Hooper and Madeline

Madeline came and spent an overnight with Hooper. She got to run and play and to meet Hooper's fence friend - a black and white great dane.

Guide Dog News

Click picture to read text!! The sense of pride never goes away.

Hooper got to meet Elbert

It was very fun to see Elbert in action. Hooper wants to get a job too. Elbert was so handsome and proud looking - amazing!! Of course, I was a proud mama.

Olvera Street Outing

We took the Goldline to Union Station where we met with other puppy raising clubs. As soon as you get off the train the first place you head is Philippe's for lunch. Waiting for the train
Hooper and Madeline were very comfortable on the train.Philippe'sHooper peering at me from under the table as I was sitting with Elbert. A little jealous, he was.

Then we walked over to Olvera Street. A very fun day made even more fun for me because "Elbert" met us at Union Station. Here are some pictures from the day.

The "H" Siblings - Oceanside Fun Day

Hooper - 10 and a half months old

Hooper is such a good puppy. He goes with me every day as I do my work. He is patient - no matter how long it takes. Isn't he a cutie??

Hooper and Harmon

We had a very Fun Day at the Oceanside Fiesta De Mayo this weekend. It was fun to put the puppies through their paces - we had a police car, lots of distractions, vet station (Hooper has to take off a few pounds), surface challenges and of course, the practice of being good under the table.

Here is a picture of Hooper and Harmon - we finally got to meet in person.

Hooper and Harbor

Hooper and Harbor got to spend some time together at the Rose Bowl event (Blind Dave Heeley). Aren't they so cute - I love to see siblings together.

Elbert's Graduation

I was so proud of Elbert. He behaved beautifully. When I first saw him, he didn't react but once I approached him he showed obvious signs of recognizing me. It felt good. His tail began wagging wildly and he was as excited as I was. As everyone knows, I was most attached to Elbert and would have been tempted to keep him if he career changed. I was so happy that I didn't have to make that decision - HE GOT THE JOB HE WAS APPLYING FOR!!

Elbert will be living with Dan in downtown Los Angeles. I am so excited because that is not far from me. We have been invited to meet up with them at Union Station for a tour. It will be fun to take the Metro with Hooper. Elbert made the trip last year for the Olvera Street outing.

Elsa babies - "A" puppies

I went to Guide Dogs for the Blind today for graduation. (I will post the graduation pictures on the next post.)

I went to the kennels in search of the Elsa puppies. Since Elsa is Elbert's sister that makes these puppies his nieces and nephews, they are family. Elsa had 8 puppies - all black labs and they are all adorable. Whoever gets an "A" puppy soon will be getting a cutie.

Blind Dave Heeley - Los Angeles

We brought our puppies to this event. I can't imagine how Dave does it - I was exhausted just thinking about it. Please read on - he is amazing.

Blind Dave Heeley finishes marathon No.3 in LA

Apr 9 2008

Blind Dave Heeley has completed the third leg of an amazing attempt to run seven marathons on seven continents in just seven days.

Dave, of West Bromwich, aided by his sighted running partner Malcolm Carr, hopes to become the first visually-impaired person to complete the Seven Magnificent Marathons challenge, raising £1 million for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the process.

The 50-year-old was moved to tears by the overwhelming support of representatives of the Guide Dogs of America charity who turned out to support his third marathon attempt in Los Angeles last night.

Blind Dave, as he is known, runs attached to Malcolm by a wrist cord, and they completed the 26.2 mile run at the Rose Bowl stadium in four hours and 35 minutes, finishing at 7.15pm UK time (BST).

In a speech welcoming Mr Heeley to the stadium, Bill Bogaard, the Mayor of the City of Pasadena, said: "Dave Heeley's Seven Magnificent Marathons challenge has inspired and encouraged people across the world to reach for their dreams, no matter how challenging the effort.

"The success of Seven Magnificent Marathons will not be measured by how many miles run, but by the courage necessary to undertake such a challenge. Such courage, in the face of adversity, will be an inspiration for years to come."

