Meet Chantal, Star of Our Mobile Site

Sweet little Chantal on our mobile site home page is a yellow Labrador puppy. We asked her raisers Ani and Roy Green from Guide Dog Puppies of Seattle puppy raising club to tell us about her, and this is what they wrote:

Chantal is a very low key, easy going girl. She’s our second puppy (The first was super high energy.) We feel really blessed to be raising her.

She sleeps a lot, and she must be having great dreams, because sometimes she looks like she’s running. Once in awhile, she’ll let out a muffled bark.

When she’s awake, she enjoys resting her head on my knee. She loves to toss her bones around; we are constantly digging them out from under the couch. It took us awhile to realize she was doing it as a game … sneak!

We call her our ROCK STAR because:
· She has been easy from the start.
· She learns quickly and goes with the flow. We take her everywhere!
· She’s so pretty and well-behaved, she draws a lot of positive attention. She is also REALLY good with young children.

P.S. When the President called on the public to “give back,” we were on a mission to find something we could do. Then we met a puppy raiser, and rest, as they say, is history… We met with our town’s club leader and soon attended our first puppy meeting. The dogs are so well-behaved, and it was such fun meeting other puppy raisers, we were sold.

How about you? Are you interested in raising a puppy for GDB?

Snapshots!

Raiser Amber May with Chloe

Don't we have the cutest dogs in the whole wide world?

Check them out here

and on

our Group Photo Pool!

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.

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

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.

Thank You for the New Puppy Coats and Toys!

Our puppies are sporting new green coats thanks to our sponsors, Natural Balance Pet Food, Inc. and Petco.

Speaking of new – our kennels are a lot brighter these days with colorful new toys for the puppies to play. Thank you to the many donors, puppy raising clubs and corporate supporters who have helped us replace needed puppy toys. Special thanks to Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., Central Pet, Nylabone, and JW Pet.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Breeder's Digest, February 2011

Here are the announcements for puppies born and breeder dogs named at GDB during February 2011.

Litter Announcements for February 2011

Labrador Retriever Litters
2/4/11 Jay x Tilda – 1 male, 1 female – litter letter “B”
2/10/11 Nevin x Damsel – 1 male, 2 females – litter letter “D”
2/12/11 Nevin x Norma – 1 male, 6 females – litter letter “J”
2/15/11 Forte x Beverly – 5 males, 3 females – litter letter “L”
2/20/11 Alonzo x Sadie – 4 males, 5 females – litter letter “K”
2/20/11 Parson x Bettymae – 5 males, 4 females – litter letter “M”
2/21/11 Nevin x Genova – 3 males, 4 females – litter letter “R”
2/23/11 Marino x Della – 2 males, 3 females – litter letter “T”
2/24/11 Jenkins x Dia – 1 male, 2 females – litter letter “N”
2/26/11 Flamenco x Ultra – 6 males, 3 females – litter letter “S”
2/27/11 Dutch x Rozzie – 1 male, 2 females – litter letter “W”

Labrador Retriever-Golden Retriever Cross Litters
2/18/11 Taylor x Malou – 6 males, 4 females – litter letter “P”

New Breeders in February 2011

Labrador Retrievers
Cognac – raised in NV
Delhi – raised in CA
Mochi – raised in CA
Nikita – raised in CA
Pisa – raised in OR

Golden Retrievers
Jingle – raised in CA

A Tribute to George the Cat: Resident Puppy Socializer at GDB

After nearly a decade of service, “George the Cat” retired this month and was adopted by GDB employee Vicki Edwards, where he will enjoy his golden years. In 2001, George was adopted from a cat rescue by Guide Dogs for the Blind and became the resident “puppy socializer” on the San Rafael campus. During his tenure, George helped to socialize thousands of future Guide Dogs. Thank you George for all of your hard work!

May The Force be with GDB

Skywalker Sound visited the GDB campus in San Rafael, Calif. this week to get some "puppy sounds" for their general library that is accessed when a film is being sound edited.

