Getting settled in

Konrad gets more settled by the hour, it seems. He is much more calm in his crate, and he only woke up two or three times last night (that reminds me of having a newborn - was he up at 1:30 or was it 2:30?). We got a big snow today (big for our area), so Konrad had fun snuffling around in it. He has had only a minor accident today, and does really well with his potty breaks.

For those unfamiliar with CCI, one of the things that we have to teach Konrad is to relieve himself on command. That command is "Hurry". Not sure when he'll get that part of it, but he wouldn't let B bring him back inside this afternoon and a few minutes later, took care of the rest of his business.

He's spent a good three hours out with us in the kitchen this afternoon. He likes to try to chew on the drawer pulls, but beyond that, he was fantastic. Now he's so tuckered out that he fell asleep in B's arms so we moved him into his crate.

We've been amazed at how calm he is. He gets excited about things - snow, biting the leash when he's outside, and especially the kids, but he settles right back down again. Not sure if that's the careful breeding or just his personality, but we're thankful for it!

Are puppies like newborns? (Lessons from Konrad's first night.)

Sort of. On one hand, they get up frequently (he was up at 10, 11, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6:30) and make a lot of noise when they get up. On the other hand, you don't have to take a newborn outside in January in the middle of night, and you can share the midnight duties with your husband. Fortunately, HB slept through all the noise when JJ was born, and they both slept through Konrad's crying last night. He's had a good breakfast, complained bitterly when I put him in his crate this morning, and is now crashed out. :)

Our next journey begins...

Konrad arrived today - all 16 pounds of him! At eight weeks, he's already shoulders and tails taller and heavier than our beloved Jack Russell - not to mention the energy level!

We've had a good day, only two accidents in the house, and he has protested less each time we've put him in his crate. He loves HB, which means we'll need to be extra careful to watch him with both kids. He didn't get to meet JJ today - the timing just didn't work out with dinner and crate time.

He seems to be in great shape - no ill effects from his travels, his vaccinations, or his dewormer yesterday, so that's good!

Okay, Konrad is asleep and tomorrow is HB's 6th birthday, so I have to go blow up balloons and get ready to decorate her room once she falls asleep!

Our puppy has a name!

We found out this week that our first CCI puppy will be named Konrad. You can read more about him to the right.

He arrives next Wednesday, Jan. 27th (the day before HB's 6th birthday, so it will be an exciting week). This weekend, HB and I are going pet supply shopping, which should be great fun. Her input is needed specifically for a collar, ID tag and TOYS!

We should get Konrad's starter kit package either today or tomorrow, so I'm interested to see what's in there. I know it will have his puppy cape (to help him become comfortable wearing one), his Gentle Leader and his CCI ID tag and I'm hoping it will have his vaccination information and more importantly, his travel plans!

As soon as we have pictures, I'll figure out how to post them. Over time, I promise that this blog will become more visually interesting - I'm new to this!

One journey ends...

Way back in 1995, as I was preparing to graduate from college, I was looking forward to getting my first dog. I had wanted a dog for a long time, but couldn't convince my parents! My boyfriend at the time got me a Jack Russell Terrier as a graduation gift, though I didn't actually get him until October (it took a while to find just the right one). I named him Foster, after the Australian beer, since I love all things Australia.

Foster lived up to his breed's motto of "big dog in a little body". And he was smart! Some of my fondest memories of his first year were of him chewing through the plastic mesh on the baby gate that we had used to confine him and meeting me at the front door! He also used to climb up the TV table, through the open bookshelves and onto the desk to chew the erasers off of pencils. And his first experience in the snow was hilarious. He couldn't see over the snow banks, so he spent his time hopping up and down to see where he was going, and to find a place to relieve himself. During that winter, Foster went to work with me at a local animal hospital almost every day.

When Foster and I moved back to Tennessee, we entered a new phase in our relationship. We had done some initial obedience training in Connecticut, but he was stubborn enough that he just wouldn't listen when off his leash. So we found a new trainer, a great trainer, and finally got Foster to the point where he would come to me if off-leash. I also discovered his love for retrieving things out of water; ponds, streams, pools, whatever.

Fast forward 13 years, and this past summer Foster was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer: extra skeletal osteosarcoma. He was given two weeks to three months to live. At first, he showed no signs of illness, except for the large tumor on his left hip. He ate and played like normal. Every few weeks his health would decline a bit then level off for a few more weeks.

A few weeks ago, I read an article in the New York Times about euthanizing a pet. which helped me realize that I needed to let Foster go when he was still enjoying life rather than when he was miserable. And so I had planned for his last day to be this week, so that he could spend Christmas with our family and my in-laws. I was still coming to terms with that when I realized last Tuesday night that he was very uncomfortable. He looked to be in a great deal of pain on Wednesday morning and I could not justify making him wait five more days to have some relief just so that we could have him for one last Christmas.

So on Wednesday morning, two days before Christmas, I put my beloved friend to sleep. It was as calm and as peaceful as I could ever have hoped for and I know that the time was right. What I hope for Foster is:

~ A big patch of sunshine that never shrinks, for sleeping in
~ A pond or lake or something else to swim in, preferably with sticks or leaves to retrieve
~ Legs to cuddle up against and
~ A floor covered with soft fluffy bedding to lie on

I learned so much from Foster (aka: Frosty, Floster, Frosty Pasta Dog, Pasta, and Little White Dog) that I will take with me as I raise future dogs, and for that I am thankful. Rest in peace, Foster. You are much loved and missed.

Quick introduction

Since I put this blog in my Christmas cards, I thought I would add a quick post so that you know you're in the right place!

I created this blog to chronicle our family's adventure raising a service dog puppy for Canine Companions for Independence.

I'll post more, likely in January, when we know that our puppy is arriving soon!

KP

One journey ends

This is my first post on my new blog, which I created to chronicle our family's adventure in raising a service dog puppy for Canine Companions for Independence. We started the application process in July 2009, just after our 14-year old dog, Foster, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer. Foster's inital prognosis was two weeks to three months. Thankfully, the cancer was not nearly as aggressive as we had feared, and we had Foster with us for five more months. He lost his battle with cancer just two days before Christmas, which was devastating to my family. I have gained solace from the many kind words of friends and family, and in knowing that Foster is no longer in pain. In fact, I hope he's lying in a big patch of sunshine somewhere on a soft fluffy bed. His passing was made easier by the wonderful vet at Hillsboro Animal Hospital, who made is as calm and peaceful an experience as I could have ever hoped for.

I'll post again when we hear from CCI that our puppy is arriving, sometime in January.

KP