Got to see my PR's again!

Joe and I got to see Mark & Deb at the most recent CCI graduation. They were there to see their last pup PJ III graduate as a Facility Dog! I'd bet Jeb is smiling about that.

What? Ansel's on TV again???

Joe and Ansel Interview

Happy 5th Birthday!

Mr TV's at it again!

Mr. Ansel is tearing up the airwaves again!


NBC4: Columbus, Ohio News, Weather, and Sports (WCMH-TV)

DogFest Walk'N Roll Pledge

I'm sure you have realize from reading my blog that I have become the helping hands and legs for Joe and have allowed him to achieve more than he may have ever thought possible. Things that you may take for granted, like opening a door or picking up dropped keys, can be difficult or impossible for Joe. With me at his side, he no longer has to ask someone else for help.

Denise, Joe and I are participating in our second annual DogFest Walk 'n Roll Columbus on 10/12/2013, a community dog walk that supports the mission of Canine Companions for Independence. Founded in 1975, Canine Companions is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities (like Joe) by providing highly-trained assistance dogs (like yours truly) and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships--free of charge.

Denise and Joe are personally committed to raising money by walking (and rolling) so that we can get more of these amazing assistance dogs--just like me--into the lives of those who need it most. Denise and Joe are asking their friends and family to help them meet their fundraising goal by making an online donation in support of this most worthy organization. It's really easy--just click the below link to be transferred to their pledge page. Thanks in advance for your support!

http://www.cci.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=1076523&u=1076523-366371263&e=7094502498

Another great graduation weekend at NC CCI Region

Joe and I took a break from the daily grind to attend graduation. Carver, my Kansas protege graduated as a Service Dog, so TBG,  SWMBO and their new pup PJ III came to Ohio.

Of course, Deb had to show off my Shar Pei impression to everyone at the graduation.

Here I am with Joe & Denise and Carver with Dustin. We had a great time at graduation!

Saturday morning TBG et-al showed up at my house and we talked and played for 2 hours! Before they headed home, Deb gave me a special present from Aunt Marty. It was a whole bag of Magical Peanut Butter Treats!!! You can imagine the drool that was pouring out of my jowls. Thanks much Aunt Marty...Mmmmmm, delicious!

Deb was pretty happy to see me...who wouldn't be?

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

Get around, round, round, I get around!

Here's another TV interview that Joe and I did, am I good or what!

Here's an interview of Joe and I

The local NBC station (4) came out and interviewed Joe and I. As usual, I pretty much rocked it!

Ansel's back in the House!

Ansel reporting! I was able to sneak onto Joe's computer and give you all an update. We were at another function at OSU this past weekend. It was an open house at the College of Vet Medicine. Along with all the folks we got to meet, I got to get up close and personal with Brutus Buckeye and the OSU Cheerleaders.

 

 Can you really blame me for smooching on a cheerleader?

I want to personally express my appreciation to Ansel's blog followers for your generous pledges to the DogFest Walk Challenge Ansel and I participated October 13, 2012 and supporting the Canine Companions for Independence organization. We successfully raised $3,825!

Having Ansel in my life has been life changing for me. It is so hard to have to totally depend on others, even for the most simple tasks. Ansel has given me a sense of independence I haven't felt since my accident almost three years ago. Beyond the much needed assistance he provides me everyday though (and just as is important, if not more), he brings a new positive energy and love in our home. He is truly a blessing! Priceless!

CCI is a phenomenal organization--professional at every level--from their executive director to the office and kennel staff, trainerst, and puppy raisers. 

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! Go Bucks!

Canine Companion DogFest Walk Challenge

Ansel and I are looking forward to participating in our first Canine Companion DogFest Walk Challenge on Saturday, October 13 in Columbus, Ohio. It is a family oriented, pet-friendly walk held annually to benefit Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). The event features a pledged walk with trick-or-treat stops, a raffle and a costume contest following the walk.  What fun!

