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