Thoughts on Dembre's Graduation

Most of you probably saw my last post about Dembre graduating! I thought I'd come back and touch more on the emotional end of the graduation experience.

Until the moment I met Imelda the fact that Dembre was a service dog was hard to get a handle on. I had imagined that day for so long. The day that I picked up that cute little ball of fur (May 28th, 2010) I told him that I was going to try to make him graduate. I did and I guess it payed off. It's so amazing to be surrounded by your supportive friends and be holding the leash of the puppy that you spent the last 15 months loving and caring for and then getting to say, "Dembre is yours!"

I am so proud and thankful that I get to be part of such and amazing program as CCI

The thing that I love most about puppy raising from the eyes of someone who has had a puppy graduate is that instead of spending time and energy to better the lives of hundreds or thousands of people I get to put my life into raising one puppy who will drastically change the life of one person. I didn't get to watch Dembre do much for Imelda, but from what she's told me he provides a lot of independence. I love that I get to impact the world one team at a time. A lot of people are concerned about the numbers reached. For a puppy raiser the best possible feeling you could ever get is getting to watch the one puppy you raised become the "best friend" of one person.

It's amazing, especially watching Dembre, to watch the emotion in dogs that so many people cannot see

You might believe that now that I've seen puppy number one graduate and am only ten months away from saying goodbye to number two that I'm done, because I've gotten to see one life changed. I don't only want to change one life, but I want to change one life at a time. It's a personal thing (thankfully CCI sees it that way) and CCI allows us to become part of our puppy's partner's life.

I have helped people in other ways, but there is none that seems more amazing than this. I am now officially "addicted to puppy raising" or as I've heard it said, "Puppy raising is like eating potato chips. You can never just have one." 

Now more than ever I look forward to turning in Hobart and picking up pup #3, raising puppy #3 and then picking up puppy #4. It's a beautiful thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Elijah & Hobart II (so many dreams fulfilled)

Puppy Raising and Life

"Do not use your gifts to define you. Use your gifts to glorify God"~ Kevin Davenport

 This is such a true statement! I try to live it out! I am not a puppy raiser I am a Christian who raises service dogs. I am not a musician am a Christian who plays music!
I enjoyed a weekend downtown for a conference! Hobart enjoyed his weekend playing with four other dogs! We both got the best of both worlds!

It was strange to be without a dog, but sort of nice! I felt very free! I kept on thinking I needed to run back to our hotel to get out the puppy, but then I'd remember that there wasn't a puppy to take out! Sometimes it's nice to get away. Even though I love puppy raising, It felt nice to not have everybody people talking to me just because I had a dog! I attend this conference every year and so I know plenty of people that attend, but if it was my first time it would be nice to have a dog with me.

I know people who are defined by raising puppies and I know people who love CCI and are very dedicated to the program and people, but still manage to love other things. That's who I have tried to be! I don't want to be known only as the boy with the dog, but as a person like everyone else, who doesn't get stared at as he passes.

It always amazed me when one of my friends would be without her dog, because you would have never even known that she loved dogs, but now I realize that that's the way it's supposed to be! Connect on different levels!

But then I was talking to a friend of mine at the conference, who lives in CA (Southwest Region). He is thinking about applying for a facility dog, because he works in the therapy department. Then another friend in the SWR who's son has a disability, who is seriously thinking about applying for a CCI skilled companion dog!!! I'm amazed!

One way to reach the world!

~Elijah & Hobart II

Never my own

Turning-in Dembre made me fully realize that I don't own him. I might know him better than anyone else and love him more than anyone else, but I don't own him. People don't always get that! "He's not yours?" Nope I just raise him! It's what we do. My friend and puppy raising Mentor is raising #31. People are always shocked! "She gave back 30 dogs?" Yep! I think it's hard for people to believe that someone would go through the pain of turn-in just to serve someone else, but it's not only hard. It's not like throwing yourself in front of a gun just to block the bullet from hitting someone else. When you raise a puppy you get to love every minute of it. I've heard people compare it to raising kids. There are moments that make you smile, moments that make you want to scream, but in the end your kid graduates and goes off to college and your proud of what they did and what you did even though it hurts to let them move on!

puppy raising is watching a puppy grow from small

to big and then saying goodbye

And now for a short update on Hobart! He's as cute as ever and coming along quickly. He's only had one accident (one that he wasn't caught in the act of). He's learning "sit", "down", and "here" as well as tolerating the crate! He actually slept THROUGH THE NIGHT from 10:30 last night until  7:00 this morning! He's not extremely mouthy, but he likes to chew on everything! We'll see how it goes!

~Elijah & Hobart

ONE YEAR of Puppy Raising

Really? Truly? Is it possible?
Yep, I've been puppy raising for ONE YEAR!!! On May 28th, 2010 at 3:30 PM I went to Canine Companions for Independence to pick up my very first puppy.
I remember waking up a year ago with my heart pounding and my joy overflowing. I was getting my new puppy. On that day my grandfather and dad were working with a backhoe to get some work done around the house. I helped some just to keep myself from dying with excitement. We went out to lunch and I could hardly sit still. I was waiting to leave! Before going to CCI my mom, brother, and I went shopping. I was on the edge of my seat! I WAS GETTING MY DREAM! It had been a few weeks since we had put in our application and six days since we had been approved. For the week before getting Dembre I imagined, and prayed, and read the CCI manual, and thought about what I was about to start! I'm happy I had some time to think, because now I realize that, though puppy raising isn't my life, it's a big part of it and it's now a part of me. I get to serve others by raising dogs. I get to take my puppy with me everywhere. I get to train and I get to meet new people!!!! I walked into CCI and met Suzanne, the lady in charge of the puppy program. We signed a contract, looked through some other papers, asked some questions and then we got to meet Dembre!!!! It was one of the best days of my life!!! Even long after Dembre is gone I will remember MAY 28th as a day of joy!!!

one year ago today :D

Dembre and I few weeks ago

Now a year later I only have a few more precious months with Dembre and then I'll start this miraculous journey all over again with puppy number two! How can one little puppy make such an impact? I think it's the fact that putting all the love and energy that you have into something that isn't yours really makes you think. It makes you think about someone other than yourself and think about doing something to benefit someone other than yourself! It's pretty AMAZING!
I hope to do it again and again and again!!!!!
As some people say puppy raising isn't something you do, it's a lifestyle. I pretty much agree with that. My first and foremost lifestyle is being a follower of Jesus Christ, but there are other things God has given me to put my life in to. Puppy raising is one of them!

~Elijah & Dembre

Puppy Raiser Picnic

Yesterday Dembre and I went to the CCI's annual puppy raiser picnic at Mingo Park in Deleware, OH. I got to meet a lot of other puppies and their puppy raiser's and I got to talk to some of the puppy raisers, whom I have already met.
Suzanne, our puppy program manager for the North Central region gave us some things to do at the park to practice our dogs' skills. We had like ten dogs walking up and down ramps and stairs at the parks play ground and a group of us were practicing commands by the skate park. CCI dogs were everywhere some were practicing "up" on benches and others were working on "sit" at the top of play ground steps. It was a really fun! Here are some pictures of the picnic!