F Litter Update: Flute Sends Regards

We've been following a litter of pups - affectionately called the "F Litter" - from the time they were born. Flute is now a working guide in Arizona; she sent this update to her mom, retired breeder dog Christine.

Mom!! nobody told me how fun life in Arizona's White Mountains would be!!

My new companion takes me everywhere with her - even on the boat fishing for trout! It has been an adventure every day. We have a vegetable garden, as well as two flower gardens. We love to sit under the grape arbor in the afternoon. The apple tree bloomed this year, and the blossoms smelled wonderful! (That's a picture of me, amid all the apple tree blossoms!)

It has been raining some lately. I love the rain, but the thunder and lightening make me a bit worried about my human partner.

Everywhere I go, I attract people. For many, I am the first Guide Dog they have seen. I try to be a good ambassador for us all. We have visited every first grade classroom in town, and we have even been requested at schools in other towns nearby. I feel like a real celebrity! My partner and her family are VERY proud of me!

It was so good to hear about all my brothers and sisters of the F litter. I am so happy that everyone has found a home and a job!

Take care! I love you all!!

Flute

F Litter Pups: Where Are They Now?

Do you remember the F Litter pups that we followed on this blog from the time they were born way back in the summer of 2008 through their various adventures in puppy raising, graduation and beyond? Well, we thought you might want to know where all those adorable pups wound up, so here's a round-up of the F Litter's accomplishments.

• Faulkner, Flute and Frolic are all working guides
• Franco is a working K9 Buddy
• Finella (renamed Jolie) was gifted to Pacific Assistance Dogs in British Columbia, Canada, and is nearing completion of her training (pictured above)
• Faraja and Fjord are both career change dogs, happily living as pets



Thanks, F Litter pups, for sharing your lives with us! We know you'll continue making a difference in the lives of others, and we hope to keep hearing from you!

F Litter Update: Flute's Life as a Guide Dog

Hello to all my mates of the F litter! My life these past three months has been very full of adventure!

In November, I graduated with my person, Nyla, and moved to a small town in northern Arizona. It sounds really hot, but since we are in the mountains, we actually got snow this morning!! The week after we graduated, we went to a wedding in Phoenix, and Nyla depended on me to help her around through the crowd. It was hard to find room for both of us, but it felt good to be doing what I have been trained to do. Nyla appreciated the help, and since it was her grandson that got married, we even wound up in a couple of the pictures. We also visited the "Pro Bass" shop, but it was kind of scarry, with all the big stuffed animals around. I don't care if it's stuffed or not, Nyla does NOT need to be in the same room as a bear, and neither do I! Then, Nyla's son had kidney surgery, and we got to visit Phoenix again. The hospital staff were very friendly, and found comfortable places for us to hang out during the procedure. We are all grateful that it seems to be working out for him!

In the meantime, I have been guiding Nyla regularly the three miles to her physical therapist, and the mile to the grocery store. I also help her around the Walmart and other stores in the "big city" an hour away. It is fun to be out doing my job.

I have a playmate, Milly, who is a chocolate lab, and lives with Nyla's grandkids. She's only a year old, and when we get together, we can both pretend to be puppies again, even though I am a WORKING dog. She only WISHES she were so important!

Nyla really appreciates all the wonderful people who helped us to get together, and so do I!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! WE LOVE YOU!!

Flute

F Litter Update: Faulkner's Final Adventures with His Puppy Raiser

Guide Dog puppy Faulkner sends his mom one final dispatch from his puppy raising home. By now, Faulkner is at our Oregon campus, starting his training to be a Guide Dog! Good luck Faulkner!

Mama,

My trip to Seattle was SO much fun!!! I got to meet all kinds of new people and even new dogs. My puppy raiser, Kate, and I even got to see my littermate, Faraja! He's looking great and absolutely loves his puppy raiser, Judy. He has a new buddy that Judy is raising named Magoo. We all got to greet each other and Kate shoved my brother and I together for pictures. She says that we look almost the same and that Faraja is just as sweet as I am. I got to go out to dinner with Kate and her friend and her dad at a really nice restraunt which was tons of fun. They all were really nice to me and, while all of the staff smiled at me, none of them tried to distract me from working. I was just happy to be out and about.

