CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE FOR CCI

 This year on December 12th, the local chapter of CCI held their first annual open house at Daynes Music Center in Murray.  Mom and Dad said it was ok to take me along - yeah!!

And of course you know mom - she has to make me try on all the silly Christmas hats and collars.  I felt so stupid in front of all my friends and classmates.  But, I have to make her happy, after all it is the season.

 I sure hope this is the last one.  Everyone is looking at me and laughing.  They keep saying it's so cute, but I know it's just plain stupid.

Oh boy, my half-brother Tadki was here.  He's a CCI graduate and a wheel-chair dog for Kelly.  He's so big and strong, (just like our dad).  But he's so nice to me.  I really like him.

Lots of my classmates and their moms and dads were at the function also.  Most of us dogs just sniffed around and layed on the floor while the people ate and talked and bought dog jewelry and listened to the harp playing.

That's Pascha, she thinks Bruce has a treat in his pocket for her.  But he never has treats for anyone - she's gona' be disappointed, (she needs to check out my dad, he always has dog treats in his pocket when we go out).  I was pretty tired when we went home.  But it was a fun day out and the local chapter raised some much needed funds selling cookbooks.  Mom and dad took a few to sell to their friends also.

Snow Day, Snow Day - I love Snow Days

 On Sunday, November 21st, I woke up to a foot of snow on the ground.  This was my first snowfall.  Boy do I ever love this stuff.  It's soft, fluffy, and little cold on the nose.  But it's so much fun to run, jump and roll in.  I like to put my head under the snow and make little tunnels as I push my nose along looking for any good smells that might be under all this stuff.

Dad laughs at the way I get a white beard, and mom gets worried about my cold ears and feet.  She's always trying to keep me wiped off.  She brings me in after about 15 or 20 minutes to warm up, but then I run back to the door to get out and play some more.  I just love this stuff.  I wish we could move to Alaska.

At the end of a couple of hours, it was finally lunch time - I worked up a big appetite.  But then I always have a big appetite!!  Then I curled up with my big sister Rowdy and took long afternoon nap.  What a great Sunday.  I wish everyday could be like today.

Another Vet Visit

 Yesterday was time for another visit to the vet.  Seems like I go to see this place quite a lot.  Mom says it's because she wants to make sure that everything is OK and on track with me.  First stop is sign in at the front desk.

Next stop, check out the mean cat in the cage - yup, he's still here.  Hey buddy, no one is going to adopt you until you start taking some sweetness pills.  Just a thought.  Hey, hey don't go hissing at me.  You sound like mom's cat now.

 Next stop, step on the old weigh scale - 28.9 lbs.  Right on track.  That's a 8.9 lb gain in 3 weeks.  Not bad, if I say so myself.  If I keep this up I'll catch up with my dad in no time.  Now into the exam room.

This is vet I was telling you about.  He's not a bad guy, but don't turn your back on him - you'll get a needle in the rear quarter.  This time I got 2 shots.  He says the eyes, ears, nose, teeth, belly all look great.  He ask mom about my eating and pooping - hey I know how to handle that department buddy.  Mom says I'm regular eating machine.  He laughs and says I'll grow into my feet.  He says to come back in a month and then it will be time for the final series and my rabies.  OK can we go home and get something to eat now?

Play Date

 On Saturday, November 6th, our puppy trainer, (Roxann), came over to the house with her little puppy.  His name is Murdoch.  He's going to be a search and rescue dog when he grows up.  As you can see in this first photo, he is only half my size.  But Roxann says he will soon catch up with me.  He had so much energy.  We ran and rolled around the grass.  Roxann also brought another trainer with her, (Alexis).  They were going to help mom and dad show me the "correct" way for CCI puppies to play.

Also, Denise came over with her CCI puppy, Malmosa.  Malmosa is a month older than I am.  But mom says I am just as big as she is and I will probably be bigger than Malmosa - since I take after my dad.

Malmosa and I both ganged up on Murdoch.  On Saturday the girls ruled.  The puppy raisers and trainers spent most of the play date pulling us off Murdoch and spraying us with that nasty vinegar water.  Both Malmosa and I have to learn not to "mouth" when we play.  That apparently is a big no, no.

