puppies inside: FLD Bandit

Showing posts with label FLD Bandit. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Sit, down, stay, play

September 25, 2014

Chippewa

RELAXATION PROTOCOL

In three positions...

A woman wearing blue jeans and a teal t-shirt is standing on the right side with an orange piece of paper in her hands. She is reading from the paper. Three men are standing on the left, each are wearing white t-shirts, the one on the far left and the one in the middle are wearing orange shorts, the third man is wearing blue prison pants and is standing with his arms folded at his chest. The middle man is looking down at a small yellow lab/golden retriever puppy that is lying on the tile floor looking up at him.

Tammy gets started on the relaxation protocol. She asks the teams to have their puppies in the "down" position to start.

A black lab (left) and a yellow lab (right) are lying on a tile floor, both are wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandanas. The puppies are looking up to the left at their handlers, who are only visilbe from the waist down. The man on hte left is wearing maroon sweat pants and a white t-shirt, the other man is wearing orange shorts and a white t-shirt. Both puppies' leashes are lying on the floor.

FLDs Ashley and Adell keep an eye on their handlers.

A young chocolate lab is lying on a tile floor looking up at his handler that is standing on the left. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is lying on the floor in front of him. Only the handler's lower legs and feet are in the frame. He is wearing maroon sweatpants and white shoes. The legs of another man are on the right, he is wearing orange shorts and white shoes.

FLD Bandit. Focused.

Three men are handling three puppies. The man on the left is wearing orange shorts and a white sleeveless t-shirt and he is holding the leash of a yellow lab puppy that is sitting on his left side looking up at him. The man is looking down at the puppy and reaching toward him with his left hand. The man in the middle is wearing orange shorts and the blue prison shirt; he is looking down at a yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy that is lying on the tile floor facing the man, his leash draped on the floor. The man on the right is wearing the blue prison pants and a white t-shirt with his hand folded at his waist and looking down at a small black lab. The lab is sitting on the floor facing the man with its back to the camera. There is a fourth man in the background sitting on a lunchroom stool.

Now Tammy asks the handlers to have their puppies "sit." FLDs Adell (left) and GeeGee (right) jump right up, but FLD Henry (middle) has to think about it.

The picture is taken from a weird angle so everyone could get into the shot. There are four men standing in the lunchroom (tables line the walls behind them) and each has a puppy sitting at his left side.

FLDs Teysen and Bandit show how "sit" is done.

A man dressed in the prison blue pants and a maroon sweatshirt is standing facing the camera. He is looking down to his left at the young golden retriever puppy that is standing on his left side. The puppy is wearing the blue bandana and the man is holding his leash with his right hand, held up at his chest.

Abe with FLD Andie in the last position: "stand." Now that is a loose leash!

TESTING

With everyone relaxed, Tammy announced that she would do AKC S.T.A.R Puppy and CGC testing on those puppies that were eligible. The other puppies could practice. FLD Coda was ready to take her In-For-Training (IFT) assessment and Tammy asked me to do it away from the others. I was happy to oblidge. FLD Coda happened to be in heat and was a bit distracted. Her raiser, Jeremy, was patient with her and she did just fine away from all the boys.

YARD WORK

We went into the yard to practice a modified version of the distraction training that we did at the last furlough. Instead of tape on the ground, Tammy had the handlers stand on their puppies' leashes on the grass, just long enough so the puppies could move onto the sidewalk. No pictures here because Tammy put me (and others) to work offering distractions. Someone bounced a ball, one guy crawled up and down the sidewalk, I dragged the stuffed squirrel on a rope, wiggling it to simulate a real squirrel. Not one puppy budged. Either the pupies were great at ignoring distractions, or they were super-well trained to stay off the sidewalk. (The men did say they had trained the puppies not to go past the sidewlak into the gardens on the other side.)

PLAYTIME

Before we leave, we let the puppies play. Brothers Henry and Harley are well-matched. They were moving too fast for me to get a clear focused shot. A little help from Photoshop and you can see the fun they had.

Two small yellow lab/golden retriever puppies run toward the camera, the one on the left, slightly behind the one on the right, has his mouth open and is going for the right ear of the other puppy.

FLD Harley (left) has FLD Henry on the run. Big ears are easy to grab.

