March 31, 2011

072 - Waiting For the Tooth Fairy

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is asleep on a carpeted floor, with his head resting on a small plaid pillow. He is curled up so his back paws are almost touching his nose. In front of Romero's face, a hand is holding a small canine puppy tooth that Romero has recently lost.
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March 30, 2011

071 - Romero on Road and Rail

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is in a down position under the seat in a streetcar. The picture is taken from down low at his level, and he is looking into the camera with his serious working face on. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket and an orange leash. There is one single seat in front of him, and then a red barrier blocking the driver's seat. There was a similar picture taken of Romero several months ago on a city bus, and at the time he was a tiny puppy resting between my boots. Now he takes up nearly all of my footspace, and his head reaches nearly to my knee!
Romero has now travelled by car, bus, GO train, subway, and streetcar!
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March 29, 2011

070 - Soak Up The Sun

Black lab Dallas and black lab puppy Romero, who is quickly catching up to Dallas in size, are lying side by side out on the back deck enjoying a bit of sunshine. Romero wears a blue and gray Blue Jays collar, and Dallas wears a red leather collar that has an octagonal metal license tag that is reflecting the sunlight. Behind the dogs is a wall of the red brick house and a sliding back door with white trim.
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March 28, 2011

069 - Cuddling

In this picture, Romero's foster mom, Sam, is lying on her back on the kitchen floor with her knees bent up so that her feet are resting flat on the floor. She is wearing a red CANADA sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white socks. 4 month old black lab puppy Romero is lying on top of her, sort of on his side, so that his head is resting on her face, and his body stretches along her torso with his legs hanging off to the right side. Romero is wearing his gray and blue Blue Jays collar. Sam has her arms wrapped around Romero's body in a hug. At the very bottom of the picture you can see one of black lab Dallas' paws as she is also lying nearby on the kitchen floor.
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March 27, 2011

068 - Romero's Quilt, Step 3

Black lab puppy is lying down on the floor in a still quite messy sewing room. There are small cushions on the floor on either side of Romero, and a desk chair behind him. The chair is empty, but positioned in front of a sewing machine. Romero's quilt is sitting at the machine as the final touches are being added to the front of the quilt. The quilt has a centre of brightly coloured squares, a black border, a thick cream border, another thin black border, and finally another row of black and coloured squares. The newest addition is several dog silhouettes in the cream area. The only ones that can be seen in this picture are a small black lab puppy in a green (foster puppy) jacket in the bottom left corner, and beside that a larger black lab in an orange (hearing ear) jacket.
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March 26, 2011

067 - Purple Day at the Science Centre

This is a picture of a wall outside the space exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre. The wall is white and the following quotation is written in black across the top of the wall - Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science - Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953), astronomer. The same quote is written in french below. Below that is a row of five large pictures of celestial objects (stars, planets, etc). Black lab puppy Romero is in a down position on the blue floor against this wall. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket, a purple bandana, and has a thick purple leash draped over his back.
One of Romero's possible future careers is Seizure Response dog, so today he proudly participated in Purple Day by wearing a purple leash and bandana in support of epilepsy awareness.
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March 25, 2011

066 - Size Comparison

4 month old black lab puppy Romero and his big sister black lab Dallas are sitting in front of a white door in a room with blue walls and cream-coloured carpet. There is a wooden bookshelf on the right of the picture. Romero is wearing a blue Toronto Blue Jays collar, and Dallas is wearing a plain red leather collar. They are sitting right beside each other so that their front paws are touching. Both are looking upwards into the camera. Both have pretty brown eyes, though Dallas' are a lighter shade than Romero's. Although Romero is still a fair bit smaller than Dallas, in this position his head is only about an inch or so shorter than hers - he looks huge!
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March 24, 2011

065 - A Night For Dog Guides

Black lab puppy Romero is sitting in a large open room that looks kinda like a museum exhibit hall. He is wearing his green Future Dog Guide jacket and has a thin red leash draped over his back. Just behind him is a large white cylinder with two models of dogs sitting on top. One appears to be a yellow lab, and the other a Rottweiler. Around the cylinder are plaques with pictures and information about the various types of dog breeds, such as hound, working, etc. Behind this display you can see other posters and displays showing pictures of dogs and wolves.
Romero had fun exploring PawsWay, the location of this year's live auction in support of Dog Guides. 
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March 23, 2011

