First of all, I’d like to thank Breeder Caretaker, Krista Beech & family at Misty’s whelping home for doing such a great job in producing such a well behaved puppy, who knew her name, how to sit and best of all, sleep through the entire night since puppy pick up on November 14th at a Lake Country church.
I’m a new volunteer raiser with PADS and have previously raised five puppies for Lions Foundation Dog Guides in Ontario.
Many of the PADS commands are different than the ones I was familiar with, so at first Misty & I were both a little confused, however she managed to catch on quickly to HERE, BETTER GO, KENNEL and GO IN.
It took less than a week and Misty was already waiting 30 seconds before being RELEASED to eat her food.
Misty’s first few weeks were spent settling in at her new home with her new mom & dad and getting acquainted with the two cats, one of which is much more fun to play with than the other. Misty tends to get overexcited when playing with the cat and barks, so we have to work on this behaviour.
Misty has been practising being GENTLE with her humans and the cat. “NO BITE” is NOT part of her vocabulary yet.
Days have been spent snoozing or getting in the way of mom’s “downward dogs” as she practices yoga online at home. Soon we were taking short walks around the neighbourhood, checking out all the new sites and smells and learning not to bark at or chase the numerous deer roaming free.
I’m always on the go, so by the end of November Misty had donned her bright yellow coat many times and been “ooed & awwed” at various places around town, including the local brewery, winery and restaurant, where she practiced “settle”. She’s also been a hit at the grocery store, hardware store, the book store and coffee shop.
She’s had a play date with her brother Misha, who luckily lives nearby. They were both happy to be reunited.
Our favourite outing is Geocaching where we explore new sites around town looking for treasures, including the famous Ogopogo at Kelowna City Park.
Misty & I also participated in the Puppy Parade video that was produced for PADS virtual graduation Nov 29th.
It’s been a very busy half month for all of us and look forward to teaching Misty all the skills necessary to becoming a PADS service dog.
Submitted By: Chris Buitinga
