Toby Update - Once More! Report Card Style!

***NOTE: (Haven't read my last post? Please back up and read it before continuing on - as I heard GOOD news about Toby yesterday!)***

So, Toby's my first pup that I will be getting "report cards" on.

Starting last year each month you will be sent a short and simple report card on his training.

Of course since he was just moved to the training kennel - and still needs to be neutered, his training isn't that great (and he has only started with a couple commands).
But I'm excited to be able to "hear" how is training is going through out the months!

Note to my sweet boy:
Dear Toby;
You made it through the first little bit of your test - the medicals. But now it's really time to shine, show all the other dogs what I taught you and become the BEST guide dog you can.
And please watch your grades - I don't want to get a phone call that you've been expelled.
Thank you,
Your Loving Raiser

Any updates I receive on Toby, I will be posting.
Name Game Rules coming soon :)
Have a awesome Friday and give you furry friends a hug for me!

Toby's Raiser & Tracker's Sitter
The human sometimes with a dog that has a blog








*Please click on picture to make bigger*

NEWS, NEWS, NEWS, NEWS - PASSED, PASSED, PASSED!!

YES - TOBY HAS PASSED HIS HIP X RAYS - AND IS OFF TO START GUIDE DOG TRAINING!!
Email just received:

"Good Morning

Good news this morning – Toby has passed his hip x rays and will continue into the training program – he has not been selected as a breeder – but will go full swing into his guide dog training now. Thanks again for all you did in raising him.

All the best
Suz"

I am SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY!
Of course if the same thing that happened to Frankie happens to him... I won't be :(
(I was told she passed her hip x rays and started training - but the following day I got a phone call saying she was put out because of allergies- they had to get my all excited to just break me the following day).

I don't know when I will be getting another "update", but I'll let you know as soon as I find out!
Keep your fingers (AND PAWS!) crossed for Toby!!!!

Didn't read my last post? Make sure to check it out :)

Toby's Raiser & Tracker's Sitter
The human sometimes with a dog that has a blog - and who's very happy!

News on Twitter?

So one of the SEGDI guide dog trainers' has a twitter account.

Though I don't do twitter, I'm always checking this lady's twitter - hoping to see Toby's name come up. (or maybe a picture!).

No I haven't heard anything about Toby on the account...

BUT this morning she wrote:

"We did the big kennel shuffle this a.m. Consolidated dogs so Receiving dogs can come down. Welcome to the Big House!"

I know Toby counts as a "receiving dog" - so I wonder if he's moving into the training kennel?? Maybe this means I will hear some news soon!!

Not much, but hey - any update is better than nothing at all!!

I will be figuring out the rules for the "name game" soon - so make sure to start coming up with some good names!

P.S. If you want to check out the SEGDI Trainer's twitter - click here.

Toby's Raiser & Tracker's Sitter

The human sometimes with a dog that has a blog

I miss my sweet boy!

Package!

Thanks Samantha for this wonderful book!
Toby entered her GABE giveaway last month - and he was the lucky winner! (It is sad he was not here to "get" it though).
Tracker and Liberty cared NOTHING for the book when it arrived (see pictures below). I guess they figured "no treats - no good"!
They may not like it, but I'm enjoying it!
Thanks Samantha!

Toby's Raiser & Tracker's Sitter
The human sometimes with a dog that has a blog

(Movie of Tracker & Liberty ignoring the package)



(Movie of Tracker ignoring the book - he may not like it, but I do!)

I Did It For Toby -

1 week before Toby "left" (went back to school) I decided to start running. (as in - 3 miles running!).
I ran twice with Toby before he left, and kept it up after he was gone, then decided to enter a 5k race.
Of course this race had to be AFTER Toby was gone :( So he wouldn't be here to cheer me on.
This race was last Saturday.
With over 180 people running (and walking!) it, I happened to get a prize... a trophy... for second OVERALL female. Yes, I was the SECOND female to cross the finish line!

Toby would have been proud to see me finish and I wish he was still with me, but he has much better things to do!
I'm happy to have won a trophy, since I just started running 2 1/2 weeks ago I was quite surprised!

On a different note, Tracker came over today. We had so much fun playing together! I wonder how long I will be having him over for - a couple more days, another week? Either way, Liberty is LOVING him. He is her new "play buddy" and she waits by the door each morning for me to run over to pick him up!

I'm off to do another race "for" Toby this weekend, wish me luck!

