re dog education vs dog training.... i had forgitten this story- early inthe game i gave a dog to a veteran..and i went by to check on the dog-- doing wonderfully- the only problem teh vet told me --- sometimes teh dog growled at the wife-- that sounded bad- i spent some time trying to figure out what the heck..... the dog seemed very friendly to both me and the wife ---- i couldn't understand, so i decided to go "out" in the community withthe veteran in a real working set up... i noticed when the wife walked near teh dog, he would stiffen very slightly. on pushing that further, i found the dog would growl-- or at least "vocalize" when she was near them... we went home ( their home) to have som e coffee and try and figure it out.. he took off the harness and the dog bounded around very friendly to teh wife... i figured it was in their home-- but that was not the decideing factor.. turns out when put back in harness the dog would "vocalize" his displeasure at anyone who came near-- wife included.. with some further investigation , that dog had the arttitude "can't you see i am working --- leave us alone !!" the rest of that story is ... i swore i could detect the flip side ---- "can't you see i am off duty?" when the dog was sleeping on the couch next to the wife and he called the dog.
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there are many before and after stories with the 180+ dogs we have put out working..
---the "balance" dog for a deaf woman in penna- who at 3am jumped up on the woman's bed when the dog smelled smoke- thus saving the whole appt building.
---the woman who burst into tears because she could now step up the 6" curb to get into the supermaqrket.
---"my dog and i are sitting on a bench at cannobie lake park scared shltless... but we are here" after 3 years of not leaving the house.
---" in my wife;s eyes, i have been replaced by a dog... thanks"
---'i am not going to loose my place in line(at walmart xmas rush) just because he fell over... his dog will get him up "
---"how do you expect a 50 pound child to control a 150 pound dog?"
--- when she was in a wheelchair, her attendant would forget to take her to lunch. the dopg will do better than that."
and they are not all dog stories
---"i like it when you leave teh donkey sound on because the chewing of th donkeys seems to help with the night terrors of my ptsd"
there is no end..
and hopefully many more stories to come.
