Winston - Brando's Brother
One
BIG Puppy! (June 18, 2004)
Once Darby, puppy number four, was safely in the hands of the GDA
trainers, it was only a matter of time before the call came asking if we
wanted to raise another dog. The answer was, of course, YES. We were
especially excited that we would be receiving a baby this time, after
the challenge of three "re-home" dogs in a row. ("Re-home" is the term
the school uses to describe puppies-in-training that are raised in
multiple homes, usually due to behavioral problems.) So, on Friday, June
18th, Bill picked up puppy number five: a stocky, 9-week old, 17 pound
Lab named Winston.
Our new boy is as cute as a button, and is showing signs of being rather
smart. Within 24 hours he was adjusting well to the leash, and had
already learned that getting to the outside world was simply a matter of
following a housemate through the dog door. The crate, however, is
proving to be more of a challenge, as this feisty fellow has no problem
vocalizing his opinion about being confined, especially at night. Thank
goodness the GDA staff plans ahead for this, and sends the puppies home
on Friday, so the new parents have the weekend to adjust.
Winston
received the honor of having a financial sponsor, a kind lady who is
donating the funds necessary to take him from puppyhood to the start of
his official training. Because we are asked to provide quarterly reports
to the sponsor, I certainly won't have an excuse not to add pictures and
stories to his web pages regularly.
There He Grows Again (August 18, 2004)
Today is Winston's 4 month birthday, but you'd never know it by looking
at him. This laid-back puppy has the even-headed temperament of a dog
much older, and, at 32 pounds, is a big strapping boy. Yesterday he
attended his first obedience class.... an adult beginner's group.
Winston was the youngest dog in the class, and wore his cute yellow GDA
puppy bib, so he stood out in the sea of 20+ dogs. I was pleased that he
remained fairly focused (especially for a pup), and did a sit/stay and
down/stay as well as most of the older dogs. After class, we were
approached by several people who were impressed with his skills, and
wanted to know how old he was. Needless to say, there were surprised to
find out he is only four months old. Yep, momma was proud.
I
attribute most of Winston's behavior to his superior breeding, as he is
easy-going and quick to learn. He has been housebroken for weeks, and,
for the most part, limits his chewing to his puppy toys. (I say mostly
because he loves sticks from the field, and has been known to pick up
stray socks.) He has natural retriever tendencies and brings us
everything he finds. The best part is that he instinctively puts them
right into your hand, so the Drop It command was a cinch. Because
Winston goes with me to work every day (we own a self-serve dog wash
called Canine Creek), and have
a large pack of our own, he is rarely dog distracted in public. I am
also happy to report that Winston has already been to work with his dad
at the Rite Aid distribution
center warehouse, and he is the youngest of our puppies to do so. Other
than one little back-rolling "GRRRUFF" in a meeting, I hear he did well.
Nothing like a little puppy humor to lighten the mood of a staff
meeting.
Now that Winston is old enough to experience the world at canine-level
(rather than from mom's arms), he is looking forward to more real-world
experiences. So far we know that he is not afraid of motorcycles,
trains, or automatic doors. He has met, and shows relatively little
interest in, horses, cats, and rabbits. Winston has been to church, the
gym, and out shopping. He rides very nicely in the car, behaves well in
restaurants, stands quietly for a bath, and is polite when he meets
strangers. So far, so good!
Our
Sweet, Smart Boy
(February, 2005)
Is this a handsome face, or what? You would never know from these photos
that Winston is a high energy boy at home with his pals. In public,
wearing his GDA jacket, Winston is the ultimate puppy-in-training.....
well behaved, quiet, and polite. He is, in fact, the easiest puppy Bill
and I have raised in the last 15 years. Winston was housebroken in a
flash, rarely gets into trouble, travels well, and is a pleasure to take
anywhere.
Since we opened our retail dog wash business in April 2004, our pets
have become the product testers of every new dog toy on the market, and
there are literally dozens of them around the house. Winston is our best
dog toy salesman, as we can tell customers that everything in the shop
is "Lab tested, Winston approved". He has favorites (such as the red
rubber Chewber frisbee in the photo), but doesn't mind sharing them. He
is the first dog we've had that knows each toy by name, and will
retrieve the exact one you ask him to find!
In February, Winston attended the graduation our 4th GDA puppy,
Darby -- a cute Female yellow
Lab. Because we were sitting in the front row, where puppies-in-training
are not allowed during the ceremony, Winston was passed off to others in
the crowd. During the hour or so that we were occupied, we saw Winston
with at least two or three different people. It was nice to see that he
was calm and obedient while being handled by strangers.
