Saint Francis Service Dogs Summer 2024 Newsletter

A PUP’S progr es s

Hi! My name is Ivy, and I am a six-month-old yellow Labrador retriever. I am from a big family – I have seven brothers! I am the only girl in my litter, and I was the last one born, but that’s because I am bossy, not because I am scared. I had to make sure those silly boys got a move on, because it was time to see what the world was all about. Knowing them, they would still be waiting to be born if I didn’t march them out of there. And here is what I found out the world is all about: rules. Wow, you people have a lot of rules. No using the bathroom in the house, no chewing on some things (but other things are fine!), no jumping on people, no jumping on furniture, only eat some food, don’t eat other food, and it turns out that some things are not food at all! Whew. It is exhausting to be a puppy. I have to take a lot of naps. But it is also fun. I get to play with my brothers, and we run all over the place. I get to live with a puppy raiser, (You might know her! Her name is Cabell!) and she takes really good care of me and teaches me games!

We play games with toys, games with treats, games with all sorts of things. I have puzzles to solve and commands to learn. We go out into the world together and explore. I see, smell, and touch new things, and have new experiences almost every day. It’s just a great as I hoped it would be. It is my understanding that there is a grand plan for me. I will either be a mother myself or a service dog. Or maybe both. It depends on what I turn out to be like. Frankly, none of us know what I will be like, including me. I am only six months old! But I hope I can do it. I like learning and this world of yours is really pretty fantastic, so I am excited to see what else there is in it. If I can get around some of these rules, that would be great. I am going to work on that. But first, a nap.

ivy

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