My name is Grace and I am currently in school at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. I am apart of an internship that is partnered with Pawsitive Perspective Assistance Dogs to train assistance dogs. PawPADs is an organization that is based out of Minnesota that dual trains dogs for mobility assist and diabetic alert.
|
A few years ago my siblings and I finally convinced my parents to let us get a dog, so we adopted Baxter. Baxter changed our lives and suddenly became the center of all of our lives. We all love him so much...even when he wakes us up at 6am because he decided to play with a plastic water bottle on the hard wood floor or drags us around the house baying away because he is hot on the trail of a squirrel.
|
My co-workers, after listening to me talk about animal assisted speech therapy for weeks, convinced me that I should apply for the ADEPT internship on campus. I knew a lot of people apply so it was a long shot. The day that I got the email that I got in, I was so excited and could not wait to tell everyone!
|
This opportunity has been an amazing one! In my time in the program so far I have learned so much about service dogs and about training dogs in general. I have loved this opportunity to expand my knowledge and challenge myself to grow in new ways. I have learned so much about myself and I have made so many friendships with people I would've never met otherwise. These dogs are absolutely incredible and they have definitely changed my life. I cannot wait to continue my time in the program and continue to learn and grow
|