SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving weekend it snowed at Lake Arrowhead! Asta and I went romping and stomping with our dog neighbors Nicki,Wendi & Dori. It was super fun and I really like those party girls.

Here I am with my foster dad, Gary, and Asta and Gail .

Sunbathing

After a nice walk in the mountain air I love to come back to the house and lay on the deck and sunbathe. I can lay here and watch the world go by and just relax. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Halloween!

What fun to be at Lake Arrowhead for Halloween.

We had some short people wearing all kinds of costumes, perhaps children, come by and knock on our door asking for treats! Gosh, it was so surprising I had to bark! Foster mom had a tray full of candy and yummy goodies for the visitors. I did not see any of the kind of treats they give to me and Asta and Gail on that tray. Very odd.

My foster dad took this picture of me, on the deck one evening at sunset. I liked the decorations he and I put up. I help him with everything he does. I really like him a lot.

Playtime with Puppies

I have been meeting many new friends since I have been living in Coronado.

Two very special visitors have been Elaina and Joclyn. They are young puppies who have tons of energy and seem to really enjoy me a lot. I have been a perfect hostess. I am polite at all times, even when they get a bit overbearing. My foster mom says she is proud of me for being such a good girl with these playful pups, and she knows I will be a very good mommy when my puppies arrive.

My New Pack

Weekends at Lake Arrowhead have been great fun! Swimming, running, playing, watching squirrels, eating sticks and acorns, taking long walks and nice naps with the family. Here I am with my squirrel toy.

During the week I stay in Coronado where I have a nice yard to romp and stomp in with my toys and doggie friends. This is my new pack! Wowie, what a fun group they are. Clockwise from lower left is Gail, Asta, Navarro, Me, & Kerry, who is my breed and my very favorite! Gail and Asta are my primary pack members. We hang out and play all the time. Navarro, wearing the blue gentle leader, is a CCI pup that my foster mom and her sister are raising. Navarro is visiting while aunt Chris and uncle Roger are on vacation. He is loads of fun because he is only 14 months old. Kerry lives with my foster sister, Meghan, up north. She is visiting while Meghan is on vacation. Kerry is 11 but she acts like a playful puppy and we are a lot alike.

Breeder? I am a GDA breeder? Oh, I am having too much fun to go into heat right now.

Velvet Meets Her New Foster Family

Today I went for a ride in the GDA van with Meri. We stopped at a fun place called Tom's Farms. It was hot there, so we took a little walk in the shade of some pretty trees. A woman came up to us to say hello. She knew our names, and was petting me and hugging me! I did my best wiggle and happy dance. Meri gave her my leash and we walked over to her car and there I met a couple of nice dogs named Asta and Kerry. I gladly jumped in with them and before I knew it we were on the road, heading up into the mountains! My first weekend at Lake Arrowhead with my new foster family!

I had a ball playing with my new dog friends and I LOVED all the swimming!

Velvet Visits the Sawdust Festival

I got to go to the Sawdust Festival with the Orange County Guide Dog puppies with Laurel!

Puppy Trials Winner

Velvet took home a second place ribbon in Puppy Trials at the Guide Dogs of America Open House in the breeder catagory! Good job girl!

Velvet at the Whale Watch

Velvet enjoyed the open waters at Guide Dogs of America Whale Watch event in Dana Point

Downey Holiday Parade

Velvet and Melinda marched with the South Bay GDA puppy raisers today.

Race for the Cure

I do not know who signed me up to do a 5k the morning after I was out until 1:15am but there I was. It was an amazing sight to see all the people supporting the Komen Foundation and the Race for the Cure of Breast Cancer. Auntie Laurel started doing this event on behalf of a friend. Here I am pictured with that friend's poster at the walk. That afternoon I went to my new family to begin my career as a Guide Dogs of America breeder. Yes, this will be my final post. Auntie Laurel would love to have you check her less often updated blog ... http://careerchangecondo.blogspot.com/

2008 GDA Partners Dinner

Wow, what a fun evening I had visiting all my puppy-in-training friends at the Petersen Auto Museum in LA! We were all dressed up. I wore my rhinetone collar and everything! I was really tired ... we got home at 1:15am.

It's Official !

We got the word today that I will be a breeder for Guide Dogs of America! I don't know what that means yet but it has to do with boy dogs and puppies. Sounds like a great deal to me. I'll be going to a new home Sunday the 28th. My current temporary family will miss me terribly but they know that this is the right thing to do! Plus, I know they will be checking in on me! They are all proud that I will be part of the wonderful GDA breeding program! I will be at the Orange County meeting in October but will be attending South Bay Meetings after that!

Jumbo Tron Dog

Velvet participated in the 2008 Orange/Inland Empire Night the Light Walk at Angel Stadium. She make many friends and walked a 5k with the crowd. This year they let us walk around the field and had a camera man putting our images up on the Jumbo Tron. He did some close up shots of Velvet that were absolutely stunning. The picture we are posting is nice, but, not nearly as nice as some of the other "live" views.

At Camp GDA Again

If you are checking my blog, I'm up at GDA for my final breeder evals. I will be back in touch soon!

Rock n Roll Guys

We went to downtown Yorba Linda this morning to the Farmer's Market and Pet Adoption Fair. There was a cool band and they took a break for a picture with me and Autie M.

Farm Animals

There was a little petting zoo at the pet adoption fair in Yorba Linda today. I thought these farm yard animals were a hoot. The chickens and turkey's didn't care about me at all and neither did the white goat. The brown goat, however, kept trying to bash heads with me. I was a good girl and just stood still.

Breeder Evaluation Progress

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I was only around for 5 days when GDA came and picked me up and took me back to Camp GDA for more breeder tests. So far I have passed the eye test and have had my Penn Hip x-rays. I still need to have my temperament evaluation which if I must say, should be perfect, and, my heart test. I came home yesterday with three of my friends. We played for awhile before Auntie Laurel came and picked me up.

Swimming, swimming, swimming

On our way home from GDA, we stopped at Aunt Cathy's where Landon and Virtue were waiting. I started by taking a warm-up dip in the Koi pond (woops, big NO NO). Not sure those Koi will ever be the same! After a scolding, we all swam in the real pool. Paisley was with us, too. We had a blast retrieving the flying squeaky disk thing. Both Paisley and I crashed on the way home.

I Saw My Brother's Vinnie and Velo!

Auntie Laurel picked me up from Camp GDA today. We tried to take a picture with my and my brothers Velo and Vinnie who went in for training today. We were all hot and uncooperative so the picture we have isn't great. We are hoping the others got a better shot. We'll share anyway.