Robbin Huls's Posts
Sweet Sorrow
On Sunday, April 6th, I left home on a bittersweet journey to return Paxton to Guiding Eyes for the Blind. There he will continue his path to become a Guide Dog. It's still a long road ahead before he may be matched with a blind or visually impaired partner. Back at Guiding Eyes for the Blind's training school, he will have:
- An In-For-Training (IFT) test that will determine his entrance to "doggie college" (a.k.a. Guide Dog School) happens on Tuesday morning (April 8th). I'll post a comment on this blog as soon as I know how he did!
- If he passes this exam, he will be given a complete physical.
- Barring any health problems that might sideline him, he will be assigned a trainer and begin his guide dog training.
- That training will continue for at least 5 months, and although continuous, can be logically thought of as comprised of 4 phases.
- Once that training is complete, he is matched with a partner and they will complete training together, generally a 26-day resident program at the GEB training school.
Each of these stages requires successful completion of the previous one and only about 60% of the dogs make it all the way through. I will keep you posted via later entries in this blog (*tease* the ones about Paxton's successor) as to his progress.
To celebrate this transition, I've put together a retrospective of his time with me us. Enjoy! And thank you all for your help and support!!
The song "My Buddy" is used with permission from Murray Weinstock's Dog Music
© 2000 Murray Weinstock, Furry Murray Music (ASCAP)
The title *"Sweet Sorrow" was taken from the title of an "Almost Daily eMo" that speaks so well to the cost of love.
Comments
Posted By: Terry (6/26/2008)
Comment: Robbin - I have to tell you a short story. In about mid May I was up late one night (couldn't sleep) reading my emails and looked over an email from Kodak. Happened onto your blog about Paxton. We had lost our beloved Maggie, Lab,shepherd,retreiver mix in April after 12 wonderful years. Anyway, my wife and I were still reeling from the loss, the house felt so empty but had decided we really didn't want to make another 10-14 year commitment at this time. So when I read about Paxton, I thought that Guide Dog puppy raising would be the perfect solution. Fast forward ... after telling my wife about Paxton, we contacted Southeastern Guide Dogs in Florida, and after a similar training period as you had, we welcomed "Nick", a 9 wk old yellow lab into our home for puppy raising. Thanks to you, we are starting our journey with this little bundle of love and looking forward to the experience. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. Terry and Laurie- Florida
Posted By: Robbin (5/6/2008)
Comment: I'm so sorry to hear that Mary Ann. It is devastating to lose our beloved furry friends, no matter what the cause! Nessie (the puppy I'm raising now) sends puppy kisses.
Posted By: Mary Ann Durante (5/6/2008)
Comment: Just had to return my beautiful Newfoundland to the breeder; he was with me 6 months. I fear he was misdiagnosed by two vets. He definetly had distemper. So sad. Breeder refused to return money or another dog. Your blog was so good. Made me cry. I am pretty emotional right now, as he left April 9, 2008.
Posted By: Robbin (4/16/2008)
Comment: Actually, I received a postcard yesterday "Woof! Everyone is so nice here at GEB! My roommates are great and I love playing out in the community run with my new friends. I can't wait to make you proud! Wags 'n Licks, Paxton" So I guess he passed his physical. I'm waiting for the kennel report to be posted to see who he's training with.
Posted By: Sue (4/16/2008)
Comment: Any word from Paxton?
Posted By: danielle (4/11/2008)
Comment: What a beautiful boy Paxton turned into. I so admire puppy raisers because it would be so difficult for me to part with them. Congratulations to both of you.
Posted By: Robbin (4/10/2008)
Comment: Thank YOU all for sharing this journey with me. It has been fun telling the stories (and of course showing off the pictures!) @Jon - He'd better not drop out! :-) Seriously, if he chooses not to be a guide dog, then he will be adopted as a pet. I will have right of first refusal. @Deb - you forgot to add the comment you sent me about the Elvis costume - "Paxton has left the building." Very appropriate! @Bill - no, it wasn't easy, but when I saw him after his IFT test in his new kennel with his buddies, I could see that he would be fine. It also helps that another dog from our region graduated on 3/29 and his raiser said "He was happy to see me, but I could see that he was very happy with his new partner." Just as I suspected, the dogs adjust better than the humans they leave behind. I'll miss his happy, goofy presence, but I know he's happy and will be making someone else's life better, and that is far more important than being my buddy.
Posted By: Deb (4/10/2008)
Comment: Robbin & Paxton, thanks for sharing your adventure from beginning to end. I found it incredibly interesting to follow Paxton's progress. But more importantly....thanks for sharing Paxton with us. His Kodak family will miss him....
Posted By: C.Herzog (4/9/2008)
Comment: Thank-you for sharing Paxton's journey and for giving us a glimpse into how amazing these dogs truely are. I've enjoyed every word. Best wishes to Paxton!
Posted By: Jon Gary (4/9/2008)
Comment: That's a great pooch. What happens if he drops out of doggie college?
Posted By: MeKalea Chambliss (4/9/2008)
Comment: AWW that video was adorable! Yey to Paxton on his IFT!
Posted By: RicanGeek (4/8/2008)
Comment: Thank you for your wonderful stories & inspiration. Godspeed, Paxton!
Posted By: Lis (4/8/2008)
Comment: Thank you for sharing Paxton's journey -- your posts are among my favorites on this blog.
Posted By: Bill Hibbler (4/8/2008)
Comment: Thanks for the video, Robbin. Glad Paxton passed his test and is on his way. I'm sure it wasn't easy to let him go but it's a very noble thing you're doing.
Posted By: Robbin (4/8/2008)
Comment: Paxton passed his IFT this morning! I got to see him afterwards, alone and in his new kennel with his "buddies" Omar and Yahtzee. They were having a grand time. Now it's on to the physical.
Posted By: tom (4/8/2008)
Comment: What a great video! I sure there isn't a dry eye in the house! Robin you should be proud of your accomplishment. Paxton will do great and you are a big reason why! *sniff-sniff*
Posted By: Diedra (4/8/2008)
Comment: We will miss him! I know he will do great!