Musings from a Mutt at the Montshire Museum

I thought I'd give a little PUPdate for my readers, since I've been posting so many training tips and recommendations recently! I'm really starting to hit my stride as a Service Dog--Mom doesn't even worry about me in public anymore because I'm so good (which is huge for her anxiety).  Three disability-mitigating commands now have joined my repertoire: Ground Me (when Mom is sitting, standing, and lying), Press, and Block.  I now now about 27 commands but am familiar with about 40--Mom keeps telling me how smart I am because apparently I'm light years ahead of schedule!

Today we took a small trip to the Montshire Museum in Vermont with a new friend.  We had gotten coffee earlier, where Mom had me try a Gentle Leader for the first time.  It felt very strange at first, which made me want to try to get it off, but Mom insisted that I try it and showed me that it's actually not that bad.  It really helps me understand how to stay in a better "Heel" position, and it reminds me to focus on Mom when I'm working.  You can see me wearing it in my pictures of me at the Museum!

The exhibits were really fun--I liked exploring the Museum!

The Museum was a fantastic experience for a novice Service Dog like me.  Kids swarmed everywhere, and there were many exhibits that were interactive and strange for a pup--they even had fish and turtle tanks!  Mom let some of the kids pet me, and it absolutely made my day.  I made sure to be extra sweet to them--even with some gentle tail wagging--and I even rolled over to accept some belly rubs (my favourite!).  I think they liked me a lot--one little girl even gave me a kiss on the head!

I loved the kisses and pets from the kids!

Mom took me around to look at some of the different exhibits.  Some of them I didn't understand, and some of them were very strange to me.  Sometimes Mom even had me Paws Up on some strange surfaces or Down-Stay in some odd places, like under that arch in the first photo.  I knew she had a reason for asking me to do all this, so I followed her every command without hesitation--it's fun being on the job and listening to Mom!  I even aced exposure to a new object: a wheelchair.  Apparently, it can have a person in it, but this one didn't--even then, it wasn't super scary at all, because it was kind of like a shopping cart (and I don't mind shopping carts).  Mom kept telling me what a Good Girl I was the entire Museum trip!  I definitely want to go back if I get this much love and attention.

Life as a Service Dog is so rewarding.  People constantly tell me how talented and smart I am, and if I could speak, I would tell them thank you and that I'm just doing my job.  I'm always blown away by how nice people can be about me and how positive people have been about receiving me in public places.  I'm even more impressed by the parents who tell their kids that I'm a helper dog and can't be petted--I'd like to believe that they're raising a generation who will understand Service Dogs better than this one (because people still pet me despite my five "Do Not Pet" patches).  I love being able to help Mom and stay by her side.  I can't wait until I'm a Dartmouth Service Dog so I can come with Mom all over campus and keep her safe and comfortable!

xoxoxo
Kelsie Iris

Check out these posts of mine:
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