Wow ... Whew ... Better late than never?

I feel like I'm almost all talked out about graduation, having sent lots of emails to friends about it and posted an account on our Maine GEB website, too.

For the first time in three years, we aren't preparing for a pup, we don't have a pup in the house and we don't have a pup at GEB in training.

It's different.

I am very happy about Nettie and her match. Rachel is a wonderful, really neat person and I wish her the very best. Nettie, I think, will thrive in a college setting. I was thrilled that she remembered us -- and equally thrilled that, as we sat and chatted in Rachel's room, that it was Rachel that Nettie would check in with as she took a break from playing with her toy or wandering around.

(Nettie, however, did keep staring at Rebecca, as if she was thinking "Just what is that, and when did you get it?")

I didn't cry. I did at Murphy's graduation -- tears of pride, of course. Tears that we had accomplished our goal, that he had made it.

I don't want anyone to misinterpret this, but Nettie's graduation was almost anti-climactic. Perhaps I had gotten arrogant, but I always believed in my heart that Nettie would be guiding. I was momentarily rattled when she was pulled in July*, but I always expected her to make it. Murphy is a wonderful dog, but there were times where I didn't know if guiding was his destiny, so his graduation was a little more emotional.

(* as for the pulling her from class in July ... Rachel had a very interesting observation. She said Nettie seemed a little sad when she got her, and very, very eager to show her that she knew how to do what she was supposed to do ... We both thought it sounded like it was a little rough for Nettie to get pulled, too.)

Anyway, here are a couple pictures.



Rachel and Nettie in the ceremony



Nettie greeting Andrew afterwards .. note, the four on the floor!