Wow, we are three weeks into the semester already!  It has been a whirlwind of a time (in a good way, I promise).  Chester and I have gotten to know each other a little bit better, and we have had the chance to go on a few public access trips.  We went to the dollar store, the grocery store, and went out to eat a couple times.  Our public access so far has been mostly local, but I would really like to go to the Mall of America at some point in the future.  Chester and I should probably practice elevators together a couple times around campus first though since that is the main way to get around the mall.

​Chester isn't a big fan of confined or dark spaces.  For the first couple days, he did not want to come through the entryway into my house, nor did he like the hallway leading up to my room because the light is currently burnt out.  He has gotten over his discomfort of those areas now though!  The biggest things we are currently working on are loading into vehicles and dressing (putting his harness and vest on).  Yesterday was the first time he jumped into my car with very limited coaxing; I was so proud of him!  He is a little head shy when it comes to putting on his vest, so we are doing some clicker training to form a more positive association.  

Chester has made a lot of progress since I worked with him briefly a year ago.  He used to be very scared of shiny floors, and now he rarely has issues with them.  He did slip on one of the entryways to a building the other day when it was raining, and he showed a little apprehension the time we entered the building after that.  I made it a super positive experience, and he hasn't had any more issues with it.

Our first few weeks of classes have gone pretty well.  He has whined a few times, but he seems to be getting used to being settled for a few hours of classes at a time each day.  We have a couple classes with one of the other ADEPT dogs, Penny, and her and Chester do a great job of not distracting each other in class even when they sit close to each other.  We have also had a really enjoyable first few ADEPT meetings.  It is awesome to see how well all the dogs are adjusting to being on campus (either for the first time or coming back after the summer off) as well as getting to know the new interns!

Over the past few weeks, I have learned a lot about Chester's personality too.  He is super goofy!  He really likes to roll around with his lips flopped back, and he is very snuggly.  Last night, he got to sleep up on my bed, and I woke up with his head laying on my side.  He really likes to offer his paw as well.  His favorite thing to do when we go outside is to find the biggest stick in the yard and carry it around for a little while (as you can see from the photo on the right).  There is also a perfect "balance beam" in the yard that Chester and I worked on some rear end awareness the other day (see middle photo).

We have had a crazy first few weeks, and I am super excited to see how the rest of the semester goes!  Until next time, stay pawsome!

I would like to introduce Chester; a few people have told me that he looks a lot like Charlie, the dog I worked with last semester, and that is because they are brothers!  While they may look similar, they have very different personalities, as do human siblings.  I picked up Chester yesterday after my first day of classes, and we got to spend a little bit of time together before we had our very first ADEPT meeting of the semester.  It was a lot of fun to meet all the new interns and see how much bigger all the new puppies are now!  We have four new dogs on campus this fall:  Peanut, Penny, Hugo, and Harley.  Our meeting ended a little early to give us time to get everything situated with our new partners.  Chester made himself right at home and was snoozing away within minutes!

This is my first semester getting to house a dog in the program which is very exciting!  I also don't have a human partner which is different than last year.  Chester has made it easy on me so far though; he slept through the night in his kennel and has been such a sweetheart.

Today was Chester and I's first day of classes together!  I only had two classes, so it was a pretty short day.  Both classes were an hour and fifteen minutes long though (my classes are typically 50 minutes), so it did get to be a long time for him to lay in one place.  My first class had another ADEPT dog in it and was a general education literature class which Chester napped straight through.  My second class was cyberliteracy.  Chester was a little more antsy in this class and even whined a few times.  The classroom was quite chilly, so I imagine the floor was cold.  I tried giving him a blanket, but he preferred to lay on the ground.  It was also only his first day back on campus, so he is still getting in the swing of things.

After class, we walked back to the house (a lovely 20 minute stroll) and hung out for a little while.  I also put him in the kennel and left the house for about fifteen minutes to get him used to being kenneled in a new place (spoiler alert:  he did great).  Since then, I have just been doing some homework, and Chester has been napping (with a short break from napping to look out the window).  It has been a busy (but fun) first couple days back, and I am looking forward to the rest of the year!  Until next time, stay pawsome!