new one coming-long term plans

The pups have all been great and I get such raving reviews on all my little graduates. Never the less, I am aiming for a calmer dog. The English Goldens are known for their more laid back temperment which in the long run may be a real help when it comes to training pups for service with Special Needs kids. I took the step of putting down a deposit on an English creme female pup. I have yet to come up with all the funds but I won't be getting her for another month or 6 weeks.
I haven't seen a good pic of her but the parents are beautiful.Goldendoodles are one of the top choices of service dog trainers now days but I am aiming for a high quality Doodle, This little guys are already impressive when it comes to a great blend of 2 wonderful breeds.
Thankfully, we are moving right along with the training we need  to train the puppies so when we do get set up- we hopefully can just expand and not miss a step. It's fun, full of challenges and takes a lot of diligence to raise dogs "with a vision".

KEEPING FIT

Hating to spend money on stuff?

With the recession and all, I know we all spend a bit less than we did before. I have found that I really check prices at the grocery store and I am so thankful for those Senior discounts. I just get all nervous when I get offered Senior discounts without asking. It's happening a bit more now days.
I just got to thinking about some of the things I bought in the past that were great buys and I really used the item. Then I got to thinking about the stuff I bought that just looked good and ended up either sitting on the shelf or being given away.
Well, my best buy ever was my little weather radio. We had news when no one else did! I have gotten so much use out of it. It even has a flashlight and a wind up feature. It had "cult" status during hurricane Ike. Now I can't find it and I am even considering a new one.
My computer has been great and of course my camera. My Standard poodles have been another great buy that was totally out of character for me at the time.
One of my most used possessions was a "hand me down". Peace, a Canadian friend, of mine gave me a red cloth carrier for my first baby way back in Sweden. I even graced the cover of a magazine as the concept was all so new there.. It was before the days of Baby Bjorn. It must have been one of the first. That little red carrier strapped on to either my front or back and I could carry my babies everywhere with ease and have both hands free. I used it for all 7 of my kids and a few of my Grandkids. I think it may be the one possession I had the longest before I gave it to my daughter. It had literally traveled to many countries and cities on most continents. It was the one thing I seldom left home without. Thanks Peace! She probably never knew the value of that gift.  
Now for the worst ones. Well, there's too many to think of it right now- coming soon.

And just WHO is Spring Break really for?

This will qualify under the heading of Dog News.
I am almost finished with finding my winter doodles all new homes. It was quite a feat as I had more puppies than usual. The saving factor was that they were all so "very "good. Before they were born, I wasted so much time, all those sleepless nights when I was trying to figure out what to do. Now, they are almost all gone and I just have Knight left. I have dubbed him "Good Night". As you imagine, he thrives on praise. I am really going to have a hard time  letting him go.

