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Opie - Charlie/Silas 2016

7/31/2017

Hi Rhonda & Stephanie.

It doesn’t seem possible that OUR Snitker pup Opie, is almost a year old! July 25, 2016 was “Mr. Blue’s” special day - little did you we know it would be ours as well. I talk about this dog like he’s one of our 6 kids - hum…I never thought to ask our kids (that are all successfully out on their own) how they feel about being displaced by one large dog? Don and I are enjoying him immensely - you know, that unconditional love and desire to please?

Just like the kids, I have kept a ‘puppy book’ and augmented it with monthly pictures. With all your puppies having that special "Snitker Imprint” it has been an easy year of training. Opie breezed through his first class of puppy manners, and then moved on to the advanced manners class giving him his Canine Good Citizenship - CGC. With Just two more lessons, he should pass his Therapy Dog International-TDI. Our hopes for Opie is to bring his non-anxious presence into Tomah’s VA center and offer his comfort and friendship. Beyond this, we would also like to find the connection to get him into the court rooms involving frightened and traumatized young children. (Some 30 years ago our family went through a heinous courtroom trial with a couple of our daughters. We worked through the hurt as a family, vowing to help any other child in distress in any way we could. The next 20 years was spent providing foster care to over 70 children. As we’ve aged and have reached retirement, those days of foster care are over for us, but we still have the desire to help the young ones.) Opie clearly has a future softening life for others and we hope to lead him through.

I’ve just read through your Ina Puppy Update. How excited your families must be! I remember our days of waiting. For these families, I can say the wait is so-o worth it. Not only are you getting a pedigree record of distinguished breeding, but the intentional process of “imprinting” makes a measurable difference in the puppies. They are so-o prepared to learn and please. These puppies will make a marked difference in your family life. Such JOY! Congratulations to your expectant families

Hope to visit sometime this summer and re-introduce you to Opie’s Opus No.1 of Snitker Gold (aka Mr. Blue)