Hobart's 5 for 5 (what I'm THANKFUL for)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We hope you enjoy your thanksgiving plans. It just happens to that Hobart is 5 months old today!!!! He's allowed to go out in public!!! That's scary, because he's NOT very mature, but today's Thanksgiving so I'm going to say 5 things about Hobart that I'm thankful for.

1. I'm thankful that Hobart is intelligent and can learn quickly when he wants to. 
2. I'm thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to raise another puppy (even though it doesn't always sound like it.
3. I'm thankful that Hobart is getting better in the crate and walks nicely on a leash.
4. I'm thankful that he finally will do a "Down stay"
5. And finally, I'm thankful that Hobart has a sweet personality and really wants to be good even if he's difficult sometimes.

this picture's awful, but I thought I'd run out and take some pics this morning

why does he have to shut down for pics?

decent

Have a great Thanksgiving
~Elijah & Hobart II

Canine Companions Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping

Today my Mom, two brothers and I went to Barnes & Noble in Easton to wrap gifts for CCI. We were the only ones working the shift :( It was a lot of fun though. We only wrapped about 10 gifts, but we got a lot of donations and talked to plenty of people. Dembre was good and got lots of attention from Barnes & Noble employees and shoppers. We worked from 9:45 this morning until 2:00 in the afternoon, which was a long and kind of uneventful time. After that I went out to a late lunch with my Mom and little brother after dropping off my older brother at a friends house. We went to Marcella's, which is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant that serves Italian food. I was a little nervous that Dembre that we would have some problems with the servers, but they smiled and said that our dog was so cute and nice. We also did some other Thanksgiving weekend shopping.

Thanksgiving

My little guy at 12 weeks

Dembre & I enjoyed Thanksgiving at home with wonderful family and a great group of friends. Dembre did a quiet "down" under the table while we feasted. I'm sure that he was thinking "And all I get is dog food!" Service dogs do have to learn to be much more selfless than any puppy raiser. We enjoyed games, conversations, and lots of other fun. I can't believe we've entered the Christmas season!!!
I'm off school today, but we aren't really doing anything. It's "Black Friday", but no shopping or door buster deals for me.
I'm supposed to be working at the CCI Barnes & Noble gift wrapping for the early morning shift tomorrow morning. That shift is 9:45-2:00. Since Dembre and I are working at the Barnes & Noble in Easton we have to leave by 8:45 :( Plus we've had some problems with setting up our shift. Originally we were told by a volunteer helping set up the gift wrapping that we had to be there at 11:00 not 10:00. Then it was misunderstood that my Mom was going to volunteer too so basically I was the only one signed up. So we're still trying to figure out what to do, because my Mom's planning to drop Dembre and I off and there have to be two people working, which we don't think there are.

By the way everybody please stop by and follow the blog of CCI breeder mom Omeeka.

Things I'm thankful for

Dembre at 4 months old

Today I thought I'd post about some of the many things that I thank God for because it is Thanksgiving day. So here we go:

• I'm thankful for my family. They are always there to give me support in the many things that I do. And always love me for who I am.
• I'm thankful for my wonderful friends. My non-puppy raiser friends have cheered me on during my time with Dembre and been there to support me when I needed support the most. Thank you guys for all that you do
• I'm thankful for Dembre. He has taught me so much over my last six months as a CCI puppy raiser.
• I'm thankful for my puppy raising friends. Mary Beth and Marty you have taught me so much about dog training and raising Dembre to be his very best. Thank you for always being there when I needed help with Dembre's training and thanks for always being willing to watch him when I go out of town :D 
• I'm thankful for my church. They have supported me and have always made me feel closer to God. I thank God for my friends there who pray for me through the hard times and are always there to counsel me. Yes, many of my friends that I mentioned earlier in this post are also friends from church. 
• I'm thankful for freedom and that we can believe as we wish here in the U.S.
• I'm thankful for Pepin, my beloved golden girl. She has taught me so many life lessons. 
• Last, but not least I am thankful for all of my blogging friends. I don't think I have met a single one of you, but you guys have made my blog a special place and answered questions about dog training. I have enjoyed following your blogs to see what you guys are doing as puppy raisers and service teams or whatever you do. 

Have a great Thanksgiving and remember all the things that God has provided,
~Elijah & Dembre