Deb and I were lucky to have received Jeb, a CCI facility dog back in 2000. Deb worked with him everyday at various locations; nursing homes, home visits, schools, etc...in Kansas, Oregon and even Florida. Jebster was a well traveled lad! The things he could get people to do, the smiles he brought, the things we learned from him will never be forgotten. He was always happy and always willing to work and meet people. Sure he had his "special" friends...you know, the kind that would spoil him and just let him be a dog; Uncle Bob, Paula, Candace and CP all were great friends of Jeb (sorry I can't name each and every one). There are more stories of Jeb and his impact on everyone than I could ever type at one sitting, so I'll leave it at that.
After Jeb died in December 2008, Deb and I decided that there could never be another Jeb. We gave away all of our dog "stuff" and decided to not have any more pets. Jeb was the 3rd dog we had had and lost in 11 years and to be honest, just didn't want to go through any more loss.
Deb went back to North Central for the February graduation in 2010 (her 10 yr anniversary of team training with Jeb) to hopefully put a bookend on that part of our lives. It was a sad event and happy at the same time. As she was leaving, Suzanne stopped and talked to her, asking what our plans were. Since Deb no longer was a practicing therapist, a service dog would no longer work out. Suzanne asked "why not be a puppy raiser"?
She came back to Kansas and laid that option out for me (one that we had NEVER thought of). With a lot of thought, we decided that raising a puppy for CCI would be the BEST way of keeping the memory of Jeb alive. Not much time went by after that until we picked up Mr. Ansel at the Kansas City airport. Thus, the new chapter with CCI began.
Here are a few pictures of the Jeb Master, the first one epitomizes his personality.
Jeb was a special dog, but what we've come to realize is that all these dogs are special. We were just fortunate to be with one for 8 great years.
Love the photos....especially the one where he is wearing a cowboy hat. Jeb always did look great in a hat but I'm pretty sure he was never involved in a stick-up! :)
ReplyDeleteThe reindeer antlers and easter bunny ears were among my favorite head gear that he sported for holiday affairs.
That pic was taken in Laramie,Wyoming on one of our treks to Bend!
ReplyDeleteWOW, I was just a day late wasn't I. What a great tribute to Jeb and such an awesome legacy to be a puppy raiser because of him! And what awesome puppy raisers you guys are! He must have taught you well!
ReplyDeletegreat post!
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