Thursday, April 25, 2013

really Dave????


It's check in time again.... and for me and Rye a temporary "goodbye". Actually, I misunderstood and thought that Rylie was being called in for "good".. so I took her around to say goodbye to all the folks who have been so important in her life and in her raising...
One person for sure.. Dr. T... who donates all her services to the puppies... She took care of Ginger and Norton... and Rylie... so we had to be sure to say goodbye. Only after our visit, did I find out that Rylie isn't being turned in, but is doing a puppy swap with her sister!!!! Hope (her sister) has been a prison puppy and Dave wanted to give her a break.. so he decided to swap Hope out and bring Rylie in to see how it works....
So, even though this isn't the final goodbye.. it is "goodbye for a month".. and as we headed out to NEADS this morning, Abbie rushed from her bed to hug Rylie good bye. She understands that it's just a swap, but she is going to miss her little pal for sure....
I told her Rylie will be back, but that didn't lessen any hugs or last minute kisses.....
And so, on this beautiful spring day.. we are off... here is Marv, Moxie and Rylie... this is the last photo of these three together... Marv is being turned in (for sure).. and Rylie is on her swap.. and Moxie, well.... she has been dropped from the program and will be adopted by Rick and Kelli.... which is wonderful news for them, though sad for the puppy raising side of things......
At our usual check in time, Rylie gives me this look... not sure if she was bored or sensing that I was feeling sad... but either way.....
Before we headed into the city, Dave brought Hope out to meet Rylie. They seemed to remember each other right away and both were so happy. They look very much alike - though Hope is a bit bigger than Rye... and I just hope while she is with me, I'll remember to use the correct name!!!!!
As we were getting ready to go, a group had come to tour the NEADS campus. Needless to say, they were very interested in talking with us about puppy raising and meeting the dogs.....
I was ready to head out to the van, when Dave - all of a sudden - said, "let's head up to the training room, I have an idea"... so, up to the training room we go. He then assigns everyone to a "piece of equipment" and asks us to work with the dogs. Didn't seem like a big deal, we chose wheelchairs and a couple of walkers and began to "play" around the room.
Dave wanted us to work with the door buttons, and get the dogs and chairs threw... OK... easy enough.....
But, next... go outside and work with your pup and equipment. Well.. getting out of the building and not cheating (ie:  standing up and walking).. was a bit more challenging... especially using the elevator and managing the doors... but, OK.. we did it.....
However, what came next??? Yup, Dave loaded all the chairs into the van... drove us into the city and now, we had to work on the street!!!!! REALLY DAVE???? At first, I have to admit, this was all pretty funny... thankfully, none of us really know how to use a wheelchair.. and to handle that and a young dog on the street..... holy cow!!!!!
You certainly get a new appreciation.... just crossing the street while the cars have to sit and wait for you...... let's just say, it's nerve wracking.....

















How about ordering lunch, and then getting you... the chair, the dog and the food all over to the table without spilling anything. Actually the lunch folks offered to put everything into a bag, and we found it was much easier to handle it that way.. but who would have thought???









I have to say, just getting from the van to the hospital, getting lunch and settling in was exhausting. Even Rylie thinks that this is a lot of work... but all of us thought, that it was an amazing training experience. And we can only begin to appreciate what the clients of the NEADS go threw for their training......

Course, we still had work to do after lunch... elevators.. which you all know are my favorite (NOT)... I hate feeling so closed in, but when you have four wheelchairs crowded in to boot..... even more so... the dogs didn't seem to mind... but I couldn't wait to get off!!! It was a fun and eye opening day... but there was still much more to come .....
We got back to NEADS and it was time for the swapping and goodbyes to begin. Linda takes a few quiet moments to wish her buddy goodbye... They have had an amazing (almost) year together.....










You can see how much Marv loved Linda... this is the hazard of puppy raising... giving up bits and pieces of your heart..... for both humane and canine!!!!
One more hug.........
And then, it's off to the kennel.... (Rylie had gone in just before Marv)....with prayers, training and a bit of luck.. Linda will see him again at a graduation......











And with only a few moments to cry and catch her breath... she is off again . This is baby Rayvan, a 13 week old baby who is heading home to begin her adventures with Linda and the chapter. I came back with my "new" girl Hope and the month begins..... such is the life of raisers... (and people with some very sore legs, after pushing wheelchairs threw the city!!!)