Since we've been home, life has not been too much quieter. We've been keeping really busy. Mostly with getting around to people so that they can say goodbye to me.

Nancy (Kate's mom) arranged it so that I could go to her office today for a very special thing. We gave out dog bone shaped cookies, Faulkner autographs, Faulkner love, and pictures with me for donations to a charity Nancy's office is supporting. We made over $20 in the hour and a half that I was there and Nancy's boss joked that I should be named volunteer of the year!

Can you believe that I'm leaving tomorrow to go back to Guide Dog school? In just about 23 hours I'll be getting on the puppy truck to go to Oregon! Kate has talked to the woman on the truck who's traveling with her husband to come pick me up. I'm going to get to meet all kinds of puppies when we get there! I know that Kate is feeling a little sad about me leaving. We've been through a lot together this past year and we have become very special in each other's lives. Kate wants to make sure that you know just how lucky she feels to have had me in her life, even for this short of a time. She says that everyone I meet thinks that I'm something pretty special and she can't wait to mee the incredibly lucky person that I get to spend the rest of my life working with.

There are pictures of Faraja and me as well as some pictures from my going away party at Nancy's office today. I'm sure that Kate will be sending you more pictures tomorrow or the next day as I embark on my puppy truck adventure. I can't wait to see what has everyone so excited for me at the other end of this jouney! I hear that there will be lots of food....

All my love,

Faulkner

Mama Christine's response:

Hi Faulkner,

Thank you for all your news and pictures, I thought I'd add one of my favorite baby pictures of you as well. Please please Kate take a picture of Faulkner in front of the puppy truck. I hope it is the new truck with the picture Cathy took on the side of it. Since the F litter was the inspiration for that picture it would be so cool to have a picture of you and Kate and Franco and his family all together next to the side of the truck.

I know you are going to do well in training. It is great you got to play with Faraja. I know the bond between Faraja and Judy is very special. It was very hard for her to have Faraja career changed—you know how committed she is to Guide Dogs : )

Love,

Mama Christine

F Litter Update: Faulkner, Ready for a New Adventure

Hey Momma!

I'm on trade this week! I'm staying with a girl named Kylie who is a first time raiser in our club. She's really enjoying having me since I'm so close to the end of my training and a welcome break from her 9 month-old puppy, Kayla. I'm just having fun getting to meet even more new people! Kylie has been taking me to high school and it's a very active life.

My puppy raiser Kate and I have been really close since we found out that I'm going back. This last month of my training is shaping up to be a very special time for us. We do a lot of cuddling and loving these days and Kate has been sharing stories with me of the five dogs that she's raised in the past. Did you know that all of them are working guides? All of the talk is making me even more excited to go back to campus! While this is a fun experience for me, Kate told me about just how much this organization means to her. Here's what she had to say:

"These past few months have confirmed how much a person can get out of an experience such as this. The feeling that you get when you are able to help someone else, while helping yourself in the process, is beyond explanation. I don't know that I'll ever truly be able to express what Guide Dogs means to me and what the organization has done for me. GDB came into my life at a time that I most needed it five years ago, even though I didn't know it at the time. Through all of my medical adventures, and times of not knowing what life would bring day to day, I had at least one constant: a dog. Every morning, no matter how terrible I was feeling, there would be a wriggling ball of fur just waiting for me to wake up. Not because they wanted to ask how I was feeling and not because they needed to take me to another doctor's appointment. They simply wanted me. And even in in my days of not knowing where my life was going or when I would be able to really start living it again, I knew that puppy needed me. And not just that puppy, but, in extension, a person needed me. After the first graduation that I attended all those years ago, I couldn't believe that I was actually a part of what the working team had become. Bob and Yamaha were soul mates and you could tell by just looking at them. To think that I was even a small part of that beauty and freedom still makes me swell with pride. I don't know where I would be now if it wasn't for Guide Dogs coming into my life when it did. But I do know this: This organization is magical. And not just for the blind that get partnered with a guide."

