Thank You Wadsworth Elementary!

On September 24th, two Tuesdays ago, Joy and I visited Wadsworth Elementary School and gave a presentation to four classes of 6th graders. They were the coolest 6th graders I've ever met! (If any of you are reading this- HI! Joy misses you! ^_^ ) The questions they asked were really great questions, like how much food Joy eats and what else Guide Dogs can do if they don't lead the blind.

Joy was a little crazy during the first and the third class but she was very calm during the second and fourth. She did lots of "SuperDog" and "Turtle Dog" for the students too! :)

 



 





Yesterday Joy and I got a package in the mail. When I opened it up, I was so surprised to see thank you notes from all of the 6th graders! And after I pulled the notes out, I saw something that looked veeeery yummy for the doggy...

 

 

*drumroll*

 

 

 

Aaaaaaaand......................

 

 

 

 

Whoa, this little dog is SOOO spoiled! The millisecond I pulled out the Kong, Joy was in a sit and looking as desperate and sad as she could be. And in case you are not well versed in Kongs, although most puppy raisers are, this is not just a Kong. No. This is an EXTREME Kong. This is like the Kong of Kongs. You could say that it is the King Kong. (ahahahahaha I'm so punny! XD )

 

Last night I read all the notes that I received. Oh my goodness, they made my entire year! Some made me laugh, some made me a little sad, one made me a little frightened but all of them made me smile! The fact that they all (even the ones who couldn't be there) took the time to write me a thank you note and/or draw me a beautiful picture was just too spectacular.

 

To Ms. Kuypers 6th graders: You all were the best audience I could ask for. You listened, asked awesome questions and were so gentle and sweet with Joy! I could tell that she absolutely LOVED you all! :) Your illustrations were incredible, by the way. I can't draw to save my life so I was seriously impressed with all of your amazing skills! So many of you said that you hoped I could come back and I hope I can too! I would love to revisit with you all and get to know you better and meet all of you who couldn't be there. Also, Joy would be thrilled to see you all again (she was super exhausted for like 24 hours after meeting and playing with you all haha). I'm sure she would thank you for her gifts if she could just put that Kong down for like five seconds! ;)

 

I hope I see you all again soon!

 

 

 

Peace, Love, Joy :)



Adventures In Randomness

So, I have been pretty busy lately, which is why I haven't made a post in a while. Also, I haven't been able to go somewhere with wifi...

Here are some pictures of our latest shenanigans ;)

 

 

Taking a power nap during band practice

  


We came across this really fun toy
car in a store window. Joy sat and
watched it go around the tracks for
a good five minutes!

 

Still watching...

She reeaally liked this bear.

 

This is how Joy sleeps every night!
And the flash didn't even wake
her up.

Peace, Love, Joy :)

Catching Up

I feel like it has been forever since I have made a post! Not too much has been going on... School has started so I'm pretty busy with college classes and stuff. Joy really doesn't like this "school" thing because she doesn't get NEARLY as much attention as she thinks she should get!

One exciting thing is that she finally lost her last baby tooth! I was getting seriously worried that the last one was going to have to be pulled. I even managed to catch it before she could swallow it and set it aside but I think someonw threw it out...

Joy has gotten to that age where she is reverting! NOOOoooooo.... I'm having to reteach her everything, including NOT going in the house. I know that every dog goes through this but Joy's came so soon! And when will it be over??? Ugh, I'm whining as much as Joy sometimes does.

Everything is starting up again, dance, church, etc. so Joy and I will be able to get out some more.

Anyway, that's about all I can write right now. I'll be able to put some posts up soons because we'll actually be doing stuff that isn't school (labor-day-beach-party post anyone?)

Behind the Scenes

So, I take a ton of pictures of Joy, right? However, not all of them make the cut. Some pictures are too random, or it would be too long to explaining what's going on, or I just don't feel like posting them. Here are some of those reject pictures.

I think it's obvious why I never posted this picture. Also,
it had nothing to do with anything I ever wrote about.

Relaxing in her comfy spot. (Joy loves blankets!)

Joy makes some friends at a pet store.

