Murray Too, the Coated German Shepherd stood eye-to-eye with the seven-year-olds. He's just a year old and taller than a lot of the kids. Murray calmly endured their hands and later their kisses as the children filed out of the assembly at a local elementary school. Did I mention that I love my job? Little kids kissing dogs bigger than them. How great is that?
The dogs were part of the Leader Dogs for the Blind program. Of the five dogs in attendance the star of the show was Morgan, a 14-week-old puppy who slept soundly on the stage while the excited children filed in for the assembly. Part way through the assembly he woke up and immediately had to do what most animals do when they wake up: he had to pee. As he disappeared out the door Murray Too and the other dogs watched Morgan leave, stood up and whimpered.
"Don't worry! Your baby will be back!" the trainer told the dogs as the children giggled.
Later, the trainer pulled a trick on 14-week-old Morgan. While the children distracted him at the front of the room the trainer made her way to the back and hid behind a partition. Part of the basic training for Leader Dogs is known as "recall" or the ability to immediately come when called. From behind the partition the trainer called, "Morgan! MORGAN!" His ears perked up and he whipped his whole body around at the first call of his name. By the time she called his name again Morgan was halfway through the crowd, clamoring over the little bodies of squealing children. Despite the serious distractions (namely, scores of little hands and squirming, laughing children) Morgan made his way to the hidden trainer. As soon as Morgan found the trainer she scooped him up and snuggled him, praising him all the way back to the front of the room.
"I am sooo proud of you Morgan! That's the first time he's ever done that!" she told the children.
What a cutie.
It was a very interesting assembly and the children seemed to love the event.
At the end of the assembly I talked to the other people on the stage. One blind man informed me that he doesn't like his dog. "I love her. She's my freedom," he said.
Take that, blindness!
TARB
Lesser Journalists are a hard-working bunch, but we don't have the perks that some other journalists have. The "E" sticks on our keyboards; when we walk into a room of complete strangers, everyone knows our names because they see our faces in the paper when it comes out every week; "middle class" is relative. The community loves us, the community hates us. We love our jobs. We hate out jobs. We love our jobs, again.
About Me
- Tarb
- Three Things You Should Know: I think zombies are cool. I klat drawkcab. I am loyal to a fault.
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