Although I love any wet nose that wants my love, getting to work with these future working dogs struck a special cord in my heart. Venus is the dog that I take the most pride in working with, as I see great things with her kind soul in that fluffy body. I think Venus is so special to me because of the couple that trains her. I’m not sure if they are training Venus for the husband, or for another person, but her specialty is going to be retired military personnel. In the beginning, I was only told the end goal for Venus, that she was going to help someone with the pain that often comes with serving our country. My “AHA” moment came about a month ago when I was watching the husband playing with Venus between Cindy teaching the next lesson. The husband was sporting “Army” on his hat, was kneeling on one knee with some slight joint discomfort, showing in stature, and he was playing tug with Venus. The moment it hit me was when I looked at his eyes when he was playing that game of tug. They do this all the time and he often plays with Venus between commands, but this was the first time I had noticed this. In his eyes was pure love. This is exactly what Venus was being trained to do, this exact moment. It wasn’t just the cool tricks like opening doors and pushing buttons that service dogs are so often taught to do, it was the acceptance they give. It’s the snuggling close to their handler’s leg in a crowded room, it’s standing between their legs on Fourth of July, and it’s playing tug with a furry creature that they have never loved more. Although training a service dog, especially one as young as Venus, can be very stressful and frustrating, I think Venus is one of the best things to ever happen to that
Although I love any wet nose that wants my love, getting to work with these future working dogs struck a special cord in my heart. Venus is the dog that I take the most pride in working with, as I see great things with her kind soul in that fluffy body. I think Venus is so special to me because of the couple that trains her. I’m not sure if they are training Venus for the husband, or for another person, but her specialty is going to be retired military personnel. In the beginning, I was only told the end goal for Venus, that she was going to help someone with the pain that often comes with serving our country. My “AHA” moment came about a month ago when I was watching the husband playing with Venus between Cindy teaching the next lesson. The husband was sporting “Army” on his hat, was kneeling on one knee with some slight joint discomfort, showing in stature, and he was playing tug with Venus. The moment it hit me was when I looked at his eyes when he was playing that game of tug. They do this all the time and he often plays with Venus between commands, but this was the first time I had noticed this. In his eyes was pure love. This is exactly what Venus was being trained to do, this exact moment. It wasn’t just the cool tricks like opening doors and pushing buttons that service dogs are so often taught to do, it was the acceptance they give. It’s the snuggling close to their handler’s leg in a crowded room, it’s standing between their legs on Fourth of July, and it’s playing tug with a furry creature that they have never loved more. Although training a service dog, especially one as young as Venus, can be very stressful and frustrating, I think Venus is one of the best things to ever happen to that