GDB meeting

Garner's wii eating adventure continues. We had the fine pleasure of seeing what bits of wii remotes look like coming out the other end. The poor guy! But at least he didn't eat the batteries or any of the computer chip parts. I am sure you are all getting tired of seeing pictures of dogs but honesty, besides work there isn't too much going on in our lives worth taking pictures of. How sad but true.

"Who me? You say I ate the Wii remotes and the green flip flops? Not me, I would never eat a non Guide Dog Approved toy. Can't you see the honesty in my eyes?"

We had our once a month GDB meeting tonight. I took my camera and took lots of pictures but then when I got home there were only a few pictures on the card. I don't know what happened. I had some really cute ones too. Oh well, below are a few of the ones that didn't get deleted. I will have to try it again next month.

John was showing us how to correctly put a "gentle leader" onto Gabrina. A lot of the dogs don't like these very much but they can be very helpful. Gabrina looks at her raisers as if to say, "please don't let him put this on me....please, I am so cute, please."

This is Ana, she will be going back for training in the next month or so.

Bloomer plays close attention to the announcements that Fred is making.  She will be headed back as a potential breeder in a month or two also.

Tim checks out Gabrina's backside, and thinks, "I sure would like to smell that!"

A good try...

I have the day off today so Alex and I got up early to go skiing - Vail got 8 new inches last night. But unfortunately we also got about 2 inches. Normally we don't get snow when the mountains do. The problem was not the snow but the fact that under the snow was an inch of ice. We were all set to go; car was loaded, Gardner was safe in a guest bedroom with nothing to chew on but his toys (yesterday he ate two of our wii remotes, and a pair of sandals when left alone for an hour) and we had arranged for friends to come over later to let him "do his business". Well, it took us 45 minutes just to get to the highway from our house (normally takes 5). We decided we didn't want to spend the entire day in the car trying to get to the slopes just to have to turn around and come back. We were both bummed but it was probably for the best considering we both have really bad head colds and are a bit cranky.

I spent all day Sunday getting my yard ready for spring and then it snows. UGH! I just hope my freshly trimmed rose bushes don't die. I guess I should have listened to everyone when they told me that we often still get snow in March. Oh well, lesson learned. I hope my daffodils don't die, they were just starting to open up.



I took Gardner out in to the backyard this morning for a game of tug. He had a blast and seems to have taken to the snow much more so than when he was a younger puppy (he's 10 1/2 months now).

Gardner takes a breather after playing tug with me for what seemed like forever. Don't puppies ever run out of energy? He is looking at the geese that are constantly squawking on the pond (apparently early spring is goose matting season, and boy do they let you know!)

The WHOLE family does yard work....

Yesterday it snowed and today it is 70 degrees with blue skies and tons of sunshine! Our Daffodils are starting to bloom and our crocuses are coming up. Alex and I really needed to get out and cut back some plants so the new spring growth could start.

So after breakfast Gardner, Bailey, Bree, Alex and I all headed out into the backyard today to do some trimming. We would have been done way faster if we didn't have to stop every 5 minutes to see what Gardner had found to eat and to get the cats out of the pine trees. They were all having so much fun being outside that it was worth the extra time.

If you look closely you will see both Bailey and Bree on the steps looking up trying to use Jedi mind ticks on me "you don't see us, we aren't here, we are right up on the porch were we are suppose to be."

Gardner had a ton of fun running back and forth across the yard and trying to sneakily eat various things he found in the yard. Much to his chagrin, one of us had an eye on him at all times and kept taking his new found "treats" out of his mouth.


After awhile I got tired of chasing the kitties back up on to the porch so I just let them come down and wander around. They get the mulch stuck in their fur and then deposit it all over the house. But I guess that's why they make vacuum cleaners. The above picture is taken right before Bree decided to make a break for it and run down the steps in to the grass. Alex is doing his engineering thing and making an unbelievable amount of trimmings fit into one garbage can. What a guy!

An exhausting day.

Yesterday was a busy day. Gardner and I got up early and went to Yoga at the gym. It is always a challenge for him to sit still with 40+ people all moving so much around him. He did great though. Klara, our instructor, always gives us a short head rub with scented oils at the end of class. Gardner got a rub too and started sneezing up a storm and then buried his head in my armpit. Poor guy!

