Picture post and contest by Lani

So the last couple of days my BFF has been out of control, it is some weird Japanese thing about everything being clean for the new year. How you start the year is who it will go for the rest of the year. So Sat we got our frontline and for once Waffle didn't throw a fit. The Peeps were ready for the worst, but she sat there like an adult for a change maybe my good example has been rubbing off on her. On Sunday we got our teeth brushed and ears cleaned little did I know that on Monday the other shoe would drop. Yeah my BFF lured me into the bathroom and before I knew it Waffle and I were dumped into the tub.

AND she wasn't done yet, after the bath we all loaded up the car and went for a drive. It was kind of late so I was kind of surprised to find us at the mall. My peeps had arranged for us to have a real photo shoot. WOW I'm going to be a star! I guess all of my BFF's pups get their photo's taken at a year. Kind of like a school picture. It was lots of fun, the photographer kept making funny sounds and my BFF and her sister Eggo kept waving at me. We took lots of pictures, some just us pups and some with the family. I think I look pretty good... (these are photos of photos.)

It is kind of hard to take good pictures of black pups, and this photo of the photo doesn't do us justice, but trust me we are really cute. Waffle is in purple and I'm in pink.

The peeps are pretty photo happy these days, we also went to D-land to take some photos with all the Christmas decorations, except there really weren't that many. Oh well here I am looking all grown up.

Posing out in front of California Disney

A 30 foot xmas tree Us Girls out by a fountain

Remember I said that my BFF and Eggo where waving at us during the photo shoot, well I thought they wanted me to come to them, so I got up and ran, just as I did the photographer person snapped this photo. It is kind of embarrassing but the peeps have decided on making it their Happy New Years Card (they kind of slacked on the Christmas Card thing and are making up for it now). BUT they need help with figuring out a caption for the card should be and are looking for suggestions.

Here is the picture, remember it is a picture of a picture

Stop laughing, dumb photographer.

Anyway my BFF says that there is a prize for the best caption. Leave your entry in the comments section and she will select a winner. The prize, it is a sweatshirt with a black lab puppy on it (Carrie: yes I'm regifting, but I like to think of it as recycling to save the planet). I'll ask her to post a picture of it later. So sharpen your pencils and turn in your best quotes, even though I begged and pleaded with her not to, she is going to send these out to her friends to celebrate the new year.

*sigh* the things I do.... love Lani

Our Christmas Morning

We took sooo many pictures that morning. It was look here, look there we looked everywhere!

Well us pups had a great xmas morning, there was lots of things going on, lots of secrets, late night gift wrapping and lots of cookie crumbs to lick off the floor. People are pretty funny they can't hold a secret to save their lives. Carrie is the worst, she kept telling us what what she bought for everyone. She had to tell someone and I guess we are safe, since Eggo doesn't speak dog very well silly her, I guess she forgot we type English pretty well. But since we are good sports I kept my mouth shut.


Slouchy pals, unusual as Waffle is allowing Lani to touch her, cool picture of our tree
We both got new nyla bones, and Waffle got a Mega Wubba, which is like a fabric covered kong with tassels, but like as big as my head! I guess I can't play with it just yet. Carrie says when I go off to school I get to have neat things like peanut butter and wubbas, right now I just get nyla bones.

a new Olympic sport, synchronized tongues? Chewing on Christmas nyals
Even though we both got the same thing I had to play musical toys with Waffle just to make sure hers wasn't any more tasty than mine.

Well in the afternoon, the sun tracks across the family room. Waffle usually plants herself in its path and will move with the sun. Well this day I was cold too and wanted in on the sun action. As you can see Waffle is in the corner of her bed but I wanted to be there to. I tired everything I could think of to get her to move. I nibbled a little on her head, I asked nicely, I pawed her, I brought toys from the toy chest to see if she would get up and play with them so I could have the basket to myself. No dice.... so in the end Carrie told me that both of us could share, SHARE! what a great idea and a great way to end the Christmas day. Here is hoping you all had a warm and snugly day.