I know full well that becoming a guide isn't for every dog. Kate has told me that if I get to school and don't want to do it, I will not have to. She's assured me that no matter how my formal training goes, she is very, very proud of me. The best part is that she has assured me that even if I come back to her house to live as a pet, I have helped at least one person's life be better - hers. Through all the emotion of the last weeks, I'm ready to keep on going until I just can't go anymore. I'm bursting full with all the love that has been given to me in my raiser home and I can't wait to go on to share it.

Love, 

Faulkner

Momma Christine's Response: 

Dear Faulkner,

This is an absolutely lovely note and makes me cry with delight in your shared vision and in the beautiful way you express it in words. I hope other people will be able to resonate with you as well after they read your dear words. Very very sweet.

I am so proud of you, and I hope I will see you at your graduation, if that is in your future. Take care and enjoy these last weeks together.

Love,

Christine

F Litter: Franco Writes Home

Dear Mama,

Did you hear the good news? Flute is going off to Puppy College. I am so excited! That means that fairly soon, the rest of us will go too. I can hardly wait. I have all my commands down very well and am well behaved, most of the time!

Talking about school, my puppy raiser is back in school and running cross country again. He is pretty fast but the races seem to take a very long time. It also gets really hot during the day when he runs - I’m glad I don’t have to run with him! Speaking of the heat, I hope you’re safe down there in California and far away from all the smoke.

It is hard to believe that I have been writing letters home now for a year it seems like just yesterday we were at Fun Day. Time sure does fly when you are having fun. 

With love and licks,

Franco

F Litter Update: Faulkner Writes Home

Hey Momma!!

This past month has seemed to just fly by! My raiser Kate and I haven't been doing a whole lot because she had surgery. We've been going crazy stuck at home together, but I've really gotten good at being a house dog. I've gone to work with Kate's mom a few times, and I've been to SO many doctor's appointments. While Kate was in the hospital, our whole puppy club (including our friends from Elko, Nevada) showed up for class!! I got to be at the hospital once a day for the three days that Kate was there. It was fun to get "ooh-ed" and "ah-ed" over by all the nurses!

Kate is feeling better and I'm trying to help her get back on her feet. She plays outside with me and whenever she goes out, I get to go too. She says that having me around helps to distract people from the neck brace that she's having to wear. I guess that having a dog in tow does offer a great opportunity to change the subject!

Summer is coming to an end and Kate's brother, Alex, has headed to college. He's promised to take me sometime in the next couple of weeks which would be great fun! I'll let you know how my adventures in the college world go once I get a chance to see how it is. I wonder if it will be anything like the "college" that Kate keeps talking about me going to at Guide Dogs....

Faulkner

Letter From an F Litter Pup: Flute Has Big News!

Dear Mom,

Exciting news! My puppy raiser and I just found that I'm going to COLLEGE ... on Friday! The folks at GDB thought I might have to wait a while longer because there were so many other dogs ahead of me, but something must have changed and now they want me! Everyone around here is really excited, so I guess it must be really special.

I got a bath, toenail clipping, ear cleaning and toothbrushing this weekend so I'm all clean and ready to go. I'm getting lots of extra hugs and whispered messages about working hard and becoming a really good Guide Dog. People seem sort of sad underneath their excitement however. I'm not sure what it all means. But I know I'm ready for something new and interesting. I've done so many things this summer, including going to a Seattle Storm basketball game, swimming in Lake Washington, riding on a new streetcar, and best of all, making a new friend. Donovan says that he was the first one to train with my raiser, Kathi, ten years ago. He lived in California for a while with her sister, but has come back to Washington in his senior years to live with her. We've had great fun getting to know each other, though he moves a bit slowly. He is nice to snuggle with and tells me that college is a lot of fun with great people. He made it all the way through training but was career changed for a medical reas

on. Here is a picture of the two of us.

  

Well, that's all from Seattle. I hope to be sending you word in the coming months of my graduation from college, but I know that whatever the future holds, you got me off to a good start. Kathi says that if I don't make it as a guide there might be another job waiting for me somewhere and I can always come home to live with her. But I want to make you all proud.

Love,

Flute

A look back at Flute as a puppy: 

F Litter Update: Faulkner and Franco

Hey Mom! 

