Greetings from Choco-boy

Remember a few months back when we announced that we had chocolate in our kennels? Well, the chocolate Lab pups are now happily ensconced in their puppy raising homes. We recently got this update about one of the pups, Snickers, submitted by his puppy raiser, Megan Stewart:

Hey everyone, this is Snickers the chocolate puppy, but most people just call me choco-boy. Two months ago I was delivered to my new raiser mom, and was greeted by everyone here in Utah with a rock star's welcome. Everyone enjoyed getting a chance to snuggle with the chocolate puppy and I got kisses and cuddles galore. It was great, but I was glad to be with my raiser mom and start learning how to be a Guide Dog.

I’ve been learning a lot and I try really hard to be a good boy. My very favorite thing to do is go to puppy classes! There are ten other dogs in my group and they are all learning to be Guide Dogs too. It’s really fun to see all my friends every week. I also have two big sisters, Paris and Picassa. Paris used to be a Guide Dog in training but she doesn’t see very well so she came back to be raiser mom's pet dog, and Picassa is a puppy in training like me but she is leaving next month for her formal training. I love my sisters and enjoy teasing them and being a pesky little brother.

I have all my shots now so I get to go places with my raiser mom, and it’s been a lot of fun. I think my favorite outing was when mom took me on a long walk to a waterfall. The water was really cold but I jumped in anyway. There were a lot of birds and chipmunks up there too, but I was a good boy and didn’t try to chase any of them. That’s all for now, I hope everyone and their doggies are doing great.

High Seas Adventure

By GDB alumna Holly McKnight

When I graduated with my third guide Pollyann, in the summer of 2006 I knew we would have many wonderful adventures together. I would like to tell you about one of my favorites.

In the summer of 2009 some family friends of ours said that they were planning a cruise in January 2010 and that one of the ladies who was going with them needed someone to share a room with. Our friends thought of me and Pollyann. I jumped at the chance because I had wanted to cruise for years.

The first thing we had to do was figure out what was needed to take a dog on the ship, and Carnival Cruise Lines was very willing to work with us. They told us where to find information about traveling internationally with a dog and it turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be. We gathered all necessary papers and set out for South Texas.

When we arrived at the cruise terminal we got on the ship and when I went into my room there were towel animals on my bed. One representing me, and the other, Pollyann. I knew from that moment that it was going to be a great week.

The crew went out of their way to make my trip great and they loved having Pollyann on board. She had bandanas each day that were the same colors that I was wearing. People would seek us out each day to find out what Pollyann was wearing. The cruise line had information in Braille for me. It was great.

The only thing that was a bit rough on our trip was the fact that it was cold. We were thinking that leaving Texas in January meant that we would get away from the cold, but it was not to be.

We went from Texas to Key West Florida for our first stop. It was really neat watching the ship dock and move sideways. I have enough sight to be able to watch things pass us. Other than that, I could not tell that the ship was moving.

In Key West we had arranged to take a city tour so we went on an open train and froze. We all took turns holding Pollyann so that she could help us stay warm. We also got some Key Lime Pie that was very good.

Our second stop was Freeport in The Bahamas. We took a city tour there as well. By that time we had learned our lesson and rode on a regular bus. It was much warmer, although still not what we would consider toasty.

Our final stop in The Bahamas was Nassau where my dad and I got in the water with dolphins. Pollyann waited for me on the beach with my mom and had many people admiring her. She loved it.

In short, our cruise was amazing and I would never have tried it without my amazing girl. She easily traveled through the hundreds of people on the ship and made it such that I could too. I could tell how many people there were and in her usual style Pollyann easily went around them. Our table staff at meals were also very happy to have a dog on the ship. We were in many pictures and had a great time on our wonderful cruise.

The most frequently asked question that I got was "where does she go to the bathroom on the ship?" Well, the crew had a box set up for her in a private area away from the public and it worked great.

In short, if someone is considering taking a cruise with one of GDB's amazing guides, I say do it!

Finding Their Wings

Alaska Airlines hosted the Eager Eye puppy raising club of Issaquah, Wash., at Alaska's Flight Operations and Training Center near Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle this past weekend. The club arranged the visit with the airline to give their pups an in-cabin airplane experience using the airline's mock-up training aircraft. The club's nine puppies were able to board the mock-up aircraft, sit with their raisers in real aircraft seating and have a life-like experience. The outing included beverage cart use, PA announcements, boarding, in-cabin luggage handling and de-planing. What an excursion!