Denver:   Leader Dog for the Blind "Mom"
       
Denver was chosen as "Pet of the Year for North Dakota" in 1999.

Denver Leader Dog 3288
24 May 1992 - 22 October 2008

She lived a long wonderful life.  She tolerated those sammies I kept bring into our homes. 
She is missed but at 16 1/2 yrs. she was struggling with walking, getting up and down BUT she still had her strong desire to eat!!  To the end, she had a strong desire to be here on Earth.  She is free to run with her son, Jack now.
I will always have Denver in my heart.


click here to go to "Jessie's" page.  She also does therapy work.

Helen and Denver practicing agility

Denver does enjoy agility.  As long as she is with me, she is happy.  Denver does visit our local nursing home.  She is extremely smart and at times you forget she is a dog and not a human.
 


Here is Denver with her first litter of puppies.  Eight lovable pups!!!  We kept one pup, 4th one from the left, and the others went onto to Leader Dogs.  Three of the seven were dismissed for elbow and hip problems but 4 are working Leader Dogs!!!  The pup we kept, Jack, was the best dog I have ever owned.  Sadly, Jack, unexpectedly died a year ago.  I came home from work and found him dead in his kennel.  He was only 3 years old and the autopsy did not provide any answers to why he died.  Jack is buried on his knoll, overlooking his favorite pond, "Jack's pond", that he always would go swimming in.  It was after Jack's death that we started to look at malamutes and samoyeds and getting into dogsledding.
Jack and Helen in Augusta, MI
 

Pups from Denver's second litter.

DID YOU HEAR?  WE ARE TO BECOME
        LEADER DOGS FOR THE BLIND!!!!
 


Here is Denver admiring her fourth litter of pups!!!  She agrees they are beautiful!!

Denver's third litter, (eight pups), have been through the program.  Six are working Leader Dogs and two were pulled from the program.  We are very proud of these pups and give a big "Thank you" to the families that raise the puppies for their first year.  It takes alot of time and a big committment to raise these dogs.

Den's fifth litter (born May1999) are returning to LD for formal training after a year in foster homes learning manners.

On May 30, 2000 Denver gave birth to her 6th litter of pups for the school.  She had 8 puppies, 4 males and 4 females.  She gave birth to this liiter at the school because this is her last litter and the school will spay her later this summer.  So we decided rather than transporting her back and forth, to leave her at LD for the duration.

Denver is back home in North Dakota.  She has been spayed and at that time mammary tumors were removed.  Cancer was diagnosed in August 2000 and she had more tumors removed.  She is recovering from surgery and seems to be doing fine.  We are monitoring her closely for any signs of cancer and praying for her to have many "golden years".