Puppy In Training

Martha Stewart Pets – Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Video Review

Colby — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

If you haven’t already seen our initial reaction post to the Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl then make sure you go back and take a look at our first review: Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review. We go over all of our initial reactions and thoughts about this new slow feeder dog bowl.

After pounding, playing, and using this new dog bowl for the past week we put together a short video review of Stetson using the dog bowl along with our awesome (not really) commentary.

So lets get to that video review shall we?

Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Video Review by Stetson

Video Transcription

Welcome to the PuppyInTraining.com Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review (affiliate link).

Here’s our new slow feeder dog bowl which came in some very nice packaging quite different from bowls we reviewed in the past.

The Martha Stewart Bowl had a nice little niche along the bottom which made it easy to pick up off the floor as well as a no skid rubber bottom that you can see if you look closely.

You can’t tell from video, but this bowl was much sturdier and felt higher quality then some of the other dog bowls we reviewed.

Okay…now here’s Stetson putting this new dog bowl to the true test.

Stetson’s eating 1 ½ cups of kibble out of his new slow feeder dog bowl. And in the upper right corner he’s eating the same amount out of a standard dog food bowl.

After reviewing these videos of Stetson eating I noticed that he takes large gulps when using a standard dog bowl. However, when using the Martha Stewart Slow Feeder Dog Bowl he tends to take much smaller bites.

As you can see in the video. The pillars prevent Stetson from taking those large gulps.

Another thing that you probably can’t see in this video is that each pillar or obstacle is a different height and has a kidney shape.

We’ve been looking for a good slow feeder dog bowl because Stetson regularly chokes on his food while using his regular bowl and every so often he does throw up

I timed Stetson using his regular stainless steel bowl several times and on average it takes him about 1 minute to polish off 1 ½ cups of food.

We’re going to speed things up a bit here. Using his new Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl(affiliate link) Stetson took on average about 2 minutes to finish off his food. That’s a huge difference!

The biggest bonus for us is that during our week long test Stetson never experienced choking or vomiting using his new slow feeder dog bowl.

One other big plus is slowing down Stetson’s eating may help prevent canine bloat which is a serious and sometimes fatal intestinal condition.

Special thanks to PetSmart(affiliate link) for providing a free product sample in order to do our review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

My Final Thoughts On The Martha Stewart Slow Feeder Dog Bowl

Stetson And His New Slow Feeder Dog Bowl

After using this new slow feeder dog bowl for over a week I did find some advantages and disadvantages to the bowl. Here’s a look at my thoughts and reactions:

PLUSES:

Good Dog Bowl For Fast Eaters - and definitely slowed down Stetson’s eating by doubling his eating time from 1 to 2 minutes.
Nice Solid Construction. Much nicer than every “plastic” dog bowl we’ve reviewed.
Feels Very Durable in comparison to most of the other dog bowls we’ve reviewed.
Better Design Features. I liked several of the design features: niche in the side, no skid rubber bottom, kidney shaped pillars, and the varying heights of the pillars.
Nice Packaging – I’m not sure if this is a plus, but it makes the bowl seem higher quality to start.
Makes Stetson Move While He Eats – If you notice in the video while Stetson eats out of his regular dog bowl he just stands in one place and gulps down his food. When using his new slow feeder dog bowl he’s constantly moving around the bowl trying to get at his kibble. This was a result of the no skid bottom along with the pillars blocking the kibble.

MINUSES:

Still Eats Fast At The Beginning – If you noticed in the video when Stetson finishes his last morsel of food with his regular bowl he only has maybe a 1/4 of his food left in his slow feeder bowl. The Martha Stewart Bowl really slows Stetson down for the last 1/2 to 1/4 cup. However, the first cup or so he can eat fairly fast. The good news is his bites are smaller throughout and he doesn’t seem to gulp like he does with his regular bowl.
Made of Plastic - It’s a plastic bowl. In general I prefer my standard stainless steel bowl. Mainly because in the past I’ve had dogs that have had allergic reactions to plastic and the plastic seems to harbor bacteria more easily sometimes causing canine acne. However, this bowl is made of melamine and silicone which appears to be a very sturdy material and I’m not too sure if I’d have the same problems that I’ve had with regular plastic bowls.

We really liked this new dog bowl and we plan on continuing to use it as Stetson’s regular dog bowl. If we find any other pluses or minuses to this new bowl then we’ll let you know about it with a follow up blog post. However, at this point I have to say it’s our favorite of the slow feeder dog bowls we’ve reviewed.

