"You
would have been proud of Kim and Lily today. Kim’s doctor is dying of
pancreatic cancer. Kim is pretty stressed about this and having to find a new
doctor. Lily’s presence by Kim’s side in itself is helping Kim tremendously.
The situation was difficult for Kim but she managed it with Lily’s help.
"Also,
Kim has made it 3 months without a hospital visit. Lily seems to keep Kim’s
head focused in the right place (and when it starts to stray Kim works on getting her
focus back on loving Lily).
"Today at
15 weeks old, Lily, dressed in her service dog in training vest, went to the
new diabetes doctor with Kim for the first time. She walked politely on leash,
sat quietly in the waiting room and exam room and made lots of people smile by
licking their hands. She showed great self-control for a puppy and was only
affected by crying baby in a neighboring exam room.
"Kim and
Lily are becoming an amazing team. Lily ended her day by alerting Kim that her
blood sugar was dropping before going to sleep."
Not everyone
can train his or her own family pet, much less a service dog. It is a process that can be overwhelming.
It is time consuming, frustrating, intimidating, and requires a
level of patience usually reserved for raising children or caring for the
elderly. It is not for the feint of heart. However, for those who decide to
train their own service dog, it can be incredibly rewarding. Kim and Lily are off to an incredible start. And the bond they are developing will translate into a life-long
partnership, one in which they will take care of each other.
Lily lives in sunny southern California. That's her in the bottom picture ... beach walking with her canine family members, Mckenzie and Travis.
Lily lives in sunny southern California. That's her in the bottom picture ... beach walking with her canine family members, Mckenzie and Travis.
4 comments:
Hi Dee,
My Name is Toni Leitao and I run an online magazine called Retriever Life. I also happen to be the owner of Lily's dad - Zeus.
I would love to have you as a guest blogger on Retriever Life to show us yet another way these great dogs impact our lives!
Hey, Toni. I would be delighted to write for your blog. Tell Zeus he has every reason to be proud of his daughter! Dee
Lily has been trained from 8 weeks old, using Dee Bogetti's DAD manual and Puppy book. I highly recommend both. Results have been excellent because Dee provides week by week instructions as well as a socialization checklist. Kim/Lily are now a great team and have the confidence to believe they can achieve CGC and Public Access Test.
Thanks Dee
I'm excited to see Lily and Kim's progress in person this weekend. Thank you for the kind words!
Post a Comment