I've got all kinds of fun things to tell you in this update! 

First of all, my puppy raiser, Kate, is doing all kinds of house sitting since it's summer and everyone wants to go on vacation. The past ten days, we've been staying at a house that came complete with chickens and a little 1-year old Welsh Terrier named Reuben. He has a lot of energy, but we were able to play outside a lot and he followed me everywhere! When Kate would put me in my crate, Reuben would often go in with me. It was neat to have a little "brother" for the week. 

While we were at Reuben's house, my littermate Franco also came to visit a couple of times. The three of us boys had so much fun getting to play together and run around!! Franco even got to stay the night and all three of  us curled up in a big puppy pile in the crate. Kate told us that we were too cute to exist. The only problem that we had was that Franco and I were a little too interested in Reuben's food, but Kate made is almost impossible to sneak any because she kept such a close eye on us. 

Next up: Kate is pulling a switcheroo! She's going to take Franco with her to her next housesitting gigs, and I'll be going home to stay with Franco's puppy raiser, Mike! Franco with have a great adventure with Kate - he gets to meet nine new cats and four new dogs! I'm hoping you'll be getting a letter from him because he'll certainly have plenty to write home about. Franco made sure that I wouldn't forget to tell you hi and send you some puppy kisses and a tail wag until you get to hear from him again. 

Love,

Faulkner (and Franco)

P.S. The first picture is of the two of us at Reuben's house. Reuben wouldn't sit still long enough to be in the picture though. There's also a picture of me when Kate and I went to the park.

Another F Litter Pup Writes Home

The latest in our ongoing updates about the F Litter puppies that we've been following over the past year. This is Faulkner's most recent letter home to mom; he is the black Lab pictured above.

Hey Mom!

It's officially summer in Boise, Idaho. It has been SO hot here that my puppy raiser, Kate, slips off her shoe to check how hot the pavement is in the parking lots; she wants to make sure that my paws won't get burned! Luckily, the breeze has been blowing and I've been able to be outside a lot. 

With summer in Boise comes a variety of fun new activities. Yesterday, our club went to an event called Alive After 5. It takes place in a big open area with a fountain in the middle where a live band plays and booths are everywhere selling food and drinks and music and all kinds of stuff. We had seven of us puppies in training show up and we had lots of fun! A yellow lab from Elko, Nevada even showed up for the festivities. Kate and Mike and I even walked around downtown for a long time after we left the crowd because it was so nice. Tomorrow, there  will be a showing of the movie "Hotel For Dogs" on an outside screen in the park. It's a free event and I hope some people and pups from our club show up. 

My favorite part of the summer is spending time outside with Honey. She's a yellow lab mix that lives with Kate and her family. She's 9 years old but still will play outside for hours with me. Eventually, she goes to lie down in the shade and Kate makes me leave the "old dog" alone.

 

Well, it's time for me to get a drink and take a nap.

Love,

Faulkner

And the reply from mama Christine:

Hi Faulkner and Kate,

Great to hear from you. Cathy has been working hard designing a wedding album for a couple of hours so it is just a snore for me today! But now that you piped in, you got her thinking about dogs again. 

It is pretty hot during the day here too, so I tend to start and end my days with nice walks. I also have some buddies who get to stay with us when their owners need some help. 

I can’t believe how handsome you are! I am very proud of you. Keep up the good companionship and diplomacy skills as you walk around all those fun summer activities! Somewhere in your future might be a blind person who loves to be out and about and you can lead him/her to a wonderland of enjoyment.

Love from your mama, 

Christine 

Franco Checks In

The latest in our ongoing updates about the F Litter puppies that we've been following over the past year. This is Franco's most recent letter home to mom; he is the yellow Lab pictured above.

Dear Mama,

To start with now I am a year old and getting big. I am well into my second summer and I have just returned from my second trip to Montana. June was a very busy. We had high school graduations, last days of school, triathlons, travel, training, and busy summer days. I really like to play with my friends. My best friend is Lady, she is a little chocolate lab; the big black Lab is Jedi, and he is the boss - he likes to always be in charge! We play and play in our free time. Speaking of... I need to go play in the sunshine with my pals, so I'll check in with you later!