Mice would be fun to chase...

I thought it would be fun to put this on her.
She didn't agree.
She also couldn't stay still enough for me to
take a good picture!

That's it for now!
Peace, Love, Joy :)

A Birthday Treat and a Special Outing

So, right after my last post, I went home and made Joy a special half birthday treat! I filled up a small, plastic bowl with water, added some treats and stuck it in the freezer. About an hour later, it was done and Ms. Joy had a special ice cake to eat! It was intended for Joy and our non-guide-dog-in-training, Figaro, but Joy isn't too keen on this whole "sharing" thing.

Is it ready yet?

Yummy.

A close up!

Almost gone...

The next day we went on a fun trip! All of the girls (myself, my mother, my grandmother, and Joy) went down to Orlando where we spent the night. We made a couple of stops to stores and then went to our hotel. Joy likes hotels.

Later that night, we went to a mystery dinner theatre! We all had lots of fun and, as usual, Joy was quite a hit. A cast member asked me if he could refer to Joy during the show and I said, of course. The show was about a fox hunt in England and we were supposedly at the pre-fox hunt banquet or something. The Butler told the audience that there was even a Fox Hound In Training with us. Joy did not bother to wake up so she could say hello to her adoring fans.

When she wasn't sleeping during the show, she was quite riveted by what was going on on the stage. There was one particular character that she liked who was quite loud and had big, frizzy hair (like a poodle). Everytime she walked around or yelled at the Butler or anything before the show started, Joy jerked her head around and stared at her.

I was so pleased with how well behaved she was. It's amazing how much progress she has made. She adapts to new environments extremely well and this was proven continually on our trip. She was so well behaved that, when the cast came out to take a bow, the Butler also mentioned Joy and how she never made a peep! I was very proud when she got her own round of applause :)

Oh, one more thing! I have been getting so tired of hearing Joy referred to as "he" lately! Everyone calls her a boy. And our Yorkie, Figaro, is always called a girl. I was unaware of the fact that all Labs are males and all Yorkshire Terriers are females. But apparently, this is the case. I could rant about this for a long time. Anyway..........I've put a stop to it. ;)

Gender confusion problems? Just add a
pink flower, that'll stop 'em!

Peace, Love, Joy :)

Happy (Half) Birthday Joy!

Today/Yesterday is Joy's half birthday! I will clarify by saying that it is not clear whether her litter was born on the 5th or the 6th ( I have heard both). I'm assuming that means that they were born around midnight. Joy is right in the middle of her litter, so I have no idea which day it is.

Anyway- HAPPY 6th MONTHS JOY!!! I can't believe this little girl is already half a year old. Here are 6 reasons why I love Joy.

1. She is very...well...Joyful! I have never seen her sad or angry, she is always all smiles!

2. She is ticklish! If you scratch her stomach in different places, she will go crazy. This is 100% guaranteed, whether she is lying down or standing or sitting.

3. The Hyena Face. Joy loves to lie upside down and make this face at me. It consists of an open mouth, lots of teeth, eyes practically rolled back into her head, and her ears sticking straight out on the ground. Oh, yes, and her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.

4.  She is brave. She has almost NEVER shied away from anything (she doesn't like the vacuum cleaner, although, who does?) and she eagerly tries new things.

5. The Reign of Terror. It speaks for itself, although I explain it here.

6. She is loving. Seriously, she loves EVERYONE. Whoever is fortunate enough to have her will be very happy. She is sweet and cuddly when we're at home, and smart and confident when we're out. Whether she does end up as a Guide Dog, or a veteran dog, or just a dog, she will be someone's forever friend and love them until the end.

Happy Half Birthday Joy!

We love you! :)

Peace, Love, Joy :)

New Blog

Hi everyone :)

I have just a quick announcement; I was recently asked to create a blog for our puppy raising group. I helped create it but I'm not going to have much to do with writing. Anyway, the address is www.firstcoastpuppyraisers.blogspot.com. Loooong name, I know. Please check it out and follow our puppy raisers!

Thanks,

Al


Peace, Love Joy :)