Introducing Henry III

Henry III is being raised in the greater Chicago area by Joan Lester. The Lesters are three time repeat puppy raisers for CCI.

The following note came in response to our letter introducing ourselves and Henry Simcoe to her.

The first meeting with Henry on November 17 after attending Ellie's (the pup on the right) matriculation ceremony. Also shown are our grandkids Daniel and Ana.

Dear Sally and Kent,

I can't begin to tell you how thrilling it was to receive the nice fat mailing from NW CCI Director Nancy Foust introducing you as the folks responsible for naming our precious pup Henry. The introductory information that you sent makes me feel like I already know you. 

I am in awe of all that both of you, and Sally's incredible teammate Shelby, have done and continue to do for CCI. My dream is to someday be part of a CCI team of volunteers and staff that will make it possible for a life-transforming Canine Companion such as Shelby to be presented to a new or repeat graduate. I've been working toward this goal since November 1998 when I first learned about CCI -- from a newspaper list of volunteer opportunities that I happened upon -- and excitedly called to see if I could possibly become a puppy-raiser. Three months later, my husband Ted and I received our first pup! What a thrill, and what a roller-coaster ride it has been!

It also is exciting to know that Henry is named for such a beloved, accomplished, dedicated, and gentle man as Kent's father, Henry Simcoe. I have a good feeling that this new little bundle of canine joy has great potential to make all of us proud by living up to his namesake's qualities.

Henry is the third pup that we're raising for CCI. Our first, Nita, our biggest challenge thus far, was born 12/26/98 and was released for assertiveness after two months in advanced training. She now lives with us and is doing fine work as a Therapy Dog. 

Our second pup, Elize (AKA Ellie), was born 7/4/00, and was turned in to advanced training on the same day that we picked up Henry. She is doing well so far and we're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll make it through the program and make a match with someone who's been waiting for her. 

It is now our pleasure to work with Henry, a totally delightful fellow who loves to love and to play, learns eagerly and quickly, and seems to take the world in stride. What a joy it has been to finally be able to send consistently positive monthly progress reports to CCI (no out-of-control, excitable greetings, no frantic pulling on the leash, no bolting after squirrels, and no counter-surfing -- so far). In fact, the only tendencies that make Henry's halo slip just a bit are his continued efforts to use big sister Nita as a chew toy and his current life mission of collecting shoes and slippers to snuggle with and add to his toy collection. 

You may already know that Henry is a Lab/Golden mix. His dam is Ila, his sire is either Neffa or Pasco, and he is one of two boys in a litter of six. I don't know yet if/when DNA results will be available. He is a nice light gold color and is a big boy. He weighed about 20 pounds when we got him at 9 weeks. When he received his 20-week shots Friday, he weighed in at 44 pounds. I've gathered a few photos of Mr. Henry's adventures and growth since we picked him up in Ohio on November 18. One of these is attached, and I'll send others later with separate e-mails. It will be a joy to continue to share his progress with the two of you, who have as much a stake in this little guy's progress as Ted and I do. 

(I was surprised to learn that I also know Kent's namesake Simcoe and his puppy-raiser Marianne Firlit. What a coincidence! In fact, we may see them this afternoon at a training session.)

Thank you again for being in touch and all your support of CCI.

Joan Lester