Update - Chardonnay and Zinfandel

Well it's been a very long time. As you know Zinfandel had her medical tests and passed her eye exam.

Since then lots has happened. Chardonnay joined Zinfandel in the KSDS, Inc. kennels on Jan. 12th. She too had medical tests and passed her eye exam. We heard back on Zinfandel's hips, they were rated excellent. YAY!

Shortly after getting word on Zin's hips we received word that Chardonnay was being released from the program. She did not like the guide dog harness and the service dog cape had always been bothersome for her. As for social dog, let's just say she is too social to be a good example. She is now living it up in Kansas City as a pet dog. She plays, plays and plays all day. Just what she was meant to do and is very happy!

Zinfandel and three of her brothers remain in the program. They made the cover a the latest issue of KSDS, Inc. newsletter. To see the photo click here.

Zinfandel went into the prison program shortly after. We know this is a good sign. It means she adjusts well to new environments and trainers. And that she likes to train so she will be keeping her known skill set up and may even learn a new thing or two in prison.

KSDS, Inc. had its spring graduation with 6 teams graduating on April 5th. Way to go KSDS and teams!!!

We hope Zinfandel will make it back to KSDS in a bit and begin working on choosing her career path and working on her skill set. We are anxious to see what is a good fit for her. We'd love to see her graduating in the fall class. We'll let you know.

K-Sate Medical Update

Zinfandel traveled to K-State, today to have her eyes and hips tested/certified. The eye results are in. She passed! Zinfandel has passed her first test/step towards helping someone become/remain more independent. We got such a sweet note from KSDS, Inc. and know that she is in good hands.

Zinfandel's Turn-In Day

Zinfandel and Kristi had a very safe and smooth journey to Washington, KS to turn her into KSDS, Inc. She is now in the transition phase, getting used to the kennels and will have her medical testing completed on Friday, at Kansas State University, (a big shout out to them for all they do for KSDS). Kristi made it safely back to MN and is surprised at how much she misses that sweet girl and their daily routine of exercise, training and grooming. (Anybody want to make wagers on how much weight Kristi gains in the next three weeks!?!) Lee misses his buddy big time. But Zinfandel is where she belongs and we are grateful to KSDS for allowing us to be a small part of the amazing process to give an individual the independence they so need and we all take for granted. Best wishes to one of God's sweetest souls.

Interesting sunrise, two hours into our journey.

The engineer must not have gotten the memo that we were in a hurry!

Wondering where we are going, now!

Proud to be a KSDS pup in formal training!

Dog interaction testing.



Off to the kennels and her next phase of life.

Good Luck, Zinfandel!

The time has come for Zinfandel to say goodbye to all of us, here on the blog and hello to In Formal Training, a.k.a 'college'. We will miss her terribly and Kristi is hoping she finds a way to stay out of trouble, quickly, now that she won't have someone to care, train, exercise and groom on a daily basis. This sweet girl loves to work and is most happy when learning something new or putting her current skill set to use. She learns quickly and is happy to please. She can be strong-willed, too, which is good for a working dog. She has a great balance of obedience and stubborn. She will have her medical testing finished by the 18th. Results of those tests should be back sometime in February. She will work with the training staff or prison puppy raisers. She will be getting settled in the Canine Housing Unit, learning a new routine and showing her skills and personality. Assuming her tests come back clean, she will then be placed into one of the assistance branches, guide, service or social. She will then learn the skills needed in that discipline. She will then be trained specifically for the partner she will end up with. Then she will train with that partner and leave KSDS with her new partner and start her new life as an assistance dog. This process will last anywhere from three to 12 months. At any point, from the day of turn in (Jan. 7) to graduation day she can be released. We are praying that does not occur, but know Thy will be done and will wait for word from KSDS.
In the meantime, enjoy some of her previous posts, going back to when she was just 8 weeks old and coming 'home' to us.

Merry Christmas From Our Home to Yours

Zinfandel celebrated MN Christmas on Saturday. Here are a few festive pictures. May peace, joy and love fill your homes this holiday season!

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday Season

Thankful to spend some of Thanksgiving outside!

All ready for the holiday season.

Pups Days 2013

It was an awesome weekend! We had so many great training sessions and lots of good socialization for the dogs and people. Thanks to all the KSDS staff who worked hard to put the weekend together and worked a full weekend. Thanks to all the puppy raiser board members and others who helped make it so great for the rest of us puppy raisers! It was great to meet all the new raisers.

At the KSDS, Inc. duplexes. 

Outside our overnight accommodations.

Blowing off steam at Banner Park.

Playing a game with sister Chardonnay.

Getting ready for our first training session.

Sisters hangin' on a break.

Playtime after training all day.

Crashed.