[blindkid] A special puppy

[adrijana prokopenko]

 This is a childrens article, but thought it would be good for anyone to read.

A Special Puppy

    by Sharlotte Iskanian

“I wanted a puppy,” Nathan said. “But my parents weren’t sure I was
ready for the responsibility yet. We talked about it a lot, and my
parents suggested that we train a service dog. I liked the idea!”
Nathan and his parents talked with the people who supervise training
puppies to be service dogs. The people explained what Nathan’s family
would have to do to train a service dog. Nathan knew that training a
service dog would be lots of work, but he was eager to do it.
Nathan’s family was put on a waiting list, and several weeks later
they received a phone call saying that a golden retriever puppy was
waiting for them. Her name was Peaches, and
she was 10 weeks old.
“Peaches was no ordinary puppy,” Nathan explained. “One day she would
help someone who had physical limits. Perhaps the person could not see
or hear, or perhaps they couldn’t walk and needed help doing simple
tasks. So I couldn’t just play with Peaches. I worked with her every
day. We even took special classes to learn how to train Peaches and
teach her the lessons she needed to learn.”
Puppy Lessons
Nathan loved training Peaches. He taught her to look at him when he
spoke, then he taught her to follow his commands to walk, heel, sit,
stay, and lie down. When Peaches learned something new, Nathan
rewarded her with a treat. This helped Peaches learn to obey Nathan
whenever he spoke to her.
Peaches had to learn things most dogs don’t learn. Because helper dogs
must go wherever their owners go, Peaches had to learn how to behave
in places where most dogs are not allowed to go, such as the library,
the post office, the grocery store, and the mall. If she heard a loud
noise, such as a motorcycle or a loud bang, she could not become
frightened. She had to learn to lie quietly under a table in a
restaurant, and to stay calm. And she had to learn that she must never
bark at people or chase another dog or a cat.
And, of course, Nathan had to train Peaches not to go to the bathroom
in the house! When she had an accident, it was Nathan’s job to clean
up after her.
But he didn’t mind. He knew that if he trained Peaches well, she would
be a great helper to someone one day.
One of the most important things Peaches had to learn was to fetch
things and bring them to Nathan, just as she would have to do for her
future owner.
Peaches’ Important Work
After spending many hours over several months training Peaches, it was
time for Nathan to give her back so that she could receive more
training. “It was hard to say goodbye,” Nathan said. “But I was proud
of what she had learned. She will make a great helper dog for someone
who really needs her!”
Nathan and his family learned that Peaches went to live with someone
who cannot hear. She listens for the doorbell, the telephone, or other
important sounds and takes her new owner to the source of the sound.
“Training Peaches was like a mission project,” Nathan says. “I spent
time with her and showed her how to behave in certain situations. And
Peaches is now making a difference in someone’s life. I feel really
good knowing that my work is helping make someone’s life easier and
happier.”