With love and licks,

Franco

The F Litter Turns 1! Letters From the Pups to Mom Christine

Can you believe the F litter pups that we've been following on this blog are now a year old!? Wow, how time flies! The pups' mom, Christine, got some letters home from most of the youngsters, snippets of which we'll share with you below. As for the three pups that haven't written home, Frolic, Fjord and Finella (now Jolie) - mom wants to hear from you! :) Actually, word is that they're all doing great with their puppy raisers as well. We can't wait to see what the future continues to hold for these pups - and we'll be sure to share it with you!

Letter From Faraja

Hi, Mom!

Faraja here! How are you? It's my birthday! Look how I've grown. As you can see, I like to know what's going on. I'm not sure how we'll celebrate my big day, but I know I'll be happy with whatever Judy and my big "sister" Cobalt have planned. I hope it involves a good romp in my favorite playground!

Love,

Faraja

Letter From Flute

Dear Mom,

I have been REALLY busy! Last weekend I visited the college that I will be going to soon - GDB's campus in Oregon! I got to go to a graduation - I was really excited for such a special day. I also went out to lunch this week with some of the children from my class at school. It was a chance to show off for them how well behaved I am. You'd be really proud of me, I didn't even SNIFF the food on the floor, much less eat it! They walked over to my favorite store where they have all kinds of dog food and treats. They were whispering something about "birthday" and "present" but I'm not exactly sure what that meant!

You know, my people like to show off a lot and I have to help them sometimes. They can drop my leash and I just walk along at their side for as long as they want me to, no matter who or what that is interesting is beside me. They tell me "sit" and I just have to wait there until they walk away and call me and they get soooo excited you'd think I'd done something hard!

I've discovered how much fun the lake can be. Do you know about lakes? There is lots and lots of water and I love to jump in it and get my feet and legs wet. I also like to get sprayed with the hose. What I like to do best is sleep. I'm a really good sleeper, and guess what? I must be a big kid now because I don't have to sleep in the crate at night any more!

That's all from Seattle, Mom (that's a picture of me in front of the space needle with my raiser's nieces!). Love,

Flute

Letter From Franco

Dear Mama,

The month of May was a busy month. We attended several track meets and had the chance to be exposed to large crowds with lots of cheering and excitement. My puppy raiser got 1st in the JV boys district mile race!

I've also been busy helping my raiser give tours and educational classes a Lucky Peak Nursery, a unit of the United States Forest Service located near Boise, Idaho. The nursery began its life in 1959 and has produced seedlings for reforestation after natural disasters and stand management since 1961. They have the seed bank for the south and western United States. The nursery produces more than 2 million seedlings each year. My raiser and I show school kids what happens there, and how the nursery is helping the forest.

I am so glad that I have a busy family. I get to normal stuff like going to the grocery store and the library with my family and then we go and do a little bit more. I have been to a lot of places but sometimes it is really nice to come home and relax.

With love and licks,

Franco

Letter From Faulkner

Hey Mom!!

Now that I'm a year old, I have discovered a few things that I really really like. First of all: outside. Outside is the best place on Earth!! I love all the smells. Another of my favorite things: water. The bathtub, ponds, puddles, anything! The hose, though, is the most magical of all. My favorite toy: a purple jolly ball with a rope through it. I can play tug or just run around with it. My final favorite thing: the cold. I can't stand the heat. I really like laying down on the cool air conditioning vents, but I'll settle for cool hardwood floors in a pinch. Kate has even given me a couple ice cubes which combines my love of water with my love of the cold! They are quite the treat!!

Kate seems to be very proud of my work too. I know all of my commands and will do them flawlessly. Except "stand." Kate and I are working really hard on it, but it's a little awkward for me still. I really do love getting to work in public. Whenever I see Kate bring out my vest I get very excited and have started scooping my head into the straps to make sure she doesn't forget me.

Kate has not been feeling really well for the past few months and we've been staying at home more often than we used to. As long as I'm with her, I'm very happy though. We get to spend hours outside in the sun and it's given us a lot of time to really work on my obedience. I try really hard to stay calm while I'm inside and keep out of the way when there are lots of people around. The only thing that I do that upsets people is knock wine glasses off of the coffee table. I never do it on purpose. My tail just gets out of hand. So far, we've only had one spill though and I'm learning that a tap on the rump means "either sit or move" so that nobody's glass gets upset.