After Yoga Alex, Gardner and I went on a long walk around the lake were Gardner got to sniff and socialize with a lot of other doggies. We went without his guide dog vest so he could enjoy himself a bit more. When we got home I cleaned the house and Gardner loves to chase the vacuum cleaner. He then accompanied Alex and I to a Landscaping company's lot to look at rocks for our yard. This was very exciting because for some reason there were several bunnies hopping around between the various rock piles.

Then after helping me make lunch he (Gardner) and I went and ran errands all over town in a strange snow storm that lasted about an hour before again becoming sunny again. (snowing yesterday and 70 today, Colorado's weather is so odd!) When we got home he had to help me in the kitchen by making sure the floor stayed clean while I made dinner and baked cookies. I swear sometimes he thinks he is a vacuum cleaner.

All of that activity resulted in an absolutely exhausted puppy who totally cacked out at eight o'clock not to move again until 9am the following morning. (he is normally up by 6:30am).

It is always best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Progress!

As you all know our kitties are not always super happy about the puppies in our house. We are now officially co-raising Gardner with the Guys, which means we have Gardner two weeks at a time. We got him on Friday and our kitties seem to be doing great with him. They normally do pretty well with him but this time we are really making progress. They will even sniff him now when he is sleeping. We took down all of the barriers around the kitties "room" and Gardner won't touch their food and they won't attack him if he goes in there. It is so nice to finally have everyone getting along.

Look how close they are to Gardner and there weren't even growling. Bree was playing with a piece of string on the carpet.

Exciting Puppy News

Alex and I had dinner with Shawna and Carol Guy tonight and they asked us if we would help them Co-Raise Gardner until he goes back (likely in July or August). We of course said yes! This means we will alternate caring for Gardner every two weeks. Gardner is such a sweet puppy that we are super excited to get to have him around so much. And the kitties don't mind him so that is an added bonus. When Gardner goes back to California for the rest of his training we will get a new puppy. We are planning to Co-Raise it with the Guys as well. Co-raising helps to ease some of the raiser fatigue that occurs. Alex and I are both very excited.

An Early Birthday Present

Alex's birthday is only a few weeks away and I was out shopping for his special day today. I got him a gift that is just what every man wants for his 35th birthday. A wet dry vac!!! With a five horse power engine to boot! You see, for some reason, unknown to me, Alex has taken it upon himself to be in charge of cleaning up after the puppies when they have "accidents". So what better gift could I get him then a way to really clean the messes up? And since a few spots still need work, I thought he could get this present early. I am going to have to get him a few fun gifts to make up for this one. In all seriousness though, he was really excited about the vac! (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

A very long but good ski day....

The mountains got a bunch of snow this past Friday night. So when we woke up and heard it was going to be 40 and sunny in the high country we couldn't help but jump in the car and head to he ski hills. Unfortunately, everyone else in Colorado had the same idea. We were quickly reminded of why we never go skiing on Saturday! The traffic was so bad on the way there that we decided not to go all the way to Vail but rather to get off the highway early and go to A-Basin. We had a fun day skiing (see pictures below) and around 4pm "tried" to head home. Apparently there was an accident on I-70 and the highway was going to be closed for several hours. UGH! We figured this out after sitting in stand still traffic for about 30 minutes. So we choose to head back into town and go to dinner and a movie. By the time we finished all of the that, the highway was clear and free. We got home a "bit" later than expected but at least we made it.

View from the sun deck near the top of the mountain. We sat and ate french fries and took a quick break and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

Me at the top of Montezuma bowl ready to head down. It was so warm!

The top of the back bowl (Montezuma bowl) at A-Basin, the bowl has no relation to the illness many travelers get upon returning from Mexico : )

At the end of the day, Alex decided he wanted to give some jumps a try in the terrain park. I tried to take a picture of him flying off the jump but he landed with such a crash that I missed the shot. All I got was this one of him looking up and trying to figure out what had just happened. Notice one of his skies further up the hill.

We love our kitties too

I feel like over the past few months all I have done is post pictures of the puppies we have been sitting. I don't want people to think we are dog crazy people or that we have forgot about our two kitties.  Bailey, our older kitty with breast cancer, had a "bad" day yesterday and was in a real funk. Despite giving her medicine for her pain, she was still really grumpy and she hasn't been eating well lately. For Bailey this is a huge change because she is a real fatso and a pig. Alex keeps telling me that it is going to be her time to go soon but I just don't want to believe it. She is the sweetest thing ever and seeing her run to the door to greet me when I come home from work at night always make me smile (even if it is only because she knows she gets feed when I come home.)

