puppies inside: FLD Sammy

Showing posts with label FLD Sammy. Show all posts

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Okay to cry

August 15, 2014

Chippewa

Our session was drawing to an end, in more ways than one. FLDs August, Sammy and Ekco would be leaving with us this day. Tammy would take them back to Leader Dogs for the Blind so they could begin their formal guide dog training.

Emotions ruled. Abe, who suffered through this last April when FLD Zella left, gave sage advice to the teams. "You know it's alright to cry, right?"

Tammy announced each puppy's new "dog" tag number and presented its raisers with thank-you certificates from Leader Dog. Lots of us had blurry vision. Pick (an inmate who volunteers to help in the program in any way he can) was so distraught he left the yard and retreated into Pike Unit. Eric never took off his sunglasses.

A bald man wearing the blue prison uniform is sitting in the bright sun on the seat of a picnic table. Between his legs sits a young yellow lab, whose leash is hanging on the ground. The man is smiling at the camera, his right hand is touching the dog's neck from behind, and his left hand is holding a certificate on his left thigh.

John and FLD Ekco with the certificate.

A man wearing sunglasses, blue prison pants and a white t-shirt is sitting in the sun on a picnic bench, facing the camera. Between his legs is a young yellow lab. The man is holding the dog's leash with his left hand on his knee, and a certificale in front of his body with his right hand. There is a brick building behind him. The man has a somber look on his face.

Eric and FLD August.

A man wearing glasses and the blue prison uniform with a blue ball cap is sitting in the sun on a picnic bench. He is holding a certificate in his right hand by his knee. A young yellow lab is sitting between his legs facing the camera. The dog's eyes are closed. There is a brick building behind them.

Dave and FLD August.

A close head and shoulders shot of the man dressed in a prison blue shirt and blue ball cap and glasses, with his left arm wrapped around the neck of the young yellow lab. The dog is pressed against the man's cheek.

Dave gives FLD August a big hug.

An african american man dressed in the blue prison uniform is sitting on a picnic bench leaning over a black lab. The man's arms and hands are cradling the dog's chest and snout, he is holding a leash in his right hand at the dog's chest, his left hand is under the dog's snout. The man is looking up to the right with a pained expression on his face. It is a bright sunny day with a bright blue sky behind him. The dog's eyes are closed.

Ro and FLD Sammy.

A close head and shoulders shot of the african american man from above. The man has cornrows in his hair. His arms are wrapped around the head of a young black lab that is in front of him. The man is pulling the dog's snout to his face and giving the dog a big kiss on his nose.

Ro plants a big one on Sammy.

The men shared stories.

FLD SAMMY

Ro said that FLD Sammy LOVES apples. He told us that Sammy once stole five apples off the top of his crate over the course of a week. Ro had admonished his roommate for giving the apples to the pup. The roommate insisted he did no such thing. "On Saturday I stopped by my room after lunch to drop off my apple," Ro said. "Sammy was snoring on his back outside the crate, so I quietly put the apple up there and went to work out." His roommate called him back. "There was Sammy in his crate eating the apple!" Ro said.

The picture is taken on an angle. An african american man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left with an apple in his right hand at his chest. His left hand is at his side. The man is looking down at two black labs sitting in front of him. The closest lab to the camera is a very small pup, her leash is draped on the ground. The young male lab is sitting beyond her with his tail in a curl and his legs poised like he his about to spring up. He is totally focused on the apple in the man's hand. There is a brick building behind them with four windows.

Ro shows FLD Sammy an apple he had hidden in his pocket. (Ro's new puppy, FLD GeeGee wants in on the action too.) We had never seen this normally laid back lab so animated. After a quick series of "puppy push-ups" (sit/down/stand/down/sit, etc.) Ro gives Sammy (and GeeGee) some treats. He puts the apple back into his pocket. "You are planning to give that to him in the van, aren't you?" I ask. Ro smiles.

An african american man (left), wearing a white t-shirt and blue prison pants, and a shorter man (right) wearing the blue prison uniform, stand in front of a brick wall. The african american man is cradling a small black lab puppy in his arms and the man beside him is resting his right hand on the puppy. This man's left hand is at his waist. Both men are peering at the camera with a "tough guy" gaze.

Hello FLD Sammy. 2013.

Ro and Abe wanted to re-enact their first photo with FLD Sammy from last September.

What a change in all three of them!