On Monday, Mr Heeley completed two marathons, the first on the Falkland Islands, followed by another 26.2 miles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tomorrow he will run a fourth leg in Sydney, Australia, followed by runs in Dubai and Tunisia. For the final leg of the seven continent challenge Dave will join thousands of competitors taking part in the Flora London Marathon on Sunday.

Mr Heeley, who has been visually impaired since birth, was a keen runner as a child but had to give up the sport when he was 16 as his sight deteriorated due to retinitis pigmentosa.

The father-of-three was registered blind in 1986 and has said his life was transformed by the work of the Guide Dogs charity.

Elbert is in class!!!

What a relief! I have been anxious about this day coming. I heard that England, Eli, and Emmylou have CC'd. I can't believe how many have CC'd in phase 10.

Graduation is slated for April 12. As we all know, anything can happen, so keep your fingers crossed that we make it all the way.

I am so proud of Elbert

A puppy raiser here in OC went to the graduation of his puppy Cade this weekend. I told John to say HI to Elbert if he got the chance to see him. Well, this is the note I received from John:

"Not only did we see Elbert, but he was a STAR! At the end of the graduation, as the graduates and the puppy raisers filed off the stage, one of the trainers gave a demonstration to the audience on how a guide works. IT WAS ELBERT!! He looked so sleek, proud and confident. I have little doubt that he'll be in the next class."

GO ELBERT!

Congratulations to the "E" Pups

Phase #10
Congrats to Samuel and Kalina - you can be so proud of your "E" puppies. They did very well. I know they don't have the job yet but they are all so close. I think a group graduation with Elbert, England, Emmylou, and Eli would be so much fun. Here is the picture again.

I also heard that Elsa is "with pups" now - she will have her first litter soon and Edison is doing his training "in home".

Hooper is growing up and Elbert is in Phase #9

Hooper is too cute. He is growing up nicely. We also heard that Elbert is now in phase #9. Hooper is looking forward to that too - he has a long way to go.


Phase #9
Final obedience testing including on-leash obedience with the instructor wearing a blindfold, off-leash obedience and distraction response. Final testing of guidework inside buildings (malls, stores, etc.) with the instructor wearing a blindfold. Includes working escalators, elevators, stairs, etc. The dogs are also worked by unfamiliar or novice handlers. Final traffic testing with instructor under blindfold and "real life" traffic situations.

Elbert's phase update

Just heard that Elbert is still holding in Phase #8. As long as he is still in, I'm happy.

All four of these sibling puppies are still in. Go "E" pups!!

I can't believe it - Elbert is on the move

Elbert is moving quickly through the phases. He is in #8 now. This is what he is learning:

Phase #8
Continued advanced guidework and obedience training. Intensive indoor mall training with crowds, slick floors and learning to board, ride and exit escalators. Advanced sidewalkless training with obstacles.

Keep up the good work - we are so proud.

A day at the beach

This was Hooper's first day at the beach in San Clemente. He loved the sand but we stayed away from the water. Didn't want him to be all wet today. Of course, the day was BEAUTIFUL. The sun was out and the breeze was cool. We also took a 2 hour hike - what a perfect day.

Elbert is in Phase #7 - I am so excited

Phase #7

Guidework moves to extremely challenging downtown urban areas (San Francisco and Portland). Training on buses, light rail/subway systems and platform edges. Introduction to low overhead clearances; advanced off-leash obedience. Formal traffic training begins.

Elbert as a baby - Isn't he cute.

'Tis The Season

What these humans make us do!!

