Most of you knew Lewis or knew OF Lewis. He was a special dog, a once in a lifetime dog. We loved him dearly and miss him still.
But, do you know about our life before Lewis, about the dogs we raised for Guiding Eyes for the Blind? Here are some photos of them, all loved and gone now.
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| Currin on Jif |
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| Mike |
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| Nordic |
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| Pilgrim loved sleeping in the bathtub. |
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| Sasha |
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| Currin, Nordic, Cody et al |
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| AG (Agent) |
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| Fendi and Nordic |
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| Currin, Sturm, Jif, Satchel |
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| Pilgrim |
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| Papago |
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| Christal |
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| Harvard |
If your eyes aren't glazed over after looking at all these beauties, I have just a few more pictures of our next chapter......Please meet little TAOS, a 9 week old Labrador Retriever that we have the privilege of raising for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
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| Taos, just after landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor |
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| it was a long day for the baby |
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| a relaxing ride home in the Jeep |
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| zzzzz |
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| helping Dave make morning coffee. |
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| helping me do this blog post! |
Taos will be with us for at least the next year, living and traveling with us. Stay tuned!
You didn't think I forgot Annabelle with all the puppy excitement, did you? Here she is seeing Alaska for the first time!
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Okay -- now that I've had a pretty decent cry ... I've got to pull myself together for a couple more appointments in an hour. What a sweet rendition of all the dogs over all the years in all the places of your life .... and thanks for convincing us to raise Knick all those years ago. Sweetest dog ever and little Taos reminded us deeply of a sweet yellow lab pup that came into our lives via Sue and Dave! I'm so excited for both of you -- loved seeing Dave onthe floor with that baby stretched across him! [Kudos to Annabelle for her adventure to Alaska!] CindyP
ReplyDeleteKnick was a great guy wasn't he! I didn't include our non-guide dogs, Lara, Minka, Leibschein and Rose though, no disrespect meant.
DeleteYou've helped a lot of special people in the past and it looks like you will continue to do more for others.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Annabelle will hit the ground running at such a young age.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
We were lucky to be able to meet and, in some cases, become friends with the visually impaired people who were helped by our dogs.
DeleteWhy didn't I know you fostered dogs? Guess I need to go back in your blogs :)
ReplyDeleteKids get all the fun! Hope Annabelle sees some of the Borealis ! It's a memorable experience.
We don't foster dogs, we raised Guide Dog puppies for many years. You probably didn't know that because we stopped when we went on the road in retirement. Did you ever meet Sasha? She was a "reject" puppy we raised and then kept when she was released from Guiding Eyes because of her noise reaction!
DeleteWow! I believe you have helped a lot of special people. Dave and Sue you are an amazing couple. Im sure these puppies/dogs love both of you in return in away only a dog can ! Taos will be another lucky puppy. And I can't wait to see him soon. Annabelle and Taos had their first plane ride, one going north and one going south :)
ReplyDeleteRaising a Guide Dog is a win-win situation as far as we're concerned. We get to have the fun of adorable puppies and are able to help another human being. One person helping one person, directly. We're happy to know that both Annabelle and Taos survived their first plane rides! I know Annabelle sure enjoyed it!
DeleteI have the ultimate respect for those who train service dogs. So much work, bonding with them, training them and then giving them up to someone in need. As much as I like labs, I think the goldens own my heart.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I knew you raised guide dogs but didn't realize it had been that many over the years. Taos is adorable! And we can't wait to meet him!
ReplyDeleteThanks Janna, he's really adorable. It's been a long time since we had a puppy in the house! I hope we can introduce him to you this summer, the more "dog" people he can meet in his early life, the better!
DeleteWe can for sure say Lewis and Sasha were very special pups and enjoyed spending time with both of them. What a wonderful tribute to the puppies, people you have helped and the awesome memories you must have from all those years and all those beautiful pups. Taos is adorable…I’m just wondering if the Guide pups already have their names or if you and Dave named them all…
ReplyDeleteGuide Dogs are named, by the School, at birth. The first litter of the year have all "A" names, second litter born are given "B" names and so on. They try not to re-use a name for at least a few years so, as a result, some puppies get "interesting" names! However, if someone makes a donation to the School they are given the privilege of naming a puppy. Papago was such a puppy.....our first company, Papago Plastics, donated to Guiding Eyes for the Blind and we were able share our name with him.
DeleteWe may be at Catalina SP this spring, we'll stay in touch and perhaps you can meet him and help with his socialization!
Such a darling cutie. Labs really are nice dogs, they sort of ooze friendliness and love. Good on you two for taking another puppy.
ReplyDeleteHe really is a sweetie, a good thing because puppies give you a run for your money! It's been a year since we lost Lew, we're ready now to take on a challenge and love another dog.
DeleteAhhh Sasha Marie :-) What a wonderful legacy of helpers you have! Taos is adorable and already looking like an important part of the family. I bet the house feels happy with the sound of nails clicking on the floor again. How fun that Annabelle is jet-setting already :-))))
ReplyDeleteGood old Sasha Marie! She helped raise babies and we miss her matter-of-fact assistance. Her specialty was stairs and getting into the car! Right now, the sounds we're hearing most are small stones dropping out of his little mouth when he comes inside! He's a hoover!
ReplyDeleteOh, we would LOVE to meet Taos!! I was getting emotional seeing all of the dogs that you've raised over the years, and then that photo of Taos sprawled in the back of the Jeep just cracked me up. I know it's got to be a lot of hard work to raise a puppy, especially a guide dog. But all of that love, going both ways! The expression on Dave's face is pure joy. No one could ever replace Lewis, but I'm glad you have puppy love again in your lives.
ReplyDeleteAnd little Annabelle is going to Alaska! She's already carrying on the family tradition of grand adventures. :-)
This is an emotional rollercoaster for sure, but Taos keeps us smiling and we're glad we stepped off and made the decision. We wish you could meet him too, that would mean we'd get to spend time with you again! sigh.
ReplyDelete❤️❤️❤️ Yes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post!! We've heard of several of these dogs in conversations. Sweet to see them. That is such a special photo of our boy at the beginning:) Miss him:) Awesome Taos photos. He was truly sacked out comfortably while we chatted on the phone. Tell him I'm coming soon!! But the best part of the post was seeing Dave and Sue through the years. Sweet!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was compiling this post I was acutely aware of time passing.....sigh. What a fine time we've had! Taos says he's looking forward to meeting you two too!
DeleteWow- you've experienced so many fond memories with your beautiful pups.
ReplyDeleteThat's the work of angels, right there. What a bittersweet task to undertake and bless you both for what you've done and are doing again. Between baby Taos and baby Annabelle, this post is pure cuteness overload. Exciting adventures ahead for both those sweet babies!
ReplyDeleteThese dogs are angels to be sure....to take their jobs so seriously, to take such good care of their people, yet still retain their silly doggy-ness is mind boggling. It's been a ride that's for sure! Exciting times ahead for us all.
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