Because of Kate being sick, we're going to doctors a lot. They all love me there and nothing phases me anymore. The smell is a little weird, but I've learned to love the people in the big white coats.

Yesterday, on my birthday, Kate took a long time to cuddle with me and love on me. She told me that she loves me and can't believe what a good dog I am. She told me all about her past five dogs and how they are ALL working with a blind person. There is no question in Kate's mind that I will join her past pups in giving a very important person their freedom. She seems very proud of her dogs who are working and for her to be that proud of me will make having to leave her worth it. Whenever Kate talks to me, I give her unwavering, unblinking eye contact and she has often told me that she can see straight to my soul through my eyes.

I hope that you're doing well and will promise to let you know when I'm going back to school to make you, Kate and everyone else proud.

Love,

Faulkner

A New Letter Home from Franco; Mama Christine's Reply

Awhile back, we followed the trail of a litter of puppies -- the F Litter. One of those pups has been quite the letter writer! Here's his latest letter to his mom, (retired) breeder Christine.

Dear Mama,

Did you know that there are people who run? My puppy raiser boy is one of those people and he runs really fast. I have been learning about bleachers because I get to sit in the bleachers and wait until his race. I find stairs are easier to use than trying to go up in the middle of a row. I am also learning to be really patient, because track meets can take a very long time.

I am starting to get used to wearing my head collar. When I wear my head collar in public, someone always asks if it is a muzzle, and my raiser always tells them that no, it is just a head collar not a muzzle and that when I get to Phase #4 at “puppy college” that I will need to know how to use it and not fight it. Even though I think I look like a geek when I wear it.

My puppy raiser and I gave a presentation to the local Rotary Club about Guide Dogs for the Blind. There were about 30 people there and it went really well and we gave them all sorts of literature on the program. Now 30 more people know a little bit more about Guide Dogs for the Blind.

With love and licks,
Franco

# # #

Dear Franco,

Thanks for your wonderful update.

I love to run! Cathy and I run a lot and we see really beautiful things. The only time I did not run with her was through my pregnancies and then when I was spayed and had to mind Christina’s (my GDB vet who also runs) admonitions to be very careful about my abdomen. I bet you love to run and drink water after.

I heard from your sister Flute last week. She is being raised by four people in Seattle. They love her but also think that she is doing really well in training—one of the co raisers is hoping that after she is a guide dog, she will retire at her house. I think that is a good thought and hopefully it will transpire.

Don’t worry about how you look with the head collar. If you don’t “need” it (I was the same way), it is just one of those check off things your raiser has to do.

I have told you this before, but I will say it again. You are very handsome and I am so happy that you send me pictures so I can see how you are maturing. Have you been to your vet to be “fixed” yet? I think that GDB told Cathy that all the boys were being fixed from this litter. I know that hormones can cause a bunch of weird feelings that sometimes you are at a loss to be able to control. So that trip to the vet might be time that is justified (even tho you feel crummy because of the drugs they give you so the operation doesn’t hurt), in your future.

Love,

Mama Christine

A Letter from Franco

Awhile back, we followed the trail of a litter of puppies -- the F Litter. One of those pups has been quite the letter writer! Here's his latest letter to his mom, (retired) breeder Christine.

Dear Mama,

About once a week my raiser takes me on a long drive and we visit her friend. He has been sick for a few months now and he needs to take a stroll. So I have been meeting ducks along our walk. I have also greeted some sheep. They sound funny. Spring is almost here. The male red-winged blackbirds are back and singing as loud as they can so my raiser says that spring is right around the corner. I don't know about that some days it seems a little warmer but then it snow and rains. Though the other day I heard some loud booming - my raiser said it was thunder from a spring sleet storm that we were having. I haven't heard thunder since the day that Hondo and Sara left. She also said that most of the time you don’t hear thunder in the winter around here.


