Howdy all, Brinks here.Β 

Finally, some excellent sunshine that I can bask in. When mom was grooming me, she let the birds collect my fur to line their nests. No real great adventures this month. I have grown taller than many of my fellow PADS counterparts. So, I still have difficulties figuring out where my feet and head are in relation to the world. Consequently, I either bump my head or my feet fall off platforms. Nothing major. Mom says I am like a gangly teenage boy who just grew inches overnight. Despite my valent attempts at showing Mom what an excellent sous chef I would be, she still refuses me access to the kitchen. I must sit on my designated mat while she does all the taste testing and clean-up work. (Does she not know I could complete those tasks willingly and proficiently?)Β 

We continue to work on loose-leash walking when out and about. Having become a teenage boy, I am now super interested in all the different smells around my neighbourhood. I am excellent at finding female scents, and when I find a male scent, I make sure that I cover that right up.Β 

I still give some attitude when I am asked to do something. I am either thinking about it or testing to see if Mom is really intent on me doing as she asks. She is a tough nut; I still haven’t been able not to do what she has asked. Lately, we have been playing a game where she drops food into a bowl, then lets me go and get it, then calls me away. The fun part is she gives me more food when I come to her. I have been having a little difficulty in not going to the second bowl (it is right there!) before going to Mom. Then she says I can go and get it, but I had forgotten it was there after all the food from Mom. We are still working on it.Β 

Mom says I am still a perfect gentleman when we go to work. She has meetings and tasks that need to be done, while I just hang out under a table or desk. I don’t really enjoy that, but I do it cause Mom has asked me to do so. Afterward, we go to a great park full of wonderful scents, sounds and activities. Mom takes my vest off when we go there. I am very excited about investigating this park, and she says my manners are forgotten in the attempt to go everywhere. She thinks my actions do not represent a trained PADS dog well, so she doesn’t want to advertise that is what I am trying to become.Β 

That’s it for now. BrinksΒ 

Submitted:Β Tina Steffler