Happy (late) Birthday Brandon! And a soon goodbye to my Sweet Boy...

*(written by Brandon's Raiser)*
I've been so overwhelmed with things lately, that I completely overlooked the fact that some cute puppy had his first birthday coming up!!
HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BRANDON! 
The poor puppy didn't even get a birthday celebration, or a blog post the day of his birthday... I feel like such a horrible mom for overlooking this!
Brandon turned 1yr old on September 4th (3 days ago)... I just can't believe my little puppy is already 1 whole year!
I do hope all of Brandon's wonderful blogging pals are able to wish Brandon a happy (late...) first birthday!!

On a sad note... I just received notification that Brandon will be heading IFT (In For Training) on October 13th to the guide dog school; where he'll be finishing his training, have various evaluations, temperament tests and once finished be placed in his new home (whether as a working guide dog, or another career path he may choose).
It seems like I just got my sweet, chubby puppy and to receive this news breaks my heart, though at the same time I'm extremely happy for Brandon.
Brandon will be missed, not only by me, but also by all of the awesome friends and fans he has out there...
And to answer the question that is always asked at this time (will I be getting a new puppy??)
At this point, I'm not planning on raising another puppy for a little while and will be taking a break. Though I really enjoy raising the guide dog puppies, I'm extremely busy at the moment and since Brandon was such a "challenging" dog to raise (with all his medical issues...) my family would rather have a break for a little while, before making the decision as whether to raise again or not.
This choice isn't definite, and things can always change, but for now it looks like it might be a while before we raise another pup.  I do plan on staying involved in the guide dog group and hope to remain a "puppy sitter" so I can have a "guide dog puppy fix" when needed!
This doesn't mean I'll stop blogging... after Brandon heads back IFT in Mid October I will continue to update about him, and maybe Liberty (our English Mastiff) will start blogging again!
But enough of the emotional news... and one last "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to my sweet boy!!

-Brandon's Raiser



One of my favorite pictures of Brandon as a sweet, innocent little puppy...

Picture taken at Brandon's level of him walking through the grass , with our  porch on the left side

Pictures below are of one of the most recent guide dog outings... a ice skating rink!!

Picture of Brandon (middle) and a few dogs playing on the rink 

Picture of a little black female puppy wrestling with Brandon 

A group of dogs running on the rink (Brandon's the yellow dog in the rear... I think!)

Picture of Brandon and his new girl friend

Picture of Brandon and his new girl friend getting a little hyper...

4-H Congress... Doggy style!

I was able to attend 4-H congress with my raiser this past month and boy was it an exciting adventure!

It's a week packed full of workshops, activities, interesting speakers, dances, presentations, honor club inductions, large crowds, and fun times with lots of 4-H friends!

My raiser was happy for me to get the experience of staying in a dorm for a week, and for being calm around huge loud crowds of people, ignoring food in the campus cafeteria, not being bothered by the extremely loud music at the dances, putting up with wearing a honor club sash all week, being quiet during long workshops, presentations & for speakers that we had - but most of all... having FUN!
My raiser was inducted into 4-H Honor Club the first night, and since she always has a dog on her side, they decided to let me wear a sash too!! 

On the second day my raiser had her presentation competition, she was very happy to win gold with her Farm Camp presentation!   

They even had a professional photographer take the honor club inductee photos and the presentation winners... and I was able to star in both pictures with my raiser :)

I had a wonderful time at 4-H congress and learned many new & exciting things... it was a great experience and I'm so glad I was able to attend with my raiser!

-Brandon 

Picture of my friend, Brandon, & I all wearing our purple "Honor Club" sashes (Brandon was  given one also!)

Picture of Brandon, I and the gold medal I just won for my 4-H presentation

Dorm room!

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay inside the dorm room

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay (sleeping) under a table

Random picture of my friend, Brandon & I (all wearing the honor club sashes) 

Nap time on the way home! 

Brandon resting his head on my lap on the way home (all four paws are still on the ground!)

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

I do apologize for the long absence of "no posts" during this Summer, my raiser has been keeping busy with many things and I've had no time to blog!
The picture below will tell the story of how I spent last weekend...

- Brandon

Picture of Brandon in a "down-under" (under a table) during a 4-H event I was attending this past weekend with him

My Raiser's Graduation!

I'm so furry sorry it's been so long since my last post, I feel like I've lost all my friends! I sure hope you're still out there... somewhere!
Our summer has been crazy hectic, and we've had very little down time for "extra" things - my raiser still can't understand that if she'd just give me the password... I could totally get on and blog anytime... guess she's worried I'd overload you with cuteness!

 My raiser had her high school graduation a few weeks back (home schooled her entire life!) and one of her main goals, was to take a guide dog puppy across stage with her (since that's pretty much been her life for the last 6 years!). Thankfully I was able to fill that role and was there right beside her the entire time, providing all the morale support needed.
 My raiser was so very proud of me for actually sticking it out and not getting anxious or bored with the long ceremony and best of all... not bothering the other graduates!
 Pictures below were taken during graduation, hopefully I'll post her senior pictures (that have me in them!) soon.

