Handling Peyton

Getting your puppy used to being handled is an important part of preparing them for their future career, whatever that may be. As a puppy raiser, I take that responsibility very seriously and none of my pups have ever had any body sensitivity issue thus far. :) Our daily routine includes multiple handling sessions, so here's an inside look at what we do.

I gently touch and examine Peyton's entire head.

Whoever put Peyton's tattoo in his ear did an excellent job. It's very clear and neat, unlike Alana's, which was all scarred up.

I then lay him down, where I stroke him and play with his cute little toesies. :D

 Also, I make sure the tail is not ignored.

And that, my friends, is a look at one of our brief handling sessions. :)

Excellent job, Peyton!!

Elizabeth and Peyton

More Useless Chatter

Our company finally left, so I'll definitely be posting more regularly now.

Peyton and I had the pleasure of visiting with a prospective raiser from our club today. We had a good time and it was a great experience in general. :) Being a puppy raiser is the coolest thing. If you aren't already a raiser, you're missing out on lots of fun. 

I'm still thoroughly disgusted with Yahoo, but that's another story. ;)

Sorry for the lame post. I needed to post something. :)

Elizabeth and Peyton

It's the Sixth of the Month...

...which means it's once again time to wish Peyton a happy month birthday! He's now seven months old! And I'm cherishing every little moment I have left with this sweetie.

Elizabeth and Peyton

Happy Birthday, America!

^Not sure if you can see it, but he has a festive little red/white/blue lei^

My puppy raising club has an annual tradition of participating in one of the local town's Independence Day parades, so Peyton and I got to proudly march through the streets today. I immediately gave Peyton to one of our prospective raisers to take. They both did well and I got to carry our club's sign since I was dogless. :) It was wonderful to see everyone again.

On a different note, Tacoma from my club goes in for formal training next week. Very sadly, she is in season right now so I won't get to say goodbye to the sweetie. Good luck, Coma!!

Besides the parade, we had an uneventful day. No fireworks or anything. I came home and watched Bullet in a Bible, then had a bloody war with Yahoo (Yahoo won).

Elizabeth and Peyton

Puppy Club!! Woot!

Yesterday, Peyton and I went to puppy club!! I was so insanely excited because I hadn't seen the raisers or pups for nearly...are you ready?...two whole months! That's the longest stretch I've ever gone without going to a puppy club meeting since I joined over five years ago. Although I talked to many raisers over the phone while I was on ummm..hiatus (again, thanks a lot, stupid leg)...I was so ready to see all the puppies and raisers. I definitely had a good time, especially since my foot is now 110% better. :D

I got to spend some quality time with Ariella at the meeting. I took a picture of her lovely little black toes. :)


We're once again taking care of our neighbors' animals. They just bought eight little chicks from a feed store, so I get to take care of them too now. :) One of the hens is very protective of "her" chicks. I didn't have the heart to tell her that they actually aren't her biological babies. ;)



They're the cutest things!

Peyton continues to be Peyton. I'm really getting spoiled with him and it's going to be a shock for me when I actually have to be a puppy raiser again. :P

Oh, and I'm really sorry about the lack of posting. We have relatives visiting right now, so things have been kind of hectic. I'll try to post a lot in July.

Elizabeth and Peyton

The Joys of Camping

Peyton and I have returned from our wonderful camping trip. My favorite part was easily watching Peyton in the river for the first time. I introduced him to it and he absolutely hated it. After a lot of coaxing, however, he would go in on his own free will, so I was pretty happy about that. :) He definitely doesn't love it my any means, though.

Sorry this is so tiny. It's Peyton in the river.

After the first swim

In the tent

Elizabeth and Peyton

¡Hasta La Vista!

The yellow one and I are leaving tomorrow on a camping trip with our best friend for a few days. I should be packing now, but procrastination is so much more fun. ;) Expect an update by the end of the week.

To tide you over, here is the requested list of my puppies' theme songs:

Luigi: Row, Row, Row Your Boat (edited version)

Holly: Deck the Halls

Lana: The Hukilau Song

Peyton: St. Jimmy

I'll miss you guys! :D

Elizabeth and Jimmy

Because I'm Bored...

...more useless trivia about my dogs! If you forgot, I love trivia and when I have nothing better to post about, I like to post weird facts. :)

On April 8 (Luigi's birthday)

~Ponce de Leon was born

~Henry Ford died

~Robert E. Lee surrendered and ended the Civil War

On November 29 (Holly's birthday)

~NHRA funny car driver Ashley Force Hood was born AND actress Anna Faris was born

~Ralph Bellamy, an actor, died

~"I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles was released

On February 19 (Alana's birthday)

~Tommy Bennett of the Arizona Cardinals was born

~Bon Scott of AC/DC died

~the first anti-smoking ad aired on television

On December 6 (Peyton's birthday)

~murderer Richard Speck was born

~Roy Orbison died

~slavery was abolished in America by the 13th Amendment

~GDB breeder Nagel is Luigi, Holly, and Alana's great-grandfather and Peyton's great-great-grandfather

~I met Alana before I officially received her as my puppy

~when Peyton was a pup in the kennels at GDB, he was very shy and hardly ever came to the outside part of the kennel

~when I started raising I had six main goals: raise a guide, raise a breeder, raise one of my breeder's puppies, get a pup the day I drop one off, overlap puppies, and receive a Fun Day puppy

~so far I've accomplished two of said goals

~when I first joined my local puppy club we met at an elementary school, but we now meet at a fire station

~Alana is the only one of my dogs to have any training equipment besides a flat collar and a gentle leader

~the first GDB pup I ever got to handle was a black Lab named Lansing

~Luigi's litter was the last for his mother (Mavis) and the second-to-last for his father (Francois)

~I got my very first puppy assignment on May 18, 2005, which was an elimination day on American Idol

~I live in one of those dumpy towns you'd drive through while on vacation and think "Ew, I'm sure glad I don't live here"

~Luigi was the only one of my puppies I said goodbye to at GDB

~I said goodbye to Holly and Alana in a turnout under the freeway

~none of my dogs have gone back on their recall dates

~all of my puppies have gone to Los Angeles with me except Alana

~Peyton and his siblings were results of an artificial insemination

~all of my pups have had a theme song

~I'm going to throw my television out the window if I hear that Toyota Prius commercial that goes "dum-dum-dee dum-dum" one more time

~Peyton is my first puppy with a unisex name

~I received Holly on Billie Joe Armstrong's 35th birthday, which is obviously why she was so successful :P

Okay, I think I've bored everyone enough now. Wet puppy kisses to anyone who made it through this. :)

Elizabeth and Peyton

Relay for Life

After running some errands in town and doing some city training, we stopped at the grocery store. As we're walking in, I see a guy collecting donations for Relay for Life. He asks me if he can give me Relay stickers to put on Peyton's vest. Ummm...I've never had someone request to decorate my dog's vest, but I decided it would be okay because we were going directly home afterwards. So Jimmy got to support Relay for Life today. :)

Also, today marks four years since Luigi came home with me. :D

Elizabeth and Peyton

Puppies Grow Faster Than Weeds

Jimmy and I had a good day. We worked really hard on a lot of obedience and handling. I enjoyed getting to spend my day with a big yellow block of love. :) He is the sweetest and mellowest dog I've ever seen! I feel so lucky to be his raiser. And I was noticing today just how huge he actually is. I'm not a tall person by any means, but Peyton's withers are about as high as my mid-thigh. He's going to be a big one for sure. :D

To end the day, we went to town and stopped at the market. As you can see in the picture below, it's a very exciting place. :P

Elizabeth and Peyton