Now the two puppies are facing each other. The pup on the left is wearing a red collar and is standing up with his left front paw in the air. The puppy on the right is lying on the cement. His tongue is sticking part way out of his closed mouth like he is taunting the other puppy.

Nah, nah, na nah, nah! FLD Henry might be down, but he's not out!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Supposed to do

September 11, 2014

Chippewa

What I was supposed to do while Tammy did the new puppy paperwork was greet all the teams and evaluate the puppies' weights. What I ended up doing (mostly) was field questions from the men. They wanted to know why there were changes, why Deb Donnelly would be coming next month instead of Tammy. (See my post 'On my pledge" from December 3.)

I explained how the prison puppy-raising program has grown, maybe too quickly. For it to be successful in its growth, it needs the oversight of a full-time paid employee. Leader Dogs for the Blind will be hiring someone in January, but for now Deb would be taking over to get a good sense of how things work.

A young chocolate lab is lying on a carpeted floor underneath a plastic chair facing the camera. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is hanging free in front of him. A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is sitting on the chair with his legs on either side of the puppy. The man's hands are clasped with his forearms on his knees, but you cannot see his upper body. Another man is sitting next to him to the right, holding a leash. This man is mostly out of view.

FLD Bandit seems to be listening as intently as his handler.

"Are you two ever coming back?" the men asked.

That was a complicated question. Leader Dog pulled the volunteer puppy counselors from the prisons, but gave me permission to tag along with Deb so I could continue to document things. (Luckily, everyone agrees that telling the story is important.) As for the reinstatement of counselors, that is an unknown, and will likely depend on what the new hire decides to do. Tammy and I have always been aware that a change might occur in 2015. It just came a bit sooner, taking us by surprise.

The men weren't happy that we were being replaced. I reminded them that they would benefit from having "the best" (Deb) work with them. Ro said, "But we have a relationship with you guys."

An african american man with corn rows in his hair is cradling a small black lab puppy in his lap, holding her with both of his hands. The puppy is on her back with her legs sticking out. She is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The man is looking down at the puppy with a scrinched up smile on his face.

Ro has a relationship with FLD GeeGee, too. She has captured his heart. "She's spoiled," he says. Ro says she was already housebroken when he got her. "She came to me already trained!"

I only managed to feel the ribs of FLDs Coda, Adell, Andie, Ashley and Harley (Henry's brother). Tammy rescued me and finished checking FLDs Teysen, GeeGee, Bandit and Chewy. She glanced at the clock. It was already ten minutes to five. There would be no time for training. She promised the guys we'd be back one more time before the end of September so we could do the work we didn't have time for today. Ro said, "I'll hold you to that!"

A woman wearing blue jeans and a royal blue windbreaker is squatting done in the middle of a room full of men inmates. She is facing the right and her hands are reaching down to a young yellow lab puppy lying on the carpeted floor in front of her. She is looking at the men seated behind the puppy.

Tammy talks to the men after helping me check the puppies' weights. She brought the 2014 Leader Dogs for the Blind poster to share.

Many of the men were concerned about the future of this blog. Would I still be able to write it? While they don't have access to my blog, their families do; one raiser said his wife reads it all the time. I assured them that I had Leader Dog's blessing to continue, that I'd do my best to return with Deb in the following months.

Tammy glanced up at the clock again. It was 5:30! So, we'd be late for dinner at the Antlers. Two outside raisers were meeting us there with their puppies, and two volunteers were handling FLDs Chewy and Andie on furlough. Afterwards, we would have a training session at a local school.

Two bald men are sitting next to each other, looking at the puppies in front of them. They are both wearing white t-shirts and glasses. The man on the left is holding a small chocolate lab puppy in his hands, dangling the puppy's legs in front of him. The puppy is facing left. The man on the right is stroking the head of a grown german shepherd that is sitting in front of him. The german shepherd is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and he is facing left looking at the chocolate lab.

Scott (left) is holding FLD Hershel (who will be going to Baraga) and Doug (right) is stroking the head of FLD Chewy. We say good-bye to Scott as he will be paroled before Tammy and I get back to Chippewa in two weeks.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

"The better to hear you with, my dear."

August 15, 2014

Chippewa

Two lines of puppies are lying along the edge of a wide sidewalk, each of their leashes secured under a large rock. Most of the puppies are looking away from the camera toward a group of about a dozen men standing in a line facing the camera. The area behind the men has been blocked out in green. The puppy that is closest to the camera on the left is a german shepherd, the closest on the right is a black lab. The rest are black and yellow labs, one chocolate lab and a golden retriever.

