Wow, Zane, great comeback, dude!

Yes, I'm so proud of my brother-in-law, Zane! Gary & the Johnpeer gang have been working with him to becaome a therapy dog. I think he was getting tired of being a guard dog on the beaches of southern California!

Congratulations, dude! You are so handsome. Could we be "kissing cousins?"

Here is the letter that Gary sent us regarding his graduation as a therapy dog:

"I would like to congratulate you and your Pet Partner for passing the Delta Society evaluation. It is wonderful to see a handler and their dog really working well together as a team. You were both obviously responsive to each other's cues. I've attached a list of facilities that the Animal Health Foundation has volunteers visiting or have expressed an interest in having volunteers visit.

You will receive an email from Delta Society with your registration number in a couple of weeks. I would appreciate your emailing me a copy of it for my records. I will then send you a vest for your Pet Partner and you can conduct visits. Your Delta Society ID card and tags will be sent directly to you a few weeks later.

Please email me a picture (jpeg) and a paragraph or two about your Pet Partner for his business cards. The front of the card will have your Pet Partner's picture - the back of the card has Breed and a short paragraph (baseball trading card size) about your dog - such as his favorite thing to do or some people have a motto. When I receive your Pet Partner's information, I can get started on having cards made so they will be ready when he gets his ID, etc.

Thanks so much for choosing our organization to become a part of - if you ever have questions or would like to tag along with another team, I also can mentor teams when visiting a new facility - please let me know.

Thanks for bringing smiles to many people.

Jan Vincent, CPDT
Pet Partner Team Coordinator
Animal Health Foundation
Delta Society Evaluator
AKC CGC Evaluator 714.710.9114

Isn't that impressive? Good job, Zane. Dad and I are very proud of you! You are still the Zane Train, maybe now the Zane Therapy Train!

Lots of licks and love, Miss Parka

Zane's Wish for Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my friends,

I'm listening to a Josh Groven song, "when it seems we have lost our way, we find ourselves again on Christmas Day!" The song is called "Believe or If you just Believe." My former partner, Richard, really likes this song. The message is clear, if you just believe, your faith will carry you through even the toughest times.

I really miss Richard. We had so many great times together, especially playing Kong. I loved leaping high to snatch the Kong out of the air. I remember cuddling by him as we watched TV. I remember fighting Cuzzie for the Nyla-bone. Or should I say jousting, Cuzzie usually got it away from me if I dropped it for just a moment. I'm amazed that little dog has such balls, and she's a female?

I remember Richard calling last Thanksgiving and Katie put the phone near my head and Richard called out to me in the way he always had done, "Where's my buddy?" I remember looking all around the Johnpeer house thinking that maybe he is there and has come back for me. But soon I realized, it was just a dream.

Gary, my puppy-raiser Dad, is really taking good care of me. I really LOVE it here in sunny, southern California. I can't believe that I really don't miss the SNOW, but I will probably change my mind on that when it gets really HOT in the summer. Maybe I can visit Colorado sometime? Who knows.

I want to wish everyone in the Johnpeer family, Gary, Vicki, Kim and Katie a very merry Christmas and thank you so much for taking me back into your home and giving me so much LOVE. Christmas is family time and I love my family here in Brea.

I want to wish a very, merry Christmas to Richard, Claudia, Grandma and Cuzzie. Yes, even that little queen of the castle that I have read about. I know you guys will have a wonderful white Christmas! I wish I could be with you, but know that my hugs, kisses and frog dogs are sent fondly to you.

Merry Christmas to Miss Parka! You have a BIG job ahead of you. You have to keep Dad safe from those crazy drivers in Denver, ride quietly and confidently on airplanes, negotiate the crowds at airports and malls and listen carefully as he barks out those commands. Just remember, sometimes, he gets confused and tells you to do the wrong thing. Remember, intelligent disobedience, was crafted for just those moments!

Eat lots of kibble today and doggie treats! It's Christmas time! Celebrate!

Love, Zane

Zane's Tuna Fish Caper

Hey Richard!

It's Zane!

Well we had an exciting day here yesterday with all the southern California wildfires. We almost had to evacuate. It's a good thing I was here because I had everything under control and we are all safe today. Only problem is when I go outside the white ash particles fall on my black fur and it reminds me of snow. And you know what I think of snow!

About 7:30 PM last night Vicki had supper all cooked (tuna casserole) when the police started announcing that the next neighborhood to the east of us had to evacuate. She put the casserole on the edge of the sink while the family went outside to listen to the police announcements (on the police loudspeakers). I felt it was my duty to do a sample taste of their casserole while the house was quiet inside. Unfortunately, Vicki caught me taste testing the casserole when she came in. There wasn't much left for them to eat after I got done. Gosh, I figured that since I got to eat cantelope in Denver that I could certainly eat tuna casserole in California. Anyway, it was certainly quite tasty and much more flavorful than the Science Diet stuff I usually get.

Anyway, as you can see, I'm doing my job and keeping everybody here safe. They didn't sleep well last night but I sure did.

I love and miss you,

Zane