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Sepulveda Building Materials is the premier masonry and landscape rock dealer in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Inland Empire, the Desert Cities and the Coachella Valley.
We have distinctive landscape rock from over 40 quarries to define any new home or re-invent an existing home. Our products include Prefab BBQ Islands and Outdoor Fireplaces, new brick, used brick, barbeques, stone, travertine, slate, firewood, concrete blocks, and much more.
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Sepulveda Sponsors Guide Dogs of America Puppies
Generous sponsor donations and player participation at the Sepulveda Building Materials Charity Golf Tournament sponsor Guide Dogs of America puppies and provide equipment and supplies for graduates and their guide dogs. Here are updates on the puppies-in-training.
 It's a Girl! Meet Elena, one of ten puppies born February 24, 2013. She is a lovely yellow Labrador Retriever and will be raised by long time Puppy Raiser Judi Gomez. Elena will be Judi’s 11th GDA puppy in training!
Puppy Photo
Elena’s First Newsletter
 Bodie is a Labrador/Golden Retriever cross. He was born 1/24/13 and went home to his Puppy Raiser, Lorry Rawding on 3/15/13. If you look carefully you can see that Golden look coming out on him. The Rawding family will keep you posted on his activities as he gets a bit older.
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Bodie’s First Newsletter
 Kenai was born on 9/10/12 and replaces Journey who recently career changed. Kenai is being raised by the Hart Family, who not only were raising Journey, but also had Denali graduate on 12/15/12. We hope you will keep checking in on Kenai as well as all of his other sponsored puppy friends.
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Kenai's First Progress Report
 Pixie was born on 2/12/2012 and is a fun and smart puppy. Her Puppy Raisers, Tina and Brian of Simi Valley, tell us she picks up on training quickly. She seems quite adaptable to all situations.
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Pixie’s First Newsletter
Pixie’s Second Newsletter
Pixie’s Third Newsletter
First Birthday Photo
Pixie’s Fourth Newsletter
Pixie is turning 14 weeks old and is a fun and extremely smart little puppy. She picks up on training very quickly. She has completed her Level One puppy training class and begins Level 2 this week. Even though we are limited to where she can go until she is fully vaccinated, she has experienced many new things and seems quite adaptable to all situations.
Pixie has doubled her weight to just over 20 pounds, since we brought her home at 7 1/2 weeks old. Her movements are still “puppy awkward” as she has to constantly adapt to her rapidly changing body. Her legs have gotten long and lanky. Her puppy antics continue to be a source of laughter and entertainment for us. She is adorable.
Your support of Guide Dogs of America can go beyond our annual golf tournament. Please read more about Guide Dogs of America on our website, then visit the Guide Dogs of America website. To call Guide Dogs of America directly, please contact Judy Reilly at 818 833-6437.
Dogs That Are In-For-Training
When puppies reach 18 months, they return to Guide Dogs of America for extensive evaluation. They are checked medically and in several other areas to evaluate if they should go to formal training. Dogs that go to formal training spend four to six months learning how to be a guide dog. They practice in all types of environments and learn vital behaviors. When ready, the dog will be matched with a blind man or woman.
Guide Dog Graduates
Guide Dogs of America provides guide dogs and instruction in their use, free of charge, to blind and visually impaired men and women from the United States and Canada. Only a few puppies that start the program graduate to become guide dogs, and the dogs shown below are in that group. They were originally sponsored by the Sepulveda Building Materials Charity Golf Tournament, and now they are busy enhancing the lives of Guide Dogs of America (human) graduates!
 Sal was born in October, 2010 and was raised by the Judsons of Santa Monica, CA. Sal is paired with Karen Lemmon, a retired art teacher who lives on a ranch in Nebraska and is a docent at the Fort Robinson Museum.
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Sal Goes Sailing!
“Please see the two photos of Sweet Sal taken about mid-December on the occasion of his first ride on our sailboat. He was really excited to go and begged strenuously to do so despite my intention of taking him anyway.
In an apparent effort to sweeten the pot, he volunteered to do deck chores, not knowing just how much work that could be and how tired a little guy could get doing it. ‘Nuf said, I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story.”
Sal’s First Quarter Report
“My pal Sal is 43 pounds and approaching six months of age. He’s been a pleasure to me since the day I picked him up at eight weeks old and 13 pounds. Since coming to live with us he’s been on many a great adventure including people dental appointments, several temple and church visits, a couple of schools and even the Huntington Library Tea Room.
Sal is a very calm little guy and acts like a sponge at GDA obedience classes while he watches all the bigger dogs go through their paces.”
Sal’s Second Quarter Report
I'd first like to thank you for all the help and support you're giving Sal and GDA, your continuing kindness is not forgotten or taken for granted.
The time has passed quickly since Sal's last update, and a lot has happened since then. To begin with, Sal will be nine months old on July 8 and is growing like a weed. He weighs in at a long and slender 63 pounds, and has a lot more growing to go.
