Merry Christmas/ Pray for Cameron

I got news from my Area Coordinator saying that the hip X-Rays are pending on both Cameron and Spunky. What this means is that Cameron and Spunky with both have to have a second opinion to see if their hips are good enough to pass them on to the next phase of training. If not, then they will be Career Changed due to hip displasia. Cameron is not the only one in his litter having this problem, all but one of his littermates are needing a second opinion. I know of one that has already been Career Changed. I got a response from a fellow puppy raiser telling me that two of the dogs have passed, I hope Cameron is one of them. She has raised his sister, Cheyanne, and is planning to adopt her if she is Career Changed. I really do want him to pass but, on the other hand, I know he will be right where he is supposed to be if he does not. It is really saddening to think about my dog being Career Changed, but I know he will make someone very happy. Oh well, I guess they can't all become guide dogs. :( I have to remember to put his best interest first.

On a brighter note, it is Christmas after all and I should be happy that I am spending time with my family and that Cameron is happy at the school. Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year!

This month has a couple of very special days in it (in my view anyway): December 23rd- Benjamin's (my first guide dog puppy that I raised) birthday (he is now 4), December 24th- Christmas Eve which means there is gift exchanging with my family, December 25th- Christmas Day and Jesse's (Hugh's blind owner) birthday. It has been good for me so far.

Merry Christmas to All!!!!
Cameron's mom

p.s.I will let you know more on Cameron as I find out. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Blue Coat Journal Photos

Cameron's mom here,

A trainer at Southeastern Guide Dogs has posted some pictures of the new IFT dogs on the Blue Coat Journal site (guide dog blog). Cameron is on there with some of his littermates and a picture of Spunky! If you would like to check it out, here is the site to go to: http://guidedogsblog.blogspot.com/

Cameron's picture is the 5th picture down and Spunky's picture is directly below his. Our boys are looking great and it appears they are having a wonderful time at the school playing in the yard with each other.

So nice for an update, I know. It made me so happy to see my boy on the Blue coat Journal! I am excited and so proud of him! It looks like he is in the main kennel now (Phase 2 of his training). He should be working his routes now. :) Hope he does well.

Take care,
Cameron's Mom

Pictures

Here are some pictures of Cameron that another raiser sent me:


Me and Cameron together before he went on puppy camp.


Cameron in the back of her car.

I sure do miss my boy. No news yet, but I guess that's a good thing. I have to keep telling myself that. I am sure he is adjusting well at the school. They haven't said he has been career changed yet, so that's good. As soon as I get his progress report, I will be sure to post it on here.

Take care,
Cameron's mom

Wayne's Blog

Hello there,

If any of you are interested in reading about my new puppy-in-training, be sure to visit Wayne's new blog at:

http://wayne-puppy-in-training.blogspot.com/?spref=fb

Still no news yet on Cameron, but it should be close to time to hear something. I will keep you updated.

Cameron's mom

Twitter debut!!!

Cameron has just made his first Twitter appearance. Here is a lovely picture of him with Spunky (the other dog from our group that we took back) posted by one of the trainers at the school.




I miss my boy so much, but it looks like he is pretty happy at the school. If you would like to read more posts posted on witter by one of the trainers, the website is:

http://twitter.com/dogguidetrainer

Check it out and enjoy. I will keep you posted on Cameron as I get information.

Take care all,
Cameron's mom

No News Yet

Cameron's mom here,

I didn't forget to post about Cameron, I just haven't gotten any news yet about how he is doing at the school. I guess the saying 'no news is good news' is applying here. I am thinking of my boy even though I haven't gotten any word on him yet. I am sure he is doing good. Keep your fingers crossed.

Will post when I hear something.
Cameron's mom

November 5-7, 2010

Cameron's mom here:

I wanted to give you an update on how our weekend was. Cameron did great, although he knew that something about this weekend was different. He was still on his best behavior regardless. Cameron was ready for the long trip. He and Spunky rode well in the car all the way to Florida, of course, we had to stop for gas/bathroom breaks but they were great the whole time. They were quiet and they slept for the biggest part of the trip.

