CCI puppy Milano

Milano - CCI Service Dog

2011-05-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Milano graduated on Friday as a service dog!!! It was wonderful seeing her again and meeting her graduate. She is going to have an absolutely wonderful life :) Pictures have been posted at my website

Click here to view these pictures larger

MILANO - CCI Service Dog!!

2011-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's official, MILANO is graduating as a CCI service dog!!! I am SO proud of her and cannot wait to meet her new partner. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey since Milano was born! I will update everyone after graduation.

The call!!

2011-05-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Just got off the phone with our puppy program manager! Milano has made a pre-match as a service dog!!! :) YAY!!! I'm so proud of her :) Final matches will be announced next week, probably Tuesday or Wednesday with graduation on Friday.

Waiting....

2011-05-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

This waiting game...Milano started Team Training this week and today is the day CCI calls for pre-matches! I've been thinking about her all day...hope to hear from CCI very soon :)

Milano & Macy update

2011-02-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

Today I received a great surprise!! Our puppy program manager sent a picture of Milano's class! She looks like she is having fun :) Milano is next to the black lab. (I'm not sure who the other pups are in the picture)

Macy also has news to share, looks like she is doing great things as a Facility Dog in Texas. Here's a video of her, we are so proud!

Update from Team Training

2011-02-08T21:21:00.000-08:00

Milano did not match last week at Team Training. We knew this would be a possibility since there were more dogs than people in class and there were a lot of dogs held over from the previous graduation that had priority. Milano is being held over for the next graduation, so I will keep the blog posted!

In other news, sister Macy III is graduating this Friday at SW! Congratulations to everyone involved!! :)

Milano update

2010-12-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

I received Milano's monthly report and I am happy to report that she is doing very well!! She has gone on field trips and is working hard on learning her advanced commands. Hopefully she will continue to do well and graduate in February!

Milano goes to college

2010-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Milano went off to college at CCI's NW campus in Santa Rosa on August 13th. She was such a great puppy to raise. She had a very fun personality, but at the same time she could work hard.

I will keep everyone updated on her progress! Her first report should come the first week in October. At turn in we found out that her trainer is Jaime and her kennel mate is Tulip.

California State Fair

2010-07-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today CCI had a booth at the State Fair. Milano and Shawn hung out and did what they do best, sleep and let people pet them! :) It was a great day informing the public about CCI dogs and the great things that they can do. Shawn showed some of her advanced commands, a crowd favorite was when she picked up my keys for me. It was really nice for Shawn to get to go out to this event, I know she liked getting out of the house! Milano was awesome, I think she's going to do very well in advanced training :)

Milano update

2010-06-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

Here's Milano! Amy sent updated pictures and Milano looks great!! I miss having her, but school has been so busy (I'm in my last class before I officially graduate with degrees in Deaf Studies and Criminal Justice).

Milano - 16 months video

2010-05-27T09:33:00.001-07:00

Milano is doing well in her training and still having fun and enjoying life everyday! She is such a happy puppy :) Milano will go back to CCI for advanced training in August. Two of her siblings, Mica and Maura already went back to CCI in the NCR. Best wishes for them!!

Milano's fun filled weekend!!

2010-04-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Milano has had a great weekend!! Check out these fun pictures her other
puppy raiser sent to me. Looks like she had a blast!!

Fun in the sun!

2010-04-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Milano and Shawn are at Lisa's Sigma Kappa kickball tournament. It's
such a nice day here in Sacramento!

Makia II

2010-03-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

I recieved an email from Makia's puppy raiser. Sounds like she is doing well :) Here are some pictures of her:

Milano's busy weekend...Cal-Ed, mall and GRC Crab Feed

2010-03-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

Milano had a very busy weekend with me! It started on Friday when we went to the Sheraton downtown to help set up for Cal-Ed, a conference for teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in California. Milano was awesome, hanging out as I helped set up rooms and tables. She was happy to walk with me around the hotel, hang out under and table or anything else that I asked her to do. She was perfect during a workshop that I sat in and overall was very comfortable with the conference and people around the hotel. After Cal-Ed I went to the Roseville Galleria to see a friend after he shaved his head for donations for cancer research, for more information check out his site! The mall was very busy and Milano was a little stressed by the amount of people, but it was a stressful environment and she handled it well. After the mall we went to the GRC's Crab Feed to sell raffle tickets. Milano was great again :)

Back to school

2010-03-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Milano had a week at the office, now it's back to school for her. She
loved getting some attention before class started. Such a great puppy!!

Milano's home until August

2010-03-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

Just received word today that Milano will be going to Advanced Training in August (there were some thoughts that it could be May). So we get an extra 3 months with her, she would have been ready for AT in May, but it's always nice to give them a little more time to mature. Looks like Milano made the cut by 1 litter letter.

Milano's turn in date is August 13, 2010

BOBBY

2010-03-01T23:03:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend CCI's famous breeder Bobby passed away. Bobby was 14 years old and has many graduates and breeders. His legacy and great service dog tempermant will live on in his puppies! Bobby is related to oaver 3,300 CCI dogs!!

