New Girl in Town

by Gamay III

Hi. My name is Gamay III. I am a black lab girl puppy. I was supposed to be a boy. When my Puppy Raiser (PR), Mary Lee Bensman, asked CCI for a puppy, she agreed to take any size, shape and color. They said they were going to send a boy named Gamay III. They said my name might change at the last minute. Surprise! My name stayed the same, but I'm a girl!

I am going to live in Buena Vista for about 14-18 months with my PR or foster Mom. She is not my real Mom. She doesn't have much fur and walks on her hind legs. I think that is so funny. Sometimes I try to stand on my hind legs, but then I need to hold on to something like a couch, a chair, somebody's leg. I guess I'm not supposed to do that.

I am from California and after Mom teaches me how to behave, I will go back to California. I guess it will take her 14-18 months to teach me how to behave! I hope to grow up either to have some families or to help someone in a wheelchair.
I was born April 23, so I'm pretty little. I don't know why they named me Gamay, but I guess they named two other CCI puppies Gamay before me. Gamay is some kind of a grape. I think I'm named after a grape.

I flew from California to Denver on an airplane. The airplane stopped somewhere called Houston where another animal and I were put on a new plane. They called the other animal a puppy, but it didn't look much like one–more like a rat. They called it a Chee ha ha, I think. Anyway, the little girl in Denver was really happy to get whatever it was.

As soon as Mom and my foster-cousin Joey picked me up at the airport, she let me out of my crate. I was so hungry, I started to eat dirt. So she gave me some dog food instead, which I gobbled up. I still really like dirt, though. And sticks and rocks. And shoes and smelly socks. And just about anything else I can get my mouth on.

I belong to CCI. They train dogs like me to help people in wheelchairs and stuff like that. To pick up things. (Boy! Am I ever good at picking up things!) But first, the puppies need to be taught manners, and so people all over the United States raise puppies like me and then give us back after a year or so for advanced training. A lot of people ask Mom how she can give me up. I am, after all, totally cute and loveable. She said she's going to write a column about that. I'm her second CCI puppy.

I came with a training manual and a DVD. I have lots of rules, ‘cause I'm special. I even get to wear a special cape! Mom says I'm supposed to learn 30 commands while I'm here. I'm already learning, "No!" And I think I know what "Good girl" means.

I sleep in a crate in Mom's room at night. She has to take me outside whenever I whine. During the day I get to eat, play, potty and sleep. If Mom's not home, I stay in a crate. They say I'll like it someday. Already I like it better than I did when I was on the airplane.

I want to tell you all about my rules and things I'm learning while I'm here. Part of Mom's job is to "socialize" me, so you'll probably get to help me learn manners. I have to be calm around people if I'm going to help someone in a wheelchair someday.

I'm in outer space now, with my own web page. For more information on Canine Companions for Independence, go to www.cci.org

Frequently Asked Questions about assistance dogs
(and some questions I just made up)

by Gamay III

Q: Can I pet you?
A: Yes, yes, yes! In fact, petting me can help me learn to behave.

BUT:
1. Ask first (Most people already do this.)
2. I need to sit. (Just say "sit" once–or let Mom do it– and then I'm supposed to sit.)
3. I need to have "four on the floor" and not paw at you. (This really takes the fun out of it for me!)
4. No biting (I mean, me. I'm not supposed to "mouth" you although I love checking things out with my mouth.
5. No licking (Kid's hands are the most tasty!)
6. I don't need to sniff your hand fist. That just tempts me to lick and mouth it.
7. When you reach for my ears, if I break any of these rules, pull your hand back until I settle down and then try again. I usually make you do this three or four times before I just sit like a calm CCI puppy.

Puppy raiser goal from my training manual: "A CCI puppy remains calm and relaxed when introduced to strangers, either adults or children." Also, "A CCI puppy remains calm and confident in all public situations, including those with distractions."

Q: Why are you wearing a muzzle?
A: The thing on my face is called a Gentle Leader. It's not a muzzle. I can open my mouth all the way and eat and drink and pick up rocks and sticks and lick people. It makes me easier to handle for someone who isn't very strong. I don't really like it yet and sometimes try to rub it off, but I'll get used to it, I guess. In time. In lots of time. Eons of time.

Puppy raiser goal from my training manual: "A CCI puppy walks by your side on a loose leash, following your stride."

