The day has finally arrived! We began our training morning by heading to the Downtown Training Center in Rochester Hills. We were given personal tours by a couple of very nice volunteers and took a Juno walk on Main Street. The inside of the training center has been remodeled since my last visit; and has plenty of comfortable seating (inside and out), the addition of two rows of airplane seats for practice purposes, and a station for using laptops and other electronics. The entire class buzzed with the excitement in anticipation of the big delivery event.
After a Coney Island Dog lunch, we all retreated to our rooms for dog issue. It was just like the last two times for me. We listened as trainers delivered new pups to classmates, collars jingling and paws padding down the hall. Wil kept opening his door a crack to try and hear who was next. I heard a voice outside the window; and snuck a peek at my neighbor’s black lab in the park area. We all have doors in our rooms that access the covered dog relief (park) area. Instructors came to our rooms to take our leashes, give the dog’s name, and leave to retrieve it. The trainers gave each dog a park opportunity, showed them where our chair is in the dining room, and then made that special life changing delivery to our rooms.
Randy finally came to my door at 1:33pm to tell me that my dog’s name was Penny. He also told me that she was a sixty pound Golden Retriever born on June 8, 2012. I was beside myself with excitement! I had hoped for a third Golden; but was agreeable to the perfect match regardless of breed preference. I told Wil my information after Randy left the room. Wil kept a listening ear to the door; and at 1:45 pm (January 14, 2014) Penny entered my life. She was a bundle of energy, rushing to greet me in a military crawl (AKA inch worming). I am including the following video so that you may share in my experience. Keep in mind that when we receive our new companions, they only think they are visiting and look for their trainer when he/she leaves the room. The dogs have very strong attachments to their trainers. It generally takes eight to ten days for them to form permanent bonds with their forever persons (turn over).
The first hour after delivery is spent getting to know the dogs; loving, playing with, and comforting them. The rest of the afternoon and evening sessions were spent heeling them up and down the halls. The purpose of this exercise is for the dog/human team to begin getting to know and working on the walking pace. It takes hours of practice to match paces. The dogs have no reason to cooperate with us total strangers at first. With time, patience, treats, and hard work, we will all return home with a strong foundation as a working team. It takes an average of six months to a year to become a seasoned team.
I was much too tired to blog at the end of issue day. I will report on January 15 and 16 in tomorrow’s post.
Until next time…
I was so excited watching this. I can’t wait to meet the puppy. Has Wil posted about his yet, andis there video?
I am so happy for you, although I know you still miss the others. Best wishes and the Best of Luck! She really is a beautiful girl!