We left our home here in NC about 6:30 Friday morning and arrived at our hotel at 5:00 that afternoon. Not too bad of a trip. We made it in 10 1/2 hours. We had enough time to drop off our things in the hotel and feed the boys, then we went to have a nice supper with the Cameron's.

Here we all are together:


We went back to the hotel for a good night's sleep and awoke early in the morning for one last adventure with Cameron and Spuky before they went IFT at 2 p.m. We decided to go to the new Southeastern Guide Dog Discovery Center in Sarasota, FL. It was really nice and everyone there wished Cameron and Spunky good luck in their next phase of training.

Here are a couple of photos from the Discovery Center:

Me and Cameron together.


Spunky


Spunky to the left and Cameron is beside the guide dog model.

While at the Discovery Center, my husband and I had the opportunity to meet our newest puppy's daddy, Bob.


Bob-Breeder

We left the Discovery Center and headed for Southeastern Guide Dogs' facility in Palmetto, FL to drop off the boys. They were ready to go it seems and knew what was about to happen. We were about to say goodbye for a while and let them go on this new part of their journey on their own.

Here are some pictures of us at Southeastern Guide Dogs:

Me and Cameron together.


Giving him kisses and telling him how much I will miss him.


Exchanging hugs.




Cameron and Spunky together


Staff member coming to get the boys.




Headed to the Receiving Kennel








And they didn't even look back.

After dropping off the boys at college, we went to go see Hugh and his blind owner for a little bit.

Hugh and Jesse


My husband, Jesse, and Hugh


Me, Jesse, and Hugh

We headed back to the hotel to get another good night's sleep before our long journey home the next morning with 3 puppies! We were picking up Wayne (our new puppy), Emmy, and Doc. It was a long ride with 3 little pups, but they did great! They slept the whole night when we got back home in NC. Emmy and Doc are now in VA with their raisers.

Thanks for reading all about Cameron and his adventures. I will keep updating his blog when information comes my way.


Have a great day,
Cameron's mom

Leaving for Florida

It is time for Spunky and I to go IFT this weekend. We will be leaving very early in the morning to head down to the school. I will get to see my sponsors tomorrow night when mom, dad, and the whole Cameron gang get together for supper. Spunky and I have to be at Southeastern at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Wish us luck and please pray for us to have a safe journey down to Florida. We are excited and ready to go, I hope we can sleep!

Goodnight. This will be the final post from me. Wish me luck in my journey to become a guide dog. Mom will keep you updated with my progress and any other news she gets from the school.

MUCH LOVE,
Cameron

Last Meeting

Cameron here,

Mom and I went to my last meeting today. I got to see some of the puppy raisers for the last time before I go IFT. They gave me a lot of loving and wished me luck. It was a pretty good meeting where we learned two new things: Watch-Watch which is where the puppy raiser will stop at an object that is hanging in the way of our path (I can fit under it but my raiser cannot), make us sit, and will tell us to 'watch-watch' while touching the object and then leading us around he object; and Forward-Straight which is used at an intersection when we are crossing. It seems pretty simple.

We practiced walking down a sidewalk and using the new techniques. We listened to one of the puppy raisers speak about what else she had learned at the AC conference not long ago. We moved into the building to continue our meeting since it had gotten dark and we practiced walking past each other without being distracted. There were only three of us puppies at this meeting (Spunky is in VA with the raiser that had me for a couple of weeks) me, SNAP, and CW. I did really good passing the two pups and not getting distracted. Mom was proud of me and our AC gave me praise and said that I was ready to go! That is good news!