A head and shoulder shot of the african american man (left) and the shorter man (right) in front of the brick building. Now they are holding up a large black lab between them. The man on the left has his arms cradling the dog's body, while the man on the right is hugging the dog's head to his, with his hands holding the dog's head. Both men have big smiles on their faces, in starck contrast to the previous photo.

Good-bye FLD Sammy. Almost a year later, Ro (left) and Abe (right) hoist up a much bigger puppy.

FLD EKCO

John shared how FLD Ekco would come to wake him up in the morning. "He'd put his front paws on my bed and nudge me with his nose," he said. "Get up!" John also told us how Ekco always stretched before getting out of his crate, so he started saying, "bow," whenever the pup stretched. "Now Ekco bows on command," he said. A brilliant example of putting a behavior on "cue."

Scott said, "We don't believe you. Show us."

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left side, slightly bending over. His head is not in the picture. The man's right hand is curled at his chest and his left hand is holding the leash of a yellow lab that is "bowing" on the right. The dog has his nose and chest toward the dirt and grass, with his rear end in the air.

FLD Ekco "bows" on John's command.

FLD AUGUST

FLD August's raisers were quiet and no one else ventured a story about him. So I did. I talked about the first time the little guy went on furlough with Tammy and me in the Soo and we took a walk on the bike path next to business loop I-75. August responded quickly to positive reinforcement for loose leash walking. "He just pranced right along," I said. I thought he was a puppy who was eager to learn.

Two men stand in front of a brick building with some plants behind them. The man on the left is wearing a long sleeve white t-shirt and blue prison pants and a blue ball cap, the man on the right is wearing a green sweatshirt and blue prison pants. The man on the left is holding the leash of a small yellow lab puppy, whick is lying on the grass at the feet of the man on the right. The men have somber expressions on their faces.

Dave (left) and Eric (right) with FLD August last October. These three have changed also!

TIME TO GO

For some reason, the photos I took of the guys putting their puppies into the Leader Dog van were all a little bit blurry. My camera has auto-focus, but perhaps I was shaking. Just a little. This never gets any easier. I'll let my "photo-shopped" pictures tell the story of good-bye...

A man dressed in a blue prison shirt is reaching into an airline crate that is sitting in the back of a van. There is a yellow lab inside the crate looking out at the camera. The man is looking at the dog. There is a blue ball in the van on the right side.

John says good-bye to FLD Ekco.

Two men wearing blue prison shirts (the man on the right is also wearing a blue ball cap) are facing the camera with a yellow lab dog to the left. The dog is coming out of the airline crate that is in the back of a van. The man in the middle has his right arm wrapped around the dog's back and is smiling at the camera. The man on the right with the ball cap is reaching his right arm over the other man along the top of the crate and his reaching his left arm in front of the other man to pet the dog under his chin. The man with the ball cap is wearing sunglasses and has a serious look on his face.

Harlan (right) can't contain himself and has to come out to the van to say good-bye.

A man dressed in the blue prison shirt and a blue ball cap with glasses is standing at the rear of a van that has the doors open. The man is facing the camera with a sad look on his face. His left hand is closing the door of an airline crate. You can just see the tail of a yellow lab in the crate.

Dave puts FLD August into the Leader Dog van. Eric could not bring himself to come out to the van.

An african american man with corn rows in his hair and wearing the blue and orange prison shirt is backing a black lab into an airline crate. Both his hands are grabbing the dog's chest and the dog is looking down trying to come out. The man is looking at the dog.

Ro puts FLD Sammy into his crate in the Leader Dog van. He tossed the apple in with Sammy, who waited until Ro left before he ate it.

The african american man is turning toward the camera, walking away from the open side doors of the white Leader Dogs for the Blind van. He is holding a leash and collar in his hands at his waist. He has a sad look on his face.

Ro turns from the van. Nope. It is never easy.

DOGSPEED puppies! And great job raisers!

Two airline crates in the back of a van hold two yellow labs. The lab on the left is sitting down, the lab on the right is standing. Both are looking at the camera.

FLDs Ekco and August, in their crates for the long drive south.

A black lab is sitting in an airline crate, looking at the camera with his tongue hanging out.

FLD Sammy, apple eaten.

"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!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

All in a day, across the UP

August 14, 2014

en route to Chippewa

With the click of the gate echoing behind us after our training session with the Baraga teams, Tammy and I start our long drive across the UP. We are to meet up with a group of furlough volunteers, with Chippewa puppies, for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Soo. But first, a stop in Marquette, about one and a half hours east of Baraga.

