Vacation

My raiser and her family went on "vacation" for a week in Maryland and just got back yesterday evening (my raiser's brother was graduating from the United States Naval Academy this past Tuesday).
My raiser found me a puppy sitter for the whole week, and boy did I have a blast! I even had a buddy to play with at the sitter's house and we sure had some fun together :)
My raiser truly enjoyed her break from the farm, work, dog raising, etc; but was extremely glad to be back home when the time came.  I really missed her and was so super glad to see her when she picked me up!
Since she's been so very busy getting ready for her vacation and has just now gotten back from it... she's yet to get any recent pictures of me :(  But I will be sure to fix that shortly, so beware of a "major picture post" in a few days!

-Brandon

I should have been in this picture...

Picture of my raiser's sister (left) brother (middle) and her (right)

Surgery

*(Written by Brandon's Raiser)*
Brandon seems to be quite popular with vet visits recently, every time we get something "dealt with" another issue comes up.
Brandon had just finished his antibiotics (for the UTI issue) last Friday, and started vomiting quite often throughout the following days, on Tuesday it was decided to take him to the vet - which is when it was determined that Brandon must of swallowed a "foreign object", so it had nothing to do with his UTI issue.
He stayed the night at the vet's office on Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoon it was decided to go ahead and do surgery, since Brandon hadn't stopped vomiting.
The vet discovered a small "stuffed polar bear" in Brandon, which of course wasn't his (since he's been eating "everything" insight recently - all "stuffed toys" have been off limits for him), but he still managed to get ahold of a stuffed toy...
Brandon is doing much better now, but is now NEVER let out of sight.  Ever since he got back from his 9 day stay at the specialist (for his UTI issues) he has decided he needs to get into EVERYTHING, his house manners went back to zero - though his "public manners" stayed "mostly" the same (thank goodness!). Brandon is now on leash most of the time while inside the house, which he's not enjoying much at the moment!
Hopefully he's done with vet emergencies for the time being, but I can tell you right now that his UTI issues are not gone...

-Brandon's Raiser

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay during class 

Weekend Retreat

I had the joy of attending a 4-H retreat with my raiser this past weekend and boy was it bundles of fun!!
I was suppose to attend two 4-H retreats with her in March, but due to the serious medical issues I was having earlier in the month... I ended up spending my weekend at the specialist, instead of with her at the 1st retreat.
So my raiser was very happy when her 2nd retreat came up, and I wasn't having any medical issues.
She knew this retreat would be such a good experience for me, and didn't want me to miss it the second time around... thankfully, I was able to attend!
We both had a blast, and this is one of the first times I've been in this kind of setting (cabins - tie downs - camping stuff - etc).
My raiser and her 4-H friends took LOTS of pictures during the retreat... and I happened to star in most all of them, guess I'm very popular with the camera :)
I met lots of new people at the retreat and my raiser was impressed with how well I worked; and I  even got to attend some different workshops & a dance with her (including "team building" & hip-hop classes!).
Enjoy the enormous amount of pictures below...

-Brandon


Taking a break during the dance...

Picture of Brandon laying down, resting his head on my legs (I'm sitting beside him)

My raiser & I rocked out the dance floor!

Picture of Brandon and I dancing

Had to take a quick break from the dance, to give my raiser a kiss!

Picture of Brandon giving me a kiss (I'm kneeling down)

And my raiser had to pass along a furry awesome hug to me...

Picture of me holding Brandon in my arms, during the dance

Group shot with some 4-Hers!

Picture of Brandon and I with some other 4-H ers, we're all pointing & staring up at the sky

Another group shot with more 4-Hers!

Picture of Brandon and I with some more 4-Hers

Workshop time!

Picture of Brandon in a sit-stay during a workshop, you can see some 4-Hers behind him

I was even able to watch some 4-Hers play a interesting game...

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay watching other 4-Hers play a game that includes hitting foam balls everywhere...

