Elroy's First Puppy Outing (April 2012)

Just got finished saying hello to my friends. Scarf is on, its time to work!

My very first puppy outing was at the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee. Before we went inside I said hello to my friends who are also future leader dogs! When we were done saying hi, mom and dad put my scarf on and it was time to work! The first dome we went into was the tropical jungle. It was really hot in steamy in here and there were a lot of pieces of flowers and plants on the floor. Mom and dad were working hard with me on "leave it" because the stuff on the floor looked so yummy that I wanted to eat it!

It was so steamy in the rainforest that it was hard to get a clear picture, but here we are on a bridge! 

Next we toured the desert oasis. It was still warm in here but also a lot more dry! I still wasn't too big on walking at this point, so mom and dad concentrated on getting me to keep up with them instead of lying down every 2 seconds! The final dome we visited was the floral gardens. The flowers were very pretty, but I really wanted to eat them! Again, mom and dad worked hard on "leave it" and rewarded me with treats and praise when I did good!

Me and my friends with their raisers!

There was a lady in the floral gardens that was watering the plants. All of us puppies were warm, so she gave us a drink from the hose! My friend Brody was silly and laid down in the water and was a soggy mess the rest of the day, but nobody was mad at him because he was so cute all soggy! 

The nice lady at the Domes giving us pups a drink!

The biggest challenge of all at the domes was walking through a path of wood chips. I LOVE trying to eat wood chips, but mom and dad of course wont let me! I know my name very well, so when I started going for a wood chip, mom and dad would say my name and praise me for being a good boy!

Before we left for the day, our puppy group worked on a bit of obedience. I was doing very well. Mom and dad were proud! I was walking PERFECTLY on my leash! 

Working on obedience

Well that's all for now friends! Hope you enjoyed my post!

-FLD Elroy

Meet Elroy!

Well I am kind of behind on updating this, but here it goes!

March 24th we picked up FLD Elroy from Leader Dogs for the Blind. He was a precious sleepy little 8 lb baby when we got him. While it was sad to let Pongo go, it felt oh so good to be holding a little guy with the comforting smell of stinky puppy breath! Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the day we picked him up!

Melissa being handed Elroy for the very fist time!

It was love at first sight!

Daniel also fell in love with him instantly!

Our little nugget

Our dear friends Randy & Sue picked up their new pup Norma the same day we picked up Elroy.

Loving the new addition to our family!

And it's time for Millie to meet Elroy! She was a little skeptical at first, but quickly decided he was cute and that she wanted to play with him!

Updated family photo! Millie is a proud big sister!

Little guy was all tuckered out from the big day.

And we quickly learned that he LOVES sleeping upside down in our arms like a little baby!

It was very exciting to be starting the adventure of raising a puppy for Leader Dogs a second time! We had learned so much from raising Pongo and couldn't wait to teach Elroy the ways of a guide dog!

If you are interested in being a volunteer puppy raiser for Leader Dogs for the Blind, follow this link and fill out a puppy raising application! It is one of the most amazing experiences :) 

Click here to become a puppy raiser like Daniel and I!

Goodbye Pongo Boy!

Future Leader Dog Pongo returned to Leader Dogs for the Blind on March 24th. It was hard for Daniel and I to say goodbye, but we are proud of the little guy and are praying for a future as a guide dog for him! We will get occasional updates from Leader Dog in the coming months as he goes through his formal training. I will keep you posted! The little guy will ALWAYS have a place in our hearts! 

Outside at Leader Dogs!

The classic statue picture!

His new big boy collar

Last pic of all of us together! Pongo is such a cutie!

Hey guys look at my new toy!

Last silly daddy hug!

Last mommy hug!

I miss this beautiful little boy!

My last night at the apartment!

Well this is my very last night sleeping at home!  I'm enjoying a snooze on my zebra snuggie that mommy shares with me. Tomorrow night we will be hitting the road!  Its off to leader dog university for me! Mommy seems a bit sad but I keep letting her know that I'm okay! Extra kisses and snuggles make her smile! School is going to be hard work but so much fun! I can't wait to meet my trainers!

My Last Puppy Outing!

Me (Pongo) Left, Lambeau (middle), Ezra (right)

Wow what a year it has been! Last Saturday was my VERY last puppy outing with my mommy, daddy and puppy group! We had lots and lots of fun. We started our day by meeting at Mo's Irish Pub and catching a city bus. We rode all the way to downtown Milwaukee in the very back of the bumpy bus. I really wanted to look outside, but it was pretty hard to see from where I was hanging out on the floor. It's okay though. I got to snuggle with my friends Ezra and Lambeau! They are both just a little bit younger than me and will be going back to Leader Dogs soon after me! When we got off of the bus there were a lot of people. The St. Pattys Day parade was going on. We got to hear a lot of bagpipes, see the racing sausages (that race during Brewers games) and see a lot of other doggies in the parade. I got a little too excited a few times when I saw other dogs, and I don't think mom and dad were too happy about it! After walking around a bit we went inside the Grand Avenue Mall to walk up this winding open staircase. It was a new one for me but I mastered it in no time! I'm not really afraid of too much! After that, we walked around through the crowds some more and once we were all pretty tired out we got back on the bus! To finish off our day we went to Mo's Irish Pub for lunch...well mom and dad and all the humans did at least. Us pups got to take a nice nap under the table and snack on a few ice cubes! 

Daddy and I in the mall! Taking a break together!

Watching the parade!

This is my puppy group!

Me at dinner...all tuckered out!

Mastering the open staircase! I wasn't afraid!

Happy Valentine's Day

To all my friends and supporters both furry and human! Love you all!

Moms trying to make the bed

She keeps stealing all of these blankets from under me!