Breeder's Digest for January 2012

Litter Announcements

Labrador Retrievers

• 1/1/12 Stockholm x Tinella – 3 males, 1 female – litter letter “V”
• 1/2/12 Joplin x Finesse – 4 males, 3 females – litter letter “B”
• 1/3/12 Tito x Sadie – 2 males, 6 females – litter letter “C”
• 1/13/12 Marino x Cher – 3 females – litter letter “F”
• 1/15/12 Tito x Kirin – 4 males, 2 females – litter letter “D”
• 1/22/12 Vernon x Gallery – 3 males, 3 females – litter letter “E”
• 1/23/12 David x Hilda – 5 males, 1 female – litter letter “J”
• 1/28/12 Hurley x Arcadia – 1 male, 1 female – litter letter “I”
• 1/31/12 Flamenco x Beatrice – 3 males, 4 females – litter letter “K”

Lab-Golden Retriever Cross

• 1/13/12 Medford x Damsel – 3 males, 2 females – litter letter “G”

New Breeders

Labrador Retrievers

• Maeve – raised in WA
• Ramona – raised in NV

Golden Retriever

• Monet – raised in WA

A Graduation of Epic Proportions!

Once upon a time, there was a little yellow Lab puppy named Epic.

He enjoyed conversing with his sister, black Lab Estee.

And then he grew up! He was Mr. February on GDB's wall calendar...

and before we knew it, he graduated as a Guide Dog.

Here he is on the graduation stage with his new lifelong partner, April Smith

and his puppy raiser, Darleene Decrescenzo.

They are joined here by Epic's mom Belle, a retired GDB breeder

(wearing the red collar) and his sister Estee, a new breeder.

Epic and Estee were members of Belle’s litter,

home-schooled by Ken and Nancy Schopp.

And that's the beauty of GDB graduations...

They bring together the whole family!

This one was especially moving, as it was the last graduation in
our dormitory on the San Rafael, California, campus.

Christmas Company

by Heidi Sanders, GDB Breeder Custodian and Foster Care Provider

Ryka, Suzanne, Nessa (The Sanders Girls) and guest Pluto

This year our Christmas was slated to be quiet with two family members away. Ah, but the quiet idea didn’t last for long. Our holiday plans soon took on a brightness and glow when we received a call from Rebecca Hornick, foster care coordinator at GDB. An active guide, Pluto, needed a place to stay over the Christmas weekend; Rebecca asked if we’d be interested. Pluto had been our foster care guest twice before while our active breeder Suzanne was at GDB caring for her special “K” litter—Kyle, Keith, Kearney, Kellogg, Kristin, and Katrina born October 8, 2011. This time was a little different as Suzanne is now home, so it would mean a four-dog Christmas guest list, and, of course, we said yes. This year there was room for one more. Rebecca makes each foster care assignment sound so appealing--who can say no. Pluto’s human partner would be away for a few days, so it was a good match.

Pluto arrived and there was excitement in the air. Suzanne loved her new guest. It must be that likes attract. The Lab pair is similar in color, one bigger, one petite. Over the weekend we walked two by two, the two Labs, then the two Goldens. Suzanne's and Pluto’s gait was in sync and Suzanne was a flirt; this took some dog managing from our “foster care” tool bag of tie downs, crates, and treats, but all and all it was a wonderful holiday weekend, and never dull! What’s amazing to me is how the training of each dog from GDB allows a group of four dogs to meet, greet, and get along and spend a weekend together, and there’s nothing quite like having a Guide Dog in our midst. They are so special.

That night all became peaceful, with our Christmas tree lights on, the house warm and cozy, and the dogs tired after a busy day. I had to smile as I set up their doggie beds and each one took their place. “It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Santa would be coming soon, and I’m sure the dogs would sleep through his trip down the chimney. Good night Ryka, Good night Suzanne, Good night Nessa, and Good night Pluto. All is well.

