My good friend Jackie invited Helper and I to go to a charity event at the Highland Park Country Club. It was a great chance for Helper to mingle with hundreds of people that were very interested in learning about her journey. There were several people in costume and below is a picture of Helper meeting "Elvis". It is amazing to me that she is never timid around people in strange outfits...she is a confident puppy! On the right is a picture of Helper meeting Jackie's friend Ellen (red cardigan) and me (white jacket). Helper met lots of people during this outing. She was very well behaved and held her "down" position under the table during the luncheon and speaker portion of the program. A big thanks goes to Jackie for giving Helper an opportunity to experience this very large and unique function!
I am a first time volunteer Puppy Raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). This wonderful organization has been providing Service Dogs, Facility Dogs, Hearing Dogs and Skilled Companions to people in need since 1975. My job for the next 18 months is to socialize, train and prepare the puppy (Helper II) in my care to successfully enter advance training in Oceanside California. I have started this blog to document our journey together.