We awoke on our usual schedule. Kate shook my bed to let me know it was time. We went about our usual duties. After breakfast and feeding Joe, We were back in our room for the hour or so break. I use that time to read, pray, and play with Joe. At 5 til 8:00, I wandered up to the day room. No one was there. In fact, it was fairly quiet everywhere. I said good morning to April, the cleaning lady and whatever else comes up, and then went to the door to the obedience area. No one was there either. We always have obedience unless something is on the schedule like Tampa and we have to drive a long ways. I went back to the porch area and found Kate in the trainers office. I asked if we were going to have obedience. She said, yes, we always have it at 8:00. After a few seconds, I asked what time is it? She looked at her watch and said 8:27. I said what?! Kate was busy doing paperwork ( there seems to be a mountain of paperwork the trainers have to do.), so she wasn’t seeing how shocked I was. I asked her to look at my watch and it said 5 after 8:00. Then she chuckled. That is why you didn’t show up! Evidently the night before when people where fascinated by my Braille watch( blind people seldom use Braille watches now since the invention of talking watches. I, unfortunately, can’t hear the time with those and we have not been able to find a watch that allows me to see the hands well enough,), they had moved the hands back. We laughed and I apologized as Kate helped me fix the time on the watch. That was a great start for the day.
Well, we didn’t do routes today as we and especially the staff are preparing for Puppy Raiser Day and Graduation. This time the two events are being put together on the third weekend. That means the staff are still ironing out little problems along the way. For us, it means a whole lot of waiting. I do have a vet’s appointment for Joe, so that will keep me and a few others busy. We left about 9:00 in the van. Wayne and Destiny, Jerry and Nina, Nancy and Cole, Crystal and Bobbie, and I and Joe left together. Wayne had a recheck for Destiny’s kennel cough as did Nancy. Kennel cough is spreading around the dogs. Xccelerator, Chris’s dog, had it first. He had developed it when he was at a finishing home just before he came for the class. The finishing home trainer’s dog had gotten it at a kennel where she had boarded the dog before a trip. Now kennel cough was spreading through the complex, but it is being treated aggressively, so after just a few days of one dog after the next getting it, it seemed to be dying down. Joe didn’t seem to feel good for a couple of days this week, but nothing I could put my finger on specifically. He just seemed different somehow.
Anyway, we all went and everyone was checked out and weighed. They all were doing fine. Joe and Nina had slight ear infections, but I was told they had both shown a predisposition for them. All my dogs are like that and we handle it fine by checking there ears and using drying solutions for them. I was not bothered by that at all. All the dogs, except for Destiny at 68 lbs, weighed in between 85.7 and 80.2 lbs. Joe is 80.2 and Cole, the largest of all the class dogs, at 85.7. He was 93 at the beginning of class, but he and Xccelerator were hit the hardest with the kennel cough. They were in the same run back in the main kennel just before class.
When we returned, Kate took each student separately and read and discussed the medical records of his/her dog. The medical records covers everything done by a vet since the puppies were born. All shots given are listed and any illnesses or injuries. Joe has a very definite ear infection history. He also had a minor hip injury early on. The vet listed it as only bruised as shown by the x-rays.
After lunch, we were read the puppy raiser bio form. The raiser told about themselves, their family, hobbies, special memories of puppy and how the puppy raising experience affected them. Joe’s raiser is the head of the puppy department. She remembers Joe being very affectionate and having such a cute personality. She mentioned that many began to call her office in the puppy kennel as “Joe’s office.†People all over the school were attached to the little black and tan goldador.
After supper, I talked to Scott briefly and opted to go to bet early. Puppy Raiser Day and Graduation was going to be emotionally draining for us and the dogs. I need to be prepared. Good night for now.
