October 24, 2009

Yesterday Denise brought home another puppy but it was not just any puppy it was Kamra her first GDA puppy. Denise says we are going to the photo studio early tomorrow morning for a group photo of all her GDA puppies she has raised and Andromeda.

So here is a photo that was taken the rest Denise still needs to fix.

Kamra Update

Kamra was retired on May 7th it was a very hard choice for her partner to retire her, but she developed allergies and what dermatologist wanted to do after trying all the drug therapies was way to expensive for them. So Kamra was retired and offered to me as a pet. This was such a hard choice for me as I have Andromeda and Oceana at home and I am raising Catalina and just asked for another puppy in August, I told GDA I will get back to them on Monday with my decision. So I called a really close family friends who watched Kamra grow up and fell in love with her then to see if they want to adopt her. They did so now she has a new family with two teenage boys who love her, puppy buddy and two cats who are not sure about her yet so they are in hiding and a POOL for her to play in.Kamra on her way to her new home

Keeping Toasty

My girls are so Southern California girls they all like to sun bath and when the sun is not out they will use the floor heater at the office. But Kamra and Oceana never laid with their heads on the heater like Catalina does. Luckily this heater radiates the heat away from the center of the dish. Kamra Oceana Catalina with her head on the wires and the heater on

Sept. 28, 2008

Denise took Andromeda, Oceana, Kamra & Me to the photo studio to get a group photo of all her girls together. Left to right Catalina, Oceana, Andromeda, and Kamra Jacob and his favorite girlsJacobs best girl (Oceana)

Little Tradition

I have a little tradition of getting my photos taken with my puppies the first month I get them and then the last month before turn in.

Kamra

November 2003

July 2005

Oceana

December 2005

May 2008

Kamra's photos and Oceana's Baby are dirty as they been in my wallet for a long time before I scaned them.

One Year

I received a really special phone call last Sunday. Kamra’s partner called to say hi and let me know that she has been thinking about me as there one year together was April 18th. I can’t believe a year has gone by already since they were matched up. They are doing great and I was invited again to go out to lunch with them (I just have to find time in my calendar). She told me some funny stories about Kamra, like when she takes Kamra to the groomers they have to drag her away, but once she is in the back she prances around like a princess, But this princess can’t wait for the groomer to open the half door to walk out to her partner when it time to go homeshe takes a flying leap over the half door to get to her partner and then complains to her about being away for such a long time, so now the groomer just opens the kennel door and lets Kamra go over the door on her own. I was told so many great stories but this is the one that stuck out in my mind about how much Kamra loves “her mom” (her partner's words).

Floor Heater

Kamra and Oceana both love the floor heater that I have at my desk at the office. So Camery is not the only one that steals all the heat.

A Great Suprise...

I got a great surprise phone call this last Saturday. Bonita called to say hi and how much a great joy Kamra is. We talked for two hours were Bonita told me some great stories about Kamra. Like Kamra when they went on their first getting to know the new neighborhood walk; where all the construction disorientated Bonita and was not sure were she was and Kamra some how knew this and turned her around and went strait home and when she went to turn into the driveway Bonita was saying Kamra this is not are house but Bonita’s husband who was standing there said yes it is, Bonita said she praised up Kamra for bringing her home. (Side note Bonita’s husband was fallowing in the car to watch them.) another story she told me is how her daughter would call Kamra into her room and invite her up on to the bed to cuddle with her, but if Bonita is in the room or walks by, Kamra jumps down or won’t even get up on the bed ‘she does know who her new mommy is!’ “Bonita’s words”! And being Kamra she has to tell everyone that she is here so one day when no one would play with her for five minutes she let out this cry like someone is killing her and the next time they saw the neighbor he asked if everything was all right with the new dog; where Bonita had to till him that that painful cry was from not taking the time to play with her.