Private donations and fundraisers, such as Canine Companions DogFest, help to provide the necessary funds to continue enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through the placement of assistance dogs.  While it costs approximately $45,000 to breed, train, and place an assistance dog with an individual, like myself, who has a disability, Canine Companions’ recipients receive the dogs free of charge.  And all recipients are provided with additional ongoing support and training through the lifetime of the team--free of charge!

I am  grateful--beyond word--to CCI for bringing Ansel into my life and am honored to walk, complete with costume, in support of this phenomenal organization. Stay tuned for a sneak-peek of Ansel’s most entertaining costume!   

If you would like to make a pledge to our team for this most worthy cause, you can do so easily by clicking on the following link. It will take you directly to our personal web page. We are astounded and most appreciative of the generous support we have received already! Check it out!  And consider supporting our team!

http://www.cci.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1018402&lis=1&kntae1018402=3E4EA48693E4475FB1EB2C296003002F&supId=366371263

First, I would like to thank Mark and Deb as well as all puppy raisers for what you have given me. The Canine Companion service dogs are absolute life changers, especially Ansel!

Ansel graduated on Friday, May 18 and became my best buddy by the end of the first weekend. We have become inseparable, I take Ansel virtually everywhere. He is always the perfect gentleman and almost never needs correction. Ansel truly enjoys working and I can see the great joy that it brings him. Ansel attracts interest every time Denise and I go to a store or restaurant. Ansel is a real ham and loves the attention (he especially loves showing off his talent). I may get Denise in trouble, but she cannot keep her hands off of Ansel. He is so soft and loves to have his belly rubbed that she cannot resist.

I need to convey a story to best describe how he has helped me with my independence. As background, I use a power wheelchair and drive a minivan. I have a lift that positions the wheelchair in the back of the minivan and I walk to the driver’s side with a cane. I'm not very stable with the cane and I’m completely unsafe without it. A couple weeks ago I had a checkup at the Ohio State hospital campus. I had put Ansel as well as the power chair into the minivan and was walking to the driver side door when I dropped my cane. At this point I can neither pick up the cane nor walk further. However, I now have Ansel! I used my key fob (which I keep strapped around my left wrist) to open Ansel's sliding door, asked him to come out and pick up my cane. Without any hesitation or confusion, Ansel stepped out of the van, picked up (and dropped the cane twice), but finally got it into my hands on the third try. He got back into the van, I closed his door and proceeded to the driver’s door safely. Now that’s a buddy you can depend on!

Joe Parrish

Ansel's Graduation

It finally arrived, the day every puppy raiser longs for...GRADUATION! Our little pup has grown up and fulfilled his destiny. We could not be more proud of Mr. Ansel.

Deb and I had prior commitments that could not be altered and were unable to attend this wonderful day. In our place, we had Kansas City's very own CCI Volunteer Extraordinaire Aunt Marty, stand in for us at the graduation ceremony. She got some "me" time with Ansel and then had the privilege of handing over the leash to Joe; Ansel's new buddy and lifelong friend!

We heard that it was a great time had by all and that all of the KC Chapter attendees got to meet Joe and his wife Denise. I was lucky to have met them the week prior and got to see Ansel's new digs.

Here are a few pictures of the great day!

Marty and Ansel

I think someone called Ansel's name!

Joe and Ansel

We would like to thank CCI, the staff, all the volunteers, the Kansas City Chapter, friends, family and everyone that played a part in Ansel's training. We especially thank Aunt Marty for standing in for us at graduation. We know that Ansel has been matched to the perfect person and are really thankful to Joe and Denise for opening up their home to Deb and I.

THIS, is the best feeling.

Find Ansel on Facebook!

There's a picture of all the NC grads up on CCI's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/caninecompanions. Can you pick out our graduate?

Can My Life Get Any Better? No, Really?

