Unobtrusive helpmate

Well, it's been a little over five years now that I have been doing my job as partner to my human in assisting her with various tasks.




It would be cool if we had a Summit reunion of the dog buddies I trained with: Krypton (and Jan Horton of Anacortes), Joey (and Grant Richardson of Bellevue,) and Napoleon (and Cole Hardman of Seattle).

Looks like I'm the only one of the four dogs (from 2002 class) who may have to fly to see everyone. Now I live at 7,500 feet elevation in the high desert of northern New Mexico: it's fine, but there's not too much green stuff to pee on, but a whole bunch of different smells.



Alice asked me if I might say a few words about access issues. Okay, a few words.

It bothers Alice when people say to her "NO PETS!" Then she has to remember to breathe and be polite and tell the person that I am not a pet; I am a helper dog, an assistance dog, and a mobility dog. By federal law she has the right to take me with her anywhere the public can go. That includes hotels, restaurants, trains, planes, taxis, you name it, and I'm there, doing my job of helping Alice maintain her independence.

I can sense tension and unease sometimes when we enter a place, but I remain calm and go in under the table and be Alice's "Unobtrusive helpmate". That's a term I remember from the days of team training.



We both smile all the time we are out in public, even if we are tired and don't feel like being nice to people who are rude and unknowing of laws.
Other countries have different laws: Canada, Mexico, and European countries. So it's always a good idea to research before you travel.

Alice says we are pioneers and we are always educating the public on PWDs (People with disabilities) and SDs (service dogs). That's a good job for Alice: education.

Now if I could just figure out how to get treats per word…..



(dictated by Morgan to Alice)