We will leave next Friday morning really early for the long journey down to Florida. I can't believe my time here with mom and dad is almost up. I will be reunited with my siblings. It has been a long time since I have seen any of them. It should be fun. Wish Spunky and me luck at the guide dog school. :)

Here are some pictures of me and mom at my last meeting:


I am all dressed for Halloween






I wait patiently while SNAP walks by. She was so hyper but it was funny.


Me and mom.




SNAP


CW and his raiser. (CW is SNAP's brother)


Mom and I listening to a puppy raiser speaker.

Wish me luck next week as I start a new chapter in my life....

Love,
Cameron

A Little Bird Told Me...

That Cameron is doing great with the puppy raiser he is with while Spunky AKA Spunkmeister/Spunky Monkey is at our house. I have been told that he is working beautifully in his harness and that he gets LOTS of attention at church and in the classroom that the raiser teaches in. She has also informed of his wonderful house manners. I am pleased with all of this good news about Cameron! That has made me a proud puppy raiser mom hearing all of these complements on my pup! What more could I ask for? She loves him and is enjoying his company. C

Cameron will be returning in a couple of weeks to spend his final week in our home before he returns to Southeastern Guide Dogs. Spunky will leave our house when Cameron returns to stay with the raiser in VA (where Cameron is) and then go back to his primary raiser for a few days before coming back here to make the long journey down to Florida. Sounds complicated, I know, but it really is not. We are just playing puppy shuffle.

On the subject of Spunky,
He is doing good. He is a very sweet, young boy and he is pretty gentle for the most part. He is loving his daily run in the yard (several times a day) with my other two dogs. I think that is his favorite part of being here...just being a dog at home. He works nicely in harness and he has recently done a presentation with our AC for school children. He did great! I am also very pleased with him.

I love all of the dogs no matter who they are or where they come from. That is all I have for you right now. Will blog again later.

Bye for now,
Cameron's mom

Puppy Camp Tomorrow

Cameron here,

I will be leaving for Puppy Camp tomorrow afternoon to stay with a raiser in Virginia. I will be with her for a couple of weeks while Spunky comes to our house...actually, Spunky is already here. Mom went to pick him up last night at his house so that he can camp with her for a couple of weeks.

We have a meeting tomorrow at 4:00 in Albemarle and we might be doing a downtown walk if it is not raining. We shall see what the weather has in store for us tomorrow.

Mom, dad, Spunky, and I will be headed down to Florida the first weekend in November for mine and Spunky's IFT. I am looking forward to the journey and to start this new journey on my own. Mom will keep you posted on my progress as she finds out.

I will blog in a couple of weeks when I return, until then, Spunky will be here and you can hear about his adventures in the meantime.

Love,
Cameron

We Just Got A Letter.....

And it just so happens to be my In-For-Training letter. It is the letter telling the puppy raisers what days we dogs are to return to the school. It also gives a brief explanation of what happens during the IFT time and what to expect.

Mom is excited for me to start the next phase of training on my own, but she will miss me.

While I am on the subject of IFT, I just want to say good luck to all of the October IFT dogs in our group: Sandy, Riley-Jack, Laura and Ranger. I wish you all the very best of luck and I will see you again soon.

Mom and I had a local event today at a PetSense store. It was their Adopt-A-Thon and we were invited to represent Southeastern Guide Dogs and maybe even recruit new puppy raisers. We will be continuing the even tomorrow. It went well today, so I am hoping the same for tomorrow.

Puppy love from,
Cameron

Mom and I Practicing Obedience

Mom and went outside today to practice some obedience training out in the heat, which is not my favorite. I do not like the heat but she says I better get used to it because where I'm going in another month, is going to be a lot hotter. Back to the place I was born...Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc. in Palmetto, Florida.

Mom took some really good pictures of me while I was wearing the harness. I have really grown up to be a very handsome boy if I do say so myself! Want to see?

















Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Love,
Cameron

Did You See That?...No Probably Not

Hello there,

Tonight's Obedience Training meeting was very interesting and well thought out. We started off the evening by doing our regular obedience training but with a twist: we had used exposures that were never done before. One of our puppy raisers conducted the meeting instead of our Area Coordinator and she had some very good ideas about things we should work on.

We had a soft dog bed cover to walk over in the grass, a squeak toy laying on the ground to walk by, a bowl of treats to walk by, and a couple of wet trash bags to walk over. We had never used the wet trash bags before and this is not something I and a couple of others were sure of. For one thing, one of them was black and the second thing is that they were both wet. When we were all walking around in a circle past the items, I tried jumping over the bags or going way around them to avoid touching them....I wasn't the only one which means this is something we all need to work on. I wasn't sure about the dog bed cover laying on the ground until I realized that it was soft and pleasant to walk over, then I liked it. After walking around a little and incorporating OT into the mix of it all, we had to sit at/on each object...no I still did not want to sit on the wet bags, but that's okay, I just need to work on it. We decided to move onto another part of the training after that which was doing puppy push-ups over popcorn and cat food that was scattered all over the sidewalk. It was difficult to focus, but we did it!

We cleaned up the food outside and then it was time for our surprise for the meeting....blindfold time! Mom and all the other puppy raisers were blindfolded. They all had to put our coats on blindfolded and were led inside by a person who was not to the table where they were all going to eat. This is a blindfold dinner where each raiser gets the chance to see what it is like to be blind and they have to eat that way navigating with their hands and being given directions by someone else as to where everything is located. Blind people use the clock method where every item is placed at a time position, for example: beans at 9 o'clock, bread at 6 o'clock, etc. All of us dogs/puppies did great laying under the tables like we were supposed to waiting for our raisers to finish. Everyone ate and carried on conversations for a while and then were allowed to remove their blindfolds. I think they really liked that part.

Mom made a cake for dessert which had all of the dogs' names on it that are going IFT soon: In October it will be Sandy, Riley-Jack, Ranger, and Laura; November it will be me and Spunky. It was a pretty cake and everyone liked it.

Mom found out today that the puppies will be available November 2nd, so we will be making the trip to Florida soon. That means I will be going in early most likely.

Here is a picture of the cake:

It was already inside the cake box but hopefully you can see it.

I will post a video of the dinner later.

Good night all.

Love,
Cameron

Best of Badin Festival

Our guide dog group got to go to the Best of Badin festival this morning in Badin, North Carolina. This festival is not a big event, but it is enough for us. There are a lot of people, food, other dogs, vendors of all sorts, games for kids to play, and a LOT more distractions that were sure to keep us on our toes.

When we first got to the meeting, we practiced some puppy push-ups to get our minds going and to also help relieve some of the puppy wiggles. We practiced for about 15-20 minutes and then took a break to let us dogs get some water. While on the water break, mom got each one of us dogs induvidually and ran with us to help get even more of the wiggles out. She had as good a time as we dogs did getting to run with her! Since she is all healed up from her surgery a few weeks ago, she is able to run and play and boy is she glad about that! (So am I for that matter).

After that was over, we all decided it was time to go into the festivities for the exposure part of the outing. We were all excercised, focused, and now ready to work. There were a lot, and I do mean a lot, of things on our exposure checklist that we found at the meeting today like: people (young and older), food (on the ground and in peoples' hands), balloons, flags flapping in the wind, someone in a Smokey the Bear costume, other dogs, there was a squirrell that I thought I wanted to chase, loud noises from the vending areas and stage area, a train ride for the kids, golf carts, kid play areas (blow-up play areas), and so many more things to name. It was a great outing for us! While the Badin festival was not a large area, it was still packed full of things we need to be exposed to. It was a little hot today, but we need to get used to working in the heat of the day. At least there was a breeze to cool it down a little.

We stayed there for a couple of hours and after we got to see all that there was, we decided it was time to leave. I was tired from the meeting....I slept the whole ride home! Mom thought it was funny that I was so worn out by that meeting. I think we all had a great time....I know I did!

