Training Time (again)

I know I've talked about it before and posted a link  to a blog post by my school (LDB) and this probably covers the same information but some people like videos better.

https://youtu.be/tNhcGXEmypY

☆Katie

A Guide Dog Life

Here is the life of a guide dog from puppy to guide. 

https://youtu.be/PgXOrXfgQFk

♡Katie

Changes

We did indeed move into an apartment as Happe said. We have been here for a week now and it has been going well, I am still learning my way around and Happe has been a rockstar and a steady rock. We saw Ann (human), Mint (guide dog), and Mikki (human) the other day and let me tell you, it was furry.  We will be going to see the classroom I will be student teaching in on Tuesday, hoping it goes well. 

♡Katie

New

We got a new home! There is no yard but my friend Mint lives here somewhere. I like it, we can play all the time and not worry about disturbing anyone.

¤ Happe

Yay friends

I got to hang with some friends yesterday. We met some puppies and I got a bath.

¤ Happe

PD 1:Happe and his friend Pretzel, a golden retriever, sitting next to each other. They look like brothers.

PD 2: six poodle puppies of varying colors sitting in their pen behind a gate

HI

You haven't really met me yet. My name is Happe. I am a nearly two year old golden lab cross. I love fetch and running around like a crazy dog, mom says I'm a goofball and is always laughing at my antics. I love my snuggles, belly rubs and my mom.

♤Happe

The Beginning

I know I've been very bad about posting but there really just isn't that much going on. We sit around all day doing nothing, sometimes inside sometimes outside.

Story time:

I was not expecting to get a dog till mid April because that is when school ended for me, so when my instructor emailed me in February asking if I would be up to getting a new dog I was really surprised. They brought out two dogs that I got to work with to see if either of them would work. Juno 1(Danny) was sweet but there was not a connection there. Juno 2 (Happe) was also sweet and did not want to leave when it was time to go. A few weeks later on March 8th they brought Happe out for training  and now we have been a team for nearly three months and it is amazing.

☆Katie  

What an honor

We got to meet Legacy today. He's Leader dogs for the blind's 20,000 dog and Happe's half brother. It's a big deal.

P.D: a light yellow and light red dog sitting in the grass sort of looking at the camera with their mouths open

☆ Katie

Big Update

I GOT A NEW GUIDE DOG!! Meet Happe (like happy without the /y/). He is a nearly 2 golden/lab mix who will eat his own tail, go in circles, and will parade around with a toy or two in his mouth. He was a home delivery and it has been a crazy two weeks with school and training.

P.D a golden yellow dog laying on a blue mat gnawing on a yellow nylabone

Update

 Long story short I had to retire Ori due to safety issues. This past semester tried to kill me. I might be getting a new dog in April. I will be student teaching in the fall, no I do not know where yet but I will be in Ann Arbor, Novi, or Lincoln Park. Also sorry about being so lax on the posting, I have post ideas saved up but I do not have a guide dog any more so I feel really bad posting about my not very exciting, hectic life and also COVID.

☆ Katie

Service vs. ESA

This is a hot button topic for me, let me be on my soapbox for a minute here. Thanks in advance.

Thos was originally a Facebook post by the TRUTH about service dogs

I don’t know who needs to hear this but there is a difference between a service dog and an emotional support animal. 

There are psychiatric service dogs that are task trained to help migaite a mental disability. They are trained to do tasks that are directly related to the handler’s disability just like any other type of service dog. 

An ESA is not task trained to migaite a disability and simply the presence of the animal helps to alleviate symptoms of a disability. 

To qualify as a service dog they must be trained tasks that midigate the disability. It has nothing to do with weather your disability is physical or mental. It has everything to do with whether the dog is task trained to migaite that disability rather than it helping just by being there.

☆Katie