Our Furry Friend! Meet Bianca

This is Bianca, and she is a black lab born in April '07. She was rescued from an animal shelter in Ohio and did the Rover Rehab Program. Karen at 4 Paws says, "Bianca is a phenomenal dog who was WELL loved at the prison. She is so good in fact that they moved her to beginner handlers so they would have it easy."

Bianca is a special needs placement dog. When an otherwise great dog who has almost completed training has a mild health issue, they are offered to the currently fundraising families as a special needs placement. If you are willing to accept a special needs placement it can dramatically speed up the process of receiving your dog. Everyone who is willing responds, if the available dog is a match with your child, you are partnered and go to the training that corresponds with the dog's training. We will likely be going to training in December for Bianca, but we have not had a final confirmation on our training date yet. This will cut approx 6 months off of our waiting time. And Dallon will be getting his friend for Christmas (and his birthday which is Dec 26th). However this does cut our time to raise travel expenses dramatically.

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Bianca has mild hip dysplasia which means the head of the femoral bone is not fully covered by the hip. Typically mild hip dysplasia does not affect the dog through their life until senior years with arthritis. This is especially true now with the supplements that help increase joint health. Since she has been diagnosed so early, we will have a big head start on the supplements and joint health--making it even less likely that she will be affected, there is only a 12% chance that she will be affected during her working life.

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When I replied about the special needs placements that included Bianca I felt very strongly that this was the route we should take. Getting Dallon's dog accepted into the school system will take some time, and this way we'll have more time before he goes into kindergarten in 2009. I love that she is a rescue dog and that she did the Rover Rehab Program. She is a beautiful lab, and I've heard that she is outgoing. She is perfect for Dallon.

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So we are now starting to plan for our travel expenses. It is going to be more expensive than I originally thought (mostly becaue of airfares). December training class starts on Dec 2nd and goes until Dec 12th. We will need a hotel room for at least 12 nights. The flights may be difficult because we will be flying out just after Thanksgiving. We will also need to rent a car big enough for us and a dog. We also need supplies for Bianca and Dallon--vests for tethering, brushes, leashes, a crate, toys, etc.