January/February 2004 Newsletter

My House Is Your House
Submitted by Cierra V.
 
By doing this project, raisers become attached to their puppies. They are part of our every day life. In order to insure your puppy has 
the best possible training to help him or her in the long run, Guide Dogs for the Blind recommends we puppy trade between our club.
This is where we see how well each puppy transitions into a new life style of another family. Each of our homes have many different 
distractions and experiences to expose these puppies to. Take for example Mary's house; she has a parrot, a horse and many other
critters, where as Allison Birkle has her little brothers and sisters. The more experiences these puppies are around, the more comfortable
they will be in a new surrounding. So when you puppy trade with someone there are a few suggestions you should take into consideration:
-Talk to the raiser you are receiving the puppy from regarding any habits, needs or special instructions they may have about their puppy.
-Confine the puppy in a safe and secure area like a crate or a secure kennel when you cannot supervise it.
-Introduce the puppy slowly, and supervise it closely during its interactions with other dogs and pets.
-Try to maintain the puppies’ normal schedule, plus a few extra trips outside to relieve because it may not know how to indicate to you that 
it needs to relieve.
-Don't hesitate to call the raiser or leader if you have any questions or concerns.
-And above all have fun!!! 
 
"Puppy Property Laws"
 
1. If I like it, it's mine. 

2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
 
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
 
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
 
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
 
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
 
7. If it just looks like mine, it's mine.
 
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
 
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
 
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

 
 
You can't keep them all
Submitted by: Melanie H.
 
  Our goal as puppy raisers is to train puppies to become Guide Dogs for the Blind. However, it doesn't always work out that way. 
Sometimes you do get the call letting you know that your puppy has been Career Changed for one reason or another. Then you get
to make a very difficult decision; whether or not you should keep them as a pet.
 The first time I had to make that decision was with my third puppy, Sedita. He was the dog that I had the hardest time with, but I
still wanted to keep him. We got the call that he had been dropped for elbows, and my first reaction was, I want to keep him. My parents
told me it was my decision, but that there were a few things I should consider before taking him back.
-Would he be a good role model for future Guide Dog puppies?
-How would he react watching our Guide Dog puppies go places, with him having to stay home?
-Would I be able to give him the time and attention he needed?
-Do we have room in our house to keep him?
-Would I even be able to raise more puppies if he came home?
 After I considered all of these things, I could clearly see that he would not fit into our household anymore, and that I had to 
let him go. Guide Dogs placed him with a couple in Marin County. He is an only child and is spoiled rotten. He has lots of room to
 run and toys to play with. Since he is the only animal he gets a lot of attention and goes RV'ing with them in the mountains. 
I know that I made the right decision to let someone else take him.
 When I decided to have Sharla come home, I knew that it would work. I asked myself the same questions I did last time, and the 
answer to all of them were yes, she would work in our household. It has been great having her home, and I know that I made the right choice
when I let Sedita be placed. He has a loving home all to himself, and all dogs should be so lucky. If your dog is Career Changed, please think 
about what would be best for both their life and yours.
 
Puppy Raising: Then and Now
Submitted by: Cassie G.
 
 Being a new puppy raiser has been a very fun experience so far. I am learning new things every day. It is a very challenging 
project, but I’ve been enjoying it.
 Before I started raising my puppy I thought it was going to be much easier, after all, I had only worked with puppies that were
half way through their training and very well behaved. The older puppies sleep through the night, are able to go longer without relieving, 
are easier to control, and are much calmer than the baby puppies. When my puppy Trekker arrived, I realized he wasn’t going to know 
what all the older puppies knew. Of course I didn’t expect him to, but I really realized how challenging it was going to be when I got him.
What I realized is that it IS a lot of work and responsibility! But fortunately that work is fun. It is very rewarding working with your puppy
every day and seeing what your puppy is learning as you go through its training. I’ve learned a ton! The people in my group help me a 
lot with suggestions and advice. My wonderful leader is also always there when I have a question. I’ve learned more about dogs, such 
as what their needs are, how much food they should get as they get older, how much exercise they need, what sort of grooming they 
need to stay healthy and happy, and much much more! What you really need to do the first few weeks is constantly stay with your 
puppy and mold their behavior. Sometimes when I get frustrated, I just have to keep in mind that I’m doing this for a person that really 
needs a guide and friend. I know I still have a lot to learn, and I’m really excited to keep going. I enjoy puppy raising and I’m looking 
forward to continue to train my puppy!
 
