If you would like to make a donation to the Service Dogs of Virginia in Millie's name, please click the image below.

Hi, my name is Camomile ('Millie'). I am an adorable 11-week old black Labrador Retriever puppy. I met my mommy on 1/6/2007 in Charlottsville, VA, and it was love at first sight! My mommy (others call her Dr. Kim) is raising me until I am about 16 months old. You see, I am destined to become a service dog for the physically disabled, and when I am 16-months old, a big test will determine my true future - my mommy secretly wishes that we will be stuck together for a long, long time. For now, I am happy as a clam being my mommy's girl.

I like my new home; I've had several accidents in the house - mommy stopped counting after my 5th accident. Mommy is getting much better at taking me out to potty regularly. I have lots of fuzzy and squeaky toys in my bedroom; it is an incredibly cozy place! Mommy calls my cozy bedroom a crate and says 'kennel' when she wants me in there. Funny vocabulary, I think.

I accompany mommy to work everyday; she isn't too thrilled when I sing to her in the car, though. What can I say? I don't always agree with my mommy's choice of music. At work, I greet and play with the wonderful staff members, take regular naps, eat yummy treats, and say hello to the visitors who don't mind my sharp baby teeth. I especially like the days on which Clover comes to work with Dr. Cardella. Clover is my energetic Beagle friend.

As a service puppy in training, I wear a red vest that reads 'Service Dogs of Virginia' and visit public places. So far, I've been to the Target and Safeway stores. It was very stressful at first, and I think my mommy was more nervous and stressed about our outings. I try to behave and pay attention to mommy but it is so hard to resist saying hello to people; my tail gets out of control. Mommy promised me that we will go to the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania once I have mastered my basic doggie manners. So, we are attending Laurie Luck's puppy class together. Mommy says it is very important to be educated. And I will have more puppy friends!

In the mean time, mommy is trying on different baby shirts on me; I need to get used to wearing something since I will have to wear my vest. Thus far, my favorite is a pink top with flowers. I think mommy needs to get a shirt in red. Red seems to be the color for me.

This is my 4th week at my new home. Can you believe it? It has been a month since I moved from VA to MD! And I am very proud to say that I have been almost accident free for this week; I had one accident after playing with my toys. Mommy is trying very, very hard to remember my potty time. Sometimes she gets too busy. Other times, she just has too much trust in me. Oh, well . . . Mommy watches me like a hawk but I am too quick.

One day mommy and I stayed at home although I wanted to go to work so badly; Clover was supposed to come to work with Dr. Cardella. Mommy stayed in her PJs, and we eagerly waited for the snow to fall in the morning. I was so looking forward to eating snow again . . . Mmmm, the white, fluffy, cool snow . . . It melts in my mouth. Also, the white background complements my silky black haircoat nicely. There was no snow in the morning, though. I was very disappointed. I stared out the window occasionally and mommy spent the morning reading a book about dog training. She would not play with me. How can a book be more interesting than me? I had to find out. I pretended to be napping and while mommy was doing the laundry for about 20-30 seconds, I tried to learn something about doggie manners by chewing and ingesting the pages. Needless to say, mommy wasn't too thrilled about my method of learning. There was a big sigh from mommy. I am very sorry . . . But I was only trying to learn . . . I took a real nap afterwards.

I have been accident free!!!! Woo-hoo!

And I am growing like a weed, mommy says. But I am a puppy. Why would I grow like a weed? Anyway, I've gotten taller and heavier than Clover, which means that Clover is no longer able to put me on my back. I can jump on her and run as fast as she does. We look sooo cute when we play.

Oh, remember that I tried to "read" a book last week? I thought I was a naughty girl, but guess what? Clover removed several keys from Dr. Cook's laptop on Superbowl Sunday while everyone was watching TV. I wonder if she was trying to order new toys online . . . Clover wouldn't tell me why she got frustrated with the keyboard. I guess her paws were too big to type in one letter at a time . . . I know mine are.