There's Chocolate in the Kennels!

Submitted by Reproductive Coordinator Heather Power and Breeding Program Manager Marina Hall Phillips

Talk about a sweet phone call: "There's chocolate in the whelping kennel!" announced a member of our Kennel staff. Thinking that some generous soul had stopped by with a box of See’s Candies, our initial sugar thrill turned to genuine excitement and curiosity when it became clear that the chocolate in question was referring to the coat color of some new puppies!

A maiden brood, black Lab Arizona, delivered a litter sired by a relatively new stud dog, yellow Lab Forte, on June 8. She brought a healthy litter of seven puppies into the world: five are black and two are chocolate. It is rare to see chocolate-colored dogs in GDB's colony - the last time a chocolate-colored pup was born to yellow or black Lab parents was in 1994. Prior to that, we did have some chocolate puppies produced by chocolate parents. The last active chocolate-colored breeding stock dog was a brood named Darlin, who was born in 1978. In addition, GDB has included chocolate-colored Labradors in our program obtained from outside sources through the years. To date we have had 51 chocolate dogs in our program, 13 of which went on to become working guides or breeder dogs.

As you know, Guide Dogs’ directive is to make breeding selections based on the highest potential that the resulting offspring will succeed as working Guide Dogs. GDB has developed a colony that supports our ability to meet our client demand with specifically selected combinations of black and yellow Labradors (and, if you've seen our colony, you know that the variations among the "yellow" Labs are still pretty vast!).

So how did these two chocolate treats come to be? Here's a quick and simplified lesson in genetics that should shed a little light on the subject:

There are spots on the canine genes called “loci” (or “locus” for a single spot) that deal with different coat colors. There are thousands of these loci, and it gets pretty complicated really quickly. Fortunately for us, in Labradors we really only need to focus on two loci to determine whether a dog will be black, chocolate, or yellow: B and E.

B comes in two varieties: black and brown. Black (B) is dominant, brown (b) is recessive, and the color applies not only to the dog’s fur, but to some extent all of the areas of pigment we see: nose, lips, foot pads, and around the eyes. If the dog in question has even one copy of the dominant (B) gene, s/he will have a black coat and black nose, etc. Only if the dog has two copies of the recessive gene (b) will their coat and nose look brown.

The Forte x Arizona litter's two chocolate pups are b/b on that locus. Their black littermates, however, are either B/B or B/b.

So where do yellow Labradors fit in? For them, we need to go to a different locus: E, which works a little differently. In recessive form (e), it suppresses or prevents the coat color of the B locus from expressing itself. In other words, the black or chocolate color won’t show up in the fur if the dog is carrying e/e. Instead, their coats will be yellow. Recessive (e) doesn’t remove the other areas of pigment however – they should have black noses, or at least a black rim around their noses, if they have B/B or B/b on that first locus. If they have b/b on that first locus, then those other areas of pigment will be liver colored. Couple that with e/e for recessive yellow coat color and we see a yellow coated dog with liver b/b pigment.

In a way, the coat colors are like a ladder. The first rung (or loci) tells you if the dog is black or brown, then the 2nd rung takes that black or brown dog and if double recessive, turns its fur yellow.

Phew! That's your science lesson for the day.

As for this Forte x Arizona litter, we are employing color genotype testing to identify which puppies in this and future litters carry the color genes for chocolate. The test is a simple, non-invasive DNA cheek swab. We will use this information to guide mate selection for color in the future. It's likely that we will not intentionally mate chocolate color carriers with yellow dogs who also carry for chocolate, since our focus is on black and yellow Labs. So while it is unlikely, it is certainly possible that we may see more chocolate-coated Labs in the future (if mate selection factors indicate that an ideal match would be between two parents carrying for the chocolate color). If so, we will embrace the little chocolate kisses with open arms, just as we've done with these two newest pups. The pups are thriving and will enter their puppy raising homes in just a few weeks. We're hoping we have some chocolate Lab Guide Dogs in our future!

