Carlos Amigos

I have not done justice for my Carlos on this blog so far. So here is a special post just for Carlos Amigos! He is an awesome puppy. He has been SO easy to raise up to this point. He's not without his quirks...just like any puppy, but I am so lucky to get to raise him as he's such a great puppy!

So first question is:

How does this... (8 week old carlos)

Turn into this:

5 month old Carlos

He definately looks older and more mature than the pudgy little puppy he was! He is still adorable...(of course). He is also likes many of the same past times that he enjoyed as an 8 week old puppy...such as sleeping on his back on his bed!

Carlos at 8 weeks on the fluffy bed sleeping on his back...

Carlos at 5 months laying on his back on the same bed...he takes up a little more space now than he did.

And here is Carlos' official 5 month old picture. He is so cute and such a good boy! He is a momma's boy and does exactly what I ask him to do and LOVES to please!

People laugh when I call him Carlos Amigos, but we joke Amigos is his middle name. He is a friend to all...people and dogs! He has a huge fan club of my nieces and nephews as well as my roommate and my grandma and my neighbors...ok, so everybody loves Carlos Amigos!

Summer Fun #2

And road trip #2 the mammoth road trip! (be sure to read the previous post for road trip #1)

Once again, Joaquin and I embarked on a road trip. We drove from Salt Lake to Reno the first day and spent the night with some friends in Reno. The next day we drove to the Bay Area. First we stopped at GDB to return some old run down supplies and go sneak a peek at the baby puppies. We went to starbucks to kill time for a few hours and play on the computer. Then we met up with some friends and Joaquin met GDB puppy Jaffe. We picked another friend up at the airport with her puppy Carney and all went to dinner. We met the first GDB pup I raised, Magician and his handler for dinner...

The picture above is me with Joaquin on the left and Magician on the right. Magician will probably be retiring sometime in the next year. He will be 10 next month and has earned his retirement where he will continue to live with his handler.

The next day we rode the ferry into San Francisco...Joaquin assumed the usual position on the ferry and won over the coast guard guys (those are the boots you see in the picture)

We spent a few hours in Jail (Alcatraz of course!) Obviously, Joaquin didn't think the life of a convict suited him well...so naturally we took the ferry back to the city by the bay where we were going to ride a cable car, but the line was too long, so we ended up walking to Market street to do a little shopping (not Joaquin's favorite part of the trip!)

Then we went to Fun Day where Joaquin had his family reunion...He met up with his mom, 2 brothers and 2 sisters...we met (in order of the picture I think...) Jigsaw, Lamara, Janie, Jingle, Jordie and Joaquin. Joaquin is the biggest of the brothers that we met. He looked just like the photo of his dad that we saw. His littermates and mom all seemed to be very nice dogs!

The day after Fun Day we had a lazy day cause we were exhausted! We just layed around the house most of the day, and then went into the city that night to see Wicked...which I loved and Joaquin slept thru.

We started our drive to Oregon and stayed in a hotel that night where Joaquin was perfect! The next morning we drove to Crater Lake which was beautiful!

Then we went to Portland to meet up with some of my family. With the family Joaquin and I went to the Oregon Coast...

We also went to Mount Saint Helens with the family. which was a lot of fun too! We went to Fun Day in Oregon, however, none of Joaquins siblings were there and I didn't take any pictures. Mickelle brought Carlos up to Fun day in Oregon, and took Joaquin home with her the next day. We had a great trip and Joaquin was EXCELLENT. I could not have been any more impressed and proud of my boy or asked for a better dog to accompany me on the trip.

Summer Fun #1

At the end of June I took Joaquin on a small road trip (in preparation for a much larger road trip)... We started in Utah, and picked up some friends in Vegas and then took them HERE:

That would be the Grand Canyon! And boy is it Grand. We went to the North Rim which is a few thousand feet higher than the more popular South Rim. We got there around sunset, but I thought it was cool that the moon was out...

Joaquin was NOT impressed with all the picture taking my friends needed to do, so assumed the usual position in the middle of the trail...

I got a few pictures of him, but he was tired from a LONG day of driving and he was looking kind of pathetic...but isn't he cute?

After Grand Canyon, we drove to Camp Bloomfield in Malibu, and spent a few days just hanging out in Southern California. Unfortunately it was really foggy while we were there, so we didn't get to go to the beach much like we had planned...but it was great to hang out with our old friends and see the familiar faces at camp. --and camp was excited to have Joaquin there for a few days too!

Pictures!!!

Carlos at 10 weeks playing with his jollyball.

Carlos at 10 weeks with his puppy coat on.

Joaquin at Antelope Island with the Bison behind him (he wasn't real impressed with the bison.)

Joaquin at Antelope Island with the Great Salt Lake and the Rocky Mountains behind him.

Carlos sleeping on the dog bed at 8 weeks...

