Happy New Year!
We had our first in-person class at the beginning of the month, after the holiday break. Our trainer said she was pleasantly surprised at how well-behaved we were after not seeing each other for so long.
The weather has been very sunny, although chilly, and we’ve taken advantage and gotten outside a lot. Some of the new places we went this month were Sassamat Lake, the Pitt River dyke & Barnet Marine park. I’ve had lots of playdates this month, some were just walking with another PADS dog, some were a good run & play. One of my meetups was with my sister, Kiara, and we had so much fun chasing each other after a short walk to the off-leash park.
Something different I did this month was go to a kindergarten class with PADS Myra, and another volunteer who talked to the kids about PADS dogs. The kids were so well-behaved and asked really good questions.
I spent a weekend with sitter Suzanne, as mom & dad were going to a big football game and said it would have been too long a day for me. I was happy, as I got to hang out with the released PADS dog Shadow, Suzanne called us the two “Dows”.
I’m working on settling in public. I’m good at home, but it takes me a while when we’re out. Mom is constantly going for coffee dates, or we practice when mom & dad are having dinner. Mom calls me her sidekick. I get to go grocery shopping, the mall, physio, coffee dates, and she says I’m good company, but I know it’s really about training.
Another thing mom & I have been doing more regularly is going to pet stores. We practice durations, and mom says I’m doing well. It was my one-year “gotcha day” on the 24th; the year has flown by, which means I’m going to be working hard on all my skills for the coming months.
Hugs,
Meadow
Submitted by: Alison