Can you believe it? It snows every time mommy and I stay at home. Pretty wild, huh? Mommy wasn't too thrilled about the snow this time; she grunted a lot as she was scraping ice off of her car. Me? I ate some icicles and sat on the hood covered with the snow, attracting the neighbors' attention. Unfortunately, my first puppy class was cancelled. I was a little disappointed. I have to wait another week to meet my classmates.

By the way, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! It is a very lovely day, isn't it? A secret admirer sent me a bouquet of white, red, and pink roses. Woof! The roses were very pretty, and their scent was incredibly sweet. Oh, also, mommy bought me a new toy. It is a little odd, though. It's got no fur and it doesn't squeak. But it dispenses yummy treats every time I nudge it with my nose. I can spend hours following my new toy. I can't wait to show it to Clover.

This week was definitely the most eventful week so far.

I went to my very first puppy class and met my teacher and classmates. Everyone was so nice. There was even a play time at the end of the session. I liked playing with Billy and Charlie. Kaia, my Norweigian Elkhound classmate, was very shy; she kept hiding under the bench. My teacher and mommy thought I should not play with her just yet, as I have a tendency to be too friendly, if you know what I mean. Mommy was very proud of me; she told me that I was a great student. Of course I am! I am Millie the adorable and smart puppy who is highly motivated by yummy treats. Woof, woof, woooof!

Another big event of the week was PAINFUL. And let me just state here that it is not always great to have a veterinarian mommy. Yes, I do receive the very best veterinary care, but sometimes, I wish mommy would not notice subtle abnormalities. I am sure Clover will agree with me. After a few attacks on mommy's sock, my previously broken right upper baby canine tooth became loose and the gums started bleed on Tuesday morning. Mommy noticed it immediately and wasted no time. The very next day, Dr. Davis performed a full physical exam, and together with mommy, he anesthetized me for dental radiographs and tooth extraction. The tooth was broken again along the gum lines and it had to be extracted to prevent potential damages to my adult canine tooth. I was very groggy when I woke up and I could barely walk . . . I whimpered all night; it was quite painful.

Mommy and I spent the entire week in Philadelphia, PA. Mommy had to attend the Penn Conference in the city and thought that it would be nice to spend a few days with her family. I got to spend time with grandma, grandpa, uncle Jae, and Sasha for the week. They could not believe how much I have grown since they last saw me. Sasha still wasn't too fond of me, and understandably, she even became angry when I stole her biscuit. Mommy had a talk with me afterwards; she said that I needed to respect other doggie's space and wishes. She also said that jumping was not an appropriate way to greet Sasha. Sigh. I wish Sasha would let me cuddle with her . . .

Uncle Jae and I spent quite a bit of time while mommy was attending the conference. We played with my toys, practiced my puppy class homework, took frequent naps, and even tried to watch a DVD together. Uncle Jae had a rough time keeping up with me; I think I tired him out. On Friday, he kindly took me for a drive through the city of Philadelphia. Seeing tall buildings and busy street corners was quite an experience. I would have to ask mommy to take me for a walk in the city when the weather gets warmer.

Oh, by the way, I am so glad that I get my pedicure done at Kingsbrook. My aunties are so much better with pedicure than my mommy. Mommy gave Sasha a pedicure (Sasha has black nails as I do) and trimmed one of the nails too short. Ouch! Sasha's nail bled for a short while. Poor Sasha. I should tell her about my Kingsbrook aunties and how nice they are.

The week was rather too ordinary for me.

Mommy spent the whole week trying to catch up on her work. Apparently being away from work for one week gives mommy many follow-ups to do, which means that I get a little neglected. I tried to get mommy to pay attention to me by grabbing and chewing on her shoes. That did not go well; mommy thought I was being naughty.

