The Winners Are...

OMD, my Valentine's Giveaway ended March 1st 2011... and it's time to pick the winners!!
I was hoping to do some "cool thing" for picking the winners... but in the end, my raiser tells me we are just going to use that "random.org" thing. Which I think is totally crazy... but we did it anyways.
We had a totally of 97 comments... and the TWO winners of our giveaway are:

Comment #40
"mayziegal said...

I hope you're having fun at puppy camp, Rudy! Thank you for doing this giveaway. Those sure are some super great prizes!
Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie "

And comment #96
"Frankie Furter said...

Glad you reminded me about this. GOOD LUCK Everybuddy. "

A furry congratulations to Mayzie & Frankie Furter! (please send us your mailing address... at guidedogawareness AT yahoo DOT com).
Thanks to all who entered my giveaway, it sure was a lot of fun :)
Lots and LOTS of updates coming soon (including... many awards given to ME, goodie bags/packages/giveaways I've won/received in the mail... and some GREAT news from the guide dog school, about me!).

But fur now, one more HUGE congratulations to Mayzie & Frankie... you are 2 very lucky pups!

Furry Thursday kisses,

Rudy - The dog with a blog

A Blast into the Past

Hey furry friends!
My Raiser had some time on her hands (which isn't that often!) and decided to put together a furry cool flash in the past slideshow.
To show all of our newer followers some older pictures of the dogs she raised. (she did say it will include some of me!).
So enjoy the furry fun slideshow below, it's just various pictures of the guide dog puppies she raised over the years. If you are new to our blog, then you will enjoy seeing the new faces of dogs you haven't met.
(the pictures she will be showing are only of dogs she has raised - 3 previous to furry cute me... so I make 4!)

Rudy
The dog with a blog

Smilebox slideshow/scrapbook of the guide dogs I've raised

Paw Prints on her heart...

My Raiser likes to remember the dogs she raises. Besides the hundreds of pictures she takes, there is 1 other thing she uses to really remember us by.

When she had her first dog Brax she was given a "stepping stone kit" for Christmas.

She decided to use it with Brax a couple weeks before he left. She took a paw print from him and his name tag - she put those items in the stepping stone for a nice memory.

The following year before Frankie returned to school my Raiser remembered to buy a stepping stone kit. After she took Frankie's paw print she decided to start a tradition - every guide dog she raises will have a stepping stone with their paw print in it.

Well my time has "come" for me to return, I leave THIS Tuesday, so the beginning of April she bought a stepping stone kit for me - and it soon came time to use it.

Beside my paw print she also put my almost new name tag (we got it back in February) in it and even used mini rocks to spell out my name.

I'm happy my Raiser will have this to remember me by, I know she will really miss me and cry lots, so I hope this helps :)

See pictures below of the cool stepping stone!

I can't believe I will only be doing 1-2 more posts before I'm turned in, I will treasure each word I type knowing I won't be on this blog anymore :(

With the wait being 2-3 months before my Raiser receives another puppy this blog won't be updated nearly as often as I've been posting. My Raiser would love to post each day, but she won't have many things to post about.

Please note that she is NOT abandoning this blog, and she does plan on updating it frequently.

This blog will also be used for updates about ME.

So when she receives ANY information on how I'm doing, what career I may have chosen or just a random update it WILL be posted!

I hope you guys will continue to follow this blog whether or not it's updated often, because one day... their will be another puppy!

My Raiser is planning on doing the giveaway drawing next week (April 18th - Sunday), so if you haven't already entered please make sure to!

I won't be here to draw a name, so early congrats to the winner!

I plan on doing a picture post tomorrow, and hopefully 1 more Tuesday (before I leave for FL, or maybe once we reach FL).

My Raiser has many pictures of me (and will have many more) so she plans on doing some pictures posts for me.

Happy Sunday, this is my LAST EVER Sunday with my Raiser... :(

Enjoy the pictures below!

Toby

The dog with a blog

Frankie & Brax

I received a package from TheMusketeers for Frankie & Brax (they both entered the "most sporty dog" contest in February)- Frankie won 5th, and Brax was in the top 25(there was over 80+ pets that entered).

Frankie got a engraved medal and a couple different certificates, Brax got a certificate also.

Thanks Cody, Joyce, Lady, & Zena for doing these awesome contests!!

Toby's trainer

Vote 4 Me!!!

Hey everybody,
My trainer entered me in a "Mr dog" contest on the Four Musketeers blog- it ends in 6 days.
Go to: http://musketeers-mrdogmissbeauty.blogspot.com/.
Please vote for me!!!
(Frankie was entered in the "miss Beauty" contest and would love for you to vote for her to:).
Thanks!!
Here is my entry: http://musketeers-mrdogmissbeauty.blogspot.com/2009/08/toby-m10.html

Toby

Rodeo

You guys might have seen the post Frankie did about going to the rodeo last year.