Delivering Warmth and Comfort to Veterans

by Cathy Gregory

It has been a wonderful ride living with Christine, our our 8-year-old retired breeder. After giving birth to many Guide Dog pups, some of whom later graduated as Guide Dogs, she is still serving, by visiting veterans in lock down care at the Veterans Administration hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, we were doing our normal visit with her good pal Daisy, a 12-year-old (very light) yellow Lab. The staff refer to the two dogs as twins. When Daisy, Christine and I walked the south corridor, we came upon a crowd of around 12 people -- several doctors, staff and family members --surrounding a patient. Their mood seemed resigned, and I wondered if they were perhaps acknowledging the patient's last hours.

The three of us moved on along the corridor to do our visits, and when we came back to this same room, only one staff nurse remained with him. I asked her if we could go in. She said, "Yes," and then mentioned needing to get some morphine to help ease the patient's pain. I asked Christine to jump on the bed and lie next to the man. He was on a breathing tube for oxygen, but was otherwise unencumbered.

Christine settled parallel to his body with her head next to his. Although, according to the nurse, he had not shown any movement for days, he opened his hand to hold Christine's paw and his face immediately relaxed. We watched the interaction of his fingers and her paw. She remained next to him until I called her down, saying it was time to move along.

I had dreams about this guy, and how Christine helped him move to his next phase. The following week, on our visit to the ward, I asked the nurse about the patient. She said he had moved on -- to a geriatric ward. He was still alive!

Breeder’s Digest for July 2011

Litter Announcements

Labrador Retrievers
7/2/11 Marino x Lovey – 4 males, 6 females – litter letter “C”
7/6/11 Hurley x Arizona – 4 males, 2 females – litter letter “E”
7/9/11 Forte x Lani – 3 males, 2 females – litter letter “B”
7/9/11 Jay x Deanne – 2 males, 4 females – litter letter “L”
7/10/11 McKinley x Cathy – 1 male, 5 females – litter letter “J”
7/20/11 Nevin x Jova – 3 males, 2 females – litter letter “F”
7/27/11 Denzel x Elsa – 1 male, 5 females – litter letter “K”
7/28/11 Nevin x Fiji – 2 males, 5 females – litter letter “M”

Labrador Retriever-Golden Retriever Crosses
7/30/11 Jonathan x Matisse – 3 males, 6 females – litter letter “O”

Golden Retrievers
7/19/11 Kash x GEB’s Lois – 2 males, 5 females – litter letter “A”


New Breeders

Labrador Retrievers
Carnegie – raised in CA
Contessa – raised in CA
Darby – raised in AZ
Estee – raised in CA
Heloise – raised in CA
Hickory – raised in CA
Hilda – raised in CA
Kirin – raised in OR
Lucinda – raised in CA
Reann – raised in CA
Tabetha – raised in OR
Vernon – raised in CO

Lab-Golden Cross
Medford – raised in CA

Snap Happy!

Hey, thanks everyone for sending us so many great photos! You've obviously been busy.



Check out these photos!



And don't forget these...!





Now, we want to see photos from all of you who came to our Fun Days... How about it? Submit to our Flickr site.

I'll Bet You Didn't Know

by Rebecca Hornick, GDB Dog Placement Coordinator



There are so many interesting things to know about Guide Dogs for the Blind -- innovations in training, health tips from our veterinarians and fun stories about raisers and grads. In this post, I’d like to feature a core group of dedicated employees in the San Rafael Kennel Department.



Beyond keeping the kennels immaculate and feeding the dogs, our Kennel staff are experts in many aspects of canine care. It is not an exaggeration to say that senior members of our Kennel staff have more whelping experience than do most veterinarians. The staff is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Aside from caring for the dogs that are whelping and nursing, they check on all the dogs in their care throughout the kennel: boarding dogs; surgical recovery dogs; young puppies and others that may need feeding, medications and treatments throughout the night. On-call veterinarians can sleep soundly knowing they can count on the expertise of Kennel staff to manage the most challenging medical situations with little or no assistance.







