At 8 months, I am a healthy, active and always curious 56-pound puppy. This
month in training, I’ve been busy watching a bouncing tennis ball and tryingΒ not to look excited. (Not an easy feat for a retriever!) I am alsoΒ practising carrying a metal spoon in my mouth and now have my very own setΒ of keys. Next I will be learning to pick them up and carry them… somewhere.
Probably the most exciting thing for me this month is that Ifinally learned to jump into the hatchback of my raiser’s Mazda 3. ThisΒ took lots of encouragement and I think that Kathy just decided that 50Β pounds of puppy was too much to lift up whenever we went out somewhere!
Speaking of my raiser, Kathy, I’d like to take this opportunity to tellΒ you a little bit about her and my life with her. Kathy is a nurse whoΒ lives in Port Coquitlqam with her husband, Phil. They have three grownΒ boys who visit and think it is pretty special getting to know me! KathyΒ first heard about PADS three years ago and could hardly wait until she
retired in April 2014 so that she would have the time to raise a puppy.Β Well, even though Kathy is retired from her full time job, life is full andΒ exciting. I could sum up most of what we do together in three
words … family, gardens and boats.
BOATS Kathy and Phil have a cottage in Gibsons so this means that we ride
the ferry a lot. Sometimes I think of how fun it would be to play “Go Find
It” on a big ferry!! In the past seven months, I have ridden on so many
boats … ferry boats, canoes, row boats, sail boats and motor boats. Yes, I
do wear a life jacket and I am getting pretty used to being “on the water”
as well as swimming in the water sometimes, too.
GARDENS Kathy loves gardening and is often planting, pruning, weeding,
sweeping or raking. When I am not keeping an eye on buzzing insects andΒ birds in her gardens, you will see me sleeping in the sunshine.
FAMILY Kathy and I make weekly trips into Vancouver to South GranvilleΒ Park Lodge. This is where Phil’s 95-year-old mother lives. WalkingΒ is very important to “keeping young” at her age, so every time we visit weΒ are sure to walk to the neighbourhood children’s playground to see how manyΒ children are at the park. Of course, a visit with Grandma wouldn’t beΒ complete without coffee and a scone. Hence, the two coffee shops on nearbyΒ Granville Street are getting to know Grandma, Kathy and me very well.
Before I say goodbye to September, I must tell you about my recent visit to
Kathy’s parents’ place on Vancouver Island (yes, another ferry). Grandma
and Grandpa are just learning about PADS and all the wonderful things they
do for people. My early morning playdates with Jet, a friend’s flat-coated
retriever, made my 8 days in Port Alberni heavenly! Yes, Jet is pretty
special and we get along perfectly! [?]
Submitted by our awesome PADS Volunteer Puppy Raiser, Kathy Johnson, as dictated by our fantastic PADS puppy, Odin.