Milano is related to Bobby, here's how:

Milano (LAWRENCE II X CHANDRA)
Lawrence II (BAUMANN X KEENA)
Baumann (HANFORD II X QUINTARA II)
Quintara II (BOBBY X OKLAHOMA)

Milano's busy day

2010-02-22T19:37:00.000-08:00

Milano had a busy day today. It started out with her going out
rollerblading with me (her 1st time since she just turned a year old).
Milano was so good, still maintained position and didn't pass my knee.
After rollerblading we went to the park and Milano worked on her
commands on the play structure. She did "up", "jump", "under", "stand",
etc all on different surfaces and from different angles. After the park
we went home for awhile before going to school. Milano got to sleep
during my ASL literature class then we had a break where she was able to
sleep more while I hung out with friends before my last class that
started at 5:30. Milano was great all day, no problems, her confidence
level has really grown.

Milano at 13 months

2010-02-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Milano is 13 months old today, it's hard to believe that she's already this old and that she'll be going back to CCI soon (May or August). She is such a sweet, fun and smart puppy! Everyone that meets her falls in love with her.

Milano's back

2010-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

Milano is back with me for a few weeks. It was so much fun taking her
back to school today (the first time for this semester). Milano was
happy to see my friends, so cute that she remembers everyone. After
school we went to the gym, the people at Cal Fit needed a little
education on service dogs and puppies in training. Now they know, thanks
to me and my friend informing them. Milano slept the entire time we were
on the bike and then we went to dinner where she was perfect again! Such
a good girl. When we got home I started to do homework and Milano looked
bored, I told her to go and get a toy and she ran to my room and found
her stuffed monkey. She was entertained and I was entertained watching
her have fun. Now she's sleeping at my feet.

Milano is home!!

2010-02-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

Milano has been at CCI for the last 3 weeks and she finally was able to
come home today!! She was so excited to see me, it was nice to know she
missed me :) I haven't seen her in about a month. Tomorrow she will go
to her co-puppy raiser and then I'll get her back on the 18th. Milano's
fur seems to be thicker, but other than that she's the same Milano :)
I'm really looking forward to taking her to school, she hasn't been with
me at all this semester! So it'll be really nice to have her with me
again.

Milano's in a photo contest!!

2010-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

Check out Milano's photo on Snobby Dogs her picture is titled "A Miracle in the Making". I'm not sure what the prize is, but it's great exposure for CCI :)

Happy 1st Birthday Milano!!!

2010-01-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Milano!!!! What a great year it has been and I'm looking forward to the next year ahead. Milano will turn in to CCI in August on then hopefully graduate next February, as we all know it's up to the dogs, but Milano has a great temperament and would make an awesome Service Dog!!

This year we've gone to school, basketball games, sporting events, malls, airport, shopping trips, Lake Tahoe, my sisters sorority events, friends houses, etc. Milano has been exposed to everything possible and we're still working on taking her to more places. So happy birthday Milano, can't wait for the next year ahead!!

Crab feed for CCI

2010-01-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

Annual Crabfeed hosted by CCI Gold Rush Champion Puppy Raisers and the Lions of District 4-C5 benefitting the Canine Companions for Independence program. Features Crab & Shrimp served family style with all the profits given directly to the puppy raising and training program.

$40 per person

DATE
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2010
6:00 PM - 11:30 PM
$40 PER PERSON

LOCATION
JONES HALL, PLACER CO FAIR GROUNDS
600 LAWTON AVE
ROSEVILLE, CA 95678

"How do you give them up?"

2010-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

A question we hear a lot as puppy raisers is how do you give them up? I always say that I know what I am getting into when I sign up for a puppy and that getting another puppy is always helpful in the process. But really it is so much more than that, I really don't see how I could not raise a puppy. Not only do these dogs do amazing things, but because of "my" dogs I have met my best friends and had wonderful experiences that I would not have otherwise had if it were not for the dogs. I am so thankful for every dog that I have raised and the opportunity to meet new people and the possibility of giving someone the gift of one of the dogs that I have raised is just so special. I started raising puppies when I was 16 and a Junior in High School, since then I've turned in 5 puppies and am on my 6th. For me turn in isn't as hard as it once was, but the waiting process of seeing what the dogs choose is the hardest. What some people don't understand is that working is completely up to the dog, there is no training that will make a dog something that they are not meant to be. Getting the call that "my" dog was graduating was probably one of the best feelings of my life. So sure, I will cry when I turn them in and I will for sure cry when they graduate, but those tears are so much different, they are tears of joy and of all the hard work, patience, repetition and watching that puppy finally have something click where they understand what you are asking of them. So when I am asked how can you give them up? I know that for me it's much deeper than that, it's not just giving back a dog that I have shared the last 18-20 months with. It's giving back a dog that is ready for it's next journey in life, it's purpose. I don't need the dog, as much as I love them, I don't "need" them. There will be another puppy that I will get to share part of my life with and new opportunities and learning experiences with that puppy that I'll look forward to. Because as much as raising a service dog is about helping others, as CCI's website says "transform someones life by raising a service dog. Yours included". And I know from experience that this is true, my life has changed for the better because of Kedra, Hiltie, Shawn, McKenna, Omeeka & Milano!!

No words needed...

Distraction class on the tennis court

2010-01-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today we had puppy class on the tennis court for all CCI classes. Milano did really well. She worked off leash on heel and side. We did down stays and recalls from across the court, only calling 2 dogs at a time and the other dogs had to hold their downs.

Milano's back

2010-01-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here's Milano after my Deaf culture class that I'm taking during winter
session. Milano was so cute using my friend Sydney's bag as a pillow.

Milano's busy day at the Mall

2009-12-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend and I took Milano to the mall for some training. It
was a great experience for her with all the people doing last minute
shopping. We worked on Lets Go, Heel, Under, Side, Sit, Down, Here,
Jump, Up, Visit, Shake and a few others. Milano was great, she's a very
smart puppy.

