It's Official!

Goodbye, "In Training" patch!

I can be considered a Service Dog under the law!  Mom snipped the "In Training" patch off my vest last night, and I trotted to CVS today with a full SD vest on--it felt amazing!

This is the wording of the ADA:  Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.

These are among my current tasks:

• Ground Me (I'm pretty consistent at it and on multiple have even noticed Mom's anxiety and have responded to it without her having to ask me)
• Block (Somewhat consistent, or at least my back block.  Working on front and sides!)
• Waking Mom from night terrors (Mom hasn't had a single full-length one with me there to wake her up in the night!)
• Press (new, as of two days ago, but I already know it)

While I have not had a formal CGC or PAT, Mom has been testing me on individual items, and I can currently pass both tests.  I still have to wait until I'm home in California, though, before I get professionally tested.  Mom is shocked that I can pass the PAT after only three weeks--she thought I wouldn't be able to do that until the summer!  I guess hard work and studying have really paid off for a little pup like me.

I'm still not recognized by Mom's school as a full Service Dog--I'm still only an Emotional Support Dog--but Mom is looking for a way to change that because I'd love to do a Ground Me when she's feeling paralyzed in class.  Paws crossed that this goes smoothly!

Mom still plans to keep the "In Training" bandana on me from time to time in public places to help others be more forgiving of the mistakes I'm still bound to make.  They should be few and far in between, because I've really learned a lot over the past few weeks--I even love going in elevators now!  I've handled crazy supermarkets, crowded restaurants, quiet spaces, elevators, aisles, shopping carts, children, squirrels and other distractions, real life task situations (Mom's had some challenges in public), and so much more that I can't even begin to describe it all!  I think I'm ready for this honour.  I think I'm ready to be Mom's wingdog.  Cheers to the next 10-15 years by her side!

So many tail wags,
Kelsie Iris

Check out these posts:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html