Since spring is just around the corner my raiser has started to get ready for the garden year. It's a lot of fun as I go outside in the back yard and run all over the place while she trims up the back yard bushes and trees. Sometimes I get a little bit wild and that is when my play comes to a halt and my long line gets reeled in. She pets me and if I calm down she will let me go play some more. Otherwise, I have to stay and wait to be released. As you can see, she doesn't have any grass in the backyard yet, but she says that it will come up sometime soon. When we go in I am beat and a good nap is just the ticket.


With love and licks,
Franco

February Franco Update

[This is an update from Franco, a puppy from our 'F' litter currently in his puppy raiser's home.]

Dear Mama,

January was a quiet month. Other than my trade week I spent most of my time at home. It was so relaxing after the busy holiday season.

Our Puppy Raising Community Field Representative, Cathie Laber, stopped by in early January to teach us the new "Go to Bed" exercise. While we dogs love it some of our raisers are better than others at teaching us how to do it. It is really fun for me to do. I love hearing the verbal marker "Nice!" and getting treats. Cathie made it look so easy and yet when my raiser does it we don't get results as fast as Cathie did, which just means more treats for me. For a while there I thought that you were supposed to also take the fingers while you took the treats. So that has been a little bit of a challenge for me to learn to use my soft tongue to get the treats rather than my new SHARP TEETH. It is a challenge to learn new stuff but I am sure that my raiser and I will get it sometime soon.


I went to the movies with my puppy raising club, 4 Paws for Freedom, and saw Hotel for Dogs staring Cosmo & JR as Friday. I didn't bark or whine. I just looked between the seats so I could see what was happening up there on the big screen. It's hard to see it when you are so short, on a down and in the back.

With over 70 dogs in that story that were going to end up in an animal shelter that were not going to get adopted I am so glad that our Guide Dog community is doing such a good job at finding and keeping us in safe and loving homes all of our lives by matching our needs to our potential adoptive home. I have heard that in most cases, career change dogs are adopted by their puppy raisers. That would be wonderful, but I know that others may go on to work in search and rescue, hearing or service dog training, agility, cancer detection, or pet therapy. The dogs released from our program to become pets or companions are placed in adoptive homes through our Dog Placement Program. I also understand that none of the career change dogs may be used as working guides for the visually impaired, nor have they been trained to perform tasks for persons with other special needs. I think that it is so honorable that we are well taken care of all of our lives.

With love and licks,
Franco

Holiday Letter from Franco

Last year we followed the tale (or shall we say tails) of a litter of pups -- The F Litter. What better way to ring in the new year than with an update -- a letter from little Franco to his mom, Christine...

Thursday, January 01, 2009
Dear Mama,

My puppy raiser family and I wish you and yours a very blessed New Year.
I have been having a blast. I love winter! So far it has snowed and rained on my head almost everyday. The wetter I get the better I like it. I am a real water dog. However; I am not sure that I like ice. It makes my feet slide all over the place; sort of like Bambi on ice! I am really funny to watch when I am playing on the ice. Playing with my family is so much fun especially in the snow.

Here are a few of my buddies and me during the holidays. All of the boys and I are paying attention to the camera, but Annora is checking out the goodies and her puppy raiser in the kitchen. She knows where all the real fun is. Well, that's one way to keep from getting holiday flash eyes!

I have been having a very quiet month when you compare them to the last two. It's nice to spend time with family and friends.

With love and licks,
Franco

Update from Franco to mom

Remember our 'F' litter pups? Here's an update from one of them, Franco, to his mom, now-retired breeder Christine.

Hello Mama,

What a month! I've been very busy traveling and meeting people. I have been a handsome ambassador for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

I have been traveling almost all month. I have only been home at my puppy raiser family's house for five whole days this month. The first part of November I flew to southern California and was totally pampered. The last part of November I drove to Montana and went hiking along the Continental Divide. I've seen the Pacific Ocean and the headwaters of Missouri River which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. I met a young infant and visited a spry 101-year-old man. America is a beautiful country even when it snows on you. It doesn't matter whether you are driving or flying, America is a big diverse and beautiful country.