You might imagine that I was pretty disappointed when I heard that various factors were going to keep TBG and SWMBO from being able to attend my graduation. I mean, I know they were upset about it too, but I'm the one who's earned the blue cape and I really wanted to share that with them.

Well, I guess TBG and SWMBO talked to CCI and the powers-that-be said that if they wanted, they could come the Saturday before graduation and CCI would arrange a few minutes with me and an introduction to my new handler. I guess TBG and SWMBO really love me and wanted to see me and check out my peeps because TBG boarded a plane on Friday and headed out here. Sadly, SWMBO was unable to come because of another work commitment (I never understood that as a young pup, but now that I'm a working dog, I get that you just can't shirk your responsibilities to others).

TBG made one stop before coming to see me, though. He went and had breakfast at Elijah's place and got to meet Hobart! You'll remember Elijah--he raised Dembre, who was one of my kennel-mates for a time, and is now working as a successful service dog too!

SO! I got to see TBG today! Not only that, but TBG brought with him my favoritest toy of all times--the infamous red ball! This favorite toy tradition was started by Jeb's puppy raiser. Only, I guess Jeb loved a honking possum (some people might call it a hedgehog, but don't say that around SWMBO. It's a possum in her mind. You know how she can be...anywho!)

Not only THAT, but I was able to introduce TBG to my forever people! And, not only THAT, but my forever people invited TBG to their home to spend time with them and me. Goodness sakes, humans can talk, you know it? We give a bark or two and we're worn out, but these three kept on for about 3.5 HOURS! Ah, I admit, it was fun, actually, to hear TBG tell all of those Jeb stories AGAIN, and to chuckle at some of my, ah, challenges as a young pup. I also really liked learning stuff about my forever people, and why they wanted me and how they see me helping around my new home and workplace. I also really liked showing off all of my advanced commands with my forever person, working as a team. I could tell TBG was impressed!

 I've got some pictures below, but just in case you were wondering...YES, TBG and SWMBO have several people lined up to take pictures at graduation. They'll get posted here too. And in case you were wondering...YES, TBG and SWMBO have a very special person lined up to turn my leash over to my forever people during the graduation ceremony. NO, I'm not going to tell you now! You'll just have to wait and see!

Elijah, TBG, and Hobart

I am at the Center, sporting a BLUE CAPE!

Me and My TBG

I am at my new digs with my forever peeps and TBG (note the red ball!)

TBG and my forever person

Me and my forever peeps!

Jumpin' Jebifers!

As all of our readers can appreciate, the news about Ansel's match has engendered much emotion, and brought us swiftly back to the guy who started it all. I thought it might be fun to share a picture or two of Jeb's puppy-raiser with Ansel's owners. I mean, it did all start with HER.

Against my better judgement (and the very direct admonition by TBG that this was NOT a good idea), I headed down to the basement to root around in the photo albums to find what I wanted. "I'll just grab a few pictures and come back upstairs," I said to TBG. "I PROMISE I won't run amok in sentimentality, bittersweetness, and reminiscence."

Ah...best laid plans and all that. I won't bore you with those sloppy details, but in the midst of it all, I came across a photo that gave me paws (oh! I do so slay myself). Not just because it reaches back in time to showcase Jeb and one of his best pals (Sailboat-Vacation-Guy), but because it has convinced me that Ansel and Jeb must have some shared relative in the CCI family tree somewhere. Take a look and see if I'm right!

He did it!!!!!!

We got the phone call that we'd been waiting for. Ansel made a match at Team Training and will become a Service Dog. He'll get to work and play in Ohio, all the while wearing the coveted blue cape!

We are so happy and proud of our little man.


Pick up day, March of 2010

Some fun time at the lake

Playing in the snow

Turn in for advanced training

Way to go Ansel!

I'm sure Jeb is smiling with his goofy "Larry" face.

