We got to the Guide Dogs of America campus early, as instructed, so we’d have time to reconnect with our first attempt at puppy raising and her new owner.
R____, our GDA puppy in training, spent the time at their kennel as we weren’t able to find a sitter and all of us (me, Granny, the Boy and Beloved) wanted to see Miss M again… all the dogs are THRILLED to go to Camp GDA due to the attention they get, so it wasn’t a problem… mostly…
Me: hey, stop pulling! How about a little loose leash walking?
Puppy: you nuts must get to kennel why we park so far we should park close
Me: nope, we park in the lot, where else would we park?
Puppy: when we pick up bags of deliciousness we park by kennel
Me: the fifty pound dog food bags? Damn right we do.
Seeing Miss M again was an absolute joy – and an education. When we last saw her, she would have lost her mind upon seeing us.
They said to expect a ten second delay as she realized who we were. Nope.
Beloved got to her first – fitting as she was the primary raiser – and while she didn’t go insane, her tail could’ve levitated her hind quarters, it was wagging so hard. she was clearly thrilled to see us all.
Her owner was there, too – A. is a wonderful, kind and gentle person who will be so great for Miss M. He’s a veteran who actually works with other veterans, helping them get benefits to which they are entitled.
He’s also really active, a distance runner who loves the outdoors, and living in a forest-y area, he’s perfect for Miss M. They’re going to have such adventures together, I’m so happy for them.
This just makes the journey worth it.
The ceremony was … a little long, but seriously touching – I think everyone got a bit misty eyed. Each of the new owners speaks about what this dog means to them, then the puppy raiser gets say a few words, then there’s a short video from the inmate raiser(s).
Beloved did the talking for us. She did great.
Watching Miss M with her dad… that was awesome.
Examining Misadventures 