You asked me how my training was going. I have almost all 12 of my commands down pat. I can go from a down to a sit and I am also working on a stand from a sit. Those are tricky, but I am sure that I am going to get them soon. My stay is not that solid yet but you wait and I will get that too. While I was in California we weren't able to make it back to the house we were staying at because of the fires there so I slept on my tie down. It was the first time that I slept all night out of my crate. I did really well.

With love and licks,
Franco

Movin' On!

by Cathy Gregory

To all of you who have been following the F litter (see No Bones About It! July 2008), are you ready for an update? Christine has now retired from her career as a breeder mom! Since her F litter babies have departed, she's getting her svelte shape back, but she still has her "milk bar" -- 10 distinctive faucets -- along her belly!

The day that she was to be dropped off at the vet clinic for her spay surgery was also the day of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new puppy truck. She and I had a chance to go inside the truck and say goodbye to the pups about to embark on their maiden voyage.

As the photographer of the photos that adorn the truck's sides, I had enjoyed coming up with an appropriate design. I remembered how cute Christine's puppies were as they peered out over a board that I had placed in our doorway. The pups would clamor to peek over it at every opportunity, their curiosity getting the best of them whenever mom was approaching or when kibble was being poured into their bowls. By the time they were 6 weeks old, they would all line up, and that made any humans in the area rush to grab their cameras.

We tried to re-create the experience in the photos for the sides of the puppy truck. The white, UPS-sized truck now vibrates with the images of puppies that are larger than life! Every whisker and eyelash is defined and the color and texture of their collars is so real. They inspire wonder and are an irresistible invitation to learn more about Guide Dogs for the Blind.

In retirement, Christine plans to spread a little hope by connecting with vets at the VA hospital a couple of miles from where we live. She's a real trooper!

Here's a photo of Christine with a small human friend beside her:

Faraja Update

by Judy Toole

Remember reading about Faraja – one of the fabulously famous F litter pups? I have the joy of raising him, and I can tell you, he is a wonderfully delightful puppy. He's my 10th, and so far, it's hard to tell if he's going to be a relatively "easy" one because of the home raising. He was described in the blog as the one that liked to sit back and observe but is also quite capable of entering into whatever activity is going on. So far, he's quite self-confident. He's been very easy to leash train and house break.

Of course, I was interested in his unusual name, so I checked on-line through Google and found that it is a lovely Swahili word that means "comfort." Well, he not only likes to give comfort, but he also likes to be comfortable, and his favorite resting position is snuggled next to my Career Change Lab, Cobalt. Faraja absolutely adores her and even accepts "motherly corrections" from her. They play supervised tug games every day with each other and me. I can see Faraja watching Cobalt and copying some of her behaviors. As I teach Faraja to "sit," "down," and "wait" for food, I can see him watch Cobalt obey the same commands and copy her.

Faraja sees my Ragdoll cat comfortably ensconced on my sofa, chairs and bed, and can't understand why he can't cuddle with the cat the way he does with Cobalt--or at least enjoy the same furniture privileges. I've never had a puppy of this age even try, let alone succeed, in getting up on my very high four-poster-bed. (Even I need a footstool.) I've caught him twice on my bed but never actually in the act of getting onto the bed -- I'm not sure how he does that. I did have the camera close by the first time and captured the moment before I removed him from the bed. Now I'm watching for the behavior so I can correct it immediately.

Now that he's had his 12-week shots, we're getting out a bit more and Faraja is having to learn that he can't interact with other dogs without my permission. He's also learning the same lesson with humans (adults and children). He's not happy to be given these restrictions, but we've bonded nicely and he's also very eager to please me.

He had a play date with Clifford, a 5-month-old Guide Dog pup being raised by a neighbor. They played very nicely together under my supervision and then were able to just "hang out" in the same room for a few minutes. A few days later at our club meeting, both dogs appropriately demonstrated their "working" behavior.

As Faraja develops, it will be interesting to trace his progress. Stay tuned. Check out an album of Faraja's photos, too! Wonder what his siblings are up to???

F Puppies Meet Their Raisers

At Fun Day in Oregon this past weekend, the F puppies were introduced to their raisers for the first time. They'll be raised by families living in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Cathy Gregory, the custodian for breeder mom Christine and her litter of puppies, was on hand to participate. Check it out!