Visiting Dad at the Hospital

B: "Get well soon!"

"Therapy Dogs" Spreading Christmas Cheer at Hospital

These "Therapy Dogs" were spreading Christmas Cheer to the patients in Med/Surg.

It was very kind of these dogs and their people to take time out from Christmas Day to visit and cheer up patients.

Their people said these dogs are "American Labrador Retrievers". Both dogs weigh 125+ pounds and are apparently normal size for their breed.

They visited my father, along with other patients, and both dogs were very gentle and sweet. 

Sorry for blurry photos, taken with phone. 

 

Guess Who . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .  B went to visit today?

B had a wonderful time, and passed out this evening from exhaustion in front of the fire in the fireplace because she was so excited to see Santa Claus and other dogs. 

B gave Santa her Christmas List, which I'm sure had tennis balls and treats on it. ;-)

Enjoy the photos of B with Santa.

B in her CCI vest

B in the Christmas spirit

Saturday at Work

A quiet day at work. B does very well, and is content to hang out under the desk.

Dog Get Together

Today B and I met a CCI Board Member that is local, and her two CCI Therapy dogs.

We hiked at Paige Meadows. After the hike, we went to the local high school to use their tennis courts for the dogs to play.

At the tennis courts, we threw balls for the dogs. B really was having a lot of fun. Then this man from California Fish & Game comes up to us and requests that we put our dogs away, as they are about to release a bear back into the wild. So we run to the cars, put the dogs in the cars and run back hoping to see the bear go by, but we missed it.

It was great to meet her and her two CCI Therapy dogs.

First Snow

What a beautiful girl!

Meeting Teddy. . .

We are just in from our walk. We didn't finish our walk, because . . . . . .

as we came around a corner in a sagebushy area . . . . . .

We met Teddy. . . . . .  

bear!  

We were walking this trail just before dinnertime, as a last walk of the day. 

We were coming to an area where the manzanita is thick, and where the trail curves. B halted, and I figured she was looking at a squirrel that was nearby as she was looking in that direction. 

I had to force B into moving forward, and then we practically stumbled onto a black bear that was on all fours and engrossed in something on the ground. The bear jumped, then stood up, then got down on all fours, and started running up the hill. 

B and I ran down the hill for an eighth of a mile until we were back home. That was scary! We were within ten feet of that bear. 

B was much smarter than I was. I should have paid attention to why she was not wanting to continue on our walk. Smart girl!

I had been talking to B the whole time as a lot of locals do that as a tactic to avoid bears by alerting the bears to voices of people nearby, so the bears have a chance to run off before being seen. I'm not sure why that bear didn't hear us, but it did seem very engrossed in whatever it was looking at, perhaps eating manzanita berries which is a delicacy for bears. 

B will be wearing a bear bell from now on. It looks like a large jingle bell, and it attaches to the dog's collar with velcro.

Photo was taken later, but illustrates the bear bell.

First Visit to Lake

B was playing with the waves at first.

A beautiful autumn day

Gorgeous day! We explored an aspen grove not far from home.

 

First Day at Home

B listening and watching her first Stellar's Blue Jay.

Graduation!

Graduation day was wonderful, and such a great day for all of us.

First, we met our puppy raisers, then had lunch with them. Lunch was generously provided by the Petaluma Lions Club, and they did a great job - everything was delicious and the tables were beautifully set. 

B's puppy raisers are two amazing women. I was so impressed with K and S, and so thankful to them for doing such a great job with B. I really enjoyed meeting with them and having lunch with them. B has had a wonderful life with the puppy raisers, including learning a lot and being exposed to a wide variety of different things, including other animals. 

The graduation ceremony itself was very touching and emotional for most of us. 

After the ceremony, I was fortunate to be able to visit further with B's puppy raisers K and S, and to meet B's breeder caretaker (B's mother Z, and her person D), and B's grandmother B (whom she is named after, how sweet!), B's half-sister G, and their person B. I thought it was wonderful that D and B support CCI and all the puppies that Grandma B and Mother Z have had. It really does take a village to raise and train one little puppy, and I am so appreciative of all of the people involved with CCI. 

