Hello Pupsters!
Wow! I am so excited to share with you the amazing February I had!
My Hoomas and I had the great opportunity to volunteer at the Invictus Games in Vancouver! It started with a long drive from Calgary back to Vancouver, where I was so good and didn’t make a peep, and only had to stop for two pee breaks! When we arrived in Vancouver (Burnaby), our first stop was to the PADS main campus, where I got to meet my great great grand pup-a Pride!
On my first full day at the games, I had so much fun at the Puppy Puddle, meeting kids, athletes and veterans. In one situation, I was doing a perfect down when my handler asked me so that they could meet and talk with Lydia and get a shirt. Some serving military hoomas from Germany, saw my perfect down, and were impressed with my great behaviour and started asking questions as they had lots of questions for my new friend Lydia. She had so much great information to give them about starting a PTSD canine program for German military personnel. I felt very honored that I got to be a spokes-pup at that time, and they loved me when I got to say hi to them! As we were parting ways, one of my hoomans gave them their last PADS pin, and without asking for anything else, they gifted us with very special coins that I know my hoomans will cherish for the rest of their lives!
On the second day in the Puppy puddle, I got to take a break and run around in the Service Dog Rest stop, and it was so much fun! I was having so much fun that I caught the attention of another new friend from the UK. They asked to put a GoPro on my back, and I got to be on their webcast! I’m famous now, all over the world, for knowing how to have fun as well as work! My new friends were from the British Forces News BFBS and can be found here: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourbfbs/video/7471389097324498198 (I am the last dog in the video with my handler, Karynn!)
On my third and fourth days, I was up in the Puppy Lounge in the beautiful hotel and on the fourth day, it was so exciting as I got to meet my hooman namesake, Marni Hartnell! I was told, that she is the longest-serving PADS volunteer, and I love her!
I also got to go up to Whistler and visit a lot of other places too!
It was an amazing experience, and I loved it all. I hope I get to do more fun things like that and get to keep in touch with all the new friends I met from Vancouver and around the world!
I’m ready for my pup nap now, as this star needs her beauty sleep!
Paws for now!
Submitted by: Team Marni