Milano is going back to her co-raiser tonight to spend Christmas with
her. I'm going to Tahoe with Shawn and my family.

Milano at the Gym

2009-12-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

Milano is a great workout partner, she hangs out in the gym during my 2
hour workouts. Such a great puppy, it's hard to believe that she's only
11 months old.

Thanks Bayer!

2009-12-18T15:16:00.001-08:00

Last week at the gym when I had Milano with me I met someone who works for Bayer, and she was very nice and said she would send Milano Advantage for free, such a great help with the cost of the flea and heartguard medication going up. So a big THANK YOU to Bayer!

Milano and the world's largest puzzle!

2009-12-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Milano in front of the World's largest puzzle!! It's at my friends house and her family is in the Guiness Book of World
Records for completing the puzzle first in the world!! Very cool :)

Milano's play time at school

2009-12-12T16:35:00.001-08:00

It was a very long week at school for Milano and I. Last night we had an ASL Club Meeting. After it was over and the buliding was shut down we let Milano get out some energy before leaving for the night. With all the rain we've been having in Sacramento she hasn't been getting a lot of play time, so this was a great opportunity to let her get some energy out and work on recalls (yes, I know the body slamming when she reaches us needs to be toned down A LOT, but she is still young and has time to work on this, other than that her recalls are GREAT!) Milano is so patient and works hard, but she also knows how to play hard :) Such a great puppy, I have very high hopes for her!! Today we went to the gym for about 2 hours and she was perfect!

End of the semester at Sac State

2009-12-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's the end of the semester at Sac State and I'm one semester away from graduation! Next May I'll be graduating with a Double Major in Deaf Studies and Criminal Justice. Milano has been switching between myself and her co-puppy raiser, it's been so nice having a co-puppy raiser, especially with my busy school schedule. We've had a few long days this week and tomorrow will be another long day, but Milano handles it like a pro! Only at home does she get her energy out, it's pretty cute :) She runs in circles as the video shows, but now she's sleeping at my feet.

Happy 7th Birthday Hiltie!!!

2009-11-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hiltie!!!!

Hiltie was my 2nd puppy born to OMSI x Taiko. From the first time I saw her at 4 weeks old I fell in love, she was the BEST puppy to raise and I am so thankful for the time I had with such an amazing dog. Hiltie graduated as a Skilled Companion, there was no doubt she would graduate. LOVE you always Hiltie!

Awesome video

2009-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

This video is about a puppy who was in training for another organizations. Being a service dog was bot what Ricochet had in mind, but she still went on to change lives!

Lemonade for CCI

2009-11-16T21:26:00.001-08:00

Article from newsday.com

For four years, Kyle Orent and his fundraising lemonade stand have been a familiar sight around his hometown of Northport. He's the cute kid philanthropist who managed to squeeze tens of thousands of dollars in charitable donations from thirsty folks who needed an ice-cold drink.

Beginning at age 7, Kyle took his stand to local sports games and the annual Cow Harbor Race. He didn't charge for the drinks, but encouraged donations. He raised $20,000 the first year, his mother, Kathy, said. After four years of mashing lemons and auction sales, he's collected $115,000, all for Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit organization that trains dogs to help people with disabilities.

But Kyle's 11 now and a sixth-grader at Northport Middle School, and the lemonade stand has begun to cramp his legs, not to mention his almost-teenager style.

"I'm getting older," he said Thursday night, before accepting a "Local Heroes" award from Bank of America, in a ceremony at the Long Island Children's Museum in Garden City.

The award, which includes $5,000 donated to the recipient's favorite charity, honors community leaders who contribute significantly to the health of their neighborhood. The bank also donated nearly $450,000 in unrestricted funding to local nonprofit organizations.

Kyle is the youngest recipient in the six years the award has been given, said a bank spokeswoman. He says he wants to be a fundraiser when he grows up. His hero is real estate magnate and TV star Donald Trump.

Why Trump? "He always has a Plan B," Kyle said. "After I sold lemonade, auctions were my Plan B."

Kyle sold his own toys in an online auction, according to his Web site, kyleslemonade.org. He also writes to celebrities such as baseball great Hank Aaron, asking them to autograph dog collars. He auctions the collars on eBay's "Giving" charity site.

Almost a third of the money Kyle raised came from the lemonade stand, and the rest from auctions and matching donations from individuals and corporations.

And he hasn't totally given up on exchanging big glasses of lemonade for big bucks. His mother, Kathy, said Kyle's hoping to recruit younger kids to carry on the lemonade tradition.

Milano update

2009-11-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Milano is back again from her co-puppy raisers house. It has really been great sharing Milano, she gets a lot of different experiences and as puppy raisers we get breaks when things get busy.

Milano went to a birthday party for CCI SD Lynell. Looks like they all had a great time! SD Whisper also joined the fun.

Demo at CSUS

2009-11-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

Last semester I was walking to class with Akeelah and a professor
stopped me and asked if I would come to her class to do a demo sometime,
I said of course. Last semester I went with a group of other assistance
dogs and people showing adaptive equipment. Today it was just a demo on
CCI. My friend came to help and learn more about CCI. Chandra showed off
her commands and Milano was a good girl. The class loved it when Chandra
turned the lights on and picked up my keys. Overall the demo was
informative, the class is for people who want to run/manage parks,
hotels, and leasure activities.

