Puppy #3 - Butterscotch

I'm a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. I currently have my third puppy, a female yellow lab named Butterscotch (DOB 7/19/17) and will be sharing our adventures with you. My first puppy was a female black lab named April (DOB 4/25/15), who was with us from 6/20/15 to 8/27/16, who was released from breeder eval due to a heart condition and career changed because she was a dumb dumb and ate a wire and some plastic. My second was a female yellow lab named Mobley (DOB 6/6/16), who was with us from 8/27/16 to 9/23/17.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Update

Butterscotch is being recalled on the 21st.

She went into a second season.

I love college. My advisor recommended that I join a research team (a year earlier than most) and suggested the professors for me to do that with, one who studies canines and another who studies training.

I'm getting involved with the local chapter for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I'm hoping that the college will allow me to raise in the dorms and that I'll get a transfer dog in January or so. It's a process but I'm working on it.

Love and miss y'all. A reminder that my main is @logickles if you wanna chat. If I end up getting another dog I'll probably make an Instagram for training, photos, and updates. It just works easier for me rn.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Hello!!

Ahh. Hey gang! It's been.... A long time.

Here are some updates for you....

On a personal note, one that's a little uncomfortable and very personal but I would like to share it and get it out of the way; I got rediagnosed with anxiety and OCD, as well as depression. My mental issues started setting in just a few months after Butterscotch came, and that's honestly the main reason behind my absence. The diagnosese came later, and I started medication a few weeks ago. I've had a weird and rough year, but am doing okay.

I got accepted to every college I applied to, and will be attending my first choice college, Canisius. I will be majoring in Animal Behavior Ecology and Conservation, and am seriously considering a double major in psychology and a minor in Anthrozoology, which is the study of human and animal interaction. I hope to become a professional animal trainer. As of right now, the main career goal is working professionally for Guide Dogs for the Blind, but I am considering looking into working at a zoo. I'll get plenty of opportunities to explore my options in college.

Mobley is doing well. Her family is very kind and she has gone on adventures to the beach, in the snow, etc. Our communication so far has been very brief, on both parts; for them, their pet dog died two months after adopting Moe. For me, my mental issues got in the way. But I hope to improve upon that and stay in touch.

We just celebrated Butterscotch's first birthday last week. She is doing very well. Some weird issues with the gentle leader, but she's getting over it. She's just being stubborn. She is bright and happy, and loves attention. I'm hopeful for her.

My mom is now a leader in our club.

Avonlea (@puppyraiser1) is coming to visit on Thursday and I'm so stoked.

I will probably make a few more posts about Butterscotch, but to be honest, I don't see this blog lasting. There's nothing I'll use it for in a month while I'm in college except for maybe an update on Butterscotch's future - I owe you that much. And after an absence this long, I don't think it's that realistic that I'll keep using it.

I'll post more in this next month, like I said; updates on Butterscotch, Avonlea's visit, and some final goodbyes.

I would like to say, though; I appreciate you all sticking around. I've truly loved getting to be a part of this little community. From the other raisers who I'd interact with almost daily to those of you who quietly watched my girls grow up. Thanks to this blog, I've learned new things, met new people (including my best friend), and felt like I had.... Purpose, at times. I got support when I felt lost, whether it was in life or in training. I love you all.

(also, if you do want to keep in contact with me, my main is @logickles)

[puppiesfortheblind]

In other news…. another part of why I’ve been so quiet is because of Mobley. She got career changed, but we kind of knew a month before she even left. It was a complicated scenario in which Mobley was very afraid of smoke. Even a barbecue would set her off. According to our CFR, fear of smoke is really one of the only things that can’t be trained out of a dog to the standards GDB has, and certainly not with only one or two months left in her time with me. So, everybody knew she was going to be career changed - but nothing was official. We were told that nothing would be formal, that we should continue taking her out and keeping up with training, and that there really wasn’t anything we could have done to change it. Everybody was really disappointed, especially our CFR, who said Mobley was exactly the kind of dog they wanted and if it weren’t for the smoke, she’d probably have made it. So, we really loved our last month with her, and sent her on her way. 

Mobley got adopted fairly quickly; here is what I was sent by GDB. 

Mobley was adopted in October by a couple that live in Oakland, CA.  The husband works from home and enjoys daily outings with Mobley. They really enjoy Mobley’s sweet personality and are spending lots of time with her going on hikes in the hills and to the beach along with their 10 year old male chocolate Lab.  His name is Charlie and he and Mobley are best buddies.  The adopters have let the Dog Placement staff know how honored they feel to have been able to adopt such a wonderful dog and is very appreciative of the opportunity. 