"Hey, look over here!"

Before we get started on grooming, Scott orchestrates a group photo. He has the men make a "human wall" so the shot could be taken without the fence behind them in view (prison regulations). I end up greening out the fence in post-production.

It is evident the teams spend lots of time grooming their puppies. Coats are clean and shiny, nails are short and all the pups tolerate handling.

Tammy is particularly impressed with Jeremy and FLD Coda. This "finishing" puppy was extremely standoffish when she came to the Chippewa Correctional Facility at the beginning of July. She was not comfortable being close to anyone.

Yet, here she is just a few weeks later, almost snuggling against Jeremy when Tammy comes to check her ears.


Tammy squirts a few drops of ear cleaner in FLD Coda's ear, with the help of Jeremy (center) and Aaron. Notice how Aaron is giving Coda a treat to make this a positive experience. When asked how he managed to gain Coda's confidence so quickly, Jeremy said he followed a positive training plan called "By My Side." He rewarded Coda every time she came near him.

A close shot of a young chocolate lab, wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana, lying on cement and having one of his ears cleaned. There are two sets of arms - one supporting the puppy's head and the other administering the ear cleaner.

FLD Bandit gets his ear cleaned.

This close shot is of two bald men with the head of a german sheherd between them. The men are squatting down. The man on the left, facing the camera, is wearing a white t-shirt and green pants, he is dripping ear cleaner into the shepherd's left hear with his right hand. The man's right forearm is covered in tatooes. The man on the right is facing away from the camera toward the dog, he is wearing the blue and orange prison shirt. There is a bit of grass and part of a brick building in the background.

Doug (left) and Carlos (right) clean FLD Chewy's ear.

A man dressed in the prison blue uniform and blue ball cap is squatting over a young chocolate lab. The lab is lying on his right side on cement with his head nearest to the camera, he is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is resting on the cement. The man is looking at the dog, and is petting his side with his right hand.

Harlan takes a moment to give FLD Bandit a pet.

An upwards looking shot of a young man dressed in a white t-shirt holding a small black lab in his left arm. The man has a big grin on his face and the leash looped around his neck. The puppy is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana with the name "Teysen" embroidered in white on it, he is looking at the camera. The sky behind them is deep blue and there is a brick building behind them too.

And just because this team is so darn cute. Meet Joe and FLD Teysen!

Risky recalls?

August 14, 2014

Chippewa

The chow hall is crowded with teams and puppies and Nylabones and Kongs are strewn about on the floor. The door to the yard is propped open for the summer breeze. Practicing off-leash recalls in a prison isn't very risky. After all, where could the puppies go?

Tammy starts a series of three recall exercises with a "blind" recall. She holds each puppy at the far end of the room and has the handler go out of sight. When he is hidden next to the ice machine, or squatting behind the trashcan, or just tucked in behind another team at the end of the lunch table, he calls. Tammy releases the now-excited pup.

One puppy takes advantage of the situation. His paws scrabble on the tile floor, he snatches a Nylabone and hightails it out the door on a run that reminds me of Norman Rockwell's painting, "No Swimming". His handler goes to fetch him.

This one isn't the only opportunist.

After a few more puppies make a break for it, I can't hold back. I say, "What are you teaching these puppies? How to escape and steal things?" Everyone laughs.

Tammy switches sides for the recall past a distraction (me again, on the floor with my camera); the puppies are recalled away from the door. This works much better.

A very blurry shot of a young black lab running from right to left. The dog is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. There are four men sitting on lunch stools along the left side, all are wearing blue priosn pants and white t-shirts. There is a woman in the background on the right side wearing blue jeans and a tan t-shirt. She is on her knees, with her hands on her thighs. There is an open door in behind the guys on the left.

I have no clue which puppy this is running past me. Note the open door in the background - he completely avoids it!

In this blurry shot another young black lab is running to the left, but the dog's face is more in focus than the rest of the photo. Two men are sitting on the left, one is leaning his tatooed forearms on his knees. The woman behind the puppy has her hands open because she just let the puppy go.

This pup races to his handler and ignores me too.

