Keno 11 weeks

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge."-Thomas Carlyle

Steve and Cheryl left on a cruise last Friday, so now it's time for Emily and I to spend some time with Keno! I picked him up last Thursday after school and have him until tomorrow when Emily and I are trading. It's been awhile since we've actually traded dogs, lately its just been swapping Tahoe back and forth every week. :)

I've enjoyed Keno immensely. He's one of those dogs that can get wound up if you're not careful, and sometimes he's rather difficult to unwind. The past few days though, I've really established a healthy dominance over him, figured out a couple of his little buttons, and life has just been like peaches and cream. 

On Friday night he went to the movies, along with Emily and Tahoe, and was actually the only one who wasn't very bothered by Paranormal Activity. He did so well that the next day he got to go back and see Where the Wild Things Are. Again, very very good puppy. :) Except I think he paid a little bit too much attention during the wild rumpus part of the movie, because when we got home, it was like watching the movie in my backyard. 

So so silly. We've been working on obedience and he went to work with my dad until I got home today. He'll get to go to the office again tomorrow. :)

He's growing! Harder to tell when I have him day after day, but he definitely is. 

He also got a bath on Sunday. 

He stood still for most of it and then seemed to realize halfway through that I was spraying him with water. He squirmed a little and then gave up. 

I get little Keno again soon for the few days between when Emily's week ends and Steve and Cheryl get back from vacation. I'll kinda miss him though...he's just my kind of guy. :)

~Kelsey, Keno, and Chappelle

Keno-9 weeks

He's just the kind I like the best. A smart, confident, and handsome boy! :) Keno is strikingly similar to his uncle Chappelle, but I've warned Chappelle to only disclose the good information to little Keno, no talking about partying in college! ;)

~Kelsey and Chappelle

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." ~Stanley Horowitz

~Kelsey, Tahoe, and Chappelle

Take a gander....

...at cuteness.

~Kelsey, Tahoe, and Chappelle

Keno!

Yes it's a gambling game, but from now on when I hear people in casinos calling "Keno! Keno!" I'll think about a cute, very cute, very very cute, puppy. :)

It took seven of us to pick up little Keno. I seem to be the only one crazy enough to like his name...and he's the right shoulder male! 

The whole shebang. Man he's got some good looking raisers. 

A good looking dad...

And I guess he's not so bad looking himself....

Steve and Cheryl will have him for the first few weeks, because Cheryl works from home and has time to dedicate to a baby puppy that the rest of us who go to work and school don't. :) He'll get a good stable foundation, and then Emily and I can have some fun with him! 

I'll be waiting patiently for my turn with the little guy. 

~Kelsey and Chappelle(who can't wait to meet his nephew, who sounds a tad bit like his uncle)

Number Five and Ryder for the Weekend

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~Charles M. Schulz

So, during my internship I happened to look at the whelp board in the kennel kitchen and a particular litter caught my eye. It read "Cheyenne YLGX X Taylor GLD 7/31 10=5 males,5 females all yellow."  At my first break I texted Emily and said something like "Cheyenne had a litter with Taylor. If I could get my hands on one of those puppies, I might reconsider my break." I was planning on taking a little break from raising, still being active in the club but not having a puppy of my own. Needless to say, Emily got right on it, used her diabolical ways, and a couple days later we were offered a female puppy from the litter. Then, a little later, a male as well. Could we take both? Surely not.

Emily and I decided to co-raise with a new couple who joined our club this year. They are phenomenal and have loved Tahoe the couple of times they had her. They were thinking of raising a female golden or cross, so when we saw this litter, we though, why not get one and take a somewhat break at the same time? I have to admit that I asked Emily to talk them into getting a male instead of a female. Just a personal preference, and they were very receptive to the change. It's sad that we couldn't take both, but realistically I need a break, and with senior year I don't feel like I have enough time to devote to full time raising. Therefore, we are getting Mr. "K" on September 26th. It will be a three way co-raising between Emily, myself, and the newbie raisers, Steve and Cheryl. We are so excited to raise with them, and this puppy is so special to us already!

Cheyenne is Chappelle and Cordova's sister, and seems to have physical qualities of both:
And Taylor is an absolutely stunning golden retriever that we got to meet at Fun Day:
Ten little babies in the litter. Five little boys. Which one will be ours? Maybe one of these:
Or these:
Tahoe is with Emily this week, so when Katlynn texted me and asked if I could take Ryder for this weekend, I said sure! :) It's been so nice having a younger puppy again! My family misses their puppy breath and so have I. :) He's been so good so far, and enjoys using Chappelle as a jungle gym. 

Always good when the puppies you sit make you excited to get one of your own! Good boy Ryder. :)

~Kelsey, Ryder, and Chappelle

GDB Internship: Day 10

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

-Winston Churchill

A day late in posting again, my apologies. The last day of my internship was very sad! I worked hard, but all day I just kept thinking about how it was my last day. In the morning I helped the CWTs put up decorations in the kennel for Fun Day! Lots of Hawaiian lays, blow up palm trees, and hula skirts were put up for the Hawaiian Fi'Do themed Fun Day. Decorating took up most of the morning and then I helped feed in Kennel 1, and got to watch Cheyenne and her litter up on the TV monitor while I was scooping food in the kennel kitchen. I didn't do a whole lot with the dogs, except some meds and enrichment. Cleaned runs and then the day was pretty much over. And so ended my two week internship, mostly just how it had began!

I cannot express how much I loved this experience. The people were so easy and fun to work with, and the dogs are truly amazing animals. I enjoyed getting up and going to work everyday, and that's saying something because I'm not a morning person and 6:20am is usually not a desirable time for me to be conscious. The work was very physical, yet mentally challenging at the same time, and that's just the way I like it. I can't sit behind a desk all day, and I don't like doing mindless physical labor. The internship has renewed my spirit in a time that it needed to be renewed. I have never been so in love with this organization as I am now. I truly believe in their mission, and want to continue to contribute all that I can to it for the rest of my life. Believe me when I say, the end is just the beginning.

~Kelsey