Some of the things he's done to keep himself busy is that he's made close to a dozen presentations to groups as diverse as young grade school kids (five schools) and several adult groups. He's traveled all over California, having recently ridden the Amtrak train to near San Diego to attend the County Fair where GDA had a booth.
Earlier this summer Sal attended San Francisco State University to be at the graduation of a GDA student who was getting her Masters degree along with her guide dog Bruce. Sal met Bruce for the first time and they played sweetly, yet Sal knew his job and easily reverted to self control when play time came was over.
Sal enjoys going out to breakfast every morning and is always a prefect gentleman in the restaurant where he sits under the table and catches up on some sleep while listening to all the chatter of adults and children at the tables above him. His two favorite things in the world are kids and Teddy Bears, not necessarily in that order. Yet he's totally at home in my garage shop and isn't bothered at all around my loud table saws, drill presses and the like.
He's very familiar and comfortable on the GDA campus, too, which he visits frequently with his puppy raiser Glyn. They were photographed there recently where he posed cutely for the camera. Earlier Sal posed with Jay Leno at a car show. In “Photo 4”, linked below, Sal is on the left.
Sal’s Last Quarterly Report
SAL’S GRADUATION PHOTO !!!
My pal Sal is winding down his stay with me and will soon return to GDA for his formal harness training. As always, this is a bittersweet time with a mix of wanting him to grow and at the same time wanting him to stay but knowing that he’ll be missed around the house.
Of all previous dogs I’ve raised for the school, I’m most impressed with Sal’s maturity and calm nature. That’s not to say that he can’t have fun and tear around the back yard with other pups but if his calm nature is any indicator, I hope it means that he will graduate to become a good guide in record time. Only time will tell.
Sal usually has a pretty full schedule of school visits and speaking engagements with this last quarter being a bit light yet still active. He delighted young kids in their classrooms at four different schools and was the hit of the program at a speaking engagement of an audience of about 40 women who all wanted to kidnap Sal and take him home. He has become very comfortable leading tours of the GDA campus after graduations and even for a group of folks coming to visit the school recently.
Early March saw Sal leading the pack so to speak on a trip to Pasadena on the MTA Gold Line train, where once in Pasadena, he and 25 other GDA pups enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.
In February, Sal helped ring in the premiere of the new Disney film “Treasure Buddies.”
So as you can see, this handsome, 17 month old, 76 pound boy leads a fairly active life delighting everyone wherever he goes and offering generous kisses to anyone who gets close enough.
Special thanks to Sepulveda Building Materials for sponsoring Sal and cheering him on. Partnering with donors like you makes raising guide dogs a much richer experience. It has been an absolute joy having Sal live with us for these past 16 months, and I know everyone else who comes into contact with him only wish Sal the brightest future as he moves on to the second level of his training toward becoming the eyes for a visually impaired or blind person.
And with that, my I only wish is that you know only the best in life, Sal.
 Grayson was born in March, 2011. His Puppy Raisers were the McKenzies of Lakewood, CA. He graduated in January, 2013!
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Grayson’s First Newsletter
Grayson is a Calendar “Cover Dog”
2012 South Bay Calendar
Grayson’s Second Newsletter
Grayson’s Last Newsletter
From Guide Dogs of America:
“We are all proud of Grayson and his many achievements! Attached you will find his final progress report as he will come back to Guide Dogs of America on July 14. After approximately a year and a half, it will soon be time for him to begin his rigorous training program to become a future guide dog.
As you can imagine, the families become very attached to the puppies and even though everyone knows that the puppies will perform a wonderful service, it is still difficult to say good-bye. We have invited the families to a special “Separation Ceremony” where everyone will join together for an emotional send off. We are grateful for these wonderful volunteers, and although separation is difficult, the puppy-raisers say it’s all worth it. Many families have raised more than one puppy for us.”
GRADUATION PHOTOS !!!
 Rosie was born in October, 2010 and was raised by the Neisens of Covina, CA. She is paired with Chris Sirna, who lives in Riverside, CA and commutes daily to work as a consultant in downtown LA. This is Chris' fifth or sixth dog!
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Read Rosie’s Newsletter
Watch Rosie’s Slide Show
August 2011 Newsletter
Watch Rosie’s Third Slide Show
ROSIE’S GRADUATION PHOTO !!!
All about Rosie
It was with great excitement and anticipation we greeted the morning of November 23, 2010, for that was the day we would welcome Rosie into our home. Yes, we have now expanded our home by 4 feet with an adorable yellow lab puppy-in-training for Guide Dogs of America. Rosie has pretty brown eyes, the cutest floppy ears that look like the edges were dipped in carmel, a cute pinkish brown nose and even though she is called a yellow lab, she looks like a little white bear.
We enjoyed the orientation that Guide Dogs of America gives to the puppy raisers, and were reminded of the many responsibilities that go along with taking care of and raising a puppy to be a future guide dog. After the orientation the group of expectant puppy raisers walked to the nursery. Oooohs and Ahhhs filled the air as each puppy was brought out one at a time. As luck would have it Rosie was one of the last to be brought out, but well worth the short, yet interminable wait! Rosie is from a litter of 8 and of course we think she is the cutest!!
