Mernie is the 10th service dog puppy I have
raised. She was born to Loving Paws Assistance Dogs in May 2006. She is part
golden retriever and part yellow lab. Her litter theme was classic movie
stars so all of her brothers and sisters have famous Hollywood names.
Mernie very quickly showed that she was a fast learner, had an awesome
personality and would really stick in my heart. It was not easy to let her
go back for Advanced Training in June 2007 and I still miss her terribly,
but I have images of a glowing child's face when they get my sweet girl.
After 6 months of Advanced Training with Loving Paws, Mernie was transferred
to Graduate School with another program, NEADS, in MA. Mernie graduated as a
"Specialty Dog" in May 2008. It is rare for a dog to be able to learn to
work with more than one disability but her special person, Jennifer, has MS
and is also deaf so Mernie not only helps by picking up things, opening
doors, etc. She also alerts Jennifer to the door bell, telephone, fire
alarm, etc. She was a special puppy and is now a special dog.
Beckie
is a yellow lab that was born in CA with Loving Paws Assistance Dogs in May
2004. LPAD flew her to MT to be with me for her initial puppy training. I
named her Rudbeckia after the flower, black-eyed Susan. My Beckie girl went
back to CA for Advanced Training in September 2005. She adapted quickly
which is one of the first tests for the returning dogs. Then she learned to
do many different things like pick up different shaped objects, tug open a
door, and turn light switches on and off. She passed all the tests and
started Team Training the first of July with a young lady named Allyson.
Ally has cerebral palsy and needed service dog help. She and Beckie bonded
quickly and graduated as a team on July 29th, 2006. Ally sends me updates
periodically and told me one of the best things about Beckie is that she
will hold her purse for her!