One more major update before I go... my raiser received word from the guide dog school that I was to be neutered, so I was taken to the vet last week... my raiser is quite happy about this, as she seems to think it will "somewhat" help some issues I've been having.
Missing all of you guys very much, so sorry it's been so long! Please know that I'm really still here :)

 -Brandon

Cute picture of Brandon in coat in a down stay, staring up at the  camera

Up close picture of Brandon sleeping at my feet during graduation

up close picture of Brandon sleeping at my feet during graduation

Picture of Brandon in a sit-stay during graduation, looking back at the camera , wondering if  it's ever going to end!

Picture of Brandon and I starting to walk down the stairs - Brandon is thinking  "mom, we can take all these stairs in one large jump!"

Picture of Brandon and I walking down the stairs

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)

Busy Time

My raiser has been keeping extremely busy recently, giving me almost no time for posting, or visiting any of my followers :(  Worry not though, as my raiser is trying to make enough time for me and our blogging friends... please don't think we've forgotten about you!

I use to be the best blogger, posting (nearly) everyday, always had a new update fur you guys, fun pictures, received lots of comments from my followers, and always had time to "visit" my blogging friends. But when Spring gets here, my raiser becomes extremely busy and forgets all about the computer!  Her time is mostly consumed in her farm animals, as Spring brings many new arrivals (mostly baby goats) she's always outside milking or bottle feeding one of her goats.  One of the highlights of my raiser owning baby goats, means I get to have some interesting and very cute playmates, but the downfall means less blogging time. 

So again, please don't think I've forgotten about you guys, or dropped off the face of the earth... I'm still here, busy as ever... but going to try and find some time to blog more often AND visit you guys!

One of my favorite things about blogging, is reading all the furry awesome comments from YOU guys, seems as when I blog and visit my "blogging" friends less, I don't get near as many comments or visitors - and believe me, I MISS that! You don't know how much I enjoy reading all the wonderful comments you guys leave fur me, but now I think I'm starting to realize how much time is acutely spent in commenting/visiting other blogs :)

Enjoy the furry cute pictures below of some of our newest 2012 baby goats (photo credit: my awesome raiser! Who is totally loving her new camera!)

-Brandon

Up close face picture of a brown Nubian baby goat

Picture of a (mostly black) tri-color Nubian baby goat

Picture of 2 of my baby goats leaning on their fence

Photogenic Puppy

Hey guys! 

So sorry it's been so long, we've been extremely busy recently!

I'm healing up just fine from the surgery I had a few weeks ago, and still don't get why I'm not allowed to swallow things :( 

On a happy & exciting note - my raiser just got her graduation gift from her parents, and it's a furry awesome camera! (Cannon t3i). 

Which means...   I will be providing you with lots of pictures my raiser takes of me, since I get to be her model! She's really looking forward to learning more & figuring out different techniques with her camera.

I, of course, am looking forward to seeing all the evidence from her work :)

Enjoy the first 2 pictures she's taken of me with her new camera,

-Brandon 

Up close  picture of Brandon's face

Picture of Brandon staring at something

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

Work Time!

Hey guys, I'm finally back to blogging! (fur now anyways...)
My raiser just wanted to make sure I was feeling my best, before I got back into the "blogging world" and she has finally given me the go ahead!
A quick update on my medical situation:
Most of my readers have seen the previous posts, keeping you updated on what's been going on with me (I spent 9 days at at Specialist - due to urinary issues I've been having - and all the tests/etc they did on me, including the results of all).
I've now been on these super duper antibiotics for 1 week & 3 days now for my UTI, each day is quite different. Some days I'll be doing great and can "hold it" for around 2 hours, but other days I have to go out every 15 minutes (my raiser is just very thankful that it's not the "every 5 min" as it was before I went to the Specialist). 
My raiser did talk with the school, and they agree (along with my raiser) that I should continue my daily dose of antibiotics, in hopes that I'll show drastic improvement over the course of the next week or so. But fur now, we are just hoping & praying that I'll stop having the issues all together :)
Back to the post now...

Our guide dog group's Area Coordinator (AC) told my raiser too try & keep my outings to a minimum for a little while, due to the fact that I'd been in a kennel for the past 9 days, I may have brought some bad habits home with me (nah...), and we wouldn't want to stress the cute puppy too much, while I'm trying to recover.
So my raiser has been very careful on how many outings she takes me on and tries not to over do it.
She's still been having me attend college classes/church with her, but is slowly building me up to more "regular" outings/etc (like shopping).
My raiser has been taking me out with her to quite a few places recently and has been very impressed with how well I'm doing (under the circumstances...). My raiser's sister tagged along to one of our last shopping trips, to not only grab some pictures of me working... but also to give me the chance to work with another person.

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted, and I know my raiser did a horrible job at keeping you guys updated... and visiting all of you :)
Please continue to hope, cross paws/fingers & pray that I keep on the recovery path and enjoy the shopping pictures below!

-Brandon

Picture of Brandon & I doing a slow forward in "Mary Joe's" (fabric store), Brandon is doing a great job at keeping a loose leash!

 

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay inside Mary Joe's, with me standing beside him

Picture of Brandon & I, again doing a forward walk inside Mary Joe's - Brandon is still maintaining a loose leash!

Picture of Brandon in a down-stay beside my sister at Best Buy; they did a great job working together... with me there to distract him!

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