Halloween Trick or Treating

Had a blast tonight! I got me a big ole bag of candy, my costume for the night and my 2 guardians and went into town for the Halloween Parade.

Meet Carver, Officer of the Paw!

and some pics of me with some friends...some scary and some not!

I caught this guy break'n the law and had to take him in!!

Here's a shot of the crowd as they went by during the parade.

and here's one of a Flash Mob that performed the dance from "Thriller". It was AWESOME!!

and as it was winding down, I took my jacket off

Then met Minnie Mouse just before we headed home!

Phew, I'm worn out. I've never been so close to sooo many different characters.

Dogs and Eagles

What a weekend! Human relatives of SWMBO and TBG came all the way from the far-away land of Florida to spend some time with the Kansas Connection. I got to have some quality ball-playing time with them!

But that was just the warm-up! On Saturday we piled in the Silver Bullet to drive to Washington, KS to attend the KSDS Graduation! Hosta would have been so proud, as I did an awesome "buckle up" for the 2-hour drive. It was very gracious of KSDS to allow a yellow-caped canine into the graduation ceremony. I am so appreciative of their willingness to allow all of us to join in the celebration.

We are so very proud of our friends Hosta, who graduated as a service dog; and Shelby and Barstow, who graduated as social dogs!

Here's a picture of Hosta's Puppy Raiser and new Forever Companion...

I was paying strict attention during all of the goings-on. You know, that could be me one day...

I did get a little distracted by my friend, Spark!

You would have thought that would be enough for one day, right? But afterward, we stopped at BodyFirst, and lo and behold! There was a newly minted human there, who really wanted to put me to work. First, he tried to see if I was solidly made.

Then he tried me out as his ride.

Then he thought I might have potential to manage the Tennis Club (I do have quite extensive experience with tennis balls).

We both came to the conclusion that maybe I was on the right carer path after all! Speaking of careers, the next day was not a day of rest for the weary! We all headed back in to Manhattan to see another of the family receive an amazing award--Eagle Scout!

I was entranced with that dazzling uniform--maybe CCI will award merit badges one day--so I thought I'd try it on for size.

Alas, TBG and SWMBO were not impressed with my latest career idea, and informed me that I look quite smart and dashing in my own uniform. I hope I'll look even better in blue one day!

I'll tell ya', I need a nap!

Talk About Cuteness!

Here are a few pics from my adventures on Sunday with SWMBO. We went to the long-term care facility, the Dollar Store, and on a hike. It was a beautiful day!

It was like a canopy of leaves!

Do you remember this rock from Ansel's blog?

Check out http://www.anselcci.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-came-i-saw-i-conquered.html

Kids, Comedy....and Cuteness Galore!

The tension has been high here in the household the past few days. A few months ago, SWMBO agreed to give a presentation at the 4-H State Dog Conference. What was she thinking? Kids are not....how can I say this...kids are....hmmmm...well, let's just say that SWMBO is more comfortable interacting with seasoned adults! As the day approached, SWMBO started getting more and more nervous. She finally called in her "secret weapon," LLG, to give some advice. Thank goodness!

We arrived at Rock Springs and met up with my buds Kindy, Debbie, and Digger (with the world's best substitute puppy raiser, ML). After I understood that we were presenting in a 400-seat theater, up on stage, with microphones, and to 125 4-Hers and adults with their dogs in the audience...well, even I started to get a little nervous! However, I think we all did fine and shared some great information about Canine Companions for Independence, showed what it takes to be a puppy raiser, demonstrated our skills, had fun in the process, and hopefully entertained the crowd! SWMBO is not exactly a comedic genius, but she did manage to get the crowd chuckling, at least.

Before the presentation...yea, a little intimidating!

Debbie and Digger waiting for the next demonstration of a command

Debbie has an awesome shake!

I can do an 'up.' I can too!

Hahaha. This is funny. The humans are trying to tempt us with kibble on the floor. We know better!

Did I mention that I love demonstrating a 'lap'? Just look at my tail!

Whew. End of the day. Time to go play and do some ear flapping!

Kansas City Chapter Meeting

We had our monthly meeting last night and it was also the "off to advanced training" gala for Carlton and Feldon.

Also got to talk with Little Kindy, I got this TBG!

Even managed to get in some snuggle time.

As usual though, TBG always figures out a way to humiliate me in front of my buds...Jerk!

Good luck to my buddies Feldon and Carlton as they embark (I kill me) on their new journey. May both of you find your destiny!

Last, I'd like to post a picture of my buddy Feldon with another graduate from the KC Chapter. Santiago has been with Derek now for a couple of years. Santiago is one lucky (and hard working) Service Dog, something we all aspire to be! Aunt Linda & Aunt Debbie are GREAT puppy raisers!

Our trusty Retriever

Body First Tennis and Fitness Center needed a little R&R done to their auto ball thrower, so Doug brought it out to CG. We spent a few hours working and once it was all back together, we used Carver to retrieve the tennis balls (his most favorite playtime activity).

It was dark by the time we finished the repair, so Carver had to use his sniffer to find some of the tennis balls!

The Word of the Day...Career!

Didya see it, huh, didya? Sesame Street aired the first showing of the episode with Brandeis, the Service Dog. Brandeis is looking for a career, and tries folding laundry and sweeping floors. Then he meets Hercules, a real-life service dog from Canine Companions for Independence. That's all it takes, and Brandeis is on his way to to becoming a service dog and meeting his own forever person.

While Brandeis was doing his thing today on Sesame Street, I was also trying out a few career options at K-State. First, I thought I'd see how I'd feel wearing a purple vest instead of a yellow one (or hopefully at a future time--blue!)...but, I just don't think it's my color.

I am definitely NOT a desk dog.

I knew there was a reason I liked to go to work with SWMBO! You know, service dog or not, I think I could definitely be...Carver, WBCB.

That's Carver, World's Best Cuddle Bug!!

The Witches of Oz

Just got this cool picture of me and the Witches from OZ.

Things SWMBO Shouldn't Let Me Do

There are some things that I shouldn't do as a CCI Puppy-in-Training. Eating off the floor, licking, and whining come to mind. So does jumping on the furniture. It's funny how the rules go out the window when SWMBO wants a photo opportunity!

Remember when I was newly minted?

Well, here I am now!

Dogs with Jobs

SWMBO was heading back to Kansas this morning and came across a fellow work'n dog. She sent me this pic of him at work for the T.S.A. Can't wait to hear his story!

No words needed