Pre-Graduation Thoughts: “I’m in the car ride to handler training graduation at the Little Angels ranch. Although the car ride is making me nauseous, I’m still excited! Dyson and I have worked hard together the last couple weeks!” Graduation: Bud’s handler Leslie and I graduated together, a first for Little Angels. It was the biggest graduation … More Graduation
Day 12 was the final field trip of handler training and the day before graduation. We went to SeaWorld. Although I don’t really like SeaWorld’s methods, especially the whole orca whale situation, it was an important training opportunity because of the large crowds, animals, and various sensory stimuli such as seeing rollercoasters, hearing yelling riders, … More Handler Training: Day 12
Dyson has started to rest his head on my lap during car rides if I sit in the back row with him. This makes me feel loved and needed. It feels like he is slowly becoming aware that I am his person, his owner, his handler. We cuddled and took at least an hour-long … More 24/7 Dyson: Day 4
This field trip was to Seaport Village. Savannah and Vince, Bud and his handler and her husband, an apprentice trainer named Judy with her own service dog Daisy, and a different apprentice trainer named Kellen all came. This day of handler training was great for practicing working with Dyson in stores. There were … More Handler Training: Day 11
We went to movie theater to meet up with Savannah with Vince and Bud with his handler. Before the movie started, I had the opportunity to use the public restroom with Dyson for the first time. Previously Savannah had shown me what to do in this situation at the pet store lesson, but I hadn’t … More Handler Training: Day 10
Dyson and I relaxed together. I worked on some of my handler training homework while he slept beside me. After the training field trip, I went to Belmont Park to meet up with someone close to my age named Savannah, who has Ehlers-Danlos and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndome like me. She is also on the … More 24/7 Dyson: Day 2
On day nine of handler training, I went to work with Savannah at the Cheesecake Factory. This was a bit more formal than the Panera Bread. We met up with another handler in training and her new seizure alert dog Bud, who is a black lab like Dyson (but bigger). Savannah also brought a yellow … More Handler Training: Day 9
At the end of handler training of day 8, Katie said that I was ready to keep Dyson full-time. This means that I was allowed to start bringing him everywhere with me instead of leaving him with the trainers after each session. This doesn’t mean that handler training is over. I still have daily lessons … More Taking Dyson 24/7
This handler session was about washing my dog! We went to a place that had tubs to wash your dog in. Wetting, shampooing, rinsing, conditioning, rinsing, towel drying, ear cleaning, ear drying, blow drying coat. Service dogs can’t look dirty or smell bad because they go into public places. Service dogs should be cleaner than … More Handler Training: Day 8
Training was back at the Little Angels ranch facility. It was the last I’ll be there except for service dog graduation day. I worked with the head of Little Angels, Katie. Katie taught me about Dyson’s feeding process. She suggests that I only feed him once a day in the evening. This is … More Handler Training: Day 7
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