Today was Theo and I's first day volunteering at Mayo Clinic as a therapy team this summer!  I have been training Theo for fun since I adopted him over three years ago, but in the summer of 2018, I decided we should take it a step further.  I got into contact with a trainer who offers certifications through Therapy Dogs International (TDI) and found out we would have to get our Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification before we could move on to the TDI test.  I was confident we could pass our CGC right away, so we took the test and passed with flying colors.  Theo and I then signed up for the four week Therapy Dog class.  We had a blast getting to know all the other students (both human and dog alike), and the four weeks flew by.  We took our test with TDI and passed again!

Unfortunately, by the time we got done with the class, there wasn't much time left until I had to leave for college again, so I didn't get to sign up for any consistent volunteer work.  When I went home this past J-term though, I made sure to get everything taken care of that I needed to, so Theo and I could volunteer at Mayo the whole summer this year!  It still won't be a super long summer since I am leaving for school at the end of July, but hopefully we can bring smiles to lots of faces in the next couple months.  We will be spending an hour and a half every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon doing therapy work, so we have plenty of time to do just that!

Our first day went very smoothly.  Theo loved all the attention and behaved pretty well.  I was worried that he may have turned into a little stinker while I was away at school, but he did a great job!  The most common question I was asked was, "What kind of dog is he?"  I replied, "He's a rescue, the best kind.  I call him a supermutt."  We spent most of our time in the cancer center, but we also stopped by a couple of the staff offices as well and showed off his trick "say your prayers" which turned out to be a big hit.  We spent a little over an hour doing visits then I went to meet with someone (who is the handler of Mayo Clinic's facility dog) about a presentation on assistance dogs that we are planning for the end of June.  Theo must have been tuckered out by this point because he napped right through the meeting.

It was a really exciting day, and I am looking forward to being able to bring joy into people's lives and see the smiles on their faces.  Dogs can do amazing things, and I am so proud of Theo for being able to help people in this way.  My heart is happy seeing people smile when they see him.  Day two of volunteering is tomorrow.  Theo is sleeping right now to prepare for another fun filled day!  Until next time, stay pawsome!

One year, two dogs, a team of amazing people.  ADEPT has changed my life, and I am so lucky to have had the chance to participate in such an amazing program.  Throughout the past year, I have learned a lot.  From laws to training techniques to information about disabilities, I learned way more than I ever thought I would. What I have come to realize though, is that my learning didn't stop there.  ADEPT also taught me so much about myself and about life.  There are many skills I gained by being a part of this program that I will use for the rest of my life, regardless of what I end up doing.  So, without further ado, I am going to share some of the best things I learned by participating in ADEPT.

There are so many more wonderful things that ADEPT taught me, but these are some of the big ones.  This has been a truly life changing experience that helped me realize my passions and potential.  Thank you to everyone who made this year so great!  Until next time; stay pawsome.

Today is my last day of sophomore year; oh my, how time has flown!  Charlie and I went on a couple public access trips this week, and he rocked them!  Our first trip was to Mariachi Loco, a cute little Mexican restaurant close to campus.  He napped under the table the whole time we ate, and when we got up to leave, multiple people were surprised there had been a dog in there the whole time!  Yesterday, we went to Target and Kyoto Sushi.  At Target, I played around with getting Charlie to stay while I walked down a couple aisles and then came back.  While we were at Kyoto, he also did a super good job of staying settled while we ate.

My friend, Hannah, was kind enough to take an end of the year photoshoot with Charlie and I (some photos above).  It is definitely a little bittersweet that my time in ADEPT is coming to an end, but I am so grateful for the experiences I have had in the past year with Charlie and Neeco.  I will miss River Falls.  It is such a cute little town, and I have really enjoyed my time here.

Thankfully, Charlie will be coming home with me this summer!   I am excited to get the chance to work with him for awhile longer and see what else we can accomplish in the next couple months.  This summer, I want to focus on diabetic alert in a variety of settings, turning on and off lights, roll, turn, and getting things out of the fridge.  I think Charlie and Theo will have a blast playing together this summer, and I am even thinking about going on a mini camping trip with the two of them!

Until next time; stay pawsome!

This Wednesday was our last ADEPT meeting of the semester.  Our meetings always go by fast, and this week was no exception.  Three hours went by in the blink of an eye.  We ate pizza and talked about the year.  One of our traditions is to share a high and low from each week, but for this week's meeting we talked about our highs and lows for the whole year!  I am going to miss the people and dogs so much! Our fearless leaders, Maddie and Linda, along with the rest of the ADEPT team, made this year one to remember.  It was wonderful working with such a supportive group of people over the last two semesters.  

We also celebrated the hopeful graduation of two of the dogs in the program, Sully and Ganther.  The dogs got a special dog cake, and Maddie made the interns a people cake too.  Neeco came back to campus for the meeting, and it was really great to see him!  I got to take a picture with him and Charlie, both of the dogs I worked with this year.  I learned a lot from each of them (and I hope they learned a bit from me too).  

This program has taught me so much and helped shape me into the person I am today.  It gave me the confidence to chase my dream of pursuing a career in dog training/behavior.  I am so grateful for Linda and Maddie, for the support of my fellow interns, and for the chance to work with some amazing dogs this year.  I am honored to be a part of the PawPADs family!

Next week will be Charlie and I's last week on campus together (although he will be continuing next fall with his new trainers).  He came to my last lecture with me this morning.  Now all we have left is finals week.  I get done with finals on Wednesday then I get the opportunity to take Charlie home with me for part of the summer!  I think that will make the end of the semester a little easier since I don't have to say goodbye to him quite yet.  Saying goodbye to campus will be hard enough as it is!

Anyway, that is probably enough sappiness for one day.  Until next time!