Bone Voyage!

Today, REBA III, my service puppy-in-training from Canine Companions for Independence, goes to advanced training. She's in Oceanside, CA, with her "weekend mom," who kindly flew there with her yesterday and will attend the turn-in ceremony today.

Reba arrived as a 7.5 week old 8 pound puppy the Friday before Thanksgiving, 2008. She was adorable.

She was never really a retriever, but like to chew on things and carry them around. Her favorite when she was little was my husband's size 12 black cowboy boots. Fortunately the boots survived puppyhood.

I loved her antics, like here where she tried to cram herself into a bed that was waaay too small for her.

Like most Labradors, food was high on her priority list. Here, she's waiting for someone to pick up her bowl and fill it.

She went to work with me pretty much every day and had a great sense of time. Every day at 5 she'd let me know it was time to go home and FEED HER.

She loved to sleep upside-down. Often this involved ridiculous poses and bared teeth.

How can you resist this much cuteness?

Occasionally she did manage to look like she had some dignity.

Or was a REAL puppy-in-training.

But not often.

Did I mention that she liked to sleep upside-down?

Really, really liked to sleep upside-down?

Of course, when you sleep in funny poses, your mom takes funny pictures of you. I call this the Vampire Labrador pose. Fierce, no?

And the ears... you could pet them all day, and style them. Here she displays near-perfect ear-floppage.

Reba will have another 6 months of advanced training (if she doesn't get thrown out before then for eating twist-ties) before being placed with someone. I sure hope she behaves herself and is a good student so that she can graduate! If not, she'll come back to Austin and be placed with a co-worker of mine, so either way, she'll have a wonderful life!

Even so, I'm gonna miss this face.

Good luck, little Lablet! We'll miss you!