CIMC Band

Beacon loves music!  Well he has to being raised in our family.  Here Beacon attended the CIMC band competition.  It was crowded, loud, long and Beacon was a trooper throughout the entire day!

Beacon sitting in the stands, looking at the camera.  Of course,
he is wearing a big smile!

Beacon watching the bands on the field perform.

September Sponsor Letter

Hi Sue!

I wish I had some more pictures to share with you this month but many of our recent visits have either been impossible to handle Beacon and photograph at the same time or due to privacy issues we could not photograph.

We went to a boys prison (privacy issues), a medical step down unit (I was a little nervous about leaving Beacon bedside while I photographed), a nursing home (I was too interested in listening to stories that I forgot to snap a single picture!) and several school visits (again, privacy issues).

We celebrated Beacons first birthday with some special doggie ice cream for Beacon (see Beacon 1 and Beacon 2).  We found out about doggie ice cream just in time for our first pup, Honey, to celebrate with so, of course, Beacon had to have some puppy ice cream too!  To say he enjoyed it would be a major understatement! 

One of the school visits Beacon went to this month made the front page of the local county newspaper (see Beacon_paper).  I just received a copy yesterday and plan on placing one in the mail for you.  Would you please give me an address to mail a copy?

On that school visit Beacon and I were invited to a kindergarten class that was learning about the sense of sight.  I talked with the students about how dogs can help people who have low or no vision.  Beacon, being the great dog that he is, stayed in a perfect down for the entire presentation.  Then, Beacon and I showed the class how special Beacon is and how well he listens to commands that 'regular' dogs do not know.  Beacon was a big hit and the perfect dog!  After the question and answer time, and those kindergarteners had a million questions, I took off Beacons jacket and let him have fun interacting with the kids.  Should he not make it as a guide, Beacon certainly has the ability to be a BARC (Be A Reader to Canines) dog!

Sadly, our time with Beacon is ending.  Our Area Coordinator will bring Beacon and another Nashville in for training pup, George, back to campus on October 5th.  Unfortunately, that also means that we will not be able to bring Beacon to your offices as we wanted.  I am disappointed but glad Beacon will have a travel buddy with him when he heads to campus.

I will send some additional photos before Beacon leaves us and hopefully some pictures as he arrives on campus for your next meeting.

He is still the sweetest, laid back pup around!  We are going to miss Sweet Beacon terribly!

Have a great few weeks!

August Sponsor Letter

August 21, 2011

Beacon is doing very well!  So well, in fact, that he is the star puppy in our group.  Even with all the other pups in training romping around at our meetings, Beacon will sit and stay.  He does want to get up and be part of the mischief, but he has mastered listening to our command to stay no matter what may be going on around him!  He has also mastered the art of holding more than one toy in his mouth at a time... (see picture #1) and posing for early morning pictures (see picture #2)

Beacon continues to do well with his training with few exceptions.  He does not like to go up open stairs... (see picture #3) but we are continually working with him to overcome this. Last month was also puppy camp for Beacon.  He went to live with another raiser family for 5 days (see picture # 4).  The family loved sweet Beacon immediately and were very impressed with how well Beacon followed commands and, after a little exploring around their home, settled right in.  This was a great time for Beacon (not so much for us though - we all missed him terribly!) as he learned to live in a house with another dog and follow commands given by others.  Beacon went to the vet (ear infection) and while he did not gain much weight, he grew taller.  Of course, he was the vets best behaved client and, as the vet commented, 'as handsome as ever!'

What summer would be complete without a trip to the farm?  Beacon loves the farm - lots of wide open spaces to run and play, other dogs to play with, a lot of new farm animals to meet!  Beacon especially enjoyed hanging out in the shade provided by the bean canopy (see pictures 5 & 6).  During this trip Beacon discovered that melon straight from the field is a wonderful and delicious treat.  Each time we called him away from the melon patch, he would look at us, while squinting, almost as if he was thinking 'awww shucks, why are you forcing me from this field... this is too good to leave....'

