What's up DOC

    A big Thank you Celebration Veterinary Hospital for continuing to be a Veterinary partner.  Newman's first off campus vet visit went great; Newman weighed in at 28 lbs.  Doctor Martin and  staff  are very friendly and I don't think Newman even realized he was at the vet with all the positive attention they paid to him. Newman was checked out from head to toe and he really seemed to enjoy the experience. What a well behaved and brave pup!

                               

Merry Christmas

A Little Background Info on Newman

A little  history on Newman. Newman is a donated puppy , I was informed  that SEGD checks back 5 generations of any adopted dog before they initiate them into the program. Donated, that doesn't make him like Marley a bargain puppy (my words not SEGD) . These checks are based the health of the line, and the traits carried by previous generations. This is to guarantee that no unwanted or detrimental traits are passed on if chosen as a breeder. Also, SEGD is accepting donated dogs in order to widen their gene pool as well.Newman was sponsored  in honor of Mr. Newman , Chairman of the Heritage Society .

Newman's a hit at the mall

           Saturday I took Newman  to the mall, which I consider to be a major outing since malls are usually bustling with people and with many different aromas and textures( different surfaces). I can't believe how much attention Newman got! At one point we even had a small crowd form around us. Newman provided  puppy love while Dad, Mom and I answered questions that people had. We had more than one person say "God bless you" for doing this, which is a very big compliment. It seemed like everywhere we went with Newman we had people asking questions about what program we were with , ask to pet Newman, smile, or just stare at him even one person rushed by stopped came back to make a comment .At this rate Newman will truly get his wide range of people exposures early on, kids are very attracted to him .  I remember we took Shirley to the same mall around the same age and she hardly got any attention most people smiled, but kept going yelled out good job. Either the people on that day were not puppy lovers or a yellow lab puppy can melt anyone's heart. I can't totally  blame them we may be conditioned that way though advertisement ; look at the Nintendo dogs or the Cottonelle puppy or the K-9 Advantix Pup.  This was just an after though observation  , we truly enjoyed answering the questions  people were asking.

  

we were in Game stop and this little girl came running over look mom the dog comes with  the game?"

Newman had no trouble with the changes in floor surfaces .

waiting for the elevator ,he handle that like a pro.

Publix. Where guiding is a pleasure

Today Newman geared up for one of his first outings that will soon become a regular thing for him . Bathroom break- check, Puppy coat- check, paper towels/busy bags- check. A good place to practice commands and get a good outing in is Publix, since it has so many distractions( e.g. food), people( who are very friendly to guide dogs), and many other things. Right when Newman stepped into Publix he was greeted or put smiles on peoples' faces. We weighed him on the scale, which he weighed about 25lbs. Newman seemed very comfortable ; he   likes to explore or observe the world around him and maneuvered well around shopping carts . I would give him an A+ for his wonderful efforts and behavior. This outing gave Newman  good exposure to a large friendly crowd.

Trying Out the New Coat

It fits! I'm ready for duty!!!

The book in the background  is getting more attention than the running Vacuum.

Eagle eye.

                                                         Ohhh,  I wonder if that lint is edible?
 Newman is a mooch :) I will introduce him to leave it and drop it .

Newman picture perfect

Tell Me More...

