puppies inside: furlough

Showing posts with label furlough. Show all posts

Monday, December 29, 2014

Three D's and Henry

September 11, 2014

The Soo

FLD HENRY

We took FLD Chewy with us when we left Pike Unit. Doc Bennett, the veterinarian who volunteers his service for the puppies, saw something he didn't like in the Shepherd's running gait. Tammy was charged with bringing Chewy back to Leader Dogs for the Blind for a complete checkup. But first he'd have to hang with us.

Tammy and I were late getting to the Antler's, a unique restaurant that has always been gracious to visiting Future Leader Dog puppies. This day was no different, although our group was seated in the main dining area instead of the quieter banquet room. Here the pups were treated to bells and whistles every time a ship passed through the Soo Locks.

We left little Hershel asleep in his crate in the van, as it was a cool evening. Tammy brought FLD Chewy in for Frank to handle, Rachel had her golden puppy, FLD Harkin, Kim was with FLD Kayla, and Paula had brought FLD Andie out on furlough from Chippewa. Of course, I had FLD Henry, who recently learned he has a voice. He barked a bit so I took him out to park. Afterwards he was better, but didn't really settle until it was nearly time to go. The other puppies were all well behaved.

As Henry and I got up to leave, a woman and some friends coming in for dinner blocked our passage. "Can I pet him?" she asked. Her entourage spread out and surrounded us. I had no choice. "Can you help me with his training?" I asked her in return. She stepped forward, "What can I do?"

"Let me get him sitting and then you can approach," I explained. I asked Henry to "sit" and used "touch" to get him to focus on me. "He needs to have four on the floor and he cannot mouth you. If he gets up or licks too much, just take your hand away and step back."

The woman took another step toward us and Henry leapt forward. The woman stepped back. Henry sat down. "Yes!" I said and gave him a treat. He held a squirmy sit as the woman tried again. She stopped. Henry whipped his head around and looked at me as if to say, "This is it, right? You want me to sit, right?"

"Yes!" I said and slipped him another bit of kibble. While I was giving it to him, I asked the woman to come and pet him. Henry didn't know what to do then with his attention; his head swiveled from her back to me. Eventually he controlled himself long enough to accept a nice pet.

The crowd around us had grown. Another group was trying to leave. "Can you see how he improved?" I asked. They all agreed.

Good boy, Henry!

THREE D'S

We regrouped at a local school where Rachel works so Tammy could conduct a training session with us. Immediately we had to practice stairs to get up to the conference room. As usual, Tammy loaded her agenda, starting with the relaxation protocol in "sit," followed by meet & greets (from quiet to excited), and weight checks.

Before we moved on to "stay" we practiced ignoring distractions. Tammy stuck a three foot long piece of painter's tape on the floor, behind which we stood with our foot on our puppy's leash. The leash was long enough for the puppy to move past the tape. From a distance, Tammy wiggled a stuffed squirrel that dangled from a pole and instructed us to treat our puppy at our left side whenever our puppy moved away from the toy and came to our side of the tape.

The tape itself was enough distraction for FLD Henry - the first thing he did was to rip the tape right up off the floor!

Oh, Henry!

Again, the other puppies did much better...

A man wearing khakis and a black top is standing on the right looking down at a large German Shepherd that is standing in front of him. The man is stepping on the dog's leash. The dog is looking to the right, where a woman wearing blue jeans and a marron top is kneeling on the carpeted floor facing the dog and man. The woman is bouncing a pink ball in front of her. She is several feet away from the man and dog. In the background are long tables with chairs behind them, another woman is sitting on the floor in front of the table and has a young yellow lab standing in front of her.

Tammy increases the distraction and now bounces a ball. Frank is firmly planted on FLD Chewy's leash, waiting for Chewy to move toward him. FLDs Andie and Kayla wait their turn.

A closer shot of just the man and the German Shepherd. Now the shepherd is turning toward the man. The man is leaning forward just a bit and reaching toward the dog with his left hand, which holds a treat. The other woman is still sitting on the floor with her yellow lab, facing the camera. Another woman is stting on the far side of the table.

FLD Chewy looks away from the ball distraction toward Frank, and loosens the tension on his leash. Frank rewards him.

The man is still standing on the shepherd's leash, but now the dog has moved to the man's left side, well behind the tape on the floor. The woman wearing blue jeans and a maroon t-shirt is on her hands and knees very close to the tape and has rolled the pink ball toward the dog. The dog is looking down at the ball, but is leaving it alone!

FLD Chewy resists the ball temptation, even when Tammy rolls it right up to him! Notice how Chewy has repositioned himself at Frank's left side.

