+Dorsetgal & GeoDog Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Many of you who donated to Caesars' memorial fund and left a valid email address will have already heard this news - Caesars' successor has arrived! On Valentine's Day, I started training with a new male Golden Retriever from Dogs for the Disabled called Udo, he was exactly 20 months old that day too! We successfully completed residential training by the Friday morning, and have now returned home together, with domiciliary training continuing for a few weeks to come. Udo has an appealing character, is confident and almost glides alongside my wheelchair already! He's a lovely dog, and I hope shortly we shall go on to qualify as a registered assistance dog partnership. I'm sure you'll all appreciate the fact that after he'd been in my possession just a few short hours, after class had finished for the first day, we found our first geocache together!! Just 210' from our bedroom in the Dogs for the Disabled compound! Many thanks to The Allottment Gardner for setting that cache so conveniently! Dog owners, we completed the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme bronze award 72 hours after being partnered together! It's been a long wait for a successor to Caesar, but Dogs for the Disabled were really keen it had to be the right dog (the first two with my name on proved unsuitable for me in the final stages of training and were placed with others) - and Udo has had some extra advanced training to ensure he's capable and happy with the job, and has the skills to enable him to succeed! He's already been on a couple fo flights with his instructor and apparently coped very well, and has his passport too. Since we've been home we've been working hard at giving him new experiences, and last weekend he attended his first geoevent! Life suddenly has colour again! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the difficult times. Quote Link to comment
+Simply Paul Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Welcome to the fold Udo! I hope he'll be able to help you and support you just as well as Caesar did. He certainly looks the part in that photo. May it be a long and successful partnership. And once more, your caching team name is fully valid; I know you've already been out caching together Quote Link to comment
+Maple Leaf Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 That is such good news Wendy and glad you introduced him to caching so early. I look forward to meeting him sometime. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Good news! (I drove past the centre/cache today, but wasn't able to stop to find the cache. ) Quote Link to comment
+Laval K-9 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We wish you a very successful partnership with Udo. He looks very smart and he is gorgeous Quote Link to comment
team tisri Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 That's wonderful news... I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was so saddened at the demise of Caesar. Not being much of a dog lover by nature Caesar was one of very few dogs I met who I actually liked. Hopefully I'll get to meet Udo before too long! Quote Link to comment
+Seganku Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Excellent! And what a handsome hound he is Quote Link to comment
+reddeeps Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Great news, I hope you make a wonderful patnership. Quote Link to comment
+currykev Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Some things are worth the wait. Great news. Hopefully I'll meet your new friend at a future flash mob event. Quote Link to comment
+Matrix Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Way to go Udo (great name by the way ) I will look forward to meeting you at Mega Wales if you are there . Quote Link to comment
+zarbi&zarbibird Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Such lovely news Wendy! Hopefully now you can read the book we gave you at the London flash event! He looks absolutely gorgeous, really hope we get to meet him very soon. Quote Link to comment
+mollyjak Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Fantastic news I look forward to meeting you both at an event in the future Quote Link to comment
+FollowMeChaps Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Bless you Wendy - so good to hear that he's brought some colour back into your life. Quote Link to comment
+Us 4 and Jess Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 What a strange name!!! Does it mean something? Sooo pleased for you Wendy Speak soon Mandy Quote Link to comment
+Write and Mane Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Hi Wendy, We were both so pleased to meet Udo at his first Event. He behaved very well, long may he continue to brighten your life and the lives of other cachers he meets. Glad we were able to bring a TB home from a very good event. Gordon and Liz Quote Link to comment
+Dorsetgal & GeoDog Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Many thanks for your good wishes! Yesterday, after just three weeks together, Udo and I qualified as a Registered Assistance Dog partnership yesterday. We'll be interviewed on BBC Radio London on Thursday night (from Crufts)! Quote Link to comment
+bones1 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 what a lovely story,may you find many caches and have great experiences together, patandjeff with sali and george the corgis who make up team bones1. Quote Link to comment
+lifechooser Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 That's great news and congratulations on qualifying, I'm sure you'll both grab loads of caches together. Is he going to get a tracking number, and can I meet him tonight at the Hampshire monthly? Quote Link to comment
+speakers-corner Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 What a strange name!!! Does it mean something? The name Udo is of germanic and african/Igbo origin and means (germanic) wealth or fortune and (African/Igbo) peace. In Germany it is often used as a boys name. Quote Link to comment
+Shadow's Friend Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Many thanks for your good wishes! Yesterday, after just three weeks together, Udo and I qualified as a Registered Assistance Dog partnership yesterday. We'll be interviewed on BBC Radio London on Thursday night (from Crufts)! Congratulations! We're happy to hear everything is going so well. Quote Link to comment
+abiherts Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 He looks like a gorgeous dog, I wish many happy years of successful caching together! Quote Link to comment
+Dorsetgal & GeoDog Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 That's great news and congratulations on qualifying, I'm sure you'll both grab loads of caches together. Is he going to get a tracking number, and can I meet him tonight at the Hampshire monthly? Ha! As you may have realised, we weren't at the Hampshire monthly, as we were at Crufts! He's a professional, and like his predecessor, won't be having a tracking number, to meet him will be the joy in itself :laughing: In all likelihood, he will attend a couple of Megas this year, so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet him. Udo was the most newly qualified assistance dog at Crufts, and took it all in his stride, I'd quite forgotten though, that you get next to no sleep on a dogs first night in a hotel! Every little noise he was checking the door etc. He even won the little challenge event set up by Dr Roger Mugford for assistance dogs - empty a Nina Ottosson toy in the quickest time! Udo managed it in a flash and Coco, Kaz's dog came second! Thanks everyone for your kind words, even though he is now qualified, we'll still be training for different situations for months to come. He's mastered waiting patiently while I sign a geocache log, but is still working on a few other things Quote Link to comment
+mollyjak Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Well done to you both Quote Link to comment
+kiya1994 Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I'm so pleased to hear you have a new geo dog. We have always had dogs and can't imagine life without one so when your hound has a professional role to play, it must have been unbearable. We look forward to hearing about more of your adventures and what becomes of the roposal for the Geolympix Quote Link to comment
+Dorsetgal & GeoDog Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 A year on, Udo is maturing nicely, and I thought some of you might be amused to see the little trick I was asked to teach Udo to draw people to the Dogs for the Disabled stand, essentially to learn about a pet dog training scheme they run. It's a short movie blip. Oh and we did three caches while we were there Quote Link to comment
+Fianccetto Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 What a great partnership! Long may it continue. Quote Link to comment
+FantasyRaider Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 What a great partnership! Long may it continue. That was lovely to watch! Well done Udo.. Quote Link to comment
+Dorsetgal & GeoDog Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 jbbs Ok you've lost me on that one ... Quote Link to comment
+Simply Paul Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) jbbsOk you've lost me on that one ...Decoded in ROT13: woof While I'm here, congratulations to Wendy for being selected to be an Olympic Torch Bearer for a second time! It's going to be a busy July for her Edited March 22, 2012 by Simply Paul Quote Link to comment
+Lord_Blackadder Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Brilliant video! Quote Link to comment
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