Oceanside - CCI Turn in and Matriculation

Well after a long day of driving on Wednesday,  (through a snow storm and lots of rain), we finally made it to Oceanside, California.  Bright and early on Thursday morning after a quick breakfast, mom, dad, and I drove over to the CCI campus to take a tour.  It's a very beautiful campus... very clean and inviting.  It you are ever in Oceanside on the first Thursday of any month, feel free to stop by.  They give free tours, no appointment required.  You will be very impressed by the facilities.

Here is a picture of me by the main entrance sign.  Even though I am a big girl, I look so small next to the sign.  But if you look close, you can see me in front of the sign sitting in among the wonderful smelling flowers.

 Mom really liked this area of the campus.  It was dedicated to the CCI service dogs who died.  Their owners purchased tile squares with the dog's names on them as a remembrance.  There was a lovely fountain and a small reflection pond with benches.  It was a very peaceful place to spend a few moments.

 Here is the door to my dorm room, see my name.  I have 2 roommates.  Most puppies only have 1.  Looks like we are going to have some serious all night PJ parties !!  Dad noticed that I am the youngest of the three.  You can tell by our ID numbers.  The larger the number, the later in the year you were born.  At matriculation, I met Fluffy, (one of my roomies).  A real nice gal.

 That evening Dad declared that today was "Balsa Day".  He said it means all restrictions were off for the rest of the day.  We went to the park across the street from the motel and played catch, I got extra treats to eat.  And I even got to sleep on the bed with mom and dad.  A very strict no, no for CCI rules.  Mom said that this will probably be the one bad habit I will remember forever.  Dad said "so what - it's Balsa Day"  I was so exhausted that evening.  I slept right in the middle between mom and dad all night.  It felt so good and comforting.  Mom kept waking up and petting me every couple of hours all night long.

 The next morning after breakfast the three of us went down to the ocean.  I had never been to the ocean.  I was so excited.

 We walked out on the pier.  I wasn't scared at all.  I got to look down between the boards on the pier and see the ocean.  WOW.  I think I like California.  There are so many new sights and smells here.

 Later that morning we went over to the venue for the graduation and matriculation.  There were so many people there and so much energy and excitement in the room it was scary for me.  But dad let me put my head on his lap and he would comfort me.  He's a good dad that way.  He kept telling me what a good girl I was and petting me.  I am sure going to miss giving him my ear nibbles.

When we lined up for our professional photos, I got to see my litter mate, (my sister Brisbane).  She looks just like our mother.  She was raised in Las Vegas.  And she is a lot smaller than me.  I gave her a kiss on the muzzle for good luck and told her that I would catch up with her in the puppy playground in the next couple of days.  After the ceremony we drove back to CCI and mom and dad said their goodbyes.  Mom was so sad, I think dad was a little sad too.  As I was walking down the hall, I tried so hard not to look back, but just as I was turning the corner I took a quick peek back at mom.  She was crying real hard and that broke my heart.  But I remember the 4 rules that she told me:

1.)  remember my commands, (I'll need them the rest of my life)

2.) remember my manners, (no one likes a bad mannered puppy)

3.) remember I was born for a special job, (I'm a CCI puppy, born for this purpose)

4.) always remember that mom loves me, and she will always be my mom

This will be the last posting from me for a long, long time.  They told me that I am not allowed to use the computer anymore.  But mom has promised that if she gets any pictures or reports from me she will post them to let everyone know how I am doing.  Wish me luck, as I head out on this next chapter of my journey.

LOVE, BALSA