Happy Thanksgiving

Cameron here,

Dropped by to say that I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. I know I did. This is my first Thanksgiving and, boy, what a treat it was. I got to go to a dinner with my raisers at their family's houses and they had a feast.... none of which I got to partake in. It smelt so good though. I had a great time just the same getting to see everyone together and laughing with each other.

Not sure if we are going shopping for Black Friday tomorrow or night. If you all are, be safe. My mom says everywhere is going to be busy. So.. BE SAFE.

Puppy love,
Cameron

New Moon

My raisers and I went to Olive Garden last night and they ate a good meal while I laid under the table and slept. They were so proud of me for being so good. That's what they condition me to do when I am out with my handler and we are at a restaurant. I am supposed to lay under the table so I am not in the way of anyone trying to get by, especially with hot food on a big plate.


After their dinner, we went to see the new Twilight movie, New Moon. They liked it. I was asleep for the most part. The loud noises in the theater were not really my thing but I waited patiently anyway. I want to be a good guide dog one day so I will wait until it is my turn to get up. I had a great time anyway.

Well that is all for now. Puppy hugs and kisses,
Cameron

Best in Show

Cameron here,

Went to my first dog show today with my puppy raiser mom and dad. It was the first dog show they had ever been to too. We were going to observe everything that went on at a dog show. Mom loves to watch them on tv and had never gotten to go to one in person, so she decided we would go to the one they were having at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

It was a lot of fun watching all the other dogs walk around and getting to make some new friends. There were dogs galore that were doing various things such as dogs in an agility contest, dogs in obedience competitions, dogs being groomed and prepped before they show, dogs in the conformation ring (show ring), and dogs just walking around. There were big dogs, little dogs, and all sizes in between. Some people even knew about my organization (Southeastern Guide Dogs) and stopped to say hello. They were people asking about what I am hopefully going to be doing as a career. It is always nice for my mom to get to explain the program for those who would like to know about it. Everyone was so impressed at how well-behaved I was. I'm a good boy and I know it so I show it.

Finally, when all the dogs were finished qualifying in their breed to see who was the best and would advance to the show, the real event began. Time for the group shows. First up was the Terrier Group. The Lakeland terrier took the win for this group. Second was the Hound Group and the Afghan Hound took the win for this group. Third was the Sporting Group and the English Setter took the win. They had a nice looking Vizsla in this group. Fourth was the Toy Group. The Pug took the win here. Fifth was the Herding Group and the German Shepherd Dog took home the win for this group. Sixth was the Working Group and the Bernese Mountain Dog got the win for the group and the most cheer out of the crowd. Lastly was the Non-Sporting Group and it was the Bichon Frise that got the win for this group.

So a recap: Terrier Group-Lakeland Terrier
Hound Group-Afghan Hound
Sporting Group-English Setter
Toy Group-Pug
Herding Group-German Shepherd Dog
Working Group-Bernese Mountain Dog
Non-Sporting Group-Bichon Frise

All seven of the dogs now get to advance to Best In Show which is the win for the dog that is the best fit for its breed that has shown during this time and is the one who has it's eyes on the prize, the big ribbon. They introduce one dog at a time until all seven are out and then they let the real competition begin. The judge carefully goes over each dog and evaluates it according to its breed standard then picks a winner for Best In Show. And the winner is......the Afghan Hound.

Not a bad day for us all. We had a great time. I hope to do this again when another shosw comes around. Until then, I will be writing about my other adventures.

Puppy love,
Cameron

Pictures From Our Trip To Florida

Hugh and Dave together the night before our trip to Florida.



Hugh and Dave in the hotel room in Florida.



The boys got to go swimming in the ocean for a little bit before going back to the school.



Hugh swimming in the ocean. His favorite pastime.



Dave in front of the Southeastern Guide Dogs sign.



Hugh in front of the Southeastern Guide Dogs sign.



The last few minutes with Hugh.



Daniel's last few minutes with Hugh.



Hugh and Dave together in front of the Southeastern sign.



Me, Hugh, and Dave together one last time.


Daniel, Hugh, and Dave all together for the last time. Dave is being silly.



Hugh and Dave walking to the receiving kennel.






We got to play with the little puppies that were on the puppy cam on Southeastern's website (www.guidedogs.org)

IFT Day

Hi, this is Cameron's raiser, Amanda and I would like to share with you the experience of In-For-Training day:

In-For-Training day is a very emotional day in the puppy raising experience that EVERYONE must go through. It is the time where the cute little bundle of energy that has grown into the magnificent dog you have leaves you to continue his/her journey on to becoming a guide dog. Whether or not you take to dog back yourself or someone does it for you, it is a bittersweet day and there are many tears that come to the eye.

My husband, the dogs, and I started off the day by going to the beach for one last time together so they could have some fun. They had a blast, especially Dave. He was bouncing around trying to get Hugh to run and play with him in the water. Hugh LOVES to swim and when he does, he looks like an otter swimming around. Man, those boys do love to swim!

The boys got to swim for a little bit and then we had to make our way to the school. We got there a few minutes before 1:00 p.m. to take some pictures of Hugh and Dave in front of the big Southeastern rock. This is the most famous place to take a picture on the campus. It is a beautiful rock (will post pictures of IFT day soon and you all can see it). Tears are already coming to our eyes as we know what is laying ahead of us in the next few minutes.

1:00 rolls around and we go inside the office where we meet up with the staff inside who welcome the boys back. The Trainer or Kennel Assistants come into the office and get the dogs ready to go to the receiving kennel. This is the time where you, as the puppy raiser, take your collar and leash off of the dog and officially hand the dog over to Southeastern. The Training or Kennel Assistants will put their own collars and leashes on the dog and give you one final opportunity to say goodbye.Right about now is when the tears start coming more frequently.

They took Hugh and Dave outside and led them down the sidewalk to the receiving kennel. Both Hugh and Dave looked back at my husband and I and this does not happen often. Most dogs are ready to go but I guess in their own way, they were saying goodbye one last time before college.

Yes it is very hard to give them up, but it is like having a child, they have to grow up sometime and leave the nest to start their own life. It is time for them to make a career out of what they were bred and taught to do. We will find out sometime within the next month how their medical evaluations go and we will go from there.

GOOD LUCK HUGH AND DAVE!!!!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed to story,
Amanda