Lunch time = nap time!

Picture of Brandon asleep beside our table during lunch

Man do 4-Hers pack a lot...

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay, you can see a huge pile of luggage behind him

Never knew you could fit into the cubbies...

Picture of Brandon, another 4-Her and I all sitting in the cubbies in our cabin

So I have to sleep here???

Picture of Brandon sniffing the spot between 2 different bunk beds

Welcome Home Brandon! (and HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY RUDY!)

*(Written by Brandon's Raiser)*
Brandon was able to come back HOME yesterday afternoon, and boy was he excited to be back!
The vet said we don't have to monitor his water, since he's not over drinking (knew that already...) but he is on a very strong antibiotic, in hopes that it will keep the infection (if that's what's wrong) gone.
So far, so good - When picking him up yesterday, they told us since he's been on the antibiotics he's had NO accidents and that has followed through for now! It's amazing to have a dog that can wait a whole TWO hours, instead of needing to pee every 5min!
I'm hoping & praying that these antibiotics continue to work (he'll be on them for 3 weeks), since we don't have many other options to try, but of course, we'll have to wait and see.
With being in a kennel for the last 9 days, Brandon is doing extremely well. He settled in fine back at home, and even had to run some errands yesterday. My younger sister even took Brandon into Food Lion with her, to pick up a few things... and they actually worked WELL together! (This is quite a surprise to me, since Brandon doesn't always work well with other people... he tends to be a "one person" dog). I'm so happy he's settled back in so well, and I'm looking forward to working him again!
I will keep you guys updated about Brandon, and he hopefully will be back on the blog & posting shortly.

I also wanted to take a minute to wish Rudy a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Today (March 17th - St. Patrick's Day) is Rudy's SECOND birthday :) Wherever he is, I sure hope he's happy and enjoying himself :) Hopefully I receive some news on him in a few weeks.

On another quick note... I know several of my blogger friends have already noticed, yes my email account has been hacked and I'm so sorry about the spam email(s) that were sent out to any of you guys (sadly, all my previous emails/contacts are currently gone - and I'm unable to send out an apology email at the moment... hopefully yahoo! is working on getting them back for me).

Thanks for keeping Brandon in your thoughts & prayers over the last week, things still aren't for sure whether he'll stay better or not... but I'm hoping for the best!
Enjoy the cute pictures below of Brandon,

-Brandon's Raiser


Please know that in the below pictures, our puppies shouldn't be allowed to do this... but when (or if) it happens, you always have to grab a picture before giving corrections!! (otherwise you'd miss a really cute photo opportunity!)

Picture of Brandon sticking his front paws/face out of a LOW window

Picture of Brandon in almost the same position, just looking to his left instead of at the camera

Another cute picture of Brandon!

Brandon Update

*(Written by Brandon's Raiser)*
Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to give ya'll an update, I know you guys are all worried about Brandon (just as much as I am) but I've been waiting to give an update about Brandon, since we still don't know what's wrong with him.
So I'm including in this post just about all I currently know about Brandon (which isn't much!).
Please know in advance that not only are we not sure what's wrong with Brandon... but I'm not great with understanding all these technical terms/tests... and may miss use/type one!
Lets start with last Wednesday:
Brandon had an appointment with a Specialist on March 7th, shortly after he had an ultra sound down, they soon decided (after getting permission from the guide dog school) that they'd like to do further tests on Brandon and wanted him to stay there for a few days. Brandon is STILL currently being boarded at the Specialist and has been there since last Wednesday. They also determined that something didn't look right on his liver, and wanted to do more tests on that too.
Thursday: We got the results back for his "BUN #" which showed he had a REALLY low BUN number and they were afraid he had a serious liver issue (thinking it might be "liver shunts") so they'd do a "Bile acids test and liver ultra sound to determine if a liver shunt/etc is his problem.
* If Brandon did have a serious issue with his liver (or "liver shunts") he would most likely have to be released from the program*
Saturday: The test results came back from his Bile acids test normal, which means Brandon doesn't have a liver issue or liver shunt, though this was quite exciting to hear (since I'd rather him not be released from the program) I also am quite worried that we now have no idea what's wrong with him. We were told we wouldn't know more until Tuesday, which his personal vet gets back in town & can determine were we'll go from here.
Tuesday: Brandon's personal vet called on Tuesday (yesterday) to explain what the next steps will be. We are now back to square one and considering all our options (thinking it could be a serious infection... that wasn't noticed on all the tests). They will be starting Brandon on a more "powerful" antibiotic, decreasing his water intake (even creating a schedule for him), and monitoring him closely. The vet got permission from the guide dog school to board/keep Brandon there till (at least) Friday, so they can see how this works.