Q: How did you learn to write?
A: Mom and I have ESP, so I just think things and she types them for me.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I want to be a stuff-picker-upper. I really like picking up stuff. But if it turns out that I am a really good-tempered dog with good manners and brains, CCI may want me to have some families. But if I don't have puppies, then I might be a hearing dog or a service dog. Service dogs are the stuff-picker-uppers. We fetch things for people who can't get things for themselves, like if they drop something or want something out of the refrigerator or stuff like that. I hope I can be a stuff-picker-upper. I'm so naturally talented at that, even at my young age.

Q: Do you get to eat table scraps?
A: No. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to eat people food. Except peanut butter, carrots, and if I'm sick, rice and chicken broth. But I'm supposed to pretend that I don't know those things are people food. That's a secret. I'm not supposed to eat food off the floor. Mom wishes I could, because she would like me to clean up things she drops. But when I start going into restaurants, it wouldn't look very good for me to lick the floor and scrounge for food and beg–stuff like that. This rule is going to be a hard one because floors can be really yummy.

Puppy raiser goal from my training manual: "A CCI puppy does not eat food off the floor and does not beg for food."

Q: You have so many rules. Do you ever get to have fun?
A: Yes, yes, yes! When I'm wearing my yellow cape and gentle leader, I'm a working dog and have to learn to behave! But at home, I don't have to. . . uh . . . what? . . . oh--Mom says I still have to behave at home. But I can run and chase toys and dig (well, okay, I'm not supposed to dig) and play in my water pool.
I'm not supposed to play tug-o'-war (I love tug-o'-war) because it makes me aggressive. I can't growl and stuff like that. (In the photo above, I have swiped Mom's sock. I'm not supposed to do that either, but I snuck up on her socks when she wasn't watching!)
I have special "CCI-approved toys and chew toys–things that won't hurt me.

Puppy raiser goal from my training manual: "A CCI puppy is not aggressive toward other animals or people." Also, "A CCI puppy does not "protect' toys, food, home or handler."

For more information on CCI go to cci.org.

Some of My Commands

by Gamay III

I have to learn 30 commands before my "Turn In" date, November, 2009. Here are the first ones I am working on:

MY NAME:
Yes, one of the first things I have to "learn" is my name. How hard could that be? I learned my name the day Mom picked me up at the airport: "Honey Pie". (I have nicknames too: "Gamay," "turkey," "super dog".) Anyway, I guess when someone calls my name (or nickname) I'm supposed to stop what I'm doing and look at them. I think that command should be called, "Stop what you are doing and look at me." But CCI calls it learning my name. Nobody asked me.

LET'S GO
When Mom says "Let's Go," I am to walk beside her on a loose leash. I'm not supposed to pull on it or sniff. When she stops, I'm supposed to stop. I say "supposed to" because that's not really what I do. I like to mix it up for her. Sometimes when she says "Let's Go," I just sit there and don't move. That really annoys her. She thinks I should like walking on a leash. But really, I'd rather race at break neck speed around the back yard and dig and eat yard goodies. Sometimes when she says, "Let's Go" I really, really go! I would make a good Husky. I love to pull. I could pull a dog sled. Well, maybe one day I'll be able to pull a wheelchair, but not just yet. And that is probably a different command like, "Pull."

SIT
"Sit" means my rear goes to the ground. I'm good at this one. I sit even when Mom says, "Let's go!" Sometimes when she says, "Here!" I sit. Lots of times I get treats when I sit, so I like to sit no matter what she says, just to make sure I don't miss out on a treat!

WAIT
Mom says "wait" when we are going through doors and gates. When she says, "wait" I stop and she goes through first and then tells me to "release." Then I go through the door or gate and she sometimes tells me "wait" again until she closes it. I'm actually pretty good at this one already.

DON'T/NO
Do these words really need explanation? These are supposed to stop me from doing something humans think is inappropriate like jumping up on them, barking, whining, mouthing, and other dog stuff like that. Sometimes I hear "don't" but it's too late. I'm pretty fast at jumping up on things and putting things in my mouth. Faster than the speed of light.

HURRY:
This one is sort of personal. This one tells me to potty. It's pretty important for a CCI pup like me to go potty on command. I need to go potty before I go into stores and stuff like that. So I'm supposed to go on any surface. I would rather go on grass, but sometimes Mom holds the leash short so that I have to go on pavement or cement. I don't like it, but I have to do it in order to graduate. How would you like to have to go potty on command?

HERE:
"Here" tells me to come in front of Mom and stay there until she tells me to do something else. Whatever.

This is me doing "here." Mom gives me a treat if I come. I like treats. I will work for treats.

