Saturday, June 11, 2011

Captain Jack Sparrow

12 week old Golden Retriever

Meet Captain Jack Sparrow, named after my favorite actor's character:)  Jack came to me from Noelle's Dogs Four Hope in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

After much research into different service dog organizations we decided to use Noelle's Dogs Four Hope.  There are many awesome service dog providers out there and I recommend that you do your research before making any decisions.  I also recommend that you are compatible with your trainer.

Noelle's Dogs Four Hope allow their clients the opportunity to puppy raise their service animal in training.  Because of this opporunity to puppy raise, using Noelle's Dogs Four Hope as my service dog provider was the best choice for ME.

WHAT JACK IS:
Jack is a service puppy in training.
Jack is a working dog.

WHAT JACK IS NOT:
Jack is NOT a service dog.
Jack is NOT a family pet.
Jack is NOT a cat:)
Jack is NOT a dog to be dressed in clothes.

Raising a puppy is life changing.  I have to be willing to change my schedule and activities to include Jack.  If I cannot take Jack with me, then I stay home. Raising a puppy is hard work and requires my attention at all times. I am responsible for all of Jack's care. I feed him, clean up after him, provide training and exercise, and make sure he is ready for all of his vet appointments. Puppy raising is not for everyone.  Please do not make this decision if you are not willing to put the time and effort into it.

I have had  Jack for 4 weeks.  I have trained him to: come to me when I call him, sit, lay down, do automatic sits, puppy push ups, greet people nicely, lay under the table during meals, potty on command, and short sit/stays and down/stays.  He also knows how to watch me, leave it, target, get it, and bring it. These are just some of the basic commands needed for Jack for the future.

I am excited to have this opportunity to train my own dog in basic obedience and public access.  When Jack is a year old he will return to Colorado for further seizure response and water rescue training.

Thank you to everyone who has offered me and Jack encouragement.  I will try to keep everyone updated on his progress through the upcoming year.

Love,
Kaitlin and Jack <3