Portland - Day 5

Today was the public access test. This was my test with Hazel to prove that we can do what is expected and that we can be a team.

We began the day with coffee (yes, we started every day with coffee!) and then we went to the mall to start our test. We went through all the commands in various situations and to no one's surprise, Hazel was a complete rockstar. She aced everything (in my opinion) and it was great to be the other half of her team.

Kati had Miss Ivy with her again today so we took both dogs with us for lunch and they were both great in the restaurant. Hazel passed the food "leave it" test with no difficulty.

We played ball with the girls again and then wrapped up a little early. Kati joined me back at the hotel with Hazel's book. This was a binder all about our girl Hazel. Information about her routines, about bonding with her, all of her medical history and information about the ADA in general and they even had Colorado State's laws included! Lots of information that I would need to read through in time.

Hazel and I took a walk and rested after Kati left, because that evening was Hazel's graduation dinner! Kati rejoined us at the hotel and the three of us walked over to the restaurant. Hazel's puppy raisers were already there and we were the last to arrive. Hazel had a very difficult time staying put under the table with so many people around that she knew, loved and was loved by in return.

I really enjoyed dinner with her puppy raisers, I knew most of them already through Facebook but had not been physically introduced to them yet. Everyone had such great memories of Hazel to share and it was a really fun evening. Kati surprised all of us with a photo book of Hazel, this was such a neat thing for me to get because she is now 2.5 years old. I missed the fuzzy puppy stage (and let me tell you, she was fuzzy!!) and it was so neat to see pictures of her from that stage of life.

I received a card with a beautiful story from Jan (Hazel's very first puppy raiser). Talia read the story to the entire table. The story reads;

"I took baby Hazel (about 9-10 weeks old) to a grocery store and was getting her used to grocery carts and people.
We were outside the store and I saw a mother with two young girls approaching. The girls were about 6 and 8 years old. I heard the mother say 'you need to ask first' so I knew they wanted to pet Hazel. I was getting treats ready for Hazel to keep her attention on me. We do this so that while young pups meet new people, they keep their attention on us and to teach them not to jump or get too excited. I noticed though that Hazel had already seen and heard the girls and was watching them approach. However, she wasn't getting excited or jumpy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She sat down, and calmly watched them approach. I had the treats ready, but I was just watching to see what would happen, being ready to intervene if necessary. The girls asked if they could pet her and I said yes. Hazel is still sitting very quietly and calmly. The younger girl kneeled down in front of Hazel and they looked at each other. The little girl then wrapped her arms around Hazel and they leaned into each other.
It was a hallmark moment that if I saw it on TV, I would have thought it was totally staged. But this was happening in real life! She was so calm and loving towards these girls.
I knew then that Hazel would make a wonderful service dog. She is not perfect, but she has a precious soul. She was born to do amazing things. She is now JJ's precious soul and she is ready for him to wrap his arms around her. Love you Hazel, we know you will make us proud."

This is the girl that has come into our lives for our son. I couldn't have felt more excited and proud to have her with us. She is our Hazel and we are so grateful to all who put their time and energy into making her the amazing dog that she is now.

Hazel with her puppy raisers and me at graduation!