Best Quote of the Day

Eggo: Waffle are you feeling better?
Waffle: uuuurrruuupppp, *kak*, *kak!! (image: black lab puking on carpet)
Eggo: Well I'd guess that would be no

It never fails...

that when you have hardwood floors, and an up-chucky-puppy that she manages to find the 3 area rugs you own to puke on.

Waffle is fine, better out than in.... my rugs not so much.

!!!! Merry Christmas !!!!

Dear Santa- I've been very good. I tried my best to be a guide dog but that didn't work out, I've been a good big sister to Lani - except when she steals my kennel, and I greet every morning with a big grin and a wet kiss for Carrie. I try not to eat Kleenex - but a girl's gotta have a little fun. So please, please, please don't forget me.

lots of love - Waffle

Dear Santa, I've been good too! Carrie took me a 'giving tree' party at work, except they weren't giving trees away. It was a party for the kids of students who can't afford a lot for the holiday. There were balloons, kids, food and this really really pretty tree. Here I am with one of Carrie's workers infront of the tree, it is not the best pic of me, meh....

Me and Josh infront of the Tree

It was a quite a long day, the party started at 6pm and it was my job to sit and guard all the toys. I guess the students and staff picked a name off of the 'giving tree' and bought the kids gifts. All evening all these little kids kept coming up to me, petting me, talking to me, kissing me. They would be eating and run up with food in their hands, most of them were actually quite sticky as well...yumm

a stairwell filled with toys

As with all good parties when the guests are gone we had to clean up. I was the best supervisor in the room. I sat on the vacuum cleaner cord, just to make sure that Carrie would clean around me. When they were popping all the balloons, I barely even flinched - with all the hussle and bussle I just kind of hung out and waited for Carrie. So you see Santa, that day I worked really hard, I didn't get home until way past bed time, the whole evening I watched the gifts and didn't eat a thing off the floor (well I licked a couple of kids clean, but they needed it) So please, please, please Santa don't forget me either.

love Lani

Well as you can see the girls have all been good kids, we've been busy here, Eggo our sister came home for the holiday so there is another squishy friend to sleep on. Thank goodness for Costco dog beds. We picked up another one for the girls, you can only really wash it so many times before they need to be tossed out.

Lani and Eggo at Costco

yes I know she really shouldn't be riding in the cart, but Costco at X-mas is a zoo, Lani was great. Well behaved, but she is kind of small and when we would go around the corner the other shoppers would be looking at me and be startled and almost step on Lani. People are always surprised that there was a dog at my side. After a while it was just easier to put the pup in the cart.

Lani testing out beds

Here she is trying out the beds. I wanted this Disney bed, it had soft white chenille on one side with a silhouette of mickey and blue denim on the other side. But I was out voted, mom wanted the one with cedar chips

looks like Lani has cast her vote

The pretty princess bed!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

What We've been up to....

So last few days have been busy, Carrie's had to work the two weekends so I get to stay home and party with the Waffler. I kind of wanted to be up at camp with all my friends but then Carrie showed me the pictures of the snow and I said no - way - Jose!

Last week there was a bit to-do on campus, the Mayor, the president of the college were all there, I tried to make a plea for more kibble, but Carrie got me 1st and I just got my picture taken.

I've got my front row seat

Carrie put this funny thing around my neck, shessh people I already have fur on, no need to gild this lily

This concrete is cold

Humans are kid of silly, they bring trees into their houses, then they let a stranger into the house and he is supposed to leave presents. Sounds cool, he gets a food reward-cookies - so he must be good, I think we should give him some bread instead..you know to go with the bowl full of jelly. Ours tree has little lights on it with lots of bright shiny things on it. It smells so neat I want to check it out, I keep going to smell it but all I hear is "Lani that's ENOUGH!"

