Guest post by Revenda Bierley, puppy raiser and
volunteer for Susquehanna Service Dogs
Unlike our
children, Aunt Laura came with a manual of instructions, which adorned a small
nook in our kitchen. This manual was
read and reread as we learned the new language of dog training. Necessary commands were practiced daily and
for the first eight weeks, we attended weekly training classes, after which,
classes were held every two weeks. Aunt
Laura proved to be a wonderful student, eager to please and quickly mastering
the mandatory list of basic skills.
Raising
and training a service dog requires a fair amount of work and
perseverance. We soon realized that
raising this puppy was also a lot of fun.
After all, you take the dog everywhere you go—grocery stores, restaurants,
sporting events etc. The goal is to
expose the young dog to any and every place a person needs or wants to go, from
riding an elevator, to navigating stairs or even passing food on the
ground. These experiences are vital to
their success and each accomplishment is one step closer to making a difference
in the life of an adult or child with a disability.
Maybe it
was a moment of weakness or the fact that we were enjoying channeling our
parental energies into raising a service dog that when we received a call this
past February asking us to take another puppy, we accepted. Two days later, we welcomed SSD Elsa into our
home. Elsa was tiny with a very large
personality. Her name alone was a crowd
pleaser with children and she eagerly accepted the adoration. Elsa embraced life and her new surroundings
enthusiastically and gratefully accepted SSD Aunt Laura as her mentor. She too has proved to enjoy her training
sessions and is quickly mastering the cues we teach her.
With two
service dogs, our appearance in public places that are otherwise off limits to
dogs arouses people’s interest. In some
cases, it has inspired others to inquire about the dogs and become raisers as
well. However, most people simply question
us as to how we will be able to give the dog up when the training is
finished. I admit, we have not crossed
that threshold yet and I am sure it will be difficult. I am also sure it will be worth it to the
recipients of the dogs I raise. In the
meantime, we have found new connections and we are part of an extraordinary
community of individuals with the same purpose—help support the mission of
Susquehanna Service Dogs.
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