Friday, March 26, 2010

Life is Too Short

Today I received a very sad email from the man who really got me into service dogs.  His first partner, Bandy, passed away after a long, well-loved life of 14 years. Brandy, a large yellow Labrador worked faithfully by her partners side for 11 years. She was the first service dog for people with physical disabilities I ever met and I still remember meeting her and her human on while we were stuck on a plane having electrical difficulties on a tarmac in a plane going nowhere anytime soon. As the crew allowed other passenger to exit to plane if they wish for a bit, this gentleman and I bot made the decision to sit tight because it was too much of a hassle to get of the plane and risk not getting back in time. So we sat there for two hours. I struck up a conversation with him about sis dog who was wearing a patch for a service dog program I was thinking of applying too. He shared with me about how Brandy assisted him with retrieving dropped items, help getting up after a fall, carrying things and more. By the time we exited the flight in Tacoma we were friends and I was going to apply for a service dog.
Little did I know this team would be integral to helping Bastien and I be all we could be as a team sharing training tips and showing us what it took to be a true team. This sweet yellow lab who loved to play, had a quirky sense of humor and patience to be admired will be greatly missed....  Rest in Peace Brandy and thank for everything.

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