Happy 2nd Birthday to Wilma's "H" Litter!

It was a snowy Leap Year Day, February 29th 2008, when Wilma's first 11 puppies were born. And now, two years later, six of those puppies have working careers!

This litter had a bumpy start. The first pup born lived only 4 days. It was a sad time, but the remaining 10 puppies needed Wilma's full attention.

Next bump came two and a half weeks later when Wilma got very sick. Mastitis, anemia and hypoglycemia meant no more nursing for Wilma and the 10 pups has to learn to eat real food much earlier than planned.

Then Houston, at only 9 weeks old, had to be put down after two unsuccessful surgeries to try to repair intestinal problems. Another very sad moment.

Next, Henna (now known as Nittany) was career changed at 5 months for bad knees. She outgrew that problem and is 100% OK and now enjoying life as a very pampered pet.

About that same time, Horton developed dysplasia in both elbows. The poor pup could hardly hold his own weight up. His raisers did everything they could to save him and Horton had surgery on both elbows, one month apart. He recovered well and although will never be able to run as hard as other goldens, he is enjoying a wonderful life.

Hollis was doing very well at college, but while in training, it was discovered that she had ear infections caused by allergies, which meant she could not work. So she was career changed to a pet and is living with her raisers family.

Although five of the pups didn't make it in the working world, the other six did!

Halo is working in FL as a service dog. She is doing a wonderful job and will soon be certified!

Hazel is working in ME.

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And Hyde, Honey, and Hugo are all working in MI.

And Harvard is working as a Leader Dog for a blind person.

Wilma and I wish you all a very Happy 2nd Birthday!

Meet Mya

This is Mya. She's a 13 month old golden retriever, in training to be a service dog with FBI Assistance Dogs. She's started her formal training and will be visiting us on weekends for a couple months or so. This weekend we just spent time getting to know each other.
Mya LOVES Nylabones. I don't think I've ever seen a dog enjoy a Nylabone as much as she does!


She seems very fond of tennis balls too and Kongs and any toy! She carries multiple toys around at once and hoards them in front of her!

Wilma and Kramer have been great with Mya. They are already best buddies! I think Mya is going to enjoy her weekend retreats.

Happy Valentines Day!

Wilma's Heart Tattoo

A few years ago I noticed a spot on Wilma's tongue. Thinking it was a piece of fuzz, I tried to remove it. But it wasn't fuzz, it was a permanent mark. I can't call it a birth mark since it wasn't there when she was a little pup. And I' m not exactly sure when it first appeared. But as she's grown up, this spot has become heart shaped. It's like a permanent tattoo to show everyone what a sweetheart she is.

(I had to change the title of this post because people thought Wilma had heart probelms! I dind't even think of that!)

Furry Murrey

Murrey was my third Paws puppy. She was a fuzzy, furry standard poodle, cute as can be. I quickly learned that she was a princess. A few days after turning her into HQ for training, Paws diagnosed her with luxating petellas. She was career changed and donated to Leader Dogs For the Blind.

Leader Dogs x-rayed Murrey, observed her for a month, and concluded she was 100% OK! She graduated from LD and was issued to Brenda in Shreveport LA. Murrey is Brenda's second Leader Dog. Her first Leader Dog, Woody, was a yellow lab. After developing alergies to Woody, Brenda needed a poodle. Murrey was the perfect fit!
After Brenda's friends said that Murrey needed a more girly name to match her princess personality, she became Marie. Brenda says she s a wonderful dog who performs her job perfectly. In addition to her guide dog tasks, Marie has picked up on Brenda's sleeping disorder and will wake Brenda up at night if something does not sound right.

Marie turned 5 years old in November 2009. She is an honorary member of the Daughter's of the American Revolution. She's vacationed at Disneyworld and in Texas and will be going to Missouri this year. At Disneyworld, Marie rode the rides and met some Lego dogs. You can hardly tell where Marie is!

101 Dalmations....

...and 1 Lab!















Macy went to see the Broadway Musical 101 Dalmations at the Wharton Center on MSU's campus. With lots of barking sounds and action on the stage, Macy was a very good girl! She didn't seem to notice the live dogs on stage, which is a good thing! She is well on her way to being a successful Leader Dog!

G Puppies Go To College

Today was turn in day for the G's. Gyro went in last week and Gypsy went in earlier in the day. Gertrude is a pet now because of bed elbows. So there were 8 G puppies there today. Gentry, Giggles, Gatsby, Ginny, Gabe, Gibbs, Gopher and Gambler. Seven are in this picture. From the right, it's Gibbs, Ginny, Giggles?, Gentry?, Gatsby, Gabe? and Gambler?. I'm guessing on some of these. Gopher is in the bigger group shot, being held by the boy in the yellow sweatshirt.

If you look closely, you'll count 14 puppies in this group shot. The F litter was turned in today too. They are 1/2 siblings to the G's, sharing the same dad, Laker.

Good Luck G Puppies! Wilma and I wish you the best! And congratulation to all the G puppy raisers!