064 - So Much For Spring

Black lab puppy Romero is trudging through about 10 centimetres of freshly fallen snow in our backyard, with even more falling down around him. Along the top border of the picture is a wooden fence and one small tree, and the rest of the picture is white. Romero is in the centre of the picture walking towards the camera, and his black fur is speckled with snowflakes. The snow comes nearly up to his belly in some places. He is stepping forward with his left front paw, and there is a spray of snow coming from his leg as he lifts it.
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March 22, 2011

063 - Sleeping Upside Down

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is sleeping on his back underneath a desk. His back half is lying on a large grey blanket, with his head and shoulders on the white carpet. His neck is stretched back showing his blue and gray Blue Jays collar, and his mouth is very slightly open, showing his pearly white teeth. His front arms are held up by his chest like a hopping kangaroo. His back legs are sprawled open showing his little bare belly. Also underneath the desk are a big wooden chest and a stack of binders and paper.
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March 21, 2011

062 - Beaver Group Visit

A blissful black lab puppy Romero is being hugged by two young boys in a school gymnasium. Romero is wearing his green future dog guide jacket. The boy behind Romero is wearing a maroon t-shirt and has his arms wrapped around Romero's neck. His face is cropped out of the picture but you can see his huge smile, completely with newly grown-in front teeth! The other boy is on the right side of the picture at Romero's head. He is wearing a blue plaid shirt and scratching under Romero's chin and chest. He is gazing down lovingly at Romero's face.
Tonight I brought Romero to visit my Beavers group for the first time. It was a great opportunity for the kids to learn about working dogs and for Romero to practice behaving around kids. The meeting went well ... Romero was on his best behaviour and maybe even rubbed off on the boys a bit. I have never seen them as obedient as when we played a game of "Ship To Shore" using dog commands!
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March 20, 2011

061 - Tired Boys

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is taking a nap with his big brother, 7 year old yellow lab Baloo. They are both lying on the kitchen floor, with Baloo right along the sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. He is lying on his side with his right front leg tucked up towards his body. Romero's head is resting on Baloo's back legs, and he is lying partly on top of an old white towel that we use to wipe the dogs' feet when they come inside. Both boys are fast asleep, oblivious to the rest of the world.
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March 19, 2011

060 - Too Many Toys

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is lying in the middle of an upside down round dog bed made of a blue and tan patterned fabric which is on the tiled kitchin floor. Surrounding him is WAY TOO MANY dog toys that were found while we were cleaning behind the couches in the family room. Romero is looking pathetically up at the camera as if he can't decide which toy to chew on. There are five nylabones between his legs, two normal, a wishbone, and two dinosaur. There are about 6 small natural bones lying on the dog bed and spilling onto the floor. There are also six or seven stuffed toys in various states of disrepair. Spoiled puppy!
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March 18, 2011

059 - Lucky Charm

This is a closeup of black lab puppy Romero's head as he is looking over his right shoulder. He has a longish muzzle with a leathery black nose and dark brown eyes that are looking into the camera. His right ear is pulled back as though he is listening to a sound behind him. Around his neck is a new collar, about an inch wide. It is blue and gray with a white pattern that looks like the stitching on a baseball. It also has the word JAYS next to the Blue Jays logo, a profile of a blue jay head. Behind Romero you can see a bookshelf, a brown laundry hamper, and Romero's wire crate.
The Blue Jays have won five of their six (albeit, meaningless as it's still spring training) games since Romero started sporting his Jays collar. Coincidence or canine good luck charm?
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March 17, 2011

058 - Let's Go To The Movies

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is sitting, facing the camera, in front of a movie poster outside a movie theatre. Romero is wearing his green future dog guide jacket, a blue collar, and a red leash. The poster above him is for The Adjustment Bureau, with the tagline Fight For Your Fate. Only the bottom half of the poster is in the photo, it shows a woman in a red dress and a man in a black suit running down a sidewalk. The bright movie theatre lights are reflecting off both the movie poster and Romero's eyes.
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March 16, 2011

057 - Signs of Spring?