Our Area Coordinator told us that Beacon may be called back to Southeastern Guide Dogs to being formal harness training on October 13th.  It is still tentative but we need to start preparing ourselves that our time with Beacon may end sooner than we expected. Sometimes I feel he is ready to head back - knowing his commands, walking so beautifully without pulling and wanting to work - but at other times, I am not so certain.  I know the trainers understand the pups are still not fully mature when they head back in for training and are very generous with allowing them extra time to adjust to the new environment and learn new handlers but October seems like it is just around the corner.  

How far are you from the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus?  I will keep you posted about Beacons in for training date and, as time gets closer, see if we can come up with a plan to have you all meet before sweet Beacon heads back to the Southeastern campus. 

I hope you had a great summer!

Beacon eats a cantaloupe

Beacon visited the farm this weekend.  He was very busy checking out the mules, donkeys and horses.  He particularly liked exploring the garden.

He played hide and seek in the pole beans...

ran in the squash fields...

played with Lad and Charlie...

sniffed the tomatoes, okra and watermelons...

and after running around for a while found the shade of the pole beans was a nice place to rest.

The Beacon discovered the wonderful taste of farm fresh produce when moments after this picture was taken, Beacon ate almost an entire cantaloupe.

The farm sure does tucker this little guy out!

The dreaded stairs

Beacon has become much more willing to take stairs with one exception - the dreaded work stairs.  For some reason Beacon does not like climbing open staircases.  Beacon does love going to work with Scotty.  In order to get into the office Beacon must climb the open stairs.  It was with much dread Scotty took Beacon out of the car and thought about the 20 minute process to get Beacon to climb 5 or 6 stairs.  Guess what?  Beacon surprised us all and took the steps on the first try.  Not one to let a teachable moment pass, Scotty encouraged Beacon to go up and down the stairs several more times, each time praising Beacon for the wonderful job!

It was a moment of puppy raiser pride!

May Sponsor Letter

May 15, 2012

Good morning Sue!

This month has been a great month of growth for Beacon.  He appears to have overcome his fear of stairs (YAY!) and is maturing rapidly.  With the 2 oldest dogs in the group in for training last month, Beacon is now the oldest dog in our Nashville group - beating out George by 4 days!  

We tried to switch Beacons food to Southeastern Guide Dogs newest recommended food and poor sweet Beacon was not well for 2 weeks, therefore we do not have much to report.  Beacon did come with us to the pet store to pick up his new food and was curious about the caged bunny and birds.

Beacon hung out at home for much of the month, doing what my kids do when sick, watching tv.  His favorite show?  Too Cute on Animal Planet. 

Beacon was not too sick to pose for pictures though!

He is such a handsome dog!

And just because he was not heading out with us as much as he is use to, that did not mean training stopped.  He practiced avoidance and 'leave it' by maintaining a 'down stay' while a bug was crawling around him.  He did very well not to break his stay and try to eat the bug.  Actually he did much better than I did with a bug in the house!

Our first puppy training meeting of the month was with a trainer from Southeastern, Jenn Gerity.  She worked with our group teaching us the new way to perform the 'heel' command.  Beacon was a star pupil.  Unfortunately the meeting was held in the evening and there are not many good shots of the puppies.  I have one picture taken right before the meeting began but it was taken from my phone, and I am not sure if you will be able to see it or not. 

We have expressed some concern with Beacon and his 'shark' teeth.  He has several baby teeth that have not fallen out yet and his adult teeth are already in.  Jen checked Beacons mouth, saw the double teeth and said they will need to be removed.  The concern is that the baby teeth can break in the mouth and cause an abscess and the overcrowding can make it difficult to keep his teeth clean.  Beacon loves to have his teeth brushed - or more accurately, loves the taste of puppy toothpaste - so the brushing is never an issue.  We are waiting for confirmation from Southeastern on when to have the procedure done.   

