If you want
to know the answer to that musical question “who let the dogs out,” the answer
is: Kathy did!
I had a blast
at Team Training---well except for feeling incredibly clumsy when I voiced the
wrong command, and 68 legs LEAPED in unison and surged forward in one big dog-wave
of flying fur! Thank goodness for our Canine Companions Team Instructors. With
two words, they got all 17 dogs to freeze and be under control again inside of
60 seconds!
How does that
happen? Fantastic Puppy Raisers, and AMAZING Teachers who work tirelessly to
socialize and train exceptional, focused Labs and Golden Retriever/Lab pups.
At first, class
was like “speed-dating.” We each worked with one dog for 1-2 exercises, and
then we would switch dogs until everyone had the right fit. I think they should
call it “speed-dogging.”
Since Bailey picked
me, we have a routine. Bailey knows when I am getting ready to go to work, and
she lifts her head and thumps her tail. She knows when I say “Dress” that it is
time to put on her vest and be ready to help. And wow, help she does! I never
realized just how many things I drop in a day, or how much easier my life is
when I can ask Bailey to hold a thing for me while I get adjusted in my chair.
And Bailey does it all with an eager, happy face and a wagging tail! She loves to work. It feels great to
know that I can get things accomplished without needing to ask a person nearby
to stop what they are doing and get something for me. Bailey has gifted me with
an added bonus: she is a people magnet!
Instead of passing me without a word, people can’t help but stop, smile, and ask
questions. Like magic, my chair and my disability disappear, and folks are
meeting both of us. I knew
Bailey was accepted at my jobsite when 4 different colleagues in a row said,
“HI BAILEY!” and then remembered to
add a hello for me afterwards. Bailey makes me happy and proud. She adds ease
to my work-day, and funny antics to my evening rest. After an 8-hour shift, there
is no better couch-potato than a sweet dog with soft ears and a cold, wet nose
that “shoves” my hand waiting for another pet on her fur.
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