Courthouse Dogs

2009-11-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

(Crites Photography, New Albany, OH)
Here's a great website about the use of CCI trained Facility Dogs (FD) in Courthouses across the country.

Enjoy!!

Sigma Kappa Hat Chase

2009-11-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

We're at another sorority event for my sister. The dogs love the
attention and it's great training for Milano. This event is a hat chase
where guys from a frat are running around a field and the girls have to
tackle them and take their hats, should be very entertaining!

Milano and Tyson's playdate

2009-11-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Milano had a playdate with her friend Tyson a boxer, here are a few pictures from Milano's co-puppy raiser.

Milano as a Milano cookie

2009-10-31T17:19:00.001-07:00

Here's Milano as a Milano cookie!! Pretty cute! We're getting ready to
go trick-or-treating..being around kids and their costumes will be a
great training opportunity for Milano

Happy dogs!

2009-10-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Shawn and Milano are playing on the tennis court! They love it and it's
good for Milano to get her energy out.

Milano's commands at 9 months and Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Milano has been working on her commands, right now we're working on sharping up the commands she already knows. "Heel" and "down" with her hips rolled out are what I'm focusing most on. She's a very smart puppy and learns new concepts quickly.

Tonight Milano is going Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood to get used to being around more kids and the costumes will help with training in different environments. I just bought some fabric to make Milano a Milano cookie! :) Should be cute!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Here are some pictures of Milano at work with her co-puppy raiser..she looks thrilled to be dressed up ;) Just like her mom, Shawn would always give me a sad face when she was dressed up!!

HAPPY 9 MONTHS!

2009-10-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

Milano and the "M's" are 9 months old today! She celebrated by seeing
her friends at school, going to class, sitting with me during my ASL
midterm and now were going home so she can get some much needed time off
to play and be a puppy! She's such a good girl :)

Milano is back

2009-10-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

Milano is back from her co-PR's house, she had a very busy day today! Milano went to Sacramento's GRC Bone Appetite It was a great event put on by the volunteers of the GRC group. When I picked her up we went straight to school and I started studying for my midterm that is going on later this week. We had a movie night with the ASL Club and Milano was very good as usual :) She loves seeing our friends and knows when she's working and also when she's off duty, after the movie Milano had some play time with the officers of the club. She thought it was great, then it was back to work mode. It's fun because she has a great on/off switch. Before the movie I brushed her with a furminator, I think it removed a small dog! ;) Milano is shedding SOOOO much, I can't wait until this part is over. Tomorrow Milano and I have a busy day..gym, lunch with a friend, school and tests.

2010 CCI Calendar

2009-10-16T21:50:00.001-07:00

Today I went to the CCI gift store while on campus for the HD and Side placement class graduation. I was surprised and happy to see that they picked a picture of Milano for the 2010 calendar! Milano's brother Mica is also in the calendar, he's actually the featured puppy!! Very cool :)

9 Months

2009-10-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Milano is almost 9 months and she's doing great! Her commands are coming along nicely and she's just and easy and fun puppy to have around. Last night she went back to her co-puppy raisers house. Having 2 puppy raisers is really nice for everyone because the puppies get to be in different environments and also get used to different people. Last week Milano went with me to school and to the gym. We had two very long days. On Wednesday we were in school for 10 hours again and then we went straight to the Kings game. Milano loves being at Arco, she's been going to games since she was 4.5 months old. On Thursday we helped out with ASL midterms and it was a lot of fun, Milano started to snore during 2 of the tests and I had to wake her up so she didn't distract the students. Yesterday we went to Sac State's football game and Milano again was really good. Nothing distracted her, she watched the cheerleaders and the band and then went to sleep. Milano will stay with her co-raiser until the end of the week, I'll update next week.

VOTE for CCI!!

2009-10-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

VOTE for CCI!! There's a chance CCI can get $10,000 in donations from Christie Cookies Company.

Search for Canine Companions for Independence

Happy 8th Birthday Kedra!!

2009-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone?? My very first puppy is turning 8 today!! Kedra was born 9-29-01 (Neffa x Washaki). She was a fun and challenging puppy and I definitely learned a lot from her. Kedra went to high school with me for my Junior and Senior year and now she's living with a family just outside of Sacramento.

A weekend in Tahoe

2009-09-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Magic, Milano & Shawn- Happy to finally be in Tahoe Tired dogs, ready for bed..they're good at sharing :) The end of the race, beautiful! There's nothing like Lake Tahoe!! Over the weekend we went to Lake Tahoe. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect! My friend was running the Tahoe half marathon in preparation for her marathon in October. Milano, Shawn and Magic came with us to Tahoe. They had a lot of fun playing in the yard. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to let them swim in the Lake. Here's a video of the dogs playing in the yard:

Milano is back

2009-09-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Dogs!!

Omeeka & Milano (half sisters) Omeeka is from Shawn's 1st litter and Milano is from her 5th.

Milano came back from her Co-Puppy Raisers house, sounds like she had a GREAT weekend in Tahoe at Bark at the Park. In the above picture she is in the middle of the bottom row. She was able to play with her half sister Omeeka who is now a breeder for CCI ("B" and "O" litter so far).