Things I'm Teaching Mom

by Gamay III

Last time I told you about some of the commands Mom is teaching me. This week I want to tell you about some of the things I'm teaching Mom.

1. If I start sniffin' in the house, you'd better let me out quick!
This was one of the most important things Mom needed to learn and I tried to teach her right away. Well, actually, Mom's first CCI puppy that she raised, Doc IV, taught her this one. But I refreshed her memory in a hurry. It is no "accident" that I said "hurry" because if Mom doesn't "hurry" to let me out when I start sniffin', "accident" is what happens!

2. If you want me to play fetch, you'd better have a fistful of treats ready.
I'm not that into "fetch." I'd rather play "keep away," with me keeping the ball away from Mom! She doesn't like playing that game, but I sure do. Really, the only way she can get me to play "fetch" the way most human's prefer, is to have a treat ready for me. Then I'll go get whatever she threw, take it back to her and drop it into her hand for the treat. Boy I love treats. I'll do just about any boring human thing to get a treat.

3. After giving me a bath, you'd better get out of the way before I shake off.
I love baths. I love water. I am, after all, a water dog. I get right in the bathtub and let Mom hose me down and even soap me up. Of course, there are usually treats involved during this whole process, but I sure like water. Mom likes water too, but she doesn't really like getting a shower from me after my bath. She calls it "wet dog smell." What does she expect from a wet dog?

4. I'm not completely reliable with that toileting issue just yet.
Even though I'm six months old now, I'm not completely sure just where and when I'm suppose to do my thing. I'm supposed to potty on any surface, but I don't think that includes carpet or hardwood floors or any place inside, actually. Plus, I'm having, well, er, a girly issue that makes me need to potty a lot. So Mom can't completely trust me just yet.

5. You will never get me to stop eating yard goodies.
Don't you get it? I love dirt. Dirt is like dessert. Rocks are like hard candy. Bark is, well, nobody but another dog would really understand just how good bark tastes. So give it up.

6. I'm smarter than a baby gate.
Mom put up baby gates to keep me in the living room where she can keep an eye on me. Since the day Mom brought me home from the airport, I have been trying to jump on the couch. At first, I couldn't even see the top of the couch. Now I look down on the top of the couch! The other day, I showed Mom how I can jump on the couch and fly by those baby gates that have been keeping me out of "forbidden" territory. Two bounces and I fly like the wind!

I spent my first week at school

in the principal's office

by Gamay III

No lie! I really did. When Mom went on a vacation, I stayed with a puppy sitter who lives in Leadville. Susan has raised two CCI puppies, one of which she kept when it got released from the program. Dottie is a black lab like me only bigger and smarter.
Susan teaches school and Dottie goes with her. Kids read to Dottie.. I think that is pretty neat and so do the kids. So while I was with Susan and Dottie, I went to school, too. But I had to stay in the principal's office in my crate. I was only four months old. But it was fun anyway and I got lots of attention.

Now I have to go to my own school. Doggie school. I like doggie school because there are, well, lots of doggies there. We all understand one another. We love to sniff each other and play with our mouths and tussle and growl and bark.

Which brings me to the part of doggie school that I don't like. I'm learning things like "quiet" and how to sit still for a long time. And how to lay down and not move. And how to ignore another dog when we pass by each other.

Which brings me to the part of doggie school that I like: treats. I get lots of treats at doggie school, when I do what Mom wants me to do.

Which brings me to another part of doggie school that I don't like. I think the humans have set this up ahead of time. They let us doggies play with each other and then tell us to stop. Why do they do that? Just when we get to playing really hard and fun, they tell us to stop. It takes a really special treat to get me to stop playing with another doggie.

CCI has it's own classes for their puppies, but they are in Denver and Colorado Springs. Since they are mostly during the week, we go to regular doggie school. But one time, there was a CCI class on a Saturday in Denver and so Mom and I went. Since I was just about six weeks old, we went to both the puppy class (birth to six months) and the basic class (six to 11 months).

The puppy class was all black lab puppies just like me! We all had on our yellow capes and blue Gentle Leaders. We looked sharp! We practiced things like "Let's Go" and "Here" and stuff like that. Then we got to play in this little area with another puppy and with toys and fun stuff. But every now and then we had to stop and "Here." That's really hard.

In the basic class, there were four of us. I was the youngest. But I tried to keep up with the others. This class was a little harder, because I had to sit still longer and lay down without getting up. Plus we worked on some things I hadn't learned yet because I wasn't old enough. For some of the exercises, our humans sat in a chair and gave us commands, just like we will do when we graduate and team up with someone in a wheelchair.