Hey I got to pick out the tree, can't I touch it? Carrie took me to run errands, we went to this really crowded outdoor mall, lots of kids and traffic, I was scared but didn't show it. I really didn't like shopping in some of the stores, Anne Taylor was dull, dull, dull only adults, but Target was neat- besides picking out a tree, we went to look at pet costumes (thank goodness none of them fit...whew), cell phones- no use to me, and the tree. Every where I went there were tons of kids and they screamed 'doggy or perro or wawo ( which is spanish slang for dog). One man stopped to ask questions about training, which I think is funny 'cuz they should be asking me not Carrie I think I've got her pretty well trained and it only took me 10 months. Next week when Eggo comes home we are going to see this stranger in person and take a picture I'll post it when we get it.

laters,

Lani

Truer words never said...

Was shopping at Michael's and saw this stamp. The pic was from my cell phone.

63.5

Jumping on the bandwagon I've done.......

1. Started your own blog - me and millions of others
2. Slept under the stars - I'm a Girl Scout!
3. Played in a band - it was the cymbals or months of square dancing in PE class
4. Visited Hawaii - G-ma and all the family peeps are there
5. Watched a meteor shower- every August
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - go Kiva.org
7. Been to Disneyland - anual passes
8. Climbed a mountain - My favorite in Interlaken, Switzerland
9. Held a praying mantis (what's up with everyone else on the blogs who have?)
10. Sang a solo - no way no how
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - on vacation in Hong Kong
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - yeah too many stairs to count
18. Grown your own vegetables - tiny carrots the size of my pinkie
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - don't tell my mom
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (last month)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - it was the thing to do at the moment - and don't tell mom
27. Run a Marathon - I'm claiming 1/2 credit- I ran the Disney 1/2 marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - it's too freak'n expensive
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - learned German when I went to work there
37. Had enough money to be satisfied -the older you get your realized money is not the end all
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - a sad site to see and hear
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - in south beach, FL
46. Been transported in an ambulance - I worked as an EMT, but I was doing the transporting
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - does self defence count
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - won the golden cookie award 3 yrs running
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason - a guy at Trader Joes, I think he liked Lani
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - sadly yes
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - oddly enough it was Tacoma, FYI for new raisers -never step on your dog's leash with your bare foot, when they are in the midst of Labbie Scoots.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - like in 2nd grade dose that count
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - yeah and looking for #2
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - Girls Scouts pretty useful
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - squid and fish
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - I too lifeguarded to get though college
90. Sat on a jury - more than once
91. Met someone famous - Please I live in LA
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - I was a witness
98. Owned a cell phone -owned one, lost one, owned one....
99. Been stung by a bee - stung, stepped on yeah

plus because I like round numbers

100. seen the northern lights - This January!

procrastination

So the talk on the blogs is all about the Peticure and pedicure, that sander thing to file down your pups nails. I admit I have been tempted every time I walk down the 'As Seen on TV' isle at Walgreens, it looks fun, but someone said it could still hurt the dog. Anyone use any of these on their pups.

So all this talk of nails made me look at the Wafflers toes, and it's weird I guess she must have rear wheel drive, cuz her back feet are much shorter than her front. I'm thinking I might have to trim those front nails. Front right paw

back paw much shorter

She has such nice even toe nails. A funny story about her and her toes -I was putting her in the tub to give her a bath and she reached out and curled her nails around the shower door frame and was holding on so I couldn't put her in! Stinker.

nice fury toes.

Ok, do you want to know the truth behind this post about toe nails. I'm procrastinating... I have to turn in my unit program plan for the next academic year and posting pictures of my dog's toe nails is more interesting than estimating staffing needs for next year (although it is kind of important). I think I've hit a new low.

Bliss to YOU!

A friend once asked why I raise dogs - do the hard stuff - and just as they are getting good give them away. The usual answer, my grandfather was blind, we love the breed, it's giving back..... but truly the answer is that the pups give me much more than I give them. Each and everyone of them has taught me something. Tacoma-patience, Waffle-unconditional love, and Lani-Joy. Each of them has given me more than I can ever imagine.