The cancer center at CSU said she would likely live about 3-6 months after her mastectomy, since there was evidence that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.  So I guess I should feel lucky that she is still with us a year and a half later. But I sure will miss her when it is her time to move on to whatever is next. I'm not sure her daughter Bree will know what to do without her around.

With the puppies out of the house for the first time in weeks, the kitties have gone back to sleeping on the bed with us at night. Both Alex and I have realized how much less sleep we get when they hog the entire bottom of the bed. We are constantly trying not to kick them when we roll over in our sleep. I think maybe we just need to get some backbones and kick them off the bed.

Bailey sits here in the mornings while I do my hair and put on my makeup - waiting anxiously for me to go down stairs and feed her.

Bree's favorite way of looking at the world.

slow week

We are taking a break from puppy sitting this week, so there isn't too much to post on the blog this week. I have been working a lot and Alex has been studying a lot. We did get some possibly good news this week. Alex got offered a position with an engineer at CSU. He wants Alex to design some computer chips for him and in return he will pay Alex's tuition for his masters in Biomedical Engineering. They don't have any stipend money but money for tuition is better than nothing.

On a different note, it has been so warm out here lately (high 60's) that Alex and I bought some flowers to brighten up the house. They are just so pretty I had to share a picture.

The down side of puppies.....

This past weekend Alex and I learned about the down side of having so many puppies in and out of the house all the time. After having so many "accidents" on our living room floor we decided that we needed to clean our carpets. Well, in an attempt to save money we decided to do it ourselves. UGH! We rented a rug doctor and Alex vacuumed while I boiled water for the next run. It took us all day but boy do our carpets look and smell better. We had dusty this past weekend too and of course she and the kitties had to help so it was a fun family affair.

Best Buddies

Leo and Gardner have become the best of buds this week. They won't leave each others side and they even snuggle up together when they sleep. Its so adorable. Leo goes home tomorrow and we are really going to miss the sweet boy.

These aren't the best pictures but it is the best I could get without waking them up. And you know what they say, Let sleeping god lie.

Leo was very interested in Alex's valentine chocolate.

Rose Buds

So ..... No pictures for today's posting, trust me, you wouldn't want to see them. The puppies were playing outside today when Alex realized that they were eating the wild rose hips on our rose bushes. Well....you wouldn't think this would be a horrible thing, but as it turns out, wild rose hips cause EXTREME diarrhea in dogs. Did you know that? We sure didn't. Alex spent his afternoon cleaning up doggie doo doo and keeping the puppies hydrated. He learned that puppies can shoot diarrhea as far as a foot and a half away from their backsides. I think we are seeing a wet-dry vac and a serious carpet cleaning in our future. We love our puppies, they bring us so many things to laugh about.

Teddy Bear

In the world of Guide Dog Puppies there are only certain toys that are allow. For example, Kongs and tug toys are allowed, but large stuffed animals are not approved toys. Leo the Non-GDB puppy we have right now sleeps with a big fuzzy stuff bear and tonight Gardner came running into the living room after having stolen Leo's bear away from him. We had to take it away from him of course, but I couldn't help snapping this picture first. He just looked so cute.

Two Puppies = Twice the joy?

Alex and I are either crazy or we just love having puppies around. This week we have the great pleasure of having two puppies in the house. Garnder is with us again for a week or so. We love him so much! It is really going to be hard to see him go back for training. The other puppy is an adorable golden retriever  that is 5 months old and belongs to a work colleague of mine who went on vacation. Leo, is so incredibly sweet and calm and he and Gardner are having so much fun playing together.

As we got ready to go to sleep last night, the puppies were all snuggled up together on their fuzzy blanket. I was trying to get a picture of how cute they looked all snuggled up and sleeping when in walked two very brave kitties. The puppies must have Kittie ESP because they both woke up an started staring.

Here are a few clips of the puppies running around the house. Hope you enjoy them.

Alex and I did a brave thing tonight. We gave both puppies a bath at the same time. Having learned a valuable tip from other puppy raisers, we put on our swimsuits (so certain human body parts would not get licked or sniffed) and we put both puppies in the shower and scrubbed them up. We learned a couple of things:
1) The fur from two puppies getting a bath simultaneously will quickly clog the shower drain.
2) Two people in a shower washing two puppies are bound to bump their heads together, multiple times.
3) Wet marble floors are very slippery especially for wet dogs trying to shake.
4) Wet puppies that are so excited they have to tinkle in the house get really cold when they are made to go outside to pee instead.