Milano update

2009-09-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

Milano has been a good girl. She has been going to work with her co-raiser and she has been going to school with me. Wednesday's are really long for us, we're at school from 9am-7pm. Milano handles it really well and gets plenty of play time during our breaks. Today we went on a long walk on the American River trail with Shawn and Magic. We started out with the dogs walking next to me while I was on rollerblades, it was a little faster pace, but not a run since Milano isn't old enough. Shawn started to get tired, we went back to the car to switch out my rollerblades for shoes and then we continued on our walk. All 3 dogs were so good, one lady stopped and asked me how the dogs could be so good and I told her about CCI :)

Back to school

2009-09-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Milano has joined me again for my Senior year at Sac State! She's done really well with everyone on campus and the long days. On Wednesday's we're on campus from 9am until 7 pm. She gets play time and plenty of water breaks, it's been really hot here in Sacramento. I've been posting pictures of her on her twitter account, pretty cute :)

Happy 7 months "M" puppies!!

2009-08-19T23:17:00.001-07:00

Happy 7 months to Milano, Makia, Malin, Macy, Maura and Mica!!

Milano update

2009-08-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

My last 2 weeks have been really busy in an ASL immersion class at Sac State. I thought it would be better for Milano to be with another puppy raiser instead of staying in class with me for 12 hours!! I did take her for half a day, she was really good. The only thing that wasn't great was her snoring!! The room was quiet and Milano kept snoring, I'm pretty sure she gets this from her dad because Shawn doesn't snore. I've really missed having Milano with me, but I know that she is having a lot of fun with her puppy sitter. Milano went to a CCI pool party and I hear that she did really well in the pool and was even jumping off the side by the end of the day. The picture above is of Milano and Jersey after the pool party, they were tired puppies!! I'm looking forward to getting Milano back this weekend, I'll update the blog more next week with more adventures.

Milano is 6 months

2009-07-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Milano is 6 months old and continuing to do well! She just came home from a puppy sitters house. The reports back were great, it's always so nice to hear when your puppy does well with other puppy raisers. Milano was pretty happy to see me, it was cute :) I'll be taking her 6 months photos soon!

Milano update

2009-07-12T16:36:00.001-07:00

Milano is still doing well and having fun! She's been going to Monarchs games, the gym, grocery stores, the mall and friends houses.

Milano's brother..

2009-07-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Mica was the only boy in the "M" litter, he's so cute!

5 Months

2009-06-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Milano turned 5 months old on the 19th. Here are a few pictures of her, she's getting big!

Milano and Magic sleeping, so cute!

Magic's home and some visitors

2009-06-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to San Francisco to pick up Magic! It was a road trip for Milano and she was very good, just relaxing in the car for the 4 hour round-trip. Milano passed out on the way home.

Akeelah and Hailey also came over for a sleep over. Akeelah is Shawn's puppy so Milano's half sister. She looks so much like Shawn and acts like her when she was younger. Akeelah was also chosen as a breeder for CCI. Hailey is 2 weeks older than Milano, they had a lot of fun playing together!

CCI youtube video

2009-06-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Check out this great CCI video on facility dogs!

Introducing Reese

2009-06-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's Milano's friend Reese! She was rescued from the animal shelter last month. She's visiting while her mom is out of town. Reese is settling in, she's getting used to Milano and Shawn, at first she wasn't sure what to think of the dogs. She has a really cute hop when she runs, I'll try to get some videos of them later.

Milano at the Monarchs

2009-06-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today was opening game for the Monarchs! Milano handled everything very well, she's definitely a 4 month old puppy that acts about 18 months. If she just knew the rest of the commands, she would be ready to turn in ;) Arco is a great place to socialize the puppies. The staff is awesome and most people know me around the arena and if I don't have a dog then I get asked where they are. Since last season I was on a break from puppy raising, people came up to me and said how nice it was to have a puppy in the arena again.

Milano ready for the game, bandana on and pass ready..

Milano in the family room before the game..

Milano at the seats, sleeping..awesome puppy!!...

Milano after the game, ready to go home..

After the game we waited at the practice facility to pick up Reese since the team is going on a road trip to Seattle today. Reese is staying with us until Monday, I'll try and get some pictures and videos of them. Reese is a rescued pound puppy :)

Milano at the horse races and work outs at the gym

2009-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Milano has been going out more and getting used to different environments. Over the weekend we went to Berkeley for the horse races. Milano was great, she didn't mind the crowds. There was yelling and cheering, people everywhere and different smells. Milano walked right next to me in a "heel". We went down and got a picture with the a jockey of a winning horse, he was so tiny and he loved Milano. He said something to her in Spanish.
Here's a picture of Milano at the horse races:

Milano has also been going with me to the gym. She hasn't gone yet when I've worked out, but we're working up to it. Today she laid by me when I stretched (and I need to stretch a lot ;) Milano just stayed in a "down".
Here's a picture of Milano on the way to the gym, she was being cute for Cass:
After I stretched we went into the Group X room to visit friends during their workout. Milano was hanging out on the floor until I released her and we started playing, she thought it was great. When she gets excited she she pounces up and down like Shawn. Next time I'll get some more pictures of Milano inside the gym.