[puppiesfortheblind]

Hello friends, we're alive! I'm very sorry this blog has been so lacking. Part of it has been because I got the lead in the school play and that took up most of my time (we closed last week, it was great), and part of it was due to my own laziness. Oops, sorry! Butterscotch is, in a word, phenomenal. She's so easygoing, yet full of energy with lots of drive. She picks things up quickly, and loves to work. She just started public access, and is doing wonderfully. I'm really looking forward to spending my last year puppy raising with her. And speaking of last year with GDB, I just got accepted to my first choice college! Unless anything changes, I hope to attend Canisius College in the fall, where I plan on double majoring in Animal Behavior, Ecology, & Conservation (ABEC) and psychology. I visited campus for an open house in October and I've just fallen in love with the school. Unfortunately, it does mean Butterscotch is my last puppy. On the upside, however, it means I am so much closer to my goal of becoming a service dog trainer as a career. We do have an update on Mobley, but that's a post for another time. (Picture descriptions coming soon I'm very sorry just know that they're of butterscotch and she's very cute)

[puppiesfortheblind]

Butterscotch has gone beyond mastering gentle leader tolerance, and is now to the point where she's putting it on herself.

[puppiesfortheblind]

First full day!

I love Butterscotch, like, a lot. What a gal.

She's very sweet and affectionate. Weighed 15.2lb this morning. No garbage mouth, responds quickly to people. Already knows her name - took like 5 minutes yesterday. Pretty vocal, unfortunately, and for some reason she doesn't finish her food (what kind of lab only eats half of her dinner in 20 minutes?), but other than that I have no complaints. And hey, guess what? She went the whole day with no accidents!

Here's what our day looked like...

6-615 pee 620 breakfast 630 poo 640 play 6:50-7:45 nap 7 45 pee 745-8 play 8 poo 8-810 run in yard 810 pee 8 10 water 820 went out, no potty 8 30 kennel 840 nothing, kennel 905 nothing 915 pee, nap 10 pee, play. Rest and little nap 1040 went out, no potty. Kennel, sleep 1250 pee 1 lunch 120 poo, play 150 pee, play 205 nap 3 pee, rest 350 pee, play 410 taken out, didn't go. Kennel with toy, nap 450 pee 500 poo, dinner 520 gave up on finishing dinner, went pee, play 540 pee 6 pee, play 610 nap 640 pee, swim and bath 720 pee and poo, play, eventual nap 855 pee, play, nap 925 pee, play, nap 10 pee

[puppiesfortheblind]

Meet Butterscotch! Butterscotch is 9 and a half weeks old, and is an absolute sweetheart. Her mom is Noelle and her dad is Timothy. She was born on 7/19/17, and I love her. Pictures: 1 - I stand, smiling, holding tiny yellow lab Butterscotch. 2 - I sit on a curb, holding Butterscotch on my lap with Mobley sitting at my feet in her vest and gentle leader. Butterscotch is looking at Mobley and Mobley is looking off to the side. 3 - Butterscotch starts to walk towards the camera in a parking lot. She is wearing a green puppy vest that is significantly too big for her. 4 - a gif of Butterscotch watching my cousin typing on her laptop, which is on the ground. Butterscotch puts a paw on the screen, knocking the laptop over as she moves to stand on it before quickly being picked up and moved off of it.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Saying goodbye is so incredibly hard. Sure, Mobley has given me a lot of trouble, but she’s given me ten times as much love, and I couldn’t have asked for a better friend this past year.

Pictures: 1 - a selfie with me and Mobley in our backyard. She is licking my face. 2 - Mobley is standing in one of the kennels in the puppy truck. I am kneeling on the floor facing her, away from the camera, scratching under her chin. 3 - Mobley is in the kennel, the puppy truck driver latching the door.

[puppiesfortheblind]