If you’ve used this bowl or another similar dog bowl then I’d love to hear what you thought. Tell us about your experience with slow feeder dog bowls in the comment section below.

The Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Giveaway

Okay folks! You have one more chance to enter our slow feeder dog bowl giveaway. All you have to do is leave us a comment and this time we’ll keep it nice and simple…just tell us your dogs name, age, and breed plus anything else you’d like to tell us. That’s all you have to do to enter our Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl(affiliate link) drawing! We’ll use Random.org to choose a lucky winner next Friday, May 18th.

If you haven’t already seen our initial review then make sure you check out Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review.

Special thanks to PetSmart (affiliate link) for providing a free product sample in order to do our review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Post from: Puppy Training

Martha Stewart Pets – Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Video Review

Wordless Wednesday – Golden Retriever Guide Dog Puppies: Apache and Einstein

Colby — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Golden Retriever Guide Dog Puppies: Apache And Einstein

Post from: Puppy Training

Wordless Wednesday – Golden Retriever Guide Dog Puppies: Apache and Einstein

Monday Mischief – Linus And Yuki’s Dog Bed

Colby — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:17:35 +0000

Linus here! Daddy says he needs his Monday break so I’m taking over the blog today. Besides Dad has been sick all weekend so he deserves a little break.

It was Mother’s Day weekend so we put together a short blog post and fixed up a nice mother’s day picture for mom from the dogs. However we also had a chance to get into a little bit of mischief even though dad was feeling a little under the weather.

Our little buddy, Yuki spent the weekend with us. We tried to play with her, but she’s a lot smaller than us and didn’t really like it when I pounced at her.

Here’s Yuki in her comfy little bed:

Yuki hanging out in her comfy little dog bed

I really liked Yuki’s dog bed and she made it look so comfy I decided to steal her spot when she wasn’t looking

Linus gets comfy in Yuki's dog bed

Yuki sure made that dog bed look comfortable, but I thought it was a little bit lumpy. I hope she comes over again next weekend and brings a bigger bed for me, Stetson, and Apache to enjoy.

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day Weekend!

Linus, Stetson, and Apache write a guest post every Monday called “Monday Mischief“, where they talk about their mischief, antics, and adventures from the past weekend.

Post from: Puppy Training

Monday Mischief – Linus And Yuki’s Dog Bed

Does Your Mom Receive Mother’s Day Cards From The Dog?

Colby — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:23:00 +0000

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!!!

It’s been over 7 years since I picked up Linus from the Carson Animal Shelter and seven years ago today was the first year my mom started receiving mother’s day cards from the dog!

Over those past 7 years I’ve raised and fostered many different dog breeds starting with Linus my Australian Shepherd mix (although he looks a lot like a black Labrador Retriever). The 3 dogs I currently have at home are Linus (Aussie mix), Stetson (black Labrador Retriever), and Apache (Golden Retriever).

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the selection of Mother’s Day cards from dogs is very slim. In fact, usually only the most common dog breeds and the cutest of puppies show up on most holiday cards. Lucky for me Labs and Goldens are 2 of the most common dogs and often show up on most cards from Mother’s Day to Birthdays to Christmas. If you own a dog on the top 10 AKC list then you’ll have a good chance of finding a card for your selected holiday. Here’s a look at the top 10 dog breeds from 2011 (AKC stats):

Labrador Retrievers
German Shepherd Dogs
Beagles
Golden Retrievers
Yorkshire Terriers
Bulldogs
Boxers
Poodles
Dachshunds
Rottweilers

So what if you’re pup is so special that you cannot find an appropriate mother’s day card…that is one with a picture that looks like your dog. Here are a few suggestions:

Mother’s Day Cards From The Dogs

Here are a few alternate ideas if you cannot find the right store bought mother’s day card from your dog:

Create a custom card using your computer and word processor including your own dog pics.
Use an online service like Shutterfly to create your own special Mother’s Day card from your dog.
Create an image using your favorite video editor like Photoshop add text to the image wishing a happy mother’s day.
Write a blog post as your custom Mother’s Day card.

Those just a few ideas off the top of my head. I’m not all that creative and I’m sure you could think of a few better ideas. One of the great places to look for cool and crafty ideas is Pinterest.

One last thing…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day From The Dogs - Apache, Stetson, Linus

I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for Mother’s Day cards from the dogs. Do you go all out and put together a custom mother’s day card and gift from your dogs? Tell us about some of the things you’ve done in the past by leaving us a comment in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

Does Your Mom Receive Mother’s Day Cards From The Dog?

