It's Official!!

It's official! I'm OMSI's Breeder Caretaker!! :) We had a "trial" period with him just to see how he would fit in with our family and with Shawn. He did very well and is now a member of our family! He's been such a good boy, and he's such a fun and happy dog. He thinks it's great to talk to me with a toy in his mouth :) He's also learning to sleep on the bed, sorry Rachel, but I think he likes it ;) I've been taking him on a lot of walks, but today we couldn't go as far because I took Chandra with us and she slowed us down, poor girl is getting big! Only a few more weeks until puppies, I can't believe it!

1st weekend

On Saturday OMSI had a very busy day! We went to CCI's puppy class that was held downtown at McKinley park. OMSI was great :) There were ducks, kids and a lot of other dogs, OMSI did all his commands very well. After we went to watch my friends play basketball, again OMSI was awesome! His puppy raiser did a great job with him!!

On Sunday OMSI went with me to watch Lisa's Sigma Kappa soccer game, everyone loved OMSI and he was a very good boy! He also played with his new friend Magic, both of them love tennis balls! So it's a challenge for them to race each other to it in the yard.









Videos can be seen at www.youtube.com/hiltie03

A Day For New Things!

Today I bought OMSI a new black leather collar, it looks so good on him! I'll try and get a picture, but with his handsome coat it's hard to see it.

OMSI also went on his 2nd run with me while I was on my rollerblades, he loved it!! He's also getting used to me on my rollerblades and he knows right where to run.

After running OMSI must have been hot. I went outside and was going back into the pool room only after 1 minute, but that was enough time for OMSI to jump into the pool! He had a great time swimming around, but wasn't sure how to get out, so it was into the pool for me..clothes and all! ;)

Chandra is getting bigger! Puppies are due on May 17th and we should know the size of the litter about the week before when we get her x-ray done. My guess is that she will have about 8 puppies in this litter, but we'll all have to wait and see!

You can never have too many pictures!!

Here's some today of Chandra and OMSI after I brushed them and clipped their nails.

OMSI day 2..

OMSI has been a very good boy! When I got home from school I took OMSI and Chandra on a walk around the park and they were bost on their best behavior, they look so much a like, it's amazing!! Now both dogs are tired and laying on my bed, oh the life of a CCI breeder!!

1st Night

OMSI slept great last night, well at least until 5:40 am when he decided that it was time to get up!! He picked up a toy and did his happy dance singing to me, this is cute, but not at 5:40 in the morning! I told him to go back to bed, which he did..but only until 7 am, I think this is the time to dogs get up in Advanced Training, hopefully he'll get used to sleeping in again!!

We played fetch for awhile on the tennis court before I had to go to school, OMSI thought that was great :)

OMSI is home

OMSI got a ride home today from CCI's National Center at Santa Rosa! He was excited to see me, I hope it was me ;) But I think he just really likes people. His puppy raiser did an AWESOME job and I'm so thankful that I can share this experience with her and that CCI has given me this opportunity. I took OMSI on a run today and he loved it, he's just like his mom, I told him "release", but he still didn't want to run in front of me, instead he kept in his "heel" position on our run, such a good boy! After our run we went to play with Magic, that was fun and both boys were very good!

OMSI is sleeping on my feet now, keeping them warm :)

I've been thinking of starting a blog for my Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Breeder, Chandra for a long time. With exciting news yesterday I have decided to start writing a blog for my CCI Breeders! It will keep you up to date on their adventures and puppies!

Canine Companions for Independence breeds and trains service dogs for people with disabilities free of charge. http://www.cci.org
From CCI's website about their 4 types of Service Dogs:
Types of Assistance Teams
Service Teams — Adults with physical disabilities who work with a Canine Companion to extend their abilities and utilize the dog to perform physical tasks such as pulling a wheelchair and retrieving dropped items.
Skilled Companion Teams — A three-part team including a child or adult with physical, developmental or emotional disabilities, a primary caretaker, and a Canine Companion who helps with physical tasks and creates a bond of companionship, affection and love.
Facility Teams — Adults who work as rehabilitation professionals, caregivers or educators and utilize a Canine Companion to improve the mental, physical or emotional health of those in their care.
Hearing Teams — Adults who are hard of hearing or Deaf who use a Canine Companion to alert them to everyday sounds such as doorbells, alarm clocks and smoke alarms.

I have been raising puppies for CCI since my junior year in high school, the dogs I have raised are:

Kedra (Neffa x Washaki) COC 4/03
Hiltie (OMSI x Taiko) SC 2/05
Chandra (OMSI x GDB Natalie) Breeder 10/05
McKenna II (Terrell x Happy II) COC-Medical 7/07
Omeeka (Blaze III x Chandra) Breeder 4/08

COC= Change of Career
SC= Skilled Companion

I have been fortunate for CCI to give me my CCI breeder Chandra (aka Shawn), she is a WONDERFUL dog and we love her! To see pictures of Chandra's puppies go to http://www.chandracci.shutterfly.com and videos at http://www.youtube.com/hiltie03

Chandra has had 3 litters for CCI so far:

"O" Litter- BLAZE III 7-15-06 - Golden Retrievers

OMARI II
ONTARO
OMSI III-Breeder 4/08
OJALA-COC
OMYA-COC
OASIS II
OMEEKA-Breeder 4/08

"R" Litter- TERRELL 3-2-07 - 3/4 Golden Retriever
RHIANNA
RIDER
RICHIE II
ROOKIE II
REGGIE II
RAINIE
ROXA II
REGAL III

"A" - KITTREDGE- 10-6-07 Golden Retriever
ASJHA
AMYA
AKEELAH
ASHANTI
AYRTON
AMARI II
AYLA II
ALANIS

"M" - RANDY IV 5-17-08 Golden Retriever
MALIKA
MCKENZIE IV
MAVERICK
MICHAEL II
MONARCH II
MARI
MEEKA



Yesterday Omeeka (the 5th puppy I raised with the help of our local CCI chapter, the GRC or Gold Rush Champions) was chosen as a breeder! I am not able to take back a female CCI breeder, even though puppies are fun, they are a lot of work and I have been fortunate again to have a great support group that has helped me with Chandra and her litters! I couldn't do it without them.

I will be taking Chandra's 3rd born puppy OMSI III back as a breeder!!! OMSI is named after his grandfather OMSI (Chandra's dad) who is named after the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, so his name is all capitalized. OMSI is getting a ride home from CCI on MondayApril 21!! YAY! I can't wait to get him home :)