After everyone left, we said good bye to our classmates and their partners that were heading home. I choose to stay one extra night rather than brave the Friday commute traffic. Luckily I had some classmates keeping me company, and we all went out to a wonderful dinner at Old Chicago Pizza in Petaluma. After dinner, we all had a nice visit, and our dogs played.

In all, it was a wonderful class and amazing experience. I will miss everyone and their partners, but look forward to keeping in touch with everyone.  

Our Official Graduation Photo

 

Last Week of Class

This whole week has been a blur. We have been more "hands on" with our dogs this week, going on field trips, plus busy with establishing a routine with our dogs. 

We had our final exams today, and everyone and their dogs did well.

Tomorrow is graduation and we are all so excited to be starting our new lives with our partners. I think everyone has the perfect partner for them. I am really looking forward to meeting the puppy raisers. They have done a wonderful job with B, and I am so grateful to them and everyone at CCI.

Introducing My New Partner

My new partner is a beautiful Golden Retriever / Labrador Retriever mix. She is two years old, and so smart. 

B is a joyful girl, and always has a wagging tail. She enjoys cuddling, but is always ready to work at a moment's notice to alert me to sounds.

I am grateful to her breeder caretaker, her puppy raiser, and to the trainers, for doing such an excellent job with B. Thank you! I really feel very blessed, and I am so grateful for having B as my partner.

Thank you also to everyone associated with CCI, because you are providing so many people with wonderful, smart, confident and joyful Assistance Dogs. 

Visiting the Charles M. Schulz Museum

I wanted to see the Charles M. Schulz Museum because he and his family have done a lot for CCI. 

So after class, I made a quick trip to the museum, and it was very interesting.

Besides the museum, there is also the ice rink, and the gift shop, where I picked up a few souvenirs.

Here are some photos, but if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit. 

Approaching the museum, note Snoopy
on top of his doghouse on the right

Amazing 2-story high wall mural made out of
actual published Peanuts comic strips

Close up of wall mural

a small section of the upstairs

Everything is so detailed,

even the bathrooms!

Nice touch! Tile repeats throughout
the bathrooms, including the stalls.

Snoopy and Woodstock playing in wet cement?

Snoopy's Home Ice

Art gallery and gift shop, note the replica of Charles M. Schulz'
Hollywood star in lower right corner.

Sopwith Camel, taken from the upstairs of the gift shop,
picture taken in honor of my father, a pilot

An example of how international Snoopy was

pictures taken in honor of a friend in Italy

Seventh Day of Class

Since it is Sunday and our day off, this will be very short. Normally I would have driven to the coast, and/or visited with friends, which I was really looking forward to. Since I had a bad cold, I chose to kennel the dog and just stay in and rest. I was really bummed as it was a beautiful autumn day outside.

Some of my classmates got out and saw some of this gorgeous area, so I was very happy that at least they got out and got to have some fun!

I am grateful for the CCI kennel staff in taking excellent care of the class dogs.

Once we picked up our dogs from the kennel, we took them to one of the dog playgrounds here on the CCI campus, and let the dogs play together. They all had a blast.

In all, it's been a quiet day, and I really hope I get my voice back tomorrow so that the dog is able to understand what I want and be able to respond accordingly.

So tonight will be an early night.

Sixth Day of Class

Everyone seemed relieved it was Saturday. It was such a beautiful day out, and we have all had a long week, especially those of us with colds. The trainers were wonderfully patient with us, and I'm sure they both were looking forward to having Sunday off also.

We started with reviewing the dogs' second night at "home" in our dorm rooms. All dogs did very well. Then we moved on to soundwork, and did that most of the morning. We worked with the timer and also an alarm clock.