Kamra and Bonita have three birthdays the first is April 16th when they first meet each other the second is their birthday which is on the same date and the third is July 16th three month after getting each other when they had that “click” and became that special team that you see with the older guide dog teams. They had a tough first three months learning each other and who was in charge. Bonita tripped over Kamra who was laying in the middle of the room and did not move she called GDA and they said to put a chair in the middle of the room on Kamra’s sport but being Kamra she just found a new spot in the middle of the room and Bonita was not putting chairs all over the house, but she did learn that if you place a towel, pillow, blanket anywhere and tell Kamra to go to her spot she does so now Miss I Not Soiled Kamra has a nice comfy bed in the living room as well as the bed room. Another hard ship was Kamra would not get busy on the grass at their apartment she will go anywhere else but not there “Go Figure” I taught her to go on every surface and she would just go even when she did not have to go. Any ways Kamra only wanted to go on the concrete in the car park which ends up being closer for Bonita so it was a win win situation, but from what I can tell it was a stressful time and many calls to GDA before this was figured out.

At the end of the phone call I was invited to lunch and a Big Thank You for Little Miss Independent Kamra she is a great joy and personally check for Bonita as they have the same personalizes.

Kamra's Graduation Speach

KAMRA'S KLOSET

Denise has been making all my collars since I came to live with her. She started making collars when she could not find fun 3/4" large collars for Kamra so she was special ordering them, but one day she took a closer look at them and said "I can make these". From that point on she made Kamra's Collars and friends would ask her to make some for there puppies to so she started Kamra's Kloset. Now she has finally finished her web site were she sells them to all my puppy friends. come by and take a look at Kamra's Kloset.

Kamra's Graduation

Well everyone has left the party to celebrate Kamra's Graduation. So now I have some time to look at the photos of the morning. Not that remember much about it, but that is went tremendously fast.

The day like most every day started at 4:30am feed the dogs get ready for the day and then take Oceana for a walk. Next it is time to set up the table and chairs for the party after graduation. Now it 8:20am and it is time to leave for GDA. I arrive and go to the screen room where the rest of the graduating puppy raisers are waiting patiently for Louise to come in and talk to us. Telling us we are going to be the envy of all the past graduating puppy raisers when they see the new pen that they give the graduating puppy raisers (two per puppy). Now it is time to go see our graduates.

Steve takes me down the hall way to Kamra's dorm room (I have never though that the dorm Hall was so long till I had to walk (Again) patiently with Steve to meet Kamra's partner) I walk in and am introduced to Bonita and the first thing I do is give her a big hug. Kamra mean while is dancing and trying to jump up at me to say hi. (that made me feel so happy that she still knew who I was. You can laugh at me saying of course she will remember you but it is all way a heart jerks when they come out of the kennel or in Kamra's case formal training happy to see you.

"Hello World I am Here!" - Kamra

After having a lovely talk with Bonita and Kamra sticking her head between my legs begging to be loved it was time for the graduates to harness their dogs. Again I do not remember much after walking behind Bonita and Kamra into the graduation Ceremony. But I do remember Bonita's story about their first instructor less walk which was a all right hand turns around the block. Bonita and Kamra were going really well and moving a long the route Bonita was humming and singing to herself when all the sudden the instructors are yelling "Bonita Stop" so they stop. Wendy tells Bonita that they just crossed a street Bonita is say no we didn't but then hears the cars go swooshing by. She bends down and praises Kamra for the good job of getting them across the street safely then the turn around and cross again. Kamra in her little independent mind was done with the boring right turns and was ready to go her own way. They have since then figured out who is in charge of this partnership but Bonita says that this incident is when she started trusting Kamra with her life.


After Bonita talked it was my turn I had not even though on what I was going to say. I still don't remember what I said I was so nerves to talk in front of all those people there to cheer on the graduates.

"I am a Laprador not a Labrador" - Kamra

Now that the graduation and parties are over I am just so happy that Bonita loves little miss Kamra and that Kamra showed me how much that she loves Bonita and that Bonita does make her happy to be her guide.

BIG NEWS

I just got big news from GDA.
Kamra has a partner and is Graduating on May 6th.
I am home sick today but thought some of you would like to know.