Rosie was also welcomed home by three labs, whom we lovingly refer to as her sisters. Bailey, Natalie and Josie. When we arrived home her sisters were very curious about this little ball of fur. They of course smelled her, and licked her to show their approval, and have been playing with her ever since.
Now that we have been trying to establish a routine we all agreed that we have forgotten the demands of a new puppy but, Rosie has quickly reminded us of the necessity of watching her every move. Rosie has been excellent at sleeping through the night. We have found that she loves to go exploring in the back yard and taste every leaf, twig and plant she can find.
One of the most important responsibilites we have in raising Rosie is exposing her to situations and places that will prepare her to be a guide dog. Socialization is key to her success. We do this by taking her everywhere we go in our daily lives.
Some of the things we have done with Rosie and places we have gone to help her on the road to becoming a guide dog are:
- Puppy Kindergarten classes--basic obedience and basic commands are introduced. Rosie was the youngest dog in the class and the most well behaved! She was in fact the teacher's pet!
- Beginning Obedience Class--she is currently enrolled in this 8 week course.
- Rosie goes to various stores - Costco-grocery - Home Depot etc. and to restaurants on a regular basis.
- Rosie goes to church with us on Sunday for 3 hours!! Everyone loves her.
- She has been to the beach, and loved digging in the sand, and watching (not chasing) the seagulls.
We have enjoyed raising Rosie these past few months, and getting to know her little personality. We can't wait to see how she progresses, and hopefully one day we will see her graduate and change someone's life forever! We hope this gives you an insight to some of Rosie's activities. We so appreciate your support to make this possible for our family to raise Rosie. We know without your support we could not do this. We hope you enjoy the pictures!
Thanks again,
The Niesen Family
Career Change Dogs
Every Guide Dogs of America puppy has a amazing variety of talents. Sometimes those talents combine in a way that helps the puppy grow into a great guide dog. Sometimes they combine in a way that make them great at something else. At Guide Dogs of America those dogs become “Career Change Dogs”. They become great pets or even dogs that are great at working in areas other than guiding the blind. The dogs below were sponsored by the Sepulveda Building Materials Charity Golf Tournament and eventually changed careers.
 Thank you so much for being my sponsor. My name is Lance, and I was born 2/10/2012. I am being raised by the Lorry family in Simi Valley. Since I went home with them at 7 weeks I have learned so much!
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Lance’s First Newsletter
Thank you so much for being my sponsor. My name is Lance. I was born 2/10/2012 and am being raised by the Lorry family in Simi Valley. Since I went home with them at 7 weeks I have learned so much. I work on basic commands during the day and go for walks around our neighborhood and short errands with my puppy raiser. During the week, my puppy raiser and her therapy dog visit a school for reading and a care center to visit. I ride in a doggie stroller until I've had all my shots to keep me safe and just look at all the people and listen to all the sounds. Sometimes I just fall asleep. My sister Lulu is also sponsored by Sepulveda Building Materials!
I go to church on Sunday and lay quietly under the seat. This month my puppy raiser’s daughter graduated from college and I stayed quietly under the chair in the shade on the turf. I’m wearing one of the hats to keep the sun away.
Lance’s Second Newsletter
Lance’s Last Newsletter
 Talli is a Golden Retriever/Labrador cross. She was born October 13, 2010. She went home with her Puppy Raisers, the Steinblums of Duarte, CA, on December 3, 2010.
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Read Talli’s Newsletter
Talli’s 2nd Quarter Newsletter
Talli’s 3rd Quarter Newsletter
Talli’s Jan 2012 Newsletter
Talli’s June 2012 Newsletter
 Thiele (pronounced Tee-Lee) is a yellow Labrador Retriever. She was born on September 18, 2010. She went home with her Puppy Raisers, the Sharps of Camarillo, CA, on October 5, 2010.
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Thiele’s First Newsletter
Thiele’s Second Newsletter
 My name is Journey, and I was born on 12/17/2011. The Harts from Cypress are raised me. One of my raisers is interested in becoming a Veterinarian, so puppy raising helps him learn more about dogs.
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Journey’s First Newsletter
Journey is Dreaming!
Journey’s Second Newsletter
 Murphy is a black Labrador Retriever. She was born on August 29, 2010. She went home with her Puppy Raisers, the McKenzies of Lakewood, CA, on October 25, 2010.
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Read Murphy’s First Newsletter
Read Murphy’s Second Newsletter
Murphy Career Change
From Guide Dogs of America:
“...Murphy has career changed. She found it difficult to wear her training jacket. This jacket is an important part of a dog’s socialization, as it sets the stage for the harness they must wear to guide their visually impaired companion. Her Puppy Raisers will be keeping her. Without the demands of a training jacket or harness, she will make a wonderful pet.
Because Murphy’s career changed at such a young age, we have transferred your sponsorship to Grayson. He is a Yellow Labrador Retriever and was born on March 28, 2011.”
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