Baseball (and Update)

When I was a puppy in training I absolutely loved going to baseball games. As my Momma says, I excel in large crowds of people. I guess I just think it is important to stay focused and behaved in a crowd so that I do not get stepped on or run my momma into anything. Of course, now that I do not have to I do go a little crazy when I see another dog in the crowd.

This particular outing happened after Momma had already left back for her Formal Training. She was so sad that she could not come with all of us, but she did have to move houses so she had to leave. Well, I got to go to baseball again!

Me at the baseball game in all my purple gear with my good friend Marley in the background

Me at the baseball game with Mary

My puppy group had an outing where all of the puppies in training and some career changes got together with a few other groups and their puppies and career changes at the local baseball stadium. And then guess what we got to do. We got to walk the bases before the game started! It was so much fun and Momma is so jealous of us. My granddad walked me around and then we went back to our seats. I was told that I did really, really good that night by a lot of people. It is nice to know that even though I chose not become a Guide Dog that I can still behave well when I need to. I think my people like that as well.

That was really the last really big outing of the summer. I do have another few pictures to post up of when I visited my "grandma", but those are for another day. For now a small update.

My other "grandma" goes to work every Monday now and I always get to go with her. Otherwise I pout and my "granddad" and other "grandma" do not like it when I pout. It tends to end up with one pair less of their reading glasses...anyway, when I go to work I am one happy pup. And I am really good at my job too! My other "grandma" made a little joke and said that my job consisted of finding the most awkward sleeping positions between the printer and desk. Little does she know that the printer would not work were it not for my holding the proper cables in place. It is a pretty tough job, but I somepup has to do it.

My "granddad" also recently had surgery on his tummy. I do not really understand what happened or why. All I know is that I am not allowed to sit on his lap anymore. At least until he heals a little more. I also cannot jump up on him anymore until he heals completely. I am trying to wait patiently, but it is so hard. Momma laughed at me and said that I had become such a lap dog, but when you are the right size why not take advantage of it?

I guess that is really all that has happened since I last posted. I am just being a good girl and waiting to see Momma again.

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

Not Long Now

Momma comes home in just nine more days!!!! I've been getting ready for her visit. I got my yearly check up at Dr. Ramona's and I'm planning on getting myself and Arwen and Rosie to the groomers before she gets here so we can all smell and feel pretty. I don't like smelling like a flower, but for Momma I'll do anything! She's told me that she has some presents for Arwen, Rosie, and myself, but we'll only get them if we've all been good. Arwen doesn't have to try to be good, she just is, but Rosie and I have been trying extra hard not to get into any trouble.

Momma's been giving me a heads up of what we're going to do while she's here. First, my niece FIENNA is coming to visit for an hour or two a few days after Momma gets back. I've been told that I have to be on my best behaviour when Fienna is over.

After that Momma is going away for the weekend! I wasn't too happy that she was going to be gone so soon after she got back, but she said that she had to visit someone since they couldn't be home this summer. She did promise to bring me back something from...Philadelphia I think she called it. I bet you anything she is going to bring me back some cream cheese!

After she gets back there is a puppy meeting, but she says I can't go. *sad puppy dog eyes* I guess it's at the bowling alley and I gave up my access privileges when I decided to not become a Guide Dog but still! I wish I could go...maybe I'll talk to Auntie Mary.

Then we are going to visit my other grandparents in Los Angeles. Momma says that there are two new friends for me to play with now! A poodle named BOO and a kitty cat named CURLEY. *happy puppy ears* I'm so excited, but Momma says that Boo probably won't want to play as much as Curley wants to, but maybe my girlish charm will get him to play.

Then the next weekend is Fun Day. Now, I'm not allowed at Fun Day anymore since they ask for Career Changes to stay at home (something about it being a really big event). But she said that I will have a puppy friend for the Thursday evening before she leaves for the weekend. I don't know much about this friend, but Momma says that she and I will probably get along really well!