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Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review

Colby — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:37:21 +0000

I’m not sure if you guys remember, but my black Labrador Retriever, Stetson is a fast eater! Ever since I started posting about Stetson and his fast eating skills (is it really a skill?) I’ve received hundreds of questions and comments from people saying “My Dog Eats To Fast!” If you’ve been following along then you’ve probably seen a few other of our dog bowl reviews. Some of the slow feeder dog bowls we reviewed worked okay while others really did not slow Stetson down one bit. So we continue to search for new options to slow down my speed eating dog.

Good news arrived in the mail the other day in the form of a brand new Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl (affiliate link)! It’s been a while since we reviewed a dog bowl for fast eaters. However, I’m sure Stetson is up to the challenge and hopefully this dog bowl will be the solution to slow down Stetson’s speed eating habit.

By the way, make sure you read all the way through to the bottom as we are going to giveaway a Martha Stewart Pet Slow Feeder Dog Bowl to 1 of our lucky readers.

So lets get hopping! Here’s our latest review in our series of “Dog Bowls For Fast Eaters“!

Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review

The tale of the tape. So what’s this new slow feeder bowl all about?

Product Description From PetSmart.com

It’s important to slow down you dog’s food intake, especially for giant, barrel-chested breeds. Eating too fast can lead to choking, obesity, or canine bloat.

Do not microwave
Dishwasher safe with a pet-safe detergent

Designed to slow your pet’s food intake. Non-skid bottom. Shaped hand-grip makes bowls easier to pick up & put down with fewer spills.

Medium measures 16.9 fl oz (1.06 pints, 500 ml)
Large measures 27.1 fl oz (1.69 pints, 800ml)

From The Back Of The Packaging

Obstacle – Simple obstacles of different heights force your dog to eat slowly, reducing the risk of choking and bloat

Non-Skid Bowl – The non-skid bottom and generous weight prevent shifting through mealtime. Rubber base will not leave marks on flooring. The shaped hand-grip makes the bowl easier to pick up and put down with fewer spills.

Canine Bloat (Orgastric Torsion) is a serious and sometimes fatal intestinal condition that occurs when dogs eat or drink too much too quickly and then engage in excessive exercise.

Symptoms Include:

abdominal distension
excessive salivation
dry heaving
restlessness
increased heart rate

To prevent bloat, slow down your dog’s eating and make sure he remains inactive for two to three hours afterward. Please monitor your pet while feeding. If you believe your dog is experiencing bloat, please get your dog to veterinarian immediately.

Made of melamine and silicone

A Few Pics Of The Martha Stewart Dog Bowl

Here are a few pictures I took. Sorry about my photography skills.

The Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Bowl was the first bowl we reviewed that came in actual packaging which made me feel like it might be a more high quality product. Check out the picture below to get a feel for the packaging on our newest dog bowl.

Full Martha Stewart packaged Slow Feeder Dog Bowl (affiliate link in image)

One problem with this packaging is you really can’t see what this dog bowl is all about until you remove the sash across the middle. Here’s what the dog bowl looks like in all it’s glory from an aerial view.

Above Shot of the Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl

Finally we removed the packaging and we wanted to get a nice picture of this bowl from more of a side view. You can’t see it in this picture, but there’s also a groove in the base that makes it easier to pick this dog bowl up off the floor. Another thing you cannot see in these pictures is this dog bowl has a rubber lining along the base that makes for a non skid bottom.

Full View of the Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl

Another point that is difficult to see in this picture is the height of each pillar. There are 3 pillars and they vary in height from the shortest on the right side, medium on the left and the tallest pillar near the top of this picture.

More Initial Observations of the Martha Stewart Pets Dog Bowl

As I mentioned earlier my initial thoughts after seeing the packaging was that this dog bowl was going to be a higher quality product then the slow feeder dog bowls I’ve reviewed in the past. In most cases this is true. This dog bowl is heavier and much more solid then all dog bowl’s I’ve reviewed except for the Metal BrakeFast Dog Bowl.

Most of the other bowls I reviewed skidded around when Stetson tried to eat. I had read that this was one of the features to slow eating. I was a bit skeptical, but I could see how this might slow eating. At the same time I thought they may have been trying to cut costs. The Martha Stewart slow feeder dog bowl has a nice rubber lining that circles the base and feels like it will keep the bowl in place while Stetson eats.