I wouldn't change a thing about my last week with Mobley, except maybe that it was a little longer. Monday we went to a park and took tons of pictures, which I'll upload sometime soon(ish). Tuesday, we watched Homeward Bound which was really sad but also relieving in a way. Wednesday, my cousin and I took her to a cozy dessert place nearby. Thursday, we went to a choir show at my school with some friends, then out to icecream - the guy behind the counter asked, "if I give you a half scoop of vanilla can your puppy eat it?". I obviously had to refuse, but it was really sweet. My last day with Mobley, Friday, was a wonderful one. We went to the aquarium, then walked around a pier and the beach. After, we met with my mom and Blizzard at a restaurant that allows pets on the patio (they even have a menu for the dogs). It was a wonderful way to spend our last time together. Pictures: 1 - Mobley sits, looking face to face with a sea turtle. 2 - Mobley sits, watching the underbelly of a cownose ray that is about to gently breach. 3 - Mobley sits, facing the camera, water from a tank behind her and the sunlight shining on her. 4 - Mobley sits, face to face through the glass with a curious sea lion. 5 - Mobley sits, facing the camera, a large tank with plenty of fish behind her. 6 - Mobley sits, facing the camera, on a pier. Behind her is a large sign saying "Belmont veterans memorial pier", the American ans California flag waving.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Wow... Photo: screenshot of my phone home screen. There is a countdown timer on it, counting down, showing five days, two hours, nine minutes, and 23 seconds until the puppy truck. The background picture is of April (my first guide dog puppy, a black lab), Mobley, and Blizzard (my pet retriever spaniel mix) lying down and all looking to the left at something off camera. Various apps are also visible on the phone screen.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Mobley has been holding my script open for me for a year. One wonderful, wonderful year that will be over in a week. Photos: two pictures showing Mobley laying on her back, her paw holding a script book covered in yellow highlight open. One picture is from a year ago when she was maybe three months old, holding my script for Almost, Maine open. The other is from now, at 15 months, holding open my script for Our Town.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Puppy number three is now single-digits away, and we have our assignment! We are getting a female yellow lab, and her initial is either going to be D or B. We’ll get a ‘for sure’ initial before she arrives on the 23rd, but my leaders and CFR know that I love the guessing game so they probably thought I’d enjoy knowing as much a little earlier (they thought right).

If you have any guesses for her name, let me know!

[puppiesfortheblind]

Officially a "B" puppy!

[puppiesfortheblind]

Puppy number three is now single-digits away, and we have our assignment! We are getting a female yellow lab, and her initial is either going to be D or B. We'll get a 'for sure' initial before she arrives on the 23rd, but my leaders and CFR know that I love the guessing game so they probably thought I'd enjoy knowing as much a little earlier (they thought right).

If you have any guesses for her name, let me know!

[puppiesfortheblind]

Pupdate!

Hey friends!

So I know I promised I would post stuff about Oregon and flying and all that jazz, but pretty much as soon as I started writing those posts, my phone started acting up and I had to do a factory reset. I was smart enough to move everything to my laptop, but everything is now pretty much all combined instead of in nice little albums. So that's fun. Basically, I need to start slowly and carefully putting things back on my phone and making sure all my issues don't come back, and that's my priority right now. Love you guys, but my phone's kinda important.

Mobley is doing great - she bounced back to normal after her spay, and has been going on outings again. She won't go to school with me (not enough time to get all the necessary documents done) this year, but she's going with my cousin to her school (she goes to a private school so it's way easier for her). Mobley is going to the California campus September 23rd.

And also on that day is puppy number three! We are getting another female lab, but for some reason when we got the assignment it didn't have color or initial yet, so we can't play the guessing game right now.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Mobley got spayed yesterday! Poor girl is not happy. I mean, I can't blame her, but oh boy do I feel bad. Especially when the pain meds wore off. She has to wear the cone for a week. We swapped out the plastic one pictured for an inflatable ring one - she was absolutely miserable in the old one, not wanting to walk or do anything... I think it's because she couldn't see out her peripheral vision like she can with the new inflatable one. She cried a lot last night and this morning. It really is a huge difference between "hey pay attention to me" and "I want to die this hurts mom" whining, and it broke my heart. Luckily the pain meds she took with breakfast kicked in and she hasn't been showing any signs of pain all the way up until we just gave her her dinner pain meds, so fingers crossed that we make it through the week without much pain. Photo: A side view of Mobley eating breakfast from her bowl. She has a bandage on her front left leg, her underbelly is shaved, and she is wearing the infamous plastic cone of shame, which prevents you from seeing any of her head.

[puppyraiser1]

Kona turned 1 year old on the 15th of August. We had a joint birthday party for her and Falcon, whose birthday was a few weeks earlier, and invited a few friends! Their were balloons, backdrops, birthday hats, and a cake. After sitting still for pictures (we were exhausted by the time we got all 5 dogs in 1 photo!) they all got to play together. It was such a fun puppy party!

Shown in the bottom photo are Gumbo (2 year old career changed golden x lab cross; formerly known as Lombard), Kona (1 year old female yellow lab), Jessilou (14 week old golden retriever; Claire’s new puppy in training), and Falcon (1 year old career changed golden retriever). Harriet (9 week old yellow lab) is lying down in front of Gumbo. In the middle (2nd) photo are the guide dog puppies- Harriet (left), Kona (middle), and Jessilou (right). In the top photo is Kona wearing a birthday hat and posing by a sign that says ‘happy birthday’.

Photo credit: Hana K.

[puppiesfortheblind]

Lots going on. I'll post some stuff about Oregon and flying later. More important stuff about Mobley, also coming later. Basic update - the trip was fantastic, Oregon is lovely, and so are my friends. Mobley did great on the airplane. She's being spayed within a week or so. She's leaving us September 23rd.