The National Board was here for their board meeting, so we were all looking forward to meeting the board members and sharing with them how much we appreciate CCI, the staff, and the wonderful dogs. I know I would have liked to be able to talk more to the board members, but I had lost my voice due to this cold, so I didn't really talk to them as I had hoped to. I'm sure my awesome classmates and their TAs (Training Assistants) did a great job in expressing all of our appreciation to the board members.

We all had a wonderful lunch with the board members, which was delicious Mexican food. I wasn't able to get the name of the restaurant that catered it, but the food was absolutely perfect. Some "volucheers" and some CCI staff generously came in on their own time on this weekend day to assist with the set up and clean up of lunch.

After lunch, we learned some new commands, which were, "bed" and "shake". We also learned how to explain to people that may approach us that these dogs are working dogs, and that it really is best not to pet them. When petting the dog, the dog then thinks it is off duty and doesn't have to work. If you ever meet anyone with a service or assistance or working dog, it really is best to ask the handler what they prefer before acknowledging the dog, as everyone is different and has different ways and methods. Some may allow shaking the dog's paw, but some may prefer you not do that. All dogs and classmates did very well, as usual, with using "bed" and "shake".

As the day went on, I was losing more and more of my voice. I stopped trying to give the dog commands because it was starting to get a little confused, especially if I started saying the first syllable of the command hoarsely then lost my voice on the second syllable. So it was only setting it up to get into the habit of not always responding, which I don't want to occur. It is a smart dog, and it is testing me because it is still getting to know me, and getting to know what I will accept and not accept, and that's only natural.

At the end of the day, the trainers reviewed the day with us, and said they were very pleased with everyone doing so well. They also gave us the choice of kenneling or not kenneling our dogs for Sunday. I chose to kennel it because I wanted to rest, and especially to get over this cold quicker and hopefully get my voice back. I thought maybe I could get a few naps in and it would be bored, so maybe it would get to play with other dogs in the kennel.

Saturday evening most of us just hung out and started to recoup from the long week. We really learned a lot, and as the trainers pointed out just before end of today's class, that we all have made amazing progress with our dogs. I agree, and it's thanks to the breeder caretakers, the puppy raisers, and the trainers who ensure the dogs are fully trained and ready before class begins, and then the way the trainers present the material to us, we learn quickly and easily.

Fifth Day of Class

We are all happy that it is Friday and close to the end of a very long first week of classes, as we have class tomorrow. We are learning a lot. Almost everyone has a cold, so it's been not easy. We are all trying our best and the trainers are really understanding of those of us who aren't feeling 100% including myself. 

I am very impressed with CCI as a whole, and how the trainers adjust the schedules to fit everyone's needs the best, and the wonderful accommodations (the living in these beautiful newly remodeled dorms, but also the trainers understanding that we all have different needs).

Anyway, the dogs were all very excited to work for their partners, and unfortunately I was moving slow today. I really hope we all feel much better tomorrow, but we are fortunate to get Sunday off. I will probably rest on Sunday, and try to regroup for a new week, hopefully where we all are back to our normal health.

I am not a trainer, and this is just IMHO (In My Humble Opinion). The dogs all seem so wonderful, they are such beautiful and handsome, extremely happy dogs, and so excited to work for us all. Even though I have been through two classes before elsewhere, I am so impressed with this program here at CCI, the dogs, the "voluncheers" and all the staff. I leave class each day for the evening feeling confident and empowered, and I think that says a lot for the coursework and how hard the trainers work with us on the material (everything from the textbook to training to dog handling).

Some of us, including myself, were a little bit nervous about our first field trip today, and everyone was talking about it before class started this morning. When class started, the trainers were quick to reassure us about our abilities to do well on the field trip. Everyone and their dogs did well at yesterday's practice lunch, and luckily, today's field trip went well. Kudos to the staff of CCI and to Fresh Choice in Rohnert Park and their staff for ensuring a successful field trip for our September 2012 class!

This morning we worked on timer sound training and also added a new sound, an alarm clock. So that went very well and it was interesting. My pre-match did very well, but was a little hyper. As I didn't feel very well this morning, I didn't walk the dog as far as usual before class like I normally would have. One of the trainers suggested that I throw a ball for the dog and also let it run in the enclosed play yard with other dogs.

