Hello everyone,
PADS Donner II here to tell you about my busiest month yet. Throughout July, I continued to work on my skills, like sits, leash-guided downs, and loose-leash walking. Slowly, my people are introducing new words to me, and I began to work on getting in and out of the car politely. This skill was especially important as we went on a road trip to Howl (Powell*) River! I got to go on 4 ferries, and feel the wind in my ears. I’ve been losing lots of teeth, so I was hoping to get to speak to the tooth ferry, but I guess she wasn’t working those days…
Though we went to visit the people’s friends, there happened to be a PADS pickleball event happening, so I was able to make my first event appearance and meet PADS Serano, an AFD who works out there. Learning how to greet people appropriately is a very important skill for a PADS dog, so learning to harness my excitement and enthusiasm to do polite greetings is a key skill.
In Howl River, I visited restaurants, saw big chainsaw carvings, and even became friends with a very polite dog named Cricket. I had to work hard to prove that I was a nice playmate, something I’ve been working hard to be.
Speaking of friends, released PADS Taj has continued to mentor me in being a good, chill boy. We practice settling together, and he shows me how to play nicely. I’ve gotten much better at settling, but it is way harder with friends around. Luckily, Taj falls asleep very quickly and is a good role model. I got to meet a new mentor, PADS AFD Cleat, for a trail walk. Having good recall is very important for safety, and the people say that I can only go exploring if I’m good at coming back. Going out with my big friends like Taj and Cleat has been very helpful in reinforcing nice trail manners. Plus, they are super fun!
Another big event of the month was my walk and talk with my trainer. We went to Home Depot and I walked around noisy things, stood on moving carts, and climbed metal stairs. If something ever makes me nervous or unsure, I’m always quick to reinvestigate, and I was able to do everything that the people wanted to see. These meetings are helpful for the people to learn how to support me better, and they are very fun and exhausting for me as well.
I went on my first picnic, and ended up hogging the whole blanket and sleeping through the whole thing. The last big adventure of the month was attending a Whitecaps game with my buddy PADS Blanco. It was super loud and rumbly, but I was most excited about being near this black dog that goes to PADS events. The raiser says that it’s not real and is a stuffed dog, but I still love it. Blanco and I were very popular, and I got lots of pets and lots of kibble. Even a tiny 1.5-year-old human came to pet me!
Even though it’s been busy, I’ve been getting lots of rest, and the humans are always watching to make sure that I’m comfortable, happy, and excited to work.
Hopefully, next month is just as full of fun, friends, and chicken and rice kibble.
Submitted by: Fiona Mak
