Thursday, June 14, 2007

Puppy alert!

My friend Bonnie is a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence - a non profit organization that enhances the lives of children & adults living with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs. She flew in from Arizona to pick up her fourth puppy (the first two did not make it through the additional training and now live happy lives as full-time pets, the third dog is currently still in "college" and may become an assistance dog in the next few months!).


This 8 week-old girl is named Payton. Isn't she a cutie?

I am rarely around puppies so spending time with her was a treat. All nine of her siblings are in puppy-raiser homes for the next 14-18 months, then move back to the facility for intense training to become an assistance dog for a person in need. Payton and Bonnie visited my home before their flight. Toby was not particularly thrilled to have a puppy nipping at and running into him with her uncoordinated enthusiasm - I found it hilarious. Toby fell asleep soon after she left. Oh, puppies.

2 comments:

Melissa said...

Oh my goodness! I thought you were about to announce a new addition to your home! My goal is to someday own an assistance dog who failed the final exam, but can still fetch me a cold one from the fridge.

Paula said...

FYI: Please be sure to get on the CCI list now for the dogs who do not make it through college - the wait is currently FOUR YEARS!!