I've made a new puppy friend this week. Her name is Ginger. She looks very much like me except for her coat color. My Kingsbrook aunties call Ginger's color chocolate but I'd personally call it brown; Ginger looks nothing like chocolate! (Perhaps my aunties have been consuming too much chocolate?) In any case, Ginger was very nice, and it was exciting to play with another lab puppy.

Oh! Speaking of my puppy friends, Clover saw my blog and decided to start one of her own! You can click on the link at the bottom of this page and find out what she and her human sister, Alice, have been up to!

Mommy says this was a historical week for me.

For the first time I went to the door and let mommy know that I had to go for a potty break. The instant mommy saw me looking at the door she knew; she ran and grabbed my leash. I must have trained mommy well because mommy wasted no time. Mommy was so ecstatic. She kept saying that I was the smartest puppy. Umm, mommy, of course!

Boy, I need to do that more often. Mommy was so happy and proud of me. She took me to the White Flint Mall the next day as a special reward. She even remembered to bring my treats and clicker. Yep, well-trained mommy. The mall was a very interesting place. There were many shops for two-legged critters like mommy but only one gourmet snack place for four-legged furry critters like myself. Every shopper thought I was adorable and could not resist the urge to come and say hi. I also got to ride in a glass tube that beeped every so often - mommy called it the elevator. It was very fun! Mommy was so impressed with my good manners, so she stopped by the doggie shop before we left the mall and bought a couple of gourmet cookies for me. Yum! Mommy thinks I may be ready for the King of Prussia Mall in PA this summer. WOOF! I hear that it is a very large, fancy mall. There must be more doggie shops. I can't wait.

Ahhhh, spring . . .

I love the warm, sunny weather! Mommy has been taking me for long leisurely walks. We also have more outings to new fun places. I wore my pretty red vest and accompanied mommy to a giant store called IKEA on Sunday. This outing was extra special; mommy still allowed me to come even though I peed on my brand new bed. Mommy definitely was not smiling when she had to put the fluffy bed into the washer. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love my new bed! I just thought I would mark it as mine with my scent; mommy kept saying that the bed was big and soft enough for her. I couldn't let her take my bed.

Anyway, there were lots of cool things at the IKEA store. Of course, no shopper could walk by without glancing at this adorable puppy. Most people did not come to say hi, though. It must have been my red vest. It had to be! Excited children ran to me, saying 'doggie, doggie,' but they were stopped by their parents who noticed my vest. Hmm . . . I still liked the big store. I was very busy checking things out; there were tons of items to inspect with my nose. Sniff, sniff. We almost bought a doggie food bowl, but mommy thought it was too gigantic for me. I was happy that there was a doggie section.

My little legs were so tired after walking around the entire IKEA store. I took a long nap when we returned home.

Mommy and I traveled to Charlottesville, VA on Friday for a training session with Peggy, the director of Service Dogs of Virginia. The session went well although we had some embarrassing moments. For some reason, mommy was a bit slow and she had a tough time coordinating her actions with the verbal commands. Things must have appeared rather awkward. And me, I simply got too excited and distracted at the smells and the presence of other dogs. We have a lot more to learn and practice. Practice makes it perfect, right? I think mommy felt slightly guilty for not spending much time training me recently. It's okay mommy. I understand your work gets very busy and hectic at times, and you get very tired at the end of the day. 'Tuna' (Petunia), my sister, came by later in the afternoon. Gosh, I had not seen her since our separation. Tuna was slightly bigger than me and we looked so different. I hope I can see her again soon.

After my training we headed south along the Route 81.We spent a night at Woodberry Inn in Floyd, VA. It was a very peaceful place where dogs were welcome. The next day we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway and visited the Chateau Morrisette winery. Everyone was so wonderful! As a service puppy in training, I got their very special permission to have a tour of the wine cellar. There were barrels and barrels of wine, and it smelled so fruity in the cellar. I also got to see how they bottle their wine. Mommy enjoyed wine tasting after the tour. I wasn't offered any wine but mommy let me sniff it occasionally. We had a very yummy lunch at the Chateau Morrisette restaurant and spent a very fun time in the picnic area afterwards. It felt incredibly free to run around with the warm air in my face and my long ears flopping around. Oh, I even got to meet Lucky, Mr. Morrisette's black Labrador, who, like me, was in training to become a service dog. He did not pass the big test because he liked people more than working. He told me that his days at the winery were just dandy.

