On Saturday, June 27, 2009, a tree was dedicated in memory of Ezra at the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in Boring, Oregon. Thank you to everyone who donated money for the purchase of this lovely tree and the beautiful plaque - written in both English and Braille. The tree was planted a month or so ago, but this was the day that we dedicated it. We had some of our puppy raiser friends from Seattle and beyond that were able to come down that day and we met together before attending a guide dog graduation there on campus. All of the puppies were sporting showy pink bandanas which they wore proudly around their necks in honor of Ezra. Our Seattle group leader, Heidi said some lovely words about the tree and Ezra. As most of you know, Ezra's favorite color was pink and he loved dogs, so a pink blooming Dogwood tree was perfect for him, as well as for the location at the guide dog campus. After Heidi's remarks we all enjoyed some ice-cream and had a few minutes to visit before going into the graduation.
Inside, as part of the opening remarks for the graduation, Heidi stood up in front of everyone in attendance to tell a little about Ezra and the tree that was planted at the campus in his memory. It was a lovely tribute to him. Thank you Heidi! The graduation was great as usual, with one of our own Seattle puppies graduating - Chaz and one of our West Seattle puppy friends graduating too - Melissa. Congrats to their dedicated puppy raisers and their new partners! After the graduation they have campus tours and as were outside visiting near Ezra's tree we noticed all of the tour groups stopping at his tree to see this lovely living memorial and the beautiful plaque.
This memorial is very sweet to my family and I. And we look forward to visiting it frequently in the coming years.
As many of you know, our family started raising guide puppies a little over 2 years ago. As a family, we had been discussing getting a dog for some time. We had read lots of books about the different breeds and caring for and training pets. Our pet knowledge was limited to a goldfish or two that we had acquired over the years. Yet, somehow, although not particularly a dog person, I wanted the kids to have a dog and thought it would contribute to the idealic childhood I wanted them to have. Then a dear friend of mine from California - Carolyn, told me about how she and her daughter Megan were going to become puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind. My first response was that I didn't think this was what I had in mind for our family. Raise a puppy, go through all the hard work of training it, fall in love with it, and then give it away! No thank you. But yet, my interest was peaked and this was a person that I love and respect very much. Ryan and I both like the idea of involving the kids in acts of service within our community, but hadn't thought of raising a dog for this purpose. I began finding out more about the puppy raiser program. When I talked to Ryan about it, his first response was similar to mine, he just wasn't sure this was the right project for our kids and not what he had been thinking of when we had decided to get a dog. We thought we would run the idea by the kids since getting a dog was something we were doing for them.
We brought it up at a family meeting, the words were barely out of my mouth - would you rather get a dog that we will keep as a family pet or raise a guide puppy for the blind. "Raise a guide puppy!!!!" - all 3 kids yelled. Their were screams of joy and the happy dance being performed by 3 excited kids. Wait, a second. "Hold on," I said. "This is a big decision, lets talk about what it means to raise a guide puppy." We told them all the requirements, about how we would all have to follow all the rules and all help in the training and then give the dog away and still the excitement never waned. They were hooked - we would raise a guide dog. In the next few months we went to weekly guide puppy meetings and all 5 of us became certified to raise guide puppies.
At the time, my kids were 9, 9, and 10. In the 2+ years the kids have faithfully attended every meeting, helped with all of the dog training, and become great spokespersons for Guide Dogs for the Blind. They have become amazingly insightful dog trainers and handlers and more compassionate people. They have met and worked with many other wonderful puppy raisers and through them others have become interested in this great organization. At my daughter's middle school this year, the students chose to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind after learning about this through my daughter. Because of our involvement with Guide Dogs for the Blind, our lives have become greatly enriched and somewhere along the way we have all become "dog people" which I believe is a very good thing.
So thank you Ezra for shouting with joy at the chance to become a puppy raiser. Ezra always loved helping others, always. He knew he could make a difference in the world. He taught me that every person can reach out and help another, no matter how old or young they are or how much money they have. Everyone can do something for someone else. Thank you Ezra. And thank you to everyone who is helping to keep Ezra's memory alive, it means so much to us.
Photos from top: Ezra & Beckley - after 15 months of training & Family shot w/Beckley - Nov 2008. 3 & 4: Beckley under Ezra's desk on the first day of 5th grade, note the pink socks, and though you can't see it, he is wearing a Guide Dogs for the Blind t-shirt. 5: Ezra, Luka, Milo and Beckley @ the puppy truck in December. 6: Ryan, Art - our current guide pup, Beckley - our career change dog and Luka at Ezra's tree. 7) Puppies at Ezra's tree: backrow - Willy (black), Gideon (golden), and Chaz (in harness); Front Row: Art - (yellow), Fantine, Faraja, and Beckley - our career change pet. NOTE: all the photos on this blog can be enlarged simply by clicking on the individual photo.