On to stays. "People always want to rush stays," Tammy said. "That's why they have rotten stays." She told us to remember the "three d's." Duration. Distance. Distractions. "First is duration. Your puppy should hold position for one minute before adding distance," Tammy said. "Never mind about distractions! They come later."

I have lots more work to do with Henry and duration. He dropped into a down at about 10 seconds. "Take notice of that and treat him at eight seconds," Tammy advised.

Thank you, Tammy!

A floor-level close shot of a small chocolate lab puppy. The puppy is lying on the carpet facing the camera. He is busy chomping on a dog bisquit. His leash is attached to the leg of a table behind him.

FLD Hershel is happy attacking a Milk Bone from the sidelines.

Another close shot of the same chocolate lab puppy. Now he is sleeping, with his head resting across his leash.

All this work tires a puppy out!

Later, FLDs Hershel and Henry have some play time in the hotel...

The small chocolate lab is running toward the camera on green carpet. Behind him is a little bit larger yellow lab/golden mix puppy, who is following him. Behind and to the left is a cloth crate.

FLD Hershel takes off with FLD Henry close behind.

The yellow lab/golden puppy is standing over the smaller chocolate labe and they are play-fighitng. The chcolate lab is trying to bit the other puppy'es right ear.

Whoo-hoo! Lab wrestling!

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!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Bodily fluids, part 2

June 27, 2014

Baraga to Houghton

Tammy and I planned to take FLDs Copo and Dax on furlough to Houghton, which is about a half hour's drive north of the Baraga Correctional Facility. Chad, lead raiser for Dax, reminded us that the German Shepherd got car sick when others took him out. During a previous visit it was suggested they give him ginger snaps before traveling - ginger can ease motion sickness, even in dogs.

We loaded the puppies into airline crates in the back of the van and tossed Dax a few ginger snaps.

In Houghton, it was too early to check into our hotel, so we headed to Culver's for lunch. Opening the rear doors of the van revealed a distressing sight. Poor Dax had tossed his cookies; he was slimy with saliva. Another fine mess to clean up!

A young black lab is lying on cement on the left and a young german shepherd is lying on the right. Both are looking up to the right and wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The pups are leashed to a grey plastic picnic table.

FLDs Copo and Dax relax at an outside table at Culver's The two beautiful pups drew lots of attention. They were both calm when strangers walked by or even stopped to pet them. We spent some time inside as well.

After settling in at the hotel, and before dinner, Tammy decided we needed to take a walk. "There's a little park on the water, just a ways past the school," she said. Houghton is home to Michigan Technological University. I didn't mind taking a walk, but I was feeling a bit under the weather due to a nagging toothache that wouldn't get taken care of until after this trip. "It isn't too far," Tammy assured me.

Off we went. It was a beautiful afternoon on the bike path that spanned the city on the southern shore of the Portage Lake canal.

"Are we close yet?" I asked Tammy as we left Michigan Tech's Minerals and Materials Engineering Building behind. "I think it's just beyond that curve," she answered.

We walked on, letting the puppies sniff and explore as long as they didn't pull on the leash. We paused at a playground so the boys could watch some children play. They were both curious, but polite.

"Are we there yet?" I asked after what seemed like a mile or so later. "I think it's just past those trees up ahead," Tammy said.

We walked on. A couple of people on jet skis in the lake came zooming by. FLD Dax stopped abruptly and watched them intently until they were long gone. Tammy allowed him time to observe and then we continued.

I felt like my toothache had migrated down to my feet. "Close?" I asked. "yep," Tammy said.

At last, we came upon the spot Tammy had promised. A few picnic tables were nestled among some trees near the shore. Dax wasn't sure of the water at first, but soon was leaping about like the puppy he is, in spite of his size.

The German Shepherd puppy is on leash in the water, jumping toward the camera and the black lab puppy which is at the bottem of the picture looking toward the german shepherd.

Splish, splash two puppies have fun in the water.

And I got to rest.

The young black lab is sitting in sand looking at the camera. His mouth is open his tongue is hanging out just a bit. His leash is hanging from his collar to the left.

FLD Copo, full of sand.

A head shot of the german shepherd who is looking up and over to the right. His ears are up in high alert and his mouth is slighly open.

FLD Dax poses for a portrait.

By the time we made it back to town, I was hungry and tired. I hope I wasn't too cranky. We stopped at the Pizza Works and ordered a "Mediterranean" to go, planning to eat it on a park bench down the street. The owner said, "I'll deliver it."


FLD Dax seems to be enjoying the rest as we wait for our pizza.

A view down a busy city street. There is a man on the left dressed in a green apron running toward the camera carrying a red pizza box. There are several parked cars and other cars with their lights on driving on the street. There are brick buildings in the background.