Winston was turned in to the GDA
kennel in mid February for his 10-month evaluation. It was his first
time boarding, but he handled it well, and came back to us happy. The
trainers told us that Winston was one of the best in his litter, and
that he passed his evaluation with no problems. In fact, they liked him
so much, they decided to leave him intact for now, for the possibility
of using him for the breeding program in the future. As much as we would
like another dog to graduate, I have to admit it might be nice to have
Winston stay with us. He sure would make some nice puppies!
Where Does The Time Go? (June 2005)
There are no two ways around it…. Winston has grown into a confident
“man dog”. He has the swagger of a boy who knows who he is, and has no
fear, yet is gentle and kind at the same time. Working in a dog wash 6
days a week, Winston has met literally hundreds of dogs of all sizes,
personality types and volume levels. No matter what chaos may reign at
the tubs, Winston can usually be found gnawing a bone or curled up
asleep on his pillow. But, when customers and their fur-children
approach the counter, Winston loves to greet them and will, more often
than not, happily push one of his toys out through the gate slats to
share with his new-found friends.
In May, Winston was the honored guest of Mrs. Hinkle’s second grade
class at Cummings Valley Elementary School. I was invited, for the third
year in a row, to talk to the kids about guide dogs, puppy raising, and
helping others by donating time to charity. The children loved the GDA
video (especially the part with the puppies), and they were enthralled
with Winston, who bravely ignored the post-lunch crumbs on the carpet
and the Cockatiel that sat on the teacher’s shoulder. After I spoke to
the kids, I removed Winston’s puppy jacket so he could endure dozens of
belly rubs before saying goodbye. That was, of course, his favorite part
of the visit.
As a puppy raiser, you hope that you’re doing all the right things to
make your dog “perfect”. As we go about town, there are plenty of
situations where your dog needs correcting, so he understands his job
and does it right. On a recent shopping trip to Bakersfield, Winston had
an opportunity to show off what he has learned over the past year. When
we stopped into Biscuit, a
dog boutique in Bakersfield, Winston was met at the door by two tiny,
high-energy dogs zooming about the store off-leash -- a Miniature
Pincher, and a Yorkie puppy. As these encounters can be challenging for
any dog, I was not sure how Winston would handle it, so I put him in a
down/stay. As it turns out, I had no reason to be concerned. Winston won
the instant admiration of the other customers as he calmly watched the
activity. His only reaction was a slow, sweeping tail wag, in spite of
being tormented by the cute female Yorkie, who bit Winston’s tail, ran
circles around him, and repeatedly licked his face. Given the fact that
he is an intact male, I was shocked at his composure and, needless to
say, I was one proud dog mom.
Winston
Hits The Road (September 2005)
This quarter Winston went to work. Prior to heading off to Puppy College
to become a Guide Dog he wanted to see what the rest of the working
world was like. He spent much of the time either at the Dog Wash helping
Mom keep all those dirty dogs in line or with Dad going to the office to
keep the Rite Aid Pharmacies Distribution Network running efficiently.
The highlight of his work experience was a business trip to Sacramento
with Dad. Like all of us these days, he had to take off everything
metal, including his collar, to walk through the metal detectors. He
made a big splash with the airport security officers when he walked
through by voice command, stopping and sitting quietly on the other side
to wait for Dad.
His first flight was on a small prop plane from Bakersfield to Los
Angeles. He went up the small flight of stairs built into the door like
a champ, but like most of us he was not thrilled with the legroom when
he found his seat!
He
had no problems with the noisy take-off and was asleep on the floor
under Dad's seat halfway through the short flight to LA. He liked his
second flight much better as he was introduced to First Class legroom
and even had his own seat. Needless to say after a little Evian prior to
departure, he was laid out flat and asleep by the time the plane left
the ground.
Once in Sacramento he spent his days at the Distribution Center, making
sure things were running smoothly. In the evenings he took in the sites
of California's capital city and especially liked walking along the
boardwalks in Old Town Sacramento.
Two more short commuter flights, boy, he sure missed that First Class
legroom, and he was back home in Tehachapi to once again enjoy the
somewhat slower pace of his rural life.
It was slower at least, until Hailey moved in. Hailey, a very high
energy one year old Boxer rescue that Mom & Dad brought home is now
Winston's very bestest friend and constant tugging buddy. If there is a
toy to be found in the house they will each find an end of it and tug...
for hours. She is definitely keeping him in tip top shape to become a
Guide Dog!
Turn In Day Is Here (November 2005)
It's a sad day, as Winston heads off to "puppy college". We've done our best
to raise him right, and hope he does well. Good luck Winston. Study hard
and make us proud!
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