Hannah and Ivy

It was December 19th. Our plan was to go to have dinner, the go to the movies to celebrate my birthday. We piled into the car and headed to the mall. When we got there though, I wasn’t feeling well, and decided a walk in the crisp winter air might be more beneficial. We wandered the area, ate a little something, and then made our way back in the direction of the car.

We were walking past a noisy bowling alley/arcade when we noticed a man training a service dog and handler. I stopped to watch. We were going to need a trainer at some point. What better way to see if this trainer was legit than to observe for a while?

Something told me this trainer could very well be who we were looking for. As they finished their session, we decided to introduce ourselves so I could ask him a few questions. By the end of the night, we exchanged contact information with the promise to keep in touch. We both planned to keep our eyes out for dogs that could be trained for service. 

Since we would need to look for specific types of dogs, I knew it would be an expensive endeavor, and just KNEW it would take 2+ years to move forward. Still, I was happy to have found a trainer with the right knowledge and credentials to do the job when the time came.

Over the next few weeks, Tracie’s seizures seemed to be kicking into high gear. I was also having increased issues with my health and was falling from dangerously low blood sugar levels. We all lamented that it would be nice to have the service dogs NOW.

I started looking for dogs, hoping I could figure out a way to make it work. Adoption fees were outrageous, and most had major trauma issues. Because of the level of service these dogs would need to perform, we were advised to find very young puppies who had not yet built any significant fears. 

One day, the dog trainer called out of the blue. He had two options for the dogs! He sent me bios and photos, but neither seemed like a good fit. We decided to keep looking. A few days later, he texted me information on another litter of puppies. They would grow to be the right size and were mixed breed (so fewer genetic issues). I told him that I might be interested, so he scheduled time to visit them and assess their temperment.

He told us that they were some of the most easy-going pups he’d seen in a while! Sure, they might change with time, but it was a good start. A week later we were meeting them for the first time.

Written by: Carrie Jaramillo