Dusk settles in. The pizza man delivers as promised. I'm going to live!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

"Bear Bear's" furlough

May 15, 2014

Baraga

Future Leader Dog puppies being raised in prison are exposed to crowds, people of different races, loud noises, rolling carts, walking on different surfaces, waiting in food lines, settling in chow halls, basketball and volleyball games, men working out with weights, men in uniforms, commercial washing machines, offices, vacuums, mops, etc.

Life on the inside, at least from an outsider's perspective, seems at once chaotic and regimented. Announcements blare over the P.A. system randomly. Men mill about, but when "count" comes around the halls are empty. Perhaps it is this mix of pandemonium and regulations that help Future Leader Dog puppies roll with whatever comes their way.

The Baraga teams were disappointed that Tammy wasn't going to leave FLD Harper with them over night. We were taking FLD Bear up to Houghton on furlough, but Tammy wanted the time with Harper to herself. The happy golden was returning to Leader Dogs for the Blind on May 18. Harper made friends wherever he went. Everyone had to say good-bye.

When Bear first exited the Leader Dog van in downtown Houghton he was started by logging trucks and busy traffic zooming by, but he quickly decided all the ruckus was no big deal. After his initial "what's that!?" nothing bothered him. The pup had lots of work in stores, along a bike path, up and down stairs, in a hotel, dinner at a brewery and more. Bear was a very good boy! (And Tammy wore me out.)

A black lab puppy is sitting on the sidewalk in front of a store's clothing display window, next to a wooden statue of a black bear. The bear is sitting on a tree stump and is wearing a red plaid shirt. The puppy is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

FLD Bear poses beside his namesake on the main drag of Houghton. Bear Bear was a nickname I used with him when he stayed with us before coming to Baraga. (And don't worry, his leash was being held by Tammy's friend who was standing behind the statue.)

A golden retriever puppy is sitting in front of a storefront window and a large wooden statue of a moose. The moose is sitting on a tree stump. The puppy is wearing the baby-blue wokring jacket - a Future Leader Dog.

FLD Harper hams it up by a moose! (Harper's leash was held too.)

A black lab puppy wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana is standing and facing the camera. His leash is attached to something out of view to the left. In the background is a metal bridge over some water.

FLD Bear does not seem impressed by the Houghton-Hancock Bridge (aka the Portage Lake Bridge) in Houghton.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Catchup 3

May 14, 2014

Chippewa

PART THREE - PUPPY FURLOUGH

"The bus is here," ARUS Rob announced. Gary was a bit early. As an outside puppy raiser Gary also drove a school bus for the Pickford Public Schools. Tammy had arranged for him to take the older Chippewa pups and their furlough handlers to the elementary school for an outing. Not only would the puppies experience a bus ride, they would be exposed to lots of kids on the playground during recess.

Tammy still had items on her agenda, but our session was over. She had covered information about TAG teach, a sort of "clicker" training for people that we learned at Leader Dog during puppy counselor training, but we had no time to try the exercises. Maybe next trip.

This photo is shot from inside the school bus looking down the stairs. A woman with long brown hair wearing blue jeans, a light purple shirt with a gray zippered sweathshirt open over it, is stepping up and holding the railing with her right hand. She is holding a leash in her left hand, attached to a yellow lab who is stepping up the steps with her. The woman is looking down at the dog. She also has a black treat bag around her waist.

Kim negotiates the bus steps with FLD Ecko. Check out the nice loose leash!

A woman with short grey hair and wearing blue jeans a grey t-shirt and a purple zippered sweatshirt open is standing at the top of the steps coming out of a school bus. She is wearing a black treat bag on her waist and smiling at the camera. A large golden retriever puppy is standing at her left side looking out at the camera. He is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

Puppy counselor Tammy pauses at the top step with FLD Drummond before disembarking at the school.

A group of four women and two men, and six future leader dogs ( two yellow labs, one black lab, two golden retrievers and one german shepherd) stand in an elementary school yard. The brick sided building is behind the group. Three of the dogs are standing, two are sitting and the black lab is lying down.

FLDs August, Ecko, Sammy, Bravo, Drummond and Chewy hang out in the school yard with the furlough handlers. I have been instructed not to take any photographs of the children. Children played basketball, baseball, soccer, swung on swings and played on the playscape while we walked the puppies amongst them. The puppies were more interested in each other than the kids!

A child's hand pets the head of a black lab. The child is wearing a blue and grey plaid jackent. The arm of another chold is just visible in the background, wearing a navy blue with a white strip jacket.

