Transcription
Gillis Update
My buddy Gillis and I are working hard everyday that he is here
and he is well on his way to being a NEADS Service Dog. Will I be sad
to see him go? Not really, because the whole reason for being a part
of this program is to train dogs that will go on to help enrich the
life of a person with a disability. If he graduates, then I'll know I
had a significant hand in that actually happening.
Gillis is basically at the point where he knows all of the commands
he needs to learn. He's doing some really cool stuff. He turns on lights,
opens and closes doors and drawers, can differentiate a cell phone and
keys from other items and toys, can fetch anything gently including a
playing card laying flat on the ground, and even does "Fridge" (opens
the fridge door, gets a specific item, closes the door and brings it to
you). As far as that stuff goes, we are just working on refining stuff
now. The main goal is to get him a bit bigger. Right now Gillis is
earmarked to go to be a walking dog for a woman with some stability
problems. He is a little under 25 inches tally and weighs 72 pounds.
We're feeding him extra and walking twice as much while wearing a
weighted backpack to beef him up. The goal is 26 inches and 75
pounds. In the past three weeks he's gained nearly 1/4 inch and 2-3
pounds while still remaining nice and lean. So we're on the right
track.
It's a lot of work, but fun and rewarding and if I can make someone's
life better in the long run, then isn't that what it's all about? I
don't know how much longer Gillis will be here here with me, maybe a month,
maybe several, but we'll just keep working hard and I'll keep you
updated.
until next time...
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Replies (3)
Thank you for sharing your story!
Until next time... :)