Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Carver's First Report

Well, since I'm stuck here in the store, Deb got the call from CCI today regarding Carver's first report. Here's what Suzanne said.

                          Warning....Graphic content!


She said Carver has diarrhea and he apparently likes to lay in it (sorry to start off the report like that!) so he is getting a lot of baths. She said it was a management problem on their end (pun intended--HA!), and they have no concerns about this medical hitch at all. There's the bad.

The good is that he is eating and drinking fine, seems content in the kennel, and they have no incident reports on him. They did his temperament test and it went very well; he is easy to manage, looked to his handler, and had no reaction to the lion or the little dog they brought in (thank goodness for that training with the Dalmatian for the store!). He plays nicely in the exercise yard. They also did his medical exam and have no concerns for eyes, hips, or elbows. She said they basically have 'no concerns.' They start the obstacle course and field trips next week.

YES...Deb asked about his whining and she said they have not noticed any!!!!! However, she said they haven't taken the pups out of the kennels to do long-stays, so I think maybe this will change...:-)


It'll be a long wait till next month's report!


Monday, February 25, 2013

Help Us!

Digger's guarding the door and I'm typing as fast as I can--Suzanne stepped away from her desk and we're supposed to be practicing our down stays. But this is too important, so we're taking the risk to ask you to help us!

Please help our old friends in the Kansas City Chapter raise $1000 for Canine Companions For Independence. If you are on Facebook or know people who are on Facebook, please spread the word!
Canine Companions For Independence is the third charity listed. You will then be able to "like" (or vote for) Canine Companions.

Vote by February 27!

I'm coming, Digger, I'm coming...gotta run. Love you guys!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

February 15, 2013 Turn-In Day

So, here we are. Back from Ohio, empty house and it's snowing. I hope I can get through this without flooding the keyboard.

The drive to Ohio was lonnnnnnnnnnnnng. We drove the big red truck...4WD, diesel powered monster with only a std cab and bench seat. Try fitting 2 humans and a full size dog along with all the dog gear and suitcases. Yeah...it was TIGHT! Carver did an outstanding job riding in such close quarters, with no complaining at all.

We arrived in Ohio on Thursday and got to spend a great afternoon with Joe, Denise and Ansel at their home. Carver and Ansel had a ton of fun playing. After a few hours, they were both worn out!





Well, ONE dog looked worn out and One dog looked ready for more playtime. Can you spot the puppy?


We brought Ansel a new Wubba. I think he was quite happy!


We want to thank Joe & Denise for inviting us into their home for so many hours. It truly is a gift to see Ansel in action and enjoying his new life. It's what really makes the work and loss worth it.


So, the big day arrives. Friday was Graduation and Turn-in all wrapped into one big party.

Here we are in the motel just before heading out.


We arrive at the Rec Center and get lots of picture opportunities.


Hey, a blue cape! Maybe he'll get the smaller version in a few months!



Yeah, he's special.


A couple shots with his turn-in brother Digger.


Take the pic already!!!


Mark, Deb, Carver, Ansel and Joe



Goofy faces by all!   Doesn't Ansel look good in a blue cape?



After the ceremony, we met up with Callahan and his PR. Carver had not seen his brother since they were about 7 weeks old!



We left the Rec Center and headed back to the North Central Training Facility. This is where Carver will spend his next 6-9 months (unless released) learning all kinda of cool, advanced commands. We refer to this time as "Bootcamp".
We rubbed and loved on the little guy until everyone had a chance to say goodbye. We walked Carver over to the kennels, removed his gear and put him inside. He was quite happy to see his brother already in the kennel and from what we heard from others, was having a good time with Cal!


So another puppy has come and gone. It was a joy to have Carver for 16 months and we hope he meets the challenges ahead of him. Regardless of the outcome, someone will surely have a wonderful dog!













Playtime with Belle

Carver got to have some playtime with an old friend. Belle, CP and Cindy came to Council Grove and spent the day with us. We had a great time and Carver & Belle played for hours. The last time Belle was here, Carver was just a wee little pup.
                                                   My teeth are cleaner...No, mine are!


Break time!



Let's try a different toy.


Yippeee, cake time! Whaddaya mean it's not for me to eat??





Radio Time

Deb had a radio interview to do for K-State and Carver wanted to tag along. From what I was told, Carver took over the interview stating "This is easy"



I sure hope North Central appreciates his "humor"!

So much to post, so little time....

Catching up on posts that Carver neglected to add before he departed for Ohio.

Here are a few pics from the Super Bowl Party at Les' Big Bash!

                                         Carver was showing how to properly do an under!



Carver really enjoyed the massage during the game!



Monday, February 11, 2013

Time is short

Yep, my time in Kansas is nearing an end, but at least I got to help TBG at his new store!

May I help you sir/madam?


He really got annoyed at me today when I kept ring'n the bell.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Wow! What a Weekend

I've been working pretty hard helping TBG get his new store ready, so Mr. Fussy Pants decided I had earned a fun weekend off.

I was told that Saturday we were going somewhere I have never been. Turns out we ended up at the Bowling Alley in the KSU Student Union! TBG explained how the game was played and gave me a demo. Once I got the right size shoes, it was Game On!


Here's TBG showing me "how it's done"




Really?? The object of the game is to toss the bowl in the gutter? EVERY TIME???
Somehow I didn't think he was showing me the right way to play this game. Thankfully, Deb gave me some pointers!



Here we go!


Can you believe this, they don't even have to retrieve their OWN ball! I think I've been misled all this time!!!



Then it was TGG's turn again.


So, at the end of the game, 4 Paws beats a pair (of hands)!!
T=TGG and C=Carver


Let's just say I opened up a can of Dog Whoop on TGG!
Hmmm, you wonder who is TGG??? Well, since he spent a lot of his game in the gutter...I changed his name to "The Gutter Guy"

Bwaaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha 


I also got to watch a lot of college kids who were bowling.


On the way out I thought this would make a nice pic. Here's me and Willie the Wildcat!


No pics, but we also stopped in at Petco, Smashburger, K-Mart, Deb's office at KSU and Menard's. Let me tell you, I was dog tired by the end of the day.

Sunday, we spent some time at TGG's store, then went to Les's fabulous Super Bowl Party. MY half-time show was waaaaaaay better than what was on TV! I got to show off my mad skilzs and got some good rubb'n/scratching in too.