It was a good day. I hope all you readers and followers had as good a day as I have. Will blog again soon.

Love,
Cameron

P.S. Mom talked to Jesse, Hugh's forever person, today and she was so happy to hear that he had received his photo album in the mail containing pictures of Hugh growing up. He loved it! He wants to meet with mom and dad when they go down to Florida to take me In-For-Training. He may even come to Walk-A-Thon next year. Mom and dad are planning on attending since they have not been in two years. What fun it will be!

Vet This Morning

Hello there,

Mom took me to the vet this morning like she said she would and had the doctor look at my eye. He said it looked okay today, as far as any bad medical issues go, and gave mom some drops to put in my eye twice a day until it gets better. They also gave me my new rabies vaccine (3 year) a little early so I don't have to come back in in a couple of weeks and have that done. I didn't mind getting the shot, though.

I was a little nervous going into the vet office today, I guess it was because I don't go there often and there are so many other dog smells that had me a little distracted, but nonetheless, I did fine. Mom got me on the scale and guess how much I weigh.....50.6 pounds! I am lean and healthy! That's what mom wanted to see. Of course, I have never been a heavy pup.

I will be going to the festival in the morning with our group. Mom has never been, so it will be a first for her and for me. I bet it is going to be exciting....I am ready to go. There will be lots of smells and people, so it should be fun and challenging all at the same time.

Well, we better get some sleep so we can be there at 10:00 when the meeting is supposed to start.

Goodnight all,
Cameron

OT for the Babies

Cameron here,

I got to go to another of the little pups' obedience training meetings. We had a couple of guests today: another puppy, Charlie, which is CW and Snap's brother from the Charlotte, NC group and a High School Senior who is working on her Senior Project...us!

Our group will be helping her complete her senior project by allowing her to come to our meetings and working with us, as well as, researching all that she can about the school and the dogs. We will teach her how to work with us guide dog puppies and she will have opportunities to learn about the different programs Southeastern has to offer, while getting all the information she needs to complete her project. How exciting it is to have someone WANT to learn about us and even do a project on us for school! It not only helps her complete her assignment, but it also gives Southeastern exposure and teaches the public about guide dogs, greeting etiquette, etc...

I will be heading to a local festival on Saturday with my group. I was told there will be lots of food, children, other dogs, other distractions. This sounds like it is going to be a fun meeting.

Mom is taking me to the vet in the morning to have my eye looked at and to get some more medication for it. My right eyelid likes to droop some days allowing dust, pollen, and other irritants to get in my eye. I have been to the vet about this before and she said it was because my eyelid does not quite meet the curvature of my eyeball which allows those irritants to get in there creating the oozy mess. It's pretty minor as far as effecting me from doing my normal things. It doesn't bother me, it just looks bad. I just need more eye cream which is no biggie.

I think that about covers my day....Will blog again soon.

Love,
Cameron

IFT News

Mom has gotten some news for me...I am going IFT in November! It is time for me to start this next chapter in my life on my own. I hope I do well. Mom thinks I am ready, so I believe her. The IFT dates for November are the 15th-18th. Spunky, a younger male lab, is also going IFT at the same time I am so mom will be taking us both back to the school then. I am ready to go, but I don't want to leave my mom. My mom will be getting another puppy when I go in, if there are some available, and she already knows his name..Wayne. The sponsor for Hugh has requested at the guide dog school that she raise his next puppy named in honor of his brother. She is excited for me to move forward in my training, but also for a new little bundle of fur to work with.

On another note, I got to go to the puppy obedience class today for the little ones in the group. Laura and I were both there to show SNAP and CW the ropes and to also serve as a distraction. Since Laura will be going IFT in October and I will be going IFT in November, every little bit of practice we can get in between now and then is good practice! We had a new raiser join us for the meeting and she got to work with me. I was still very focused on my momma, but I did pretty good for her. It was a good meeting though.

