Five days with the girls / A vignette in five parts

My sister Anne was invited to Mexico by a group of her friends. How could she say no? I agreed to come with FLD Dutch and stay with Elaina, Sofia and Natalie while she got a much-needed vacation.

Oh, and Rosie, too.

We had a mah-vel-ous time, with lots of new experiences for Dutch. I can only hope that he did NOT teach Rosie how to open her crate...

Rosie looks up at me from her crate as if to say, "Really? I have to share it with him?"

PART ONE

Leader Dogs for the Blind

I like to catch two puppies with one treat. The first thing I did when I arrived in the city was to stop by the Leader Dogs vet clinic so Dutch could get his last set of puppy shots. Upon examination Dr. Wilson noticed some shards left from the molar my local vet extracted a week or so before; a molar on the opposite side looked suspicious.

FLD Dutch got an unexpected overnight in Puppy Land.

Dr. Wilson took his leash and Dutch bounced away without a glance back. The next day she removed the shards and a few other baby teeth that were about ready to fall out. The other molar was fine. I picked him up that afternoon.

A happy Dutch is ready for anything. Rosie--not so much.

Parts 2-5 of this city adventure to come. Stay tuned to learn why I was worried about Dutch showing Rosie how to escape her crate...

 

Guster Buster

In a gleeful mood visiting family downstate for Halloween, ironically on "issue day" (see note below) at Leader Dogs for the Blind, I received the dreaded call.

"I'm so sorry to tell you," the Leader Dog employee said, "but Gus was career-changed today."

No matter what they tell you, it is never enough information. Questions abound, you just can't believe it. MY puppy???  He was GREAT!  What happened?

You second-guess yourself.  Where did I go wrong in raising him?  Should I have done something different?  Did I take him into the woods too much?  What more could I have done to switch on the working-gene in this dog?

You can't help but think back and try to identify a clue that this was coming.  Those times he hesitated getting out of the van and then when he did he bolted to the end of his leash.  Maybe it wasn't that he was trying to avoid my bag banging against his head, maybe he didn't really want to get that working vest on and come with me into the grocery store/bank/library/restaurant...

You can go crazy thinking about it.  You can despair for the puppy you are raising now.  All your effort, all the hope.  For naught.

You second-guess the training protocol at Leader Dogs.  But you have to trust that this organization, in the business of training guide dogs since 1939, knows what it is doing; that the trainers understand the dogs and do their best to bring them along; that they've used all their tools in their training-box.  That they gave him every opportunity.

In the end, the dog decides.  It's like the rest doesn't even matter.

Two months into his formal training at Leader Dogs for the Blind, Gus decided that a job as a guide dog wasn't for him.

The official reason?  Gus "lacked responsibility" and his "body sensitivity was too high."  Simply put, he shied away from the harness and didn't want to work.

So.

GUS IS BACK!

Gus found his old bed, but he almost doesn't fit in it anymore. What do you suppose he is thinking?

Gus can hardly keep his eyes open after several hikes through our woods this day. On our first walk, on the way back, he suddenly grabbed up a HUGE tree limb, breaking it in two between two standing trees, and merrily dragged it back to the house. FLD Scout assisted--with the tree limb, and the nap. She is very happy to have a playmate now.

Waiting for the "OK" at breakfast, FLD Scout and Gus share his old mat, while Gypsy sits closest to the food dishes.

"Issue day" is the day each month that the blind and visually impaired "students" in class at Leader Dogs for the Blind first meet their new four-legged-furry partner.

My niece, Elaina, wrote this wonderful poem about the newest member of her family, cc'd Rosie.  Enjoy!


LICKY LAB LICKERS
    -by Elaina Bicego, 2010


How about them licky lab lickers,
aren't they annoying?
Saying hello,
by tasting you.

Lickin' your feet,
Lickin' your ankles,
Lickin' your ears,
and your hands.

You stare at them,
and yell at them.
Nothing makes them stop!

Licky Lab Lickers,
greeting you at the door.
Drooling and barking,
so delighted to see you.

They're always going to be there.
Waiting, watching, anticipating.
They'll stay annoying,
but count on them to brighten your day!

cc'd Rosie, lickin' it up with Elaina

 ROSIE!!!