Going Full Circle

This past Saturday, for the first time ever at GDB's Oregon campus, the audience at our graduation ceremony saw the complete story of Guide Dogs when we celebrated the accomplishments of six new Guide Dog teams AND delivered three new pups to their Oregon puppy raising families.

Anyone who has attended one of our graduations knows that these ceremonies are always filled with emotion, but this graduation was something extra special. We have been working with a few young pups in some early training tests here on the Oregon campus, so we had the opportunity to have the little guys around for a bit - a great treat! And when it was time for them to be sent to their puppy raising homes, we got the chance to send them off with much fanfare.

With an auditorium filled with visitors, supporters and friends, there were plenty of “ooohs and aaahs” when Zenith, Alden and Art were presented to their new families by campus volunteers. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the stage was swamped with well-wishers, all wanting to welcome these little bundles of fur into their hearts.

So, from beginning their lives as Guide Dog puppies in the arms of their new families, to concluding their training and becoming bona fide Guide Dog teams, we came full circle in the span of the afternoon.

Join us on July 17th at our Oregon campus for another graduation ceremony, once again complete with puppies. The ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m., and is open and free to the public. Check our website for details and directions.

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.

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....."

F Litter Update: Faulkner's Final Adventures with His Puppy Raiser

Guide Dog puppy Faulkner sends his mom one final dispatch from his puppy raising home. By now, Faulkner is at our Oregon campus, starting his training to be a Guide Dog! Good luck Faulkner!

Mama,

My trip to Seattle was SO much fun!!! I got to meet all kinds of new people and even new dogs. My puppy raiser, Kate, and I even got to see my littermate, Faraja! He's looking great and absolutely loves his puppy raiser, Judy. He has a new buddy that Judy is raising named Magoo. We all got to greet each other and Kate shoved my brother and I together for pictures. She says that we look almost the same and that Faraja is just as sweet as I am. I got to go out to dinner with Kate and her friend and her dad at a really nice restraunt which was tons of fun. They all were really nice to me and, while all of the staff smiled at me, none of them tried to distract me from working. I was just happy to be out and about.

Since we've been home, life has not been too much quieter. We've been keeping really busy. Mostly with getting around to people so that they can say goodbye to me.

Nancy (Kate's mom) arranged it so that I could go to her office today for a very special thing. We gave out dog bone shaped cookies, Faulkner autographs, Faulkner love, and pictures with me for donations to a charity Nancy's office is supporting. We made over $20 in the hour and a half that I was there and Nancy's boss joked that I should be named volunteer of the year!

Can you believe that I'm leaving tomorrow to go back to Guide Dog school? In just about 23 hours I'll be getting on the puppy truck to go to Oregon! Kate has talked to the woman on the truck who's traveling with her husband to come pick me up. I'm going to get to meet all kinds of puppies when we get there! I know that Kate is feeling a little sad about me leaving. We've been through a lot together this past year and we have become very special in each other's lives. Kate wants to make sure that you know just how lucky she feels to have had me in her life, even for this short of a time. She says that everyone I meet thinks that I'm something pretty special and she can't wait to mee the incredibly lucky person that I get to spend the rest of my life working with.

There are pictures of Faraja and me as well as some pictures from my going away party at Nancy's office today. I'm sure that Kate will be sending you more pictures tomorrow or the next day as I embark on my puppy truck adventure. I can't wait to see what has everyone so excited for me at the other end of this jouney! I hear that there will be lots of food....

All my love,

Faulkner

Mama Christine's response:

Hi Faulkner,

Thank you for all your news and pictures, I thought I'd add one of my favorite baby pictures of you as well. Please please Kate take a picture of Faulkner in front of the puppy truck. I hope it is the new truck with the picture Cathy took on the side of it. Since the F litter was the inspiration for that picture it would be so cool to have a picture of you and Kate and Franco and his family all together next to the side of the truck.