Graduation nears for Dr. Ansel

We received our final progress report yesterday. No changes since last month. Ansel will be attending Team Training in May and hopefully make a match. It's appropriate that he graduates after attending canine college (6 months) and then going on for another 3 months to get his Ph.D in Service Animal! He just had to be like his Mom and idol, Jeb.

Right Paw or Left Paw?

Is your pup a right paw or left paw? Why should you care? Because "it has a massive influence on whether this puppy will pass or fail Guide Dog school."

Interesting...and fun to try at home!

Ansel's Buddy at Work--Dembre!

Dembre and Ansel were both pups-in-training at the same time, and even kennel-mates for a time at North Central. Here's a newly minted video of Dembre at work with his graduate! (This will also take you to Hobart's blog)

http://ccipuppyblog.blogspot.com/

Monthly Report Is In!

We just heard from Gwen, Ansel's "new" trainer, via an emailed, monthly report. She let us know that he has NO current health concerns! YEA!

All his old behaviors are still there: anxiety, forging, rough play with other dogs, whining...

She also said their main activity is concentrating on proofing at the center and in public as he knows all of his commands. He seems less responsive in public than what she would expect but she is seeing improvement as the field trips continue. Otherwise, he is doing "well" and her "fingers are crossed for May Team Training...."

I pulled this oldie but goodie to share today. Is that really my Ansel?

Telephone Call Received!

Well, we had an opportunity to talk with Gwen, Ansel's "new" trainer today. She reported that she hasn't yet had much opportunity to get to know Ansel. He appears to be on the mend in terms of his "condition" but he currently has a papillomas on his paw which is being treated. This does cause him to limp so he has missed a training field trip and has shortened training sessions. The papillomas usually resolve in a week or so at least to the point where they are not painful (think planter's wart for dogs).

She has worked with him some and enjoys his willingness and the skill level he demonstrates. She did say that something catastrophic would have to happen--either medically or with his training--for him to be released at this point. They preferred to keep Ansel for another semester to ensure that his medical condition is resolved before sending him home with a new graduate.

Although they saw some distractability during Team Training, it did not rise to the level where they had a concern. They just know that he has a bit of insecurity and they think that he uses sniffing and distraction as something to do when in new situations and unsure of expectations. Gwen implied that these behaviors could be well-managed with a strong handler and again reassured us that they are not anticipating that they would release Ansel at this point.

SO! Onward Ansel!

Graduation is this way-------->

A Star Amongst Us!

While we still have no news to share about Mr. Ansel, we DO have some exciting news to share about our friends, Marty and Stanton!

February Team Training Update

Sadly, Ansel was not matched to anyone at this round of Team Training. Apparently he was more interested in toys and food than he was of people (now THAT'S the Ansel we all know!). He will be held over till the May Team Training and possibly make a match at that time. It's also possible that he could get released between now and then due to his on and off stool problem and distractability. He'll also get a new trainer for the next semester. Tonya said she really enjoyed working with him and was a little surprised that he was so distracted the last couple of days.

So, we get to wait another 3 months.

We Know Drama! Or, Ansel's Report!

We heard from Tonya, Ansel's trainer today.

Ansel's intestinal problems appear to be getting better. They have been giving him B-12 shots and just took him off Metamucil. Poor dog has had an internal problem of one sort or another since the day we brought him home. As long as he continues to get better, she said he will be moved into Team Training (wahoooo)! Tonya said she's enjoyed training him and he has a great work ethic. He always pops up in the kennel when she enters to see if it's his turn to practice. She said that he is "high energy" when off duty and they will take this into consideration when determining a placement for him.

Along those lines...there are 12 candidates coming to Team Training and just 14 dogs. IF he can "get well" then his chances of making a match are good. She did say that he is adaptable enough that she could see him working well regardless of the category (service, skilled companion, facility). If placed as a facility dog, she did say that he would work best as an "active, task-oriented" dog, rather than one that is used more for petting and to have a calm presence. Yes, that sounds like our Ansel!