And here's a picture of Milano's nights at home...she gets to relax :)

NW May 2009 Graduation

2009-05-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Milano & Makia II They remembered each other! So cute!! Daddy Lawrence II Milano went to CCI's graduation today. She was great! After the ceremony we visited with her sister Makia who came to graduation from Seattle. It was great seeing her, the sisters definitley remembered each other! It was so cute :) They also got to meet their dad Lawrence, it was so nice seeing him. Lawrence is a big, handsome black lab. They took a family picture today, all of them were so good. After the pictures we went back to CCI and let the dog play in the park before the drive home. Before we left Milano took a picture with Ticha's brick :)

Milano's busy day

2009-05-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love this puppy? She's awesome!! Today was her first basketball game, it was an early game, starting at 11 am. Before the game Milano played on the tennis court with Shawn to get some energy out. Milano then was ready to sleep during the game. She had a chew toy, but she only chewed on it during warm ups. The rest of the time she just slept. The crowd, noises and all around environment didn't bother her at all. After the game we got some lunch before heading back home. For dinner Milano went with us to BJ's, it was great and so was Milano. She walked in and laid down under the table, again she just laid there. She wasn't too tired, but she didn't break her downs, she just kept her head down with her eyes open.

Dinner at BJ's

Happy to be off duty ;)

Milano update

2009-05-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Milano has been a busy girl. We've gone to the grocery store and worked around the different smells and people. The first time we went into the store the shopping cart was a little scary for her, now they don't seem to bother her at all. We went to the gym again yesterday and she was great around the workout equipment. I took her into the locker room and we worked on unders. Milano is such a happy girl, she loves to wag her tail :)

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for her, she's going to her first basketball game. The Monarchs have a preseason game against the Phoenix Mercury and Milano is going to come with me. I'll be sure to take pictures!

Milano's trip to Merced

2009-05-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

Milano was a great puppy for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing camp in Merced today. She did really well with her sits and laying down for pets. I'm still working on Milano not licking, but it's getting better. Milano is pictured with her mom Shawn and buddy Caspin.

Milano is 4 months

2009-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Milano is 4 months old today! She's doing very well, her commands and manners are coming along nicely. She went with me to the gym today to get used to the equipment. She was awesome! We went in the locker room, up to the basketball court door to watch the guys play, we walked by the ellipticals, treadmills and over by the pool. The gym is a great place for socilization and everyone loves the puppies there :) Milano thinks that the hot weather isn't the greatest, but she's going to have to get used to this, it's not even summer yet! Well, it is a little like summer since I'm out of school until the end of August!!

Milano update

2009-05-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Milano had her last set of shots today! She is now fully vaccinated :) Milano weighs in at 28 lbs. Her wrinkles are showing up more andher ears seem to be getting bigger. She's a great puppy! I'll be taking some more pictures soon and updating her blog.

Dance practice

2009-05-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

It is 1:20 am and Milano and I just got home from 24 Hour Fitness where Lisa and her Sigma Kappa sisters are having their final dance practice. I thought it would be a good test for Milano and also a good stress reliever for the girls. Milano again was perfect. She wasn't bothered by the sounds except for one time when there was drumming on trash cans. At that time I walked Milano out the door and she laid down outside the Group X room, once the drumming finished Milano went back inside with me where she laid down and continued to chew on her bone. I haven't been letting people pet her, but I decided that it was a very controlled environment and everyone knows what I do with the dogs and that they have to behave. Milano was loving the attention. Milano is already asleep in her kennel, she's one tired puppy!!

UPDATE: Sigma Kappa ending up winning Greek Sing after all their hard work!

Here's a video of their performance:

My sister was Ernie in the Banana skit..and a drummer in the first dance of part II

Play day!

2009-04-30T11:11:00.001-07:00

Milano, Shawn, Akeelah, Luna, Hailey and Gelsey all played on the tennis court! They had a lot of fun running around and playing with the toys. Here are a few pictures of them from today.

Family resemblence..If you think you're seeing double, it's just that Akeelah is Shawn's puppy from her "A" litter with Kittredge. Akeelah was chosen as a breeder this month.

Luna is also a breeder and her puppy is Hailey. Luna and Camden's "H" litter was born 2 weeks before Shawn's "M" litter.

CCI & Build-A- Bear

2009-04-30T10:35:00.001-07:00

For the second year in a row, Build-A-Bear Workshop has partnered with Canine Companions for Independence for a special promotion at all stores nationwide and online.

For each stuffed dog (Bearamy Kennel Pals) sold at Build-A-Bear stores or online from May 1 through May 31, the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation will donate $1 to Canine Companions for Independence. They have golden retrievers, black and yellow Labradors ready to be your new stuffed friend.

Last year, the promotion brought in over $60,000 for CCI. CCI has announced this promotion in their April e-newsletter but you can also help spread the word in your area about this special opportunity to support CCI ! (facebook events)

Soccer

2009-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

It was a fun weekend of sporting events! Today Milano went to her first soccer game. She was so good, again she held her down and wasn't botherd by the people, dogs, cheers and soccer balls. I'm so proud of her!

Milano's 1st Baseball game

2009-04-25T16:17:00.001-07:00

Milano went to her first baseball game today at Sac State. She was so good. She walked right up the stairs of the stadium and under the bleacher. She wasn't scared by any of the noises and she just laid down and we played a little eye contact game. I've been working on it, when she gives me eye contact I give her a treat. It's been working really well. I'm going to be taking her to more sporting events to get her used to the sites and sounds before she goes with me to the Monarchs games this summer. Milano is doing great on "lets go" she doesn't forge and she is also doing her auto-sits. I didn't have my camera, I'll take pictures of her next time :) I need to keep my camera with me.

CCI on the News!!

