Friends

We are becoming good buddies.

Ruffey even shares his bones with me.

Mommy's very glad that I'm not chewing on it!

Final Day of Training

Today was our final day of training at 4Paws.

I think Mommy will be glad to no longer constantly

smell like a dog, but we're going to miss our new

friends, watching the dogs bond with the kids,

and all of the staff at 4Paws.

They are so friendly and knowledgeable!

It was really, really raining this morning.

That made me really glad that I have an in-home

companion dog rather than a tracking dog.

The families had to track in the rain and mud.

They came in soaked!

But for those families, it's worth every raindrop!

So, Mommy, Daddy, and Ruffey worked on more

obedience skills, specifically off-leash.

That means, Ruffey had to obey commands without

wearing his leash for correction.

He does well, as long as he knows there

are lots of treats ready for his good behavior!

Mommy and Daddy will be stocking up on

pupperoni treats!

This is Ruffey and me before dinner on Thursday.

I like to play with his leash and tags.

All the dogs were practicing "heeling" at

the same time. They were using one another

as distractions. They are all doing well!

You can see Ruffey's friends Fizz (left) and

Mammoth...both golden retrievers.

Mommy is giving Ruffey a treat for good obedience.

4Paws dogs are trained with treats and praise...

never with punishment.

Families have to agree to follow

this type of training in order to

receive a dog.

And this kind of training must work well

as some of these dogs are not even one year

old yet...and they can follow commands, do tricks,

and search and rescue!

My brothers decided to relax with a movie

during training.

At noon, they went back to the hotel to swim

with Grandma.

I stayed at 4Paws to finish training,

and spend some more time with the puppies.

And that's the beginning of our story as best friends.

Stay tuned for updates!

Training Day Four

Today was another private day of training from 10AM

to 4PM. The other dogs were out tracking and

learning how to move through malls and

stores. So, Daddy got a lot of training with Ruffey,

and both he and Mommy practiced all day.

Tomorrow is our last day at 4Paws.

We sure will miss our friends when we leave!

Last night, my daddy and brothers arrived.

Boy, Ruffey was not happy.

He was a nervous wreck.

Can you see him backed into the corner

as far as he could scrunch?

This is part of the reason he is a home-companion

dog. He doesn't really like to be around a lot of people

or around busy social situations.

Mommy was a little stressed.

All that work she did over the past few days

and Ruffey didn't want to obey.

He was too nervous.

But...

he did take a treat from Charlie...

and a treat from Amarin (which is HUGE for Amarin because he

was very afraid of dogs. He thought dogs would eat him),

and a treat from Jacob.

Ruffey and Laura are good friends.

Charlie used to scream and cry around dogs.
Now, he's cruising all over 4Paws looking at all the dogs.
He really likes them now.

Kayla, one of the trainers, was teaching Jacob
how to do a "down."

Charlie's turn to learn "down."

Charlie thinks he's very important leading

Ruffey on the leash.

Jacob really wanted to hold a puppy.

So, Kayla brought out one of the smallest puppies they had.

Both Ruffey and I were very tired after working so

hard all day.

Ruffey stayed in an "over" for a while...I think he was

too tired to move.

I gave up and took a nap with Daddy.

Who knew dog training was so exhausting?

Training Day Three

Wednesday night, I decided to show Ruffey

how I like to draw on my little board.

Doesn't he look impressed?

This is how we went to sleep, and this is how we stayed all night.

Ruffey likes to cuddle in the morning.

Still not sure I like sharing the cuddle time with Mommy.

Look how Ruffey has his paw over Mommy's arm.

And he was kissing her hand, too.

All the other dogs in this class are search and rescue dogs.

That means, they're specially trained to track kids

if they run away.

Mommy didn't think I needed that yet.

I'm not too fast for her!

So, while the other dogs tracked their kids outside

for 2.5 hours, Mommy and Ruffey received

private obedience training.

Ruffey is really smart, and Mommy is catching on pretty well.

While Mommy got trained, I went for a bike ride...

and rode a dinosaur...

and a horsey...

and then Mommy made me do some training, too.

This is called "over."

If I'm whining, or just need some comfort,

Ruffey lays his whole body right across me.