It was a fun afternoon, and we were three tired puppies at the end of the play date.  Mom and dad said they learned so much from just the short time that they spent with the trainers.  Guess that means I'm going to have to start being more well behaved.  But on the plus side, it also means I get another play date with Murdoch and Malmosa in a couple of weeks - YEAH.

1st Day at Puppy Class

 On November 3rd, I finally started my official puppy training class.  Boy am I ready to show them everything that mom and I have already learned.  I already know sit, down, let's go, kennel, and cuddle.  I'm going to graduate on the first night!!

As you can see some of these guys are big, suddenly I wasn't the B.D.O.C., (big dog on campus) anymore.  Look how still and patient they are!  I could never set that long and that still - could I ?  Nothing distracts these guys, not even kibbles, what's wrong with them, or is it that they've been very well trained over the last year.  Looks like they do a lot of laying around in class.

Suddenly our trainer, Roxann, decided it was time for the puppies to learn the "correct" way for play.  OH BOY - now you're talking right up my alley.  I know how to play.  The puppy raisers took our capes and gentle leaders off, then Roxanne threw out a big bucket of tennis balls into the middle of the room.  It was every dog for him/her self.  It was so much fun.  We were all jumping and grabbing tennis balls.  BUT - I learned quickly that "mouthing" other dogs is a CCI no,no.  And you quickly get sprayed in the mouth with vinegar water - yech.  But it was a lot of fun and very hard play, trying to keep up with all the big dogs is very hard work.  Can we do it again soon?

Then at the end of class everyone got to say goodbye to Flair.  She's a golden retriever who is being returned to CCI for "advance training" to be placed with her special needs partner.  Everyone wished Flair a happy journey and told her what a good dog she was.  Mom said in 15 months, when my turn comes everyone will do that for me, and there will be lots of tears of joy for me also.  Good Luck Flair, some lucky person will be very blessed with you in their life. 

Playing in the Backyard

2nd Trip to Vet

On Oct 22nd mom had to leave for some place called Georgia for business, and she would be back Monday night.  She said that dad would be in charge of the house and everyone.  You know what that means for Rowdy and I ?  
PAR-TEE !!   With dad in charge we can run around the backyard, roll around, have a great time.  No more practicing our lessons and commands, no more daily baths.  PAR-TEE, PAR-TEE, PAR-TEE.

Boy was I wrong !!  Up early on Friday and off to dad's office, only he doesn't have an office with a door like mom.  He has a cubicle and he put a fence up to keep me pinned inside.  Imagine that !!  Everyone was nice.  All the guys stopped by the cubicle looked me over, patted my head and said I was a good looking dog.  They don't hug me and kiss me like the girls at mom's office.  Dad took me out for nice long walks around the office buildings, I liked that.  Then on Saturday morning I had my 2nd  visit to the vet.  I thought OK - I remember this place.  Yea, that mean cat is still in the cage.  Someone needs to adopt that guy and get him out of here.  His problem is that he hasn't had a nice loving home for a long time and he's forgotten what life on the outside is like.  The other cats are still roaming around the place like they own it.  That reminds me - I still have not seen that cat in our house, (note to self, gotta' remember to find that cat that everyone keeps talking about - I keep catching the scent of her every so often).

So this time the vet weight me again.  Now I'm up to 21 lbs.  I've gained 7 lbs in 2 weeks.  He's said my ears, eyes, lungs, belly, EVERYTHING is doing great.  Dad said my eating is VERY good.  Of course it's good, that's my favorite thing to do!!!  And I do it 3 times a day, (dummy).!!  Then the vet gave me something called a vaccination shot.  But, he was tricky, he gave me a broken up little treat to distract my attention and I didn't know what was going on till it was over.  (He also knows that I love to eat.)   Now can we go home and play in the backyard some more??   At least the girls in the vet's office are all gushy over me and telling me what sweetie I am and how cute I am and they hug me.  I go back in 3 weeks for another round with the vet and his cats.   Now can we go home and play??
 