I don't know when, but she also says that my first Mommy is probably going to come and visit! I'll get to show her all of my new tricks and maybe go and play at the park with her. It'll be super fun if she comes to visit and I hope they can work it out!

We might also go camping! Or to the beach! So much to do in such little time!

Mostly though, Momma says that we'll be taking early morning walks, hanging out at home and in pet friendly institutions, going to the dog park (at least every other day she says!), and doing some training. I'm pretty excited about getting to strut my stuff as a Pet Ambassador this summer!

My Nieces and Nephews

Hestia snuggling with one of her babies.

 I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've just been so...well, ok I haven't been all that busy. But I have been going to the church with my Grandma Marion whenever I can. My Granddaddy Don says that I'm so good. He came into the office the other day and I didn't move a muscle because I knew I was working. I did get a little excited to see him when we were standing in the actual church, but everyone thought I was cute, so that's ok.

One of Hestia's babies. A little black lab with a white stripe on its chest.

I thought I would give you all an update on my nieces and nephews as well as some pictures (none of which are mine but were all taken by Hestia's momma). They've all gone from the GDB kennels and off to their raising families. I'm still hoping to meet at least one of them, but Momma doesn't think I'll be able to go with her to Fun Day. We'll see though.

One of Hestia's babies at about 4 weeks old. One of her little, yellow labs.

Since they are all out to their raising families I can tell you all their names. Their names Franko, Farley, Fillmore, Finney, Fienna, Freesia, and Fuji. And there is one more, but I just can't remember the name. Some great names thought, from the ones I do remember. I suggested Fillmore and Fuji. Though, there was still a puppy in training named Filly so none of them could be named after me. Haha! I do wish them all the best of luck and I sure hope to all of them graduate one day. As for now my little ones, Auntie Hilly is always proud of you.

Anyway, I leave you with a picture of me laying on my Granddaddy's lap.

Me laying on a lap.

What I Want for My Birthday

Hey everyone! I've been giving it a lot of thought and I've finally decided what I want for my birthday. My momma has the new toys covered so I don't need those. This birthday present is something that all of you, my blogger friends, can help with.

I would absolutely love it if donations were given to Guide Dogs for the Blind in my name. It's really simple to do and it's completely tax deductible!

Here's what you do:

1. Go to the GDB donation page on their website (linked HERE)
2. Choose the "tribute gift" option
3. Once you're redirected to the next page tick the "this is a honor/memorial gift" box
4. You'll be asked to name the honoree; for that put either "CC Hilly's 2nd Birthday" or "Dylan/Aqua "H" Puppies' 2nd Birthday
4. Then fill in the rest of the information

Any amount helps GDB make the perfect match between blind/visually impaired person and dog. Let's flood GDB with honoree donations made out for my second birthday!

Halette, Hestia, and Me!

Wow! It's been a month since I last posted. Unfortunately, it's been he same old story here at home. I got to work with my Grandma three times a week and supervise her work and the other two days are my days off. I sit around the house and sleep. I like those days off, but I also really like going to work with my Grandma.

I have some more news on Hestia and Halette. Remember how Halette was suppose to graduate back in February? Well, something happened and she was taken out of class. I don't really know why, but she's still showing up on the phase reports which means that her perfect person is out there somewhere. I hope he or she gets to Guide Dogs soon. It looks like Halette is going to spend our birthday in the GDB kennels. At least she'll get to get out there an train.

And Hestia? Hestia is at Guide Dogs for her long stay. She's due to give birth to those puppies any day now! Look at how big she was on the day her Momma dropped her off at Guide Dogs. I hope those puppies get here soon. I really can't wait to meet them...if I get to meet them. 

Hestia looking all run down and HUGE! She's ready to pop those babies out!

 Oh! Also, this is a picture of Hestia on her new ramp. She got so big that she couldn't jump into the car anymore. Haha! If she's anything like me, not being able to hop would kill her. I'm sure she is ready to have her babies.

Hestia using her ramp to get into her car. She was 80lbs! That's huge for us tiny dogs.