Mom especially likes going to CCI puppy classes because she can get help from CCI trainers who know how to help me become a stuff picker upper for a person with a disability. And that's what I'd really like to grow up to be.

This is a friend who read to me when I stayed with Dottie.

Some of My Commands Now That I'm Older

by Gamay III

On the left, I am doing Under when I was little, all on my own. On the right I am doing Under because Mom told me to Under. Sometimes I let her think she is teaching me something new!

When I turned six months old, I got to start learning more commands. Here is what Mom thinks she is teaching me now:

ROLL:
I roll on my back and get my belly scratched. We've sort of been working on this one all along, since mom has been "cradling" me since I came. Cradling means I lie on my back between Mom's legs so that she can be top dog and rub my belly. When I was little she could just flip me over. Now that I weigh 50 pounds, she needs me to Roll!

SHAKE:
I think you know what this one means. Mom's not exactly teaching me this one yet because she thinks I should still have "four on the floor" when greeting people. (I get pretty excited to meet people and I'm supposed to be calm.) I want to shake with my whole body when I meet somebody. (I might note that when Mom wants me to shake off after a bath, she came up with "dry off" so that I don't really do a body shake when all someone wants is my paw.

STAND:
(Really, couldn't they come up with more exciting commands?) Okay, this one tells me to, well, stand.

CAR:
This command tells me to jump into the car. Since there is a kennel in the car, it is sort of like the command "kennel." I needed help getting into the car at first. Now all I need is a treat!

UNDER:
When Mom tells me under, I'm supposed to crawl under a small space or table and lie down. Oh, and I'm supposed to stay there until she tells me "release." Fat chance. I like doing things on my terms.

HEEL:
This one is different from what it means for other dogs to "heel." When Mom says heel, I sit or stand on Mom's left side.

SIDE:
This one, I stand or sit on Mom's right side. Sometimes we do Side and Heel with Mom sitting down. She says it mimics someone in a wheelchair. I think she is lazy!

BED:
This command tells me to lie down on something like a blanket or my big pillow. Mom tells me this one a lot when I'm being particularly annoying.

JUMP:
I'm gonna love this one. It tells me to jump up on something. I say "gonna" because Mom thinks I already jump up on too much stuff, at least with my two front paws (and sometimes with my whole body.) But Jump lets me get up on a grooming table or bed or something like that.

OFF:
Okay, so why do they always have to mess with a good thing?

SPEAK:
I am starting to love to speak. One trainer called me "vocal" so Mom's not teaching me to speak, because I already know how. At least that's my take on it.

QUIET:
Oh, good grief.

It Takes a Village

by Gamay III

A paw-shake seals the deal.
I opened a checking account at Collegiate Peaks Bank Jan.20, 2009.

It is a "Puppy Raising Fund" to help Mom pay for me.

My buddy Charlie said he'd help me out.

Note by Mary Lee Bensman: When I applied to Canine Companions for Independence to raise a puppy in April 2008, I was making enough money to pay for Gamay's expenses. Due to cutbacks at my job, however, I lost a major amount of income. As a result, I am no longer able to pay for what Gamay needs and CCI requires. I asked the community for help so that I don't have to turn her over to another puppy raiser.

Raising a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a volunteer adventure. Mom says this means that the puppy raiser pays for everything–vet bills, food, toys, crates, equipment, training, transportation. Before getting a pup, you have to agree to pay for all these things. You buy the food CCI tells you to (the expensive stuff because I'm special). You take the pup to the vet when they say. You agree to go to training classes and lots of other stuff.

Did you know that raising a CCI puppy costs a puppy raiser $2000-3000? I don't know what dollars are, but if they are anything like treats, that's a lot of them! Mom says she has spent $1200 on me just in the first six months.

Mom had a big pay cut at her job and so she and I opened a Puppy Raising account just for me and the rest of my expenses before I go to California Aug. 22, 2009 for Advanced Training.

Until then, Mom expects to have to pay for these things:

Food, including training treats: $500. I eat a bag of food just about every month. Guess what that means? Mom gets to clean up a lot of you-know-what! She says it's not worth $500 at that point.

Training classes: $500, mostly for traveling, but also for class fees. I already wrote about my puppy classes once. Mom and I go to Denver sometimes for CCI-specific training classes. These are where all of us pups wear our capes and do our special commands. Mom likes these because they help her know if she and I are doing all the right things. I like them because there are puppies there and I get lots of treats! We go to classes here in Buena Vista when we can and have gone to some in Salida. Mom says that local obedience classes teach me to be a well-mannered and obedient pet. The CCI classes in Denver teach me to be a service dog. So we want to go to as many of those as we can.