The obstacles in this bowl have a kidney bean shape and vary in height. This is slightly different then most other bowls we’ve tried. Other bowls used different chambers or obstacles that were all the same in size and shape.

I’m very excited to test out this slow feeder dog bowl and can’t wait to see how it performs with Stetson and his speed eating.

We’re going to give Stetson a week to use his new slow feeder dog bowl and see how it holds up to a real speed eating champion. Next week we will have a video review of the Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl along with our thoughts and conclusions about this dog bowl. So make sure you subscribe to our blog or one of our social media channels so you don’t miss our video review!

Blog RSS | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Google+

The Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Giveaway

It’s simple! All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us little bit about your dog and why he/she could use a Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl. That’s it! As an added bonus we’ll enter your name a 2nd time if you “Like” our Facebook page (let us know with a comment that you “Liked” us so we can add that 2nd entry). We’ll use Random.org to choose a lucky winner next Friday, May 18th.

Special thanks to PetSmart for providing a free product sample in order to do our review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Post from: Puppy Training

Martha Stewart Pets Slow Feeder Dog Bowl Review

Wordless Wednesday – Dad Works…Golden Retriever, Apache Waits Patiently

Colby — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Dad Works...Golden Retriever, Apache Waits

Post from: Puppy Training

Wordless Wednesday – Dad Works…Golden Retriever, Apache Waits Patiently

BlogPaws/PetSmart Build A Biz Blog Contest – PuppyInTraining.com Video Entry

Colby — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

About 2 months ago we entered the BlogPaws/PetSmart Build A Business Blog Contest. Our original entry was just an application with some basic information about our Puppy In Training Blog along with a bit of information about why we wanted to build a business blog. We ended up as 1 of 10 finalists for the Build A Biz Blog Contest (congratulations to all the finalists) and our second step in the competition was to submit a 2 minute video that brings to life the reasons we want to build a business blog – enhancing and elaborating on our written entry.

We were given a couple weeks to work on our video entries and after some hard work prepping a script, shooting, and editing video here’s what we produced.

Why We Want To Build A Business Blog Video Edition

Our Entry into the Build A Biz Blog Contest:

Did you guys like the video? Guess what? We ended up being 1 of the 2 grand prize winners for the Build A Biz Blog Competition along with Snoopys Blog (Congratulations Snoopy and Annette)!

We were a bit surprised because we really aren’t video gurus. Besides our Puppy In Training TV series and a few product video reviews we really don’t know too much about video production. Obviously Linus took the the reigns and guided us to victory. Thanks Linus!

A Few Notes On How We Produced Our Video

Equipment

Google Docs – I used Google Docs as text editor to write my script.
Macbook Pro 2008 – my computer.
iMovie 2009 – my video editor. Comes free with iLife and your Mac.
Flip MinoHD Video Camera (affililate link) – I like the little handhelds better then using my phone.
Gorillapod Video Tripod (affiliate link) – The gorillapods are tiny tripods with flexible legs that allow you to attach the gorillapod and camera to many different things like walls, trees, bushes, etc. and are great for shooting video of yourself. This model has magnets in the legs.

I'm glad Linus likes to work on these technical issues.

The Process

I’m no video expert, but here’s a little step-by-step of my process creating the video.

Brainstorm Ideas – This took the most time as I tried to figure out exactly what I wanted to do in the video and jotted down notes.
Write The Script – My script is a 2 column table. The left column I write what I want to say. The right column I describe the video clip I want to shoot.
Shoot The Video – After I write the script I have an idea of all the clips I want. I work with my talent (the doggies), get them ready for their roles, and finally shoot the video using my flip and trusty Gorillapod.
Edit The Video – I upload the clips to iMovie then edit the videos using my MacBook Pro and iMovie.
Re-Shoot Video – After editing I re-shot a couple clips to get them exactly as I wanted them.
Re-Edit Video – I add the new clips and finish up the editing
Final Review – After I’m totally done with everything I gave myself 1 additional day to take a second look at the video and made some minor edits.
Upload Video – Final step was to upload the video to the FTP site so the judges could review them.

A Couple More Small Notes

I added music to my original video that had a royalty free license through iMovie, but after reviewing the Build A Biz Contest rules I decided adding music may have been in violation of contest rules so I pulled all the music.

I made sure to blur over any logos. Again I wanted to make sure and stay within the rules of the competition.

Overall I wanted to make a video that brought to life the reasons I wanted to build a business blog. I wanted to make it somewhat humorous and entertaining. Finally, I decided to put it in the voice of one of my dogs (who sounds curiously like me).