Doing a far better job than I expressing what dogs can give us is Trixie Koontz, she was a service dog with CCI before elbow surgery forced an early retirement. She moved in with the author Dean Koontz and settled down to a second career as an author, she has written three books including her last one "Bliss to you" the proceeds go to support CCI. Since my life has become all things guide dogs, I broke down and bought a copy. Well worth it - especially 'cuz it helps the pups.

Besides who could resist that face.

Eye Dog Foundation?

Has anyone heard of either the Eye Dog Foundation and or the Braille Monitor? My sister, Eggo who is a legal librarian saw this on a listserv she gets. I think the article is extremely slanted, but none the less it brings to light some very disturbing valid sounding concerns these puppy raisers have.

Basically it sounds like there was a power struggle over the running of the school and the puppy raisers have refused to return their dogs because there is currently no licenced trainer at the facility, and no way of ensuring the welfare of the pups. I guess the school has threatened legal action to get the dogs back, and the raisers where looking for legal help. All in all it is really tragic. But it makes me think what I'd do if I felt Lani was in danger, I too remember that contract which states Lani is the property of GDB. It is hard to think of her as property.

"Of Disrepute and Dysfunction at the Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind" - Article form the Braille Monitor

Happy Birthday Lani

Well I'm a bad blogger and doggy mommy. Lani's birthday was last Sunday Nov. 23rd to be exact and I didn't have my camera with me, so I've been waiting for someone to send me pictures of her birthday.

To start off we spent the weekend working at camp and Lani couldn't have had a better birthday. To start with after we got out of the car she did her stretch and started sniffing and you could see her little wheels spinning, and then it clicked! She knew it was camp! She immediately started looking for all her old friends. Petri - who took naps with her (see my blog pic), Salamader who took her on golf cart rides, Mitch who played games with empty water bottles, and her buddy North who would sit with her on the floor while she did paper work. Well this is core camp, the summer season is over and just a few of us come up to work weekends camps. So just a few of her friends where there, she jumped up on a golf cart and her smile said 'let's go'.

She had to be a bit more confined than normal, but she still had a great time. Friday night I let her sleep free in the cabin, she sleeps free at home, so I figures she would be ok, what I didn't count on was the 5:30 am wake up nose in the face. You know that wet chilly reminder that your pups give you just when you are your warmest in your bed. Just like the Brownies we had at camp she was up with the dawn. We took a short walk to 'DB' and then played jolly ball, until I had to go to cook breakfast. Later We went to the lake and while helping to launch canoes we played in the lake and she ran up and down the beach. After a while the expression was 'please don't throw it anymore!' she was one tired pup and that was just the morning. In t he afternoon I had to cook for a few hours so she got to hang out in the dining hall in front of the fire.

Since a smelly, sandy bunk mate was not what any of my cabin mates signed up for, I tossed the baby in the mop sink (kind of like a sink on the floor with 4 inch sides) and scrub-a-dub-dub, I had a clean girl. She really enjoyed the fire at that point. All the kids were doing embossing and scrap booking in the dining hall, she got lots of attention all the while she was curled up in front of a roaring fire. I had lots of help brushing her dry.

On Sunday, the kids asked if they could sing happy birthday to her; at camp they have a whole production with a hat and songs ect... She was thrilled. I had put a scoop of food into a souffle cup and they threw a candle on it. She got on the stage and all the kids sang to her, she could hardly stand still. All the bad habits came out - barking, jumping up on people, pawing - but it was her day. We calmed her down, she posed for pics and then devoured her imprompt to 'pup-cake'. all in all a very nice way to spend her 1st birthday.

Happy Thanksgiving

by Lani and Waffle

We the resident dogs are thankful for a lot of things, people are spending today eating themselves silly, so us dogs - who would like to- but lack opposable thumbs, used our noses to post this message. (wait til carrie sees the laptop :))

The dogs are thankful for:

kibble, warm blankets, dry grass, kibble, heaters in the winter, fans in the summer, kibble, toddlers who drop snacks on the floor, toddlers who smear snacks all over the family dog, Kibble, sunrises (time to play), kibble, sunset (time to snuggle up), kibble, walks around the neighborhood, our human mom and BFF, costco dog beds, kibble, people pillows that fall on the floor, tummy rubs, ear sudgies, clean water and kibble...