After we did the soundwork, we went back to the classroom for the lectures on how to load and unload the dogs into our cars, and also about safety. Then it was time for the dogs to receive their new CCI Working Dog vests! They are beautiful vests, as they are blue with yellow. All of the dogs seemed excited to receive their new vests.

We then went to Fresh Choices and my pre-match did very well in line, and in allowing me to balance a tray with a bowl of steaming hot soup, salad, dessert, and a drink on it. Then we started to find a place to sit down, and two little toddler brothers ran past several times, very closely and brushing up against the dog each time they ran by. I was not appreciative of that, as I had hot food and was worried about holding the dog's leash and wondering if the tray would go flying. Luckily, thanks to the dog, it did very well, and did not even react to the little boys. 

The dog also did very well under the table, as I accidentally dropped a piece of a hard boiled egg, and it did not try to grab it at all, nor did the other dog that was under the table with it. So kudos to both dogs for a job very well done! The dog had a bumpy moment, because a staff member came up to the table with a small portable manual vacuum and went towards the dog with it, so it jumped from a down to a sit, which was totally understandable. I must really commend this dog very highly as it startled, jumped then got right back into a down stay, all on its own! I am so proud of it. So smart, and so well-trained.

After we left the restaurant, we had more soundwork, then we had another lecture, then we ended for the day. So as usual after class, I did the homework and quizzes. Then the dog and I went outside to the play yard so it could run and play with two other dogs, including its friend from lunch today. It was such a beautiful evening that we all hated to go inside. The trainer's suggestion worked out very well, as due to my bad cold, the dog was still able to get its workout in while I was able to not have to do so much. I tried something new in the play yard. It's a stick thingy with a cup for holding a ball inside it, and it makes it easier to throw balls for the dog. It is wonderful, and I will buy one. Below is a short video of my pre-match (Black Lab mix) stealing a ball from a classmate dog (Yellow Lab mix). I hadn't realized she was stealing the ball at the time of filming this, so unfortunately shut the phone off just as she was running off with the ball.

Anyway, the dog and I are off to bed, as we both have a very busy day again tomorrow. Tomorrow we are having a Mexican lunch, as they are apparently having a board meeting here at the CCI campus (as it is the National Headquarters). The Board members requested that they include our class and the trainers at their luncheon, which is very sweet and thoughtful of them. They may regret it later due to our colds, but hopefully not!

Fourth Day of Class

This morning, we were all excited for class to start, knowing that we would be having our first night at "home" in our dorm rooms with our pre-matches. I had already put my shoes away as Ginza ate the top part of one Sorel boot when she first got matched with me.

Today we had several very informative lectures on Canine Health, and Canine Communication. I am really learning a lot here.

We did a lot of training practices, mostly working with the timer and getting the dogs to respond to us in different situations. Just before lunch we did a quick walk so they could do their business if needed. Then we came back inside and practiced with us holding empty plates with our dogs on leash, in preparation for our field trip tomorrow to a buffet place. 

Once we got the hang of handling plates and dogs on leashes, we tried again during our lunch with actual food on plates, holding the dogs' leashes, and walking with them to the table. We had a nice lunch, chicken salad on croissants provided by the "voluncheers".

After lunch we did another walk then we had another class lecture (the one on Communication). Then we went back to doing soundwork with the timers but making it more challenging for the dogs to push them a little bit. 

One dog did not want to do the soundwork. She actually refused to respond to the timer, so one of the trainers thought maybe she was upset about her new collar. So they tried to get the dog to have another go at responding to the timer, but this dog just tucked her tail in between her legs and ran to her crate, and nosed the door open so she could enter the crate. When the door opened, she jumped at the sound of the door slamming into the crate next to her own crate, then she got inside her crate, and managed to pull shut the door to her crate! 