I know you are going to do well in training. It is great you got to play with Faraja. I know the bond between Faraja and Judy is very special. It was very hard for her to have Faraja career changed—you know how committed she is to Guide Dogs : )

Love,

Mama Christine

F Litter Update: Faulkner, Ready for a New Adventure

Hey Momma!

I'm on trade this week! I'm staying with a girl named Kylie who is a first time raiser in our club. She's really enjoying having me since I'm so close to the end of my training and a welcome break from her 9 month-old puppy, Kayla. I'm just having fun getting to meet even more new people! Kylie has been taking me to high school and it's a very active life.

My puppy raiser Kate and I have been really close since we found out that I'm going back. This last month of my training is shaping up to be a very special time for us. We do a lot of cuddling and loving these days and Kate has been sharing stories with me of the five dogs that she's raised in the past. Did you know that all of them are working guides? All of the talk is making me even more excited to go back to campus! While this is a fun experience for me, Kate told me about just how much this organization means to her. Here's what she had to say:

"These past few months have confirmed how much a person can get out of an experience such as this. The feeling that you get when you are able to help someone else, while helping yourself in the process, is beyond explanation. I don't know that I'll ever truly be able to express what Guide Dogs means to me and what the organization has done for me. GDB came into my life at a time that I most needed it five years ago, even though I didn't know it at the time. Through all of my medical adventures, and times of not knowing what life would bring day to day, I had at least one constant: a dog. Every morning, no matter how terrible I was feeling, there would be a wriggling ball of fur just waiting for me to wake up. Not because they wanted to ask how I was feeling and not because they needed to take me to another doctor's appointment. They simply wanted me. And even in in my days of not knowing where my life was going or when I would be able to really start living it again, I knew that puppy needed me. And not just that puppy, but, in extension, a person needed me. After the first graduation that I attended all those years ago, I couldn't believe that I was actually a part of what the working team had become. Bob and Yamaha were soul mates and you could tell by just looking at them. To think that I was even a small part of that beauty and freedom still makes me swell with pride. I don't know where I would be now if it wasn't for Guide Dogs coming into my life when it did. But I do know this: This organization is magical. And not just for the blind that get partnered with a guide."

I know full well that becoming a guide isn't for every dog. Kate has told me that if I get to school and don't want to do it, I will not have to. She's assured me that no matter how my formal training goes, she is very, very proud of me. The best part is that she has assured me that even if I come back to her house to live as a pet, I have helped at least one person's life be better - hers. Through all the emotion of the last weeks, I'm ready to keep on going until I just can't go anymore. I'm bursting full with all the love that has been given to me in my raiser home and I can't wait to go on to share it.

Love, 

Faulkner

Momma Christine's Response: 

Dear Faulkner,

This is an absolutely lovely note and makes me cry with delight in your shared vision and in the beautiful way you express it in words. I hope other people will be able to resonate with you as well after they read your dear words. Very very sweet.

I am so proud of you, and I hope I will see you at your graduation, if that is in your future. Take care and enjoy these last weeks together.

Love,

Christine

F Litter: Franco Writes Home

Dear Mama,

Did you hear the good news? Flute is going off to Puppy College. I am so excited! That means that fairly soon, the rest of us will go too. I can hardly wait. I have all my commands down very well and am well behaved, most of the time!

Talking about school, my puppy raiser is back in school and running cross country again. He is pretty fast but the races seem to take a very long time. It also gets really hot during the day when he runs - I’m glad I don’t have to run with him! Speaking of the heat, I hope you’re safe down there in California and far away from all the smoke.

It is hard to believe that I have been writing letters home now for a year it seems like just yesterday we were at Fun Day. Time sure does fly when you are having fun. 

With love and licks,

Franco

F Litter Update: Faulkner Writes Home

Hey Momma!!

