Beach and Date

We went to the beach last week with Shadow and she LOVED IT! She turned one year old on May 9th and the Guide Dog Foundation wants her in New York for training by August 30. The exact date isn't here yet.








Drinking from the hose before getting rinsed off.
Shadow giving Mommy kisses. =]





SO MUCH FUN!!!

This is my all-time favorite picture of Shadow. She's happy, has sand on her nose, as the beach in the background, and shows off my beautiful girl.

Shadow Pictures

From below...
...and above. She looks like a bobble-head in this one. =P

I've been trying to get a picture of this. She'll stand there in a bow for a long time playing with a toy before flopping down.
To chase or not to chase?

My mom was using the hair-dryer, and Shadow went to investigate. Mom pointed it in her direction, and she play bowed and got all excited and started running down the stairs, "going nutty," as we call it, and running up again. I just got the end of it.

Mudcats game

Last Saturday the Raleigh group went to a Mudcats game and we all got to meet the FOUR seven-week-old additions to our group - brothers Snickers and Rocky, Golden Retrievers, and brother and sister yellow labs Lucky and Tish. Tish is the only other girl besides Shadow...yay Tish!
Shadow


Lucky
Tish





5 month old James. Unfortunately I only got one picture of him. =[

ONE YEAR OLD!!

Shadow turned 1 today!! I can't believe it. We couldn't believe it when she was 10 months old, and I guess it felt like she froze at 10 months and didn't get any older than that. I took some pictures of her today out by the mailbox on her birthday since I need to take some and I haven't posted (again) in a while.

Finally - pictures!!

Mom cut the bushes back outside this window and she LOVES to lay there.
Kong.
She lays like this all the time! Silly girl.
Outside with the pretty flowers. =]

Looking outside with Shadow.

Random Puppy Walker Questions

Here's an idea another puppy walker named Erin came up with and hopefully you all will participate :-) She had a list of questions that have been floating around her head and she put her answers down on her blog, so I'm going to pass it on. Now any other puppy walkers can keep it going by responding on your blogs with your answers. =]

1. How many puppies have you raised? So far, only one - Shadow
   
2. Why did you start raising? I have loved dogs ever since I knew what one was. My 1st birthday cake had a puppy on it sucking on a baby bottle. I used to pester my parents constantly about it, and I'd cry because they said no. Luckily for them I grew up a little and quit it. But 3 years ago while I was searching for rescues to volunteer at I found Guiding Eyes for the Blind. My parents considered it and finally after well over 6 months said no, mostly because we had commitments on Wednesday nights and that's when the meetings were. We met somebody later on though that had just applied, and that's how we found out about Guide Dog Foundation. And now we have Shadow. =D
   
3. How Long have you been a puppy raiser? About 10 months
   
4. What is one thing you have learned in raising? I've learned more about people with disabilities, how much the dogs have to learn, responsibility (though I'm still working on that one), and more about the Foundation, the dogs, and the people who will eventually get the dogs.
   
5. What is the strangest thing someone has asked/said to you about your puppy? Not sure...I love it when people think you're the one who has a problem. The time when Mom had a cool whip container for a portable bowl though was classic. Shadow had just finished drinking, and Mom was sitting outside waiting for us to finish paying at a restaurant when a lady came by and dropped money in the bowl.
   
6. Do you give your puppies real name out in public? Yes!
   
7. What is the most embarrassing incident that you've had with your puppy? Not sure.
   
8. What is the most proud moment you've had with your puppy? Again not sure haha.
   
9. What advice do you have for newbie puppy raisers/owners? Take time to get to know your dog, try to understand the dog, and realize what they are capable of - challenge them, but at the same time don't expect too much. Hard to say, I guess.
   

Commands

Sorry everybody I haven't posted lately, but I'll be putting up more pictures soon. Shadow is doing great, and knows a ton of words at 10 months old. She knows the normal sit, down, stay, come, forward, left, right, stop, steady, okay, no, leave it, and we're working on heel and find the door. I don't think I forgot any, but anyway she also has learned inside, outside, ice, treat, trashcan (the one outside), tail and get your tail, see Abbott (the rabbit), and maybe a couple of others. We haven't gotten pictures of her doing anything new recently, but I'll try. :)