Right around the time school began is when I started going to the meetings. How it works is there are many many guide dog groups in different states throughout the northwest. In Washington alone there are over 15 different groups. The group closest to me meets 3 or 4 times a month at the Phinney neighborhood center. Our Seattle based guide dog group is called Guide Puppies of Seattle and at the time when I first started coming to the meetings there were only 7-10 dogs in our group. These dogs, or puppies, ranged in age from 8 weeks to 15 months old.

Now you might be wondering the same thing that I was on the day of my first meeting: "what exactly do they do?" The answer is simple but complex.

Before I start my tale and tell you about my first guide puppy, Garth, as good a place to start as any is by answering a question that I often get asked. "How did you get started?" What people really mean to ask is, "How can I get involved," at least that's usually what they mean. I'll try to answer both those questions, but let's start with the first one.

Ever since I can remember, I have loved animals, and especially dogs. If you take a look at one of the photo albums we have stored in our garage, you will see countless pictures of me with a varitety of animals. In one picture i am petting a goat at a petting zoo, in another I have our oversized, 60 pound dog smothering me in my 3-year old lap, and in yet another you see me peering straight into the eyes of a baby falcon. So, it is no surprise that after 2 years of begging and pleading and after doing an infinite amount of chores, at the age of 12, my parents finally relented to the family adopting a rescue dog. Unlike myself, my parents were and still are less than fond of dogs. Well, that's actually more of an averaged statement because my dad somewhat likes dogs and my mom very much dislikes them.

Being the avid dog fanatic that I am, I was not satisfied with merely one dog and a year later wanted a second, which my my parents firmly refused to allow to happen. No amount of begging or chores was about to change their mind, so though i often attempted to convince them otherwise, Lucky was to be my only dog.

While I had assumed that my parents had been completely ignoring my dire pleas for another dog, and well, my mom had, my dad had been talking to his friends and doing a little research. He had discovered a solution, and one that i would never have thought, or dreamed, of.
His briliant and life changing solution, if you haven't already guessed, was Guide Dogs!

So, I guess the best way to start a blog is to tell you exactly what its about. There were a lot of different aspects of my life that I was considering blogging, for example, trying to become a state champion in basketball, or learning to skateboard, or even what its like to have 3 younger siblings, but I decided to blog about what its like to live life raising a guide dog. I chose this topic because it is unique and really quite interesting. I have so many great stories to tell about guide dogs and hope that everyone enjoys them. Also, check out my website at http://my-dog-store.net