Breeders Digest, August 2010

Ta da! Here's our litter announcements for the month of August. As we told you in our July Breeder's Digest, we've reorganized the way we archive the littermate photos that accompany this column. From now on, you'll be able to click on the link to any litter listed below, and it will take you to a Flickr set devoted entirely to that litter. All of the litters will now be catalogued according to the name of the dam. Yay! We hope you like the change!

PS - we snuck a few extra images in the July Littermate photos under our old filing system... just a little bonus puppy love!

Labrador Retrievers

• 7/31/10 Ozzie x Damsel - 3 males, 1 female
• 8/1/10 Jenkins x Nana – 3 males, 4 females
• 8/2/10 Forte x Basia – 1 male, 2 females
• 8/2/10 Piedmont x Saga – 4 males
• 8/16/10 Nicasio x Starling – 5 males, 2 females
• 8/21/10 Flamenco x Peach – 3 males, 2 females
• 8/25/10 Righetti x Harbor – 3 males, 5 females
• 8/26/10 Denzel x Dream – 4 males, 3 females
• 8/26/10 Dylan x Michelle – 1 male, 5 females
• 8/27/10 Bosworth x Marnie – 2 males, 3 females

Golden Retrievers

• 8/6/10 CCI’s Kaelen x Viola – 5 males, 4 females

Lab x Golden Crosses

• 8/11/10 Guidinglight Wallace x Fontina – 1 male
• 8/16/10 Guidinglight Wallace x Racine – 3 males, 5 females

New Breeders

Labrador Retrievers

• Bahama – raised in OR
• Carlita – raised in CA
• Joyous – raised in CA
• Trella – raised in CA

Canine Heroes Wine Auction 2010

This past weekend, we held our 8th Annual Canine Heroes Wine Auction in the beautiful Napa Valley. Beginning with an intimate Winemaker dinner on Friday night in the wine cave at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, the weekend was off to a great start. The Wine Auction itself was on Saturday, held at Black Stallion Winery. Guests enjoyed a reception where they sampled food and wine from some of Napa's acclaimed wineries and restaurants, as well as bid on a host of silent auction lots. The evening progressed with a four-course gourmet meal with a keynote address by GDB alumnus George Thompson (pictured above; his Guide Dog Cairo is out of the frame), and culminated in a grand Live Auction.

"I loved the energy, camaraderie, the total success of both evenings," said Interim CEO Morgan Watkins. "It was thrilling, and thanks to staff, volunteers, donors, graduates, and dogs, we had two spectacular nights to remember."

The festivities raised more than $290,000, proceeds of which will go toward supporting GDB's veterinary expenses. Didn't make it to the auction? You can still support GDB with a donation here: guidedogs.com/donate.

Special thanks to Co-Chairs Paula Kornell and Joan Boyd, and the following corporate sponsors: Guggenheim Partners Asset Management, LLC; State Street Bank and Trust Company; Albourne America, LLC; Callan Associates; Goldman Sachs Asset Management; Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P.; The Winetasting Network; Bank of Marin; BlackRock, Inc.; Dodge & Cox; Friess Associates; Invesco; The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation; Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

Snapshots!

Keep those photo submissions coming! We love getting great photos of Guide Dog puppies, working guides, retired guides and career change dogs as they are out and about doing so many fun things. Here's a sampling of the photos we received during the month of September 2010, both via email (information@guidedogs.com; all submissions can be seen on Flickr), and posted to our Flickr Group Photo Pool (join today!). Enjoy!

Zorba, a 5 month-old black lab Guide Dog Puppy, stands next to a wheel barrow filled with orange & white pumpkins, huge sunflower heads, and indian corn. Submitted by hpwtdogmom via GDB's Flickr Group Photo Pool.

Jim and Vickie Kennedy with Vickie's retired guide Freida (left) and current Guide Dog Angela (right). They are pictured in Honolulu, Hawaii, with Waikiki/Diamond Head in the background. Submitted by Jim and Vickie Kennedy.

Cabo Reunion: A picture at Seaport Village in downtown San Diego featuring GDB puppy in training Cabo, and career change dog Hibachi. Part of Hibachi's new adoptive family is in the photo. Submitted by Pat Salzarulo.

From the Pros: Keeping your pet safe this time of year

Here are some handy tips for dealing with your pet dog during this fall season, from Tami Shankle, one of GDB's Community Field Representatives.

October brings crisp apples and spooks in the night. Keeping your pet safe and confident can be easy with a little forethought.

Many backyard fruit trees are dropping their bounty. Remember to keep your pet away from fallen fruit and nuts. A quick yard check before letting your dog loose and close supervision can save tummy troubles later.

Compost piles are bulking up with the byproducts of the summer garden. What is good for the soil can be especially dangerous or toxic to pets. Compost piles should always be kept securely fenced off with no access from your pets.

Halloween brings owls of goodies, scary costumes and a stream of excited trick-or -treaters to your door! Young and more cautious pets would do well to skip the evening’s frightful festivities all together. A better option would be resting comfortably, crated in a bedroom away from the temptation and the confusing array of costumes. Older, more confident pets can be secured on tie down a safe distance away from the door where they can watch the stream of visitors without worry of open doors, over-zealous greetings, dropped treats and scary visitors.


Thinking of taking your older pet trick or treating with you? Many pets take wearing costumes in stride but others are more sensitive to new "gear." Give them time to adapt or keep your costume choice simple. While making the rounds keep a close eye that your pet is not becoming overwhelmed by the decorations and costumes designed to spook! Remember a steady stream of ghouls can be tiring for even the most confident pet! For those softer pets, pick a less hectic time to introduce them to odd noises, costumed folks and running, candy filled children!

With a bit of planning you and your pet can enjoy the sights and the sounds of the season.

Lots of Labs, Oodles of Poodles!

On a recent Sunday in September, our great friends at Mt. Hood Skibowl Adventure Park joined with dog lovers from across the Portland area to celebrate Mother Nature with their first-ever DOG DAY, all in support of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Along with big-hearted friends like those at Lexidog Boutique and Social Club, as well as The Hotel Monaco (Portland's most pet-friendly place to stay), more than 100 dogs and their buddies assembled on Mt. Hood for a day of fun and exercise.

This inaugural event offered three different hiking courses through the Mt. Hood National Forest: an easy one mile path, a moderate two mile trek, and a challenging six mile hike. Along with the fresh air and exercise, a variety of dog-oriented vendor booths were set up (featuring everything from canine oil portraits to doggy raincoats), as was a dog-friendly Beer Garden. There were also great prizes for the Best Pet Tricks!

We are thrilled that there were so many dog lovers who got up early on a Sunday morning to come out and play! Within the first 15 minutes of registration, we’d already been emptied of the donated doggy goody bags – and folks just kept on coming. As you can see from the photos, we had more wagging tails per square inch than any other place in Oregon that day!

It was an incredible response to this first attempt for a special day to recognize Guide Dogs. To our huge delight, everyone is already talking about next year! We hope this is just the beginning of another wonderful relationship between GDB and some very special folks in our community.