So the trainer said, "get her outside". Yep, that was the problem. She had to go and apparently she didn't want to try to practice as she may have been afraid of having an accident, bless her heart. Once she came back from outside, she was fine and did a great job on the soundwork. Smart girl!

At the end of the day we had another lecture, which was about taking our dogs "home" tonight to our dorm rooms for the first time. They covered everything in the lecture, and it was an excellent lecture, so I felt confident in taking my pre-match "home" tonight. My pre-match is behaving very well, and is asleep next to me, but it was still good to hear what to do in certain examples, just in case.

Edited to add after Graduation:

First night at "home" in the dorm

Third Day of Class

Class went well today. I am really enjoying the class and the dog that has been pre-matched. The dog that I have been pre-matched with has been such a sweetheart. Very intelligent, well-behaved and a joy to have around. I could say the same about every dog in the class. 

We spent most of today on our feet working the dogs and training them to "alert" (touch us), and then after that we started training them to alert us to a timer beeping. It was hard for a lot of the class dogs. Some got confused and went to alert the trainers instead, which is understandable, as they've been spending months with the trainers. 

I was glad to get more active and hands-on with the dogs. This is normal, we will start having more and more hands-on with the dogs and not so much time in the classroom. 

Lunch provided by the "voluncheers" was delicious, as usual. It was chicken fettucinie alfredo, green salad, and garlic bread, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert. It is so wonderful that the "voluncheers" do this for our class, and I really appreciate it so much. I must get some of these recipes from the "voluncheers" as everything has been so incredibly yummy.

After lunch we did more soundwork training, then did several walks, where we go outside and practice commands with our dogs like "sit", "stay", "down", "heel", and "wait".

Then we came back inside and we learned about dog health, and dog grooming, including clipping nails which is nerve-wracking for me, and brushing their teeth, cleaning their ears and other places, etc. 

Sunday is our day off from class. Some of the classmates will probably tour this beautiful area. CCI recommends we all take it easy and rest up for the week ahead, which I agree with. But some people get revitalized by going outside or doing something new, so I can understand wanting to see some of this area.

Since I grew up not far from this area, I suggested some places to check out:

•  Bodega Bay and eating at the Tides Wharf restaurant (featured in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"), and going to Schoolhouse beach not far from there (most beaches in Northern California are rocky, but Schoolhouse is sandy and has great shells and sea glass). Of course, be extremely careful, as Northern California beaches can be dangerous - don't approach the edge of any cliffs, and don't get too close to the surf or turn your back to the ocean, as rogue waves can wash you away.

The Tides Wharf Restaurant & Bar

Sonoma County Beaches


•  Mendocino (even though it's a little far)

 Mendocino

 Mendocino County


•  Fort Ross (A Russian fort)

Fort Ross State Historic Park 

Fort Ross 

Ft. Ross on Wiki 


•  Jack London's home in Glen Ellen, and the town of Sonoma, especially visiting the Sonoma Cheese Factory (tours and deli), and walking around downtown and the Square

Jack London State Historic Park

Jack London SHP 

Sonoma Cheese Factory 

About the town of Sonoma 

Sonoma Square 


•  Petaluma Village Premium Outlet Mall

Petaluma Village Premium Outlets Mall 


Last, but not least: 

Since CCI is supported by Charles and Jean Schulz, there is the Charles M. Schulz Museum, aka the Snoopy Museum. There is also ice skating there.

Charles M. Schulz Museum

Snoopy's Home Ice

Second Day of Class

Today started very foggy, which is typical for Santa Rosa at this time of year. Even though it's autumn, the flowers are all still blooming which amazes me. The grounds here are just impeccably gorgeous! CCI is very fortunate that Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts/Snoopy comic strip, and his wife Jean Schulz donated the 11 acres and funds to build this amazing campus, home of CCI's National Headquarters and home of CCI's Northwest Applicant Program. Even though Charles Schulz has passed away, his wife Jean Schulz has very generously continued to support CCI. Mrs. Schulz sends her personal gardener over twice a week to work on the grounds here at CCI, and everyone, dogs included, enjoy the various flowers and scenery.