Toby's Raiser & Tracker's Sitter

The human sometimes with a dog that has a blog

Cute picture of Tracker - trying to find the perfect toy!

Duchess says...

Hey guys!

Did you miss me? Seems like my handler has been HOGGING the blog lately :( Sorry about that, I'll have a "little" talk with her soon...

My handler got the letter in the mail yesterday... from SEGDI (the guide dog school). Which means the "IFT" date is official... Toby, Rocky, Spike, Cassie, & I WILL be leaving next month down to FL, and WON'T be coming back.

But I'm told we will have LOTS OF FUN!!

On to other stuff -

My handler has been busy trying to expose me to many things. I think the goose is scary, it looks at me with a "odd" face. And when my handler showed me the horses... well, let's just say. It wasn't pretty... "Those things" are BIG.

My handler has gotten many good comments on how well I behave in town! I have even attended a 1 hour YMCA class. All my handler did though was "dance" to music, and I was stuck doing a 1 hour down-stay, that was sure hard.
She was afraid I wouldn't stay that long, but I proved her wrong. I wanted to be just like Toby! (he attends 3 one hour YMCA classes EACH week!).

Enjoy the pictures & videos down below.

I'm going to finish having a "Freaky Friday". I heard something about my handler introducing me to a HORSE! I thought it looked big enough on the other side of the fence... now I have to MEET IT!

Wish me luck.

Duchess

The dog with a blog

(Movie of Duchess watching "Zumba", the 1 hour class at the YMCA. She was laying down in coat, but behaved quite well)

(Movie of Duchess meeting "Milo" the pig. Right after this movie was taken... she pulled her collar off & ran back to the house - I tightened her collar up a little more after that!)

Toby's Moving to China... and I'm going with him!

So I wish.

I came back inside from riding horses yesterday, to find THIS EMAIL from my Area Coordinator...

Email's title: "Our big pups are ready for their next stage in their training - yes - it's IFT time".

Email:

"Good Morning everyone
It’s an exciting time as we prepare to send our puppies back to school. The letters are on the way to you to explain all the details. For now, please mark on your calendars that your pups will need to go back to school between the 12th and 15th April.

Please let me know if you have any questions. This is an exciting time for the puppies and a tough time for you as we make this transition. Please know that I understand the emotion of this time – and that telling me you have left the country with the dog won’t work :)
Thank you for every minute you have invested in your puppy – that investment is getting ready to pay huge dividends down the track".

Wow, this was WAY sooner than I was planning for. He will only be 12 1/2 months when he returns, normally it's not till AFTER 14 months. This means I will only have him for TEN MONTHS!

He won't be returning back to me from puppy camp for another 1 1/2 weeks, I can't wait to get him back.

Toby will definitely be missed, and I will definitely be getting a new puppy... as soon as possible!

We have asked to see when new puppies will be available, but we won't know for a little while.

I do hope you guys will continue to follow Toby's blog while he's gone, even though we may not have another pup for a month or so.

(Yes my first thought when reading this email was I'M MOVING TO CHINA, Until I saw the part about not leaving the country) :(

Oh well, Toby's ready, and he will have a blast.

P.S. To my newer followers who are not guide/service dog raisers, IFT (In For Training) is a date that is set for our dogs to return back to school for further training with paid SEGDI trainers. It is very possible that we will never see our dogs again, it all depends on the career they choose.

Duchess's handler, Toby's Raiser

The human that has a dog with a blog

Wordless Wednesday

Paw it Forward

.(Written by Duchess's handler, Toby's Raiser)
When picking up my mail Saturday, I was surprised to find... a package for TOBY!!
It was from our lovely friend's over in CA! (Thanks Kari!).
Duchess of course was quite excited, and didn't care too much about her name NOT being on the package...
We opened it up, and not to my surprise at all- it was for the dogs :) TREATS!
Of course I told Duchess we would have to wait to open them, as they are Toby's, not her's.
I have never received a paw it forward gift, and don't know too much about them.
I was told though, once you receive it, you pass it on to 3 other dog blogs.
Since I'm not rich (!!), It will be a small gift, but you guys should still enjoy it.
Have never received a Paw it Forward package? Want to be 1 of the 3?
Leave a comment with the word "pawesome" in it (thanks Duchess...), and the first 3 "pawesome" comments will receive a small gift! (in the USA please)
**(Please note that I DO filter comments, so they aren't published right away - though I do try and post them when they come in)**
Don't be shy, if you want to participate leave a "pawesome" comment!! (all comments are welcome, if you include "pawesome" in the comment I will count that as you are wanting to participate)
Please email me at "letters-fromhomeAThotmailDOTcom" if you were one of the three, or leave your email in the comment and I'll email you.
Thanks again Kari, Toby will enjoy the healthy treats when he gets back from camp!