Maybe he WILL be placed with a Facility Team, continuing the great work of our much beloved and missed Jeb, for years to come! But we won't be disappointed, regardless of his career path!

Maybe...I'll be on the board one day...

Update! Update! Update!

We've been in touch with CCI recently because our "little guy" hasn't been feeling well. You know that we have had concerns about Ansel's medical condition since day 1, what with his cyclical vomiting...this recent concern has affected, ah, the other end. Anywho, we've been appreciative of his trainer, Tonya, keeping us up-to-date on how he's faring. So...we wanted to share this latest email from her with all of you!

"Ansel seems to be on the mend (let's keep fingers crossed). We did a (removed for the faint-of heart). We have him on antibiotics to treat the infection, b12 supplements and a product to aid in digestion health. Hopefully this will do the trick.

You might be wondering how this has effected training. He is continuing to do well learning the commands and is still a little rowdy in the exercise yard. Our biggest concern at this time is the loose stool. We will see how he responds to treatment when considering placement this February Team Training."

Come on, little guy, get well!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 2nd birthday to Mr. Ansel!

Here's a pic from his 1st birthday, giving a high five to his peeps.

Ansel's Monthly Report!

We were on pins and needles today, waiting to hear from Ansel's trainer! She says that Ansel continues to progress with the commands, that he is doing well and she enjoys working with him. She said that he seems to have a nice responsiveness to correction and motivation. She has some concerns about about, ah, the evacuation product and is watching that. He was noted to have the same behaviors as last month...anxiety, whining, forging, rough play with other dogs, licking (what a surprise!--NOT!)and a few others. Our next progress report, assuming Ansel continues to do well, will be an actual telephone call on January 25. Graduation is slated for February 17th--NOTE! NOT February 10th. CCI has had conflicting dates regarding this graduation ceremony!

For fun: one of my favorite pictures with Ansel!

What I am Working Toward...Meet Crisp!

OK, so I am a truant today! But the black market here (don't ask...pig ears, ice cubes, and fuzzy beds are popular items) just delivered this news, and I had to share. It is so motivating, so inspiring, and it makes being here at boot camp so worth it...if I can just be like Crisp!

Crisp was graduating just as I turned in last August, so I got to see him work with his person. And SWMBO and TBG got to talk with him and his peeps too!

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111120/NEWS01/111210310/Dog-makes-life-easier-boy-CP?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Look at Me!

Geezopetes everyone! I mean, I love it here and everything, but it is a bit like boot camp. No time to breathe, much less sneak away to talk with my adoring fans! Speaking of adorable, the puparazzi snuck in a few weeks ago and managed to catch a few shots of me. Here they are!

Gotta run!

Ansel is...a Dog!

Several of our friends traveled to Delaware, Ohio this past week. It was Putnam's time to turn in. He will be missed!

While they were there, they had an opportunity to play with Chloe and Ansel, both of whom are now second-semester PITs (along with Dembre!).

Our friends reported that Ansel looked great, wriggled and wriggled when he saw them, seemed adjusted and very happy. My favorite description was when one of our friends said he was "light-of-foot." I've held on to that as a great comfort.

Anyway, Mark and I were stunned when we saw pictures of our puppy...ahhh...dog. See what YOU think!

WOW, the good news keeps on rolling in!

We received Ansel's November report today. He continues to do fine with his advanced training. He's learning how to turn light switches on and off along with all the other commands he's learned since arriving at Canine College.

He's recovered from his surgery and seems to be loving his new life and surroundings. We heard through the grapevine that both Ansel and Chloe looked great and that new pictures are to arrive soon. Deb and I can't wait!!

Congrats to the dynamic duo of Ansel & Chloe. Keep up the good work you two, we continue to be very proud of you both!

Wall of Fame

We finally got around to adding to our wall of fame.