After these two risky recalls, Tammy has the teams practice the In-For-Training (IFT) recall. The handler has his puppy sit, down or stand, then walks in front to the end of the leash and calls the puppy to come. The pup must not do a "fly by" and must stop close enough for the handler to grab the collar. Easy-peasy.

Two men in blue prison uniforms stand on the left side holding the leashes of two labs that are on the right. The man closest to the camera is bald and is looking down at a young chocolate lab. The lab is walking toward the man and looking at him, he is also wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The second man is behind the first man and is an african american, although he is mostly out of sight. The leash he holds is attached to a young black lab that is sitting further to the right looking at him. In the background sitting in front of two large windows are two men.

Chris (in front) and Ro call FLDs Bandit and Sammy.

Before heading out to the yard for more training, Ro rolls a large blue ball into the room as a distraction.

A group of at least five men and their puppies circle a large blue ball that is on the floor. Some of the puppies aren't interested and are looking away, others are straining to sniff it.

Oooo, the big blue ball!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Ready for a celebration

July 16, 2014

Chippewa

We travel north every month and every month is different from the last. In July, we don't make the long trip west to Baraga; instead we have an extended visit in the eastern UP. The afternoon of Thursday, July 17 is Chippewa Puppy Days, a one-year celebration of the Leader Dogs for the Blind/Chippewa Correctional Facility prison puppy-raising program.

Because Deb Donnelly, Puppy Development Supervisor at Leader Dog, is coming from the west to attend the event, she stops at the Baraga Correctional Facility to conduct the monthly training class in our place.

Tammy and I head up to Chippewa the day before Puppy Days. The guys want to firm up their presentation.

It is obvious they are ready.

A small yellow lab puppy is sitting down and gazing up into the bright blue sky. She is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. Behind her is the brick building of the Pike Unit.

Super Dog FLD Adell at the ready!

Here are photos of the men practicing their routine in the Pike Unit yard.

A man wearing the blue prison uniform is bending down to give a treat to a small golden retriever puppy that is lying on the ground next to him. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. There are two yellow labs standing int he background. The ground is sand with some grass.

Abe rewards FLD Andie with a bit of kibble as the men leave their puppies in a STAND/STAY. We are impressed at how the men set their puppies up to succeed.

A small yellow lab puppy is lying on the grass with her right front paw resting on the black shoe of her handler, who is standing on the left (only his feet are visible in the shot). The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and is looking up at the handler.

FLD Adell keeps tabs on her handler.

A man dressed in prison blue pants and a white t-shirt is bending over placing bits of kibble on the grass in front of a young chocolate lab. The lab is lying down facing the left and wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The puppy is looking intently at the kibble with his tongue just coming out. There are legs of another man in the background, wearing maroon sweat pants.

FLD Bandit stares intently at the bits of kibble Justin stages as a distraction.

The young chocolate lab is still lying on the ground while the lower legs and boots of a man pass by behind.

FLD Bandit holds his down while ignoring the kibble, and the men running by.

A young black lab is running toward the camera acroos the grass and dirt yard. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. There are two men behind him, only their legs are showing, the man on the left is wearing green sweatpants, the man on the right is wearing the blue prison uniform. There is a yellow lab and chocolate lab lying down on the far right side looking to the left at the running dog.

FLD Sammy takes off on a recall across the yard in front of a line of puppies.

A man dressed in the blue prison pants and a white t-shirt is standing half out of view on the right side of the picture; sitting at his left side is a small black lab with his back to the camera. The puppy is looking up at the man. Beyond them is another man squatting down, wearing green sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he is facing to the left and there is a small yellow lab puppy standing in front of him looking at him. There is a brick building in the background.

FLD Teysen looks up at his handler, while Tim helps FLD Adell stand.

The men are happy when we leave FLD Grant (a yellow lab that I have been puppy-sitting for a few weeks) and FLD Gage (a golden retriever puppy that is destined for Baraga) overnight. FLD Grant will stay in their charge until we leave the day after Puppy Days. ARUS Tammy from Baraga is picking up FLD Gage in the morning.

A young yellow lab is lying on a green rug on beige tile flooring, he is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog jacket and looking up at the camera. A leash is attached to his collar.

FLD Grant.

A man wearing green pants and a white t-shirt and blue baseball cap is lying on the grass on his back. He is holding a small golden retriever puppy on his chest with his hands, the puppy looks like it is squirming. The man has a surprised look on his face.