P.S. I see a "IFT" (In For Training) email in my inbox... I guess that will be my next post...

Duchess's handler, Toby's Raiser
The human that has a dog with a blog

Pawesome...

When my handler was teaching me how to work a blog, she had me read through some posts Toby had done over the last month(s).
I was starting to think, "Why does Toby get all the comments, and I'm left with just a couple?"
Until I came upon this word:
PAWESOME - No wonder he gets all the readers!
What the pup is pawesome?

My handler saw my "face", so she looked at the word, laughed, then explained what it meant.

Evidently "Pawesome" means "awesome" - but you add a "p" at the beginning. So it's "dogarized".

Since I'm new at all this stuff, I had no idea what it meant, now I'm kind a embarrassed I didn't know what the word was...

Oh well, I'll get over it.

Have a PAWESOME Monday, and enjoy the PAWESOME pictures my PAWESOME handler took with her PAWESOME camera!

So does that mean I'm gonna get a whole bunch of PAWESOME comments, from PAWESOME bloggers??

Duchess

The dog with a blog

Sirens and Lights...

OH MY!
The puppy meeting yesterday was at a police station and fire station; man was it NOISY!
After we worked our wiggles out they started turning on many different nosies from a car, some sounded really odd.
Once I was used to the noise my handler took me closer to the car for a "visit".
I wasn't to sure about that, but she kept beside me & pretty soon I was right beside the car!
We practiced meeting other people & dogs, (for us dogs to learn not to pull towards others).

We got to watch a policeman on a bicycle weave in/out & around us dogs (we were in a sit-stay), and then he got on a segway (those things look odd!).
Once we finished up at the police station, our group headed down to the fire department. We sniffed some equipment, and then it was PICTURE TIME! (see pictures below...).
After everybody was done taking pictures we went on a short walk downtown (as a group), when we returned we all said our goodbyes, I even got to say a short hello to my raiser's!!
I wasn't to interested in them though - I cared more about the other doggies...
My handler told me I did VERY well, and came close to being like her dog "Toby", I feel proud:)
Enjoy the pictures!

Duchess
The dog with a blog

Duchess Day!

Hey guys, it's Duchess here.
I finished up my studies on blogger world, so I should be a pro at this!
Toby's Raiser has been busy with introducing me to EVERYTHING!
Somehow she thinks I should meet some animals...
Yesterday I met some mini pigs, a new baby goat, chickens, a llama, alpacas, bunnies and SO MUCH MORE!
I didn't like the alpacas to much, and that pig freaked me out!
My handler took many pictures of me meeting animals & such, so make sure to check out the pictures below (she even tags them!).
I got to help set up for a 4-H yard sale yesterday, and today it opened, so we went up to help "man" it. I got to lay there and be bored for HOURS; but my handler told me I did very good :)(P.S. Toby's Raiser will be called My handler, because she isn't my raiser/trainer).
Tomorrow I will be attending a guide dog puppy meeting. I heard something about it being at a police station...
More updates later, enjoy the pictures!
Please leave comments, as I want to know how my blogging is...Thanks!
Duchess
The dog with a blog

Letters From Camp... PICTURE TIME!

A few words from Toby-
"here's a few shots! More very soon!
~Toby~"
I also got an email update from the family he's staying with-
"Toby is a very smart boy...knows his commands nicely...
Distractions are many for his brain at the moment...(so much to see !!!.. so many things to sniff, to mark, to paw!!!) We are greatly enjoying him...

Hubby is off tomorrow and is planning for a full day of exposures and tooling around stores, etc.... I will give ya the lowdown on their day...

Did a bit of nail trimming just now.. he was so polite...
No issues with eyes/etc. so far - so good
More soon!!"

You may notice in the pictures Toby gets to meet their new puppies (rescued 3 week old Lab mixes).

More updates soon, enjoy the pictures! (Some Toby sent with words beside them, but all are tagged by me).


Toby's Raiser
The human that has a dog with a blog








"No one loves this blankie more than me!"












"There's a party going on-- but I see a cat in the woods!!!"