Elbert is in Phase #6 now

Elbert is still moving along through his formal training. He has made it to Phase 6 - I AM SO PROUD. I hope his brothers and sisters are doing well too.
Here is a summary description of what he is learning now.
Phase #5
Preliminary guidework testing is performed with the instructor under blindfold. Complete medical history review. Guidework training environments become more challenging: pedestrian traffic, stairs, different flooring surfaces, etc.
Phase #6
Guidework routes in difficult and challenging level work environments. Heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic areas, wide crossings, hectic atmospheres, etc. Introduction to sidewalkless areas and rounded curbs. Continued work in malls, stores and buildings with increasing exposure to varying sights, sounds and smells. Advanced guidework skills such as moving turns. Learning "intelligent disobedience", in which dogs learn to refuse to obey a command if it is unsafe to execute. Advanced obedience training.

Diamonds in the Ruff meeting

We took advantage of the fact that the rain did not fall as predicted.

Turned out to be a beautiful morning.

Gladys spent the weekend

Hooper and Gladys had so much fun together. They played so much that I needed to separate them from time to time. Gladys is almost one year old.

Elbert's in Phase #4 and Hooper

Hooper is sooooo much fun. I was packing up Sara's computer to send to her in New York and used pillows as padding. Well, Hooper decided to make use of the ones that were left over. Too cute.

We have also been walking to and from the gym in the mornings. Today I did the spinning class while he waited patiently for me. I attached him to a weight so he didn't wander around. I remember having to use heavier weights for Donald - he would drag them across the floor.

Elbert has moved to Phase #4. This is what he is learning:
Guidework training progresses on more difficult sidewalks in busier sections of downtown areas. All curb types and more complex street crossings are introduced. The dogs begin to show clearance awareness, and begin to guide their instructors through the campus obstacle course. Preliminary obedience testing and evaluation of the dogs' reactions to head collars are also performed.

Go Elbert - Phase #3

Phase #3 summary:
Harness training in quiet residential areas; frequent rides in the training vans. Teaching new guide work commands and responses, as well as continuing to work on commands learned in Phase 2. Curb checks and street crossings are introduced. Progressive obstacle course training on campus. Obedience training continues. Mall exposure walks and introduction to dog social sessions. Those dogs who are on the breeder-watch list but are not selected for the breeding program are spayed or neutered.

Elbert is in Phase #2

Here is a general summary of what he is learning now:
Preliminary harness and obedience training. Introduction to distractions (toys, food, other dogs, cats, etc.). On-campus training of leading into harness (pulling forward in harness) and responses to guidework-specific commands." Introduction to campus obstacle course on leash and treadmill training.

Hooper's siblings

You know all mothers like to hear from their kids

I heard from Whistler today. I sent him a Petco card for his birthday and Stacey took him to the store to choose a toy. He chose a rope tug toy.

Whistler's birthday 9/18/03, parents Baker/Westie, graduation 9/3/05, lives and works with Stacey in Bloomington, IL. I was known as "Whistler's Mother".

Hooper and the unsanctioned toy

We got this toy at Downtown Disney - I know it is not a sanctioned toy and Hooper only had it one time. But he heard the squeaky sound and was soooooooo cute about it. It's hard to get toys we can't have - it's like having chocolate chip cookies out when you are on a diet.

Downtown Disney - 9/30/07

One of my favorite Guide Dogs for the Blind events. Here are some club pictures. (click on the picture for a larger view)

Finally heard from Elbert

Elbert is in phase 1 - he has been through the medical checkup from nose to tail and introduced to kennel life. Elbert is not on the breeding watch list.

Go Elbert.

Hooper - up and down the stairs

Hooper is the one with the collar

Introducing ----- HOOPER!!

This is Hooper, male, yellow lab, born 7.3.07. His parents are Denzel and Vonnie. Hooper's brother Haggarty is also in our group. If you have a sibling or know of one, please let me know.

We are proud of you Elbert

Good luck to Elbert in the next phase of his life. Off to GDB to begin his formal training. I know he is going to do a good job!! I will keep you all posted on his progress.



Elbert is in his kennel for the trip back to "college" and Hooper is finding out he has a tough act to follow.

People ask me how the puppies get back to Guide Dogs and what is this truck like. Well, let me tell you, it is first class travel.