Rock the Vote!

In an effort to get people to vote for Heeling Autism to win $250,000 from Pepsi's Refresh campaign, we printed out a bunch of fliers and took to the streets of Manhattan to hand them out. Michelle came down from Yorktown Heights with boxes and boxes of free Pepsi t-shirts to hand out (who doesn't love free stuff??!) in the hopes of convincing people to vote.

Frito and Paloma on the ride to Union Square:


Waiting for others to arrive:



Julia, Charlotte, and Michelle getting ready to hand out t-shirts and fliers. You would be amazed at how reluctant New Yorkers are to take anything from anyone, regardless of whether it is free or not. Like another raiser said when he tried handing out fliers, New Yorkers act like you are trying to hand them a pile of steaming poop. It made for a frustrating evening but I feel like we made a slight impact at the very least.


Everyone was fascinated by Dina and kept asking what kind of dog she is. She is one unique and beautiful looking shepherd!


Frito guarded the van while we handed out t-shirts. She lazily awaited her admirers to approach her.


In the end, Heeling Autism finished in 5th or 6th place so we did not win the $250,000 prize. Everyone was bummed, of course, but although we did not win the money, we brought more awareness to the Heeling Autism program so all was not lost!

Vote!

Borrowed this from Emily's blog - please vote for GEB's Heeling Autism program!!

Guiding Eyes started a service dog program a few years ago for children with autism. "Heeling Autism" dogs prevent the children from bolting, provide companionship and confidence, and can forever change the life of the child and his family. Guiding Eyes provides the dogs to the children free of charge, just to help with the family's search for other treatments.

So, for the month of August "Heeling Autism" is up for a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project for $250,000. The money will pay for 3 vans for transportation to training sites, a new instructor, and 10 vests and harnesses for each team. The top two ideas in each category (5K, 25K, 50K, 250K) get the funding. We're currently ranked 6th, not too shabby, but not good enough. So, I ask that everyone go here and PLEASE vote. To register only takes a minute and you need to vote everyday. You can also vote via text message "101731" to PEPSI (73774).

Your vote can change the life of an autisic child and their family forever. Also, spread the word! Repost this, tell your friends, post to your facebook wall, DO SOMETHING! Your vote makes a difference. Remember, Vote daily, by text and/or email. (If your sneaky, you can register more than one email and get more votes in!)

PS-Make sure the little "10 votes left" box rolls to a nine after you vote to make sure it counted!

My Second Puppy!

As of August 15, 2010, I have a reservation on a litter for my next puppy!! It is sad to think of Frito leaving, yet exciting to think of the next puppy as well.

The puppies were born on August 11, 2010, to Phyllis and Cletus. There is not a stud photograph of Cletus on the GEB website yet, but here is Miss Phyllis:


Both Phyllis and Cletus are actually related to Frito. Phyllis gave birth to Yuri, who is Frito's father and Diva, who is Frito's mother, is also the mother of Cletus. I like to keep it all in the family. :)

Since I do early socialization at the breeding kennel once per week, I was able to capture pictures of each puppy at one week old before they headed off to home litter care. Wonder which one of these babies will be mine??

Little Angel

Appearances can be so deceiving...

Brooklyn Bound!

Five years ago in August, my friend Silva and I moved to New York City together from Wisconsin. It is truly crazy to think that five years have passed and even crazier to think how things have changed over those five years. One of the first things Silva and I did after arriving in NYC was to go to Coney Island so we figured what better way to celebrate our five year anniversary but to return to Coney Island. Frito decided to tag along!

"Mom - can I pleeeeease go on the sand??"


I suggested we pose for a picture together instead. I do not think Frito liked that idea quite as much but she reluctantly complied.


We found a small patch of sand along the boardwalk and I let Frito "go sniff," which she translated into "go eat." I do not think she will try that again.



It was a gorgeous day outside so there were lots and lots of people on the beach and boardwalk. Frito was not phased by any of it!




After we walked around the boardwalk and stopped to enjoy Nathan's hot dogs (yummy!), we headed over to the baseball stadium where the Brooklyn Cyclones play. It was Frito's first sports game that she attended - she did not seem all that impressed.


For the most part Frito ignored all the food and garbage on the ground, but I confess - she did snag a few pieces of popcorn. She even claimed this entire box of popcorn as her own.


At the end of the game, Frito got to meet the Cyclone mascot, which I believe was an eagle. Again, she was not terribly impressed.

Doing the Tourist Thing

Our puppy classes are held at the Animal Medical Center, which is located on East 62nd Street in Manhattan. To get there via subway, I have to take the 4 or 5 train which stops at East 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Now if I did not have a dog with me, this would be no problem. But, with a dog (i.e. Frito) who cannot ride an escalator, this subway station is a nightmare. It is very deep under ground and you can either take like five escalators to ground level or walk up just as many stairs, which are very narrow and difficult to navigate with a dog while people are trying to walk down the same stairs at the same time (I tried it once with Frito - it was NOT fun - it is impossible to take the time Frito needs to feel comfortable on those particular stairs without irritating other people).

So, when I take the subway to class, Frito and I take the R train to a station that is farther away but involves two much shorter staircases. I look at the longer walk as a nice way for Frito to burn some energy before class and for me to get some pictures of Frito around the city.

Here is Frito with one of the horses on the perimeter of Central Park:


In front of the Plaza Hotel looking for Eloise:


We made a pit stop in Duane Reade for some beverages. Frito picked out a bottle of Fanta (incidentally, her sister's name is Fanta...)


Our final stop before class was the Container Store. Frito is not much of a sniffer but she likes to stick her nose in places, like dishwashers, shelves, etc, so I thought the Container Store would be good practice for her to keep her nose to herself.


Frito did such a great job in the store that I gave her to the command to "go sniff" and she picked out some bright blue baskets. She pouted a little bit when I told her we could not get them but she'll get over it.