Sometimes you just have to lend a helping hand!
Attending the National Western Stock Show is an annual event for Gap Dogs. It provides a great opportunity for the service dogs in training to get some exposure to livestock, loud noises, crowds and, the constant noise that comes with working among a crowd of people.
This year provided a few surprises though. The first was how incredibly packed the ticket area was. I personally have been going to the stock show for a very long time. At one point my children used to show livestock there. So I have even spent an entire week at a time basically living at the National Western Stock Show. I have seen the ticket area very busy, but I have never seen so many bodies crammed into this space. In fact, it was so packed that the person in line behind me kept stepping on me. I was exceptionally proud of how well behaved and steady Whisper was. To the best of my knowledge, he had never even seen a crowd before so I was extremely surprised that this did not even seem to phase him!
Whisper is an 18 month or so yellow lab that I recently began working with. He was found by a concerned citizen roaming a rather busy street and taken to my Veterinarian’s office. They were so impressed with his demeanor that they asked me to see if I could find him a job as a service dog. When I received the request I honestly thought to myself, “no way” but I also felt that I at least owed them the courtesy of taking a look. After our trip to the Stock Show I am pretty sure he has a very successful future as a service dog and even better I am sure he will have a lifetime home. A pretty awesome future for a stray dog that was found roaming a busy street!
The second and most hilarious surprise came from Talia. In order for you to understand just how funny this was you need to have a little history of Talia’s Life. Talia was born in Platteville, Colorado on a horse and cattle farm. I am not sure if they owned chickens but if they didn’t it would be about the only farm animal they didn’t have. At 8 weeks old she moved onto a farm out on the eastern plains in Keenesburg, Colorado. She lives with cows, horses, sheep, a giant hog and at anytime between 15 and 30 free range chickens. She occasionally gets herself in trouble by chasing a stray chicken but she has never been afraid of them. On the day we were at the Stock Show she happened upon the chicken exhibit and carried on as if she had never seen a chicken in her whole life! They didn’t seem to bother any of the other dogs but here is the one dog in the entire group who came straight off the farm acting as if she has never seen a chicken before.
The third surprise was when the batteries for Ricki’s scooter died. I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to get her back to her vehicle but it was definitely Tori to the rescue. Now, I would like to say here that we prefer not to ask our service dogs to pull something as heavy as a mobility scooter. It is just way better for the health and longevity of the dog. However, on this particular day I sure was grateful when Tori just took over and started pulling that scooter like a pro! Way to save the day Tori!
