www.TheWillaWoman.com

I haven't heard from Eliiot's "mommy" yet, but hopefully no news is good news. I'm going to leave this up for another day. Thanks to all who cared. This is an email from Willie's breeder and a very special friend. Please pray for Willie's brother, Elliot. The WillaWoman ============================ BIG FAVOR TO ASK....and only if you feel comfortable with it, but if you do would you PRETTY PLEASE put out an APB on your blog for good thoughts and prayers for Elliott. You can explain his history a bit if you would, so that they don't think I just raise animals that fall apart! (Willie's hips, etc!) Elliott was never "right" from day one (and I firmly believe Becka was sick and too early into it for anyone to detect..the vet did give her a clean bill before we bred her, and of course the drug (Gentomycin...wouldn't hurt to warn about the kidney failure and hearing loss that it can cause) that they put him on two yrs ago, threw him into ...

When I started this blog back in April '05, I wrote an article about Frankie (currently in training as my 3rd sdog). I received the following question: Raze said... What breed is Frankie? Well, today I received a nice comment from Frankie's breeder with a very detailed answer! So, without further ado, let me introduce Frankie (and Willie's) most-bestest-breeder-in-the-whole-wide-world! Lady Rebecca said... Hi, since I'm Franklyn Green Beans' "breeder" I suppose I can answer this question Raze... Frankie is half Lab and half hound-mix. Besides being a breeder, I'm a Pro Trainer and an Animal Behaviorist, and as such, among many other things like working directly with clients and their humans when there is a problem beyond the skill set of a trainer, I also rehab abused/neglected dogs that have either gone into some stage of withdrawal or have become fear biters, etc. (some call me a pooch shrink, o...

Here's the reply I received from Willie's breeder. It just goes to show that one should never think their options are limited when looking for a Service Dog candidate. Organizations are great for people who cannot train. But if you have the ability to do the training, this is a great example on how to find a suitable puppy to work with. I just hope you are as bless as I was in finding a wonderful and generous breeder like I did. The WillaWoman Link to Part One ------------------------------------------- The Reply from the Breeder So glad that you found our website and enjoyed it! The answer to your question is yes, I do donate to service dog organizations and to individuals most especially. I am also a professional trainer, who does a little bit of everything. My specialties are behavior rehab, K9 training (I work with the Austin PD K9 Unit on occasion as a matter of fact!), and I have done some service and assistance dog training in the past. I do not ever charge for this kind...

About 7 years ago, I knew that my first Service Dog JoJo was going to be retiring in about 2 years. Since it takes 2 years to train a puppy to be a Service Dog, I needed to find my next dog. But I was wary about using organizations. They have very long waiting lists, charge fees, and some don't allow the handler to have other dogs in the house. There was NO WAY I was giving JoJo up when she retired. So, I decided to look for lab breeders near the Austin TX area and just simply ask the question: could they donate me a puppy? It couldn't hurt to ask, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The following is a reprint of the very first email I sent out. It was also the last email I had to send because this email was sent to Willie's breeder. I will post her response soon. Enjoy. Link to Part Two ------------------------------- I saw your website and wanted to ask you a question about your organization. I noticed that you have a "Police Donation Program". Have...

I guess I'll have to explain his name first. His breeder, the WONDERFUL Lori Dodd , puts colored collars on all her pups. Frankie had a green one on, so she called him Green Beans. I decided to name Frankie after my WONDERFUL grandfather, who passed away just a few months after Frankie was born. But my grandpa had an interesting history with his name. Everyone called him Frank, but then someone found his birth certificate, and it said his first name was Raymond, middle name Frank. Then another document was found and it said his first name was Robert! Frankly (pun intended), I think my grandpa worked for the CIA. You had to know him, he'd be the last person on earth you'd think worked for the CIA. Therefore, he'd be the perfect spy! Anyway, Frankie is currently in training to be my third service dog. We got him a little earlier than I had expected. Willie's hip surgery will probably (hopefully!) prolong his working career a few years longer then we had expected. I wi...