So that's the update about Brandon and that's really all I know at the moment... We still don't have any clue what's wrong with Brandon, but I'm going to hope/pray/keep my fingers crossed that the few things they are trying now will work.
Thank you for thinking about Brandon, being concerned, praying for him, crossing paws/fingers and PLEASE continue all this :)
I seriously thought after the Thursday results, that I would soon be doing a post on here saying Brandon was released from the program... but decided to wait a few more days to make sure. Then after finding out the Saturday test results, I thought Brandon might still have a chance.
So as you may have noticed, things can change in a matter of just a few days... I'm just going to hope it keeps changing for the better!
If all goes well, Brandon should be coming back this Friday, but I'll be sure to keep you guys all updated!
-Brandon's Raiser

Good Bye Fur Now

*(Written by Brandon's Raiser)
Noooo... we are NOT leaving the blogging world... please excuse the "interesting" blog title, but the title does pertain to the post.
Wonder why Brandon isn't doing this post? We'll, he's not here...
You see, Brandon has been having some "urinary track infection" issues for the last few months(peeing quite frequently - every 7-15 minutes and would start "dribbling" on the ground if he wasn't taken outside), but no matter the antibiotics, prescription diets, or anything we tried helped for more than just he first few days.
Last week it got so severe that Brandon just stopped "asking" to go outside and by the time I finished cleaning up one accident, I had another "trail" to deal with. Even with crated him, he'll still have accidents (and then lay down and sleep on it...).
Brandon had an appointment at a Veterinary Specialist clinic this morning, after they did an ultra sound, the Doctor come back and talked with us. We still don't know much, but it sounds like it's most likely not just a "bladder issue". She did notice something about his liver, but we really don't know what. After getting permission from the guide dog school, it was decided to leave Brandon at the clinic for the next few days, so they can go ahead and get all the tests done... and hopefully get something figured out.
So for now, I really don't know much of anything. But I just wanted to update all my blogging friends on what's going on.
Please pray for Brandon, not only to get better... but for us to find out what in the world is wrong with him. If it's a serious issue, he may even get adopted out (can't really have a guide dog needing to pee every 10 minutes...).
Hoping to know more in the next few days,

-Brandon's Raiser

Picture of Brandon & I in the waiting room... the poor puppy!

Meet Lauryl

My raiser is a horse fanatic, if she's not spending time with me - then she's probably outside riding her horse (sometimes she'll even be riding bareback... when she doesn't have time to saddle up).
Her current horse is slowly aging, and my raiser has been saving up to purchase another horse sometime in the near future. (she is also into jumping - and doesn't really want to jump her current horse for much longer).
She happened upon a beautiful 7yr old dapple grey horse a few weeks ago, located only a "few" hours away from us.
So off WE went to go look at this "perfect" horse.  When we arrived, my raiser also found out that the barn was a "dog friendly facility" so I was allowed to come out and visit too!
My raiser fell in love with the horse, and in no time at all, I soon found out we'd be bringing a new animal home in a few days.
We welcomed Lauryl to our farm on Tuesday, and though she's not another doggy fur me to play with, she still is really cool!
My raiser is looking forward to riding and working with her newest horse, and has already enjoyed the few rides they went on.
Enjoy the few pictures below of my raiser's new horse Lauryl!

