From the beginning...

Hi! My name is Kismet!

I was born on April 15, 2012. I have five brothers, and two sisters. I didn't realize it until yesterday (June 1, 2012) but I was destined to have a very special job when I grow up! I get to be a diabetes alert service dog! I'm pretty excited. My sister, Karma, gets to be a diabetes alert service dog too. I'm so proud of her.

Karma (top) and Kismet (bottom)

On June 1st, I met the family who is going to take care of me for the next couple of months while I grow from a small puppy into a big puppy. Their job is to love me, and let me be a happy puppy - while teaching me structure, and helping introduce me to the delicious scent of low blood sugars (yum!). Here are some of the fun things I experienced and learned while I was in their care....

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6/5/12 - Today I went to my first meeting with the guide dogs. It was weird. The dogs were all like living statues. I kept trying to bark at them, but they just looked at me like I was from another planet or something!  Sarah and Mrs. Gonzalez held me back firmly as I did my best impression of an eel, squirming and trying to burrow under their firm arms, so I could check out these odd canines. I never did get free, so I was a little disappointed. The dogs weren't statues, because when the meeting was over they walked out the door, but I think they must be mimes because there were like 10 dogs and they were all completely silent.

Now that I've gotten comfortable with my family, I'm ready to start acting like the crazy puppy I really am. If you're wearing tennis shoes, those laces are mine. If you want to go right, I'm thinking left is more fun. And if you take your eyes off me for 0.5 seconds, I will leave you a special gift. I'm really glad my family is so patient. Unfortunately, I think they're on to me. I heard a lot of discussions today about being firm and showing me who's boss. Gulp.

6/3/2012 - Today I'm learning about boundaries. I don't really understand why EVERYTHING isn't a toy. I mean, it's really fun to chew on table legs and bite toes. And really, why would you leave them around like that if you don't want me to play with them? Mrs. Gonzalez is drinking a lot of coffee today. I knew she was going to want coffee today, so I made sure to wake her up every two hours last night - cause I'm a good puppy and I care.

My evening was totally awesome. My family was busy talking about their day, and I found a new activity. First I peed on the tile floor and made a really nice puddle, and then I splashed and pounced in it! It splashed all over. My family didn't really seem to appreciate the total awesomeness of my new game though, so I think maybe I'll go back to peeing outside instead.

6/2/2012 - On my second day I spent most of the day at the Gonzalez home. I REALLY wanted to play with their older dog, Belle, but my family kept us separated by a gate and told me I wasn't allowed to bark at her. We went to Musical Mayhem Productions again for a theater orientation. They told me I'd be spending a lot of time there this summer, but that's okay because everyone there thinks I'm really cute. In the afternoon, Mrs. Gonzalez left for awhile, and when she came back it was like Christmas time! She brought me toys to chew, a pretty blue bowl that folds up, and lots of bags to put my poo poo in (I like to make poo poo for her). At dinner time the family sat down to eat chicken and artichokes, which smelled really good. They told me I had to be quiet and lay down under the table. I did it without complaining because these are my people, and I can tell they love me. I did pee once in the house, but I peed outside about 5 times, and pooped outside twice - so for my first full day I think I did pretty well.

I love to snuggle

6/1/2012 - On my first day with the Gonzalez family, I got to go meet lots of people at an open house for Musical Mayhem Productions. The kids there thought I was really cute. At night Mrs. Gonzalez told me I had to sleep in a crate. I wasn't too excited about that because I was used to sleeping with my brothers and sisters in a nice warm clump, but she sat by my crate and petted me until I was comfortable enough to go to sleep. Of course, I'm a puppy, so I don't sleep for long and I woke her up a few times.

I just got my name! 

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?