​We were so lucky to find that our sweet Joy was pregnant with her 1st litter. 10 beautiful healthy puppies! They are growing fast and will soon be ready to start their new journeys. Temperament testing showed us that 4-5 puppies are potential service dog candidates, and 2 will be on their way as owner-trained (or service dog trainer trained) service dogs!

B.E.S.T. Service Dogs is looking for volunteers! We currently have a litter of  10 pups and we will be adding a new litter from Raven in May! That's a lot of puppies! 
What with the raising of the litters and the care of the big dogs, there are lots of opportunities to be involved in B.E.S.T. Service Dogs! Here is what we are looking for if you are local to the Sacramento area.

Volunteer opportunities include: 
 
o   Dog walking and playing
 
o   Cleaning kennels and common areas
 
o   Carpentry and landscaping
 
o   Office support
 
o   Social media postings
 
o   Photographers
 
o   Grant writers
 
o   Puppy petters

Thank you for considering the donation of your time and talents to B.E.S.T. Service Dogs! You can  help our organization support families affected by autism and our veterans with PTSD!!  

​With your help we can change someone’s world with just one dog!

Now that Raven's puppies have been placed, we are turning to next steps at B.E.S.T. Service Dogs. I have started service dog training (owner trained) for a local VFW post here in Sacramento. It seems that owner trained service dogs - where the owner of the dog/puppy trains their own dog- is one of the ways that we can get more dogs to help more people. Stay tuned for more on the "T" (training) for B.E.S.T.!

Last September we hosted our first art show fundraiser for B.E.S.T. We had 20 local artists participate with all types of art! Photography, Graphic Design, Quilts, Mural Art, Mixed Media, Encaustic Wax Process, Pottery, Watercolor and more! It was a great show in a garden setting. People had snacks and drinks as they wandered through the art and talked with the artists. The art was donated and fundraised by silent auction. It was our B.E.S.T. fundraiser ever! 
We are planning another show in September this year, and we are already in the planning stages to make it bigger and better than before! 
Follow along on Facebook and here as we prepare for the next big event!
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Tucker aka Casa de Oro's Summer Moon and Raven aka Caercreeks Raven Heart at Casa de Oro had a litter of 6 beautiful YELLOW pups on September 17! I was pretty sure we were going to have all blacks! Nature is an amazing thing.
The puppies are getting so fat and playful right now. They are 6 weeks old and will only be here for 2 more weeks! The time goes by so fast when you are taking care of puppies!!
They are the sweetest litter ever, so quiet, sweet and playful, just like their mommy. Raven Heart is a first time mom and she has done beautifully. She still takes care of them and hangs out with them. I'm sure they are quiet and confident because of her gentle nature.
At least 4 will be going to service, 2 at Good Dog Service Canines, and 2 to owner trained service dogs. One of those might even be a breeding prospect for Joyful Paws Service Dogs! So exciting!
Wish all our sweet pups good luck on their new journey to change a persons life for the better!
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Where does the time go?  Our last post was about an upcoming event, and well, we changed the date. But that doesn't make it any less exciting! 

• We are having a fundraiser September 12 - Art Show at the Rancho! We have invited some amazing local artists to donate/show there work, here at the Rancho! We are planning the show, refreshments and music in a garden setting. We'll be sharing the dogs and demonstrating some service dog tasks.  

If you can't be there, you can always support us with a donation! While we are busy planning and lining up artists, the dogs are busy growing, training and keeping me on my toes! 

• Second announcement! We bred our darling Raven to our stud-ly Tucker! We are awaiting pregnancy confirmation in mid-August! ( geez, I hope I didn't jinx it by telling you!)

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• and last but not least, did you know that August 26 is National Dog Day? we are putting out a donation opportunity to celebrate your wonderful pets with us! Donate and send us a picture of your lovely furry buddy! We will share on social media! Also, please take the opportunity to support us by sharing a photo of your pup that may have already gone over the rainbow bridge - the best dog ever!

Everyone thinks that their dog is the best, and they are right!
Watch for the donation opportunities coming up and celebrate with us!  We are so grateful for the BEST friends!

Baby Abby is growing so fast. All she wants to do it play/fight with the bigger dogs! We have to figure out who is good for who, as not everyone is as thrilled to play with the bitey baby! Especially Tucker. 
She is about 45lbs now and feeling her oats. Serious training is about to begin. She's super food motivated and is a smart cookie, but already looking at me like, where's the treats! 
Raven has come to stay for a bit and she is a delight. What a great girl. I can't wait to see her puppies! We are waiting for her time. 

We have an announcement to make! Stay tuned for our big announcement in the next week or so! Save the Date - August 28th! More to come

Meet Abby! our new puppy from Summer's Starry Skye and Spirithawks' Cheveyo! Her AKC name is actually Casa de Oro's Spirit!  She is the last of our original Casa de Oro line and we are so excited to have her! We call her Abby, or Abby the Labby. Or right now, Abby the Alligator, as she has razor sharp baby teeth! 
She is adorable as you can tell and she is also super smart! She is a loving pup, happy to give kisses and snuggles and loves to fetch! I can't wait to get her in the water and see if the true Labrador swimmer is in there! She is brave and confident as well. We have great hopes for her in the future! 
Meanwhile, here at the Rancho we are all getting used to having a new puppy around! Big man Tucker is a grouch, doesn't like the sharp teeth, Sophie could really care less, and funny, Joy has become her complete buddy!  She is teaching her that there is play time and quiet time, squirrels to chase and keep yourself to your own bowl of food!
She is growing like a weed so I need to document her growth here. Stay tuned, and thank you for your support!
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Well the time has come to say goodbye to two of the puppies that we have so lovingly raised here. Yellow collar girl has gone on to 4 Paws 2 Freedom, a non-profit here in Sacramento that trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD! We hope all good things for her in her new journey! And as she is local, we get to see what she is up to!  We will share here when we get updates!
And the ABSOLUTELY darling boy (my fav) found the perfect family with 3 active kids to keep him busy and them company. They too are local and they promise to send photos as he grows.
That leaves little green collar girl. Last but certainly not least! She will be taking her place as out new addition to Casa de Oro kennel. She will be a hopeful for breeding in a few years, meanwhile we get to have fun with her! 
More to come about her!
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