I am pretty sure August was our busiest month yet. Lise took me to the vet for more flea medication which requires a weigh in, and at almost 10 months old I am 71 pounds, a big and growing puppy.

We attended our first in person class in August and one of our trainers suggested that Lise cut down my food, so gradually she reduced my daily allotment so I wouldn’t notice and I guess I didn’t.

Lise signed us up for the Move2022 Campaign to raise money for PADS to go towards raising more puppies like me that grow and train and become life changers for people who require a service dog. Lise made sure we had plans to move in some way every day this month, she wasn’t kidding either.

We attended our first outdoor concert and I was such a good dog, Lise was smart and brought a kong to keep me distracted from all the people and new sounds. Lise had fun and enjoyed the music, when it was over Lise and her friend and I went to a restaurant. Two firsts in one day, wow! Lise and her friend enjoyed their lunch while I chilled out under the table, I got some kibble too.

We also had our 10-month review where Lise and I meet up with our trainers and they observe us in action. This is so we are on track with our training and which areas may require more work. The trainers then send Lise a revised training plan and we focus on the areas that need attention. Lise knows that I love to learn.

A couple of days later some PADS raisers and their dogs were meeting up for a beach day at the Spanish Banks Dog Beach, the tide was low so there was a lot more beach and the water was very shallow, like paw deep and the deeper water was far away. This was another off-leash opportunity for me and I had so much fun running and playing with the other dogs. One of the raisers Bill Ng takes the best pictures as you will see below.

We ended the month with a field trip to the PNE. Lise and I took the bus and walked to the gate where we were to meet our classmates. While we waited, we walked over to the Super Dogs, there were so many people and even more new smells. Lise was very impressed with me and realized our evening was going to go well. When everyone arrived, we walked in a line with one trainer in the front and one at the back, we kept space between the dogs and managed the crowd without any problems at all. We walked through the barn where all the farm animals are; we started with the smaller ones right up to the big cows, bulls and horses. I wasn’t scared of any of them but they sure do smell different.

Well that’s a wrap for August.

Submitted by: Lise Fillion