Wrangell

Wrangell's Statistics:
Yellow male Lab
DOB:  Feb. 28, 2005
Litter:  born at Guide Dogs of the Desert, Palm Springs, CA
Origin of name:  His original name was Pacey, we changed it when he came to live with us. Wrangell is named after the famous Alaskan explorer, Ferdinand von Wrangell.
Career-changed:  Fall, 2007 due to dog dominance. 






Born in Palm Springs, Grown in Alaska
Wrangell was our first guide dog puppy and was shipped up to us in Alaska from Palm Springs, CA when he was a little pup of about 10 weeks of age.

Lena (15) and her 4-H project Wrangell. This photo was taken Wrangell's first day with us after being shipped from California to Alaska.

Wrangell - portrait of guide dog puppy. What a chunk!

My daughter Lena was Wrangell's puppy raiser, doing it for a 4-H project. Wrangell established himself as a strong, confident, alpha-male type as he grew. At times he could be a real challenge for us first-timers! Fortunately we had a great Group Leader, Roger Hansen, that helped Lena with her training. 

Lena and Wrangell working with Group Leader Roger Hansen on traffic exposures in downtown Fairbanks.

We once asked Roger how many service dogs he had trained/puppy raised and he told us he had lost count! He is an amazing man with a Belgian Malinois service dog of his own which he uses for a hearing loss while serving in the armed forces.  

Wrangell (right) and another pup-in-training, working the Fred Meyer grocery, Fairbanks, AK.

A Dog with Many Hats
Wrangell was career-changed

Wrangell, Annie and the cop.

the following year and we gladly took him back into our home, where he has gone on to do amazing things and wear many different hats. For instance he has acted in two different productions of the play Annie, as Sandy, Annie's rescued orphan dog. Wrangell thrived on the applause!

Little Orphan Annie and her dog Sandy (alias Wrangell).

Wrangell has also had a crack at training as a wilderness K-9 Search and Rescue dog and

Wrangell being read to at the Chatham Public Library

was fantastic at finding people. His indicate was an exuberant bark. Unfortunately far into his training he developed a strong desire to find turtles :( which I could not break him of. Currently he has started helping at the library with a program where children read to dogs. Knowing many tricks including bow, crawl, speak, twirl and the ever-popular play dead, has made him a huge hit with the kids.






Uncle Wrangell - My Secret Weapon

Since Wrangell became our personal dog, we have had 6 guide dog puppies come through our home, not to mention the many others we have puppy-sat or puppy-camped for periods up to 3 weeks. Wrangell has shown himself to be a patient uncle, wise mentor and strong authority figure as he "shows them the ropes". All the puppies revere Wrangell and hold him in awe when they are young. As they grow and learn, they strive to imitate his calm, obedient demeanor. As a puppy-raiser, Wrangell is my secret weapon. He makes my job infinitely easier.

Wrangell is never happier than when he's retrieving far out into the waters of Smith Mountain Lake.