I mentioned in a previous post that I am participating in a volunteer training course for service dogs. The organization is called ICAN, http://www.icandog.org/help/volunteer.htm. We are now down to the final two classes for the training. This Monday night we will meet at the mall downtown to practice training the dogs out in public. I am nervous and excited about it. Each time we work with these dogs I feel like I am managing a superstar or something. These dogs have been through a few years of training and could probably recite Shakespeare while juggling apples, at least that is what it feels like when you are with them. Last week I missed one of the required trainings since Kai decided to swallow a quarter right before my class. I took him to the emergency room instead. That is a story for another post). Luckily, the head trainer for ICAN was willing to call me on his lunch break to go over the material, so I can still finish the certification.
What stuns me the most about this training is how awed I feel about these dogs. They seem to posses super canine powers or something. I know that I am working with a dog that will literally change a person’s life. I feel so incredibly privileged to be able to work with them. We were told that as soon as we finished our certification we would most likely get a call to see if we could furlough a dog. A furrlough lasts for 2-3 weeks. During that time, you continue their training out in the community.
My fingers are crossed that I’ll get a call at the end of October. I want to be sure I can practice all I’ve learned and not forget it. You can be sure I’ll post a picture of the first dog that stays with us. It has been such a fun adventure.
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