I was very happy with the final results and especially happy after hearing that we were 1 of the 2 grand prize winners!

By the way I did see a couple other of the contest finalists posted their entries on their blogs. Take a look:

Do you have any video hints or tips for us novice video producers? If so, tell us your tips and tricks in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

BlogPaws/PetSmart Build A Biz Blog Contest – PuppyInTraining.com Video Entry

Monday Mischief – Go Kings!

Colby — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:10:00 +0000

Apache here! Once again I get to take over the blog while my daddy gets some extra work done. He says he has a case of the Mondays…I’m not too sure what that means, but he said it’s funny because he quoted some movie called Office Space. I don’t get people humor.

Anyhow, I’m a huge Los Angeles Kings fan and over the weekend I was watching Kings beat up on the St Louis Blues!

Go Kings! On to the Conference Finals!

It was so much fun I told my daddy I wanted to see some live action hockey. Lucky me I got to hop in the car and check out Ali’s roller hockey game.

Watching Ali’s roller hockey game was very much like a Kings game…maybe a little bit slower, but not much! It was a defensive battle and my favorite girl’s team won 1-0! Go Ali and Velda’s Avengers! Those girls kick butt!

I love watching Velda's Avengers! They're the little orange specks on the hockey rink.

Speaking of the Avengers did anyone go see the movie this weekend? I heard it made a record breaking amount of money! Over 200 million dollars! I’m not sure what that means…do you know if that would get me a lot of dog bones?

I was also super lucky because I got to say hi to baby Makayla! I love kids they always have tasty stuff on their hands. No one was quick enough to catch me and my mischievous ways, but that little girls hands are now clean! Plus she gave me a few pets…my favorite!

I love kids! They always have something good on their hands!

I had a great weekend! Especially watching the Kings sweep the Blues and get to the conference finals for only the second time in their franchise history! Dad says he watched them get to the Stanley Cup finals back in 1993 when they had a guy named Wayne Gretzky.

I hope you had a great weekend. Tell us about your adventures in the comment section below.

Linus, Stetson, and Apache write a guest post every Monday called “Monday Mischief“, where they talk about their mischief, antics, and adventures from the past weekend.

Post from: Puppy Training

Monday Mischief – Go Kings!

Monday Mischief – March of Dimes

Did You Know About These Dog Holidays?

Colby — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I’ve been a dog blogger for nearly 5 years now and during that time I’m always coming across the odd dog holiday from National Dress You Pet Up Day (it’s not in October) to National Scoop the Poop Week (please honor that one year round…thank you!). We recently wrote a bit about International Guide Dog Day. We felt compelled to celebrate the day since Dublin had graduated as a working guide dog 3 days earlier. However, not until today did I decide to scour the internet and try and find all the dog holidays.

So the results are in from today’s research. Here are the remaining dog holidays I found across the net.

Dublin representing guide dog and puppy holidays!

Dog Holidays for 2012

January 2012

January – Train Your Dog Month
January 29 – Seeing Eye Dog Day

February 2012

February 2 – Sled Dog Day
February 7-14 – Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week
February 22 – Walking the Dog Day
February 23 – International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

March 2012

March 3- What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day
March 23 – National Puppy Day

April 2012

April 24-30 National Scoop the Poop Week
April 28 – International Guide Dog Day

May 2012

May – National Service Dog Eye Examination Month
May 1 – MayDay for Mutts
May 13-19 – National Dog Bite Prevention Week
May 20-26, 2012: Dog Bite Prevention Week

June 2012

June 22 – Take Your Dog to Work Day

July 2012

July – Dog House Repairs Month
July 3-August 11 – Dog Days
July 31 – National Mutts Day

August 2012

August 5- National Assistance Dog Day
August 5-11 – International Assistance Dog Week
Aug. 9, 2012: National Assistance Dog Day
August 26 – National Dog Day

September 2012

September – National Guide Dogs Month
September – AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month
September 15 – Responsible Dog Ownership Day
September 15 – Puppy Mill Awareness Day
September 23-29 – National Dog Week
September 23 – Dogs and Politics Day

October 2012

October – Adopt a Dog Month (AHA)
October – Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
October 1 – Fire Pup Day
1st Week of October. National Walk Your Dog Week
October 20 – Pit Bull Awareness Day

November 2012

November 18-24 – Puppy Mill Action Week

December 2012

December 2 – National Mutts Day
December 21 – Underdog Day

I combined lists from many different pet holiday sites adding and removing when I though it wasn’t a dog or puppy related holiday. Take a look at these wonderful resources if you want to find out about just about every pet holiday celebrated on the planet:

