July Update

Well, the summer is flying by. Many positive things have been taking place since I last posted. The first being that Jonathan is finally potty-trained! It was a major undertaking, but so worth the effort...now that we're on the other side.

Buddy has become a member of our family. We love him so much. He is calming down and growing out of his puppy stage little by little. I have to say, that even during the puppy phase, he has always known that it was time to work when his harness is put on. Buddy and Jonathan and I go on walks several times a week to make sure that tethering skills are maintained. It's so amazing to be able to take Jonathan for a walk! He's so happy, and loves the wind in his face. I have to watch out because he often closes his eyes when we're walking, and once he walked into the side mirror of a parked car because I was looking the other direction and his eyes were closed! Live and learn!!!

Tracking practices are going well. I'm still not completely confident, and it's a challenge to carve out the time to practice, but we try to do them as often as possible. Buddy definitely knows his boy. Often, I will look up to find he is across the room sitting by Jonathan. He just seems to know. Jonathan is bonding very slowly, but I do see progress. Every once in a while he'll reach out and touch Buddy. One day Jonathan walked into a room where the rest of us were watching TV, grabbed Buddy by the collar and walked out of the room with him. That was a huge moment because he actually wanted Buddy with him!

In a few weeks Buddy will start school with Jonathan. The main goal for our first year is to get Jonathan bonded. We want Jonathan to understand that wherever he goes, Buddy goes. So, that's what will happen at school. They will be tethered in the hallways, and Buddy will have a "place" in the classroom next to Jonathan's work area. Our hope is that eventually Jonathan will see Buddy as a constant stable source of support for him. The other day, I took them to Walmart for the first time by myself. It was kind of a big milestone for me. When we got to the check-out lanes, I couldn't find one with fewer than 3 people in line. I thought, 'this is where the melt-down is going to happen for sure', because Jonathan hates to have to stop moving. Well, I put Buddy in a "down" in front of me while we waited and said, "Jonathan, sit down next to your Buddy." ...AND HE DID!!! No melt-down! I couldn't believe it.

As I re-read this post, it seems like the changes are so trivial. But our lives are so much better since we've gotten our Buddy. He lives to please and is so happy to get love and attention. We are going to the park tomorrow, and a parade the following day. These are things I wouldn't have considered 3 months ago. Life is getting better. We're so thankful to 4Paws for our wonderful service dog.