Everyone was so excited at breakfast, as we all knew that we would have our pre-match this morning. I was excited, but also cautiously optimistic because we were constantly warned a few times that pre-matches can be changed during the rest of this week. I have seen matches changed before, but it's not common. K has been training here at CCI for many years, so I am confident in his and S's decisions on the matches.

I was pre-matched with a dog, but out of respect for CCI's wishes, I will keep the details quiet for now. Everyone seems delighted with their pre-match. Some of us are understandably nervous and unsure, but that is normal. I didn't like either one of my two previous Hearing Dogs at first, but of course grew to love them and am so thankful to have met two wonderful Hearing Dogs and shared my life with both of them. So I look forward to welcoming and loving a new successor Hearing Dog.

As the day went on, everyone started becoming more at ease and more confident in their own dog handling skills. We practiced commands such as "no/don't", "sit", "down"; then we learned new commands such as "heel", "come", "stay" and "wait". We practiced on Fluffy (what we call the "invisible dog" that is actually a trainer) first, then we were able to start practicing on the dogs we were pre-matched with. We practiced inside at first with less distractions in a more controlled environment, then we got to go outdoors and walk around in two different sessions so that was nice to get outside for a bit, as the fog had lifted by then and it turned into a beautiful warm autumn day. 

Edited after Graduation to add this photo:

First time meeting B, during the pre-match

 

First Day of Class

Today was a long day, but I am very happy and excited to be here.

There are nine people in my class. All have family or a friend attending class with them except for myself and three other people. Most of us are from the west coast. Two are from the central USA.

I knew before coming here that I probably have bad habits because I let Ginza have her way in the last few years due to her renal failure issues, but I want to remain open to everything and work hard to learn from the trainers all the new ways and methods. 

Class this morning started with the lectures. Then we took a break, followed by more lectures. Then we started working with the trainers and leash techniques, and worked on learning three commands with the trainers. Yep, the trainers were on leash!  ;-)

We had lunch which was kindly provided by the "voluncheers" (volunteers), who fed 25 people (including themselves - 3 women), our two trainers, plus other CCI staff joined us for lunch.

After the delicious lunch, we practiced again with the trainers on a leash. Then they brought in ten dogs: 7 female Yellow Lab mixes, 1 male Yellow Lab mix, 2 Black Lab mixes (think one is female, not sure of the other one). When it was my turn, I was third to go. I got to work with a Yellow Lab, who was a sweetie pie. I (and all the other students with other dogs) had to tell her to sit, then to walk with me, then when we stopped, to have the dog to lie down. I flubbed it a little because I'm used to heeling (and not the new command which the trainers say is not the same as heeling), where the dog automatically sits when stopped with heeling.

After everyone had a turn with the dogs, we moved on to practicing with the trainers on down, walking in a circle, and sit. After this, they brought the dogs back out again. I had a different Yellow Lab this time, also very sweet and gentle.

The purpose of working with these dogs today is so that the trainers can all see how we handle dogs, how we act with dogs, our personalities, what comes natural to us, and so on. I was told that I walk too fast and to slow down. :-) That's another bad habit I need to break, as I had been taught to walk fast to "keep the dog interested" with Ginza and Riddle. I was also nervous, so I probably walked faster than normal too.

After everyone had their turn with the dogs, we had another lecture, and then homework was handed out, then class ended for the day. Most of the CCI staff came in to introduce themselves, and they offered an optional tour of the campus (11 acres). It was a wonderful tour, and I really enjoyed seeing the gorgeous campus again.

Tomorrow morning, we will have what they call "pre-match" which is not always the dog you end up graduating with. That should be really interesting. I am excited to see whom I am assigned to and whom my classmates end up with. I've always had an excellent match, so I am confident the CCI trainers will be pre-matching me with a lovely dog. I am really looking forward to meeting it.

Now I should go and get started on my homework.