I think he's heavy...but the pressure feels good!

I'm thinking this may be a good idea to use

on my brothers when they get crazy!

I tried to push him off,

but Mommy had treats so he stayed put.

I guess treats override my cuteness!

And this is called a "lap."

He lays just his head across my lap

(or Mommy's in this picture).

But he did have his paw on my foot!

Earlier, I was walking by a HUGE bloodhound

in our training group.

I mean HUGE...like 150 pounds HUGE!

I fell down and started whining.

That dog belly scooted over to me

and laid his head right across my lap.

And I'm not even his "new friend"!

Training Day Two

Today was day 2 of training. We did a lot of the same things today...mostly

obedience training. Our dogs know the drill, but the parents don't.

So my mom has to earn Ruffy's respect.

She said something about her brain being

fried or scrambled, or something like that.

I wasn't sure that I liked sharing my morning cuddle with

Mommy. Ruffey kept leaning closer and closer.

He even thought he should be in the bathroom while Mom did my hair.

Maybe she should put a bow in his hair, too.

Just kidding, Daddy!

More cuddle time before breakfast.

Ruffey stood guard.

When we got to 4Paws, I decided to explore
a bit on my own.
First, I visited the new lab puppies,
just born in January, I think.

Then I visited some of the dogs in training.

This lab is Rokr.

I tripped over him once today,

but he didn't seem to mind.

Then I rode the rocking horse for a while.

Lunch break!

The temperature got to 69 degrees today!

This little boy followed me all around the training

room. Charlie does this at home, too!

After all that work, I needed a nap!

Grandma was only happy to oblige.

Photos Day One

Here are photos of our first day with Ruffey,

and you can read the story down below.

Grandma and me by the sign.

Our welcome sign inside the building.

Here comes Ruffey!

Mommy had to take Ruffey's treat bag from me because I tried

to eat the treats...they looked like little chocolates!

I liked hanging on the leash, so 4Paws gave me my very

own tiny leash to hook onto Ruffey's new red and black collar!

Ruffey was still a little shy around me. I know I can be very intimidating!

Good "sit," Ruffey.


See...told ya he loved me!


All this work wears a girl out!

Day One

Mommy's physically tired, mentally exhausted,

and she smells like a dog!

But I love my new puppy, Ruffey, (rhymes with puffy).

My day started at 6:30 A.M.

We were supposed to sleep in until 7:00,

but mom couldn't wait.

So, we got ready, ate breakfast, and were

at 4Paws 45 minutes early.

I can see my daddy now just shaking his head.

My mom likes to be early...

sometimes way early so she doesn't have to stress

about getting there.

But we were early enough to get some photos,

get the best seats in the training room,

meet some dogs,

play with some puppies,

find Ruffey's crate,

and meet the other families as they arrived.

At 10:00, introductions began of staff and the facility.

I could go on and on about this facility...it's amazing.

There are a TON of dogs here, and a lot of workers to care

for them.

They even have "grandmas" that come in just to snuggle

the puppies. Mommy wants that job!

The next part was the best...watching all of the dogs

come out, one by one, to meet their new families.

Mommy had a few tears as some very special kids met their

friends.

Some kids were happy, others screamed in fright,

but I was very calm and brave.

I let Ruffey come close,

but I think he was more scared of me.

He kept hopping backward to get away from me at

first. But mommy learned from the trainer how

to "bribe" him with treats, and get him to come

close to me.

By the end of the day, he was lovin' me!

He laid down right next to me and put his paw over my leg.

I pet him, and grabbed his fur, and patted his back.

I smiled at him, too.

The trainer told me that I need to open my hands to

pet Ruffey, and try not to grab his fur.

I'm supposed to be gentle.

I think we'll be good friends.

He obeys very well when Mommy or Grandma tell

him "sit" or "down." Mommy learned how to put him in a "down"

and walk around him without him moving at all.

He never jumps on us, and hasn't barked yet.

He laid right down in the van, and

never moved while Mommy drove back to the hotel.

He didn't eat his dinner tonight.

I think he's a little nervous being around new people

and in a new home.

We have four more days of training.

We are all having a great time!

Ruffey!

MEET RUFFEY!

We have been waiting for weeks to find out about Laura's dog.