Only One Year Ago

It is our annual family camping trip and career-changed (cc'd) Rosie is back with us; this time she officially belongs to Sofia.  It was only a year ago that the two of them bonded.  A long journey since then for Rosie, "the wonder-dog."  We are all happy that she is now part of the family, even if she wasn't able to fulfill the calling to be a Leader Dog for the Blind.

This year our blended gathering takes place at Indian Lake State Park, just outside the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) town of Manistique.  Andy and I stayed here last August on our return from Green Bay, Wisconsin and fell in love with the beautiful water and clean park.  We had ridden our recumbent bicycles to Green Bay to visit Andy's grandsons--a self-contained tour of about 700 miles!  (but, that's another story...)

Three campsites hold Andy and I (with Gypsy and FLD Mike), my nieces Elaina, Sofia, and Natalie (with cc'd Rosie), and Andy's kids:  son Chris, his wife Rachelle, and their two boys, Keegan and Alec; daughter Jen and her husband Jeff (with their two German Shorthaired Pointers, Gauge and Odo); daughter Mandy and friends David and Sarah.  We're missing my sister Anne this year--she is busy with grad school--and Andy's son Josh, who is living in North Carolina.

FLD Mike adapts easily to his very first camping experience.  He hangs out on his tie-out in our combined campsites, serenely observing the hectic activities around him.  Indian Lake is a family-friendly campground and for some reason we appear to be "kid-central" for bike-riding, foursquare playoffs, ladder golf, Frisbee throwing, badminton, catch-playing, and s'mores-eating.

At times FLD Mike picks up his never-ending-wrestling match with cc'd Rosie, who is just within reach on her own tie-out.  Other times he takes it upon himself to hold onto Odo's leash.  It is a park rule that all dogs must be on a leash, but Gauge and Odo sometimes wander around our sites dragging their leashes, always in verbal control by Jen or Jeff.  We all share a hearty laugh when Odo resists!

Additional camping stories to come!  FLD Mike has more fun, and works a little, too...

Rosie, The Wonder Dog

School is out for the summer and the house is quiet with sleeping-in-girls.  Mid-morning, Anne takes the fixings for soup out of the freezer:  homemade stock, frozen vegetables, beef.  She plops everything into a 6-quart soup pot, adds a little water, turns the stove burner to "medium," and sets about her day.  It will be awhile before the frozen chunks thaw to a simmer.

Later, the heat and humidity of the mid-June afternoon keeps the kids in the shade-drawn living room, maneuvering for the coolest spot in the path of the circulating fan.  Even Rosie the Lab is listless this lazy day.  Anne sits at her computer and thinks, "It's way too early for the 'dog days' of summer!"

Suddenly, Rosie plants herself in front of Natalie, the youngest of Anne's three girls, and stares.  When Natalie notices and looks up from her book, Rosie runs into the kitchen; when Natalie doesn't follow her, Rosie trots back into the living room and stares at Sofia, the next oldest.

"Hi Rosie!" Sofia reaches out to scratch her head.  But Rosie doesn't linger.  She races off to the kitchen a second time, nails clicking on the tile floor.  Sofia goes back to her drawing.

Rosie rushes back in and fixes herself in front of Anne, who barely glances up.  "Nat, I think Rosie needs to 'park.'  This is your week, will you go take her?"

Natalie sets her book down with a sigh and heads to the back door off the kitchen.  Rosie beats her to it.  "Rosie.  Sit." Natalie commands and puts Rosie's leash on to take her out.

"Mom," Natalie yells a few minutes later as she comes back in.  "Rosie wouldn't go.  She wouldn't get off the driveway onto the grass!"  Natalie struggles to unclip the leash from the squirming dog.  Free, Rosie sprints into the living room and resumes her stare in front of Anne.

Anne swings around in her desk chair.  "What's up, Rosie?"

Rosie lifts her nose into the air and sniffs, swinging her snout over her left shoulder, but maintains eye contact with Anne.  Anne considers, and then takes a sniff herself.

"THE SOUP!"

As Anne leaps from her chair, Rosie darts into the kitchen ahead of her, sliding to a stop in front of the stove.  The pot is furiously boiling over.  Just in time, Anne grabs a towel to drag the pot off the burner.

"Rosie, you saved the day!"

Every Challenge is a Training Opportunity

(My first Leader Dog puppy, Rosie, was career-changed, but now she lives with my sister Anne and her three girls, so I can see her anytime.  I feel lucky to be able to watch my nieces while Anne attends graduate classes at Oakland University.)