Preparing for Class

Once I received my letter from CCI inviting me to the September 2012 class, and after confirming my place in this class, I started preparing.

Again, this is just from my own personal experience from having had two other Hearing Dogs, and having gone through classes with both of them. I'm posting this in the hopes it may help others who may be going to a class for a Service Dog, whether at CCI or elsewhere.

I wanted the dog to come home to a peaceful, stress-free (as possible) environment, so there were several things I took care of before class.

I had the carpets cleaned after my last Hearing Dog was ill and had passed away. I got the carpets cleaned again, just before class, because I normally have them cleaned twice a year anyway in spring and autumn. I wasn't sure how a new dog would react to the noise of the carpet cleaning equipment so soon after coming home with me, especially since it's a Hearing Dog and may be more sensitive to sounds than the average dog.

I also had other small projects taken care of at home that required a handyman (thanks Al)! I bought two "racks" that are made to hold surge protectors, and Al hung them up for me. This got the surge protectors and computer cables off of the floor, giving the new dog more room if it wanted to be underneath my desk when I am working. It's also nice to be able to stretch my legs out now! Another plus is that air circulates around the surge protectors much better so it's cooler under the desk.

My mother and I went to the fabric store, and picked out a nice, thick dark blue corduroy material for the dog bed, and we had a local seamstress sew it up using the old cover from the bed as a template. This came out beautifully, and I think it will hold up a lot better than the original material which seemed a bit thin and flimsy.

CCI recommended that we not purchase anything for the dog, especially since we don't know the size of the dog, and I agree with that; however, I had already had this dog bed and my last dog really loved it, as it fits the space near my bed perfectly and is so nice and thick.

Just before leaving town for class, I did a lot of cooking and freezing, so I'd have meals ready to thaw once I was home. Class can be a lot of work and they teach you a lot of information, so by the time you get home, you're usually tired. I also did the autumn deep clean, so I wouldn't have to do it after I got home with my new partner.

I also took my car to the mechanic and had them look over everything to make sure it was in good shape, plus had some work done such as an oil change. I didn't want to risk anything going wrong during class especially when we are to take field trips as a class. 

If you're attending a class, please consider bringing comfortable clothes and shoes because you'll be active and working with dogs, and you want to be fully focused on class and learning. Also, layers are good, so if the weather changes quickly you'll be comfortable. 

I can't believe I leave tomorrow morning for class, and I'm a little nervous, but I know I'll be fine once I get on the road.

I am getting so excited about class, and having a new partner in crime! I know it will be a lot of work, but it should also be fun. I look forward to meeting new people and their new partners, and hopefully making some wonderful friends for lifetime.

Visiting CCI's Santa Rosa Campus

In early August, I went to visit the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) organization, at their National Headquarters and Northwest Region Campus in Santa Rosa, California. I was very impressed by this program.

First, we started off with a tour of the campus. This was delightful, especially when we saw the puppies being socialized in their playgroup under the supervision of several voluncheers (volunteers). 

Wouldn't this be a fun job to volunteer at?

Next, we saw dogs being bathed and groomed. Throughout the tour of the campus, we learned about how Charles and Jean Schulz (of Snoopy and the Peanuts comic strip) donated the land and funds to build the campus. Jean Schulz is still very active with CCI.

Walking all over campus, we saw rope pulls on doors, along with items on the ground such as dropped wallets and cell phones. This is for training dogs to open doors and pick up dropped items. 

At the end of the tour, the tour guide (one of the Hearing Dog trainers) gave us an overview of the program, then had us walk with a dog a short way down a hallway. After we walked with the dog, we all had our individual interviews. My interview went well and addressed my concerns and questions. 

It is a gorgeous campus, and the grounds are meticulous. All of the staff is professional and extremely dedicated to the program, the dogs, and the well-being of the dogs. The dogs I met were well-adjusted, happy and cheerful dogs who behaved very well. 

The agility course. The dog wind vane on the roof is a cute touch and an example of how meticulous the details are.