-Brandon

Picture of the previous owner and Lauryl trotting

She's got such a sweet face!

Different angle of them trotting

Previous owner and Lauryl Cantering

Picture of Lauryl

Look how bored I was on the ride down...

Picture of Brandon laying down in the car

Picture Perfect

My raiser went to a Naval Academy event a few weeks ago, and decided to take me with her, since it would be a "great exposure" fur me!
I absolutely LOVED the event, all the humans there liked me, we got some furry cute pictures of my raiser & I, and best of all... there was FOOD! What a sec, that was something my raiser loved about the event... I'm not allowed to eat human food :(
My raiser said I did furry well at the event, and obeyed wonderfully! There sure were a lot of people there... and I handled it perfectly! (of course...)
Enjoy the furry cute pictures below!

-Brandon

My furry awesome raiser and I...

Picture of Brandon in a sit-stay beside me (I'm also sitting on the ground with him)

I give furry sweet kisses to my raiser!


Picture of Brandon laying down giving me kisses (yes, on my face!)

Stare down with my raiser...

Picture of Brandon and I sitting and giving each other a stare down

SMILE!

Picture of Brandon and I staring at the camera

I'm soo furry cute looking...

Picture taken from Brandon's level, with him in a down-stay staring at the camera

People LOVE me...

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay with people walking by (and stopping to pet him)

Look at all the people behind me, it was quite busy!

Picture of Brandon in a sit-stay with a crowd of people behind him

My raiser's sister & I...

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay with my sister laying over him

Career Changed

*(Written by Brandon's raiser)*

I received the devastating news Wednesday morning, that Rudy was career changed. I know I kept reminding you guys, that no matter how far any dog gets in their training phase (even once they're placed with a blind person) there is always a chance the dog could be career changed. (Some dogs just "develop" something out of the blue - which I assume, is what Rudy did), but it still came as a sudden shock to me.
Below is the email I found in my inbox:

Subject: Rudy was career changed this morning
"Hi there
I have just heard that Rudy has been career changed due to “general anxiety”. His fears mean that he can’t be considered for any service dog role – and he will be made available for adoption. I know this is always tough to hear – but for some of these puppies we raise – there are other plans for them.

Because you were his raiser – I want to see if you are interested in adopting him yourself. If so – let me know and we can probably arrange transport after WAT.

But you are not obligated at all – and if you can’t adopt him – the adoption program at the school is amazing with a long list of folks waiting to love on these dogs.

Please let me know what you decide.

With love and thanks again for all you meant for Rudy.

***"
It broke my heart to read this email, and it was extremely hard to email my Area Coordinator back, saying I'm unable to adopt Rudy.
Yes, I would LOVE to have him back, but I can't both adopt him & continue raising puppies (not enough room...).
 
I know Rudy will be placed in a loving home, but you don't know how hard it was for me to hear this news.
Rudy LOVED to work, he adored it; I think he enjoyed shopping out in the mall MORE than I ever did (I never could handle large crowds, but boy he was amazing at it!).
 
I'm still so shocked that he was career changed, more for the fact that it was for something he's never shown signs of before.
I know, it can happen at any time, for any reason; but it still hurts.
 
It makes it even harder, since I just received a new report card the day before (Tuesday), which I would have been posting this week, with a note that I hope he gets matched in the next class (coming up in just a few weeks).
 
I will keep you updated on ANY news I hear about him; if you didn't understand in the email I included above, Rudy will be adopted out, and not be evaluated for another career path (due to the reason he was career changed).
 
-Brandon & Rudy's Raiser
 
 
I miss my handsome & sweet boy!

Picture of Rudy & I sitting on the sidewalk, with lots of traffic in the background (puppy meeting)

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Below are some furry cute pictures of me hanging out with a little toddler, that was super in love with me!
I asked my raiser if I could adopt him, but she said no :(  Don't you think it would be soo cool if I could have a cute toddler by my side, 24/7!?!

