From the Field
Visitors
A black lab named "Buddy" came to Colorado this past spring with Lisa and Jeff Arndt from Madison, Wisconsin. The three of them joined our club at our April Regional Meeting for training , the puppy truck arrival and recall. Shortly after returning to Wisconsin "Buddy" was career changed from the OccuPaws group and the Arndt's have decided to raise a new pup, "Echo". Yes, Buddy has stayed on and is acting as a mentor for this new youngster. I guess the Arndt's have found out that raising these puppies is sort of addicting for them too! To meet "Echo" you can go to http://occupawspuppies.blogspot.com
Please be aware that different organizations do things a bit differently so all the things that "Buddy" does are not necessarily GDB sanctioned activities. Please check with your GDB leader regarding what is appropriate for our pups. There are a lot of similarities though and lots of fun comments on how the raising of a pup is certainly a learning experience for both the dog and the raisers.
Thanks Jeff and Lisa for sharing with our Denver Eye Paws puppy club!!
A Letter Home from Kodak
Dear Mom and Dad,
It's me, your adorable Kodak! I miss you guys soooo much! Wow, life has been crazy for me since I left Colorado. I worked really really hard in California, and I was a really good boy, and guess what? It was so hard to learn all that stuff about guiding people, but I got really good at it, and I made a ton of doggy friends. All the humans fell in love with me, too, of course!
So I passed all my tests, and then they came and took me out of my kennel and drove me away again. I was sad I had to leave behind all my doggy friends, but they brought me to Arizona. My trainer was really nice, and I liked him a lot, but just when I thought I was going to stay with him, he brought me to a new place, and I met my blind human.
Her name is SarahRuth, and I think she'll really like you guys. I know I'm a special angel God put here to help her, and I know she loves me very very much. She's a singer, so I help her practice every day, and it's my job to remind her not to pet the piano for too long without petting my head (I stick my nose under her hand when she pays too much attention to that noisy wooden thing. Why would you want to pet a piano, anyway? I mean, it's a bad boy for making so much noise, and it can't cuddle or let you rub it's tummy, how dumb!) She's lots of fun, and she loves to play with me, go for long walks when I'm not working, and when I do work, she gives me lots of praise and I keep her safe and able to see through me. I'm the new star in her life, and all her friends adore me, but they can't touch me, and it drives them nuts; I just sit there and try not to look too cute!
I really miss you guys, though, and hope I can see you again. Thanks for giving me a great home and teaching me so much about being a good boy. I'm a top-notch Guide Dog because of you, and my trainer told my human that I'm really extra special! I'm really happy here in Arizona, and she even has a cat and an old retired Guide Dog for me to play with when I'm not working. She takes me everywhere with her, so my life is really busy, but I am happy whenever I'm beside her, and I totally have the best job in the world!!! I love you guys and hope everything is going well! Say hi to my friends back in my puppy home!
Oh no! Here comes my human! Oops, better get down before she sees me typing with my nose! Another Kodak Moment! Love ya, gotta go! And Shh, don't tell her I can write to you, or she'll know all the other tricks you taught me!
Love ya,
Kodak
Dear Talmans,
My name is SarahRuth Outwater... Hmm, hang on a second while I wipe the keyboard... It's wet for some reason... "Kodak, have you been sniffing around my laptop for some reason?" Kodak: (snore)
That's better. Okay anyway, on March 22, a certain yellow, fuzzy angel wagged and snuggled his way into my life: I am the lucky recipiant of Kodak. Since Guide Dogs came out to my home in Tempe, Arizona to train me, we will not have a formal graduation ceremony at the campus, but I still wanted to talk with you, and tell you how humbled and grateful I am to you for raising such a wonderful Guide. Kodak and I work beautifully together, both in work and in friendship. We're a perfect match, and he's done very well at making himself right at home in my hectic but fun-filled life. The first week I had him, he got himself featured on a local television newscast to help raise money with me for a childhood cancer victim. The little girl fell madly in love with him, but so has everyone else he's met, including myself!
I am 23 years old, and have been blind since I was three, when I lost my sight in both eyes to cancer. Kodak will be spending much of his time with me travelling around the country and Europe on music tours, and in the three weeks we've been partners, he's already proved that he's a born performer, who can charm his way into the hearts of any audience from his place at my feet on the stage. What a ham! :)
I live in Tempe, Az, where I attend Arizona State University as a double major in jazz composition, and choral education. I work at a classical radio station as an audio engineer and producer, and when I'm not recording concerts, I'm performing in them. I sing, play several instruments, and enjoy working with gospel, swing, and classical choirs throughout the Phoenix area. It's a full, challenging life, but I get to make a good living making music, which is what I enjoy more than anything else in the world; and Kodak goes by my side through all of this. He seems to love it, and I think his favorite part is when we snuggle up together with the other members of my little family at the end of a long day to study, or listen to some good music for Fun, not work! :)
I live in a roomy, comfortable one-bedroom apartment with a large collection of instruments and recording equipment, a gorgeous calico primadana cat named Aeolian (or Lia for short), and my eight-year-old retired black Labrador Guide, Arlin. Arlin retired in September of 2005 due to "burn out," and a strong desire to utilize the benefits of his senior citizen status! :) He and Kodak play together like puppies, and I'm sure you're career-change dog had a big hand in that. If you would like to see pictures of Kodak and I, or of my retired Guide and myself raising money for the cancer victim, you can go to: www.lifeforlinda.org/media, and click on the video presentations, and the photo gallery icons. Kodak is featured in the "spring benefit concert" gallery.
If you would like to see the news story Kodak took part in, I have it on video, and can mail you a copy.
Please feel free to write or call any time. Kodak and I would love to hear from you and keep in touch. He's as much your kid as he is mine! :) Best wishes, and a heartfelt thank you! Kodak sends his love!
Wags,
SarahRuth, Kodak, Arlin and Lia
