right - there could be a whole lotta baby ME's! How fun would that be?!?! Because the Cardiologist only comes every so often, so they have to fill up the day when they will be there. Tara is going in with me too. Hopefully, it will be fun!
Mom says I am leaving for college at the end of the month. That's right! I'm all grown up and headed off to Guide Dogs for formal training! I'm kinda nervous about making new friends. I know that my buddies Hamlin and Cherish are already there, but they won't be in my class. Maybe I will thrown a party in the kennels to break the ice! That could be fun!
While I am there, I will have some tough decisions to make about my life. I will start my guidework training. There will be tons of studying and stuff involved. I'm not sure how I will like that! I will have to figure out if I want to be a guide dog. It's a lot of responsibility. I hope I am up for it! But, if not, I may get a chance to come back home. That would be OK too. I like it here.
So, 2010 will bring exciting things for me! I hope that it does for you too!
Love and Licks,
Poppy
PS I actually DO have one resolution - I plan on blogging daily until it is time to pack my back for GDB!
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