and so the adventure begins

It's dawn and the dynamic duo start their journey. Check in for updates...as they happen!

First pit stop in Missouri. Looks like he was enjoying the soft, green grass!

Making good time!

The dynamic duo has arrived in Indy and Carver has already made new friends!

A Lap-ra-dor Retriever

Here's Carver enjoying his first cup of Starbucks.

Boy, Carver's really getting around!!

It's the Ice Cube Burglar!

THAT, is a happy dog.

Whaddya mean there's NO ICE??

Here's one for my Met Life friends.

Carver was introduced (the hard way) to a screen door. I would bet, next time he sees one, he won't go THROUGH it!

But, you still love me, right Auntie Lynn??

Oh great! Now Captain Mike is playing the forbidden game...there goes a year's worth of training  ;^)

Deb and I are Speechless

Good thing I can still type cause I sure couldn't talk through this story.

Deb received an email today from one of the breeder caretakers that now lives in California, but used to live in the Kansas City area. Jamie got to experience the Deb and Jeb show up close and personal.
Anywho, Jamie has a new litter of pups and unbeknownst to us, when she submitted names to CCI for the pups, there was a very special name on the list.

The name Jeb is once again in the CCI world of pups!!!

Jeb II is the little male with the red dots and red # 1 collar. http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?sid=8QbNmjNy0bMqY&startIndex=0&fid=7ec045aec49755b2

Here is what Jamie wrote: "Jeb was the only name that I really wanted chosen since the team of Deb and Jeb was one of the two graduate teams that I heard of when I started volunteering with CCI in 2001. Jeb was an idol to many and I am honored that Chris and I get to give Jeb II a start in this world."

WOW, there just aren't the words to express the happy, sad, joyful, teary eyed feelings that are floating around the Sellers' household tonight. We are so happy and honored to see Jeb's name come up. I'd hate to place any undue expectations upon this little guy, but you have some mighty big paws to fill.

From both of us, Thank You Jamie. You have no idea what you've done (all in a good way).

I went walk'n

We went out for a nice walk in town. Stopped by the playground and the River Walk. TBG worked me pretty hard, but it was a fun outing. Got to meet some new folks and some old buds!

Hey, is that Deb? No, I guess not, the car didn't stop.

Lots of big trucks driving by!

Stopped at the grocery on the way home and saw my peeps. I always love going there!!

Paws First

Those of you who know me well know that I am a tennis (ball) fan. This passion was cultivated at an early age, as SWMBO and TBG are never without a seemingly endless supply due to TBG's LB (little brother). TBGsLB owns Body First Wellness Center and Tennis and Fitness Center.

Yesterday was Body First's Block Party, with an afternoon of scheduled events. SWMBO, TBG and I loaded up the blue bomb and went to check out the action. I don't know why it's called Body First, though--I think a more appropriate name is Paws First!

We watched a K-State Aikido demonstration. "Don't mess with me" ought to be their motto! They kind of reminded me of me and Digger and Feldon--there were a lot of bodies hitting the mat and power slams!  We also watched the tennis pros direct a hard-hitting drill.

I was invited to play by one of the pros, but I was assigned the short game.

TBG, you might know how to train pups like me, but do you really think I'm taking tennis tips from YOU?

The tennis pro eventually decided that my skills might be better put to use as a ball boy. That was a ton more fun anyway!

After the tennis drill, I tried my paw at a few other fitness activities.
Here I am on the treadmill. Does my butt look big in this cape?

I thought about doing some ab work, but it looked like not so much fun, so...

I decided do some push ups with the inflatable balls. First I had to find the right size.

Then I let TBG feel useful and let him "train" me.

After that, I tried out the Aikido moves I learned earlier.

Boy, all that work makes a guy tired! Here I am cooling off.

I decided to hang out for a while with SWMBO.

We had a great day at Body First and a big thank you to TBGsLB and TBGsLBsW (TBG's Little Brother's Wife) who are such big supporters of me and CCI. I asked TBG if we could go over to say goodbye to them in person, and you know what he said? That he was too tired and I'd have to go find them myself! You know, it's really bad when you do the workout and your trainer collapses at the end of it! But, this is my life....

New places

We made a trip into town yesterday and I got to see and meet lots of new people.

