I'm sorry this post is so overdue! School has been keeping me quite busy and midterms start next week, so I thought I would write this before all my exams began!
Graduation was AMAZING! Getting there was quite interesting: Train from school to home. Car from home to CCI. Car from CCI to home. Plane from home to school. Phew. It was an exhausting weekend, but definitely worth every second!
When we first arrived, the instructors told us to make sure we try to avoid the dogs we raised until it was the proper time to see them. My parents and I were waiting in the lobby and right when I saw Ty I knew it was her. We hid around the corner until her trainer took her from her new family and brought her into a separate room. It was so cool seeing her walk in with her blue vest on and her new family by her side. She looked so happy and just like the same baby I had raised (no, she hasn't grow a bit! Still hovering just above 50lbs). After all the dogs were there, the instructors let us into the room. All the dogs were in a down-stay...a cute mushy pile of heroes! Then one-by-one the dogs were passed out to their raisers. Tyanna who is SUCH a mellow girl got as excited as she does when she saw me :). It was so nice to have her back in my arms. She smelled the same, felt the same, had the same looks, mannerisms, everything! She has matured, but over all she was exactly how I remember her. I will admit, after being away from puppy raising for 6 months and not having a dog next to me at all times, it was weird to look down and see her staring back...but I LOVED it.
After the reunion, I took her outside to "hurry" and then we took some pictures....and she definitely still has a huge disliking for having her picture taken. Whenever she sees the red auto-focus light go on she turns her head. It's funny at first then just plain annoying! Between her hating pictures and the reflective strip on her vest and the inability to use flash in many places (flashes can cause a strobe affect which affects children with autism), the pictures aren't that great.
What made me laugh was when I got on the ground she just plopped herself in my lap like she always used to. It was so funny to see her do the things I have missed so so so so much.
After the pictures my family had lunch with Ty's new family. They are absolutely amazing! Their family is everything I ever hoped and prayed for. I'm so excited for Tyanna to start her new journey with them! I gave Tyanna's new partner (Jackson) the picture book I made him and he and his sister loved all the 'baby Tyanna' pictures!
After lunch was time for the ceremony. As always, it was absolutely incredible. I met up with Kara and her SD Jen II. They came home from college just to be at graduation with me! It meant so much! We had a great time crying and laughing together as the dogs were presented. Going on stage and handing over the leash was incredible. It was very emotional to have to say goodbye to the baby once more, but this was definitely a happy goodbye. I will keep you guys updated as I do...so check back every now and then!
As you can see, Jackson's younger sister adores TY! She loves to practice the "shake" command :).
I want to thank everyone who has been reading and contributing to this blog over the past 20 months. You all provided such a network of support, advice, and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you all! Once I'm out of school, I will definitely be back to raising...so look out! I'll be sure to keep tabs on your blogs and puppies until then!