I'm early.  FLD Mike is straining against his leash; at this rate it's a good thing I'm early with all the backwards walking I do with him as we approach my sister's house.  Of course, it is cc'd (career-changed) Rosie that Mike is interested in.  My days to stay with the girls always turn into a "tire-the-dogs-out-wrestling-match."

Anne is busy getting dinner ready while simultaneously packing her bag for school, checking her girls' homework responsibilities, listening to reports from their day, monitoring moods, assigning chores, checking the soccer schedule, changing laundry loads...business as usual.  With our approach, Anne has to tackle Rosie, too.  (More about this later...)

I take advantage of the situation and work on getting FLD Mike's attention.  Mike.  SIT.  It takes a poke on his hinder with my finger to change his focus.  I count to myself:  One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand.  Mike sits, but he is panting and poised to leap at the mere suggestion of a "release."

Meanwhile, Anne has Rosie on her leash inside, backing her away from the front door.  I notice there is a new aluminum guard attached over the screen.

Inch-by-inch, I work FLD Mike closer.  We heel, we walk backwards, we sit; when Mike glances up at me we heel again.  Finally.  I get Mike to hold his SIT while I open the door.  We pause a few seconds more while Anne commands Rosie into a "DOWN."  I step over the threshold with Mike and make him SIT in the entryway.  He slumps into a "down" with a sigh.

Anne says, "Look at these two!  Mike is like, 'Guess I'm not going anywhere, so I'll just lie down here and wait.'  Rosie is a coiled spring geared up to launch!"  We chat for a few moments.  You ready?  We un-clip our leashes and direct each of our dogs to "WAIT."  They wait, but we know they won't stay still for long so we quickly say, "OK!"

The puppy games begin! 

Here's Rosie and FLD Mike sharing a drink after "Round One." 

Amidst all of this commotion, I feel apologetic for having saddled Anne with yet another responsibility.  Giving Rosie to her, I mean.  I know the girls have started to realize how much effort it takes to care for a dog; I hear stamping of feet and long, loud sighs when it's time to take Rosie out to "park."

I look into my younger sister's harried eyes and say, You know, if things get too much just call me...

"What?" Anne asks with a surprised and eager look on her face.  I can always find her another home, I answer.  When Anne took Rosie it was with the understanding that if things didn't work out she could return her to me.

"The dog?  You're talking about the dog?!"  Yep.

Anne throws back her head and laughs.  "The dog is easy.  I thought you meant my kids!"

The honeymoon might be over, but Anne and Company are in it for the long haul.

What To Do On a Hot Day

Need: To exercise FLD Mike, who is a bit lethargic on a suddenly-hot May Saturday.

Method: Lab-time water-wrestling at cc'd (career-changed) Rosie's new home.

Outcome: One cooled-down, tired FLD Mike!

Photos: "Leap of Faith"

Jim's comment to yesterday's post referred to a picture I had taken of Rosie in mid-air, just as she dove off a dock into the Foote Dam Pond along the Au Sable River. Here is a series of three photographs taken as she considers, and then takes her first leap!

 

Turning a Frown into a Smile

When I read how a Leader Dog has enriched a vision-impaired person's life (like Fernando, whose story you can read here on the Leader Dogs for the Blind website), I am reminded of how often these four-legged furry creatures seem able to read our minds, or at least, our body language.  Whether working dogs or pets, they often know exactly when we need a slopsy kiss, an attentive playmate, or just a quiet listener.

One "angel" dog I had the pleasure to own was a lab/beagle mix (we think) named Stoker.  (A stoker is the person riding on the second seat of a tandem, or two-seater, bicycle.)  Her best talent was making everyone she met feel like they were her best friends. 

Stoker also had an aptitude for nursing.  When one of our high-school employees suffered a closed-head injury in a car accident, Stoker stayed by her side for two weeks while she recovered.  Stoker frequently accompanied me to a nursing home to visit an MS patient who was in hospice care; Stoker would lay calmly at the foot of the hospital bed while I gave the patient a massage.

I know that my first Leader Dog puppy, Rosie, had worked hard during her time at the Leader Dog School and was capable and eager to enhance someone's life.  I was disappointed when a match could not be found for her and she was career-changed; however, when she went home with my sister, I knew Rosie finally realized her calling--taking care of three girls (and their mother).  I am pleased to report that after less than one month with her new family, Rosie is exhibiting competence for her new avocation.