First we went to City Hall. While TBG was talking to some folks I noticed that dogs that live in town are required to be registered with the City. I thought it would be a good idea (since I spend so much time in town) that I should get that special tag as well! They use the proceeds to take care of lost pups, so I liked that.

After City Hall, we trekked over to the County Courthouse. TBG had another meeting and since I had never been there, I decided to tag along!

TBG needed some documents printed out, so I told him I'll pay this time.

On our way out, I saw this great mural!

We ran over to the Dollar Store next. Got to meet a very nice lady and had a nice chat. I tried to get TBG to buy me a new pair of shades, but he was not interested.

On the way home, we stopped in at the Vet's office to check my weight, 65 lbs of pure puppy awesomeness Baby!!

We Work Hard, But We Play Hard Too...

The plan was for SWMBO and TBG to head out to the lake this morning. Yours truly was to be left behind...I know! Thankfully, the wind was blowing and the waves were white-capping and the "Ski Season That Wasn't"...wasn't again today. SO! That meant Plan B, which made ME the focus of the day. Plan B was much more to my liking anyway, and if those humans had just asked me first thing this morning, I could have saved them a lot of useless effort. Oh well. We know that homo sapiens can be somewhat slow on the uptake.

We visited the long-term care facility instead. I thought it was strange that TBG came along. This is usually my special "me time" with SWMBO. Little did I know what they had in store for me today. I did get to visit with some of the residents.

I was actually showing off my near-to-perfect "visits" today, but alas, SOMEONE was not very johnny-on-the-spot with the camera, so I can't share those special moments with you. Although, several staff members mentioned how much I reminded them of Jeb. I haven't ever received better compliments!

Then, TBG introduced me to the wheelchair. It was....a little...awkward at first, but in no time, I got the hang of it. No big deal.

TBG decided to push me a little more by having me practice my laps and visits. I've got this, I told you!

Here I am "live and in dog."


After all that work, I was happy to sit and watch Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl for a while.

And get some extra good lovin' from one of Jeb and Ansel's most ardent fans! I know this isn't exactly service dog posture, but a guy's got to let his hair down every once in a while, you know!

After all of that hard work, I was glad to see TBG and SWMBO head out to the lake. Not to ski, mind you; as I said, it was too windy for that. Apparently, it wasn't too windy for me to get a little swim practice in at one of the coves. Michael Phelps I'm not, but I sure do have fun!

Here's a video for your enjoyment!
But as I have been saying, SWMBO and TBG can be a bit....unusual, let's say. So they got it into their heads that I needed to "hurry." I don't know why as I had taken care of all that earlier. But, I've learned that it is better not to argue but just squat and get it over with. Saves a lot of time that way. So, I did what any dog would do when playing fetch at the lake. When they told me to "hurry," I certainly wasn't going to besmirch our play area. So, I went knee-deep into the water and took care of business. I mean, fish pee in the water, right?

CCI checklist....mark off "can urinate IN any surface." I bet even Jeb's puppy report didn't say that!

Toilets, Red Dogs, and Money

I know, I know...a rather diverse and seemingly unrelated set of topics for one post. However, please read in awe as I string together an essay that amazingly makes sense of the senseless...

It all started with boredom. SWMBO's that is. You all know how she can be. So we set off this morning on a mini-adventure ("mini" because anything that happens within five miles of CG can't possibly be considered a "grand" adventure).

First stop: the Scenic Flint Hills trailhead, where we walked for a while and saw an owl of gargantuan proportions. Sadly, that photo was a study in blurriness, so there is no objective documentation of "gargantuan." You will just have to take my word on it (get it....my word? Oh, I slay myself).

After all that hiking, it was time for a bathroom break.

(You have got to be kidding. There is no way we are both going to fit in here, SWMBO.)

Next, we stopped in at the antique/junk store in town. I was super-fascinated by this red dog. Did I mention that it was red? I mean, really? Sounds like a soda drink or something.

Finally, we stopped at the convenience store to put some gas in the blue bomb. I was feeling like a lucky dog (after all, at least I wasn't for sale in some junk store), so I bought me a lottery ticket.

 There. Now please let me know that you are duly impressed with how I made this post "add up!"

BIG GROAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!