John has some fun with FLD Gage.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Dress rehearsal

June 20, 2014

Chippewa

Tammy's agenda for our training session includes the monthly topics we need to cover: STAY and TRAFFIC. Needless to say, we won't be doing much work with traffic on the inside. But we can work on STAY.

A small golden retriever puppy is snuggled in a grey prison blanket on a tile floor. The puppy's head is on the floor on its right side and the blanket covers the rest of his body. A brown leash is attached to his collar and is draped over the blanket. A man's lower leg (in the prison blue pants) with a black shoe is visible next to the puppy on the right of the photo.

No problem here with STAY. FLD Andie has it down!

The guys are eager to show us what they've planned for next month's "Puppy Days" celebration.

Two men are holding up a large, long vinyl sign. The man on the left is wearing jeans and a blue short-sleeved shirt. The man on the right is wearing the blue prison unform. There are men sitting down around the room in the background. The room has a tile floor and white ceiling tiles with lights and a fan. The banner is white with black paw prints along both sides. It has "Leader Dogs for the Blind" in blue letters on the top and large black letters below say "PUPPY DAYS" with a green outline of the Upper Peninsula behind them. Below that in smaller blue letters is "Chippewa Corectional Facility"

ARUS Rob (left) and Matt (right) hold up the banner for July's "Puppy Days" celebration.

Tammy had charged the teams with figuring out a routine with the puppies to show off their skills. The men re-imagined the relaxation protocol, adding distractions such as dribbling basketballs, running and clapping, stepping over the puppies while in a down position, recalls and more. They ask Tammy to read each step as they perform the almost-military-drill for us.

We are impressed.

An outside shot of the prison puppy raisers demonstrating their performance. Two golden retrievers on the left and one chocolate lab on the right are lying down on the grass; two men are visible standing next to the goldens on the left, the nearest one is wearing the blue prison uniform, but his head is out of the frame. The furthest man is wearing the prison blue pants and a green sweatshrit. A man wearing a white t-shirt and prison blue pants is bouncing a basketball past the puppies. Another man dressed in the prison blue uniform is also bouncing a basketball. In the background is the brick wall of the prison with a couple windows. A man wearing a maroon sweatshirt is in the background.

FLD Drummond (foreground), FLD August (behind), and FLD Bandit (right) hold a down position with bouncing ball distractions.

The two goldens are still lying down, the one in the foreground is looking up at the man standing next to him. The man is looking down at the puppy.

FLD Drummond looks up at his handler...

The two goldens are still lying down. The one in the foreground is yawning. In the background is a woman wearing blue jeans and a grey t-shirt; she is holding a piece of paper and smiling. A man wearing green prison pants and a white shirt is running toward the right clapping his hands.

...he seems bored with all the commotion.

The goldens and chocolate lab are still lying down while two men dressed in the prison blue uniforms step over them. There are several men and the woman standing in the background watching.

The puppies hold still even while the men step over them.

There are several men and the woman standing in the background watching as two black labs run past each other from opposite directions. A goldne retriever is standing up on the right side like he is trying to reach the running puppies, but a man dressed in the blue prison uniforms is holding his collar. A yellow lab in the background is lying on the ground.

Whoops! The racing labs during the recall pull FLD Granite out of his "down."

We are so proud of the teams and all their hard work.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Where are we?

June 20, 2014

Chippewa

Most times, I forget where we are. I forget that we are amongst a bunch of convicted criminals, they seem much more like sons and grandsons to me. We share puppy stories and figure out problems together. The men are open and not afraid to ask questions about the health and behavior of their Future Leader Dog puppies.

As Tammy goes over FLD Andie's puppy raising contract with Abe, I distribute Frontline to the teams. Once a month our puppies need a flea and tick preventative applied. They also take HeartGuard, a monthly heartworm pill, but these are kept on site for the raisers to give to the pups on the first of the month. Tammy brings the Frontline up from Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Each team is given the choice to apply the Frontline fluid down the back of their puppy themselves, or have me do it. Most of them want to do it, but when I get to FLD Sammy's team, Ro says, "Sammy wants you to do it." I don't mind. The hardest thing about it is opening the packaging.

