Sunday, April 7, 2013

Okay, Mary, Here You Go!

I made a post on Facebook about a thing that happened today, and one of my friends said "Copy and past that into the dog blog!", to which I replied something to the effect of "but I'm sooo busy!" 

So, here's the post:

Today was a big day for Rachel and Dog. The trainer came to put them through their paces, in hopes of being able to give a 30 day notice for certification testing. They have just a couple of things to perfect, but overall are looking very good! The notice is going in, and the team will have 30 days to work, work, work on their weak points before the trainer comes and does a video that will be turned in to Paws for review. Our hope is that they will be certified before graduation, and we can have a big certification/graduation celebration.:)

Yes, this is a Big Deal, and we are both excited and nervous. Recently, another friend asked when we'd most recently updated, so I ran over here to look. Yikes, December 28th was over 3 months ago. That's a really long time in the blogiverse, but I know we have some folks who been following along from the beginning, and we owe to you to at least try and keep you up-to-date.

It would be so much easier to be excited about blogging if I could share more about Dog, and when the team passes their certification test, I'll be able to do just that, with tons of pictures, and fun stories.

Until then, here's a pic of Rachel and Dog enjoying a sunny afternoon, and some bonding time.


Training is never really finished. Even once they're certified, they will still have to practice commands, and do seizure simulations on a daily basis. Every day, until it comes time for Dog to retire. They will also be re-certified every two years, so must keep their skills sharp.

Rachel will graduate from high school in June, her boyfriend is going into the Army at the end of May, and she's working on her certification with Dog. This is a very busy and stressful time for all of us, but she's the one being graded. Rachel is holding up really well under the pressure, but has experienced a few more seizures than average lately. Fortunately, they seem to be much less impactful, and she's only had one anxiety attack in the last few months.

Dog has become a good friend, and a source of comfort and support for Rachel. He goes where she goes, though he won't be attending Prom next week. He's getting the night off as he hasn't learned how to dance yet, and Rachel happens to have a very handsome human date. I'm not really looking forward to trying to explain to Dog why he can't go, and keeping him from pacing a rut in the floor until Rachel gets home.

So, there's my big, long over-due update. I do apologize for the huge gap, and I would promise to do better in the future, but I think we all know that I can't be trusted, so I'll just say that I will try and remember to update at least once a month. Feel free to leave a message if you want to know something. I will get a notice, and get back in here. :)

-Kelly