After the Breeding Department staff makes the selections of the dogs that will be bred, it is primarily the Kennel staff who conducts these scheduled breedings. There are at least two staff members present for each breeding to ensure all goes well and record any details that will affect future breedings. The Kennel staff knows our breeder dogs well because they are responsible for their health and wellbeing before, during and after conception. It’s not uncommon for staff to greet these dogs by name as they saunter down the hallway with their breeder custodians in tow. I recall feeling comforted when, years ago, I dropped off my own breeder at GDB and she greeted each staff member along the way with a wag and smile of recognition.







Kennel staff is present at each whelp to detect any subtle signs of trouble. Once the pups are born, staff assesses them daily during their first months of care. Our Veterinary staff can attest to their in-depth medical knowledge – the two departments work hand-in-hand. By paying close attention to symptoms that might normally go unnoticed, Kennel staff experts utilize the experience they have gained by caring for hundreds of our dogs and alert the veterinarians to unusual cases that may require further medical attention.







They also oversee a lot of healthy dogs who come in to board each year while their caretakers are away from home. They engage the minds and bodies of these active dogs while boarding through our Kennel Enrichment Program to alleviate the dogs’ boredom. These activities include: daily dog walks, canine cuddling programs for physically challenged dogs that cannot go for invigorating walks, hanging toys in the outdoor and indoor runs, play structures to climb on and stuffed frozen Kongs (also called “pupsicles”) which are a much loved treat and activity all rolled into one delicious morsel!



Kennel staff also has the responsibility of managing the in-home Litter Raiser Program, processing all dog food orders for the hundreds of dogs on campus (as well as GDB staff dog food orders) and receiving all incoming phone calls after hours (whether they involve a medical emergency, lost dog or random question that happens to come in during the middle of the night). They conduct hands-on training programs for new dog walkers and foster care providers (so they can comfortably walk and care for their four-legged charges with confidence and skill).



The variety of unique challenges and educational opportunities may be among the factors that contribute to this staff’s amazing longevity. The 14“senior” staff (10+ years) have 258 combined years among them -- that’s a LOT of experience when you think about all they have seen and done in those years. Clearly, there’s a lot more to the job than just scooping and hosing. Of course, they get to receive lots of doggy kisses to help keep them motivated through the busiest of times as they do their fulfilling and important work for in support of GDB’s mission.







I am happy to sing the praises for this dedicated and humble core group of staff. Their hard work reminds us there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make GDB a success.

Newshounds

Sully and Lorrie Sullenberger share their love of dogs and support for GDB.


National Public Radio Interview: School Trains the Blind on Life with a Guide Dog

Good Dog Magazine: The Dog Behind. Chesley Sullenberger interview

9-11 Canine Hero Dies: Roselle

Gift of Sight has Four Legs

Incredible Enumclaw Woman Sets Her Sights High

Newshounds

Donna Litchfield and her Guide Dog Puppy Pravada made the Sunday Profile of the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. Here are some other stories from around the country...

Raising guide dog puppies...makes life full of fun

Princess Welcomes Guide Dogs for the Blind Group

Healthy Parks Healthy People

Guide-Dog-in-Training Works the Red Carpet

Looking for Good Puppy People

Puppy Invasion!

We received the following photos and update from proud breeder keepers Ken and Nancy Schopp who participate in GDB's Litter Raiser Program. We'll let them tell you a little more about the program, and about Belle....

Hi! This is Belle, a Guide Dog breeder. We bring her litters home from GDB at 1 week old so we can help her raise them, for seven weeks, until they are ready to be sent off to their puppy raising homes. This is her fourth litter. She has seven Guide Dogs out working and four more in final training from her third litter. Did you notice the yellow pup? Even though she has always been bred with black males, she almost always has one yellow pup. Belle is also the Tuesday morning "mentor dog" for the pups in the kennels at GDB during their socialization sessions. She plays with them and chastises them if they are naughty. What a great mom.

Christine's New Career

Submitted by Cathy Gregory

Cathy is the proud custodian of retired breeder, Christine (Christine is the mama of the famed F litter pups that we write about often in this blog). Since Christine's retirement from the Breeding Program, she has gone on to do other great things. We'll let Cathy take it from there...

