It's time for some introductions

By HELEN GUILFORD

Whenever I'm out with a dog, there are myriad questions. By the same token, when I'm without a dog, there are myriad questions. For those of you who have asked, here's the first Norton column.

Norton is a Goldendoodle, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a standard Poodle. He will be two years old in December.

Like Ingrid, his first training took place in the Northwest Prerelease Center, a women's prison in Cleveland. The women there are really good with the dogs and spend lots of time in training. They live together in small cells 24/7.

When the dog is about a year old, he/she returns to Swanton for further evaluation and hip x-rays. If all is well, he is then placed in foster care for the next several months. (That is how I was able to keep Ingrid for 50 weeks!)

Sometime after Norton was placed in foster care, his foster "mom" got sick. When he was returned to ADAI, the staff noticed he was extremely thin. This was a severely underweight and dehydrated dog. He was hospitalized for a couple of days.

My phone rang. Would I take this Goldendoodle? I had been without a dog for several weeks and was pretty eager to get my life back on track so, of course, I would take him. "He's been sick and is very thin." I could deal with that. "Can you pick him up at the vet hospital?" Once, again, of course.

Well, "thin" wasn't the word for this dog! He was skin and bones. That was about five weeks ago. Back to being healthy, he has gained back at least part of the 20 pounds he had lost. Lab tests showed he had viral E-coli.

While in training in prison, he had achieved the highest level of training. I didn't learn that until I'd had him a couple of weeks and then had difficulty believing it. But, apparently when his foster mom got sick, he was allowed to be a nice pet dog and was not reminded of his prior training.

So, I've spent a lot of time trying to discover just how much he knows. He's pretty good at fooling me, too. But, if I work diligently enough, I find he has, indeed, been exposed to a lot of commands I thought he didn't know.

Now, as to the other guy in the photo. That's Victor, my own eight-week-old German Shepherd puppy. He and Norton are great pals.

Victor is all puppy and does all those things you expect a young puppy to do -- from stealing shoes to doing his "business" wherever the urge strikes!

Forget the shoes. We're working on that "business" thing pretty hard. He is learning, but I must never forget how long he has been in because he hasn't caught on to telling me he has to go!

When he wakens in the night, though, he cries until I take him out to "break". He doesn't want his kennel dirty or wet. So, I know that will all work out in time.

Well, there are your introductions. You will probably hear more about both Norton and Victor in future columns. For now, it's just an opportunity to meet them.

Hey! You know, while we're doing introductions -- have you met my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? He is the most loving Person you will ever meet and cares more about you and me than we can ever imagine.

He said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) If you don't know Him, won't you take time to get acquainted today? It's far more important than getting to know my dogs.