Finally, we received this email tonight from 4Paws...well, er...from Ruffey.

Ruffey "wrote" this letter to Laura...so sweet.

Karen, who is the director at 4Paws, has also adopted internationally,

so the note is a bit personalized.

We're so thankful to be getting this dog for Laura!

We leave for training in 10 days!!!

Dear Laura,

I am so excited! When Jeremy saw how much I did not like to go into all those stores and places full of people I was so afraid I would never get a child to love. Piper, she is my friend here, a small Papillon who is very wise, she told me all the 4 Paws Dogs get families no matter what. Today she came to me and said to me that I was getting a very special family. A family just like hers that is molded from love and brought together across miles of water and land. Piper says her family is made that way too and that it is a colorful family. Well, my family was colorful too! Some of us were Black, and some of us White, and a couple of my siblings had a few colors mixed together sort of. I guess that is what she meant! I can;t wait to meet you. I hope you do not mind that I am a boy! I am a boy but don't laugh, okay but I love tea parties and playing dress up and even wearing bows after a good bath and grooming. I think we can be perfect friend. I can be the prince and you can be the princess and we can play all day! My name is Ruffey and I am a part of the Thomas the Train litter born 10-15-2008. I can't wait to meet you and your family! xoxo Ruffey

Pick a dog...any dog...

Here's a site to visit: 4pawsdogs.org/in_training.htm

This website is part of 4Paws from which my dog is coming. The dogs shown are all in training, or are ready to be matched. Some of them are already matched with a person! So, since I am getting a hypoallergenic dog, that means some kind of poodle or poodle mix. There are a few on here...I really like Kiah! What do you all think?

In The News

4Paws is in the news. You can watch the video HERE. Go to the right side of the screen, and find the video labeled XENIA:Specially-Trained Dogs Help Children.

Jan./Feb. Dogs

4Paws sent out their letters of greeting to the kids in the January/February class last night. The dogs being assigned "write" short letters to their new human friends introducing themselves. So far, a golden retriever, papillon, white standard poodle, and border collie/pyreness have been introduced. I'm waiting to see if there are any more dogs in this group. What a mixed bunch of breeds, huh? I wonder if Laura is going to be getting one of the standard poodles from the same litter as this one? Honestly, I'm not big on white dogs as they show all the gunk around their eyes and mouth...lots of cleaning needed. But really...that's not the important thing. Most importantly, the dog is just right for Laura and we trust 4Paws to make the best match. And if it's a poodle, I've read and heard nothing more than how smart and devoted they are to their human friends. Perfect!

Next step is to book the hotel. We'll be gone from Monday through Saturday or Sunday. Classes run from Tuesday morning until Saturday late afternoon, when we have graduation. Here's hoping I pass training! Jamie will probably stay home with the boys until Thursday, and I'll go down with Laura for the first few days of training. It's going to be here before we know it!

Laura's Dog is Ready!

Well, knock me over with a feather, but Laura's dog is ready! Here I was anticipating a 6 month or longer wait when we heard about her dog. But 4Paws sent an email yesterday stating that we are in the March 2010 class! WHAT? I'm not prepared...I don't even know how to start preparing because we won't know anything about the dog until a week or so before we go. (They do this so if something falls through, we're not too attached to our new canine friend).

We're excited to hear about the kind of dog she's getting...the gender (oh, please be female!)...the name...the breed....

I'm really hoping for a doodle breed, medium size. And since we need a "hypoallergenic" dog due to Jamie's allergies, it very well may be a doodle. And that means low shedding...woohoo!

And we're excited to see what this dog will do for Laura. Now remember, it's not a service dog for out in public. This little buddy will be an in-home companion for Laura...someone to keep her company and help with, what they call, behavior disruptions. So, if she's fussy at night, the dog can help. I'm wondering if the dog could keep her from crawling out of bed at naptime...and if the dog will just stay near her to keep her company. Hmmm....

As for the family, I've heard they like the whole family to be there to meet and get used to the dog. This will be especially important for Charlie, and more so, Amarin. Neither boy is very comfortable around dogs, though Charlie has gotten a lot more.

So, we'll keep you all updated as we get more info. Ohio, here we come!