This past month has seemed to just fly by! My raiser Kate and I haven't been doing a whole lot because she had surgery. We've been going crazy stuck at home together, but I've really gotten good at being a house dog. I've gone to work with Kate's mom a few times, and I've been to SO many doctor's appointments. While Kate was in the hospital, our whole puppy club (including our friends from Elko, Nevada) showed up for class!! I got to be at the hospital once a day for the three days that Kate was there. It was fun to get "ooh-ed" and "ah-ed" over by all the nurses!

Kate is feeling better and I'm trying to help her get back on her feet. She plays outside with me and whenever she goes out, I get to go too. She says that having me around helps to distract people from the neck brace that she's having to wear. I guess that having a dog in tow does offer a great opportunity to change the subject!

Summer is coming to an end and Kate's brother, Alex, has headed to college. He's promised to take me sometime in the next couple of weeks which would be great fun! I'll let you know how my adventures in the college world go once I get a chance to see how it is. I wonder if it will be anything like the "college" that Kate keeps talking about me going to at Guide Dogs....

Faulkner

Letter From an F Litter Pup: Flute Has Big News!

Dear Mom,

Exciting news! My puppy raiser and I just found that I'm going to COLLEGE ... on Friday! The folks at GDB thought I might have to wait a while longer because there were so many other dogs ahead of me, but something must have changed and now they want me! Everyone around here is really excited, so I guess it must be really special.

I got a bath, toenail clipping, ear cleaning and toothbrushing this weekend so I'm all clean and ready to go. I'm getting lots of extra hugs and whispered messages about working hard and becoming a really good Guide Dog. People seem sort of sad underneath their excitement however. I'm not sure what it all means. But I know I'm ready for something new and interesting. I've done so many things this summer, including going to a Seattle Storm basketball game, swimming in Lake Washington, riding on a new streetcar, and best of all, making a new friend. Donovan says that he was the first one to train with my raiser, Kathi, ten years ago. He lived in California for a while with her sister, but has come back to Washington in his senior years to live with her. We've had great fun getting to know each other, though he moves a bit slowly. He is nice to snuggle with and tells me that college is a lot of fun with great people. He made it all the way through training but was career changed for a medical reas

on. Here is a picture of the two of us.

  

Well, that's all from Seattle. I hope to be sending you word in the coming months of my graduation from college, but I know that whatever the future holds, you got me off to a good start. Kathi says that if I don't make it as a guide there might be another job waiting for me somewhere and I can always come home to live with her. But I want to make you all proud.

Love,

Flute

A look back at Flute as a puppy: 

F Litter Update: Faulkner and Franco

Hey Mom! 

I've got all kinds of fun things to tell you in this update! 

First of all, my puppy raiser, Kate, is doing all kinds of house sitting since it's summer and everyone wants to go on vacation. The past ten days, we've been staying at a house that came complete with chickens and a little 1-year old Welsh Terrier named Reuben. He has a lot of energy, but we were able to play outside a lot and he followed me everywhere! When Kate would put me in my crate, Reuben would often go in with me. It was neat to have a little "brother" for the week. 

While we were at Reuben's house, my littermate Franco also came to visit a couple of times. The three of us boys had so much fun getting to play together and run around!! Franco even got to stay the night and all three of  us curled up in a big puppy pile in the crate. Kate told us that we were too cute to exist. The only problem that we had was that Franco and I were a little too interested in Reuben's food, but Kate made is almost impossible to sneak any because she kept such a close eye on us. 

Next up: Kate is pulling a switcheroo! She's going to take Franco with her to her next housesitting gigs, and I'll be going home to stay with Franco's puppy raiser, Mike! Franco with have a great adventure with Kate - he gets to meet nine new cats and four new dogs! I'm hoping you'll be getting a letter from him because he'll certainly have plenty to write home about. Franco made sure that I wouldn't forget to tell you hi and send you some puppy kisses and a tail wag until you get to hear from him again. 

Love,

Faulkner (and Franco)

P.S. The first picture is of the two of us at Reuben's house. Reuben wouldn't sit still long enough to be in the picture though. There's also a picture of me when Kate and I went to the park.