Training Service Dogs

On the April 18, Jamie added a surprise to my routine. He introduced a second dog that would be tested the following day. He said that Tom would be testing three dogs and he would be testing possibly four dogs. He said that the last dog was not ready for testing and he would leave this dog for another day.

We worked all day getting the dogs ready for the test. I was comfortable with the two dogs I was working with and asked where the last dog was and if I could try the dog. Jamie said the dog was not ready and he did not want to test the dog.

Then on Wednesday, the American Kennel Club tester arrived and was very surprised when told he had nine dogs for the test. We had a good chat about which dog would be a replacement for the one eyed dog. Jamie said that he would be able to chose from three dogs and would be there in the afternoon to start working with two of the three dogs. The tester asked if he could accompany us when we went into town. Jamie said yes and we started testing the dogs.

When we were finished, the tester said all the dogs passed and he would receive the certificates yet that afternoon when he printed them. The tester spent some time talking with Tom and then with me. He said he was pleased the way the dogs tested and asked how long each had been training and commented that they had been in training longer than many of the dogs he tested. Jamie said that he prefers longer training for mobility dogs as then they work quicker with the person needing a mobility dog.

The fellow getting the replacement dog arrived shortly after noon, looked at the three dogs, and asked how many he could work with that afternoon. When he was told that we could use all three he said he would have a room for the evening and could extend his stay for a day if needed. With that, we loaded the three dogs and headed for town.

When we arrived at the store, Alfred was there to greet us and when he saw the AKC tester, he thanked him for being there. The individual selected the dog for starting and worked his way around the store and then they went to another store. There the owner met him at the entrance and told him that there was some floor remodeling happening and asked if he could avoid the need to enter the store for today. With that, they went to another store and worked their way to two more stores.

When they arrived back at the first store, the fellow said he felt very comfortable with the dog and asked Jamie if he needed to work with the other two dogs. Jamie said that was the dog he had for him and while the other two were also trained, he could select that dog. The fellow said that this was the dog for him and the tester handed him a copy of the good citizen certificate and another copy to Jamie.

Jamie sent the two of us and the two dogs back home and gave us directions of what to do. He said he would contact me the next day. The tester remained with Jamie and would return with him.

Tom and I talked on our way back and he thanked me for helping with the testing and stepping forward about the trainer that did not have his dogs trained. He said the previous week had been nerve wracking and it was as if that trainer was trying to interrupt their training. He was happy that Alfred had found the relevant information to end the trainer from coming into businesses with untrained dogs.

I said that not all of Jamie's dogs were trained completely the first time they are taken into town, but most are ready for the good citizen test. He agreed and said this is why he likes working for him as most of the training is done at his farm and the customers are often introduced to the dogs before they are taken into town. He then said in the two years, he had met many people that needed mobility service dogs and in that time three people did not want to go into town as they felt the dogs would work in the communities in which they lived. One was a second dog to replace a dog that was retired.

Then he asked me about the AKC tester and I said the judge had him at the trial and he had us retest both dogs for the judge and knew what happened. I said I am happy that nine dogs were tested today and I wish the last dog had been tested, but Jamie had his reason, so I will let it go.

Then he said that there were four other dogs in training and all were for clients. He said that there were more dogs going out each month than the previous year. He added that they had more access to dogs than when I started working for him and more breeds suitable for mobility dogs.

I thanked him and said I was returning home. He thanked me and said he would be finishing the chores for the day.