Dear Mister,

Kolby,

We are so excited to Welcome you to your home for the next eighteen months. I know the time will go rapidly, because look ~ you have already grown so much since our first meeting on February 16th. Your Caretaker Becky said you weighed in at 15 pounds this week; your 8th week of life. Looks as though you have some mighty big paws you will be growing into.

Look at you!! Your whole CCI Puppy Training awaits with a fresh slate. We will be diligent and work hard together, making a great team that will be proud to arrive at Turn In August 2014 knowing we have completed the task with success. I know there will be rocky patches for us both; neither one of us are immune to mistakes. But together we will find what works best for us to get those 30 commands down solid and a "never let 'em see ya' sweat" kinda attitude in public.

No doubt you will go through a climate change here from your sunbathing baby days. Sorry in advance. That's all I have to say about that.

My friends who have seen your picture comment how Wise you look - so stoic and sincere, very calm and confident. Others say they just want to kiss that muzzle of yours and snuggle up to your awesome puppyness! I think you are in for a whole lot of lovin'.  I have no doubt that you will get plenty of attention at home, and in public. We'll have to make sure you stay humble.

Puppy Cheers to the next 18 months of learning; the funny, the lovable, the hard, the worth it, the positive, the everyday adventure toward the journey of being a CCI Graduate. There is a new collar color waiting for you next to a slew of new toys, yummy food, treats, water, and four two-legged friends who are ready for Team Kolby to begin.

Kolby ~ You are so worth every day we get to be part of your life.

Big Hugs and Lots of Love ~

Your Puppy Raisers.

Puppy Prep

I received this photo from my friend who will be raising Kolby's sister, Kashi. While I don't know the story behind it, whether it took awhile for Kolby to gain the confidence to go down the slide, I am happy to see that he did. I love his paws.

We returned home from our California trip, unpacked, and immediately started a home improvement project in Puppy Prep. The kids and I painted our laundry room. It has been the last room in our house to be custom painted, and I'm embarrassed to say how long we have lived here. It was certainly time to exchange the white walls into something more cozy.

A cozy laundry room? Yes, it has become a requirement. Ever since Puppy Raising for CCI, I am finding myself spending a lot of time in our laundry room.

It is the Exit to all potty breaks, it houses the food and water for my Beagle and CCI Puppy, and all the daily grooming occurs in this little room. In the beginning it is where the Puppy sleeps at night in his/her kennel too - because we can turn on the fan, the dryer, and shut the door to mask any first-few-days-of-puppy-whining while we learn together on how to live together.

Make-over complete, we are ready to Welcome Home Kolby at the end of this week!!!

Would you like a tour?

There is plenty of space to add photo frames above the sink to the 10 foot ceiling, and around to the right, or left. Ha!! The sink is where I bathe our Beagle, and puppy to start. The drawers are host to grooming supplies, and a well kept "junk drawer" for the two legged in our house.

The quote above the door which leads to the garage and outside world. I love the words, and I love how my kiddos wanted to hang it right. there. "Believe in the Journey of your Dreams"

Towels for doggie bathing, and stash of treats, and carpet cleaner, and washing soaps, etc.

Entrance from our garage to our house ~ the picture frame above the door is Haddie's certificate from CCI with her Turn-In ribbon. The plan is to add additional picture boxes to the left and right of Haddie's, for each of the future pups in our care as they Turn-In/Graduate.

Small laundry room filled with cozy. Come on home, Kolby!

Letter from College

We have been busy since returning from California two weeks ago. The time has flown by since the departure of Haddie and the soon-to-be-arrival of Kolby.

I asked my son recently if missing Haddie has been the same as he thought it would be, or better than, or worse than. I think for all the busy we've all had, he was confidently correct in saying it has been better than what he was expecting. I am thankful for the busy.

Yesterday we received a letter from Haddie. Regardless if it is a form letter, or not, I think the CCI Organization does so many things correct in keeping their Puppy Raisers feeling important and appreciated. They didn't have to take the time to get address' and printing and documenting into their mix of Advanced Training these Freshmen puppies. But they did.

We are looking forward to April when the official first report comes through. I will admit that I am a little nervous to know exactly what they think of Haddie. I know all-about Haddie, and I can easily gush over all her genuine good behavior, and I can get a little frustrated with her as I look past some of her puppyness. But can they? Will they see the same amazing puppy that I do? Should they?

