Are We Participating in the Last Dogs in the Park Service Dog Seminar this weekend?

We're up in Guelph, Ontario, Canada for the 6th Dogs in the Park Service Dog Seminar this weekend. We've been fortunate enough to participate every year since the beginning although last year, I had to do my presentations from home because I wasn't allowed to travel. It's great to be back in person: to see old friends and meet some new ones, to share information with other people with disabilities who have or hope to have service dog partners, and to learn and to teach. The only thing that makes me a bit sad about the event this year is that apparently, there won't be one next year! Sue and John Alexander, owners of Dogs in the Park, have decided to host the seminar every two years because of the effort and cost involved. I'm still concerned that this might be the final one and think that would be a real shame! 

Laurel was less than 2 years old in February 2008 when we attended the first DITP SD Seminar at a Guelph Holiday Inn. We hadn't had any experience being around other service dog teams and the only service dog handlers I knew were on Yahoo lists. It was a wonderful experience to see other teams in person, to make friends with other handlers and we learned so much! The sessions were terrific and included learning theory, clicker training, preparation for getting a service dog, traveling with one, training automatic leave it and long stays etc. We ate lunch together and went out to dinner; they had a raffle and we made friends that last through today. 

At the end of the seminar, I asked Sue Alexander if she would be our service dog trainer and we worked together primarily through email and video chats, getting together a couple times a year. She met with our obedience instructor so we were all on the same page and she helped me figure out how to handle Laurel's natural alerts while training them so that they would become trained tasks. 

The next year, Sue asked me to do a presentation on the planning and preparing for getting a service dog through the puppy training period. I enjoyed putting together the materials and update it every year as I continue to do that core presentation. I've also spoken on Budgeting and Finances, Successor Service Dogs, Dog Sports (with Sharon Palmer) and this year, Alerts (with Sue). For the past 5 years, Brent has participated in doing a presentation or hosting a round table about Family. Having family members' and close friends' support is critical to the success of a service dog team and this session has become very popular!  

As important as the learning and sharing is making friends with other service dog handlers, trainers and people interested in service dogs who continue to be close friends to this day. They have provided support and encouragement through the highs and lows of my service dog journey, as we started Lake Erie Assistance Dogs and about life in general. 

So, I'm feeling sad that Sue and John are not planning to host a seminar next year. The seminars don't tend to be money makers and Sue and John don't feel like they can keep losing money every year so they are planning to go to hosting one every other year. However, I'm worried that it will never happen again. 

For now, though, the seminar is going great! Most of the attendees this year are Canadian with a range of disabilities. I've met people considering a service dog, some with a service dog in training and others already working with a trained service dog. It's been nice to be able to "pay it forward" - to be able to help others who are in the place I was 6 years ago. 

Friday morning, the first day of the seminar, I did my Introductory session. My husband, Brent, had the van so that he could go somewhere with free wi-fi in order to do some work. Laurel started alerting and I realized that all my medications were either in the van or the house where we were staying. Poor Laurel was her normal persistent self and kept escalating her alert - I felt terrible about putting her in that position. Unintentional as it was however, it was a good live demonstration of an alert prior to Sue's and my session on Alerting! 

That evening, we went out to dinner with two friends from past seminars and then headed back to our other friends' house where we were staying. They have an older Standard Poodle and a Yorkie about Laurel's age. Everyone gets along beautifully and it's wonderful spending time with Bob and Ann! 

Saturday morning, I decided to get to the seminar in time for the second session - when the only class (nosework) I really wanted to take was scheduled. Of course, they had switched the schedule so that I missed it! Pretty disappointing but I talked to my friend, Sharon, who taught it and she brought me up to speed pretty quickly. I got to visit with some of the other attendees to talk about various concerns and I was able to offer some resources. Then Laurel got to attend her very favorite session - the one with the paramedic who brings her ambulance with her! Laurel loves jumping into and hanging out in the back! When she saw the ambulance, she couldn't wait to get in! She took a flying leap and looked very happy and at-home! Hardy on the other hand, carefully walked up the steps into it. And that pretty well describes the difference between my two Labs!

Laurel in the back of the ambulance

Hardy in the ambulance too!

When we got back to Bob and Ann's house, they had their daughter's Great Dane, Moose, visiting! Again, everyone got along beautifully and we got to spend some time with another lovely, if huge dog! Saturday evening, a group of about 15 people with 5 service dogs went out to dinner together. Hardy often goes to restaurants but not with more than one other service dog! The restaurant and their staff were wonderful about the dogs and all the people and we had a great time! 

 Today, Brent and the other family members had their presentation first thing in the morning. I stayed at the house until a little before lunch time and then headed to the training hall. I did my presentation on budgeting and finances and then we had a question & answer session for all the instructors. A couple people asked me to continue to help them with some things and I'm happy to be in a position to do that! It's always fun to watch new teams coming together and learning to be partners!

After the seminar finished, we took Bob and Ann out to dinner with another friend to a little Indian restaurant. Again, we had a wonderful time and now we're packing up and getting ready to head home tomorrow morning. I thought this year's seminar was another huge success! There weren't 50 people there to make it profitable but for the 15 or so that were, I think their lives have been changed in very positive ways! I talked to Sue and John about possibly doing a seminar in Cleveland next year - they were concerned that we would be cutting into their market for attendees but I believe that we would get more Americans (now with the Passport requirement to cross the border, some aren't willing to come to Canada for a seminar), and I would plan to have some different speakers and sessions. I also talked to another speaker from the Ottawa area who is thinking about hosting a seminar next year. She and her husband agree with me in believing that Service Dog Seminars are so unique and important that we need to continue to provide one every year. 

And for now, my thoughts and efforts will turn to PUPPIES! I'll go see them again this week and next Monday, Nancy Reyes will come and do the official CARAT test to determine whether there is a puppy in Triffy and Magic's litter for me!