Mary, one of Tammy's Independent puppy raisers, lives in Marquette and is raising a male yellow lab named Stellar. Mary asked Tammy if we could do FLD Stellar's In-For-Training (IFT) assessment on our way through.

Every Future Leader dog puppy must be assessed after reaching the age of 10 months and prior to its date of return to Leader Dogs for the Blind. The IFT "standards" give puppy raisers a goal to shoot for in training the puppies, most of which have to do with developing self-control. The IFT includes obedience skills such as sit, down, stay and come, loose-leash heeling through doors, up and down stairs, in a crowd and next to traffic, and dog, noise and motion distractions.

The ever-accommodating-Tammy squeezes Mary and FLD Stellar into our schedule. I have to wake a sleeping FLD Henry to use as the dog distraction.

Another interesting coincidence. Turns out that Mary was the raiser of a puppy named Glacier, who ended up becoming Jess's second Leader Dog! (Jess is my blind blogger friend who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and had visited Chippewa with us.) Mary wanted to know why Jess had retired LD Glacier at a fairly young age. This is what Jess posted on her blog:

"Glacier retired himself at age five and a half. His sensitive, sweet and goofy nature was just not cut out for guiding a totally blind person. He is now happily living with a friend who takes him to work and spoils him rotten; which he deserves. I miss him terribly, but know that he is getting the best retirement any dog, or handler, could ask for."

After the IFT, we have about 170 miles to drive from Marquette to the Soo. Luckily there is no snow on the roads this time of year, but we still arrive a few minutes late. ARUS Rob and Joyce, Chippewa Correctional Facility staff, are waiting for us with FLD Ekco, Greg and his wife are handling FLD Chewy, Dave and Paula have FLDs Ashley and August, Julie handles FLD Sammy and Lion Tom has FLD Bandit.

The tall tables at Buffalo Wild Wings make dinner with seven puppies more of a challenge, but we make it through without too much commotion. I end up standing most of the time, my foot firmly planted on FLD Henry's leash, keeping him out of reach of the others.

After dinner, Tammy conducts a "furlough training" class outside the restaurant. While furlough volunteers aren't expected to "train" the puppies they take out (that's why the pups must be at least four months old, so they go out having some skills), we want to give them tools to help manage the puppies. Puppies might know things like "sit" and "down" when in the prison, yet not so much with a new handler in a different environment. Tammy wants to see how the puppies do with the volunteers and teach them redirection techniques like name recognition and touch. We also cover tips for loose leash walking and proper bandana/jacket removal and use.

Six people are standing in a row on a sidewalk against a brick walled building, on the left side of the photo. On the right, a woman wearing jeans and a light colored sweatshrit is facing them with a piece of paper in her hands. All the people agains the wall have a puppy sitting on their left side.

Nope, it's not a firing squad! It's just Tammy (right) having the furlough volunteers run through some obedience with the puppies.

Someone wearing red pants is standing off-camera to the right facing a young black lab lying on a cement sidewalk in front of a brick wall. The lab is facing the person and looking up at her. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is looped loosely from his collar to the person.

FLD Sammy lies down and looks longingly up at his handler.

Two men are walking around puppies that are lying on a cement sidewalk. The man on the left is wearing dark blue pants and a light blue long sleeved shirt. He has the puppy's leash in his left hand and is looking down at the puppy while reaching into his pocket with his right hand. The puppy at his feet is a small chocolate lab wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The man on the right is wearing blue jeans and a black and grey jackeet. He is looking down at a small yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy and holding the leash in his right hand. The puppy is lying on the cmeent, facing the brick wall which is behind the men. In the background behind the man on the right is a woman wearing blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt and holding a big purce. She is leaning agains tthe brick wall.

Tammy leads the group through the relaxation protocol. Here Lion Tom (left) and ARUS Rob (right) walk around FLD Bandit (chocolate lab) and FLD Henry.

The same two men are now both leaning over toward their puppies to give them a treat! The puppy on the right is starting to come out of the down position to get the treat.

Gentlemen, treat your puppies!

In this partially blurry shot, the woman wearing blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt is running from left to right in front of the line of people and puppies in front of the brick wall of a building. All of the puppies are sitting nicely.