2009-04-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight was CCI puppy class at the Sacramento International airport. What a great class it was! There were two news station filming clips about the dogs. News 10 & 13. The segments were GREAT! Wallis and SD Caspin were stars, as usual. There were a lot of very good puppies there, classes that were held were Big Dogs and Riffraff. People at the airport seemed to like all the cute puppies in the baggage claim area and it was awesome that the airport was so helpful in letting us use their facility.

I sat in on a jury today for a Mock Trial for McGeorge Law School, so Milano stayed with a puppy sitter today. Unfortunatley she couldn't make it to class to show off her puppy commands.

3 months

2009-04-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

Milano is 3 months old now (she was on the 19th!) Here's a video of Milano working on: sit, down, shake and bed. We've only worked on bed for 2 days now, but she's getting it. She's very smart :) She has been with me to a few restaurants, school, puppy class, Tahoe, grocery store and friends houses. I can't wait for her to get a little bigger so we can start working on more commands.

Today Milano also got a chance to go swimming in a pool, she thought it was fun! Especially running around all went with Shawn and Caspin. I know she's going to be a swimmer when she gets older :)

Demo at Sac State

2009-04-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

Today we did a demo at Sac State. Shawn also came, along with SD Caspin and SD Ron. The class was about service dogs and adaptive equipment. It was pretty cool, there were 5 groups of 8 students and they would come and ask a few questions and get a general overview of service dogs. We focused on telling the students about service dog etiquette and how to not pet/approach/feed a service dog while they are working or "not working" because it is important for the handler to always be in control. Another good point was to always talk to the handler and not to the dog. Overall the demo went well. Milano did her job, which was to look cute ;) Shawn also slept the whole time. Caspin and a Guide Dog that was also there showed how the dogs act on "release", the students seemed to like that, because the dogs really do get to have fun and it's not all work like most people think. The demo went so well that next semester we are going to do an entire class demo just on CCI :)

I forgot my camera! So there aren't any pictures of the event, but I'm going back to school tonight for class and can get some of Milano then.

Play time!!

2009-04-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

Milano loves the water already! She's having fun in the baby pool, it'll be fun having her play in the real pool once she gets a little bigger. Shawn and Milano had a great time running around the yard and playing in the pool. They were pretty tired after, but Milano has a lot of energy that she can get out! Tomorrow she will have her 2nd puppy class.

Tennis court play time

2009-04-17T09:54:00.001-07:00

Showing Milano the slide
Milano wet after playing in the pool, she loves it already!!
She got it!!
One tired puppy :)
Milano has learned how to play on the equipment!! It was so cute and only took her 2 times before she was climbing on Shawn's favorite slide.

A busy week

2009-04-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

This week is going to be filled with demo's!

Here's where we'll be:
Tomorrow- Sac City College Disability Awarness Day
Saturday- UC Davis Picnic Day
Monday- Sac State class demo

I'll be sure to take pictures and update the blog!

Milano is teething

2009-04-13T19:57:00.001-07:00

I can tell that Milano is teething..she is chewing on all of her toys, even trying to tear apart the tuffies toys. I had to to put them up for now and those are supposed to be the touhest! Now she's working on a Planet Dog ball, it's really tough! I also have some nylabones for her. She had a bath today and she feels so clean :) She did really well and dried really fast, it's nice having a dog with a shorter coat again!

More photos

2009-04-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

Milano had a photo shoot in Davis today. We went out with Shawn and SD Caspin and the dogs had their pictures taken. We're going to try and get them into the CCI calendar! There was a cool statue in Davis that was hands, we put Milano in the hands, it was so cute!! She was the only one that would fit there. Shawn and Caspin did ups on the hands. It was such a nice day, I can't even wait for summer!!

Milano at Sac State

2009-04-09T15:29:00.001-07:00

Milano has been a good student at Sac State. Today was her first day at class during the day and her first class using voice, the only other class she has been to has been my sign language class and she's just fallen asleep after chewing on a bone. It was interesting that it took her a little longer to fall asleep today, but this professor is pretty loud. She's sleeping at my feet as I type (I know great student on blogger during class ;)

I need to get Milano weighed, I'm guessing she's about 18 lbs. She is eating very well, all 3 cups a day. So far she knows "sit", "down", "shake", "lets go", "hurry", "okay" and she's still learning house manners. We haven't had any accidents in the house!! She's been such a nice puppy :)

Milano's busy day

2009-04-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today Milano had a very busy day. It was my first full day back with her since my spring break trip to Mexico. Milano defintiley grew!! A big thanks go her puppy sitters that taught her "down" while I was gone. It's so cute when she does it. So far she knows "sit", "down", "shake", "hurry". Other commands that we have been working on are kennel, lets go, okay, and also having her hold her commands for a few seconds.

Our busy day started out with Milano playing with Shawn. After a good play session we went on a few outings. Milano was able to follow the good behavior of SD Caspin. We went to Old Sacramento and walked around some of the stores. Of course I didn't have my camera on a day that would have been perfect for pictures. Milano was great! There were a few quotes from the public today that are too good not to share. One girl walked past us and said "that puppy is so good, it didn't even bark at me when I walked by"..and then my favorite of the day, a girl being serious saying "I have $10, can I buy your puppy?" she was probably 17. I can't even wait to hear what else people have to say in the months to come ;)

After our outing Milano and I went to school, she again was awesome. She chewed on a bone under my desk for awhile before going to sleep. She is now passed out on the floor, it was a very busy day for her, but she acted like a pro. I'm so proud of her!