The trip back home was a long one, but I LOVED our weekend getaway to the winery.

Pretend that there is Pompous Circumstance in the background when you read this. Why? It was my puppy class graduation this past Tuesday. WOOF! You know what else? I was awarded the Miss Congeniality. I was very excited and also a little sad at the same time. I am going to miss my classmates. Mommy forgot to bring her camera to my graduation, so I don't even have any pictures of my puppy friends. Mommy is seriously considering signing me up for the advanced class.

Another happy but sad event is the eruption of my adult teeth. Most of my baby teeth have fallen out. Mommy collects whatever the tooth she finds in a clear tube. She has five teeth so far. I think she is going to place them under my pillow for special treats. I am glad that my beautiful, pearly white adult teeth are erupting but it is making my gums very itchy. The gums bleed quite a bit sometimes and I end up with a terrible taste in my mouth. Apparently, I also have bad breath as well; mommy comments on it once in a while. I can't help it! This whole process makes me realize that I am growing and getting bigger by the minute. I can no longer use the space under the coffee table as a tunnel when I play; I am too tall to pass through. Sigh . . .

Despite the impending rain, mommy and I made a trip to the Mall in Washington, DC on Saturday. It was a special trip because I got to ride the Metro train for the very first time. The train was rather unsteady and it made a very, very loud noise. My extra sensitive ears could not tune the noise out. Poor me. I would pick my mommy's comfy car over the Metro train any day; I would always have a seat reserved for me. I still enjoyed the Metro ride. The only thing that terrified me was the long, moving steps called escalator. I refused to get on it and chose the stairs the first time. Eventually mommy helped me get on and off the escalator. It still felt odd, and the sight of the escalator made me want to run the other way.

There were many visitors at the Mall. As usual, no visitor was able to walk by without looking at me. The Smithsonian Castle had a beautiful garden where everyone was busy taking pictures. Mommy and I snapped a quick photo as well. We then walked along the Potomac River and visited the Jefferson Memorial. The cherry trees had no flowers left; it was a little disappointing. We also visited the Air and Space Museum. It was very, very crowded, and children were more interested in me than in the fancy airplanes. I was too tired to say hello to the visitors. Every time we stopped to view an item, I could not help but lie down to rest my little legs. Needless to say I fell asleep on the Metro on the way home.

We made it home just before it started to pour. I went straight to my bed and took a long nap. Nothing disturbed me.

Mommy and I traveled to Philadelphia, PA and spent the weekend. The drive was a little too long but it was not bad at all. I was mommy's co-pilot and we listened to the iPod the whole time. Oh, I even said hello to the toll booth ladies and brought smiles to their faces.

I was so excited to see Uncle Jae and Sasha again. Uncle Jae thought I was huge; he still gave me a big hug and held me like a baby while I was trying to give him kisses. How was Sasha this time? Let me just say that her happy tail wag became incessant barking and that was the beginning of our long, noisy weekend. We were fine, though, once we were in the yard. Believe it or not, we even played together. I always knew that Sasha was full of love and kindness underneath her fuzzy yellow fur. She even tried to discourage me from poop eating. Yep, you read it correctly. There was a few piles of cat poops (from neighborhood kitties) in the yard and I could not help but sample some. Mommy, of course, was VERY disappointed in me. Mommy's method of damage control wasn't the friendliest one. I must have had my teeth brushed and my mouth rinsed several times. I will leave it at this. It pains me to remember the specifics.

My doggie friends (especially Clover), it is not worth eating other critters' poop. Trust me. Sigh.