I was shoe shopping yesterday with this BIG guy! I heard a small child (probably about 3 years old) say "horsey, horsey" and point to Joaquin. Now, yes, he is a big dog...but I don't think he's THAT big! It was definately a new one in my years of raising puppies... I might be able to understand if it was Ontario who was even bigger than Joaquin and also had pointy ears...but it just made me laugh! Kids are cute!

Carlos's parents are Denzel and Maria. Denzel is black and Maria is yellow, I believe there are both black and yellow pups in his litter. So far he continues to be a wonderful puppy. So adorable and a cuddler. Of course I am totally in love with this little guy! Joaquin loves him a little too much--so for now their interactions are quite limited, but with time and patience I'm sure they will learn to chill with each other just fine. I am so lucky to get such awesome puppies! I fall in love with them more and more every day.

Joaquin seems to have turned from the silly golden puppy, to a serious adult golden dog. He is such a nice dog and everyday surprises me with how awesome he is!

I'm a lucky puppy raiser for sure!

SUPRISE!!!

IT'S CARLOS!!!

I have a new puppy in my house. Of course he is a guide dog puppy and of course he is adorable! He was born on March 10th which makes him 8 weeks and 2 days old. So far he just wants to sleep. He managed to wake up and eat his meals...but it's hard being a 8 week old puppy and he's TIRED!!! So here are pictures...enjoy!

Joaquin is cute!

So a few weeks ago, I was really into watching the new BBC documentaries "Life". Anyway, while watching the "hunters" episode, Joaquin was also very curious and enjoyed watching. The entire hour he kept going right up to the tv to watch the chases! He loved it and I thought it was funny so I took a picture. Of course, he looked away from the TV as I took the pic.



Have I ever expressed my love for tulips on my blog??? LOL Anyway, of course I had to go to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point Gardens with my mom. And of course Joaquin needed his picture taken with the tulips...He is becoming such a handsome looking young dog!

Good-bye Monet, Hello Spring!

Sweet little girl Monet was career changed. She made it very clear to us that she just didn't want to be a guide dog. She was a very happy, fun dog to raise...I loved every minute of having her, even if she taught me MUCH more than I could have ever taught her even if I'd have had her for her whole life! Monet loves life! She loves to have fun and kick back and relax and just do whatever you want! I sometimes think of her as the "Cindy Lauper" dog...you know the "girls just want to have fun!" dog :) I miss Monet like crazy. I am hoping that she will go on to be a dog with a job still, but we will see!!!

So anyway, for my spring break I went on a trip to Oregon to visit friends and family, and also to drop Monet off at the GDB campus. The above picture is the morning that I dropped Monet off on campus. She was not being real cooperative for pictures and this was the best shot I got...and she has her lip funny! Oh well...fits her personality! :) Man I love that girl! Good luck Monet!!!

So...I was in Oregon for 6 days! It snowed the day before I left for Oregon, so I was pleasantly surprised and delighted when there were actually blooming flowers in Oregon!!! I convinced my aunt and uncle to go to the tulip festival with me and it was SO pretty! So that's where the tulip pictures come from.

And this last picture is another one of Monet. When we got Joaquin and Monet saw him cross his front paws, she just figured that she wanted in on that cuteness as well. She never crossed them as frequently as Joaquin, but did do it quite often. One of my favorite things about Monet was how she was a cuddler...often at night I sit on the floor in my bedroom in front of my little space heater (no need for the heater as it's warming up) and read a book...Monet would come lay down half in my lap everytime she saw me there. She loved to lay in front of the heater. Anyway, this picture was taken one time when I was on the floor and she decided to lay on the bed. I asked her to come lay by me and she crossed her paws...it was cute!

Missing Monet

My Monet is gone at a puppysitters house for a few days. So I'll leave you with a picture of a Monet that is perhaps a little more refined. This Monet is beautiful--just like my Monet. This Monet has depth--as does my Monet! I love this Monet--and I love my little black girl Monet as well! I miss her!

happy birthday

no pictures today, but happy birthday yesterday Monet!!!

She's come a long way since I was first graced with her presence. I got to pick Monet up from So. Cal CFR, Rick. GDB was so nice to first, let me work with Monet in the first place, and second get her to me while I was in So. Cal. We met at a gas station in Santa Monica and first place we went was Petco --to get a few toys for her, and then Pinkberry!!!

I love this little girl a lot, she's weaseled her way into my heart.

just some pictures

Joaquin at work

Monet sleeping awkwardly on the beagle couch (that the beagle doesn't use...)
view from above
Monet and her bone...
Joaquin and his bone...

growing up...

I'll post pictures tomorrow...but for now here's a little on what I love about my puppies today!!!

Monet:
* She is SO sweet and loves to cuddle and be in your lap! (this is a huge accomplishment cause when she first came she really wanted nothing to do with any type of body handling...)

* She has an AMAZING recall!!! --seriously the best recall ever

* Her obedience is superb.

* I love that when Monet is being a puppy and maybe not on her best behavior--and knows she's going to get in trouble she runs to the "go to bed" bed and lays down like she wasn't doing anything at all.

