About Dogs

First ... I've gone round the bend and have a blog just for Kodiak. I joked about it to a couple of people and they thought that it was a good idea. So yes, I am a loser that gives her pets their own spots.

kodiakskorner.blogspot.com

Second, I just wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to the organization that my father donates his time to.

Dad's been around animals all his life - living on a hobby farm growing up and then getting his Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry (no, that does NOT mean marrying animals!) He first worked for a commercial chicken company (no, not for chickens in advertisements) that had him travelling to other parts of the world, then owned a pig farm, before working at a commerical chicken farm until his retirement. Through all this time he has had many dogs. I think the longest period that I can remember of us not having a dog was about 6 months.

When he was facing retirement, he grew very nervous - he worked a lot of overtime and didn't really have many hobbies outside of reading and minor gardening - certainly nothing that would occupy his time when he was no longer working. It was during this time of reflection that he met a woman in town who was a puppy walker. She would take in guide dogs when they were puppies, teach them basic obedience (housebreaking, come, stay, etc) and get them used to being around people before they would move onto the next stage of actually learning to be a guidedog.

Dad decided this was for him. Not long after retirement, he received his first puppy - Watts. Can you guess which one he is in the picture? To be a puppywalker, you have to be a responsible adult with no work commitments (since you have to take the puppy to various appointments), have a fenced in yard and treat the puppy like a member of the family. Dad and Mom already had a 6 year old border collie/husky/german sheppard, which was helpful in getting the puppy used to being around other dogs. Watts (and puppies since him) went to the grocery store, the library, the mall ... as long as he had his official "Guide dog in training" vest on, he was considered a working dog and it is illegal to prevent working dogs into your establishment. Dad has since had several foster dogs and is getting close to the end of his time with Leamie. Right now he has Leamie and a foster dog named Quiltie (he doesn't pick the names ... the Guide Dog organization does based on the letter of the litter - Watts was in the W litter, Leamie the L and Quiltie the Q).

I just wanted to mention all this because he has Quiltie because there are not enough puppywalkers. There was an information session in our hometown last week and only 1 person expressed interest in more information. It is a demanding job, but it is very rewarding. Personally, I am not sure I could do it - bond with a puppy and then have to give him up after a year, but my parents say that the thought of helping blind people to have loving, wonderful dogs is worth it. Walkers don't pay a dime, other than gas for appointments and taking puppies around, so you are literally just donating your time.

Anyways, just wanted to highlight this great organization. www.guidedogs.ca/puppywalking.htm