Yeste€rday was a big day for me. Wellington  was all "purdied up" as he was going to help with with a  Grand Opening. of a Hair Salon. His job was to just look beautiful. He does look great when he gets a new hair cut and has his green bows in place. He is such a Gentleman.
Anyway, before leaving for that, I had someone scheduled to pick up a little girl Gooldendoole first. She was to be a surprise for a 8 yr. old boy and his 9 yr. old sister. I really wanted the day to be special for them. It turned out to be a cold and rainy day but other than that, everything seemed on course.
I really didn't have time to clean the house very well before they came. I really should have scheduled them later for the morning. That's a lesson for next time. Anyway, the whole extended family showed up- a Norwegian family.  For some reason, this last week has been my worst week ever with the dogs. I tried to blame it on the weather but I really don't know the reason.
I had brought in Wellington to see them   as I wanted to put  my "best paw" forward . He does look beautiful when he's all groomed . Well, he starts off by peeing on the floor in front of them. I clean that up but they ooh and ahh over him and then he exits and I bring in the big surprise, Ginger Darling. She is such a beautiful little Doodle and I was sure they would love her. The little girl takes her on her lap and I turn for a split second to get something and hear-"Mommy, she peed on me! " Oh my, I had just taken her for a potty break and didn't expect that! I got that all cleaned up and it finally registered with the kids that this was really their pup. They were all into getting all the details. Then the dad asked to see the mom of the litter. I really was hoping they wouldn't as Bella just loves people but it takes her a few minutes to settle down and she appears too hyper at first meeting. She is in training so I did have hopes she would possibly be good. Well, I went to bring her in and she went into her gyrations of greetings, sat down on the floor and went pee! Ok, that was "3 strikes and you're out!". By this time, I was getting really nervous. So, out she went and I settled down to give them their paperwork when the boy exclaimed "look mommie" I was afraid to look and justifiably so. Sedric was in the backyard jumping on the trampoline  in the rain. Now, if you have never seen a 65 pound Golden Retriever jumping on a trampoline, you have missed something. I just don't get why he does this! Anyway, the boy runs to the door and opens our back door and muddy Sedric bounds into the house to greet all the visitors, dressed in their Sunday best. When all calms down, I say with gladness,"he is NOT the father of this litter". They had all met  Gentleman Wellington already so I had high hopes that that meeting blocked out all of Sedrics antics in the rain. Ugh! Why didn't I put him away? The morning was a comedy of errors. Occasionally with the dogs, everything goes all wrong at once! When they finally left, I just cried and couldn't believe how crazy everything went. Because it was a surprise, I wanted it to go so well but in my eyes, it was one big disaster. Humorously thinking, is it just that all my dogs are rebelling and joining in on the spirit if Spring Break? We live a bit too close to Padre Island.
Well, to redeem everything, a couple called later in the day and came at five to see one of my little boy Doodles. They were to have been sold to a Intern in NY but I stopped shipping puppies and his cousin had to return home suddenly and the sale fell through. I only sell puppies out of state if they come to pick up the puppies. Jenn  fell in love with the pups and wanted one but her only problem was the price. Then they asked the dreaded question," can we meet the parents'.I was quiet for a moment and then muttered "ok".
Are you wondering what comes next?
Well, I brought in Wellington first and it was a "no pee" meeting. He had just come back from his job at the Grand Opening of Golden Hands Hair Salon and he just did everything right. Jenn's roommate was so impressed.. I was praying they would forget all about asking to see Bella but they didn't. They asked to see the mom. So I slowly left to go get her, trembling in my sandals as I really hadn't recovered from the morning fiasco.
Bella put on her usual "wow, I can't wait to lick you to death" act. She was happily overwhelming and then settled down with such an angelic pose.
To make a long story short, Jenn had phoned another place earlier in the day that had offered doodles at half my price. She was thinking of going there to see them first before making a decision.
Then I just sat back and watched with relief and satisfaction as I listened to them talk with each other. "This puppy is obviously a great dog and you I can't imagine there are better parents out there. The parents are great, beautiful and such quality dogs! The other pups couldn't possibly be better than this. etc." "It's definitely worth the extra".
I was quietly glowing with pride and then they made the decision to take home Benji! I know they won't be disappointed. Anyhow, I went from a discouraging low in the morning, to a jubilant high in the evening and all the dogs got treats.
Today I have a family coming with a very handicapped child. This is really my passion, to pair up great puppies with  great kids. Prayerfully, this is a dream to build on. As you see, it has it's moments! 

I still haven't figured out just why they are being so naughty however. When is Spring break over officially anyhow?!
These pictures are of Gus- currently on SPRING BREAK!

News

I have gotten really attached to College Station. We got lost on our last trip there and the campus appears to be  most of the town! Their stadium is called Kyle stadium and it defies imagination (mine at least). The elevators are a bit unique an a bit more fun than the usual. As soon as you step in, you are greeted by a voice that says sweetly- "Howdy"
 Well, our cars and everything else, are all covered in yellow dust. Don't stand in one place too long or you'll turn into a pillar of pollen. Looking up at the trees, you know it is only a matter of a few short days before we are covered by a canopy of green again. I do hear we are expecting a rather active hurricane season. Ugh!

Here are a few pictures of our last 2 weeks. It is really us. We just keep changing and getting.....ahem.....older?

It's so Big!

Texas A/M is so huge!We went a different way and instead of seeing the "M' side where the future officers were all doing things in the fields, we saw the massive stadium and them some theatrical events were going on. It is so strange to be on a campus after all these years. My spirit is still me and the strange thing is that I felt like I fit in, in a way. In reality, what the other students saw looked more like 2 older parents escorting their daughter to class. I don't think we could pass for professors either.
 The students at the Service Dog training seem to really like us there. I think we break the monotony- especially when my dear husband, who had brought in a forbidden soft drink, tried to take a sip and spilled it all over the carpet. It was clandestine no longer.
Mollie was still the only dog attending. She is only 11 months old and doing  great. She is still quite young but has her vest privileges. Tonight they mainly discussed their rules for service dogs. It is quite strict.

It is a bit of a ride but we will be going next week too! I am posting a picture of Mack. He already had about 7 commands down- great for being just 2 months old. Jeanne (his owner) works with him a lot. Next year he will accompany Allison (his companion) to her special school. Here you see Mack and Allison. She can only say 1 word- his name.