The children were respectful in asking permission to pet the puppies. FLD Sammy was happy to oblige.

A group of people and Future Leader Dogs pose in front of a yellow school bus from the Pickford Public Schools. From left to right, a man wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt under a grey jacket is with a black lab, a man wearing khaki pants, a green shirt and an open black jacket and a safari hat is with a golden retriever, a woman with short white hair and glasses wearing blue jeans, a grey shirt under an open purple zipper sweatshirt is with a golden retriever, a woman with short grey hair wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve orange top and holding a blue jacket is with a german shepherd, a woman with long brown hair wearing blue jeans a light purple shirt under a grey open zippered sweat shirt is with a yellow lab, a woman with longish grey hair wearing blue jeans and a dark shirt under an open light yellow jacket is with a yellow lab, and a tall man with a white mustache wearing dark pants and a short-sleeved blue polo shirt with a black lab. The first six puppies are wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and the puppy on the far right is wearing the blue working jacket.

Our intrepid furlough handlers and their charges pose after our outing. From left to right are ARUS Rob with FLD Sammy, Frank with FLD Bravo, Tammy with FLD Drummond, Rhonda with FLD Chewy, Kim with FLD Ecko, Judy with FLD August, and Gary with FLD Allegiance.

Thank you for the bus ride Gary!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Furlough fun

April 10, 2014

en route to Chippewa

We have the rest of the day to get back east across the UP. Along the way we head straight onto E. Munising Ave in the town of Munising, instead of taking the sharp right turn that is a continuation of M-28. It is less than two miles to Munising Falls. Tammy thinks it is a good idea to take the golden boys, FLDs Drummond and Bravo, for a short hike. We are eager to stretch our legs, too.

The trail to the falls is snow covered, but packed down enough to walk on. Mostly.

A woman dressed all in blue wearing sunglasses appears to be kneeling on a snowcovered path with a golden retriever in front of her. There is a wooded fence along the path with trees in the background.

No, Tammy is NOT kneeling next to FLD Drummond. Her right leg sunk into the snow up to her knee!

The same woman is bracing her hands on the golden retriever as she struggles to pull her right leg out of the snow. She is blurry, but the dog is in good focus.

FLD Drummond holds still as Tammy extracts her leg.

A golden retriever is rolling in a snow bank, he has smashed his head into the snow. A brown leather leash is attached ot his collar.

FLD Bravo takes a snow bath.

Two golden retrievers stand in front of a wooden fence, their leashes are tied to the fend. They are facing each other but are looking at the camera. There is snow all around and in the background is a tall partly frozen waterfall, coming down from a limestone cliff. There are some small fir trees to the left and bare limbed hardwood trees to the right.

FLDs Bravo and Drummond strike a post at Munising Falls.

A cloer shot of the two goldens, who are now close together. One of them is sitting underneath the other one that is standing. The sitting golden has his eyes closed and looks like he is smiling. The dog that is standing is also smiling and is looking to the right. They are in front of the wooden fence, and all the rest is snow.

Silly Bravo can't get close enough to his buddy Drummond.

Tammy asks me to videotape FLD Drummond walking because she said the guys had some concerns about his gait. (We don't notice anything unusual.) The beauty-boy does a nice job of what we call "connected walking." He keeps a loose leash, yielding to gentle pressure, but is not expected to maintain a tight heel position at Tammy's left side. At one point a family carrying a small, yippy dog exits the trail onto the parking lot where we are shooting; Drummond is interested, but quickly refocuses. Good boy!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

The party is over...

Chippewa
March 6, 2014

When the party dust settled, puppies and people relaxed.

A golden retriever is sitting on the right side between the legs of a man wearing the prison blue pants and white t-shirt, sitting on a stool. The man's head is out of the picture. The dog is wearing a blue bandana. A man sitting on the left, only his knee and left arm is visible, is reaching over to pet the dog under his chin. The man has a tatoo on his forearm that says "forever love."

Time for a little lovin' on FLD Bravo.

Jess talked to the group about working with her guide dog Nala.

Four men are sitting on stools in a row, with two golden retrivers and one yellow lab. Three of the men have the prison blue pants and white t-shirts, the man on the far right has a blue shirt. The first golden is sitting facing the right in front of the first two men. The second golden is lying down between the legs of the thrid man, who is reaching down to the dog. The yellow lab is standing past the last man. The second and fourth men are holding guide dog harnesses. The second man's harness is brown leather with a yellow "do not pet me I'm working" sign on the handle. The fourth man's harness is white with a yellow harness.

Jess passes her guide dog harness around for the guys to compare with a Leader Dogs for the Blind harness that her husband uses with his Leader Dog. Jess and her husband are both visually impaired.

