Puppy Preparations, Again!

I have a confession to make: when I think about getting a puppy and/or having three Labradors (at the same time), I alternate between excitement and absolute terror! It probably doesn't help that I've had a lingering infection (sinus and ears) for weeks so I've felt pretty crappy and been exhausted. When I thought about having a puppy to take care of, it felt fairly overwhelming. Since I have an immune deficiency (common variable immune deficiency CVID), I get frequent sinus/ear/throat infections. Before I started IVIG treatments (gamma globulin infusions every 3 weeks), I frequently had pneumonia, so this is much better (less dangerous, for sure). Also, apparently your immune system controls allergic reactions (something I never knew before) so I'm now allergic to most antibiotics, unless they're in the penicillin family. Hence, I am reluctant to overuse antibiotics and tend to wait to start them until I'm feeling pretty awful. This time, I reluctantly started them and realized that they weren't doing the trick. So, Friday, I went in and my doctor doubled the dose. And while I wish I could say that I'm feeling much better, I'm not (plus my stomach and intestines are not very happy)! Anyway, I just have to feel a whole bunch better real soon! 

Fortunately, I have my husband who can help me out and friends who would love to have some puppy time but certainly my current health situation is making me concerned about my ability to raise another puppy. And, frankly, I think that's something that everyone with a disability who wants to raise and train his/her own service dog needs to really consider. Let's face it, having a disability can make it more difficult to do things that we otherwise would take for granted. And taking on a bigger challenge than we can handle doesn't do anyone any good and can lead to difficult, heartbreaking choices. 

After some real serious consideration, I've decided to go forward with my plans to have a litter temperament tested June 10th because I have great doctors who will make sure that I'm getting better, I have an IVIG infusion this morning which should boost my immune system and I have fewer infections and tend to feel better when the weather and temperature stablize. We've had some crazy temperature swings recently and since my body doesn't control it's temperature very well, that tends to hit me pretty hard. Also, I'm able to and prepared to make puppy raising my priority for as long as I need. 

Thursday we head up to Canada for the service dog seminar. It's an easy trip and Brent, Laurel and Hardy are going with me. I'm doing a couple presentations but I'll be able to rest during the day and we're staying with some friends. We'll get to spent time with people we really enjoy and I think participating in this unique event is important! It makes me very sad that it won't be happening next year! 

Next week, I'll get serious about final preparations in case a puppy comes home June 10th. We'll be puppy-proofing the house again, making sure we have appropriate toys, crates, mats, food etc. I'm also working on my information for Nancy, the certified CARAT evaluator who will be coming here Sunday, the 9th. I've been working on a new training plan for this puppy - I'm trying to take what I've learned with Laurel and Hardy to make this plan better and more complete. I've also read tons of puppy books since thinking about getting Laurel 8 years ago and I read about 8 more since Christmas (Laurel & Hardy got me a bunch of books about puppies for Christmas - how thoughtful, right?!) I finally found one that I'd like to use as the basis for my "puppy plan" - The Focused Puppy: A Training System for Raising a Great Companion & Performance Dog by Deborah Jones, PhD & Judy Keller. When I got the book, I didn't realize that it was written by Deb and Judy, who are friends of mine. Anyway, what I really like about the book is that it is very well thought out; presented in a clear, concise way; and goes from the first day to the first week, the first month all the way through adolescence. I like plans and I really appreciate the thought that went into this book and how it is organized. I think it will work for us and I'm sure I'll be reporting on our experiences with the exercises in this blog. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to visit the puppies again so I'll have some more photos! I'm excited to see how much the puppies have grown and to have some more interaction with them! I know Donna has another very promising litter due the middle of June but I have to admit that I'll be very disappointed if I don't find the right puppy for me in this litter (something I wasn't going to allow myself to feel!)