I know, I know. Its been 3 months since my last post and a LOT has happened in those 3 months. Nicholas went in for his neuter in mid-April. It didn't slow him down at all. I went to pick him up at the kennel and he was as exuberant as ever to see me. My instructions were to keep him quiet and prevent him from running and jumping for 10 days. Yeah, right... Major surgery and having his boy bits taken away didn't slow him down at all! But he did get to wear a funny cone for a few days.
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It was also decided in April that Nicholas was better off in a single home. Due to my work schedule and the fact that I couldn't bring him to work with me, it was decided that he would stay with his co-raisers. Co-raising can be hard on puppies and confusion and instability are the main reasons cited as to why co-raising does not work. I'll admit, I was upset at the decision. But ultimately it was best for Nicholas to stay in one home and while I wish it had been MY home, I understand the reasons why it was the way it was.
Nicholas was now 9 months old and was due for his evaluation. While he wasn't in my care, I still liked to keep up on his progress and see how he did. The week of Memorial Day was eventful and will always be memorable for me.
Nicholas went in for his evaluation on Tuesday May 31st. On the afternoon of June 2nd I got a call from Yvonne at GDA.
"I just want to let you know that Nicholas had his evaluation and he is being dropped from the program. Actually, his whole litter was dropped. They are too 'sniffy' and too much dog to handle especially in harness for someone who is blind."
Those are hard words to hear. I went through a whole range of emotions in those 30 seconds. Disappointment that he had been dropped and relief that it was his entire litter and not due to co-raising.
"You have a couple of options at this point. You can keep Nicholas as a pet, put him on the adoption list or have him tested for Search and Rescue."
"Test him." I didn't even think about it.
"Are you sure? Don't you want to think about it and let us know tomorrow?"
"No, I'd rather have him tested first."
"Okay... But I just want to warn you that it doesn't look too promising, none of them seem able to focus too well."
"Okay. If he doesn't make it, then I'll keep him."
"Okay. I'll let you know how he does tomorrow."
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I was on pins and needles for the next 24 hours. Starting at 10 am I kept checking my phone and looking to see if I missed calls. I was distracted and nervous and anxious. I knew I had to give Nicholas the option of testing for SAR. He is so smart and funny and active and always has been. Even back when he was 9 weeks old and he would play with his toys for HOURS without tiring I said he would make a great Search and Rescue dog. I also knew that the reasons he had been dropped were valid.
Nicholas was indeed a very sniffy dog. His nose was always in scanning and searching for something. Recently all our walks had been consisted of leash corrections with the verbal command "no sniff". Even when he was resting I could see that black nose wiggling and sniffing in his sleep. As to him being "too much dog", I had been saying the same thing for months! While Nicholas would behave with me, he was smart enough to know what he could get away with when with other people. Nicholas and I had a mutual affection and earned respect for each other so he never overstepped his bounds with me, but I could see where someone would have trouble handling him if they weren't firm enough.
Nicholas had been such a big part of my life for the past seven months, but it was never my intention to keep him if he didn't pass training. With him being taken out of my care and the dropped from the program all within a few weeks, I really wanted to keep him. But at the same time I wanted to pass. I knew he wouldn't be happy at home being a pet. When he would be home, he would lay on his bed and pout. If I was working at the computer, he would come and place toys in my lap and then sit back smile and wag his tail. If I ignored him, he would push them further into my lap and wait until I threw his toy. If there was ever a dog that needed a job, it was my Nicholas. He loved when his puppy jacket went on and he could go and work. He was a big goof ball at home and always ready to play, but as soon as he got "dressed" and I'd tell him "let's go to work", he was all business. He would focus on what we were doing and where he was going, his head scanning left and right, taking in all the sights.
So when my phone rang that afternoon while I was driving, I literally had to pull over to the side of the road to take the call.
"Hi Christina, this is Yvonne from Guide Dogs. I just want to let you know that Nicholas did very well on his testing."
"Really?!" My heart sank a little, yet at the same time I was very pleased.
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| Nicholas always loved his toys! |
I was so happy, my boy did well! Perhaps there is a future for him as a working dog...
Needless to say I was floating for the rest of the weekend. However, as the weekend passed, I grew nervous again. Yet it was all for naught and Nicholas proved he is a true working dog. He did well on his testing with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and is now in training in Central California. Of the 4 dogs that were tested that day from GDA, Nicholas is the only one they chose! He is doing very well with them. I received an email just last week that he has moved on to advanced training - after only 2 months. He has found his calling.
I miss my boy so much and looking at the pictures I have of him make me miss him SO MUCH, but I am convinced this is the best possible path for him and he make me SO PROUD!
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A bit of sad news, 5 puppies have gone in for formal training this past week. Best of luck to Verick, Wriley, Yuki, Archer and Baron. You guys (and gal) will do great things and we'll see you at your graduations!
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On a more cheerful note, I am going to be doing an interview this week with my employee association about Puppy Raising. They are doing a section in their newsletter about employees who volunteer services outside of work. They want to meet with me and a puppy in training. When I originally set up this interview, I still had Nicholas. Now that I'm pup-less, I'm going to borrow Dublin for the day. You may recognize Dublin from the Puppy In Training website run by his puppy raiser Colby Morita.
I'm hoping 2 things come out of this interview. First, that we get more puppy raisers. GDA has so many puppies right now and is in desperate need of people to raise them. Second, I'm hoping that someone higher up on the food chain reads the article and realizes that raising a puppy for an organization like GDA is a good thing and that they will let me bring a pup with me to work.
I will keep you posted on the outcome of that.
Until next time, cheers!
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For further information on the adventures of Colby and Dublin, visit their website at: www.puppyintraining.com
For further information on the great work done by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, visit their website at:www.searchdogfoundation.org
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| Happy boy is off on a new career path! |