* I love that she does crazy things sometimes that make me smile and often laugh out loud.

* I love that she has SO much personality!


Joaquin:
*I love the look in his eyes that is always guilty--it's adorable!

*I love how excited he gets to eat because for the first few days we had him he wasn't interested in his food.

* I love how BIG he is getting, but how gentle he remains!

* I love how when he is walking around the house I always know where he is because I can hear the quiet "thump, thump, thump" of his feet prodding along!


I think that puppy raising is one of the best "jobs" in the world! I have met such incredible people through GDB and because of my involvement in raising puppies! It has truly changed my life...raising puppies rerouted my plan for my life and I have grown up a lot since I became a puppy raiser! Most of all...I LOVE my puppies!!!

Grandpa's

This is not dog related, and has no pictures...so if you don't want to read it that is just fine! (oh and it may be a little sappy and emotional...but I need to get it out)

So last year I lost both of my Grandpas. I realize that I was VERY fortunate to have them in my life for 24 years--considering I am the youngest grandchild on both sides... I really miss them. They were two of the best men in the world!

Grandpa Ray was my dad's dad. He died 1 day before his 97th birthday on March 3, 2009. My Grandpa Ray was amazing. He was mentally all there up until about a month before he died. He always made me feel special...always. Like I was his favorite grandchild--or sometimes even his favorite person in the whole world. I would sit on grandpa's lap and cuddle with him when I was a little girl...and maybe even when I wasn't so little anymore. I earned the nickname shorty from my Grandpa Ray. He even named my dolls--Baldine and Squinty(it made me mad when I was 7, but those are the only names I remember for them now). My grandpa owned a mens clothing store and was always dressed very nice. My grandpa would call me "babe". He was the best partner to have when playing card games. Most of all...Grandpa Ray was my biggest fan and made sure I knew it! I knew that he loved me and wanted me to be happy. He lived a great life and I miss him lots. At his funeral we sang a song called God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again...I still can't sing that song without crying. I love my Grandpa Ray!!!

Now if that wasn't sappy enough...my Grandpa Gene died on Halloween. He is my mom's mom and always lived in Oregon. My Grandpa Gene also made me feel special...like I was the most important thing to him in the world. He really valued family and the time that we got to spend together. Grandpa Gene taught me to ride horses--maybe he threw me on the back of a horse and told me to hang on...but still :) He tried to teach me how to tie knots...but I still can't tell you how the bunny goes in the hole and all that stuff(he tried to teach me by using a story about a bunny...) He was always very supportive of me while i was in college and offered several times to pay for my college for me. He came to both my high school and college graduations. A few years ago, he asked me if I wanted to go anywhere in the world where would it be...and I told him I wanted to go to Russia. The next morning I woke up and he was trying to plan this trip to Russia(he was like 88 at that time...Russia probably wasn't the best place for him to go and I talked him out of it) He was always trying to "line me up" with some boy in the small town where they live. One time he even took me to the LDS church and told me to go inside and find a man. He also taught me how to shoot a gun, and later gave me a gun for Christmas! I love my Grandpa Gene and cherish the memories that I have with him. At his funeral we sang Amazing Grace.

I still find myself picking up the phone to call my grandpa's just to talk to them and see how they are doing and tell them that I love them. I can't bring myself to take their numbers out of my phonebook yet...They were 2 great men! I love my Grandpas :)

Workin' Hard or Hardly Workin'...

I take a dog with me every day to work...They rotate everyday who gets to go, and who stays home... Both dogs are exceptional at work. In my classrooms I tie the puppy down to one of my tables, generally while I am working with students I have the door open, so I just want to make sure the puppy isn't going to escape or wander off while I'm teaching.

This is Monet...I think she's working HARD!

Joaquin...Workin' hard!

More of Joaquin, Workin' Hard (in another teachers classroom)

And well...you can decide...Workin' hard or Hardly workin'

The rule with my students is that after they have worked hard for our class period...THEN they can pet the puppy. It works pretty good for the puppy and the student to have a little time at the end of class where they can be kids and dogs :) The kids know the rules and are very good to follow them...in fact, one of my stu

dents wrote me a few little notes thanking me for raising puppies...here's a note...

In translation it says (I'm keeping the original spelling cause it's cute):

Thank You miss lindzey for training money(Monet) friso(Frisco) wacene (Joaquin) and eatey (Edie) your gettel(gentle) and teach them life values and they learn to resst(resist) food and be loyal to the person they will be with there more then just puppys there guide dogs in training you teach them good values but you do remind them they are just dogs but you also take care of them you keep them heaty(healthy) with their clams and rice (I have NO Idea where she got the idea that they eat clams and rice) and their milk bones and other stuff I bet its hard for you when they have to go to guide dog scool(school) but you do alot of good for Blind people like me.

Obviously my student tried her hardest to write me a nice note. I contains no periods except for at the very end and well...it's a good think I figured out what all her words were cause some of her spelling is not so great...but it's cute nevertheless...