Quick favor I'd like to ask all my furry friends... Voting is now open over at Mango Minster for the "Working Stiffs" category, and I would LOVE fur you to head over and vote fur me!!
Furry thanks!
-Brandon



Picture of the toddler hugging and snuggling with Brandon

Picture of Brandon trying to kiss the toddler's face



Picture of Brandon kissing the toddler's head

Slight Rudy Update

*(Written by Brandon's raiser)*
It seems as though I've been so overwhelmed with other things, that I keep forgetting to post updates about Rudy... (my previous guide dog puppy).
Last week I asked if one of the employees at Southeastern Guide Dogs could possible take a picture of Rudy for me; and within just a few days, this wonderful picture was posted on Southeastern's Facebook wall, of my handsome boy!

Picture of Rudy in a sit-stay, he looks soo happy and you can really see his tan markings on his face!

I'm so glad to see a picture of him, and boy does he look happy!

On to the next update...

I was sent Rudy's latest report card (December) back in the middle of January, and I of course... forgot to post it on the blog!

 

Copy of Rudy's recentest report card (December) I should hopefully be receiving his January report card soon!



Comment from Trainer: "Rudy is a smart, happy dog who enjoys channeling his considerable energy into work.  We are working on his distraction around other dogs.  He is a charmer.  J "

 He's still in his last phase of training, and just doing some final touch ups; until he find the "perfect person". 

My fingers are staying crossed that he makes it into the next class, but of course, he's got to what till the perfect match comes along... Fingers and Brandon's paws are staying crossed!

I should be receiving his January report card soon, and I'll be sure to post it :)

-Brandon's Raiser



Puppy Meeting at Ikea

I had a furry fun puppy meeting at Ikea recently, and everybody was quite surprised that it was not only my first time being there - but also fur my raiser!
We had a great time during the meeting, and we were even given a personal tour by some of Ikea's employees! (including going "behind the scenes" so we could see the cardboard eater, ride a different style elevator, see fork-lifts & much more!).
After working in Ikea & also doing some obedience, we shopped around fur a bit and then headed over to the Ikea restaurant fur lunch time.
Enjoy the wonderful pictures my raiser's sister took!

-Brandon


Look at my furry cute sit-stay!

Brandon doing a perfect sit-stay outside Ikea


My furry awesome puppy group!

Group shot outside Ikea! (6 dogs with their raisers & 3 Ikea employees that would be giving us a personal tour)

 Guess my raiser doesn't give the best of commands... cause we're going the WRONG way :)


Picture of Brandon walking through Ikea, you can see the arrow on the ground going the opposite way... oops!


 See, I can do a loose-leash walk with other pups around!

Picture of Brandon doing a loose-leash forward

Awesome elevator we got to ride :)

Picture of Brandon & his puppy group riding the work elevator (large see-through elevator used for taking large crates & boxes, but fits all the dogs quite well!)

My furry good down-stay beside other pups

Picture of Brandon & some other dogs doing a down-stay in Ikea

My awesome raiser & I at lunch!


Picture of Brandon in a down-under (sleeping under my chair) with me during lunch time at Ikea



Adult Day Care

I had my first visit at an Adult Day Care this past Friday; my raiser was really looking forward to this visit, because she wanted to see how I would handle myself around a bunch of people that just wanted to pet and love on me.
I was a wee bit excited at first, but when my raiser told me to do a "down-stay" beside some of the people (to show she had control over me), I soon realized I had to behave, in order to get loved on.
Fur being an (almost) 5 month old Lab, my raiser was very impressed at how calm I stayed (after I first got started), she even had some issues getting me to GET UP and move on to the next person who wanted to pet me :)
It was a great experience fur me, and we will be scheduling another visit with them, furry soon! 
Before leaving, we also "ran into" a Goldendoodle therapy dog, who was furry friendly (we we're allowed to meet) and was doing great fur his first trip out!
My raiser's sister kindly came along too, and took lots of pictures, so I have included a few below :)

-Brandon 


Everybody just LOVED me, I guess I'm furry cute!