Natalie, my eight-year-old niece, wasn't having a very good day.  Nothing soothed her; according to her mother, she had an "attitude."  Natalie paced the house from room to room.  At her heels, all day long, Rosie shadowed her, dog-nails clicking on the kitchen linoleum, pads silent on the carpeted hallway down to the bedroom, back up the hallway to the living room, around the foyer to the kitchen; nails tic-tic-ticking again, then pads quiet back down the hallway to the bathroom where Rosie sat and waited when the door closed against her nose.

Natalie emerged, at last, and pushed past Rosie; Rosie trailed Natalie to the shoebox by the front door.  Natalie sat down on the floor to put on her shoes so she could go outside where Rosie couldn't follow.

Rosie plunked down in front of her girl and placed her paws on Natalie's legs as if to say, "You're not going anywhere."

Natalie paused.  She diffidently raised a hand to scratch Rosie's head as if to reply, "Ok, here, I'll pet you, now leave me alone."

Rosie nuzzled Natalie's ear, sniffed, and licked her cheek.  Before long, two arms slipped around Rosie's neck and Natalie's frown turned into a smile.

Nice job, Rosie!

FLD Mike vs Rosie

Watching the various personalities of the Future Leader Dogs at our recent puppy outing at Rochester's Fire Station #1 last week reminded me of the differences between Rosie (my first Leader Dog puppy, now career-changed) and Mike (my current FLD).

This picture of Rosie and Mike the day Rosie came home from Leader Dogs after being career-changed, depicts their contrasting demeanour.  Rosie is edgy, ready to leap up--notice the tautness in her legs, her whole body seems to be trembling.  Mike, on the other hand, is relaxed, almost subdued, content to wait to see what happens next.

MORNING CONSTITUTIONAL

My always-supportive hubby, Andy, takes the dogs out one at a time first thing in the morning so I can linger in bed a bit longer.  We live in a townhouse without a backyard, so this means he walks the dogs on a leash around our common area and picks up after them.  A good habit to have as we never develop an overwhelming clean-up task.  Afterwards, the fun starts!

Mike plods upstairs and peeks his head around our bedroom door to check if I'm awake.  If I am, he meanders in for a butt-rub.  If I'm sleeping (or pretending to be asleep), he sneaks away looking for trouble.

Rosie bounded up the stairs, raced into our bedroom, hit the rug at the side of the bed, her paws frantically trying to gain purchase as the rug slid on the slippery hardwood floor.  She smashed into the nightstand, occasionally recovering enough to leap up and over my head, jumping off the other side of the bed and back around, begging to be scratched and petted, wiggling over onto her back to get her belly rubbed.  If I wasn't awake before these shenanigans, I surely was after!

BREAKFAST

My dog Gypsy, and each FLD, know they have to SIT and WAIT for the OK to eat.  I feed Gypsy, a much slower eater, first.  (That's Rosie in the picture to the right, eyes zeroed in on the food bowl.)

Mike waits patiently, sometimes even dropping to a DOWN in the hopes that he'll be released sooner.  Rosie scampered about in little circles before finally settling down to a SIT.

Mike runs to his bowl to eat earnestly, savoring every bite.  Rosie bolted to her bowl to inhale her food.

Mike finishes before Gypsy, just barely.  Rosie ALWAYS beat Gypsy.  Both lurk behind Gypsy until she finishes, then get to work sanitizing her bowl, just in case she missed a morsel.

After breakfast, FLD Mike is happy to curl up over the register for a nap.  On Sundays, when Andy and I take him with us for our breakfast at Yorgo's, we just go.

After breakfast, CC'd Rosie was ready to rock and roll.  In self-defense on Sundays (before heading to Yorgo's), I walked Rosie the one mile down to Gratiot to tire her out a little (remember, a tired puppy is a good puppy).  Here Andy would meet us with the van to drive the rest of the way.

WALKING

Heeling without pulling the leash is one of the most important skills we puppy-raisers must teach our Future Leader Dogs.  We are instructed to walk backwards immediately whenever we feel tension on the leash.  The dog instinctively wants to go forward; the dog learns that he/she cannot advance unless the leash is loose.

The slower I walk Mike in a heel, the easier he plods at my side.  As we pick up the pace he trots ahead to the end of the leash, but backs off as soon as he feels tension.  Andy enjoys walking Gypsy with me and  FLD Mike.