Vet/medical: $200, maybe. Did you know I had zits when I was little? Yep. And Mom had to buy zit medicine. She has given me pills twice a day since I was little because I have puppy vaginitis. I had to have lots of shots when I was little. I think I only have to have a few more when I turn one year old. If I'm not cute enough (with the perfect personality) to have puppies of my own, I may have to be spayed. I'm not sure what that means, but I guess it takes money.

Turn in: $500 maybe. I will be turned in at Oceanside, California. That's where puppy college is. Mom's going to take me back.

Kenneling: $150. Mom says that I'm supposed to go into "heat" sometime. I don't like the sound of that, but when it happens, Mom has to put me in a kennel for three weeks. CCI pays for this, but if Mom wants me to be walked and played with everyday, she has to pay extra for that.

If you can help me out, donations can be mailed to Collegiate Peaks Bank, P.O. Box3009, Buena Vista CO 81211. Make checks out to Mary Lee Bensman, with a note that it is for the Puppy Raising Fund for Gamay III. It is my own separate account and will be used just for me. Thanks!

The Last of My Puppy Raising Commands
by Gamay III

Note from MLB: I recently received notice that Gamay's turn-in date has been moved from November to Aug. 22. Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), Southwest Region, expects to receive 150 puppies in 2009 for Advanced Training. They need to spread out the turn-ins to make sure there are enough trainers, and to meet the needs of the breeding program. Aug. 22 will be here in no time! And Gamay and I still have a few things to "refine!"

For all my life I thought this command was called "off"

because that's what Mom always said when I did it.

Now I find out it is called "UP". I with she would make up her mind.

When I first started writing columns, I told you I had to learn 30 commands before I go back to California. Now that I am 10 months old (or was on Feb. 23), I am starting on my last six CCI commands, plus one of Mom's personal ones!

SNIFF FROM A DISTANCE:

Mom made this one up because I press my nose against everything! I love sniffin' and can't get enough of it. So Mom uses this command when I start sniffin' things like her dinner, a book, legs. You probably already know that my nose is cold and wet, plus I can't seem to sniff without licking. So when Mom says, "Sniff from a distance," I like to lash out my tongue for one last lick!

UP:

I have been doing Up since I came here. It means putting my two front paws up on something like a couch, someone's legs, a table. I've always known how to Up, but never knew what it was called! I need to Up on furniture, tables, walls so that I can get things for people in wheelchairs, turn lights on and off, stuff like that. I guess what I need to learn is to Up only when Mom tells me to. She takes the fun out of everything!

OUT:

Normally, I'm supposed to Wait at a doorway (that was one of the first commands I learned.). Now when Mom says "Out" I go through the door and turn and face her. I wait there until she tells me to Let's Go. Well, really I wait there until she gives me a treat and then says Let's Go.

BACK:

This one tells me to back up in front of Mom when she is facing me. When I get good, I'll be able to back up from beside her when we are both facing the same way.

LAP:

Oh boy do I like this one! It is about time they let me get up on somebody's lap! Well, not all of my, just my front half. I (calmly) get my front paws and legs on Mom's lap and stay there until she tells me Off or quits giving me treats. When I get good at this one, I'll only do it when someone tells me to!

TURN:

This is like an about-face. How hard can that be?

VISIT:

Again, they finally are letting me learn something fun! Visit means I put my head on someone's lap. This one is nice because then I get petted.

When I go to Advanced Training on Aug. 22, I will start learning even more things. Mom says the trainers will build on my basic commands to teach me service dog skills. I'm not supposed to learn words like "Get it" or "Tug" or "Give" because these are advanced commands. So that's why Mom says "Fetch" and "Don't" and "Drop." We learned that "Shake" isn't just for socializing, it is the action I will use to turn off a light switch. Who knew?

Party animal!

by Gamay III

This is me in my party hat.

This is Kelda and me pouncing on birthday girl.

This is Zabrina taking the first bite of her cake.