My Stay with the CCI Puppy Sitter

Well, I only had 5 days to get settled in with mom and dad, when dad had to go to some place called Sweden on something called a business trip and mom said she had to go along.  They said that required me to go live with someone new called a puppy sitter.  Mom promised me that she would be specially trained for my needs and would take good care of me, but I was pretty worried about who would take care of mom and dad.  On Monday evening and lovely lady name Kirsten showed up at mom's work place to gather me and my belongings.  Mom gave me all kinds of hugs and kisses, told me to be a good girl, said she would miss me and for me not to forget her.  She packed lots of toys, food and things with her smells for me.  I know I saw a couple of tears in her eyes, but I was brave and just licked her hands and said "don't worry mom - I'll be OK, have a good time and I'll see you in 6 days." 

 

After a couple of days with Kirsten, I decided to put mom and dad's fears about how things were going with us to rest - so I sent her this email below.  Mom said it made her so happy to know that I was doing well and she relaxed know I was getting along well.

 

Hey guys!

I just went on a walk downtown. It was fun, but EVERYTHING there smells so weird. I waited until I saw the grass to hurry, and got a pretty decent pile. I'm a good girl! This keyboard is interesting. I just climbed up on it and erased everything this girl wrote. She had to put me in my crate so she could start over. Her hair tastes great. I will chew at it any chance I get. Same goes for the heels of her jeans. They taste like denim, and who doesn't love the taste of denim?

I miss you guys. I can certainly tell you're not around. Because I miss you so much, I am going to try to email you as much as I can. There sure are a lot of flashing cameras around here. Am I a famous dog or something? It feels like paparazzi. There are some pictures attached. You can't go wrong with these. 
Kirsten cuddles me a lot, I think she had a rough day. Tonight her phone rang and something made her cry. It sounds like her family just lost a young, close friend in a very sad way. What if I had not been here when that happened? She would be alone and sad. I'm so glad I could be of help, it felt good. I think I want to help people when I grow up...there's an idea!

Time to eat, and help Kirsten with laundry. She has absolutely nothing to wear.

Love, 

Balsa

 

I was so glad when mom and dad came home - I showered mom with kisses all over her face.  Mom was worried that I had forgotten her, but I didn't.  And she couldn't believe how much I bigger I had gotten while she was gone.  I am so glad they're home.  I liked Kirsten, but I like being home better, and I like going to work with mom much better.

The Time Out Pin

Why is it that every time mom says SHE needs a time out for a break / to do things around the house / fix dinner / etc. -  I end up in THE TIME OUT PIN ??

 

If SHE needs the time out, why doesn't SHE get in the time out pin and try it?

 

Just asking.

MY DAD - PAXTON

My dad is Paxton, (actually Paxton III - there was other Paxton's in the same litter, but they just call him Paxton), and when my mom and dad were told by the by the local CCI chapter that they were getting a Paxton puppy, (at a local chapter meeting on September 29th), the whole place yelled and jumped for joy. Seems that my dad is quite a prized CCI sire. There's a yahoo group devoted to my dad and his offspring, and you can't join unless you have one of his puppies. My mom is part of this group, so she get photos of my parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, etc. And she gets to posts photos of me so they can watch my progress also. Mom even got a copy of my genealogy chart. I'm glad I only have one name - some of my ancestors had 5 and 6 names, (whew). Mom thinks it's much easier to just say Balsa, DON'T. Dad says that I'm going to grow up thinking that's my name.

I have two half-sisters who are part of the local CCI chapter. One is already a CCI graduate, and she helps a very nice lady who is in a wheelchair with a spinal cord injury, the other is almost ready to leave her puppy raiser and go to advanced training in Santa Rosa, CA. I also have a nephew that I will be meeting next month when I start my puppy kindergarten classes. (I have so many things to learn in the next 14 months!! - I have to go to class EVERY week and do homework !!).

So far my dad has sired 202 puppies, (they even do DNA testing to make sure that we are his puppies), and 63 have been placed in service. He was born in 2007, and only a handful of CCI dogs are kept "in tact" for breeding purposes. So, he was a pretty special dog right from the start. On the top left side is a photo of my dad that was taken this summer. He's quite a beauty. Mom and everyone else thinks that I will be a big girl like him. Mom says if I'm a big girl, with my mild disposition I would be a wonderful wheelchair dog for a disabled child. I love kids, and if I could help some a kid someday - that would be the greatest thing ever.

