Our training

We had some very intense training on how we need to maintain Ronday's skills once we got home. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all training days. We went to the park and the dogs were petted by about 75 kids one day, we went to Pizza Hut and had a training on restaurant etiquette one evening. Another evening, a friend of mine, Emily, who got a golden retriever named Crosley and I took our kids and dogs to see Kung Fu Panda. Trenton and Ronday were a little scared in several of the scenes.
Thursday was our public access test. We took the dogs to the Salina mall to make sure they would behave properly in public. They had to sit and wait while we left them and then they had distractions to see if they would get up or not. Then food was dropped in front of them to see if they would try to eat it. (which they are obviously not supposed to do.) Ronday did excellent on his test. He heeled by the stroller walking around the mall very well. I don't know if he was half as tired as I was, but we went back to the hotel that night and I didn't even want to take Trenton swimming. I just wanted to sleep!
We also went to Ellsworth correctional facility on Thursday. Most of the dogs were trained by inmates at either Ellsworth or a correctional facility in Colorado. It was incredible to see the impact that the dog program had on the inmates. They said that it taught them responsibility, commitment and work ethic that they did not have before they went into jail. (One of them even said that was probably the reason he was in jail.) He also said that working with the dogs was an incredible part of the healing process for them. It was clear they took great pride in their jobs as dog trainers. Some of them were getting emotional about how much it has affected their lives. That made us Moms get emotional about how much their hard work is going to help our children. I never dreamed that first of all, I would willingly take my not-quite-5 year old to a jail and second that I would feel so indebted to a prisoner. It was a bizarre but rewarding feeling that I think all the new dog owners felt. One inmate told me that the dog program was "A Gift from God" and that it has changed his life, with his eyes welling up with tears.