Sport (aka Sportito)
On May 26, 2000, Sport became the newest member of our pack, and on May 29, 2001 he went off to finish training to become a Leader Dog for the Blind. Born April 10, 2000, Sport is a black Labrador Retriever. We picked him up at the kennel in Rochester, Michigan, just north of Detroit. He was 11.8 lbs. and seven weeks old. We got our final briefing, we made a stop at Petsmart to get a collar and headed home. He made an ungodly series of sounds for the first 20 minutes, and then gave up and went to sleep. While there we met Lew from Texas. He was picking up Ranger, one of Sport's littermates. We can't imagine what the return flight was like!
Sport was with us for 12 months, and then he went back to Rochester for grad school for about 5 months. He passed all his tests, and was given to Elizabeth Ramirez Cornado. They spent a month living together in the dorm at Leader Dogs, and then they went home to Mexico City, where Sport, nee Sportito, guides her through the noisy congested streets to and from work and shopping.
Yes, it was hard to send him back, but we know he means freedom to Elizabeth.
10/14/2001 - Sport and his new owner graduate and prepare to go to Mexico City.
05/29/2001 - Farewell to Sport. Sport and his buddies go to Balmoral Racetrack and a week later he goes back to Leader Dog School (picture at left).
11/18/2000 - Sport and his buddies ride in a haywagon the Christmas Parade in Mokena
09/17/2000 - Sport and his buddies go to Fudruckers and the mall
08/20/2000 - Sport and his buddies have a picnic in Indiana
07/04/2000 - Dog Days of July and a visit to Dog Park
05/26/2000 - Sport joins our pack