I will be going on a puppy swap for a little bit pretty soon to get some of my attachment for my momma out of my system, but I won't be gone long since she wants to spend some time with me before I go in. Spunky will be here in my place.

I think that is all for now and it is time for bed.

Love,
Cameron

Meeting Last Night

I went to my puppy meeting last night and it was a lot of fun minus all the rain. At least we were indoors during the rough storm that we had.

We practiced our regular obedience training and then we worked on some other things like recalls. I did not get to work with mom as everyone had traded dogs at this meeting.

When it was time for my recall, mom had to go out of the room because I would not go to the person that was calling me, I went straight to her. Mom couldn't help but laugh at me even though she knew I was not going to come to the person that was calling me. When she left the room the first time, I looked for her when I was called but I went to the person that was calling me. Mom was hiding in the bathroom and I saw her go in there but I could not find her when I went in that direction, and from that point forward, I did fine without her. What can I say? I love my mom!

When the meeting was over, it was pouring outside and lightning too! It was a rough storm. The power blinked while we were inside. We decided to head home carefully and we all made it here in one piece. The storm kept going for a couple more hours. The power even blinked at our house, but at least we were indoors where it is safe and dry! Thank goodness for houses.

I think that is all for now...

Love Cameron

A Few Pictures of Sandy and I and the Beach

Sandy and I curling up on the floor together. She is my buddy.






I was watching another dog walk by on the beach.



Hi there!



It's kinda warm out on the beach, but at least we have shade under the umbrella. I am off duty at the moment while we relax on the beach. I had my bowl of water in front of me, mommy and baby right next to me, and shade...I was all set.

Home from the beach.

Mom, dad, baby, and all three of us dogs took a daycation to the beach over the weekend. We were all packed into mommy's new car and drove down to Holden Beach, NC where moms parents have a house. We got to spend a full day down at the beach. We left Friday afternoon and arrived back home at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. mom had to be at work Sunday morning so we had no choice but to come home early.

There wasn't enough time to go out on the beach Friday and it was raining, so we had to stay inside, but that's fine. It's a trip away from home. We slept in a little Saturday morning, then mom, dad, baby, and I all went out on the beach at lunch time and stayed for a little while. I chilled on the beach with mom and baby while dad swam in the ocean.

Later that evening, mom, dad, and baby took Bristol and Jake out for a little bit of fun in the sun. It was Jake's first trip to beach and he had fun. They got to swim while they were there, but I did not since I was working. Oh well, I still enjoyed being on the beach with mom.

They all came back home and cleaned up the house and then we all had to come back home. We were some tired pups (and humans)! We had a fun trip to the beach and maybe we can do it again soon.

By the way, Sandy is back now! I have my friend to play with once again! Everyone just loves her.

I think it is time for bed. Much love,
Cameron

Be Our Guest

Do you know what Disney movie this is from? If you guessed Beauty and the Beast, you would be correct.

There is actually a deeper meaning to the title than guessing movies....we have a guest in our house! Her name is Sandy (Legion, Riley-Jack, and Rudy's sister) and she us being raised by our Area Coordinator. Our AC is currently on vacation and has asked us to keep Sandy for them for a couple of days and, of course, mom said yes (I'm not opposed if that's what you are thinking). She came to our house on Saturday evening after the meeting. Our meeting ended up being a mall outing due to the weather, but we will make it up on a nicer day.

Sandy and I got to ride in the back of the car together. She is such a nice girl. Mom and dad really love having her here, but, unfortunately, she has to go soon. One of her raisers is coming to pick her up tomorrow and take her home for a few days and then she gets to come back to our house for a few more days. I don't want her to leave, but I am looking forward to her return soon! She fits right in to our household and loves the baby.

Well, it is almost time for bed. Will blog again soon.

