The End of Team Training

Tomorrow afternoon, Hazel and I will be graduating as a service dog team from Bergin University of Canine Studies. Wow.  I am exhausted and excited.  Hazel is excited because she is playing with her toys, her favorite orange and blue ball, and a crackling chicken house that has squeaker chicken and squeaker fox that fit inside.  I think she is tired too. She must be. She worked hard the past two days, with ADI testing and our working tests at the school.  Now she is rearranging her bed. I'm so glad we got her that soft furry bed... she likes it.....(the fleece cover looks rather like the fur of a faded, curly brown dog).
I will write more about team training later. It was an incredible experience.  I've learned so much. And I have a dog. I really have a service dog, my forever friend.  One morning this week I woke up crying, because I love her so much, and I am so happy. I took a lot of Kleenex, thinking I would be crying with love and joy all day, but then we went to team training, and we had practice and lecture and practice some more.  Learning how to handle a service dog has been a ton of work. There are all these things (much more than I thought there would be) to think of and do at the same time. Don't repeat commands. Don't say yes (yes is only for training). And all the things to do if Hazel doesn't do the command right away. Give her time to think. I have an analytical dog.  There has been so much practice and learning crammed into two weeks.
Tomorrow morning we have our final at the Santa Rosa Mall.  And then in the afternoon.... graduation.  Amazing.
Then the next day,  on Sunday, we will be traveling home.
Hazel and I are starting out on our adventure together.  I love her so much.
Having a service dog is an incredible thing.