Not the Letter We Were Hoping For

9/30/10 

I got all excited today out by my mailbox. There was a letter from SEGD.  Could this be the letter we have been anxiously waiting for?  The letter that will put an end to the raging hormones running around our house disguised as a dog?  The letter that will save our young sons’ virtue?  The letter that will put Joey one step closer to becoming a real guide dog?  PLEASE, let this be the letter telling us to take him in to be neutered!  I didn’t tear into it like a madman out on the street, I maintained a degree of decorum while I was out where the neighbors could see me.  Once I got in the house, I tore into that envelope like Joey trying to get a treat out of his kong toy. 

I got the letter out and unfolded.  I started to read.  I heard somebody screaming “NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO”!  It may have been me.  My youngest son, Colby, asked me what was wrong.  It must have been me.  I looked at the letter again.  I read it very slowly and carefully, but it still said the same thing.  Joey is being considered for the breeding program.   

Now of course we are very proud that Joey is special enough to be considered to sire offspring for SEGD.  We are happy to do our part in raising him to do what ever they determine is best.  Joey is also very anxious to do his part.  We just have a personal preference to see him actually bring light into somebody’s dark world.  Yea, yea, I know he could help a lot more people by having pups as great as he is, but we are selfish.  We want to see him help just one. 

Congratulations, Big Joe.  You get to keep them for a while longer.

Slip Sliding Away

Joey is so much fun to watch around the house these days.  We have been making a few design changes, one of which, really affects him.  We have removed the carpeting from the living room, dining room, and hall, and installed hardwood flooring.  I think you can picture an energetic six month old puppy, especially one as big as Joey, suddenly deprived of the traction properties of carpeting.  It is almost like the old cartoons, where he runs in place for a few seconds before he actually starts moving.  Now we get to the old physics law that states that an object in motion, stays in motion.  That law is providing a lot of entertainment right now.  We see a big black blur sliding across the floor, appearing to be back-pedaling til it slams into a fixed object.  Non-fixed objects, like Cindy or the boys coming home from work or school, tend to fall over when he slams into them.   
Since we have the new flooring, we have to install new baseboards, which, I have learned, means we have repaint the walls.  Joey just loves to check out that funny smelling stuff in the trays, and since he seems to have his own version of a paint brush, he is spending more time on tiedown or in his kennel.  But then we go out for longer walks while the paint dries, so it all works out OK for Joey. 

BIG JOE

Sep 8
Joey is six months old today.  He is weighing in at 72 lbs, so the size estimates I am seeing on-line are scaring me.  I have looked at different formulas, and they seem to agree that his adult weight will be around 144.  All the websites are very careful to mention that these are only estimates, but it does seem clear to me that we need to start calling him "Big Joe". 
We know that SEGD's goldadores always come from male goldens and female labs, but we have heard that they are considering breeding male goldadors with female labs.  If this happens with Big Joe, I can envision a line of very large dogs.  Probably not in the best interests of SEGD, unless they are planning on creating personal protection guide dogs for blind celebrities and heads of state.  Or, adding a riding stable for the kids after they come for the puppy hugging.  Not to mention the females that would have to carry his pups!
What I am getting to, is that we want to get that letter telling us to get him fixed.  Of course we would be proud if he was eventually selected as a breeder, but we would rather see him fully trained and be somebody's first guide dog.  We want him to change somebody's life.  And, it would be great to put an end to those raging hormones running rampant in our house.  The kids aren't safe getting down on the floor to play with him.  And he wouldn't be so distracted by little miss Ellie, the beautiful nine month old golden in our puppy group.

A New Sheet For the Doggy Bed?

Sep 5
Yesterday was our wedding anniversary and our oldest son cooked a beautiful dinner for us. The table was fully decked out with candles and ------------------------------------- wait for it------------------------------------------------a tablecloth. Everything was great last night, but this morning the tablecloth and candles were still on the table. Joey got very curious about the fabric hanging down and decided that it would be much easier to lay on if it was on the floor. I think it would be very easy to picture what the scene would have been like with a fully set table (and the good china). We were lucky that there was only the candelabra to be knocked over.
I am a little surprised that it took almost four months before Joey saw a tablecloth. But, having two young sons, we very seldom set the table that fancy. The holidays are still months away. And, having the boys, we almost never go to the finer dining establishments where they cover the table instead of just wiping it down.

Puppies, Attention!

