Which is more difficult?

So which is it, lining up 8 week old puppies for photos or lining up 16 month old puppies and their puppy raisers? Two commands, really - sit and stand, plus "look at the camera!" (or in this case, about 6 cameras)


From left:
Ikris and Martha, Anita and Ivan, Sequoia and Sandy, Halor and Dennis, Izzy and Patty, Inca and Georgia


It's always somebody... Halor, SIT!

Something must have made Izzy and me laugh!



This one looks about the best!!

Irish

IRISH III

As to being lean, Irish is right up there with Izzy. What a gorgeous group of puppies. We don't have our official picture yet as the photographer has been out of the country and hasn't posted them but here is an unofficial picture to add to the mix

So, do they look like your pups?

This is a special blog just for Deb, Frederick, Adrienne, Vicki, and Darlene...

Here are the last four "I" pups the day of turn-in at NWR. They are a beautiful bunch of pups and we are so proud of all 8 of them. I thought you would enjoy these photos!

Izzy

Inca

Ivan

Ikris

Of these four, Izzy is the the leanest, Inca is the prettiest, Ivan is the biggest flirt, and without a doubt, Ikris is the biggest. We kept the singing to a minimum - thinking that was best. I have a few more photos I'll try to get posted in the next couple of days.

Off to Santa Rosa

Izzy ~ Bed!

This princess knows how to live it up - I hope they have king size beds in AT.

Izzy plays in the SNOW

Izzy and I went up to Yuba Gap over the past two days so that Izzy could experience some snow before she matriculates into Advanced Training on the 21st. We were invited to go snowshoeing with some friends to celebrate Cheryl's birthday. Sally was kind enough to open her cabin to all of us - six women and five dogs. I was excited to go - both for the snowshoeing and because it was a very fun group.

When we arrived there was about 18 inches of fresh snow on the ground and we were treated to another 6-8 inches after we got into the cabin. The snow was not your typical Sierra Nevada snow - it has been very cold so the snow was light, fluffy powder. Izzy took to the snow in a heartbeat and resembled a porpoise as she galloped through the deep snow.

When we got up this morning, the sky had cleared and it was beautiful outside. We went for another snowshoe walk - this time in the sun. Izzy got quite the workout as she ran and played in the snow with the other dogs.

We had a terrific time hiking in the beautiful place with good friends and great dogs. We did learn that our dogs tend to be natural hitchhikers and were often right at our heels and on our shoes! All in all, a great outing with perfect weather and way too much food.

Izzy does Disney(land)

"I" is for Izzy!

The ultimate test for any CCI pup turning in to Advanced Training is a theme park. Talk about long days, big crowds, unusual sounds, strange smells, odd little kids, weird vehicles, and "fun" rides!

Izzy had no problems navigating the cargo nets!

Sooo, off we went to Disneyland last Friday. Izzy and I drove from Sacramento to Santa Cruz, picked up Chris and Anthony, then we all drove to LA, spent the night, I went to a meeting in Hawthorne, and we headed off for Anahiem.

While it might look like Izzy did the teacups, this is a fake ~ she did do the Jungle Cruise (didn't care for the gunshot), Pirates of the Caribbean (wasn't her favorite, but there's lots to see down there), and Buzz Lightyear (hopped right up in the seat and enjoyed the ride!). I think the Monorail was her favorite but she sure didn't understand those snakes under the seat in "Honey, I shrunk the Audience"

We checked into our hotel, had lunch and hit the parks. We didn't stop until the park closed Friday night and we were up and at it by 8:00am - early entry into Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.

After Anthony and Chris had their picture taken with this guy, Izzy met Buzz Lightyear and didn't even flinch - I was very proud of her!

I can't say enough great things about Disneyland and CCI pups in training. They are well-informed and extremely well-intentioned. Service animals are welcome anywhere in the park and in the hotels. I was never questioned once by an employee and Izzy proved to be the perfect guest. The one trick is finding appropriate places to toilet ~ this takes a very observant team and careful planning, but once you scout out some spots - you're A-OK.

Izzy was one tired girl at the end of the day.

DAVIS is GRADUATING!!

Irish smiling

Davis and Halor

Wow, Saturday is a big day! Irish goes off to college and Davis is graduating. I guess it's sort of a bad news/good news thing if you think about it. Halor, Izzy and I sure wish we could be in Oceanside for the big day ~ we'd love to be there in person to see Irish off to college and congratulate Davis and his puppy raisers, Pam and Gary, for a job well done!