Piper, Piper!

He's here! Our tiny new service pup in training. He came Saturday, May 18, on a rainy afternoon, and weighs 11.0 lbs wringing wet. This little fella is a black Lab from both show and field lines. His name is Piper. For the first time ever we had the exciting privilege of naming a puppy. Our first name choice was Pilot, but names are only used once at the school to avoid confusion. So our second choice was Piper.






                     

He is a Piper. 

Busy, spunky and confident for a little guy of just seven weeks, yesterday he scrambled up on the riding lawn mower with his short little legs as if he'd done it all his life (of course the mower was not running). Exploring our yard, sheds and house, nothing seems to phase him. Something tells me Piper will keep me quite busy.








 

Note the size of those paws - love it!

Piper will be our first puppy raised through St Francis Service Dogs of Roanoke, Virginia. Although I loved raising with Southeastern Guide Dogs and will miss everything about working with them, I am also very excited about the switch to St Francis. More on this later. Today I just wanted to share Piper's brand new first photos.

A photograph of Piper's handsome father.

Piper and his two brothers, who are also being raised thru St Francis Service Dogs. Piper is on the right. These puppies were generously donated by a breeder from Raleigh, NC.








Piper marks the 8th time the puppy raising cycle has begun at the Cole house. Each cycle starts with fundamentals like crate training and middle of the night wake-ups, and continues along a fascinating journey as the puppy grows and develops. Because each pup has his/her unique spark, with each round of raising the raiser learns as well. Involved as PR's are with family, work, service, friends, etc., each puppy enters and impacts a special time in your life. For instance I can't think of my daughter's graduation without remembering 4-month Dorian's celebration with us. Or the move to Virginia without thinking of Wrangell's surprise visit to our neighbors! Raising service pups is a dynamic mix of unique pup blending with your present life - every time the experience is the same yet different, always demanding, yet ultimately very rewarding. Here we go again, with Piper!