The blatant truth will be shown. Kinda holding my breath.

But in the meantime, I smile at her spoiledness of a pool with slide on campus!! Oh the life of a CCI Puppy in College!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Waiting for Kolby

Age: Seven Weeks

K is for Kolby

On January 29th we received the call from CCI that they had a puppy ready for us to start raising the first week of March. The information was limited, just a male puppy from the K litter. She didn't even have the color, or name, and I forgot to ask for the birth date, and Breeder information.

I immediately sent out a search for the K Litter through my CCI connections, and got a response quickly with the Breeder. We immediately hooked up through social media and my family and I watched the Litter grow through pictures, and received more specific information.

As we were nearing our departure to return Haddie to CCI, we still did not have a name for our assigned puppy. We knew the three options in the litter, but we did not know the specific boy that we would raise. Two males were yellow, one male was black.

During some "down time" at Turn-In, we pulled the Director aside and asked if she knew any additional information about our assigned pup. She confirmed she had it ready, so we walked to her office for the big reveal. We were so excited (not only to see her office and more of the CCI Campus) but also to hear the official name of our Second Puppy In Training.

Meet ...

Kolby, 5 weeks, 3 days old:

We were so excited the minute she revealed the name because we already knew the litter and knew exactly which one he was. And behind the scenes, we had already been invited by the Breeder to come to her house the next morning to visit with the litter.

I know that the Breeder was not obligated to invite us over to meet our puppy, so we took the extension of friendship dearly and we were honored for the opportunity to see Kolby in his first, loving home. We were certainly spoiled, and it definitely helped our emotions of saying goodbye to Haddie the evening prior to meeting Kolby. Thank you, Becky!!

My daughter held Kolby first and it was obvious that the love was instant. She continues to refer to him as "My Baby Boy" when she talks about him. She can not wait for March 8th to arrive when we can go to the airport to pick him up. I am so glad she is so happy about Puppy #2, she seemed to outwardly have the toughest time saying goodbye to Haddie.

My son held him too, but spent most of his time in the puppy pen loving on the entire litter. In his mind, he knew that he would never see the rest of the puppies again, and he wanted an opportunity to wish them all a Good Luck before they left their home to other Regions. Love his attitude.

Puppies are so adorable, and entertaining. Another sweet friend that we recently met through the Breeder came to visit the puppies with us. She does not live far from the Breeder and they are close friends. She will be Puppy Raising her second puppy as well, Kolby's sister Kashi. It is fun to have the connection so early so that we can share our stories and learn from one another about the Brother and Sister Pair staying in our Region.

We could have stayed for the remaining weeks just watching the puppy antics and personalities develop. But we had to move forward and we said our goodbye to Kolby, and went into the house to meet his mom, Kanga. She has a sweet personality, so soft, and beautiful. I am sure it will be hard to say goodbye to her puppies, so we are thinking good thoughts for her transition.

 

Thank you, Becky, for opening your heart and home to our family. It meant everything to be able to meet Kolby and to see his family. We will do our best to raise him right, and we will certainly provide him a loving and safe home. Until we meet again - enjoy the next 18 months of blog posts about YOUR KOLBY!!!

February 15, 2013

It has been four days since Turn-In and I am still at a loss for words. I think the best way to describe the experience was a day full of reward, pride, joy, sunshine, new friends, and peace.

I had expected our family me to not be able to hold it together throughout the day. I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to enjoy the day with laughter, lots of smiles, and good conversation within our family, and among friends, those we just met, and those from our Region. I think the biggest factor that got us through the day was that we met a very fun, lively, sweet mom and daughter from Montana, who were turning in their first dog too. They added the light hearted spark to the entire day, everyone seemed to feed off their energy of welcome, and peace.

After our formal pictures were taken by the photographer, we let Haddie loose in the over sized CCI Dog Park. Talk about Disneyland for Puppies in Training!! Haddie ran her heart out with the other dogs - perhaps fifteen at a time - ran wild chasing each other, and chasing balls and toys. It was a riot and so much fun. She was worn out by the time we leashed her back up, toweled her off with a wet washcloth I had brought from the hotel in a ziploc baggie (thinking ahead - it was a Lifesaver - she was dirty!).

