Don Rides the Ferry to SF!

Our puppy raising club went to San Francisco the other weekend and all the pups rode the ferry. I hadn't had the chance to take Don on the ferry, so this was a great experience for him. There were lots of new surfaces, stairs, and loud sounds. Don was so excited to see all his doggy friends, especially Silky (who I puppysat a while back). He also liked seeing her raisers, who usually puppysit him. His tail was wagging so hard! I love Don's "happy ears"- he ears go flat against his ears whenever he gets excited.

Don didn't seem to notice that the ferry was moving. He loved sniffing the air, and licking himself when he got sprayed with the salty water. The ground was really got though, so we had to find a nice shady spot as soon as I took this photo.

This handsome guy is Quebec. I just love his name and he is the sweetest boy. He is giant too; when he is older he might even be bigger than Don.

"Hi, I'm Don! What's your name?" Don meets Stefano (or maybe Quebec?) on the ferry.

Here is Stefano, who is Silky's brother. He is so cute, and a LOT smaller than Don.

Sherman! The only golden retriever in our puppy club, this guy is such an affectionate boy. Behind him is Honeydew, who is being raised by two families. One of her raisers is a nurse at Guide Dogs, which is pretty cool. Don went to work with her when he was 3 months old and had a big fan club- he was so cute at that age with all his puppy wrinkles. Honeydew is so tiny, but she was a champ at the stairs.

There was this one staircase that Don did not want to go down. It was right next to the water, and my leader said that from the angle Don might have thought he was going to fall into the bay. Sherman helped Don conquer the scary stairs, and they both walked down together. Yay for Sherman and Don! (above: Sherman and Don hang out together on the ferry deck)

In San Francisco, we were going to take Don on BART, but decided to eat the delicious food at the Embarcadero Ferry Building instead. We went to Taylors for some great burgers and shakes. Mmmm. Don hung out with Ditto under the table. Afterwards, we went to the plaza where Don explored a fountain, practiced jumping on and off of surfaces, and ignored the bird distractions. Good boy!

Getting ready to board the ferry, here is yellow lab Quebec, Ditto, and Alise.

I had Alise for two weeks when she was really little, before she went to her raisers. At only 3 months old, Alise was an amazing puppy. She was so calm and never pulled on her leash. She went to the perfect home. She goes to school each day (her raiser is a teacher), and she lives with Guide Dog breeder Samuel. She is still very relaxed, and slept the entire boat ride.

Alise and Don saying hi to each other. She is such a pretty girl!

Awww. Puppy kisses.

Poor Quebec was all alone while Don was giving Alise some kisses.

Then Quebec decided it was time to clean Alise's ears for her.

And Don decided to watch the water go by.

Don was so tired when we got home. I think he enjoyed this outing- can't wait to do it again!