Pillows in the Sun

Snuggly Friends

Big Girl Kennels

Nylabones, and Jollyballs

Peanut Butter (Lani: Peanut What?)

Silly Humans

Runs on the Beach

sharing with friends.

'Cuz here is one thing us dogs know that humans seem slow to pick up on. Until your paws are empty they will never be free to receive all the good things the universe has to offer (like kibble). So we are thankful for being able to share what we have EVERYDAY.

You have opposable thumbs what are you waiting for?

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Kiva

****No turkeys were harmed in the making of this post. ****

Man...

My pups are sooooooooooo LA. (and were not talkin' Louisiana)

Just how LA are they? Well we are seeing possibly the 1st rain Lani has ever had to pee in and she doesn't like it. I had to drag both girls out to the wet soggy lawn, I even had to block Waffle's dash back into the house, and in the process lost Lani. I had to get her leash and take her. And yes they both practiced the famous tri-pod pee method.

I tired to explain to Lani that GDB has a lot of rain and she'd better get used to it. Why do I always get the labs who haven't read the lab hand book.

Los Angeles Rain a rare sight to behold

Puppy Daddy

This in from the latest post from GDB's blog, all about new careers for career changed pups. One of them was as cancer detectors. Several former GDB dogs tried out to be part of the study but guess who made the cut? Freeman - My Taco Bell's -Dad!

Tacoma
Taco as she is now called by her forever family is known to have been my problem child. But she always has been the most beautiful and wickedly smart of all my pups. She is bright but also slightly ADHD *sigh* remember she is the one who ate the paper clip and had to have emergency surgery at Funday, and later she chowed on 3lbs of grapes......but she is loved by all.

Daddy Freeman

They had a nice write up about all of the dogs chosen for the study at the Pine Street Foundation. The agency doing the study. They have found that pups can actually find and detect cancer just from the breath! Wow amazing.

I think the last black lab in the cancer segment is Freeman. Don't know him personally, but his collar tags match his picture. So yeah GO DADDY!

Dear Mom

I miss you!

When are you coming home? You flew all the way to eat turkey with Eggo? Lani and I would have shared our kibble with you. I hear Minesoooota is cold and that they make their dogs jump into cold lakes to pick up dead ducks. YUCK!

Aren't you cold? They told me about snow, and who wants to pee in that? I mean Eggo is your daughter and all that, but she has thumbs she can feed herself. Lani and I need you at home.

Speaking of yuck, Carrie dumped me into the tub and scrubbed me good. Now I smell like soap, and not like Labrador. Tonight Carrie tricked me and said "mom's home!" I ran to your bed room looking for you, but you weren't there.

I mean things aren't so bad, your bed is comfortable and Lani goes to work everyday-so I have the house to myself. Carrie has been walking me a lot more, and it is not like I'm starving. But it is not the same. I think Lani misses you more though, in the evening she sits at Carrie's feet and cries and barks, I think she misses how you used to sit with her at night.

All I can say is it that better be some good turkey.

Remember that phone call.....

Well.... I left home and my mom came home about 20 mins later to find this in my room. I put the puppy in the kennel but forgot to latch it. Separate the pups are nice, non-destructive, well mannered dogs. Put them together and it is a different story. As the pictures bare witness.

I think they started wrestling and managed to drag out the round bed, and toss around the square bed and a floor pillow. The sheet, a towel (a good one too....my bad) and the floor pillow all were casualties of the battle.

All the black paper is left over tissue paper, I had an event last week and I made these tissue 'snowflakes' called papel picado, what is all around the room are the little cut outs that came from making these.

My little 'angels' - I made good use of the red sheet. All wrapped up for Christmas- any takers?