Love,
Cameron

Pictures at the Beach

Let's Play Ketchup

No not really Ketchup that you put on fries, I was just trying to be funny. Let's catch up on the time that we missed blogging.

We all went to Florida on Monday July 19th. We left pretty early in the morning and the trip went smoothly. I rode with the men in the back while the women sat up front. There were plenty of yummy smelling snacks near my nose that I wanted to test out but I was not allowed. I did good resisting the temptation of stealing food. We arrived down at our hotel probably about 6:30 or 7:00 that night. We went out to eat at Olive Garden that night, and it smelled sooo good. After that, we went back to the hotel and turned in early for the night.

The next day, we woke up early so mom could take the crew down to the school for puppy hugging and dog walking. I could not go to this event so I stayed behind with one of the guys in the hotel room. That was fine with me. Mom got to play with two litters of puppies, one of the litters containing the two puppies we were there to pick up. They had so much fun! Mom took lots of pictures of the puppies. The two puppies that we picked up were named Snap and CW. The mother of these pups' name is Tina and she is from the Charlotte group in North Carolina. Tina was around when mom had her first dog, Benjamin. After they got back from their trip to the guide dog school, we all decided to hit the beach! It was so nice out there. It was sunny and the waves were gentle. I was in my harness so of course I could not swim. I got to sit with mom on the beach while the others swam. After a little while, we all traded off and mom got to go swim. We went back to the hotel after a while and cleaned up then we took a trip to Red Lobster to eat that night. Mom and I had never been there before, but we really enjoyed it, mom with the food and me with getting to relax under the table. Another early night for us so we could leave around 8 in the morning.

Wednesday 21st: We got up early and packed everything up to head out of the hotel and to the guide dog school to pick up our group's new additions. We arrived at the Administrative Building to sign the papers for the pups and headed to the puppy kennel afterward. I was in my crate and stayed in the car with one of the men while mom and the new raisers went inside to get the babies. They checked the puppies and made sure we had the right ones and briefed us on anything that we needed to know about the pups. Snap was already showing signs of separation anxiety, so they gave us a couple of towels that had their littermates' scent on it, so she would feel a bit more comfortable. Mom let me get out of my kennel (crate) to meet Snap and CW and to busy before we got started on the long journey home. Now instead of there only being me in the kennel, there are three of us now, which means, I have babysitting duty all the way home (or at least to South Carolina where we are meeting our AC's husband who is picking up their puppy). Our AC and her husband actually got the chance to name, sponor, and are raising their own puppy named in honor our AC's father who worked for the Stanly News and Press hince the name Snap. We have to stop several more times on the trip going home than we did coming down so the puppies could busy, we could eat and stretch, and get gas. The trip went pretty somoothly, although, I did shoot mommy some pretty evil looks when she put me back in the kennel with the babies. There was a pretty good thunderstorm in SC, but we made it through and met with our AC's husband and gave him his puppy, then we headed home. I think we arrived at around 11:00 that night.

All in all, a great vacation from the everyday life at home. It's nice to get to go back to where my roots started every now and then. Mom says I have made the journey down to Florida more than any of her other dogs. What can I say, I like to ride with her.

We are supposed to be having an outing at our AC's house tomorrow evening. Let's hope it does not rain us out. *crossing toes*

Much love from,
Cameron

Florida-bound on Monday

Cameron here,

A new raiser, her husband, brother, mom and I will all be Florida-bound on Monday to pick up two new babies Wednesday morning. Now you are probably wondering what we are going to be doing in the meantime...the answer is vacation!!!! Oh mom is so ready to go. I can see it now, we will be soaking up the Florida sun and havin' some fun!

Mom may take the new raisers to the school and show them around during the puppy hugging and dog walking sessions. They will get to see the campus and play with the pups while I wait for them back at the hotel. I don't think current puppies-in-training are allowed to attend these events. Too much can happen if a couple of dogs get out of hand and things can be passed on from the big dogs to the babies in the puppy kennel, and that just would not be good for anyone. Waiting in the hotel is fine with me, I will get to sleep in a bit before we start a busy day having some fun.