When Rosie was first learning to heel, she'd lag behind, plant her front paws out stiff-legged, bow her head, and refuse to move.  Lots of coaxing would get her to follow but then she'd rush ahead,  practically yanking my arm from its socket!  Eventually she improved, but I was always on alert, quick to take steps backwards.  Andy avoided walking with me and Rosie--he dislike waiting as we backwards walked.

The picture on the right is Andy walking Rosie (on a very nice loose leash) at a FLD puppy outing on the boardwalk in downtown Mt. Clemens.

SIT COMMAND

SIT is the first command we puppy-raisers teach our Future Leader Dog puppies, beginning at meal-time the very first day they come  home with us.  It's never too early to start, and they learn quickly.

SIT. Mike's head cocks, as if he is spelling "S...I...T" to himself to make sure he understands the command.  His butt eases to the floor, frequently sliding on to a DOWN.

The picture on the left is of FLD Mike in a SIT while riding in the van.

SIT.  Rosie sits.  Her butt pops up, ready for the next command.

FLD Mike is a very laid-back puppy, although he does have his moments of "puppy rips."  Rosie was always raring to go.  Despite their differences, both Mike and Rosie are happy, eager to please, and intelligent black labs.  It's been a pleasure raising them!

"Pinch me out of my dream."

Rosie thinks she's gotten out of Leader Dog responsibilities, but the mission she has now might be just as vital--being present while three precious girls grow up, listening to whispered secrets with abandon, slopping well-timed kisses as she offers a supple coat to bury tears.

I see in her the proud and confident dog that I left at Leader Dogs so many months ago and not the fur-flying, leash-pulling lab we picked up after her career-change.  She's settled into her new home nicely.

I watch as Rosie nudges each niece off-and-on during the evening I am with them, as she lifts her head when she hears one of them move about in another room and then gets up to check, as she turns into a wiggly-waggly bundle of joy when Anne gets home from school.

Rosie is definitely their dog now.

QUOTES BY SOFIA

"It's hard to believe that Rosie, was once a tiny and playful, puppy. Now, she is a beautiful, obedient dog. -sofia"

(Post by Sofia on FaceBook after my evening with them.)

"Now I have nothing else to wish for!" 

(When she realized that Rosie was to be HER dog.)

"Mom.  Pinch me out of my dream." 

(As we left on the first "family walk" with Rosie, FLD Mike, and Gypsy.)

Rosie Finds Her Person

It was our annual family camping trip in July, 2009, with my husband Andy's kids and grandsons and my sister, Anne and her three girls, Elaina, Sofia, and Natalie.  And, of course, the dogs.

Gypsy and FLD Rosie rested nearby on their tie-outs after an early morning walk before the rest of the family crawled out of their sleeping bags.  Our shaded campsites nestled beneath stately pines, the breeze gently swishing needles far above us.  The still-warm coals from last night's campfire crackled back to life as our blended family slowly awoke, settling in on comfy chairs around the fire-pit.  Grandpa Andy stirred his famous pancake batter; breakfast sausages sizzled on the grill.

I glanced back at the dogs.  There was Sofia, sitting in the dirt, bonding with Rosie.  Next to Rosie was the first place we found Sofia in the morning, during the day whenever we were back at camp, and the last place at night.  Just sitting.  Petting Rosie absentmindedly, petting Rosie with intent.  It didn't matter to her if Rosie was muddy, or wet from swimming.  Sofia simply wanted to be next to Rosie.  And Rosie sure didn't seem to mind.

After I received the fateful Rosie's-been-career-changed call from Leader Dogs, I phoned Anne.  The girls always asked if I had news of Rosie; I knew they would share my disappointment.

"What will you do with her?" Anne asked.  I hoped to place Rosie with Katie, a trainer friend of mind, but Katie had to clear things with her husband first.  They already had one dog, with dogs-in-training frequently spending overnights.  I didn't think this would work with Katie, but had arranged a trial meeting with her and her husband for later in the week.  I explained this to Anne and she offered to house Rosie until I could find her a home.  We couldn't take her since we were at our two-fur-covered-animal-limit at our townhouse.  Do you want her, Anne?