Fun Day 2004: A K-9 Corral
Submitted by: Mary H.
 
  Save the weekend of July 24th for a fun trip to Guide Dogs for the Blind. This year’s theme is Western, yee haw! We have
 reserved a block of rooms for our club at the Best Western Novato Oaks again for July 23rd and 24th. Our rate again is $94 for a 
single or double, a good rate for Marin County in the summertime. Children under 18 stay for free. Novato Oaks has large rooms
 with plenty of room for a crate. There are hair dryers, coffee makers and refrigerators, and a nice pool and ping-pong table. There 
is a continental breakfast provided. The phone number to make your reservation is (800) 625-7466. Best Western will let you 
cancel up to the day of arrival with no charge to your credit card. Our rooms are blocked under “Far-Sighted 4-H” when you call 
to reserve. Saturday, July 24th is Fun Day at Guide Dogs for the Blind. On Sunday, July 25th, our club will be taking the Golden 
Gate Ferry from Larkspur to San Francisco, taking a bus to Pier 39 and walking around Pier 39. Golden Gate Ferry lets our
 puppy raisers and puppies ride for free when we make a group reservation. All other family members will be paying for their
 fare. Adult fare is $5.60 each way. The weekend family fare price lets two children 12 and under travel FREE with each full 
fare adult. The ferry trip is a great socialization experience for your Guide Dog Puppy and is a fun day! We take the 9:40 am 
ferry from Larkspur and will be back in Larkspur by 3:30 that afternoon.
 
Ringing in the Giving
Submitted by: Chris W.
 
 So, what do Guide Dog puppies and bells have in common besides being noisy? They are a great draw for the 
Salvation Army red kettle. This last Christmas, me and my family did something we have never done before; we took a 
puppy to Wal-Mart and rang a bell for Salvation Army for an hour. Actually, my mom and I took turns ringing the bell and
 taking care of our adorable yellow lab guide dog puppy in-training named Tucker.  
 At first, ringing the bell was loud and felt kind of weird because it made people look at us but after the first couple
 of minutes it didn’t matter anymore, we got used to the sound and we got pretty good at ringing the bell. When you ring a 
bell for an hour or even half that time, you find all sorts of ways to make it fun, and we got some really cool beats going. 
But, the most attention went to Tucker as people of all ages wanted to pet him. Even grumpy people smiled when they saw 
Tucker- he is pretty cute. Everyone had questions about raising guide dog puppies- did you get to name him; how long 
do you get to keep him; do you take him everywhere; where does he go for further training; isn’t it going to be hard to give 
him up? The Wal-Mart workers even came out to see us a couple of times. Some people just stopped to chat for a moment 
before rushing off again. Not only did we have a lot of questions, we also had a lot of giving. People were very generous with 
their money. Even the littlest kids got to give. They had so much fun dropping money in the kettle, then, of course they got to 
pet the puppy. 
  Christmas goes by so fast! It was fun to take some time to do something different. It really made me feel good 
to know we were doing something for people who need help and we had a really good time doing it and we can’t wait to do 
it again next year. It would be fun to have a Far-Sighted 4-H ring-a-thon. Prizes to the most creative ringer, to the longest ringer, 
to the loudest ringer, etc. What a great way to start Christmas, or any time.
 
 

+ = Fun

                Community Service

Phase Reports as of 1/8/04

PUPPY	PHASE
Alexi	8
Ramla	4
Solo	3
Tyrol	8

Happy Birthday!
WHO	WHEN
Joey L.	January 11
Saundra	January 11
Cassie G.	January 11
Allison D.	January 12
Lauren W.	January 17
Michael F.	January 18
Bradley	January 21
Eve H.	January 29
Laura H.	February 20
Brendyn K.	February 23
Diana D.	February 26

News of our graduates and career changes

Congratulations to the Taylor family for Saundra going into class!

She is scheduled to graduate Jan. 24, 2004 at Guide dogs for the Blind in San Rafael.

Calendar

January 17--- 9:30am

January 24--- Guide dog graduation Day @ 1:30pm

No Meeting

January 31---10am

Snow Day---details to follow

February 7---9:30am

Downtown Clovis

February 14---9:30am

Bus Trip

February 21---Time to be determined

4-H Presentation Day

February 21---Guide dog graduation Day @ 1:30pm

No Meeting

Got an idea for a meeting? Let us know.
We are always looking for new places to meet.