Pre-lunch consisted of lots of talk, lots of pictures, and time for Haddie to catch her breath and relax at our feet. The grounds of the CCI Jean and Charles Schultz Campus were so peaceful, and so well kept. We soaked in the mid-70 degree day among the lemon and orange trees. It was lovely.

Lunch was a great serving of Pasta, Bread, and Salad and we ate outside as a huge group - puppies under foot. It really is amazing to join the CCI Family and see how all the dogs behave so well around food, and around others. The dogs kept away from one another (except in the playground) and were so spot-on ready to work as they showed off their Matriculation Vests. It was neat to see that we each had done our job of training; at least the basics had been covered by all. Rewarding to see.

We also got to spend a few minutes with Haddie's Mom with her Breeder. Some say that dog-families will recognize one another. I like to think that Haddie knew her Momma - she certainly was very excited to pounce upon her playfully once the initial smelling was complete. Waverly is a gorgeous black lab. I am so grateful we got to meet her Breeder in person.

A tour of campus rounded out the day before Graduation. I will keep those pictures private, mainly because I want to support those turning in for the first time, to experience for the first time this tour with their own puppy. I think it was incredibly amazing the spoiling that our pups receive while training. I loved it! The tour was fantastic and it made me feel so happy to send Haddie at the end of the day. No doubt, she will be well cared for, loved, and so happy! I jokingly think that perhaps she will not graduate, nor be released, and will just want to live on campus forever.

Graduation was about a ten minutes drive down the street at a nice, huge, facility. Not too many pictures here, as our family walked on stage together during the Matriculation Ceremony. But I will say that when the nice man bent down to place the ribbon around Haddie's neck, she leaned in for a kiss. Ahh, I loved it!! Listening to the testimony, speeches, and background of those Graduating with their CCI Dog was emotional and inspiring. It has created the "Let's keep Puppy Raising" drive within us.

Returning to the main campus after Graduation - we knew exactly what was going to happen next. This time the playground was more somber. Not as much talking among the Puppy Raisers, but the dogs were having a blast. It was commented that Haddie was in fact the fastest dog among them all. I would never have guessed - as our backyard isn't long enough for top speed, but it was true. She was the talk of the Dog Park for her speed and ability to pick up a tennis ball without losing speed. It was so fun to see her enjoying her new college life.

Haddie's last meal meant that it was time for Turn-In. This is where the tears flowed as we walked the beautiful sidewalk through campus to the Training Room where the Director and Trainers were there to transfer the handling of the leash. It was hard to say our goodbye - no words. We just cried and kissed our Sweet Haddie, who had been thoroughly worn out from her good run in the park with her new friends under the warm sunshine. But she sensed our sadness and did her typical "I'll take care of you" nudges to our face and legs.  I love her.

I am so happy that when it was time for my son to hand the leash to the Trainer, that Haddie did not look back as she went walking through the double doors. She went happily, and confidently. Our job was now officially over. We had raised her to the best of our knowledge, all of our effort, and hard work in understanding the expectations of a Puppy Raiser. Our job is complete, and Haddie is now officially our forever CCI Puppy In Training #1.  

Road Trip To California

We left two days prior to CCI Turn-In in order to make it on time without killing each other in our mini-suv on the way to California. Long days of driving, but what a blessing to have two kiddos who are used to road trips, and a CCI Puppy who is a gem traveler. Haddie didn't complain one bit for the two day journey (and neither did our kids), and seemed to get her wiggles out enough to still perform great behavior on our breaks for food and stretching (and so did our kids).

Our first night was in the Middle of Nowhere, USA, and the hotel of choice turned out to be very similar in style to my Grandmother's Retirement Center. Complete with oil paintings on the wall, intense smell of cleaners, and a unique shade of green carpet that showed every spec of hair fallen from Haddie (oh my!). But it was a clean place to lay our heads for the night and made Day #2 doable with only six hours in the car, compared to eight the day prior.

We had a tip from our Region before we left that the Jelly Belly Factory was on the way to Santa Rosa, and it was tradition to swing in with the CCI Puppy for a tour and shopping. Although camera's were not allowed on the tour, we enjoyed taking some pictures with Haddie in the gift shop.

The two days drive was nothing extra extraordinary to share. We enjoyed having time with Haddie in new cities and places, but it was somewhat surreal that this was the journey closer to her final stay with us.