Miss you Shirley- H E L L O Newman

  Today was Shirley’s last day with us. She was going back, because her in for training (IFT) scheduled day was finally here. We knew this day was coming and we have been preparing thoroughly, such as cameras charged up, forms filled out, full tank of gas, and puppy coat in the car. We planned everything except for Shirley going into heat. She had just been in heat over the past late summer and even the veteran members of our group last week said that she is not due yet for another heat cycle(but she was popular) . At 4 a.m., Saturday morning we are all rushing around and my dad noticed that Shirley started her heat cycle. You cannot plan for that! So we get down there, saw Leslie at the gate and after we told her the situation she said “Right to the puppy kennel with her and check her in.”  Well, so much for plans and itineraries.  So we drove over and they shuffled a few dogs and it was a very quick exchange.  Shirley checked in at 57.3 lbs(we thought that).  We signed a few forms and quickly she was in a kennel. We noticed two puppies off to the right and their names were Newman and Ed (the cutest to puppies you have ever seen).  As we stood there, they said that they are going home today.  We headed  outside and after we stop sniffling and dried our eyes  we start to walk back over to the ceremony.  We realize it happened so quickly and we were so emotional we didn’t take any pictures of Shirley. :(   WE headed down to meet up with the other raisers when we  realized we are getting either Ed or Newman; Being Seinfeld fans forever a collective wish for a Newman was muttered.

                               As we arrive to the ceremony area we seen all the signs with the puppy pictures and we saw the Gallagher’s and Patriot (Shirley’s brother from our group). We got a picture together and they started to point out Shirleys’ and Patriots’ littermates .  The ceremony was very nice; I started to feel better right away. I could not believe how great the ceremony was. I have gone to many ceremonies before for a variety of things, but this by far has the most meaning. The first part of the ceremony is the handing out the presidential awards. When my name was called and I received my award this felt like this event was more and more proof that what I am doing for the community is necessary and inspired me to continue. After the awards were handed out, we had many speakers from the CEO to trainers and an employee who uses a guide dog. All of these speeches really touched me and allowed me to accept the fact that although Shirley and I are no longer together we will be connected by our memories. I know that whatever Shirley becomes she will excel to the best of her ability and I can say I was a part of that.

After the ceremony was over, my family and I and three other raisers went over to the welcome center to fill out the necessary paperwork and to our surprise Newman was the name of our pup.Check out the pictures of Newman below  as a new adventure begins !!!!!!

Winter Social , IFT AND A SURPRISE

come on please 

leo and Shirley

new pups Miller and Wendy

  

who let the dogs out

WHAT A PARTY! Shirley and her fellow dog mates had a blast where they had acres to roam and play Thank you Ms Betty for hosting and our AC Ms. Jocelyn for getting us all together. This was Shirley's last meeting, and I really think Shirley was happy to say goodbye to the group.

We are enjoying every precious second with Shirley as she will be going back on December 10, 2011. We will be sad when Shirley goes off for college and then to her forever home, since she provided us many memorable memories.

I can remember the day we got Shirley. I could tell that she was very special and this was the project for me. I have done volunteering for many years, but I have never done such a behemoth task in my life. Shirley came with so much responsibility she not only strengthen  my character, but also gave me a challenge that contained  occasional  frustrating moments. Where I grew was not to show any frustration; I praised her and kept trying. My time with Shirley has also developed my public speaking skills, since you cannot do any outing without someone asking questions about SEGD or Shirley. There are a few people that freak out when they see a dog in a store (even with its harness or puppy coat) and tell the manager right away. I learned to keep my poise and calmly inform the manager or person that she is a guide dog in training , but some places people would yell out "That's just Shirley!" and repeat word for word information that I have shared on a previous outing  . This worked almost every time, and thus this taught me how to effectively diffuse a situation. Shirley definitely put me on the right foot to make this a successful guide dog puppy raiser experience. I must thank my parents for saying yes, and for being a big part of this team,  I could not do this without you .

Even though Shirley is a City girl she has made a lot of friends in my busy neighborhood and in the local businesses and will be truly missed.

I thank you Mr Crane for your gift to southeastern guide dogs and sponsoring Shirley it has been a  apleasure corresponding with you we wish you only the best. 

Also, I just got the word that we will be receiving a yellow lab male on the same day we drop Shirley off. This day will defiantly be bitter sweet for the whole family.   To answer the question everyone asks how can you give her up "I could never do that " , I say she has given more than she has taken and someone out there truly deserves her more than I do .
Thank you Shirley for making it look easy, I will miss you !