I am so glad to get to go on this trip with mom because I love her so much. I should be a pro at riding down to Florida by the time I have to go IFT. I will get to show the little babies how to ride like a top dog. I can teach them a thing or two about guide dog work.

Did I mention that I am starting to work in the harness now? Our group has two harnesses and we pups get to start practicing in them when we turn a year old. It helps us adjust to the way it feels before we go IFT. It's kind of like a head start. I don't mind the actual body part of the harness, but the handle bouncing on my back is something else to get used to. It is a very different feeling from the coat which is what I am used to. I will have to get accustomed to wearing it if I want to be a guide dog. The harness will be my new uniform when I go IFT. Until then, this is just a little bit of practice before I go back. I will go back into my coat in a few weeks.

Prayer request: Please keep my sponsors in your thoughts and prayers as they are going through some medical issues at this time. I am so glad the world of medicine has grown in the way that it is has. Most procedures are simple nowadays.

I think that about covers it for the night. It's about bedtime I do believe.

Puppy love from,
Cameron

My First Birthday

Cameron here,

I wanted to tell you about my birthday adventure:

Mom, dad, baby, and I all spent the day looking for a new car for mommy. I got to go to a lot of dealerships and look around, the pavement was very hot though on my paw pads and I didn't like that. All of the workers at the dealerships greeted me and gave me lots of attention, especially when mom told them it was my birthday. They were all impressed at my good behavior and how I listened to my commands, not to mention, how calm I was throughout the looking process.

Mom was getting discouraged at not finding the right car for the right price until we came to the last dealership. The last dealership we went to was in Concord and this is where she found the right car, with all the right features, for the right price. It is a Kia Rio hatchback....meaning I have my own space in the very back of the car to sit if mom wants me to sit there. We were greeted by an associate when we first got the and he showed us this car and let us take it for a spin. They didn't mind me riding along one bit. Mom loved the car instantly so they talked about buying and it went from there. I waited patiently for them to finish and all of the other associates really loved me and loved how good I was.

I really made an impression on people today. Mom is so proud of me and how far I have come in my training as a guide dog candidate. Mom knows I will do well at the school when it is my time to shine. But for now, I will be her Cameron and that's all I could want for my birthday! (I got an extra treat though)

Love from your dearest,
Cameron

Pictures/4th of July/Birthday

These are the pictures that mom took of my face at the Intimidators game.

Mom had a surprise for me a week ago. She had my pictures professionally made at PetSense (pet store near our home) and they are so good. She can hardly wait to order the pictures. She had all of our pictures made actually but this event was more for me than anyone else. She never had the chance to do this with her other two puppies, so she decided to do this with me. If you would like to view the pictures, go to: www.angelakrolphotography.com and go to the Events gallery, click on PetSense, and scroll over until you get to the pictures that start with me in my puppy coat. Our pictures end when the Vizsla pictures are done. Mom is proud of them.

On another note, I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July! I skipped out on the fireworks due to the school not wanting us to develop fears of loud noises. We must be exposed to loud noises, but firework shows are a bit too much for some dogs and can cause them to develop fears which are almost impossible to break. Why would a raiser want to take a chance of ruining their dog because of this?

Birthday, did someone say birthday? Why yes, it is my birthday!!! I am now officially 1 year old, along with all of my siblings. Happy Birthday to my sisters, Cheyanne and Katie of Georgia, my brother Apollo of Texas, and all the rest. My mom is not sure what my three other siblings' names are or where they live, but wishes them a very Happy Birthday just the same! I am sending a lot of puppy hugs and kisses their way! I will see them soon when we all go IFT sometime in between November and February.

Anything else??? Ummm....can't think of anything else, so I guess that covers it.

Lots of Love,
Cameron