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A Dose of Deedee--Monday, October 26, 2015

If you read my Ten Things of Thankful post this past weekend, you know that I'm co-raising a puppy for Guide Dogs for the Blind.   Deedee got off the puppy truck on Friday, spent the weekend at Donna's house, and arrived at my house today.  
I thought it might be fun to document Deedee's days here, and so A Dose of Deedee debuts today.  (For those of you who are most observant, I realized today when I looked at Deedee's paperwork, that her name only has one capital letter in it. I spelled it incorrectly in the last post.)

Today was a day of introductions:

Photo:  Black lab guide dog puppy-in-training Deedee meets yellow lab career-change dog Drexel.
Photo:  Black lab guide dog puppy-in-training Deedee sits on the lap of youngest daughter.
It was also a day of fun:

Photo:  Black lab guide dog puppy-in-training Deedee plays tug with an approved toy.
Photo:  Black lab guide dog puppy-in-training, with tongue hanging out, takes a break from playing outside
Learning has begun.  Deedee's insights for today:
  1. Glass doors are only successfully navigable when they are open.
  2. Kristi says that chew toys, and only chew toys, are for chewing--though I think bright pink shoelaces are very tempting!
  3. "Roughhouse" isn't in Kristi's vocabulary, but whenever I try to teach her, she takes me in the back yard to run around.  
  4. Praise follows "Do your business" (whatever that means!)


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Thanks for sweet Deedee.

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Comments

  1. ChristineOctober 26, 2015 at 7:06 PM

    Oh my word puppies are so stinkin' cute. I loved it when we had some, but I loved it more that they were born (and lived) in a barn. I have no desire to train one. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 26, 2015 at 7:37 PM

      Co-raising is definitely a plus, especially at this young-puppy stage. We each only have half a week to worry about housetraining and other such puppy skills. But yes, certainly cute!

      Delete
  2. Clark FarleyOctober 27, 2015 at 4:51 AM

    so, is the co-raising something new or have you done that before…. ("Now, Dee Dee I don't care how late your other mother lets you stay up…"

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    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 27, 2015 at 8:33 AM

      Co-raising is new to me. When I raised Reno and Drexel, I had a different church responsibility than I do now. When I raised Willow, she arrived as an older puppy, and her good behavior was already known. This is the first puppy I will raise straight from the puppy truck while Relief Society president. I don't think I would be able to give either the dog or the calling adequate attention on Sundays if I had to do both. If might be that Deedee is as easy as Willow at church, but she could also be as needy as Drexel. I just had no way of knowing ahead of time. Co-raising works great for me, and it works for Donna, too, so everyone is happy.

      All the guide dog raisers follow the same rules, and fortunately, Donna and I have a similar schedule, Deedee should get the idea that the same behaviors are expected no matter where you go. (In fact, we sometimes do puppy swapping in our group, just to help the dogs learn that concept!)

      Delete
  3. Tired TeacherOctober 27, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    Deedee has such a sweet face. From her list of "insights," I'd say you are well on your way.

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    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 27, 2015 at 9:15 AM

      I might need to purchase some idifferent chew toys, because so far, nothing is more attractive than my shoelaces. :-)

      Delete
  4. BiancaOctober 27, 2015 at 3:07 PM

    What a sweetie! She will have a wonderful time living with you and learning a lot! Enjoy the time you'll have together. And keep sharing those cutie pics. Love them!
    (just got online today again in our new house. We moved saturday and are still unpacking and moving stuff around. Soon will post a blog about it... )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 27, 2015 at 10:27 PM

      She really is a good dog. I do plan on taking lots of photos--puppies grow so fast, and it is nice to share puppy photos with the person who eventually receives the guide dog. (Some of the recipients do have some vision, and even those that don't can share the photos with family members.)
      Congratulations on your move! Looking forward to hearing all about your new house!

      Delete
  5. Pat BOctober 27, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    That's a serious grip on that toy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 27, 2015 at 10:28 PM

      She's fearless, and has a big bark for such a young puppy.

      Delete
  6. UnknownOctober 28, 2015 at 5:57 PM

    I love the idea of a dose of Deedee! There is nothing better than a puppy! Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiOctober 28, 2015 at 6:06 PM

      I'm glad you like it! It sparks me to write a bit more often. :-)

      Delete

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