Mason Here

Hi, Mason here. Sorry I haven't written so much lately. There is so much to learn to become a guide dog. I've been very hard at work. I don't run Sarah, my trainer, into objects so much anymore. She is very patient with me when I make mistakes so I try not to make too many. She says I'm a bright boy. I do like to be challenged. Once I learn something new I want to practice it and then move on to the next thing to learn.

But my life isn't all work. I have lots of free time just to chill. Recently I went home with my puppy raisers for two weekends. I was all excited when I got close to "my" house. And it got even better. They had a playmate for me - another labradoodle! Yippee! Dakota (a.k.a. Ducky) is a puppy being raised by the Lord family in Austin but the Reimers have him for 5 weeks when they swapped puppies. Check out his blog at http://dakotastails.blogspot.com/. He and I had a great time running and romping outdoors. Sometimes we got in a little trouble when we played too hard indoors. We were told to "Take it outside, boys."

I asked Mary to take a picture of us when we calmed down. Don't we look angelic?

It was fun to get away for the weekend but I was so happy when we got close to the Guide Dogs of Texas campus on Monday morning. I could smell it from a half mile away. Oh the joy of having a good nose. Since we had all the GDTx labradoodles in one place we took a picture.

You can see Mary with Dakota, me with Sarah and Trixie with Jaime. Can you guess who is the youngest doodle? You might think it would be Trixie, but it isn't. Dakota is the young pup. Trixie is a year older than Dakota but is much smaller. So you see we labradoodles come in all sizes and colors.

Well, I've got to get back to work. Thanks for taking a look at my blog. Until next time...

Funny Faces

Mason- wabbit !!! On a romp after a day's work :)

Mason always knew he was "King of the Mountain" :) Watch out, Mason! I am still taller and I am on the ground :)

This reminds me of those t-shirts with the dog's nose all distorted due to camera angle... Isn't he cute :)

Busy Days!

These are busy days and I realized that I hadn't posted any updates about Mason in awhile. So while I was sitting at my desk, catching up on paper work, I took a quick snap of the puppy at my feet. Mason enjoys being close while I work and I enjoy having a snuggly pup at my feet. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Another Milestone Reached

It is hard to tell from this photo, but if you look closely you will see Mason is now in full harness! The handle is now attached to the body piece of the harness. Mason has made the transition very smoothly and is doing well!

Shearing of the Sheep

Mason was clipped this, week! Here he is with his "Before" shot. He looks very expectant, I think. At this point, all we had clipped were his ears and his part of his head. Check out all of that fur on the table!!
He is watching us very closely :)

And here is the "After" shot! He looks so cute and Happy!!! I can read his expressions now! He has a very cute little grin. He is also extra bouncy and snuggly without his extra fur.

Kennel Life

An important part of advanced training is life in the kennel. Mason loves being here in the kennel. He has lots of furry friends and a Kennel Manager who does a great job of caring for him. Here is Mason enjoying the sounds and smells of fall as I was able to open my office window today!

He is due for a grooming so check in next week for a slightly less fuzzy Mason!