During Spring Break, I stayed with a CCI puppy sitter named Kelly in Colorado Springs while Mom went off somewhere to play. I had a super fun week and want to tell you all about it.
The house I stayed at had 2 dogs and 2 cats! I played and played with the other dogs until they didn't want to play with me anymore. Then I played with the cats. They didn't want to play with me at all! I especially liked chasing the cats. The puppy sitter told Mom that I didn't leave the cats alone! I had so much fun.
After a few days, the people sitting me got their 5th CCI puppy to raise. The little thing looked just like me when I was new. She is black and likes to eat rocks and jump on people and bite and squirm.
Then one day a lady named Mary took me to a doggie birthday party! Wow! That is a day I will never forget. Mary is puppy raising Kelda (Kelda is the white dog in the photo that has a yellow cape on like me.) Mary raised Zebrina, the birthday girl. Zebrina was released from CCI for being shy and not liking loud noises. She is two. Kelda is a re-homed puppy. That means that someone else started to raise her and then wasn't able to finish raising her. So Mary is finishing raising her.
The party was at Penrose Library. When the five of us dogs got to the library, we went to a back room and played for little while. Played hard! You can see Zelda and me tussling with the birthday girl in the picture.
After we played (which was supposed to settle us down) we went to the kid's room of the library. Tons of kids came in and read to us! Maybe 30 or more. Wow, was that fun! It is called the Paws to Read program. Kids who have trouble reading love to practice reading out loud to a dog. That's just how important we four-leggeds are. I guess I got a little hyper with all the commotion, but I enjoyed the stories. And licking kids' hands.
After the kids finished reading to us, it was party time for us puppies! One of the humans made a doggie cake. Zebrina got the first bite, then the rest of us got some. Mary told Mom that I was very friendly and polite but that I forgot my food manners when it came to the cake. Mary said, "Then again, it was very good dog cake." So who can blame me? It was banana cake with cream mocha frosting and banana chips on the side of it! MMMM! I guess the cake lady has a whole bunch of recipes for doggie treats that are okay for doggies to eat.
After the party, Mary took me to a CCI puppy class. She told Mom that I am a sweetheart. Who doubts that? She said I did okay, but was distracted at class (not to mention tired and full of birthday cake!)

Cats don't like me much

My friend Kelda told me all about "mee-yows" (a.k.a.. cats) at the birthday party we went to together. There are some cats around my house, but they don't ever come in the yard to play with me. When I go to stay with puppy sitters, lots of times they have cats. There hasn't been one yet that liked me. When I stayed with Kelda's puppy raisers for the week that she came here, there were cats there. They didn't like me much either.

All I want to do is play with them! They pounce and run and purr and are really strange. Having heard all about cats from Kelda, I couldn't wait to meet them. They would have waited a long time to meet me.
Nonny is kind of old. He didn't want to play with me. He growled and hissed.Then out of the blue came Mr. Grey. He got between Nonny and me and started using his claws on my ear. Ouch! There was another cat named Cetty but she wouldn't give me the time of day.

During the week I was at Kelda's, I can't say the cats and I became friends, but they did start to put up with me. A little. Kelda's Mom told me I'd better learn to respect cats now or I'll be sorry when I meet "Bob." Bob is the big black and white cat at the training center in Oceanside, Calif. He was adopted by CCI a few years ago. Apparently, he instills the Fear of Cats in to the new pups turned in for Advanced Training! He can't be all that bad. Can he?

I had fun at Kelda's. I helped her mom look for flowers one day. I smelled them and licked them and even tasted a couple. I took Kelda's dad for walks. I made sure Kelda's toys didn't get lonesome and only chewed up a couple of them. I visited with Gus–the dog next door--through the fence.

I got to go to the thrift store, church, Home Depot and Walmart. I got to eat squirrel food in the back yard (secretly) which made my tummy kinda not feel too good.

I played with the cleaning girls. They ran the vacuum cleaner. I love vacuum cleaners. I really do. When Mom runs the vacuum cleaner to get up dog hair, wind comes out of the back side. I love to bite at it. One time, Mom was laughing so hard at me playing with the wind that she started to suck up my ear in the vacuum hose! Another time she decided it would be simpler to suck the hair off me before it got on the floor. That felt kinda fun.

Kelda and I e-mailed each other during the week. Cyber-pals! We may not see each other again until August when we go to puppy college together in California.

When Kelda and I switched back, I went camping with Mom. That wasn't all that much fun because I spent most of the time in a crate outside or in the camper. Oh, we did take a lot of walks and one time this big old muscly loose dog started running toward me. I made Mom fall over when she tried to get in between us. Finally when she yelled at the people to get their dog, they did. I think that dog could have crunched me in half with one bite. I think Mom knew that. She said that all she saw were these big huge jaws coming to rip apart someone's chance at independence (that's me).

I can't wait to meet Bob!

Puppy Raising Time in Buena Vista, Colo.

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