Vacation

2009-03-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Spring Break is here and Milano is having fun at another puppy raiser/breeder caretakers house this week! I won't be sending any updates, but I will when I get home from my cruise to Mexico!! Have a great week!

Demo for the kids

2009-03-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today Milano had her 2nd CCI demo. She was good, we showed a group of kids with special needs about CCI. The parents and school teachers enjoyed the program as well, hopefully they will look in to gettting a CCI Facility Dog, it would be the perfect place for a FD. Shawn also came, she loves getting out and doing demos, there was a boy that she did a "lap" on and he just loved it and was petting and hugging on her, I really need to get Shawn certified as a Therapy Dog soon. I let the kids pet Milano forthe first part of the demo, but I didn't want to overwhelm her so she also practiced some crate time. Overall the demo went very well! Looking forward to our next one :)

Milano's first class at Sac State

2009-03-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Milano went to her first class tonight at Sac State!! She came along with me to my Sign Language 2 class and she was AWESOME!! I wasn't really sure what to expect, but she was great and it was a 2 hour class. Milano chewed on her CET chew for awhile and then slept on her puppy bed that I brought along for her. After about an hour of chewing she finally passed out and slept, no snoring ;) I'm so happy with how she did at class!

March Madness

2009-03-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today we stayed home and watched basketball :) Milano was awesome, she chewed on her toys, played with Shawn and slept at my feet. I was also putting together DVD's for all the "M" puppy raisers. It took awhile, but I finally got it after a few techincal problems. Milano is in her kennel now chewing on a nylabone before bed. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow, I'll post more tomorrow night.

Road Trip

2009-03-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Milano went on her first road trip this weekend to Lake Tahoe. She was very good in the car and in Tahoe. She did cry a little more in her crate than she does at home, but I think it is because of the new experience. Other than crying in her kennel, she was very good. She played with Shawn and SD Caspin. They had so much fun playing and Milano is definitely happy to play with other dogs. We took some pictures of the dogs on the pier, there are some pretty good ones :)

Milano still does the funny thing with her food/annoying thing with her food. She pushes the entire bowl across the floor, it's almost like it's a skateboard. I don't know where she got it from, but hopefully she grows out of it soon.

She loves playing with her toys! Right now she's hanging out in her x-pen with all her toys. Even with all these toys, Milano still thinks that a rope is the best toy.

Milano also had her first puppy class today! We didn't do much, I was mostly holding her and watching the older puppies in KPT do their things. Today we went over, "lets go", "down", "dress", & "sit".

Milano is such a nice little puppy, I just love her!!

We're going on a road trip

2009-03-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

We're going on a road trip to Lake Tahoe!! What's really fun is that a day after Shawn came home we took her to Tahoe with Hiltie. It's going to the same road trip for Milano, except this time there will be snow!! I'm going to get a lot of pictures of her I'm sure. She's been such a good girl, sleeping well and not crying at all during the night!

Funny things Milano does

2009-03-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Milano is in her x-pen entertaining herself, she's very good at it. Right now she's playing with her nylabone, next it will be a tuffy toy or a jolly ball. She does some funny things with her food, she will jump in her food bowl with both front feet. It pushes the food out the dish and makes a mess, I'm wondering if any of the other M's are doing this. She also will take her food and drop it into her water dish. This is nothing new, the whole litter did it. One other thing that she does that my other puppies haven't done is sometimes when she is playing she will whine, it's strange and I don't think she knows she's doing it. I'm going to see if she continues to do it, hopefully she'll grow out of it soon. She LOVES her toy cow, I let the litter play with it, the cow "Moo's", it's so cute, she'll run and pounce on it!

2nd night

2009-03-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Milano's 2nd night was great. We went to bed around 11:30, I was really tired last night and needed to go to bed early. She slept all night again :) We got up at 8 am. Milano just had breakfast and now she's playing with toys in my room. It's just a giant puppy playpen ;) Today will be the first time I leave Milano in her kennel for a few hours when I go to 2 classes at school. My first class is an anthropology lab and it would be difficult to have her with me there. I'm going to get some of her energy out before I leave so that she'll be tired and sleep well in her kennel.

1st outing

2009-03-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Milano had her first outing tonight. We went to Sierra College to do a presentation for a Deaf Education class on campus. Milano was awesome! We showed a DVD on CCI called "Making Miracles Happen", it's actually a pretty well done DVD. Shawn came along as well and showed off her CCI service dog commands such as "light", "switch", "get", "fix it", "lap", "visit", and just overall being a well trained dog and hanging out during the presentation. I love doing presentation for CCI, it's always nice sharing information about this awesome organization! Hopefully we can get some new puppy raisers out of it as well.

Puppy toys!

2009-03-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

The house has turned into a giant toy box for Milano, her toys are everywhere! I'm keeping her busy with appropriate chew items :) She's being a very good girl!!

1st night

2009-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Milano's first night was great!! She slept from 12-7 and then I took her out to "hurry" and we came back inside and played for awhile before she went in her x-pen to hang out while I finish a paper for school. Hopefully I can finish soon so we can play :)

Milano is home!

2009-03-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Milano is home!! She got a ride home from CCI and I picked her up at 7pm. She was really happy to see me, it was cute :) To get her nice and tired for her first night home and sleeping inside I had her play with Shawn, Gelsey, Luna and Luna's puppy Hailey who is 12 days older than her. Milano is being such a good girl. She's sleeping in her crate and she loves her stuffed cow toy. Her ear tattoo is nice and green, perfect for St. Patrick's day!