A little more than a year ago my parents told my brother and I that we were going to start raising service dogs for a company called Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). I knew that my mom wanted to do this for a while, but I was still shocked that it was actually happening.
My first thought was why would anyone trust us to do this. First of all, we'd never had any encounters with service dogs. Second, we've never even trained a dog. Sure, we had dogs, but the extent of their training ended at potty training.
Despite what I thought would bar us from getting a dog, my parents told us that we were getting a puppy to raise in one week. Before we could get our puppy, our house had to be checked out; ya know—puppy proofed—no exposed corners and what not. We were cleared to get a dog and about a week after that my parents and brother went and picked her up from the airport.
My first sight when I walked in the door that night was a squatty, yellow walrus with legs running around the corner to greet me. She was was half the size I thought she was from the pictures and there was more skin to her than body.
Her name was Vanna V (the second V is a roman numeral for five because she was the fifth Vanna CCI had had). Her stomach was huge and her teeth were sharp. She waddled around our kitchen for the next hour. I was confused about how we were supposed to train this furry, Jabba the Hut look-a-like.
Vanna came with a lot of rules. She couldn't eat human food or sit on the couch. She had to sleep in a kennel and wear a gentle leader. If we went out with her she needed to wear her vest and if someone wanted to pet her she had to sit first. Not only was it a lot of things for Vanna to remember, it was a lot for us to remember and follow. Sometimes you just want to give your dog a piece of your steak.
This was my first experience with a puppy that I can remember since I was three when we got our first dog. Everything I learned about puppies can be summed up in one sentence—puppies are only good for their looks. Besides that, they pee and poop inside, don't listen, let alone understand, anything you say, and they like to eat everything.
I was a bit skeptical at the beginning how us unprofessional dog trainers were going to turn this fluffy menace into the perfect pet.
However, after hundreds of treats and tons of classes, I can confidently say she is a mediocre pet. A solid 6/10.
Vanna is one headstrong dog—maybe as stubborn as I am. I know that she knows to sit when I tell her to, but she just doesn't really care all the time. I'm pretty sure she flips me off with her mind. I can feel it.
Of course, there are good days, and there are bad days. The good days include her listening and following all her commands and being calm, cool, and collected. The bad days include eating shoes and the butt tuck run.
What is the butt tuck run? It's what we call it when Vanna 1) tucks her butt under her, and 2) sprints in circles. These circles normally occur around our backyard or around our couch and last anywhere from one to three minutes.
Besides being an insane puppy from time to time and not listening to her commands all the time, Vanna is a good dog. She love to cuddle and sit between your legs. She also likes to lick the salty tears off your face if you're sad. When she does listen, she is a very smart and knows what to do for all her commands.
Although she is training to be a service dog, she is still a normal pet. She bugs our cat and is afraid of the vacuum. She also plays keep-away with her food bowl after dinner (Oh, other dogs don't do that? Just her?).
In two months Vanna will leave my family and go onto Advanced Training. This is were the professional dog trainers will see if Vanna is fit to be a service dog. She'll have to complete a number of tasks and if she can't complete them, she'll have a COC, or change of career.
A COC means that a dog is released from the service dog training program and the puppy raisers (us) are asked if we want to have her back as a pet.
Of course a part of me wants to have Vanna back as a pet so I can finally feed her my leftovers, but another part of me really does want her to make it through Advanced Training and to get paired with someone who needs her.
Being a puppy raiser for CCI is no walk in the park. I always have to remind myself that Vanna's got a job to do, she's not just a pet. No matter how many forehead palms she's caused me, I will be a hard day when I have to say goodbye.
`
If you would like to raise a puppy for CCI, it will be an experience you'll never forget.
