Mr. September

Remember Chance?  

He was the Lab puppy that my sister in Ontario was 'puppy walking'.  That means that she raised a young pup, socialized it, trained it, got it used to all sorts of different situations, before it went into formal training to be a guide dog.

Here's Chance the day he arrived last March, just 10 weeks old

And Chance doing some of his training at the mall.

And this is Chance just recently.

Cathy did such a good job with Chance, that he has already moved on to formal training.  She spent hours working with him, and just after he was a year old, about two weeks ago, she was told that the time that all puppy walkers dread....had come.  

There was a very emotional handover to her puppy supervisor, and Chance was gone, and he had left a huge hole in Cathy's life.

Not that I thought it would make her feel any better, but I thought I would send her this.  A book bag/shopping bag/whatever bag.  One of those pillow panels sewn on the front.  A late Christmas present/early birthday present/thanks for doing such a good job with Chance present.

And here's the back.

And Chance, well he's Mr. September. That's him in the CGDB calendar. 

And Cathy, she said after a break that she would do it again with another pup.

Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind

Happy Birthday Cathy

It is my sister Cathy's birthday today, the 28th that is.  By the time she reads this, it will be the 29th.  If I had sent her a birthday card, it probably wouldn't have got there until the 29th anyway, if I was lucky, or remembered to mail it soon enough.  In fact it's already the 29th where Cathy lives, so I'm late no matter how you look at it.

Last year was the big Five Oh, so this year she must be, oh, about 29 I think.

So of course I had to drag out the old photo albums and see what I could find to maybe embarrass her a little bit. 

The old photos aren't the best quality, and then they get worse with the scanning and the cropping.

I did find a lonely photo of Cathy's other official dog training stint.  This is Tatoosh, a black lab from hunting lines.  Can't remember if he failed as a hunter, or quite what the story was.  He was going up to a ranch to start a new life, and she was getting him ready for it.

And by the time most people see this, the media will be full of photos of Will and Kate. Cathy can't upstage Kate and her wedding dress, but she can make a fashion statement of her own.

She was about 16 in these shots

Happy Birthday dear sister!

Update on Chance

My sister in Ontario is raising a guide dog puppy.

I 'virtually' twisted Cathy's arm long and hard and got her to send me some pictures of Chance, as well as a bit of an update.

He has just turned four months old, and weighed 37 lbs a couple of weeks ago. He's not going to be a small Lab, that's for sure.  Right now he already weighs more than Jake or Luna.

Here he is having a wrestle with Dasher, one of his house mates.  Dasher reminds him occasionally who really is the boss.

This is Leroy.  Chance is good with the cats, until they run, and then the chase is on.  I was thinking that he was doing really well for a Lab puppy, ignoring the food, but apparently those are all water bowls.

And I'm thinking, wouldn't it be easier to just have one big bowl of water?:)

And like a typical puppy, he gets into things he shouldn't, and makes confetti out of them.

But he's so cute....:)

Here he is at the mall, Easter Monday. It had just opened, so at this point there weren't really any people there.  He was very attentive to Cathy though.

People are encouraged to pet him, but only when he doesn't have his vest on.  So if someone asks, and Cathy says yes, she has to take Chance's vest off.  The vest, which eventually will become a harness, is a signal to Chance that this is work time and not playtime.

Look at that nice loose leash walking

Chance is being taught to eliminate on command.  I think 'get busy' is the wording.  That's a handy thing for all dogs to know.  When he goes for a walk with his vest on, it is all business, and not the kind you stop and squat for.  He is suppose to do that before he leaves home, and then no sniffing and adding his contribution to the 'pee mail' when out walking.

Of course, since he's a puppy, that's still a work in progress.

Update:

The Puppy Walker Supervisor visited today, going for a walk down the street and to the mall with Cathy and Chance. Here's what Cathy said:

Oh, the supervisor came, we walked around the block and then drove to the mall and walked there and did the paperwork on a bench there. He was very impressed with Chance, he settled at the bench, walked well, on the leash, very attentive. He said that this is one pup you are proud to put the 'puppy in training' vest on. I felt good, he as much as said I was doing great.

Good job you two!

Canadian Guide Dogs For The Blind Walk 2011

Meet Chance

This is Chance, a yellow lab pup that my sister in Ontario is 'puppy walking'.  Chance will be living with my sister and her family for 12-18 months, before he goes on for more advanced guide dog training.  It is her job to teach Chance the basics and to expose him to as many people, places and experiences as she can.

I tried to convince her to start a blog to chart Chance's training, but I'm afraid that fell on deaf ears:(

If you are interested in sponsoring Cathy and Chance in a fundraising walk, click this link
Canadian Guide Dogs For The Blind Walk 2011
Let's get Cathy a t-shirt:)
Oh, and there is an American connection.  Chance and his littermates were born in the U.S.

“DOLLARS FOR DOGS”

 FUNDRAISING WALK

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011

Andrew Haydon Park3169 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario

Registration 9:30am
Walk starts 10:30am

You can assist Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind by obtaining pledges and participating in the Dollars for Dogs Fundraising Walk.

Bring your friends, family and as many dogs as possible! Please leash and clean up after your dogs and enjoy a walk in beautiful Andrew Haydon Park.

If you don't have a dog, you can still come and walk with us!

To register and create your own personal fundraising page through which your family & friends can sponsor you, please click the "Sign Up" button on the top left.

BONUSRaise or donate $100 or higher and receive a free CGDB T-shirt
$500 or more gets a t-shirt, plus a CGDB briefcase
$1,000 or more gets a t-shirt and a $100 gift card from a major
retailer

RETURNING PARTICIPANTS:
Sign-in to fundraise and review results

SUPPORTERS, you can:
1. Sponsor an Individual
2. Make a direct donation to Canadian Guide Dogs For The Blind

LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE OTTAWA AREA BUT STILL WANT TO HELP?

You don’t have to live in Ottawa to participate in the Dollars for Dogs Fundraising Walk.  Register for the walk and no matter where you live, you can participate.  Simply obtain sponsors on this site.  Then on Sunday, May 29, 2011, walk 4-km in your own community.  You can choose your own regular, safe, scenic route.  Have your friends join you, or do it on your own.  Anyone can walk the 4-km with or without a dog.  Register for the Dollars for Dogs Fundraising Walk, obtain sponsors, walk in your own community, and support Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind provides professionally trained guide dogs to the visually impaired across Canada, and now everyone in Canada can give back on this very special day, Dollars for Dogs Fundraising Walk, Sunday, May 29, 2011.