Aug 27


I don’t know if I could ever be as proud of Joey as I was this morning. I took him out to watch the Honor Escort for Marine Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J.A. Schultz, who was killed in Afghanistan. He was flown into MacDill AFB and came thru Brandon on the way to Riverview. Joey sat next to me on the side of the road as the procession approached. He looked extra sharp in his blue coat. As the police cars approached, he focused his eyes on them and didn’t move a muscle. Then, just as the hearse got to us, he stood up. He stood there not moving, watching the hearse, the Patriot Riders, and the rest of the motorcade pass by. As the last police car was passing, he sat down again.
Joey had stood at attention to honor a fallen American! How could he not? His sponsor is a combat wounded Marine and a guide dog user. I am retired US Air Force. Joey somehow understands the way we feel and he paid his respects appropriately.
Now, most people would say he probably was just fascinated by the flashing lights and flapping flags, but I know better.

Take Off--- To the Great White North!

Aug 4
Joey’s trip to Canada started out with some fun. He was a true professional in the airport until we went thru security. There was a very long line, but we were ushered around to the front. They had the new body scanner working and it was really slowing things down. We were taken to the old standard metal detector. We were asked to remove Joey’s leash and have him go thru by himself. So, Cindy went thru first and then called Joey thru. Joey stopped halfway to check out the detector. BEEEEEP. Joey comes back to me to try again. Cindy calls him and I hold onto him until he is really anxious to get to her. I let go and he goes straight thru without stopping, tail wagging like crazy. Tail touches the detector and----BEEEEEP. The security guard started to have us send him thru again, but the supervisor came around from the x-ray station and said he would pat him down. We think he just wanted to play with Joey cause the “pat down” was more playful rubbing then anything else. We finally got thru and were putting our shoes on when we met a  friend of somebody else in our puppy raiser group who was flying out on a different flight. She had watched the security fun and had to come over to talk to us.

We flew into Atlanta and one of the wonderful Air-Tran supervisors escorted Joey and Dave out onto the ramp to a grassy area to let him “busy”. While boarding the connecting flight, a lady saw our SEGD Puppy Raiser shirts and was telling us how she has been a supporter of SEGD for years. We were already seated and Joey was under the seat, so she couldn’t really see him, but she made sure to find us at baggage claim after the flight so she could meet him. Joey was very good on the planes, just laying on the floor sleeping the whole way. Well, we thought he was sleeping. He was head first under the seat with his butt sticking out by our feet. Suddenly the lady in the seat ahead jumped and let out a little scream. Somebody was licking her ankle. Luckily, she was a good sport and thought it was very amusing.
We arrived in Buffalo, picked up our rental car and headed for the border. Crossing was as quick and easy as it should be, we just showed Joey’s rabies certificate along with our passports and we were thru with no problem.
While in Canada, we stayed in a little cabin on the shore of a picturesque lake and enjoyed the wonderful cool weather. Picture postcard type of wonderful. Joey experienced a few new things like a floating dock, (which didn’t faze him in the least), and the lake itself.

He enjoyed walking around on the rocks at the lakes edge, occasionally slipping in and getting a little wet. We also had him at a friend’s pool while the kids were playing in it. He kept running around the edge trying to play with them when the inevitable happened. It was an honest to goodness slip on the wet surface and the kids were quick to steer him toward the steps so he could get out on his own. So, we got a few new checkmarks on the exposure list.

On the plane coming home, we didn’t want a repeat of the ankle licking incident, so I tried to keep his rear under the seat, with his head (and tongue) out where I could keep an eye on it. Suddenly the people in front of us were laughing and trying to look under their seats and around behind them. That is when we learned that Joey’s tail is a lot longer than his tongue. Everywhere we went, people were very interested in Joey and the whole puppy-raiser idea. He made a lot of friends and made a lot of people smile.

In Memoriam

July 23

There is deep sadness in the Mihulka home this week. It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of "Squirrel", a very close, inseparable friend of Joey. Squirrel first came into the Mihulka home on May 29th, 2010 as a gift from Joey's sponsers, Jimmy and Stefanie Lannon of Sarasota. Squirrel's death came after a short case of torn stitching, followed soon after by traumatic disembowelment. Survivors include two Nylabones, three Kong toys, and a green dental chew. Services were held at the home and the body was interred in a garbage can beside the garage. Squirrel will be deeply missed by Joey.

Birth Announcements

The Mihulka family happily welcomes a brand-new bundle of joy, Chipmunk.
Born 7/23/10, the little cutie weighs in at 1.1 ounce and is 10 inches long. (not including tail)  Joey welcomed him with open mouth.