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay at the Adult Day Care, he is resting his head on someones leg - and also being petted by the lady who is in the wheelchair right beside him


 I even got to sit in the lap of a man who was blind; he would keep repeating over & over "he knows, he knows" (as in: me (the doggy) knows that he is blind) - I gave him lots of kisses & made him feel good! (this was with his permission, of course!)

Picture of Brandon sitting in a man's lap (with my permission!) and giving him kisses on his face (this person also happens to be blind)

   
My raiser even gave me a command sometimes, to "ignore" the person petting me... I did a furry good job at that!

Picture of Brandon in a sit-stay while someone (who is kneeling on the ground beside him) pets him

Sometimes I had to "work" in order to get the people to pet me, but in the end... they ALWAYS fell fur me :)

Picture of Brandon getting loved on by people in chairs

Being a therapy dog is HARD WORK! 

Picture of Brandon SLEEPING beside someones feet, while she pets him (no idea how "getting petted" can tire him out; but this happened quite a few times!)

Meet Tucker

I had my first ever "work date" this past Saturday with a local guide dog in training, and it was the most fun work I've ever done!
But let me rewind a little, so you guys can get caught up on how us doggies first met...
WAY back in December 2011 (okay, last month...) a story ran in 2 newspapers about my raiser & I (to help raise support fur my in-home care...), a local guide dog raiser who is currently raising her first guide dog puppy for "Leader Dogs for the Blind" (different guide dog school) happened to read the article and decided to contact my raiser (this past week) to see if we could meet. Since my raiser LOVES to give me lots of exposures, they soon set a date for us doggies to meet (so both of us dogs could work on "doggy distractions" WHILE working in a public environment).

Okay, so now you know how we found each other :) Back to me explaining how much fun I had...
The work date went really well; we meet at the mall to work; since it would be a great public place, and was big enough that us doggies would have the ability to ignore each other.
"Tucker" is a male yellow lab, who is 8 months old - since his raiser is something that their school likes to call "a independent puppy raiser" (doesn't have a puppy group/meeting to attend each month) he really lacks the training of working with other dogs in public.
So it was a win-win situation, I got to help Tucker learn to work around another doggy in public, while he got to be a furry great distraction fur me... so I would learn to ignore him! (Tucker handles doggy distraction by whining/barking - so that was a GREAT exposure fur me to learn to ignore!).
After we worked in the mall for a few hours, our raisers decided they were hungry, so we headed over to Chick-fil-a so THEY could grab a bit to eat.
They were soo proud of us doggies for maintaining a down-under (laying under the chairs) and ignoring each other, for the entire lunch! (which took another few hours!).
Once they FINALLY finished eating, we headed outside to go our separate ways, but before they left... they took our jackets off and let us meet each other! (and my raiser was very surprised to see how calm we were while meeting each other!).

So all in all it was a great day, and we hope to be able to meet again soon (and if it's not raining... I'll bring Tucker back to my place, so he can see lots of furry cool farm animals!).
My raiser did happen to get a few pictures on her camera (okay, the first one is all thanks to the Chick-fil-a lady, though!), so you can "somewhat" see what Tucker looks like!

-Brandon


Us doggies maintaining a furry wonderful down-under! (oh yeah, and our raisers...)

Picture of Brandon & I with Tucker & his raiser at Chick-fil-a (both dogs are in a down-under)

Me doing what I'm best at... SLEEPING! (I mean... working)

Picture of Brandon sleeping at Chick-fil-a

 Me doing a furry wonderful job at totally ignoring Tucker (who is off in the background behind me)

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay inside the mall, you can see Tucker in the background (also doing a down-stay)