mmm rice noodles...

Dave went to his very first Chinese buffet this afternoon. He did great! No, Dave didn't get any rice noodles. Although, when passing tables to get to the buffet, he did try to sneak a bite of lo mein a toddler was happily dropping on the floor. But one quick correction and he was back in work mode. Think of a student falling asleep during school and the teacher snapping them to attention. Got the idea? That was Dave.

You go Dave-man :)

water fountains, blocky heads and cow hides oh my!

Dave went into Brandon with me on Tuesday. The plan was drop off some stuff at a friends house. Go to mall. Go to bank. Go to massage. Come home.

Dave really likes the water fountains at the mall. 

and the statues..

and forever 21... that's my boy!

and abercrombie and fitch. Dave, unlike Molly (my first pup, who is now almost 6 years old!) didn't care about the black floors. When Molly *attempted* to enter the store, she completely stopped once the tile floor turned to a shiny black wood. We are taught as puppy raisers, not to force our pups into situations they are uncomfortable with. So mom sat outside the store with Molly, while I did my shopping.

and of course we had to visit build a bear!

On our way to my massage, we found a perfectly named street....

Dave did great (great meaning, he slept...it was his naptime anyway :) during my massage.

Two nice ladies stopped us to say how beautiful (yes, I know thank you) Dave was. They must have tiny dogs because they thought Dave's head was huge and blocky (really? I know Dave's smart, but his brains aren't that big! :)

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Our busy Tuesday wasn't over yet. We still had a puppy meeting at IKEA.
IKEA has loads of exposures for the dogs. (hence the cow hides!) Bentley, Randy, Marge and Dave did great throughout IKEA. With no accidents might I add.

If Dave makes the guide dog cut, I'm pretty sure one of his favorite new things to do will be escalators! Puppy raisers are not allowed to take the pups on escalators. That is something the trainers teach. Dave is always very excited to see the escalators... Dave loves stairs, so I guess moving stairs are even better in his eyes!

Our group was very happy to hear that two new puppy raisers who have been waiting a while for a puppy, will soon have their arms filled! We are happy to say that Jerry a Chocolate Lab and Tango a Golden Retriever will be joining our group!
Gabby, puppy raiser for Jerry, handled Dave for most of the meeting. Gabby is doing better and better!

 I think my next purchase will be a better camera

Towards the end of the store, Dave found the cow hides. What was going through his mind, I have no idea.

Dave would have happily rolled in them if he was allowed!

Good job Dave-man.

Busy days

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so you're in for a treat! An assortment of pictures and events.

We had some very special guests from NC come for dinner one Friday evening. Rebecca, her family and their guide dog-in-training, Joe! Rebecca was the person who got me started raising puppies (she's raised 6 pups!). I've known her for a while and have followed her blog throughout most of her guide dog puppies.
Rebecca's puppy Joe, was returning to SEGDI for "college" the next day. Rebecca and I wanted to meet each others dogs and to watch them play together. Dave and Joe played hard, running through the house and tossing toys around.

We had a special dessert (for the humans) to celebrate Joe's return to SEGDI.

 

Thanks for stopping by Rebecca! It was great to see you all again.     Joe, study hard in college!

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One of our puppy meetings was held at the Brandon mall. We were able to ride on the carousel for free! Dave loved it.

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Dave and his buddy

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My birthday was the end of July. Dave was a great helper when it came time to open my presents :)

 

You know your a puppy raiser when your presents are wrapped and packaged in paw print paper!

Dave was reeeeeally interested in my cake....

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Dave spent a few days with our area coordinator. They said he did great. Dave even helped scout out our next meeting... at Tampa International Airport.

 This must have been right after Dave ran into the glass at TIA... he was excited about seeing the birds outside :)

 

Thanks for taking good care of my Dave-man!

Tomorrow, we are having a pool safety meeting... complete with swimming lessons for the dogs! Should be lots of fun...

Soccer season is almost here!

My family are soccer fans. (yes, we were disappointed with the women's world cup game. No, we don't need to discuss it :) Specifically my brother, dad and myself.

My brother plays for a local organization called AYSO. My dad coaches my brother's team, I ref the 4-6 year olds, mom is the registrar and my sister is the lawn chair holder-downer. :)

I have brought my pups with me to almost every single game... since pup #1. People get upset if I "didn't bring the puppy". Returning players always ask about my "last puppy", wondering what ever came about with their fabulous careers. Many people were surprised to find out I'm raising a boy this time around! And many love his name.

I've found a wonderful way to introduce my pups to the new soccer players (since I'm busy reffing on soccer days) is I bring Dave with me to help me pass out uniforms on registration day. That way when soccer starts, everyone knows that Dave is working and cannot be played with.

Dave did really well today! I'm so proud on my little man :)

Birthday Boy

No. Not Dave. My dad. 

Today for Dad's birthday, Dave helped protect Dad's birthday presents.

If Dad came too close...

Dave would bombard him with kisses...

Good boy Dave.

P.s. If you want to see what was under the green table cloth, check out our families blog in a few days.

Dave in Ybor

Well, I would have posted this much sooner, but my family has been getting over the flu. Fun stuff. Through our sick time, we have found Dave makes an excellent napping buddy :)

Last Saturday, we had a meeting in Ybor. Specifically to ride the tram. But there was plenty of other things to look at and sniff! Including roosters. (for whatever reason the picture is super duper tiny... and I don't have the energy to figure out why!) There where two roosters, 6 or more hens and even some chicks... since we have six chickens of our own at home in a pen, this wasn't a new sight to Dave, but these were obviously very free-range hens. Walking wherever and on whatever they wanted. Only in Ybor!

Everyone (meaning every puppy) did fantastic on the Tram. Nobody (puppy) freaked. It was super hot outside so we were sure to keep out pups hydrated. Thankfully the Tram was cool.

Dave did great. But I must say, if he gets any bigger, he's going to have to really suck it in to fit in between the seats! :) 
This is Sarah... a puppy who was being camped for a few days. She was really sweet :)

This little chocolate guy is Bentley. We were sitting across from them in the tram and he was just too cute to pass up... hopefully when Bentley is a little older, Dave will go with Bentley's raisers and I will get Bentley for puppy camp. My first time with a chocolate... and handling a pup with the same name as my sweet Eve's brother!

After the Tram, we went into an arcade. Dave wasn't fazed a bit. I think it comes from having two younger siblings who play all sorts of crazy sounding games on the wii.

We then went to "fresh mouth" for lunch. Pretty good sandwiches... and very guide dog puppy friendly.

 

This coming week Dave will be staying with the Mihulkas.... Joey's raisers. If they can handle "Big Joe" then they can certainly handle my "Dave-Man". Take good care of my boy! :)

      Meagan

Boy dogs can dress up too...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY 

(even though it's really the fifth today :)

Love,

    Dave