"Puppy love??? No...They look like squirrels- or cats...or..!!"

Wordless Wednesday

Duchess

The dog with a blog

Please Welcome...

DUCHESS!

Toby's sister "Duchess" will be staying with us for 3 weeks. (as long as she doesn't come into heat first). She is a female black lab, and will be turning 1 year on March 27.

We just picked her up this morning, and she was quite excited!

Some main things I'll be working on with her are: commands, whining, & jumping.

She's such a cute puppy, and is like half the size of Toby!

She isn't an ill behaved puppy, I just need to get her to understand some things better.

She is a very attentive dog and responds well to most commands. She did the "stand" command immediately when told. I'm impressed and anxious to see how well she works.

I will be giving Duchess a "crash course" in blogger, so she will soon be running the blog for Toby & I.

Enjoy the pictures,

Toby's Raiser

The human that has a dog with a blog

No she's not barking/growling!

Letters From Camp...

Hey guys, Toby's Raiser here. Toby started his puppy camp last night around 7pm.
I will miss him (I already do!), but I'm lucky enough for him to have gone to a family who plans on letting Toby send updates!
Here is a letter I just received from my big boy, please enjoy!

hello mom...

Camp is ok... the food is somehow the same so that is good. I slept in a big kennel last night with my bones and bed. It was my first night, but I didn't even whine- just ate my biscuit and went to sleep-- mostly... I was tired after a good long walk through the camp neighborhood.

Today I got to meet the other kids who live here... zak is five today... I think I smell cake. He makes a lot of high pitched noises which get me a little excited. almost like the puppies..oh... the puppies. There are two little little little tiny puppies here at camp, too. I think they're too small to be here (they look like small kittens!), but the humans said they didn't have a home so will be here at camp with me for another week or so... I tried to play with them... but they are a little small for my masculine figure!! Oh.. Jena is the other kid at camp... she is seven.... much calmer than zak. She will be a good playmate I think. Am I big for my age? Everyone here is surprised how big and strong I am already. (It's cool being the biggest kid!)

A bunch of human kids came over this morning and we went to the bus stop together... I liked sniffing everything... but you know I do... No goats here yet, but I saw an Emu down the street. Maybe I'll get to smell it later.

Well, gotta go, mom. I am told I have to help vacuum now... something about a birthday party later.... Yippeee! Maybe I'll earn a biscuit badge by lunch. I miss you of course, but I'm doin good so far. You know, mom... I AM almost one already....
More soon.
Your dog son..

Toby
P.S. we'll send pictures soon...

Enjoy it?
So heart warming isn't it!
attached below is the LAST picture I got of my sweet boy...
Tomorrow is the day Toby's sister Duchess will be coming into our home. We don't know if she will be staying the whole 3 weeks, as she is due to come into heat anytime. If she does then she will be going back home.
I will post more updates from Toby when I receive them, and Duchess will be taking over the blog when she gets here.

P.S. "Letters From Camp" will be the name of posts that have letters from Toby in them.

Stay tune for more!

Toby's Raiser

The human without a dog who has a blog

Walk-A-Thon 2010...

...IS HERE!! (I also turned 11 months today!).

Waking up around 7 this morning, after feeding & such we headed over to the fairgrounds for SEGDI's 24th annual WALK-A-THON!!

The weather caught up with us - and it was COLD and wet :(

That of course did not stop us from walking. We met up with our group and once the walk started we were off!

My Raiser got to work with me on pulling. Pulling & dog distraction are 2 problems she has had with me. But I've not had much problems with the doggy distraction, as my Raiser has been working with me on that. After the 2+ mile walk I was doing great with walking, and NOT pulling! My Raiser was happy, & I got treats :)

Each year down at WAT they have "Silent Auctions". They had 30+ gift baskets (all donated). You could walk around, and if you really liked one you signed your name/number & price. Some items went really high!

My Raiser "won" a spa basket for me, (she will post a picture of it later). And the basket she made sold for $50! (Picture of it below).

They were offering free massages, so my Raiser thought it would be a "great" idea for me to have one. I did end up liking it (and the people), after a while, they were soo kind!

My Raiser met new people, I made new friends, & most of all we had FUN!!

Please enjoy the pictures, don't forget my Raiser tags them for me:)

We sure had a Super "Soaked" Saturday, hope you did too! (without the soaked)

(Pictures taken later today will be posted by my Raiser if I don't get time tonight)

Toby

The dog with a blog

Goodnight!