Tammy gets into action, providing a moving distraction for the puppies. Not one is perturbed!

Before the pups return to Chippewa, Tammy and I do the "traffic" portion of the IFT with FLDs August, Sammy and Ekco. We will be taking these three back to Leader Dog with us tomorrow. Even though by now it is dark, all pups do fine.

Henry goes with Joyce; she's dropping him off to spend the night at Chippewa. Tammy and I are puppy-free!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The next day

July 18, 2014

Chippewa

The day after Puppy Days at the Chippewa Correctional Facility was a watershed moment. Scott's feelings of "impending loss" were about to become real. FLDs Drummond and Bravo, the first puppies in the Leader Dogs for the Blind prison puppy-raising program in Michigan, were returning to the Rochester Hills campus for their formal guide dog training. Joining the two golden retrievers was FLD Granite, a "finishing" puppy that came to Chippewa some months ago.

It was their time.

More than a dozen men and one woman are standing or sitting around a room. The men are wearing prison garb, blue or green pants with white t-shirts or blue shirts. The woman is wearing blue jeans and a yellow shirt. There are many puppies with the men, some golden retrievers, black and yellow labs, and one german shepherd. The woman is going to each team and greeting the handler and dog.

Practicing meet & greets.

But first. Tammy-the-taskmaster wanted the group to do a few exercises before she completed the separation paperwork with Scott, Morrison and Jeremy, the raisers of the three dogs. We applied Frontline on all the puppies, practiced meet & greets, handler's exams and "arounds."

Then we chatted about the Puppy Days celebration; we decided it all went very well. The men were thrilled with how receptive the guests were to them. Joe said when the presentations were over and the guests were invited to partake in pizzas and deserts prepared by inmates in the prison's culinary program, he thought everyone would rush over to the food tables.

"Instead, they all got in line to meet all of us," Joe said. "They shook our hands and told us we were doing a great job." None of the men expected this kind of reaction.

One woman and three men are standing in line, talking to the prisoners that are standing against the wall in the gym. The inmate on the right is wearing blue pants and a white t-shirt. He is holding a small black lab puppy and leaning toward another man and listening. The woman, wearing a yellow shirt, is on the far left, followed by a man wearing a yellow vest, then a man wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt, then a bearded man wearing khakis and a royal blue shirt.

Inmate raiser Joe (right) holds FLD Teysen while being greeted by Dave Bardsley and Lions Club members.

But there it was, a transcendence of circumstance. These were men after all, paying their dues, attempting to bring positive change to themselves by creating opportunities of independence to strangers they will never meet. Raising puppies!

On to business. The men shared stories about the three pups that were about to leave.

FLD BRAVO

Raisers Morrison and Cody revealed how nervous they were when young little Bravo arrived. "He's a sensitive puppy," they said, nicknaming him "Budbuddog." ("All one word," they said.) Morrison told a story about Bravo having an accident that elicited laughter around the room. "I had poop on my leg and in my new Nikes!" he said.

A man wearing blue prison pants and shirt with an orange vest is kneeling on his left knee next to a golden retriever, who is standing, looking toward the camera. The man is looking at the dog, with his left arm draped over the back of the dog, and holding up a certificate with his right hand. There are two men and a woman in the background.

Morrison and FLD Bravo show off the "thank you" certificate from Leader Dog.

FLD DRUMMOND

Everyone agreed that the big golden was a protector and guardian of the new puppies. "He let Ashley walk on his back in the snow," they said. The men shoveled pathways in the deep snow. Ashley was walking on top of the banks and couldn't make the jump over the chasm to the other side. Drummond positioned himself so the pup could use him as a bridge.

A floor level shot of a small yellow lab (left) lying next to a large golden retriever, who is also lying on the tile floor. The little puppy has her chin on the floor, looking at the camera. The golden's head is up and he is looking off to the right.

FLD Adell (left) lies safely next to FLD Drummond.

A man dressed in the priosn blue uniform and an orange vest is squatting down with a golden retriever on the left. The man's right arm is wrapped around the shoulders of the dog. The dog is standing and looking at the camera. The man is holding a certificate in his left hand. There is a woman and two men in the background.

Scott and FLD Drummond with the Leader Dog "thank you" certificate.

FLD GRANITE

The teams were afraid of this finishing puppy when he came to Pike Unit. "The first night he growled like a golden with a toy in his mouth," Jeremy said. And Granite wouldn't let them get close - he came a long way with Jeremy's help.