The shape of the plastic applicator reminds me of a long-necked modern electric guitar. It is a small triangle with a long stem, which is easy enough to snap open, but first you have to get it out of the hard-to-open foil and plastic package. If you are not careful you can break the applicator with the packaging. Squirting medicine all over your hands instead of putting it on your puppy is an expensive waste.

"I need a knife," I say to Sammy's team without thinking, struggling to open the Frontline. Tim says, "Want me to get mine?" I'm about to say, "Sure, that would be great," when the next guy puts his foot on a chair and acts like he is pulling a knife out of his sock.

All the men laugh when I realize that of course they have no knives! I hesitate even writing this, because after all, it is a prison. Joking about a knife in prison feels a little bit like making a bomb joke in an airport.

ARUS Rob comes over. No, he doesn't frisk us for knives. He uses one of his keys to open the Frontline.

And just for a relief from my words, here are a couple of puppies!

A yellow lab is lying down between the legs of a sitting man dressed in green prison pants and white tennis shoes. Only the man's legs are in the frame and his hands. His right hand is holding the puppy's leash. The puppy is lying closer to the man's right leg and looking up and to the right. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana, with his name, "Ekco" embroidered in white thread.

FLD Ekco waits his turn to get "Frontlined."

A small brown lab is lying down half on a blue grey mat and the tile floor, his chin on the floor between his front paws. A man's foot is next to the puppy on the left, wearing a white tennis shoe. There is an elk antler on the tiel floor next to the puppy's head. The puppy is looking up toward the camera.

FLD Bandit doesn't look pleased with the prospect.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Catchup

May 14, 2014

Chippewa

Due to circumstances beyond my control (otherwise known as "life") this blog has become woefully overdue. How can Labor Day weekend be on the horizon and I have yet to report on our May visits to the U.P.?

I need catchup.

According to the Catchup Advisory Board (a fictional sponsor of Garrison Keillor's radio show, Prairie Home Companion), "catchup" contains "natural mellowing agents" that "help you gain perspective on what's really important."

Keillor's show featured spoof ads from made up companies like the Catchup Advisory Board and Powdermilk Bisquits. According to the Prairie Home Companion website, "There are a number of ways to spell ketchup, including catsup and catchup, and the Catchup Advisory Board thought that catchup is closer to the way we actually say catsup than ketchup is."

I should go make me a pastie or something and cover it with catchup. Instead, how 'bout I catch up by letting my photos tell the story. After all, the story is what's important!

PART ONE - DELIVERIES

A man wearing a white t-shirt and blue prison pants is facing the camera holding two large bags of dogfood, one on each shoulder. He is stepping forward away from the two open side doors of the large white Leader Dogs for the Blind van. There is a small dog airline crate on the ground next to the front tire of the van ont he right side.

Eric muscles in two bags of Purina Pro Plan dog food from the Leader Dogs for the Blind. On each visit puppy counselor Tammy hauls hundreds of pounds of dog food from Leader Dog to the prisons. On this trip we also brought FLD Bandit to his new raiser team.

Two smiling bald men face the camera, each are wearing a white t-shirt, but the man on the right has an open blue shirt over the t-shirt. Just over the right shoulder of the man on the right is the small brown head of a chocolate lab puppy.

Kris and Justin can hardly contain their excitement as Tammy lifts FLD Bandit over their shoulders.

A closeup shot of the man on the right, wearing a white t-shirt with an open blue shirt over it. He now has his eyes closed and is looking down with a huge smile on his face. The chocolate lab is being held over his left shoulder on the right of the photo. The puppy is wide-eyed and looking toward the camera, but his tongue is licking the ear of the man. The puppy's left front paw is over the man's shoulder. A brown leash can just be seen behind the man, attached to the puppy's blue collar.

FLD Bandit tries to clean out Justin's ear.

The bald man in the white t-shirt is holding the chocolate lab puppy and facing away from the camera, and squatting down to have the puppy meet a large golden retriever that is sitting on the tile floor. A man wearing the prison blue and orange uniform is standing up and bending over to look at the puppy on the right side. Another man in the background between them is squatting down, only his face is visible. A fourth man is sitting in the background to the left, looking at the puppy. He is also wearing a white t-shirt.

Kris brings Bandit around to meet the other teams.

The bald man in the white t-shirt is sitting down facing the camera with the chocolate lab puppy in his lap. He is supporting the puppy with his right forearm and hand and holding a blue Future Leader Dog bandana with his left hand. The bandana has the name "Bandit" embroidered on it. There is a brown leash handing down from the puppy's collar. Behind the man is an ice maching on the right and a pile of milk crates on the left.