This is a picture of the shadows of puppy Romero and his handler as they walk down the sidewalk. It is late afternoon, so the shadows are long, stretching across the sidewalk and onto the grass that is just starting to turn green. The person's shadow is on the right side of the picture, slightly ahead of Romero's shadow. Romero's shadow is looking up towards his handler as he trots along beside her. The shadow of the leash hangs gently between the two.
Yesterday on my walk with Romero, I wore a hat and thought a scarf might have been a good idea. Today, the sun was out and I didn't even need a jacket!
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March 15, 2011

056 - "HEEL"

This is a somewhat blurry action shot of black lab puppy Romero walking down the sidewalk in our neighbour in a nice heel position. The picture is taken at his level, so all you see of his handler is one blue-jeaned left leg as it is stepping forward. Romero's left leg is also stepping forward, and his shoulders are lined up with his handler's leg. His red leash hangs in a small J position from his blue and gray collar. Romero's head is looking towards the camera, and it is the only part of the picture really in focus. His wet black nose looks like a perfect button and his eyes look like shiny black marbles.
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March 14, 2011

055 - Grocery Shopping

Four month old black lab puppy Romero is sitting in front of one of the freezers in the ice cream aisle at the grocery store. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket that is starting to get a little small on him. His green leash is looped over the handle of a small grocery cart that contains various containers of fruit. Although this is his first time visiting the grocery store, he looks very non-chalant about the situation.
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March 13, 2011

054 - Romero's Quilt, Step 2

Black lab puppy Romero is lying at the top left corner of the partially sewn together quilt that is lying on the floor. The centre of the quilt is a rectangle of 4 squares by 3 squares of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple patterned fabric. Around that is a thin border of plain black. Around that is a thick border of cream fabric with white bones and light brown pawprints on it. Around the cream is another thin black border. Laid out around the edge of the outside black border is another row of coloured squares along with a few plain black squares and a few black squares with white paw prints. These squares are not yet sewn together as we were just in the middle of rearranging them to determine the best pattern. Romero is attempting to help out by laying on top of some of the fabric squares!
Raffle tickets will be on sale within the next month!
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March 12, 2011

053 - Romero's Quilt, Step 1

4 month old black lab Romero is peacefully sleeping under a small wooden coffee table with his head resting on a big green pillow. The table is covered with quilting supplies and the beginning of a dog-themed quilt. Currently, the quilt consists of 12 coloured squares sewn together into a 4 by 3 rectangle. There are two each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple fabric. The red fabric is patterned with white bones and brown paw prints. The orange fabric is sort of mottled, light orange in some places and darker orange in others. The yellow fabric is covered in straight lines of small dots. The green fabric has a very small leaf-like pattern. The blue fabric is covered in small light blue paw prints. The purple fabric is patterned with stars. Around the rectangle, long thin strips of plain black border have been laid out, ready to be sewn on next. One of these strips is hanging of the table and dangling right in front of Romero's face. On the end of the table is a large piece of plain black fabric, and a box of pins resting on top of a pile of more coloured squares.
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March 11, 2011

052 - The Wave

The picture is a close-up of black lab puppy Romero's back. Romero is in a down position on a cream coloured carpet. Romero's fur is black and shiny, and a bit longer than a typical lab. Up between his shoulders, his thick fur curls in small waves. Lower on his back towards his tail, the fur zig-zags in much larger waves along his spine. His long tail is out of focus in this picture, but you can see that it is fairly wavy too, with a little tuft of fur at the tip.
As a sidenote, congratulations to Ricky Romero for being named the Blue Jays' opening day starter, and to the entire Blue Jays team for a big win over the Yankees in today's spring training game!
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March 10, 2011