A man wearing the blue prison uniform and an orange vest is squatting next to a golden retriever. The golden is sitting down on the right side and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The man has his left arm draped over the dog's shoulders and is holding up a certificate in his right hand. The man has a very big smile on his face. There are three men in the background.

Jeremy and FLD Granite are proud of their Leader Dog "thank you" certificate.

Doug added a story about Tammy's FLD Harper, who had spent some time in Pike Unit with him. One morning when Harper woke him up because he needed to "park," Doug stopped to use the restroom on the way. Little Harper couldn't wait and Doug had a mess to clean up. "I learned you can't procrastinate with a puppy," he said.

Two men are sitting down behind a yellow lab, who is sitting on the tile floor in front of the man on the left. The man on the left is wearing green pants and a white t-shirt. The man on the right is wearing blue prison pants and a white tank shirt and a blue baseball cap. The men are holding up a certificate between them.

John (left) and Harlan (right) hold up FLD Ekco's AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate.

The guys encourage Ro to demonstrate his method of urging the laid-back FLD Sammy to "get a move on." Amongst cheers, Ro danced across the room with the lab singing a do-rop ditty. Too bad we couldn't get a recording!

An african american wearing prison blue pants and a white t-shirt is walking toward the camera with a leash in his hands, looking down to a young black lab at his side. There are men sitting all around three sides of the room behind the man and dog.

Ro and FLD Sammy kickin' it out.

DOGSPEED PUPPIES!

A man wearing an orange vest is on the right holding a golden retriever with his left arm and hand. The golden is sitting in front of him in a van with his head pressed against the man's chest. There is a dog crate in the background with a yellow lab looking out.

Morrison says good-bye to FLD Bravo...

The man wearing the blue prison uniform and an orange vest is turning away from the van. He is looking down facing the camera with a strained expression on his face.

...not an easy task.

A man wearing a blue shirt and an orange vest and glasses is leaning in toward a dog airline crate that is in the back of a white van. The crate door is open and there is a golden retriever sniffing the man's left hand.

Scott leaves a treat for FLD Drummond.

The man in the blue shirt and orange vest is turning away from the van and looking at the camera with a sad face. A woman wearing blue jeans and a blue t-shirt is closing the door of the airline crate.

Tammy latches the door of Drummond's crate as Scott turns away.

A man wearing a blue shirt and an orange vest is reaching his right hand toward a golden retriever that is sticking his head out of an airline crate. The man is facing away from the camera toward the dog.

Jeremy reaches toward FLD Granite for a last pet.

Two airline crates are in the back of a van with two golden retrievers in them. The dogs are both standing up looking out from the crates. There are two leashes on the floor of the van in front of the crates and a blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

FLDs Granite and Drummond.

Two airline crates hold a yellow lab (left) and a golden retriever. The dogs are lying down looking toward the camera. The crates are in a van and there is a leash on the floor in front of them.

FLD Grant, who was just visiting, and FLD Bravo.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

In their words...Ro

July 17, 2014
Chippewa

Here is Ro's speech...

An african american man with corn-rows and a light beard wearing a white t-shirt is standing behind the podium reading from a piece of paper that he is holding with his left hand. His arms are covered with tatoos.

Ro reads his speech.

My name is Romell Goodson. I am currently the lead handler and in the care of FLD Sammy………..

Before I go any further into who I am and what this program means to me, I want to give special thanks to several individuals for making all this possible: First and foremost I want to give thanks to Dave-Paula Bardsley for having this great vision to introduce prisoners raising puppies for Future Leader Dog (FLD). I want to thank Warden Woods for taking a chance here at this facility with such an amazing program, when nobody else would. I want to thank Deb Donnelly for being open to the idea of extending FLD to MDOC. ARUS Batho for giving me a chance and selecting me to be a part of the program here in Pike Unit. For supporting some of the ideas I’ve brought to the program, for being understanding and making me feel like a human being and less like a criminal. He’s been right there in the trenches with us through all the ups and downs this past year and with all the many hats he’s worn, he’s handled it like the best of them.

I want to thank Tammy and Patti for bringing me such a wonderful dog and giving me guidance, effective teachings, support and technique every month, always being helpful. For always bringing those smiles at times when there was nothing to smile about, and making frustrating days….not so frustrating.

