"Moving On, and on, and on........

Here is Alli....just where she is meant to be......with Elizabeth and Andy. I used to say that service dogs are Labs - 25% of the time, and Service Dogs - 75%......and Alli always had that reversed!!!! That was okay with me, as that's pretty much my % of seriousness as well. Don't get me wrong, she is an AMAZING service dog,......just a better Lab!! Had she not begun to lose her vision, she would have continued on as a much loved and much appreciated service dog and companion. But....all things considered, she is doing what she was meant to do.....be a devoted Lab for a family who loves her just as much as I do...... I always say things happen for a reason, and there is a reason for her blindness, and her return to Elizabeth and Andy.......

Having said that, aside from the occasional update on Alli's progress in life, I am now going to change the name of the blog one more time to "Looking Forward". I don't want to dwell on what was or could have been. I also need to be able to look to the future to a time when another service dog will be matched with me and together we will begin a new chapter in our lives.

On that subject, I need to remark on the NEADS Graduation this past Sunday, the 13th. Whether a client or not, I cannot think of anything I would rather do on a Sunday afternoon than watch more than 20 individuals with their service dogs get recognized for becoming partners, or better yet, a team. Their lives are enhanced almost immediately upon meeting each other. I say this, because the dogs lives, too, are enhanced for arriving at their new forever home where their unconditional love is appreciated and multiplied unto them. Watching them, I know if it hasn't happened already, the team will soon become "one". Anticipating each other's needs and being there for one another at all times......good and bad...... I also love watching the pups-in-training as they meander through the throngs of human and canine bodies, ever vigilant for what their Weedend Puppy Raiser (WPR)asks of them. The proud faces of the WPR are priceless. They welcome the opportunity to tell the pup's name and "just how amazing he/she is" at everything they do! This is just one of the elements that makes the WPR aspect of the dogs' training successful. I sooooo love looking at all the dogs with the blue vests(training colors) and wondering......could that pup someday grow up to "partner" with me?

I have been asked so many times if I have heard anything about my new dog......to this I answer, "No, and I don't expect to for at least 12 to 18 months." The answer is often "Really?" and I am quick to reply, "NEADS did such a great job matching me with Alli that I am more than ready to be patient and let them do what they do best.....put great teams together......being careful to match personalities and the clients' needs." Enough said! Perfection is always worth waiting for!

Also at graduation, were several "Wounded Warriors". While they all received service dogs, a few have dogs who are also trained as "Trauma Alert" dogs. What a WONDERFUL program! These Trauma Alert dogs are matched with individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD). The dogs are trained to recognize when an "episode" is imminent and the client is trained to work with the dog to recognize, and hopefully ease the severity of the episode, by comforting one another through it. It's amazing what our canine companions can do for us, all the while offering their unconditional love. This in itself is priceless for the deaf, disabled, socially withdrawn or returning combat veteran with a disability whether physical or emotional.

Until next time,
Wendy