051 - Home of the Blue Jays

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is sitting at the top of a sloping, paved path. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket, a blue and gray patterned collar, and a red leash. He is sitting sideways to the camera, but his head is turned to face the camera. Both of his ears are perked up, making him looking very alert. Behind Romero is a black chainlink fence, and some distance behind that is the Rogers Centre, the home baseball stadium for the Toronto Blue jays. The stadium is basically a big concrete rectangle with lots of blue windows and red lettering that says ROGERS CENTRE along the top. It has a white domed roof, although it mostly blends into the sky in this picture. On the right of the picture you can see just a small piece of the base of the CN tower. The weather is quite gross, overcast and rainy, and there is still a little bit of snow on the ground.
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March 9, 2011

050 - Romero and the Great Glass Elevator

Black lab puppy Romero is lying in the centre of a fairly large glass elevator that is travelling from the second floor down to the main floor of a large shopping mall. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket, is attached to a green leash, and is looking up sweetly into the camera. Through the glass, several customers are seen sitting at small round tables near a coffee stand.
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March 8, 2011

049 - Mardi Gras

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is lying on his round dog bed in front of an unlit fireplace. Hanging around his neck are about 10 shiny gold, green, and purple strings of Mardi Gras beads. His head is slightly turned and you can see his little whiskers around his muzzle. He looks very sweet and innocent, and festive of course.
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March 7, 2011

048 - Brothers

Black lab puppy Romero is doing his best to cuddle up with his big brother Baloo. Baloo, a very big yellow lab with a white face and darker ears and body, is lying on a round dog bed in front of a purple couch. He has a blue ball and rope toy lying between his front arms. Romero is lying with just his head and front paws on the bed next to one of Baloo's paws, but not quite touching him. Romero looks content. Baloo's head is turned away from Romero and he looks like he's not quite sure about hanging out with his annoying little brother, and is contemplating moving to a better resting spot.
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March 6, 2011

047 - Comfort

A close-up shot of 4 month old black lab Romero's head and shoulders as he is lying on a big, pillowy dog bed. The bed is a very pale yellowy cream colour with a pattern of pale green palm leaves on the top. Romero's head is lying in the centre of the bed, with his left arm stretched out beside him and his right arm tucked under him. He looks incredibly comfortable!
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March 5, 2011

046 - "Helping" In The Sewing Room

This is a picture of a fairly messy sewing room containing an ironing board, an office chair, and a wooden desk piled with books, fabric, a desk light, a sewing machine, and other sewing and craft supplies. Black lab puppy Romero is on tie-down, attached by a red leash to the desk chair. He is fast asleep, curled up on top of a fabric cutting board and a small cushion on the floor of the room.
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March 4, 2011

045 - "DOWN"

4 month old black lab puppy Romero is showing off his DOWN position. The picture is taken from above him and he is looking up into the camera. He is lying on a somewhat dirty white carpet with his long front legs stretched ahead of him. He is resting on his left hip with his back legs tucked close to his body and his tail curled beside his legs. He is wearing a thick blue and silver patterned collar that is buckled right under his chin.


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March 3, 2011

044 - 4 Months, 35.2 Lbs

4 month old black lab Romero is sitting on a shiny metal scale in a vet clinic exam room. A black coiled cord reaches from the corner of the scale up to a small screen on the wall which reads 35.2. There is a counter/exam table to Romero's left. Sitting on the slightly raised scale, Romero's head is now about half as high as the top of the counter.
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March 2, 2011

043 - Out For Dinner

Black lab puppy Romero is tucked under a table at a restaurant. He is lying on a tile floor, leaning against the big black base of the table. He is wearing his green future dog guide jacket and has a green nylon leash attached to his collar. Romero is looking upwards toward the camera. He has just finished either sticking his tongue out or licking his lips, so he has a really funny expression on his face, with his lips all puffed out in an odd little smile.
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March 1, 2011

042 - Big Boy Teeth

This picture is a close-up of black lab puppy Romero's mouth. A hand overtop of his muzzle is holding his lips slightly open so his teeth are showing. Most of his teeth are his sharp, tiny little puppy teeth. His jaw is starting to get big so the teeth are getting quite spread out. However, he has lost his front 4 puppy teeth and the larger adult teeth are just starting to poke through the gums.
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