I would like to thank Dr. Bennett for taking time out of his busy schedule and life to come up to this facility, giving all our dogs medical exams monthly. For giving us puppy raisers medical insight and knowledge to keep our dogs healthy and safe. Not to mention…..Sharing the Best…… Stories…….I'll never forget you.

Thank you to all of our outside puppy raisers: Kim, who has taken all of our dogs on furloughs, helping in the process of training, giving our dogs experiences that only someone from the outside could give, always staying within the guidelines of FLD rules, being such a joy to the program, and sharing some of the best pictures of all our puppies out in society. Thanks to Frank for taking all our dogs on furloughs. Thank you Ms. Oja who had been awesome! In helping keep us always informed as to what's been planned, keeping us organized at times, always willing to lend a helping hand and loves all our dogs as if their her own, along with Ms. Tellis who’s been there from the beginning, doing her part in helping socialize the best Leader Dogs possible here at Chippewa Correctional Facility.

And to those I may not have mentioned, you know who you are…..from myself and all the people involved here at this facility. I want to say thank you!

Leader Dogs for the Blind and the program at this facility has been more to me than just getting a puppy, raising it for a year & then handing it back to Leader Dog.

Yes! This program has educated me on all the technical things which is to be expected like: Health, Nutrition, and medical issues for dogs. I learned more than how to teach and train my puppy basic obedience skills, socialization, and desensitizing him to different things. This program means more to me than getting certificates for AKC STAR…..Puppy Award, Canine good Citizen Certificate or passing my puppies IFT examination. Sure that’s all great but Ive learned so much more and I AM taking so much more with me.

I've been incarcerated for over a decade and I've grown a lot over the years as well as learned a lot. I have close to 40 different programs that I've been involved in and I've gotten a great deal out of them which will help in my future. However, this program has touched me the most: Before coming to prison I told myself I would do any and everything for my family, by all means necessary. Rob, steal, sell drugs and even die if need be. I had very little value for my own life. That’s what I thought love was. Boy was I wrong.

Over the years I've matured and re-evaluated my entire character and way of thinking. I've matured, I've gained knowledge and wisdom, as well as understanding. Then there was this program that put the icing on the cake and taught me things that I could have possibly never gotten about life, as well as my self. I'm more patient with the way people and things progress. Things will happen for the best if you can be patient and stay at it. I have a sense of humanity now! I value life. I've now come to grips that all these years, 38 years to be exact, I've only been existing. I have yet to live. There's a huge and beautiful world out there, with beautiful people in it. I've met some of the most genuine people while in this program. I've asked myself over and over again “are they really like this?” Yes! These people are just good people.

Then there's my best buddy in the world, Sammy. He’s taught me so much. A Dog! My Dog! I never knew fully what love was until now. I've had many dogs but I've never spent time with them like with this one. He’s there when I wake up. He’s there when I go to sleep. He depends on me. I'm his world, and his main objective is to make me happy. Sometimes I feel like he's talking to me. I understand him and he understands me. We are one, I feel, a lot of the times. He teaches me sacrifice. Its easy to be old Ro. Lose everything and be separated from my family as well as him. But I learned self-control and how to deal with my emotions and I do what's right because of my dog Sammy. He depends on me. The same way my real family and children do!

The old Ro is dead and Romell has taken his place. My mother told me a long time ago, "It don’t make no difference how long it takes you to get it as long as you get it." Today I can honestly say that I got it! The light switch is on! These are the type of programs that truly change peoples' lives. We need this one and more like them here in Michigan especially behind these cold walls and razor wired fences.

There's one more thing that this program and my Dog taught me that I couldn’t have possible gotten anywhere else. Well he hasn’t taught me yet but that day is coming…….It’s how to give! I was a taker all my life and I embrace the day when I can finally give the gift of giving back. My Dog Sammy is ready. It’s time to do what he was born to do. Make someone else's life better, and make the visually impaired more independent. Be a Leader Dog Sammy. It took a year to get it and now he’s got it. And now I got it. I can see the Big picture and its not all about me any more. This may be the hardest lesson I've ever learned but I'm ready. Its time to give back!

Thank you

God Bless

A black lab is lying on grass looking at the camera. His tongue is hanging out a bit and he is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

FLD Sammy, the puppy Ro raised.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Okay to cry

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

Risky recalls?

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

All in a day, across the UP

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The next day

Sunday, November 16, 2014

In their words...Ro

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