Mommy's work is becoming busier. Mommy has been going to the hospital early in the morning and returning home as the sun sets. It feels as though I have been doing almost nothing but simply commuting with mommy the entire week. Mommy would disagree with me, I know. She has been taking me on long walks and training me whenever possible. But still . . . Also, she has not taken pictures of this adorable pup for a while. Sigh . . .

Mommy, when are we going to visit more special places and have fun?

This week went by sooo quickly.

I spent a few days playing with my best friend Clover at the hospital. You should have seen us; we were very, very cute. Our Kingsbrook aunties rolled their eyes every time Clover and I got into trouble but allowed us to roam the treatment area. They thought we were two naughty puppies and even reprimanded us when necessary. Clover and I still LOVE our aunties; we know they love us, too. Woof!

At the end of the week, mommy and I visited the Service Dogs of Virginia office in Charlottesville, VA, for my monthly training. The scent of other dogs got me extremely excited; I could not focus well initially. I must have looked quite naughty. I think mommy was embarrassed of my behavior; she kept smiling nervously. After a while I was able to concentrate and give my undivided attention. I did very well during the training session. Mommy said I performed better than expected and her nervous smiles were nowhere to be found near the end of the session.

On our way back home, mommy told me how impressed she was with me; I could tell that she was proud of me. Mommy, I am a puppy that plays hard and works hard. WOOF!

Wednesday began as any other ordinary day. Mommy and I made my usual morning potty trip to the grass. I then sat by the pantry door and waited for my breakfast. I waited and waited. I thought mommy forgot about my breakfast. I should have known that it was not going to be an ordinary day. A veterinarian mommy and no breakfast . . . It should have been the first clue. Sigh . . . I really did not know any better. It turned out that I was scheduled to have several procedures done, including spay.

My Kingsbrook aunties gave me an injection of something in my butt shortly after I arrived at work with Mommy. I remember being very sleepy and relaxed. Then, Auntie Ranee carried me to the treatment table, placed an intravenous catheter, and gave me more anesthetic agents. My eyelids felt so heavy and that's the last thing I remember.

When I woke up several hours later, my tummy was very painful and I could not tell where I was; I felt so disoriented. I whimpered and cried until mommy gave me a bug hug. Mommy later told me that Dr. Davis and my aunties took x-rays of my elbows and hips (Penn Hip). She also told me that she, my own mommy, spayed me. It was OUCHY everywhere; my elbows, hips, and tummy. I whimpered and cried throughout the night, waking mommy up every so often.

The next morning mommy had to carry me from her car to Kingsbrook. I refused to walk and continued to whimper. It was not entirely terrible, though. My aunties pampered me for a while; Auntie Ranee gave me a banana, Auntie Melissa gave me a dose of oral pain medicine, and Auntie Nora and other aunties checked on me periodically. I felt much better by mid-morning; I was even able to walk around the treatment area. I spent the rest of the week recovering from my surgery.

Mommy went to meet Mickey and Minnie in Orlando, FL without me. I suppose she needed a break from me. I have to admit that I can be handful. For nearly a week I stayed at Auntie Eileen's house with her two black Labradors Jake and Cannon. It was as if I went to a summer camp to hang out with other doggies. Auntie Ranee actually called it the Labradork Camp. I really could not have asked for a better place to be for my 'summer vacation.' Jake and Cannon gave me a warm welcome and Cannon and I immediately became the best buddies. For the first time I had a boy doggie buddy. (Clover, you are still my best girl friend).

Auntie Eileen said what happens in the Clarke residence stays in the Clarke residence, so I can't share too much with you. Jake was the respected and wise elder Lab; he made sure I knew my doggie manners for the elders. Cannon and I had so much fun playing with each other; we were always together except when I had to go to work with Auntie Eileen. I thought about mommy once in a while but I was very busy hanging out with Labrador buddy, I barely had time to miss mommy. Shh, let's not tell mommy.