Here is a photo of my dad when he was a little puppy with his dad. My dad's not much bigger than I am in this photo. But now, he's a lot bigger than grandpa.

Right now my favorite things to do are: eat, cuddle with my mom, rough house with Rowdy, (mom says Rowdy is a very good baby sitter), collect rocks and sticks on my walks, eat, sleep on my mom's feet at her office, tear the leaves off the plants in mom's office, eat, go for walks around the neighborhood, hunt for the cat in our house, (I know there's one here somewhere and I will find it), eat, and at night snuggle with mom some more, ( I hope she can still pick me up and hold me in her arms when I grow up).

1st trip to the VET

Saturday, (Oct 9th), mom and dad took me to meet the vet at Riverton Animal Hospital.  First thing you should know is that they have a VERY mean cat in a cage.  That's where he belongs.  The other cats that are running all over the place seem ok, but man do they ever have the run of the building.  This guy must really be cat lover.  Anyway, he seems to also like dogs, so he can't be all bad.  They checked me over, put me on the scale and said I weighed 14 lbs.  Reviewed my medical charts from CCI and proclaimed me a fine looking young girl.  The doctor said to come back in 2 weeks for my second set of shots and to keep doing what we're doing.  Mom had to embarrass me to no end by telling the vet that I had been constipated for the last 12 hours.  He checked my belly and said everything seemed fine and if I didn't go by this evening to give him a call.  By the time we got home, I showed her - I walked out to the back yard and I definitely was NOT constipated any more.  She felt so silly telling the vet how worried she was about my pooping habits.  I bet that won't happen again for quite a while.

HI - MY NAME IS BALSA

I arrived in Utah on Oct 6th at 9:00 am. My mom and dad, (Barb and Dave), have been waiting for me to join their family for almost a year now. Of course mostly because mom didn't fill out the foster paperwork until dad finally pushed her and said "OK, we've built a new puppy-proof house, fill out the papers and get them in the mail". They were extremely surprised that within 2 weeks of filling out the papers the CCI organization, (Canine Companions for Independence), called them for a phone interview and the next day send out a CCI investigator to inspect their home, them, and their other pets. They were immediately give a thumbs up for adoption. CCI already had a puppy for them to raise, but they ask to wait until the week of September 20th for their puppy, so they could enjoy something called a Maui vacation.

In case your wondering what CCI is all about go to CCI.org but I am giving you fair warning, have a box of tissues handy, some of the stories are pretty heart wrenching. The link in on the right hand side.

Anyways, on September 22nd, mom got the call that I would be arriving at the Delta cargo hanger. Imagine someone as important as me traveling in cargo. You would think they would spring for business class airfare. Well, mom was waiting for me and she grabbed me up and hugged me and let me give her lots of kisses. First thing she did was give me a sponge bath - boy did I enjoy that! Then I got to walk around the cool grass and take care of business. Then we drove over to her office, (well I slept on her lap while she drove). Everyone there had to hold me and tell me how cute I was, and how I am going to be a big girl. And at the end of the day they all remarked about how quiet and well behaved I was. Guess this office work isn't all that hard after all. I just have to eat, take small walks, and sleep on my mom's feet while she works. I think I can handle this life.

Then we drove home, and I met my big sister Rowdy. She's a Border Collie, and she's so much fun to play with. We ran around the back yard, rolled in the grass, and dad even taught me how to climb the stairs unto the deck. Today my favorite things are to chew on the pieces of bark that mom has around her garden beds, carry sticks around in my mouth, cuddle with mom, and of course eat and eat some more. I just love to eat. By the way, I pretty sure there's a cat around this house, but I can't see it and I have looked everywhere for it. Make note to self: Find that cat.

When it was time for bed, mom took me for a small walk to the end of the street. Then I cuddle on the couch and she explained to me that I have a very important mission in life. Some lucky person is going to blessed with all the things that I am going to help them with in their life. But for today, my job is to just be a puppy and let everyone love me. I can handle that. Well - it's been a long day for me and I need to get my rest, mom says I have a long day a head of me tomorrow. Tune in and see periodic updates and PHOTOS. They may come late, but they will be there - if I can get mom to help me with the typing, I still am having trouble figuring out this keyboard thing...