Puppies!

Before I tell you about the puppies, I have to tell you about a funny thing that happened to me early today. 

It was an alarm morning, as we had an 8:45 appointment for our guided tour of Southeastern Guide Dog school.  Dave said I had promised that there would be no more alarm mornings, but thats another story.

 I was taking Lewis on his morning constitutional and used the bag I had carried with me for this purpose...   This campground provides stations throughout the park with metal dispensers filled with rolls of clean-up bags for our use.  Below the dispenser is a garbage pail to throw your "used" bag in.   I usually take a new bag when I toss the filled one and that is what I did this morning.  I guess I yanked the roll too  energetically because 3 bags came flying out AND with those bags came a little lizard!  He flew threw the air, hit the ground, sat still a minute and then took off like lightening.  I don't know who was more surprised......Laughing is a good way to start the day don't you think?



OK, puppies.....
We arrived at the Discovery Center on Main Street in Sarasota and  boarded a small bus with 7 or 8 other people and our guide for the morning (plus his "career change" dog, Lillie)  He was a volunteer, retired from his previous life with the Sarasota Youth Symphony and Lillie had been released from Guide training and was an Ambassador for Southeastern.  He adopted her about a year ago and she was still a "work in progress".   We got all the statistics on the drive to the school facility.  Bla Bla Bla   They've been in existence for 29 years, have 90 paid employees, 21 trainers, hundreds of volunteers and they produce about 200 puppies each year on a beautiful 23 acre campus.

Their facility is absolutely beautiful in every way.  Expansive, clean as a whistle, humming with activity and happy dogs and puppies.  They do a knock-out job of fund raising, first class all the way.  They have many ways to "give" and make it very easy to do so.  They interact with the public on so many levels, people love to come to the school and they are treated as the valuable pieces of the puzzle that they are.

 Daily, the public is invited to come and play with the puppies.  Its a win win for everyone. Puppies get oodles of socialization and the public makes warm fuzzy memories that can only be good for public relations  (not to mention donations and volunteers!)   We could hardly tear ourselves away from those babies.

  We were led into a large bright room ringed with kennels full of litters of puppies.  Everyone  sat on the floor and the volunteers opened  a kennel door. Soft, fluffy yellow puppies came tumbling out and raced around visiting all of us and exploring the toys scattered around the room.  How fun is that!

 .This sweet little yellow girl just decided that Dave was HERS....she kept coming back to him again and again and, as you can see, he hated it.

Ah, puppy breath


After about 20 minutes, the babies were called back into their "room" and their toys were picked up. 

back home, all tuckered out

We (the humans) were disinfected, new toys scattered on the floor and another kennel door opened.  Out flew a new litter of black pups.  These guys were much more independent than the previous yellows.  They seemed to be more interested in playing with the toys and exploring the room than interacting with us.  When they did seek us out, they were much more rambunctious, chewing, yanking and rough housing.  It was so interesting watching the differences between the pups.  We had a ball and could hardly tear ourselves away when our time was up.

a 3 way tug

See the big guy sitting in the background?   He was a huge, gruff  looking man, but so gentle with the puppies.  He left alone and got into his big old  red neck pickup truck and drove away - every one loves puppy breath I guess...

ouch!  my toes!

wistful baby

A happy man




We left the puppy kennel and continued our tour.  We saw the training center, where volunteers brought out some of the dogs that were in training.  We got to spend a bit of time  and ask questions about them and their training.  Afterward we were shown the facility where the graduates live with their new dogs while they are in training together.  They were very much like those of Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights.  The bedrooms are all large singles and the dining room and gathering areas were cheerful and completely outfitted.   The graduates have everything they need while they are forming their new alliance.  Can you guess what our favorite part of the tour was?



When the tour was over, Dave and I stopped at an outdoor  Mediterranean restaurant and had a good lunch of soup and spanakopita and talked about our day.   Another good one.


Tomorrow is our last day here at Holiday Cove.  We plan on spending most of it in the Zodiac checking out the little bays and inlets.  So much to do, so little time.