WOOF!

Mommy signed me up for a weekend at the Labradork Camp. I successfully convinced mommy that she needs to go away again. I can hardly wait!

On Saturday, mommy and I went to the movie theater to watch Ocean's 13. Finally, I got to see Brad Pitt on the big screen. He was okay for a guy with little fur. Personally, I think Cannon is more handsome than Brad. I tried to watch the movie but I was too distracted by the popcorn left on the floor. The loud noises did not startle me, and the other moviegoers did not seem too concerned about my presence. They actually thought that I was a great puppy. It would have been better if I could have gotten to the popcorn . . . I ate some on my way out. I loved going to the movies. Who else gets to see the movie and eat popcorn for free?

The next day mommy took me to a huge shoe store called DSW; she wanted to share her passion for pretty shoes. This trip was a fun one because we ran into Auntie Eileen and Uncle Bart. I was more excited about seeing Auntie Eileen and Uncle Bart than browsing through the rows of shoes. All the shoes were pretty and cute but none would fit my fuzzy paws. I definitely tried to stay away from the pointy shoes with high heels. They looked dangerous.

It has been months since I last told you about my weekly adventures and mishaps. I bet you missed me. I missed you, too.

The past months have been quite eventful. I had a violently upset tummy for nearly 2 months. It started with occasional vomiting, which then progressed to a nightly event. Vomiting up yellow liquid in the middle of the night was not fun, especially because Mommy withheld food every time I vomited. How awful! I had no food in my tummy and Mommy refused to feed me. I became very sick on one hot summer day in July and spent a few days receiving IV fluids and different medications. Mommy even had me ingest bright white liquid called barium and took series of radiographs of my tummy several days later. Mommy and other doctors, as well as all of my Kingsbrook aunties, were highly suspicious of my indiscriminate eating habits. I am not that naughty! I told Mommy that I did not eat anything bad but she would not believe me. Fortunately there was nothing terrible on the radiographs. Unfortunately, though, Mommy had to investigate further to determine the cause of my vomiting, which meant more blood tests and physical exams. It did not take too long for Mommy to figure out that I might have gastrointestinal motility problem and that I just needed to have food in my stomach, especially during the night. She also added a very bitter tasting tablet. Yuk! At first, I had to take the bitter medicine every night. It was so bitter; I usually spat it out a few times before I could swallow.

I feel much better nowadays. I still retch from time to time and Mommy still gives the bitter tablet and Pepcid to manage my GI issues. Best of all, I eat throughout the day and even get a midnight snack to prevent my tummy from getting upset. Mommy hasn't given up on finding the cause, though: she is waiting for the right opportunity to do a GI panel test. Apparently, I must be fasted for 10-12 hours the night before the test. Mommy hasn't been brave enough to take her chances; she worries that I will vomit without any food in my tummy.

Oh, yes, and the rumor is right. I have become Mommy's puppy. The Service Dogs of Virginia has determined that I would not be the most suitable puppy to become a service dog and released me from their program. I suppose it would be difficult to help someone when I have a medical condition. Mommy was both happy and sad when she learned about my new status. I think she had very high hopes for me; she thought that I would make a great service dog and brighten someone's day. Mommy, it is okay. I will still brighten someone's day, and I am happy to be your girl.

I still go to work with Mommy and spread my happy puppy smell all over Kingsbrook. Mommy has signed me up for Teacher Laurie Luck's middle class. I cannot wait! I admit that I need some structured training sessions, as I can become a wild girl at times. Mommy plans to continue to train me so that I will become a good canine citizen. I think she hopes to take me to nursing homes or pediatric wards as a therapy dog some day.

Well, Millie's blog lovers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my stories. I will miss you. When your four-legged friends visit Kingsbrook with you, please say hello. I am always happy to share my happiness with you.

If you would like to make a donation to the Service Dogs of Virginia in Millie's name, please click the image below.