NETWORK BLOG
Dakota's Tails
To Be Continued
from Dakota's Tails
on Monday November 23rd, 2009 at 07:39 PM
How do you like these fun "before" and "after" pictures of Duckie? He has turned out to be quite a dog. But really, Dakota's story has only just begun! You can follow the further adventures of Ben and Dakota at: http://dakotastails-thenextchapter.blogspot.com/ They are so awesome! ...And, is anyone just a teeny bit curious to see who our new puppy will be? Well, it's... (Drum roll please!) ...Wait, you don't really think I'm going to tell you right here, do you?! Of course not! Because I...Then and Now
from Dakota's Tails
on Friday November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 PM
You gotta love this...Dakota as an 8-week-old puppy (above, on van) and now, an all-grown-up service dog. He & Ben have been hard at work lately. They've practiced going all kinds of places together. ...Actually, that looks like fun! Keep on wishing them well as they continue their training together!Off to a Great Start!
from Dakota's Tails
on Tuesday November 17th, 2009 at 10:10 AM
When we puppy raisers turn in our well-trained (we hope!) dogs at the end of our time with them, there's a pretty normal phenomenon that they seem to go through to one degree or another...we call it "regression." The dog can seem to go backwards in his training, as if he's "forgotten" what he had earlier done so well. As I understand it, a lot of this is due to the stresses of the transition, and the dog being a situational learner just takes a while to get back up to speed. So, to be...Gone...Never Forgotten!
from Dakota's Tails
on Sunday November 15th, 2009 at 08:11 PM
Fittingly, the day we gave Dakota back to GDTx for final training with his partner was November 14, World Diabetes Day. We are so excited that we were able to prepare him for his career as a diabetic alert dog and look forward to hearing about his progress (more on that later!)This has definitely been a family effort!
Our last week with Duckie was pretty relaxed and normal, and we made a last visit to many of our favorite spots.
A walk in the woods is fun this time of year!
Just...
Improvise
from Dakota's Tails
on Tuesday November 10th, 2009 at 02:10 PM
Improvise, roll with it, go with the flow. Pretty good mottoes because, let's face it, I have yet to meet the day that turned out just as I thought it would. Case in point: Michelle had asked me to take Duckie on a bus this week for one of our walks, as his new schedule will include regular bus rides. No problem, we know the drill, so I just went online, grabbed the city bus schedule, drove downtown & parked near a bus stop where we'd be able to catch a familiar route -- a convenient...Hi from Dakota
from Dakota's Tails
on Thursday November 5th, 2009 at 01:10 PM
So, everybody, what have you been up to lately? Whatever it is, I bet I can top it! First off, I spent a day working at the training center with all the other guide dog puppies. We had to do a bunch of obedience work and training exercises to help us pups get used to doing our work even with other dogs around. Mom said I was way too excited and needed to settle down...and I (eventually) did! The first game was kind of like musical chairs, only with hula hoops. We were given a limited time to...Counting Down
from Dakota's Tails
on Saturday October 17th, 2009 at 08:08 PM
Just a few more weeks to go until Dakota graduates from our house to join his new family. They'll train together at the GDTx center, followed by more customized training in their home location and daily routes...just like any client receiving a guide dog! I'm so excited about that. I'm less than excited, I'll admit, about the actual goodbye! Dakota's last week here will probably be the first week of November, and since we have some family travel planned between now and then, his time with us...Distractions
from Dakota's Tails
on Tuesday October 13th, 2009 at 10:10 AM
**Sorry, no pictures this week -- our photographer is on a trip. We miss you, Charissa!** It's a cool, cloudy evening and as shadows begin to close in, people gather at the shopping complex. Small children run squealing through the playscape as their parents sit chatting. Pet dogs are there too, and an occasional bark rings out. The mouthwatering aromas of food pour out of restaurants as couples stroll toward dinner. On the patio, rowdy cheering erupts as people root for their favorite teams...
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