Marty - the most valued substitute puppy raiser and creator of the Magical Peanut Butter Treats, made us a great needle point of Ansel just before turn in (with the blue ribbon hanging on it).

and

Lisa - a KSDS volunteer puppy raiser and amateur photographer extraordinaire gave us the mounted picture that she took at the lake last summer.

Thanks so much to you both! They are great additions to the Wall of Fame.

Eat your heart out Ansel!

Months ago a new donut shop was about to open in Manhattan. It was advertising Maple Bacon Donuts and we snapped this picture of Ansel drooling on the window.

It finally opened and Deb brought home a sample. OMG, it is THE most delicious donut ever to grace this planet!!

Sorry Ansel, wish you were here to partake, but don't feel bad...Carver liked it.

October report is in.

Ansel's still hanging in there, learning new commands and being the happy dog that he is! He was neutered and has recuperated from the surgery. He got to work with the trainer in a wheel chair this month (not that he hadn't done that before). The only negative things to pop up are that he seems to be protecting food and toys which is new and he's been playing rough with other dogs (probably my fault there).

The trainer wrote:

"Ansel had a little bit of rest from training due to recovery from his neuter. While he has had some vomiting and (removed for the faint-of-heart) he has had the same upbeat personality as usual. His training is progressing without difficulty. He continues to bark and whine out of excitement and sometimes gets a little rough out in the exercise yard. We will continue to progress with his advanced training commands over the next month, focusing on the retrieve and tug."

Keep up the good work little man, we are very proud of you.

Time's Up, Youngster!

And stop calling me Yoda!

Geez, young'uns, I tell ya! Carver and I managed to sneak out of the kennel. It wasn't easy, but we were extra motivated. The office was totally rockin' yesterday, and one of the staff left their computer on at the end of the day! Well, I was drawn to it like a moth to flame, as you can well imagine. But, being the generous soul that I am, I showed Carver how to use the computer first and let him do a practice post. It wasn't terrible for a first try. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I am quite afraid writing skills are not as appreciated by the CCI trainers as they should be.

Who's Carver? Well, Carver and I have become acquainted over the last few days. He's awfully young and naive, and I have felt it necessary to take him under my paw a bit. You see, he's just 8 weeks old, a Lab Cross, and pretty needy. He keeps asking me all of these questions about my life, and what I've done, and how I got here. It's quite annoying, actually, but I feel like I have to be polite and indulge him. Anyway, he just loved all of my stories, and I am a bit embarassed to say that I think he has a bit of a hero complex about me. He started just begging me to help him get over to the Sellers' household so that he could follow in my pawsteps.

My pawsteps! Humph! I had to set that whippersnapper straight and tell him about the real pawsteps that ALL CCI pups aspire to fill--those of Jeb, the Graduate Dog Extraordinaire! So, of course, he was FULL of questions about him. I did my best to share Jeb's legend with the youngster. I think that was a mistake, because then he was even more insistent that he just had to get to Kansas! At first there was NO WAY I was going to let this insistent, impertinent, know-nothing-of-a-puppy carry on with TBG and SWMBO. But, Dembre heard us talking and chimed in that he heard TBG was missing me quite a bit, and that softened my heart...

Well, I can't give away all of our secrets here, but suffice it to say that I have arranged to have Carver II shipped to the Sellers' household on Monday. I just hope that TBG is up for THIS challenge!

And, if you REALLY want to find out more about the young grasshopper, go to http://www.carvercci.blogspot.com.

CARVER, NO! Get off the scanner! (Have fun, TBG!)

September Report Is In

Good news and bad news today.

Good news is that Ansel is still in training. He seems to be doing well, is willing to learn and is trainable. His trainer will start working on his commands using a wheel chair next month. He exhibits some of the same behaviors that he did with us, like pulling on the leash and whining, but apparently not so much as to warrant release.

Bad news is that he was not chosen to be a breeder and will be neutered. He obviously was not paying attention when I explained how his life COULD be! Oh well, not like that comes as a surprise.

