First Visit as a Therapy Dog and Summer Fun

Wow, today I had my first visit as a certified therapy dog! I went to the crisis center for children who have been taken away from their families because of abuse or other problems.

I was a very sweet boy, but some of the kids were frightened of me. I just rolled over to show them I was a nice dog. These children have already gone through so much in their lives and I wanted to give them labbie love :)

This three year old boy picked up a toy drill and said "BANG BANG BANG! I am going to shoot your dog!" It made me very sad because this little boy was not pretending- someone in his life must have used a gun around him or showed him that it was ok to be cruel to animals. Happily, though, I have been asked to come back and visit the kids every week. My heart goes out to all of the children there and I hope they all can live in a happy, safe, and stable environment some day.

Lately I have been having a ton of fun with my family. It is summer, so the kids can swim with me ALL DAY! They don't really want to, (and tried to keep me from swimming all day by blocking the pool) but nothing has worked so far. I will continue to jump in the pool and then track water all over the house via the doggie door :)

Your favorite yellow boy,

Washie

Fun with Mindy

Hello everybody :)

Well it is spring break right now for my family, and they are puppy sitting a dog for our neighbors. Her name is Mindy and she is an Australian shepherd mix. Dolce, Mindy, and I have a great time creating havoc around the house but this morning was especially fun.

Dad has forgotten to turn off the sprinklers in our yard (the grass doesn't need it at the moment) so there is a huge mud puddle. Dolce recently discovered her love of digging and got mud all over her legs and face. I must say, she looked mighty cute! Mindy and I were playing and ran all through the mud. Then all three of us went into the house. There were muddy paw prints everywhere.

My dad had a great time cleaning up the house and giving all three of us baths. We had a great time! The humans tried to block off the mud from us... but I'd like to see them try to keep us from having fun ;)

Welcome Home Washie!

I came home to my puppy raisers today! I am so happy that I get to live with them for the rest of my life. We will have tons of fun together... and who knows, I might be allowed to play fetch now! At the moment I am just happy to be able to sit at my mom's feet again.

At first I was a little sad that I couldn't be a guide dog because of my cataracts. They don't bother me much now, but if they get worse my family wants to see if surgery is an option. But, I will be a therapy dog! I just can't wait to see people smile in hospitals or nursing homes. After all, who could resist me? I am so handsome ;)

Well, woof woof for now!

Washie

Guide Dog School!

Washie is officially on the road to becoming a guide! He started his training at Guide Dogs for the Blind today, Monday, October 27, 2008. Hopefully in about 6 months he will be paired with a visually impaired person and graduate!

Currently he is in phase one of training. Phase one is:

PHASE #1
Pre-training physical exam, neutering/spaying (with the exception of potential breeding stock dogs who are who
are under evaluation at this time), X-rays, eye checks. First walks on leash. Introduction to the kennel environment
and schedule. Relaxing walks on the campus and play sessions with instructor assistants. General daily care and
grooming.

I'm a Good Boy

I've been trying really hard to be good this past month, and guess what? My mom has even been telling me so! But, I had a tough time being a good boy at the Dining in the Dark meeting last week... after all, my mom was blindfolded and she couldn't see me trying to sniff other dogs ;) I was the best dog after she could see though. I was the only guy who perfectly did all of my commands!

I'm sad because I am going back to Guide Dogs for the Blind on October 25th, but I will be starting a new adventure with all of the nice trainers there. I will even be paired with a blind person and given a new job! How cool will it be to have someone depend on me for their eyes each and every day? Wish me luck everyone! Guide Dogs, here I come!

The Struggle with the School

Washie is such a cutie. When he looks at you, you just can't refuse to pet him! That might not be such a good thing though, because in public he solicits attention sometimes... he knows how cute he is!

ANYWAYS that has nothing at all to do with what I really want to talk about. As you probably know already, Washie is a guide dog puppy in training. By my state law, he can go to any public place with his vest on, even schools. But at the moment, my high school district is telling us that "It is against our insurance policy to allow dogs in training at our schools." I am a little upset, because School is THE best place to train the dogs in my opinion.

All of my intentions are good. I am not trying to bring him just because I would be able to have a dog at school, I am trying to do this because the school and the district need to be educated on this issue. If any of you out there have dealt with an issue like this before, I would really really appreciate any advice!