Outing to Guide Dogs campus in Boring, Or.

Saturday Dublin and I met our Puppy club at the Guide Dogs campus in Boring, Or. The campus is a little less than 40 miles from where we live. We are lucky to live so close.

Handsome Dublin, he was my Rockstar again, he was so good.

I started him out in the Halti, because I didnt know how he was going to be after playing with the new puppy for two weeks. He was perfect, and even a little less dog distracted than he had been! Thats good!

Some of the group. It started lightly raining shortly after this pic.

The club met at the visitors center, then we walked down to a room where the trainers observe the dogs. In this room they are left alone with a couch, a kitchen counter and a garbage can. The room is only about 10x14, if that. Thats me and Dublin in the front, and our CFR on the right.

Dublin was the first pup to go into the room. Us humans squeezed into a small observation room that is only about 6 foot wide and the length of the observation room. Dublin is looking up at the mirrored window, but he cant see us, I sure he could hear us though, LOL.

He checked out this blue box a few times, there are toys inside it. He also had two chew toys on the floor that he played with and chewed on a little too. He is such a good boy.

After we observed three of the older pups in the observation room, we walked back up to the visitors center. Our CFR answered questions and worked with some the the pairs to help them through any problems or questions they may have.

Our CFR brought her two personal dogs, as a distraction. The distraction worked for some of the dogs, both of her dogs are Standard Poodles, a male and a young female. In front of the black male Poodle here you can see some of the training dummys they use when they are working with the blind folks.
Along the wall here are tie downs, specifically for tying the dogs in the room while other things go on.

I didnt get a good picture of the female Poodle, but I had to show you her neat coloration! I dont think I have seen a Standard Poodle this color.

Mike, our club leader, borrowed Dublin to show some proper greetings of other dogs. The dog on the left is Josh, he and Dublin came together on the puppy truck the day we picked up Dublin. They will go back into training at the same time. Josh was really distracted by the Poodles for some reason, he was fixating on them, they worked with him to get him through it.  Dublin could have cared less, the Poodles didnt faze him at all.  Goes to show you that just like horses every dog is an individual, with their own problems, good and bad.

Dublin worked perfectly for Mike. I worked him a little with recall, getting him to come to me with his head between my knees, food is involved. He was so good. I kept saying to the CFR, he is ready, and after seeing him, and how he is responding, she said it to, "yes, he is ready" I am both sad and proud. He is going to make someone a very good guide, but we will miss him.

Guide Dogs is a fun way to do volunteer work, we do pay for all of the food, and toys, but Guide Dogs pays for all of the vet care.  Doing this keeps me active and getting out, and it serves a good purpose too. My volunteerism I have done in the past, was 4-H. I was a 4-H leader for 11 of the 13 years my girls did 4-H.