"Are the puppies coming today?" "When will the puppies get here?" they ask. Those three puppies are from the U.S. Customs Canine breeding program "K" litter: Kato, Kilo, and Kerven. The hard-to-resist puppies provide the residents with physical activity, and the puppies benefit from the exposure to new and different environments.

We're so appreciative that you bring them here. - Virginia Shaver, Southlands Retirement Community resident

At the retirement center the puppies visit a beauty shop, ride on an elevator, and meet people with wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. The Southlands' staff feels that these visits are good for the residents. "We have one resident who hadn't come out of her room for a long time. Then the puppies started visiting," says Activity Director Jeanette White. Another resident had to pet and hold each puppy. The staff was amazed; she usually stays on the fringe of any activity, just watching, not participating.

Photo Credit: Elysa Cross

Christine Baker gets acquainted with Kilo.

Diana Lieber, Breeding Program Supervisor, along with Guierin Walker and Becky Gilmore of the Kennel Support staff, take the puppies on their visit. They have their hands full keeping the puppies from chewing on everything they can get their small but growing mouths on: buttons, blankets, valentine decorations, plants, fingers, and each other. The puppies gave kisses to everyone within reach.

The puppies have also been invited to visit the Randolph-Macon Academy. The students at the Academy range in age from 14 to 18. They come from all over the world, and many are away from home for the first time. The Academy believes that the Customs puppies will help the new students settle in and feel more at home. "Since these are older students, we can bring some of the older, larger puppies to them," says Lieber.

Lieber is also working on other ways for the puppies and the community to get to know one another, including the puppy walkers program. There are always new puppies, so there will be opportunities for the puppies and the local community to meet and enjoy each other for a long time to come.

Puppy notes There is the sound of little paws, a lot of little paws, at the U.S. Customs Canine Training Center in Front Royal, Va. The "L" litter arrived on February 8, and the "M" litter arrived on February 20. "Billie," a yellow Labrador Retriever from Atlanta, is the mother of the three puppies in the "L" litter. She is also the mother of the "I" litter. The father of the "L" litter is "Yellowstone's TNT Explosion," a privately owned Field Champion from Wyoming. The puppies, one female and two males, are all yellow Labs. Billie will return to Atlanta after her puppies are weaned. Names for the puppies were chosen by Assistant Commissioner Bonni Tischler, Office of Field Operations. They are Lacey, Lex, and Lucas. Eleven more puppies, 5 males and 6 females, make up the "M" litter. This is the first litter for "Cover," a black Lab purchased from a private breeder of Field Champion Labrador Retrievers. The father, "Boss," a yellow Lab, is stationed in Miami. He was donated by the Australian Customs Service to improve the U.S. Customs canine breeding program. Cover will remain at the Training Center as part of the breeding program. All of the puppies in the "M" litter are black. With 14 new puppies, the canine breeding program will need foster families. Anyone interested in the foster family program should contact Diana Lieber at 540.631.2667.

Puppies from "K" and "L" litters now have names The winners of the "K" litter naming contest are: Kato - Robert Reiley Kilo - Glendell Roberts; Michelle Warren Kerven - Noel Bacheller; Dixie Faries The winners of the "L" litter naming contest are: Lacey - John Penella, Temea Simmons-Collins Lex - Martha M. Williams Lucas - Debbie Wingate