We're Still Here and All Is Well

Hello again, everyone! We're still kicking, and Dog is still with us, and training is going well.

Rachel has been working hard at both school and training, so was very ready for her two week Winter Break, which we are now halfway through. She was hugely surprised when her boyfriend presented her with a promise ring for Christmas, as he will be going into the Army in the Spring, and they are committed to weathering the separation.

Dog's training is going well in most respects, and he's learning more all the time. We have begun alarm training, and though he's motivated and wanting to work, he's having a hard time with the lanyard he's supposed to pull. We've surmised that because the cord is black, and flat, he can't see it well, and has a hard time getting his mouth around it.

We have a plan to replace the black cord, with a bright yellow nylon cord, and put a big blue bead on the end for him to grab. I did a ton of internet research, hoping to get clues to which colors dogs see best, and it looks like yellows and blues are the best. We're hoping to get that sorted this weekend, so that training can really move forward, and he won't get so frustrated and confused.

So, for those of you who are still checking in from time to time, I apologize again for the amount of time between entries, but I can't promise I'll get any better anytime soon. Rachel still has another semester of high school, and then right at the end of the year she'll be working on certification with Dog, her boyfriend will be leaving for the Army, and she'll be preparing for graduation. Things are about to get real around here.

Rachel experienced an increase in seizure and panic activity for the first couple of weeks that Dog was here, but then had a lovely 4 week break, which was such a gift. Dog is sweet, and bouncy, and playful, and we love him, so we very much hope the team continues to do well, and will be certified soon.

I'll leave you with a photo of Rachel and Dog taking a walk in the park, on a gorgeous Winter day...

-Kelly

I Know, I Know...

I am a truly horrible blogger. Dog has been with us since Oct. 19th, and you're just now hearing about it. If you are on Facebook, you've seen some of what's going on around here, but we can't openly share his identity for some time yet, so I'm afraid you'll have to patient awhile longer.

I do have a few photos that don't give away too much, but I'm even nervous about sharing those. I simply don't want to do anything that will mar Rachel's chances of keeping this fantastic resource.

Training has been going well. The first week was sort of rough, while we all got used to Dog, and he got used to us and our schedules. We had to make a change to his sleeping routine, but it's working out well now.

Rachel has been working hard, and learning how to bond with Dog, which is something that is work for her. She's not terribly demonstrative, though we love on her all the time, but she's working on changing that. She's learning to use an authoritative tone, which we call "mom voice", and that does make a difference.

Just today, we took Dog out in public, on a short trip to the county dog licensing office, where he was licensed for 3 years, and they waived the fees because he's a service dog. I wasn't expecting that, so we used part of the money saved to buy Dog a new toy. He was a star when we took him out. He loves his working vest, and is better behaved when wearing it. His heel work is fantastic, he stayed in a down/stay beautifully while we waited, and he made us proud.

Rachel and Dog are napping now, after their big adventure into the world this morning, but I'll leave you with a couple of pics...sorry we can't share his face yet, but we hope it won't be long before the team is certified, and we can show you how gorgeous he is.

Dog loves the view out the front window

Dog looks spiffy in his work vest, and loves to wear it.

-Kelly