EVENING FURLOUGH

The Future Leader Dog puppies still had more work to do with volunteers who helped take the pups out on furlough. We met for dinner at the Sundown Lounge in Pickford. If it weren't for the tails sticking out from under our chairs, no one would have known there were a dozen dogs under the table!

After dinner, we regrouped at the Pickford Fire Hall. Tammy led everyone in the relaxation protocol to start the evening training session. We played a few recall games and practiced meet & greets, loose leash walking with dog distractions, and stairs.

Three women are standing and holding the leashes of three yellow labs. The woman on the left is dressed in a black with white markings on her shirt and blue jeans - a small yellow lab is sitting on her left side wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana, the pup is looking up at her and she is looking down at the pup. The woman in the middle is close to the far wall and is wearing a red and white plaid shirt and blue jeans, she has short curly hair. The yellow lab is sitting in front of her facing her and is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog vest. The woman on the right is wearing a green sweatshirt and blue jeans, she has short brown hair. The yellow lab she has is sitting a few feet in front of her facing her and is wearing a Future Leader Dog bandana. There is a black lab in the corner of the picture on the right side, looking up at someone out of view. The floor is wood, as are the walls. There is a blue and sliver ladder lying on its side behind the woman dressed in black on the left. There is a wood bench seat on the right side against the far wall with a blue jacket drapped on it.

Puppy raiser Kim (on the left) works the relaxation protocoal with her puppy, FLD Kayla, while furlough volunteers work with FLD Bravo (center), FLD Zella and FLD Nell (black lab on the right).

Jess and Nala made a short presentation and spoke about how important it was for her to have a dog that knew how to settle. During a job interview with a potential employer who was already "suspicious" of her ability to do the job, Jess said that a "non-settled dog would have made things worse."

A small german shepherd puppy is lying on a wood floor facing the camera. He is wearing a blue bandana with a white patch with red letters that say Future Leader Dog and a black paw print. The puppy's left ear is down and his right ear is up and leaning to the right over his head. He is looking right at the camera while licking his nose. A brown leash is attached to his collar.

A finally-settled FLD Dax mugs for the camera.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

After Santa...

December 19, 2013

The puppies in Chippewa Correctional Facility were SO good...

How good were they?

They were so good that Santa Claus came early - and brought puppy gifts!

A man dressed in a white t-shirt and blue pants with an orange stripe on the leg is bending from left to right toward a black lab dog. He is trying to get the dog to back under a chair. Santa Claus is sitting on the chair.

FLD Nell needs a little coaxing by her raiser to slide "under" Santa's chair.

But after Santa, there was still training to be done.

A yellow Lab is sitting in the foreground, facing away from the camera. She is looking at a young man wearing a white long sleeved shirt and blue pants. He is bending over with his elbows on his knees looking at her. There are a few men and dogs in the background.

FLD Bravo waits for the cue to "come."

Practice recall. Add distractions.

A golden retriever is lying on a light brown tile floor facing to the left. He is wearing a light blue jacket. A man is squatting behind him, wearing a blue shirt and green pants. The man is lifting the dog's left rear foot and looking at it.

FLD Drummond gets his nails checked.

This golden retriever is also lying on the floor, but is facing the camera. A man dressed in a blue shirt and blue and orange pants is kneeling behind him and bending over looking at the dog's left rear foot, holding it with both hands.

FLD Bravo has his nails checked too!

Perform the "handler's exam." Check puppy paws and nails. Look in ears and smell them. Lift lips and check teeth. Eyes clear? Body weight lean?

Then puppy counselor Tammy gave the inmate raisers a task they couldn't resist:

HUG YOUR PUPPY!

A yellow lab wearing a blue jacket is facing left and is being hugged by a young man in a blue shirt with an orange stripe across the shoulders. He is smiling like a little boy. The photo has been "posterized."

FLD Zella gets a big hug!

A black lab is being hugged by an African American man wearing a blue shirt with an orange strip across the shoulders. The man has tattooes on his forearm and has corn rows in his hair. He is sitting on the floor with the dog and the dog looks like he is hugging back! In the background is the legs and arms of another man who is sitting on a stool

FLD Sammy seems like he is hugging back!

And after all of that, the puppies are sprung on furlough to attend a Pickford High School basketball game!

Five older puppies sit on the shiny green floor in front of the bleachers in a high school gym, with their handlers sitting on the bleachers behind them.

FLDs Drummond, Bravo, Sammy, Harper and Sadona sit along the sidelines. Sadona is being raised by Greg on the "outside." FLD August is off to the left, not in the picture. Tammy is in the middle smiling at the camera.