Last September, Christine became certified as a therapy dog. I feel strongly that I want to help veterans Injured emotionally by war’s trauma so we began volunteering at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto. Usually we go with my good friend Gretchen and her 10 year-old lab, Daisy. Every visit is a new set of challenges.

The “twin” labs as they have come to be recognized, come into their workplace through two locked and monitored doors. The vets inside are at risk—so they aren’t allowed outside their ward. On the upstairs ward, there is camaraderie; vets wanting to talk about the dogs they have known, their wartime experiences and sometimes their plans for the future. There is also some interest in getting involved with Paws for Purple Hearts—a vets helping vets dog therapy program. We visit the common lounge and eating area, and then work our way down the two halls. The recreation therapist, who is always with us, knocks on each door and says “do you want to see the dogs today?” Usually Christine and Daisy take turns approaching the patient in bed. Some of these visits last only a few minutes. When a patient smiles and breaks the silence, the dogs will move in a little closer. Daisy is a masterful licker if given the go ahead.

After an hour is up, the four of us head toward our second stop, downstairs. The rec therapist tells us that today might be a short visit. We go through the locked doors and it is quiet inside. It turns out that half of the patients are in the patio. The sun is breaking through the clouds and there is an afternoon warmth in the air. The exterior walls are several feet taller than the basketball hoop at one corner. The dogs do their best to engage. I’ve had good conversations with some of these men on previous visits, but today the tension is palpable. Soon we are back inside. and we tour the lounges and bedrooms. By holding onto Christine’s leash one patient has annoyed the others so much that our visit concludes.

The last couple of months at the VA Hospital has shown me how pet therapy is a positive therapy. One guy upstairs who followed us for much of a visit one afternoon told me “we don’t need these fancy doctors they give us, we just need a dog.” Even when it is difficult, as yesterday was on the downstairs ward, I have seen how the dog’s attention can engage the person inside, however fragile their exterior may be.

The attached picture was made into a poster for the two wards we visit, with a short bio about each dog.

Fame Puppies Are Famous!

Feel good moment of the day: a video of the new litter of puppies born to Fame, the GDB breeder dog of Captain Chesley and Lorrie Sullenberger, was featured on today's episode of "The Bonnie Hunt Show." The litter of seven safely arrived in our kennels on January 20th. Here's the link to the segment: http://www.bonniehunt.com/blog/feel_good_moment_of_the_day_38.php

All together now: "Awww....."

Family Reunion

Contributed by Megan Miller

Please enjoy another great post by frequent No Bones About It contributor, Megan Miller.

My Guide Dog, Pasta, was born November 29, 2004 to Wilka and Caddy, both of whom produced great dogs. After a battery of tests, she was given the high honor of being chosen to be a breeder for GDB. She had her first litter on September 14, 2006, but that litter consisted of only one puppy, a female black lab named Quiche. Quiche was later career changed. However, Pasta’s contributions to GDB were not over.

On May 14, 2007, Pasta gave birth to her second litter. She had difficulty during her delivery, but four puppies were born. Sadly, two had congenital problems. However, the two surviving puppies, a female black lab named Portia and a male black lab named Purcell, soon went off to their puppy raising homes. Since Pasta had such small litters and had trouble in her second delivery, the breeding department felt it was best to retire her from the breeding program. However, luckily for me, the training department was able to take her back into training to become a guide. This is very rare since dogs can only be put back into training within the first year of being named a breeder. Pasta just made it!

On January 10, 2008, I received the best late Christmas present I could ever get when I was presented with Pasta. I was very excited to hear she was a mama dog and looked forward to somehow hearing about her puppies who were in training, even though I didn’t know how I would be able to. A few months after our graduation, I began attending local puppy club meetings, and once the leader found out Pasta had pups in training, she began sending me the phase reports. I loved reading them and seeing how her puppies flew through the phases and was sure to update Pasta of their progress. Once I learned from Pasta’s puppy raisers that her puppies had been placed in class, I wished I would have been able to attend their graduations, but I was unable to do so. But I always hoped I would meet one or both of them some day.

