Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Harley's Many Loves

Our Harley has turned into quite the stud puppy. We just received another card from him the other day announcing his SIXTH litter with his new gal Zena. I haven't had a chance to scan in the picture yet but I thought I'd share some of the other pictures and notes we've received from him.

Harley seemed to like the name Irma so he met another ladyfriend at the Seeing Eye but her name was Erma with an E. In March we received a card from him announcing his February litter. It seems that we get the litter announcements about 1 1/2 months to 2 months after the litter is born. Here is what he had to say...

February 2008
Hello again!
Here is a picture of my second litter of puppies. I had seven again -- four boys and three girls. Everyone was wondering if this litter would be all boys like last time. I had the same number, so I had to change things up somehow!I had some more very exciting news: I passed the Canine Good Citizens Test! My handler was very proud of me. We even got a certificate!I will write again soon -- there are more of my pups on the way.
Love, Harley


March was a pretty busy month for our stud pup and he had two ladyfriends. Glisten and Sophala.

March 2008
Hello!
Here is a picture of my third litter. Most of them look like their mom, but a few look like me. We had nine! There are three boys and six girls.I am so happy that the weather is getting warmer, because it means that I get to spend more time in the play yard. Sometimes I get too excited and make lots of noise when I play. I try to act like a tough guy but everyone knows that I'm just a big sweetheart.I will write again soon -- more pups on the way!
Love, Harley



Isn't Sophala exotic looking? We see so few chocolate labs in the Seeing Eye program. Our understanding is that the Seeing Eye doesn't breed for color since they are more concerned with health and temperment. Chocolate labs are the rarest so there are very few chocolate labs in the litters. And even though Sophala was a chocolate lab, there were no chocolate puppies.

March 2008 (later in month)
Hello again!
Here is my fourth litter of puppies. There are nine this time -- three boys and six girls. My dad had a big white spot on his chest. Even though I didn't get it, I've passed it on to most of these pups.My handler and I have been practicing lots for the CGC-X test. There is one part where I will have to walk past a cheeseburger and then lay down in front of it for a whole minute! I don't mind that I don't get to eat it because I love it when my hander is proud of me.
Miss you!
Love, Harley

When we told a lot of our friends about the cheeseburger test, the consensus (especially among the men) was that they probably would have failed the test.



And here is Fancy -- the mom of our current pup Ava.

Hello!
Here is a picture of my fifth litter of pups. This time there are eight - six boys and two girls. Most of them are yellow. My handler told me that I am the only black boy here that makes yellow puppies every time.
It is starting to get hot outside, so my handler filled up the kiddie pool for me. I love to splash around in it. I get soaking wet, and then I shake off and get my handler wet too!
Miss you!
Love, Harley

We check the mailbox everyday looking for cards from Harley. We're still waiting for a note from Anita who has yet to write home. We love that the Seeing Eye takes the time to teach the dogs how to write -- it's a very important skill. :-)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Ava's first vet visit June 27, 2008


The Seeing Eye tells us exactly when to get what shots and when so Ava went for her first vet appointment at the end of June. Not only was it Ava's first visit to the vet, but it was also her first long car ride with us. We go to the County Veterinary Hospital in Princeton which is about 30-40 minutes away depending on traffic. By the time we got there, Ava was tired and she actually fell asleep in the exam room while waiting. She was very good and didn't mind her shots at all.


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

It's a Girl! Welcome Ava!



June 11th was finally here and so was Ava...our newest addition to our home. She's a yellow lab and the daughter of Harley (the 2nd puppy we raised for the Seeing Eye Foundation) and Fancy -- a very nice yellow lab that Harley met at the Seeing Eye Breeding Center.




The Seeing Eye Foundation sends us litter announcements for each one of Harley's litters. The announcements usually arrive about two months after the litter is born and we received Ava's announcement the same day she arrived at our home! We think she is the lightest yellow pup climbing up on the puppy pile to the left of the black puppy.







Ava adjusted very well to her new home. She did cry a lot her first few nights but she settled in. She is a cutie and a very affectionate and sweet puppy.