Our Dogs:

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Summer Updates : The SO MANY PUPPIES Edition!


Hey everybody! Much has happened in the world of Viking Pups, and once again I am way behind on the times as far as keeping this blog updated- so here we go!!

CARVER is amazing, as per usual!

Carver had the best summer vacation of all of us and went to the ocean!

This incredible dog is turning into a perfect seizure response dog (as if there were any doubt) and is working on responding with his ‘paw’ just to a mimic seizure, no command necessary! We’ve built up enough anxiety around the event of the seizure that Carver understands that this is an URGENT event- and in the words of our head trainer “We’re placing a dog who will wake the DEAD to tell them [Carver’s client] is having a seizure”.

Look at him move! Wake the dead indeed. 



NORA is moving along incredibly well on all of her tasks!

She even pouts about having to call off training session!

She is able to retrieve objects from the floor, touch doors and cabinets closed, and for the first time (at only eight months) has opened a fridge! Not to mention that most of these tasks she’s still shaping- meaning they aren’t even the finished product yet. We’re super excited about just how perfect this happy little lady is.

Pardon the commentary by yours truly- psyching up puppies is 10% practice 
90% making a fool of yourself



AND, the new additions to the Viking Pups family (though they’re new by about a month and a half now, sorry!) are

ARIEL
Also known as 'red leash'


ELSA

Also known as 'Pink Leash'



And NALA!

Also known as 'Weirdo' ahem- I mean 'Black Leash' 


These three Disney themed ladies will go on to take facility dog positions at schools- and all three will be competing for a coveted position at the Aledo Child Advocacy Center, to testify with children, a special job indeed! We’re working our butts off to make sure these girls are perfect for their jobs and they’re proving to be up to it- they’re even starting to learn ‘settle’ and ‘place’ already, at only three months old!

Nala learning 'place'

Ariel learning 'place' with a twist (that being her ear)



We’d love to give a HUGE thanks to Formaro Labs for the chance to work with dogs with such an incredible temperament- all three babies are whipsmart and totally bombproof, something they’re going to need around as many kids as they’ll be working with!








Ariel, Elsa, and Nala are all happily settled into their foster homes and we can't wait to see them all back at Augie- classes are going to be full of black labs, and we're looking forward to another 'Is that Bobo or Cami' type situation. Don't worry, WE'LL be able to tell them apart- we think. 








EMMY is making amazing progress, unsurprisingly!


Pretty Emmy
This girl has absolute perfect drive and she never fails to astound us with just how fast she learns. Her guidework is perfect, her retrievals are amazing, her deep pressure therapy never fails to calm even her trainers down- we can’t get enough of this gorgeous girl, even when she’s blowing coat and looks like she’s a four month old ragamuffin again.

You don't understand Mom- I can't go out with my hair looking like THIS

All of us at Augustana are going to miss Miss Feistypants though- because she’s leaving Augustana for grad school with her handler, foster, and all around lead trainer Mary. We’re losing a great dog and our awesome Viking Pups President in one go, but it’s worth it to see both of them flourish in a new place. Thanks for the amazing time, both of you!




On another note- we are getting TWO more puppies in a little less than a month! This year is going to be absolutely insane with puppies, but we’re so happy to be helping people like we are! Expect some wonderful pictures soon of the future FLYNN and PIPER- and we’ll let what they look like be a surprise. ;)

A special thanks to:

QCCAN

The Quad Cities Canine Assistant Network is the non-profit organization that makes our program possible. As sister organizations, QCCAN is an integral part of the Viking Pups mission, helping us with training, putting us in contact with clients, and most importantly, training service dogs and reaching more people who need the dogs to live better lives.
To learn more / keep up to date about Viking Pups:





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