Well my trainer & her family took the Japanese exchange student to see a rodeo. Most of it was quite boring, but every now & then when I decided to look I might see something interesting.

They even had some trick riders there.

Toby

Cross That ... Career-Changed...

Right after I finshed writing that post I got this email:

"This is to let you know that Frankie has been career changed due to Skin Allergies and Harness Reaction. Due to her allergies & Harness Reaction she will not be placed in Gifted Canine and we are offering her back to the raiser. Please contact the raiser and let me know if they would like to adopt Frankie back. If the raiser decides not to adopt Frankie she will go to public adoption."

I decided to go ahead and publish the other post just because it took me so long to write it.

I am told Frankie will go to her new home in 1-2 weeks. I really wanted to adopt her but I couldn't raise another guide dog puppy if I do since we already have so many dogs with our old farm dog, new pup Liberty, and Red.

I think it was more medical issues than anything that put her out. She wore the harness 3 times before she went down to school and she didn't have a problem. If she didn't have medical issues I bet they could get her over the harness reaction.

But hey I am not the expert, they are.

Oh well, I hope to have a better dog next time (less medical issues!!).

If I find out who is adopting her I will post any information on the blog, I know she is getting spayed in the next couple days, but that is all.

Please hope that she is placed with a person that will let me visit her(and lives near me!).

I was bored so I added more photos of her at the bottom. (I think I take too many photos of my dogs!)

Enjoy,

Frankie's trainer

**FRANKIE UPDATE**

Hey,

This is Frankie's trainer.

I received this email today from my Area Coordinator

Just wanted you to know that Frankie will be spayed and is staying in the Guide Dog IFT program. I wanted you to know how much we appreciate the challenges that went with raising a Breeder evaluate. I always thought that they picked breeders from a group that would not become guide dogs due to some guide dog defect. The reality is that Breeders are the best of the best. Know that Frankie is continuing on the path to guide dog work. Thank you for all you did with her.

Well most people who would get this email might be saying "rats, I wanted her to be a breeder", but I think this will be good for Frankie. I don't think she is the kind of dog that you need for a breeder; she would probably hate it.

Enjoy the photos of Frankie (various photos I picked that I have taken over the year)

Sending good luck your way Frankie, I miss you and I love you!!

Frankie's trainer

Frankie will be missed...

Frankie & new puppy update!!

Hey, this is Frankie's trainer.

Though I haven't heard any on how Frankie is doing, I did receive Frankie's picture in Harness (!!!), and the post card that informs me that Frankie has passed her hip exams.

The picture of Frankie in harness was not scanned in (I don't know much about scanners!), so I just took a picture of it with my camera.

*New puppy update*

Though I won't find out the puppy's name until a couple weeks before I receive him, I did find out his parents' names. His mom's name is Bella (this is her first litter!), and his dad's name is Gilbert.

Enjoy the pictures, and Liberty will be doing a update soon!

Frankie's trainer

Frankie in Harness:

Frankie's postcard:

FRANKIE PASSED!!!

Hey guys,

Great news, I just got a email saying Frankie passed her hip exams!!
I was so certain she was going to get put out of the school because of her hips!!

Here is the email from the guide dog school:

Good Afternoon Puppy Land! Here are the Hip x-ray results for the March IFT.
The following dogs have passed their hip evaluations:

Frankie
J.J
Katie

J.J & Katie are both from our group, Katie is Frankie's sister, and J.J is the dog I puppy sat in October.

Now that Frankie is out of the medical kennel she will start her training, then hopefully she will be seen in some of the IFT(in for training) pictures on the school's blog(which I will then post on my blog). And I should also get "school reports"from the trainer on how she is doing .

I CAN'T WAIT!

Frankie's trainer

First day(March 2 2008)

Last day(February 28 2009)

Goodbye Frankie

Hey everybody,

I have finally gotten the "goodbye" slideshow done of Frankie! Yes, it is made like a finally tribute as if she died. But of course she didn't die she just went off to "college".

Let me know how you like it!!

Frankie's trainer

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Library

Frankie's trainer here.

A couple days before I took Frankie down to FL, I went to the library and got a picture of Frankie there.

I had taken a picture of Frankie at the library around 3 months old. And now I have one of her around 1yr 2 months old.

I have no news on Frankie yet, I am hoping to hear something in the next 1-2 weeks.
Hope you like the pictures,




Frankie's trainer





March 2008


February 2009


















Me and Frankie at the Library


Frankie & I with the Library sign

Frankie with the library sign