August 24,
2002
Jedi has been with us a little over 3 weeks, and he is approaching 5 months
old. It's amazing how fast puppies grow at this age.... he seems to change
daily. If you compare this photo to the one on the first page, you can see that his beautiful head is more dog-like, and he now has full
control over his straight and majestic ears.
Last weekend Jedi had an opportunity to visit the Tehachapi Mountain
Festival, our once-a-year street fair shindig. He spent almost five hours
visiting vendor booths, listening to bands in the park, checking out a miniature
train exhibition, and meeting lots of kids. We were also delighted to run into a
GDA graduate, her family, and her working dog Rayme, a 3 year old female black
Lab. The dogs were well behaved, and definitely adorable together..... the
Lab in her harness, and Jedi in his bright yellow puppy jacket. Needless
to say we drew quite a crowd of onlookers as we chatted.
October 2, 2002 ~ 15 Minutes of Fame!
When you live in a small town, word gets around quickly that a training guide
dog puppy is a resident. In late September I received a call from the
Tehachapi News which was interested in doing an article on Jedi. We met
the reporter a couple days later, and he followed Jedi around during a visit to
the grocery store and our bank. On October 2nd we were pleasantly
surprised to see a very nice article and two photos of our cute boy in the
paper. Needless to say, it has helped increase awareness of the guide dog
program on a local level. Since the article came out, we have received
offers to visit schools and to be a guest speaker at other social organizations.
Jedi is now recognized by name all over town.
October 17, 2002 ~ Jedi Visits the Girl Scouts
Jedi and I were invited to a Girl Scout meeting in Bakersfield, so the girls
could meet Jedi, learn about Guide Dogs of America, and earn a guide dog patch
for their uniforms. We spent an hour talking about what guide dogs do, how
they help visually impaired people, and the methods used to raise and train the
puppies. It was obvious these very bright young ladies had done their
homework, as they asked many excellent and thoughtful questions. Some even
expressed interest in how to become puppy raisers, so hopefully we will have
some future volunteers to help GDA in coming years. Jedi was well behaved
while we talked, then enjoyed a few minutes of hugs and pets with the girls
while they posed for this picture. Thank you, Girl Scouts, for a very nice
afternoon.
Jedi's Story Continues..... click the link below to visit Page 3
