Today is full of so many emotions for me, all of my dogs have officially moved on to their forever spots today. They are moving on to bigger and better things and I couldn't be a prouder mom of all of them. They have all had their unique impact on me that has changed who I am as a person. They have taught me to be flexible, adaptable, versatile, loving, patient, and more compassionate. I can happily say that my life would not be the same without them and I wouldn't have changed the two years of my life that I trained them. Not only did they help me become a better person, but I also go to meet amazing people through the program. These dogs helped me to refine my behavior skills and helped me to find my passion in training. My heart is happy and full knowing the good and impact that they will have in the future!
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Anywho, the main reason that I came back on here is for slightly a rant. I would like to just throw this out here, but I am more than just the dogs that I have trained. I know that people typically mean well when they ask why I don't have a dog anymore and where my dog is when they see me, but I can say that, to me at least, I feel as though they only remember me as "that girl with the dog." Sure, those dogs were a HUGE part of my life and definitely fulfilled a life dream of being able to train service dogs and I will tell anyone and everyone about my kids. However, even when I was in the internship, I came to realize that even though those dogs were my day to day, every breathing moment thought, I was still more than just a service dog trainer. I can talk all day about my kids, but I can also talk about rock climbing, dog behavior (I know this is similar, but I LOVE behavior), hiking, camping, the adventures I go on. I have other accomplishments that I am equally proud of (for example, I discovered a phage my freshman year in college and participated in research my senior year). Maybe this is just a silly rant, but I feel like I have been able to step into a clients shoes and other trainers, but don't always associate someone as "that person with the dog." Maybe it's because I always equate the dogs to medical devices and we typically don't ask where it is when people don't have it and we see them as more than just the disability they have. But anywho, I hope this reaches someone and they think twice before they ask where someone's dog is because it's also a reminder to me that I don't have them anymore and I miss them every day without the reminder.
This weekend couldn't have coincided more perfectly with the topic in my occupational preparation class. We are currently talking about burn out and compassion fatigue, which I will admit, I suffer from sometimes. We talk about how people in the Veterinary profession tend to be in this profession because they care and sometimes, we give all of ourselves at the cost of our sanity. Our professor asked us to think about what we do to "fill our cups up" and this weekend definitely filled my cup up and helped me to feel better about the future. It was extended little vacation and needed break from school, but it was also a reminder to myself that I need to take "me" time sometimes and do the things that I enjoy. I won't be able to perform at my best if I don't feel my best, so I need to continue to do things that I enjoy and making sure that I'm fully here so I can continue to help those around me!
This past weekend was my last one up in River Falls. I moved down to Madison to start the next chapter of my life at Madison Area Technical College for my degree in Veterinary Technology. I'm super excited to move on to this next chapter, but also sad that I won't have a dog to share in the adventure with me! While I am at Madison, I will be an Animal Caretaker, which I am super excited for because that means I get to take care of animals everyday (or nearly everyday). I'm so excited for this next chapter in my life, but also sad to leave all the memories and River Falls! I'm hoping to post anything interesting that I learn or do here, so it may not be as exciting as it was before (unless you love science like me!) or as frequent, but I'm hoping to continue to learn and share what I learn!!
This week is National Assistance Dog Week and what better way to kick it off than to talk to a bunch of Girl Scouts about training of the dogs! I talked about general training and the specific training that we do. I gave them pictures of dogs and we talked a lot about dogs and service dogs, but it was nothing too big!! Follow me throughout the week on my instagram to get a daily dose of dog pictures throughout this week!!
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