Overall, we're happy that he's doing OK and still in the program....for now.

Looking Forward to Wednesday

Well, the Human-Animal Bond Conference is over and now it is time to look forward to Wednesday...when we will receive Ansel's next progress report (assuming he is not released between now and then!) His trainer will send us a standardized form with her ratings and comments. The one question we are most interested in seeing the answer to is the one that asks, "Do you want to see more of this dog?"--meaning: "Do you think this dog should go into the breeding program?" Although this rating in and of itself won't determine Ansel's future as a potential stud, it is the first hoop that he has to clear to move onward.

So stay tuned!

Ansel and his studly self...

Human-Animal Bond Conference

Natural Disasters... What about the Animals?

FREE AND WEBCAST

Sept 24, 2011
8:30am - 4:00 pm

This conference will take place in Manhattan KS and via a live webcast. Go to this page to view the livestream: http://ome.ksu.edu/webcast/human-animal-bond/

* Who Should Participate? *
Animal Owners
University Students/Faculty/Staff
Cooperative Extension Professionals
Public Safety Personnel (Police, Fire Fighters, Health Care Providers, etc.)
Staff of Pet-related Organizations

Sponsored by Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, K-State Research and Extension, and the Family Caregiving and Companion Animals Communities of Practice, members of the eXtension National Initiative.

Please contact me if you would like more information or if I can answer any questions for you. Please share broadly!

No New Report, But...

I just had to share this video with all of you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OEsMdy7324

This is KSDS Service Dog, Elf, showing off his mean skills! And our friend, Lisa Rickards behind the camera! She is quite the photographer/videographer. This photo of Ansel that she took during our swim date with Hosta and Spark made it into the official CCI newsletter this month--a surprise for us when we opened it up and there was our little man staring at us! (Page 9, all you CCI subscribers out there).



















Every day is a good day with no "release" phone call from CCI. Next report (if we make it that far) is September 28.

First official report from advanced training

We received our first report today on Ansel in advanced training.

He's doing well, has adjusted to his new home and seems to be showing his skills as expected. He has shown some insecurity in new situations, but looks to the trainers for confidence and responds well. He made it through the temperament tests and the initial medical tests, but the more in depth tests are still to come since he's a potential breeder.

The vomiting and abnormal scratching that we dealt with has magically disappeared and we are quite surprised AND thankful about that! The trainer said that he knows his commands and walks nicely on a loose leash and has done well with grooming.

As we well know, advanced training is a day to day ride that could end at any moment, but for the time being, our little man is hanging in there.

CCI Hero Dog!

Watch this story of a CCI service dog finding help for her person after he was hit by a car in his wheelchair. Again, tissue needed!

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/08/29/service-dog-acts-quicklyhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif-to-help-owner/

Why I Love Dogs

You must see this. Have tissue nearby.

Dog Stays by Fallen Master's Side During Funeral

Source: Navy SEAL's Dog Mourns Master | NBC San Diego

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/128315683.html

1st week update

Since Ansel is now in advanced training and unable to secure internet access, we (Deb and I) will be adding updates. I apologize up front if the stories are not quite up to Ansel's vivid imagination!

We have heard from our sources that Ansel has seemed to adapt well to his new home and work environment. Here is a picture of Ansel with his kennel mate Dembre.




Deb, myself and Lassiter attended the monthly meeting in Kansas City and had a great time. We got to see new pup Feldon:



and new pup Carlton:



Who is being raised by new first time puppy raisers!!


Here's a pic of Lassiter working with the hula hoop while being distracted with the toy. He did pretty good!



and last but not least, Putnam doing what he does best :^)




We left Lassiter in Kansas City so he would be there when his VPR arrives back in town. I'm sure it will be a great time when Lassiter sees his Mom again! Thanks to her for allowing us to keep him. He was a joy to have in the house and was also a great buddy to Ansel.