That's all for now. I'm trying to think of a big birthday celebration post. I've been trying to think of what I want and I think I've almost decided. But I'll let you know closer to my birthday!

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

New Toy

While I miss my Momma a looooot, I've come to realise that living with my grandparents isn't that bad. They take me for walks and let me sleep on the bed. Alright, they don't exactly allow me to sleep on the bed per say. I kind of sneak up there when they're gone for my afternoon nap, but they don't yell at me for it either.

I get to play in our backyard with Arwen and Rosie and even if we play in mud outside and bring it inside I don't get in trouble. And they don't mind that I do my business on the concrete patio out back instead of in the grass when it rains. 

The greatest thing is that they buy me new toys every once in a while. Today, I got a new rope toy. You all know how much I like to play rope now. Yep! My grandparents aren't that bad at all.  

Me with my new orange and black rope toy.

Me tuggin' on my new rope toy.

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

My Fantastic Family

I wanted to share some news about my wonderful family.

A family picture. From left to right: Halette, Hestia, Me!, Hanalei, and Hana. We're all with our raisers.

At Fun Day this year I got to see most of my siblings. I didn't get to see my two sisters Hibachi and Havasu (because she was Career Changed before Fun Day) and my brother Hermes had been turned in for his formal Guide training right before our litter meeting (bummer!). But I did get to see Hestia, Hanalei, Hana, and Halette. 

Hestia (a black lab)

Hanalei (a black lab)

Hana (a black lab)

Halette (a black lab)

We are all very little girls and we found out we have some similar personality traits. It was a lot of fun. As you know after Fun Day I was Career Changed for...being too friendly with other dogs (I just can't help it! They all look so much fun and I really, really want to play with them). But I thought I would give you an update on the rest of the Fam.

My Daddy Dylan was retired from Breeding at GDB. I heard they were all sad because Dylan was a good daddy and had great puppies. I would have to say that I agree with that statement. My Momma Aqua had her second litter of puppies. Halette and Hermes were the first to go back in for training. Halette was dropped from breeding and put back into formal Guide training. She's about halfway through her training! Hermes is in the last part of training which means he's class ready and could graduate anytime! Then Hanalei went into training. Unfortunately, Hanalei was dropped from breeding and guide work because of a cataract in her right eye. (She went home to her raisers just like me!) I haven't heard anything about Hana, but Momma is trying to find out what happened to her. I found out recently that Hestia was accepted as a GDB Breeder! Hooray! That's a pretty successful litter if you ask me. *Grin* I have an amazing family.

I hope that Momma gets to raise one of Hestia's babies when she comes back. I can't wait to her when my first litter of nieces and nephews are born!

Love and Lab Kisses,

Hilly



My New Job!

Hey guys! I know I haven't been updating all that often. I've been soooo busy. Life as a pet is harder than people let on.

My "grandparents" went out of town last weekend and we had a sitter the whole weekend. This was my first weekend without one of my people so I wasn't sure at first, but Shannon was really, really fun. So they are allowed to go away more often now.

Also! Guess what came finally! My Pet Ambassador Scarf! I'm soooo excited to finally have this. My grandparents surprised me by taking me to a group fundraiser so I was able to wear my scarf and see my friends again! I can't wait for Momma to get back so I can wear it all the time.

Me laying down like a good pet ambassador should.

I also heard that my second raiser Momma (I've had three raiser Mommas) might be coming to visit over the summer. I hope she does!

I'll let you you all know the next time something fun happens!

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

From the Computer

Something weird happened yesterday. I was just going about my business and playing with Rosie when all of a sudden I heard Momma's voice. I know she's been gone for forever already, but she wasn't suppose to get back yesterday. So I decided to investigate.

I went over to my "grandpa" because it sounded like her voice was coming from over near him. I jumped up on his lap to tell him that Momma was home somewhere when guess who I saw in his computer. Momma! Momma was in the computer! She even spoke to me.

Now, I don't know where this Scotland is, but I know it's not in the computer. I tried to tell "grandpa" that we had to get her out of the computer because that's not where she's suppose to be, but he just laughed. Can you believe that? I hope Momma has gotten out of the computer ok. That doesn't seem like a very comfortable place to be.