My question took Anne by surprise.  I didn't want to force anything on her--as a single mom she had her hands full.  But I knew her girls were always after her to get a dog.  They loved taking care of Gypsy and my FLDs when Andy and I went away.  They were instrumental in teaching both Rosie and FLD Mike name recognition.  Elaina, a natural leader, handled FLD Mike at a few of his puppy classes at Leader Dogs; Sofia and Natalie took a tour of the Leader Dog School with a group of puppy-raisers last winter.  Sofia wants to be a dog trainer when she grows up, and I knew the special bond Sofia shared with Rosie.  It seemed like a perfect fit!

"Well...let me know what happens with Katie," Anne deferred.

The next day, as we drove out to Rochester to pick up Rosie, my cell phone rang.  It was Anne.  "We had a family meeting.  The pros out-weigh the cons 2 to 1.  The girls set their own responsibility schedule.  WE want Rosie!  We all agreed that Rosie should be Sofia's dog, but she promised to share."

My disappointment did an abrupt u-turn into delight.  Rosie had found her person after all!

Rosie says, "I'm done!"

My opinion about Rosie is that she got tired of waiting in "holdover."  

After we returned Rosie to Leader Dogs for the Blind in July of 2009, she worked her way through the required four training phases and by January, 2010 she was ready to be placed with  her "person."  A group of vision-impaired people come to the Leader Dog School every month to be matched with a Leader Dog.  They live on campus for 3 1/2 weeks; here they are taught not only how to care for their dog, but more  importantly, how to trust their dog and function together as a team. The school always has more dogs ready than the number of people to assure that personality, life-style, and ability are well-matched with their dog.

"Rosie has a too-fast pace."  

That's what I was told when I learned that Rosie hadn't been partnered with a person in January.  What did that mean for her?  Now she was in "holdover" status--she had to wait until a new group of people came to the school in February.  No match in February.  No match in March.

I knew that Rosie was spirited, but she had been eager and focused in her preparation with me, if always READY TO GO.  A good puppy is a "tired" puppy, so I expended plenty of my own energy getting her pooped out.  She studied her Basic Obedience diligently; she knew "sit," "down," "stay," "mat," "come," "wait," "give," "take," "park," "leave it," "kennel-up," "settle," and "heel" (ok, so it seemed that I walked backwards more than forwards most of the time).  She was loyal--I wondered if we should have named her "Shadow."  I thought that my first FLD Rosie was great!

But.  After three rounds of holdover, the fine team at Leader Dogs decided that Rosie could not be placed.  Too distracted by dogs and other people, and worst of all, she started "parking" in harness.  I think Rosie decided that she'd had enough.  One sure way to avoid working is to defecate on the job!

Things Happen

When I answered the phone last Friday, the day before my 54th birthday, I had no idea my ensuing disappointment would rocket into jubilation.

"Is this Patti?"  yes  "This is Brent from Leader Dogs. Rosie has been career-changed and your contract states that you want her back.  When can you come to pick her up?"

My heart sunk. This is the phone call every puppy-raiser dreads.  Career-changed means that for whatever reason (and there are many), Rosie was not cut out for the demands of being a Leader Dog for the Blind.  She was coming home.  But, we had a problem.  Our townhouse complex has a restriction--only 2 "fur-bearing" animals allowed.  Our personal dog Gypsy is one.  Our 2nd FLD Mike is two.  What were we going to do with Rosie?  

Leader Dogs for the Blind may try to place a career-changed (cc'd) dog in another service-dog organization, such as Paws-for-the-Cause, or the dog may be a candidate for further training such as  bomb-sniffing.  Leading the vision-impaired is one of the most challenging jobs a dog can have--the dog must learn obedience, and then learn to disobey when it isn't safe for the person.  Dogs who make the grade are the "best of the best."  They are focused, loyal, intelligent, patient,  hardworking, and not too distracted by things like squirrels or other dogs.  Rosie's "official" reason for being career-changed: too dog and people distracted.  Oh, and she started to "park" while in harness (that means while she's working, a definite job-killer).

Is there another job that Rosie can do?  Unfortunately, there wasn't at this time.  Guess the economy is hitting hard everywhere.  We'll be there tomorrow afternoon.  We knew that Leader Dogs has a very long list of dog-lovers waiting to adopt a cc'd dog, but we wanted to place Rosie ourselves.  More than one friend had said to me during our year raising Rosie, "Boy, if she doesn't make it, I'll take her!"  Time to find out if their talk was cheap.