A three day getaway

I was off on Friday, so Alex and I decided to sneak away for a three day ski weekend. The only problem was that we had Gabrina for the Weekend. So we decided to take her with us. We arrived in Dillon around 3pm on Friday and headed out to Keystone for some late afternoon and nighttime skiing. We left Gabrina in her Crate in the hotel room as seen below. However after about 2 1/2 hours on the slops we got a call form the hotel asking us to come back to our room and control our puppy as they had had complaints of her barking. So. . . we rushed back and indeed, Gabrina was expressing her displeasure with being left in the room.

So on Saturday we decided that Gabrina needed to go with us to Vail for the day. We took turns being with her and skiing. She went to Old Chicago with us tonight and slept like a baby under the table the whole time. Below is a video I took on my old digital cameras. I was just goofing around and trying to see if this function worked and I thought it was kind of cute.

Alex and I had a great time at Vail today. We spent almost the whole day on the black runs and boy were we exhausted by the end of the day. I took a couple of really bad falls but thank goodness I didn't hurt anything serious. My pride was hurt a bit but that and the bruises will heal with time. I was goofing around with my old camera and took a couple of video clips of Alex skiing. They are not that great but you might enjoy looking at them anyways.

The First one is Alex going really slow acting like and airplane on a nice easy Green Run. I quickly found that it is really difficult to record him skiing and ski behind him myself. But If the motion doesn't make you too sick it is kind of fun to watch.

The following video is taken with me standing at the bottom of a very steep black part of a run. It doesn't look that steep in the video but it is. I didn't realize that the camera did sound so that is why I didn't say anything.

Where is Mystery?

Last night I was getting ready for bed and Mystery was hanging out in the bathroom with me while I was washing my face. When I finished drying off my face I couldn't find Mystery. I asked Alex if she was with him and no Mystery. Long story short I eventually found her in Alex's closet. One thing you have to know about Alex's closet is that he doesn't believe in hangers, drawers or shelves. He believes clothes are best organized by large piles on the floor. When I walked in his closet this is what I saw. Can you find Mystery in the picture below?

Yep...That black spot in the middle is the top of Mystery's head. She had climbed into the pile of Alex's clothes and gone to sleep.

When I called her name this is the look I got.

She then ignored me and went back to sleep. She is just too cute!!!

The simple joys in life.

Some people say that having children reminds us of the simple joys in life. Kids say what they think and do things often without thinking if they should. We don't have kids to remind us of this but we have PUPPIES........ I was on my way out the door this morning when Mystery (our current 5 month old black lab) reminded me of the joy of stairs. We were walking down the stairs and she was right next to me when all of a sudden she intentionally threw out her front legs and her back legs and went skidding down the stairs on her stomach. She went flying off the bottom step, skidded across the tile and then jumped up wagged her tail and ran in the living room to get a toy. She was so full of joy. I had woken up with a horrible migraine for the third day in a row and yet as cruddy as I felt I laughed from the bottom of my gut and went off to work with a huge smile on my face. We should all remember to slide down he stairs on our tummies more.

So sweet.

Two of my nurses at work have birthday's on Friday. They asked me if I would make them brownies and/or a cake so I decided to make both together. I baked two round pans of brownies and then put them together with fudge icing and iced them like a cake. We will see how it tastes.

Another Beautiful Day at Vail!

Vail has gotten over 30 inches of snow in the past week. We just had to get up early and take advantage of all that fresh snow. We have been so busy that we haven't gone skiing in a few weeks. And again we had fantastic weather. It's not always so clear and sunny in the high country. We've just gotten really lucky that every time we go it's clear as a bell. It was cold today but the sun made it warm a bit.

Alex fell on a black run, you should have seen the snow he kicked up in his tumble....very impressive. And he fell so hard that he broke the brake on his ski and had to go all the way down the rest of the mountain on one ski, which is a very long way at Vail. The funny part was that with the break broken, the ski took off by itself down the mountain and I went chasing after it. It was quit the scene I am sure. It bounced off a few people and eventually came to rest about 500 yards after its start. The good new is that we were able to patch his ski to make it usable for the rest of the day and miraculously Alex wasn't hurt.

Below is shot of each of us about to head back down the same black Alex fell on. We had a great day and came home to very happy kitties unaware that a puppy was about to arrive for another week at the Kaplun family lodge and spa.