On December 12, 2009, that wish became a reality at a holiday party put on by the Orange County puppy raising clubs. As I sat and listened to graduates introduce themselves and their dogs, I gasped as I heard a woman introduce her dog, Purcell. It was Pasta's baby! I knew then and there that I had to meet him and try to get photos. I asked one of the raisers at our table if she could help facilitate an introduction, and quickly learned that Purcell’s handler would love to meet us. So, off we went to see Pasta’s son!

I honestly think they remembered each other. Pasta loves dogs and was being kind of silly that day with all the excitement and had several times tried to do little lunges to say hi to dogs she thought should be her friend. But with Purcell, she didn’t really lunge or go crazy. She just started licking him all over the face and wagging her tail excitedly. Purcell did the same. The only really goofy thing Pasta did was lick Purcell's handler across the face, as if to say, thanks for taking such good care of my boy! Pasta and Purcell just walked around in a circle, sniffing and licking each other, while continually wagging their tails. It was great to see!

The photographer at the party took some photos of of all of us; thanks to him, we have some great mementos of this reunion.

When it was time for Purcell and his handler to leave, Pasta wanted to go with them. She tried to follow them out the door. It was very touching. So, Pasta and I had a very great surprise that day. It was wonderful to see what a great dog Pasta brought into the world, and it was a very special experience to have both mother and son together as working guides in one place at the same time. It was a very rare treat indeed!

Listen Up: These Pups are Great Reading Companions

Contributed by Leslie Graham

Arbuckle and Elsa love to hang out and play with each other, but when they are at the library, they are all business. They are there to listen to stories. No, the librarians do not read to the dogs. School children, from 1st-5th grades, read to them.

The Danville Paws to Read program is “staffed” by Therapy Dogs from the Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton, Calif., but these two dogs have other jobs, too.

Elsa is a GDB breeder and has to take breaks from listening to have a litter now and again. She lives with her breeder custodian, Sue Day, who is also a puppy raiser, currently raising Dusky. Arbuckle is a career change pup and is also a GDB Ambassador Dog. He was adopted by his puppy raiser, Leslie Graham, who is now raising her 7th puppy, Cate.

Both of these black Labrabor Retrievers help show the community just what great dogs come out of the Guide Dog puppy raising program!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Puppy raiser and breeding stock custodian Ruth Cattaneo is enjoying her holidays in quite a unique way. She's the wardrobe supervisor of the National Tour of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and is with the tour as it travels the country bringing the time-honored classic to maybe a neighborhood near you! But while she's on the road, thoughts of GDB and her breeder dog Lania are forefront in her mind during this season of giving. She has organized a unique fundraiser in honor of Lania's first litter of pups (Lania and her new pups are pictured here). In Ruth's own words:

Sarah (my daughter) and I began raising puppies when she was in junior high school. We've raised seven dogs. Four of our pups are currently active guides, working in locales all across the country (Portland, Ore., Lake Oswego, Ore., Boston and Kansas City). Lania is our first breeder and is very special to me. She is the most athletic of all the dog's we've had - I plan on doing agility training with her when I get home.

For now, I am traveling with the National Tour of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. It is a wonderful tap dance musical that I call "candy for the eyes." It is a seasonal show that runs from November thru January. [As the wardrobe supervisor] I am in charge of over 300 pieces: hats, jewelry, shoes etc. The costumes are colorful and lots of fun. I started in New York in October to prepare the show for tour. We will be visiting the midwest section of the country: Omaha, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Michigan State University, St. Louis, Louisville and Kansas City. I'm hoping to see Baja, one of the pups I raised, in Kansas City when we are there.

To raise a little money for GDB, I plan to put pictures of Lania and her puppies on the crew and cast bulletin board. Then before the shows in the evening I will make an announcement over the speaker to our cast and crew letting them know that whatever is donated in total I will match (example: if two hundred dollars is donated then I will match it with another two hundred dollars). There are two little girls in the show who saw the pictures of the puppies and got so excited that they've agreed to take the "can" around and help collect any donations.

Thank you Ruth for your creativity and thoughtfulness!