Tricks #3,#4, and #5

I'm doing some more tricks for you guys today. The first one is called "Which One?" Momma says it's an extension of "Shake" and "High Five". All I know is that if I pick the right hand I get the treat! The second one is "Roll Over". I really, really like rolling over, but not as much I like playing dead! That is the best trick ever! Momma says "Bang! Dead Dog!" and I play dead until she says, "Come back to Life!" Unfortunately, I was just so excited to film these tricks for you that I just couldn't wait until she told me to come back to life, but you all know that I'm not really dead so she didn't think it mattered. She thinks this one will be a real big hit if we end up working with children in our future Therapy Work.

Momma is still trying to figure out how to film the other of my trick that involve her body. I'm thinking about creating a page about all my tricks, but it's still a work in progress right now.

Love and Lab Kisses,

Hilly

Tricks #1 and #2

Since I've been released from Guide Dogging my Momma thought it would be cool to teach me some new tricks. I absolutely LOVE doing these because I get food when I do them! What blab doesn't love getting food for pleasing her person? Plus, Momma says these will be fun for kids to do with me once I get into therapy work (we've been talking about it and we've almost decided what we wanna go into).

Anyway! Back to my cool tricks! I thought I would post videos of me doing some of these tricks. I didn't want to do all of the tricks in one post, so today I decided to do "shake" and "high five". Unfortunately since I am a BLAB ( black lab for those of you who don't know) I sometimes don't video or photo all that well, but you still can see me doing all the stuff. The first video is of my doing "shake" and the second is of me doing "high five".

Love and Lab Kisses,

Hilly

Left Alone

You won't believe what happened yesterday! Momma left really early in the morning and didn't get home until real late at night...and she DIDN'T TAKE ME!

That's right! She left me home alone all day long! Alright, I wasn't alone. Arwen and Rosie and Momma's parents were home with me, but still! She didn't take me. Then she came home smelling like a bunch of other dogs. I was so worried that she found a new dog to love and take care of, but she's being with me all day today so I'm pretty sure that that's not what happened. But one of the smells I smelled smelled a lot like one of the dog smells on my bed!

She told me that I had to get use to being with my "grandparents" because she's going to her Advanced Training! What!? No one told me that I wouldn't be going WITH my momma. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when she's gone. She says that she'll be back, but still! Do you think I could fit inside her suitcase?

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

Laying on the Couch

Hilly here! I'm just laying on the couch with Momma. I've gotta tell you, I really like laying on the couch but sometimes it's really hard work. You gotta know when it's ok to jump up on the couch and when it's not. Like last night.

Last night Momma had some of her friends over for a party. I really liked having everyone come over especially now that I'm a "career changed" puppy. I got so excited because everyone was petting me and telling me what a good girl I was and how great it was that I could just be a pet now. They were letting me jump and lick and sniff and run around and they all thought this was really cute. So, I decided that I would do something really, really cute. There were three people on the couch and I thought they would like a little BLAB to lay on all three of them at once. Sounds reasonable and really cute right? Well, Momma didn't think so. She told me that it wasn't polite to get up on people's laps without asking permission first. I don't quite understand this because she thought it was adorable when I climbed into her lap yesterday before the party. Needless to say the party meant that the Hilly couldn't get up on the couch last night. I had to sleep on the rug near the back door. *humph*

Momma also didn't seem to like it when I jumped up on the couch right onto her laptop. The laptop is ok, but Momma and I had a talk. She said that I had to find an empty spot on the couch before I jump up.

There are so many rules to this couch! I didn't think that being a pet would mean that there would be so many rules, but it does. But I'm learning and trying really hard to be a good pet. It's a hard job ya know. It gets easier when I can cuddle with Momma on the couch while watching TV.

Me sitting on the couch with my giant rope toy. I like taking my toys up here to chew and play with them.

