Wednesday, February 16, 2011

As I Grow Up! (Partially CCI Related) [long post]

Pepin- the most amazing companion.

The day I became a puppy raiser changed my life forever
Me last fall before a performance
It seems kind of strange! I'm only 13 years old! To many of you I might seem like a little kid and in some ways I guess I am. It doesn't seem like I'd have a whole lot of memories to reminisce over or a lot of things that I'll never forget in my life, but I have lived an active life and have gotten to do a lot of amazing things. My wonderful parents have been a big part of that! My mom and dad have been so flexible and have let me explore my talents and try out my abilities. Most of you have never met me and don't know a whole lot about my life outside of puppy raising. Since I was young I have been into music. Actually I'm crazy about music. I have played piano for as long as I can remember and am currently working on releasing my first independent album. When I was 8 years old my parents allowed me to get my beloved pet dog- Pepin! Looking back it seems crazy to hand an eight year old a 7 week old puppy and say that the puppy is now the eight-year old's responsibility, but that's what my parents did and I am so grateful for that. I learned at least half I know about dogs from training Pepin. When I was 9 I ended up volunteering for the local humane society. Eventually my friends at the humane society formed their own independent rescue and I went with them. I fostered more than 20 dogs and learned so much! During that whole time my good friend was raising dogs for Canine Companions for Independence. I had taken a tour of CCI and knew quite a bit about what CCI puppy raisers did. In the fall of 2009 my friend came over with her two CCI puppies and kind of inspired me to start looking into CCI. I did! From November '09-April '10 I researched. I read every single page on CCI I could. Found some of your blogs and read. Then using the information that I had gained came to a major conclusion-- I wanted to become a puppy raiser. I wrote a short book with all of the facts written down for my parents. I also wrote down approximate costs and why I wanted to puppy raise. In April of 2010 I asked my parents what they thought of the idea. They thought it was a good idea and said yes! I was thrilled! Now here I stand almost a year later! Dembre has changed my life and taught me so many lessons.

I realize another thing! This is only part of the adventure. As I grow older I intend to do more exciting things! Many of you who are also teen puppy raisers have inspired me. I hope to keep on puppy raising through high school and college and to hopefully puppy raise when I am an adult and when I marry and start a family of my own. I want to keep on playing piano, keep on blogging, keep on making new friends, and to keep on living life! I kind of have a sentimental personality and so every time spring comes around I reminisce. I love the fresh smell of spring and somehow I just sit outside and remember things from my past that will never be again but were steps along my journey. Along with those memories come some tears, but usually happy tears. I want to thank my parents for seeing the opportunities for me to learn new things and allowing me to follow my dreams. I am also thankful to God for giving me all of these opportunities and abilities. I'm sure in a few years, when I am hopefully raising my third or fourth puppy, I will look back and smile and see how God worked out my life. It truly amazes me how everything in my life has worked out to fulfill what I always dreamed. I still have a few years until I graduate from high school and things will change, but I am trying to enjoy every moment of now and hoping that I don't only look forward, but also stay happy and content where I am now!

Sorry for the length of this post,
I just wanted to share some of my life story,


~Elijah (& Dembre)

1 comment:

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Elijah and Hobart