If you looked at the above lists then you know that I left out quite a few pet holidays, but I didn’t want to have a dog holiday list that was all inclusive so I left out the general pet holidays (although I we do always cover dental health month at our Guide Dog meetings in February) as well as the more funky squirrel appreciation days (yeah, my dogs love chasing the squirrels too). Although you might notice that we did include the “What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day”. A good question and maybe the answer deserves a post of it’s own…to be continued…

Anyhow, are there any strictly dog holidays I left off this list. Tell us about it in the comment section below. Maybe next year we’ll do an all inclusive “Pet Holidays” list.

Post from: Puppy Training

Did You Know About These Dog Holidays?

A Thank You Message From A Guide Dog Handler

Colby — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:55:34 +0000

We received a wonderful thank you message from a guide dog handler we met on Facebook and wanted to share her appreciation with all our readers especially our puppy raiser readers.

As many of you already know I’m a guide dog puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America. If you’ve been following our blog then you also know that my 3rd guide dog puppy in training, Dublin recently graduated. Can I reiterate how proud I am of Dublin!

Since Dublin graduated I’ve received lots of emails and comments thanking me for being a puppy raiser. I really appreciate all the nice messages from everyone, thank you!

Today I wanted to share one of the emails I recently received from a guide dog handler located all the way on the east coast (that’s far for us Californians)!

Thank You Email From A Guide Handler

We love sharing our puppy training tips, pictures, and videos from our experiences as guide dog puppy raisers. We’re very lucky that we get to talk to many supportive people on our Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube Channel, and right here on the blog.

Not that long ago we received a very nice message from Katie and her Guide Dog Bau. We got an email from Katie on our Facebook page, but we asked her if we could share this private message with our readers and she said yes!

Here’s the email Katie and Bau sent us on Facebook:

Hi Colby and Pups!

I’ve posted on your Facebook page, but I wanted to send you a private message to thank you for all you do. To guide dog users, people like you are the real heros.

I live in Massachusetts, and am currently working with my third guide dog, a male black lab named Bau (italian for bark, or bow-wow). We have only been a team a few short months, but he is a great little worker that loves to please. He was raised by two actresses; Isabella Rosselini, and Linda Larkin (the voice of princess Jasmine on Disney’s Aladdin). I am in touch with them via email.

I retired my second guide, Traveler in the beginning of January. I had a great relationship with his raisers, a family that lives in Baltimore. Both parents were teachers, so he spend a lot of time in classrooms, which really came in handy when I was in college. All three of my dogs have been from the Guide Dog Foundation in New York.

I work at two different radio stations, and both Traveler and Bau love being in the studios with me.

In any case, I just wanted to send a message to thank you for all you do. I love watching your videos and seeing how the GDA puppy program works. It’s fascinating to see the different practices that each school has (most of the training elements are very similar to GDF).

Training with a new guide dog is a very exciting and emotional time. One of my favorite parts of the experience is getting to meet my dog’s puppy raiser. It’s great to hear stories about our dogs when they were pups, and to know how much they were loved. I feel like my dog’s puppy raisers are part of my extended family.

In any case, I just wanted to thank you so much for all the work you do as a raiser. You are truly a hero and you dedication is VERY appreciated by many. You are a true blessing!

I wanted to show you my boys, so attached you will find a picture of each.

Cheers, and thanks again

Katie and Bau Bau

Katie also shared pictures of her guide dogs: Bau and Traveler.

Here’s a great picture of Guide Dog, Bau on the train.

Bau On The Train

And here’s a nice picture of Guide Dog, Traveler smiling!

Traveler Smiling

Thank you Katie for the wonderful note and for sharing pictures of Bau and Traveler. If you have a chance say hi to Katie on Facebook.

Thank you everyone for all the comments, notes, and emails you’ve been sending congratulating me and Dublin! You’re probably going to get tired of hearing me say this, but I’m so happy and proud of my little boy. I hope he’s having fun with Liz in Arizona.

Just in case you don’t follow us on Facebook. I heard from Liz and and she said that Dublin did well on his first plane flight and passed his first test navigating through a crowd of 300 kids running around at school. Go Dublin! Don’t forget to follow our Facebook Page!

Are you in touch with your guide dog pups and their handlers? If so, what kind of things are your working guide dogs up to? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Post from: Puppy Training

A Thank You Message From A Guide Dog Handler