Love and Lab Kisses,

Hilly

My First Dog Park Experience

Yesterday I said that I loved the dog park even though I had never been there. Well, Momma took me and Arwen and Rosie this morning! Let me tell you, I do LOVE the dog park. I was in doggie heaven. There were so many doggie pals to play with and I tried to play with every single one of them. There were doodles and goldens and other labs and an Australian Shepherd that was really silly.

We had such a great time! We're all so tired so I think I'm just going to leave you guys with some pictures while I continue my nap.   

Me with my tongue hanging out standing next to Arwen.

Rosie and I go and sniff and explore the dog park.

Rosie and me in a dog pile!

My tongue was hanging out so long because I ran and ran and ran.

Rosie and I go say to another doodle.

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly

First Post and 17 Months

Hey Guys! My Momma let me start this blog so that all of my blogger friends can keep up to date with what's going on with me. For those of you who don't know me yet, let me introduce myself.

My name is Hilly, I'm a black lab, and I'm not really your average dog. I started my life as a Guide Dog Puppy in Training for Guide Dogs for the Blind. I started off with my first Momma and then came to my current home to finish up my training. You see, I really like other dogs and my first Momma needed a little help to get me past that issue. So Guide Dogs sent me to my new Momma because she is experienced in dogs like me. Well, two weeks ago Jim, Jim's the big boss man for us puppies in training, came to take a look at me. He was really, really impressed with how far I had come along since he first saw me. He was all set to send me in for my advanced training when he asked my Momma the "million dollar question." He asked how I was around dogs I didn't know all that good. Well...I'm not perfect around them. I just wanna play so bad that sometimes I whine in hopes that Momma will let me go sniff and say hello (she never does though). It was decided right then and there that I would be dropped from the program. So, now, I'm what my Momma calls "her Career Changed."

I'm a "Career Change" because now I've got another really important job. I'm my Momma's forever girl. This means I have to do a lot of hard things. It's not easy being a pet. She also says that when she's done with her advanced training (she calls it University) that she'll certify me as a Therapy Dog! That means I'd get to go lay around with people and be loved on all the time. That sounds like a pretty good job to me!

Anyway, Momma wanted me to do a 17 Month post. She says it's "a send off from your training life and into your pet life." Whatever that means. I guess it's because she normally wouldn't have me for very long so she counts her time with her puppies in training by month. So, this is my 17 Things at 17 Months post.

17 Things I'm Loving about the Career Change Life

1. Sleeping on the Bed. I like to cuddle with Momma.

2. Playing with Balls. Seriously guys, these things are the best!

3. Flavoured Nylabones. I love my regular ones, but these are so great!

4. Filled Marrow Bones. I though that regular sterilized marrow bone were great until I tried these!

5. Peanut Butter. Might have gotten over my dog issue had they used this stuff.

6. Getting up on the Furniture. I can get away from Rosie and keep my toys all to myself this way.

7. Tricks! I love performing my new tricks. They're so much fun and I get food for them.

8. The Almighty Clicker. Every time the Clicker God clicks my Momma is trained to give me food.

9. Playing out in the yard alone. Ok, Momma still checks up on me a little, but she's doing in less and less.

10. My Hedgehog. My Momma bought me a stuffed hedgehog and I love it. I couldn't have it when I was in training because it was stuffed and it squeaks. Now I love walking around the house squeaking my hedgehog.

11. Cheese. This stuff is almost as good as peanut butter.

12. Sniffing! My Momma wouldn't let me sniff stuff when we were out on walks before. Now I get to sniff everything!

13. Jumping. I'm a hopper and Momma wouldn't let me hop around other people before.

14. Jogging. This is so much fun. I don't know why they never let me do this before.

15. Fetch. This is the most funnest game ever!

16. Not having to walk across the hot parking lot. I loved working. Don't get me wrong. But the nice cool grass in the backyard and the air conditioned house sounds pretty good to me.

17. The Dog Park. I haven't been yet, but we're going tomorrow. And it's called the DOG park. How can that not be fun!?

Love and Lab Kisses,
Hilly