Speaking of tooth removal, Beacon went to the oral surgeon when Jenny had her wisdom teeth pulled - and he waited patiently for Jenny to emerge.  As if he knew something was wrong, he did not try to jump or 'kiss' Jenny when she was done.  He just sat at her side, licking her hand.  Have I mentioned he is the sweetest puppy??

Sadly, Beacon stood/sat through a military funeral procession.  A former student at my sons high school was killed in Afghanistan.  I think the entire community came out with flags to support this heros family.  We lined up on the road near the high school with flags and waited for the funeral procession.   I am not sure if you can see Beacon in the third picture, but if you look closely you can make out his blue coat on the grass about half way down the line of flags.  Again, he is such a sweet and sensitive pup, that he sat very patiently (almost reverently) and waited... a long time.  First came the police, with lights and sirens to clear the street traffic, then the Victory Riders and the Patriot Guard Riders (motorcycle groups that support military funerals and keep protesters like the folks from Westboro Baptist church away), followed by the official police escort.  The procession stretched for miles.  Beacon was such a good boy that he was rewarded with his first puppy ice cream treat.  

Our next puppy raiser meeting was held in a women's correctional facility and cameras were not allowed.  

Now that Beacon is back on his regular food, he is back to being his old goofy self again.  We do have some concerns that Beacon may be too sweet to make it as a guide, but having read your last email regarding yet another one of your pups making it to guide, we continue training Beacon with the expectation he will continue your successful guide dog streak.  Whatever career Beacon chooses, he will certainly enrich the life of his future partner as he has enriched our lives!

I hope all is well with you and your members.  Hopefully we will have some more photos for next month!

Take care!

April Sponsor Letter

April 17, 2012

Good morning Sue!

Beacon has been very busy!  This past month, Beacon attended Mule Day, celebrated my birthday, went to Puppy Camp and visited the farm.  

3/31/12 - Mule Day

Since 1840 - yes, 1840 -  people from all over head to Columbia Tennesssee,  the “Mule Capital” of the World, for Mule Day.  It is an annual celebration of all things related to mules and is attended by over  200,000 people.  This year our daughter, Amy, was marching in the Mule Day Parade with her high school band.

It was a very hot day but Beacon was a trooper!

Beacon Mule Day 1

Beacon celebrated my birthday on April 2nd

(see Beacon Birthday photo)

04/04/12 - 04/12/12 - Puppy Camp

Southeastern Guide Dogs requires each puppy to attend puppy camp at least once during the raising process.  Puppy camp is when you give the puppy you are raising to another raiser for a period of time.  The purpose of puppy camp is to allow the puppy in training to experience a different handler, different environments and to evaluate how the puppy reacts to different situations and exposures.  We were very fortunate that our daughter, Jenny, volunteered to puppy camp Beacon at her college.  

Beacon learned to climb and sit in the bleachers,

Went to the cafeteria each day and successfully licked the floor clean!,

Met some of the cross country team,

Attended classes,

hung out Jenny's dorm room,

visited the library often,

checked campus mail,

watched a rugby match,

slept on the floor (on Jenny's backpack),

posed at the TC entrance,

played on the tennis courts,

watched a tennis match,

played some more on the tennis courts,

posed at the other TC entrance

He walked all over campus each day, attended classes and cross country and track practices.  Beacon even helped Jenny give several campus tours for prospective students.  As usual, Beacon was on best behavior and was loved by everyone!  

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March Sponsor Letter

Happy first day of Spring!

Beacon has been a very busy puppy in training.  Unfortunately, photographs of him doing things are trapped in my cell phone!

This month brought another trip to the eye doctor for retesting where we received great news.  When tested with his eyes dilated (which I guess is the proper way to check a dogs eyes), Beacons vision is normal!  This does not explain why he is so hesitant to take stairs but it was great news that he is not going to be career changed from the program!

Beacon is doing so well in all of his training.  He has mastered all of his required commands and then some!  