A very proud Kris shows off FLD Bandit and his personalized Future Leader Dog bandana.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Losing status

March 7, 2014

Baraga

My husband sometimes complains that he is a "non-person" when we are out and about with a Future Leader Dog puppy. Seems everyone in our county knew FLD Dutch. I was the "dog lady" on the other end of the leash and Andy was just "that guy" with me.

Even now, puppy-less, people look under our table on Sunday mornings when we are having breakfast in our local family restaurant. "No puppy?" they'll ask. So I understand when Ricky tells me that ever since having a black lab puppy around he has lost "status" in the prison.

"When I walk down the aisle," he says, "guys say ''s'up Bear?' They don't say 's'up Rick?' anymore."

A black lab puppy is lying half on a brown carpet square and half on a painted cement floor. He is facing away from the camer and lookng up at a man who is sitting on the right side of the photo. The man is bending over and looking at the puppy, his left forearm is resting on his left thigh. Two other men are sitting at a lunch table on the left and behind the puppy. All three are wearing the prison blue uniforms and looking at the puppy. The man on the left has his arms folded acrss his legs. The man behind has his right foot on the puppy's leash.

Ricky, Black and P share duties with FLD Bear.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

FLD Bandit goes to school

patti's half-way house
May 9, 2014

Mrs. Matthew's second-grade class loves to have Future Leader Dog puppies visit. They are well-educated on how to interact with working dogs, so they wait for permission to pet. If no permission is given, they might be disappointed, but they understand why.

FLD Bandit snuggles on my lap while I answer questions. Some students want to know how LD Dutch is doing in Pennsylvania (he is doing great). Others want to know why Bandit is going to prison. Many share stories about their own dogs.


Mrs. Matthews takes a photo of her class and FLD Bandit on my lap. I am holding a Nylabone for Bandit to chew - instead of my hands!

After a while the children back up along the edge of the round rug and I set FLD Bandit down. He shows off for them, demonstrating how he's learned SIT, DOWN and TOUCH. He is also learning "leave it." Because Bandit stays focused on me, the children are allowed to pass by, one-by-one and give him a pet. He hardly notices the attention. (The treat I hold in my hand is more interesting to him!)

When the students return to their desks, FLD Bandit and I take a seat by the door and hang out for a little while.

A cute little chocolate lab puppy is sitting facing the camera. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and a brown leash is attached to his collar. In the background are second-graders at their desks, the one boy dressed in a green sweatshrit has his hand raised.

FLD Bandit hangs out with the second-graders. They are learning math!

The small chocolate lab is reaching up with his left from paw while he is sitting by the second-graders. The kids are behind him at their tables.

FLD Bandit says, "I know the answer!"

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Thank you anyway, Bandit

patti's half-way house
May 4, 2014

If Bandit had not cried at 3:25 a.m. to go out and park, I would have missed the most spectacular clear sky. (We've had cloud blankets for days.) The night is so dark here that stars are visible to the horizon, and they twinkled through the unbudded trees. Jupiter flanked a crescent moon to the west. Above and beyond, the milky way's density reminded me of my insignificance. And in the north? The glow of the Aurora Borealis obscured the stars.

I was tempted to drag my tripod and camera outside, inspite of the need for more sleep.

I should have. Sleep did not come for a while anyway.

Mr. Bandit, upon return to his snuggly warm crate, whined, croaked, screamed, yipped, yapped and yodeled long enough to make me wonder if he wasn't finished with his duty. When he paused to take a breath, I took him back outside. He did pee again, but no "big" park was forthcoming.

Back in the crate, the green-eyed monster kept at it for what seemed like at least an hour.

Looking into the door of a small airline plastic sided dog crate with the door open, a small chocolate lab is lying down facing the camera, his eyes looking up adorably. He is laying on a green "mut mat" and there are two puppy toys on the right side, one is a yellow soft nylabone, the one tucked in by his belly is a green and blue nylabone rattle-type toy.

All sweet and Mr. Innocent now.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Friday, November 14, 2014

Monday, November 3, 2014

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

PART ONE - DELIVERIES

Monday, May 26, 2014

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Sunday, May 4, 2014

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