Re: [VAL] 1965 Caravel-generator

[Glyn Judson <glynjudson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Ann,

    First of all thanks for including a link to your web site.  You sure
have a lot to be proud of with your pups.  This is a bit off topic, hence my
sending this email to you back channel.

    I'm a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America
http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org and have had my third guide dog, Clark,
since the end of June.  He's now a 15-week-old black Lab, a donated pup from
a breeder up the road a way just north of Santa Barbara.

    I thought you might enjoy seeing the attached photo I took of him
recently after a hard day of playing in our back yard with two other guide
dog pups I was raising.  The weather was a bit warm and he sought out the
cool tiles of our bathroom on which to cool his little puppy tummy.

    While I have your attention, might I also share another photo with you?
This one is of those other two boys I raised for GDA.  They are Brando on
the left and Bruce on the right.  (I noted that one of your black Labs is
named Bruce too).  They are two of a litter of six identical males who
turned 18 months old on Monday.

    Their call-in date was last Saturday and it was a sad day indeed.  I'd
raised Bruce, now 82 pounds from a pup of 12 weeks and he was such a joy to
us the whole time.  Brando at 85 pounds was with us for only about a bit
more than a month.  His puppy raiser had been told that he wouldn't be
called in until November and based on that, booked and paid for a tour to
the UK and Ireland.  The plan was for me to watch him until her return.
(She's still over there as I write this).  Well she got a letter from GDA
the day before her departure saying that his date had been changed to August
13 and she called that night in tears.

    I had just taken the photo you'll see, so had a copy quickly made.  I
met her at the airport the next day, gave her a copy to take with her and
spent the next 2-3 hours together eating in the food court prior to her
boarding which I hope gave her some small measure of comfort.

    Bruce, Brando and Clark are the best of buddies and it was a good
experience for them to be together those weeks.

    I consider myself fortunate to have had all the boys together at the
same time and especially so last Saturday.  Most puppy raisers brought their
pups in and went home alone.  I was blessed to bring all three in and went
home with Clark.  

    The next four to six months will see the two big boys receive harness
training , after which they will hopefully graduate and be placed with blind
handlers.   

    Anyway, I said it was a bit off the topic of generators but thought
you'd appreciate seeing the photos.

    Glyn Judson
    1969 Caravel #508
    Santa Monica CA