Billy (age 11) has joined a photography club and guess who is favorite subject is? Beacon.  Many of the pictures are taken for a specific purpose (ie. capturing shadows, filling the frame, etc.) but he has taken some pretty decent pictures of Beacon.

As you may be able to tell from these photos Beacon enjoys sitting in the sun at the front door checking out the neighborhood happenings.

February Sponsor Letter

Good morning Sue!

I hope all is well there.  As you can tell from the attached photos, we have been keeping Beacon busy.  In addition to all the everyday training, Beacon has been out and about to some interesting places.

January 21st was our puppy meeting.  Beacon was the model dog and performed well despite the distraction of 3 new pups in our group. 

A group photograph of the Nashville Puppies in Training.
Beacon is third from the right.

Beacon was the model dog for down, stay.  Beacon is in a
down stay at the Area Coordinators feet.

Beacon still loves to travel by car, which is great considering we are always headed out somewhere with him.

Beacon on the floorboard of the car.
He is looking off to the right.

Beacon still has some difficulty with stairs, so while at the farm we practiced up and down the stairs A LOT.

Beacon standing on the middle of two steps.

On February 9th, Beacon visited the vet for an eye exam and also toured the Parthenon in Nashville.  We practiced more stairs and statue exposures.  It was a very long day but Beacon was a trooper!

Me giving the thumbs up as Beacon looks around the corner
while in a down at the Vets office.

Beacon is in a down on the examination table at the vets office.
A vet tech is scratching his head and the Vet is holding Beacons
muzzle while checking his eyes.  Beacon is being a very good boy!

Billy is straddling a sitting Beacon at a display at the Parthenon. 

Billy is standing at the foot of the Athena
statue at the Parthenon.  He is holding Beacons
leash as Beacon maintains a down stay.
FYI - the Athena statue is 41 feet 10 inches tall.  She is
the largest piece of indoor sculpture in the
Western World.

February also brought a crazy exposure for Beacon - a professional hockey game.  Our seats were maybe 15 rows from the ice and near the goal.  I knew there would be noise, but never expected it to be at the level it was.  It was a sellout crowd (I suspect this was most likely due to the free rally rag give away and not because the Predators are a great team!).  There was a lot of popcorn on the floor which made it the perfect practice for the 'leave it' command.  Beacon made an occasional lunge for the popcorn but  did very well after several 'leave it's and ignored the popcorn.  The ketchup covered pickle was another story!  Beacon nabbed that so quickly that we then practiced the 'drop it' command.  He did not want to give up the pickle.  Luckily, for us and Beacon, he suffered no ill effects from ingesting the pickle.  

Beacon was very interested in the woman in front of us.  Well, maybe not so much in her, as much as her hair! 

We practiced 'down, under' (Beacon must get into a down and then scoot under the seat) and 'under, down (Beacon must get under the seat and then down) and he did GREAT!  

I

After the first period, the buzzer noise did not make him flinch.  I must say, he was better behaved than many of the fans!  

At each period break, Beacon was able to get up and stretch a bit.   You can see from this picture how big he is getting!  

As usual, we practiced stairs but with a twist.  We had to handle cement stairs and metal stairs - both of which were not normal riser height.  Also, there were people coming up and going down in all directions.

We attended another puppy training meeting.  Billy was the photographer this time around so we have no actual pictures of Beacon in the indoor pool and hockey rink.  Billy did manage to take a picture of Beacon trying to smile

and of the outdoor obedience portion of the meeting.

Beacon was initially a little excited by the splashing in the pool but quickly realized he was not going to be allowed to jump in, and settled down and charmed all those around him.  He loves attention and sits very well to receive it.  Beacon is allowed to be pet by the public while in jacket for a few more months.  He is still a very easy, laid back puppy and a joy to raise!

Beacon is growing well and I believe he has lost most of his puppy teeth.  Hopefully March will bring an 'adult' size puppy in training jacket for Beacon and some additional great exposures!

Have a great month!