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1. Reunited with Oscar
I knewfromthe time we broughtOscar home that he was goingto be an exceptionaldogone day.After
havingthe opportunitytospendsome time withhimduringmyrecenttriptoWashington
and BrigadoonService Dogs.Itwasgreat to see thathe isstill onthe path to becomingaservice dog.
Duringthe last 3 yearsthat Matt and I have beeninvolvedwithBrigadoonService Dogswe have always
made it to theirbigyearlyfundraiserdinnerandauction.The firstyearwe wentwe had Penny.We were
still verynewtothe organizationandwe reallywantedtoknow more aboutthemand the community
that supportsthem.Lastyear we wentwithOscar as our puppyintrainingandturnedhiminso he could
enterthe prisonprogram.We alsopresented PaddingtonandScarlettasdonatedpuppiesfromGrowing
Up Guide Pup.
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hearing dog, mobility dog, psychiatric service dog.
For more details,please visitus at: http://www.growingupguidepup.org/
Eventhoughthisyear I wasn’traisingaBrigadoonpuppy,Istill reallywantedtogoand show my
support.Matt was planningongoingwithme,butthe CEO of Bellator invitedhimtosetupaboothat
the MMA fightto educate the attendeesonservice dogs.Thiseventwasthe same nightasthe auction
so myfriendCorymade the trip up to Washingtonwithme whileMattcontinuedtogrow our
connectionsinthe BayArea.
For thistripI didn’tbringPixie withme.itwasa nice chance for me to have a few daysoff from training
withher.But of course I foundmyself wantingtohave tohave a four leggeddate tothe Gala. So I asked

2. Denise if Icouldborrowa dogin trainingfromthe Brigadoonkennel forthe evening.Asluckwouldhave
it,Oscar was at the kennelsandIwas allowedtoborrow him.
It was a yearsince I had seenOscarand he was still aprettyyoungpuppy.WhenI wentto pickhimup
fromthe kennel Iwassuperexcitedtosee him.He grew a lot,butwas still the same goofyandhappy
boy.He wasreallyexcitedtosee me andhe hoppedrightinthe car and wasreadyto go for an
adventure
I tookhim backto my hotel roomwhile Igot readyfordinner.Iwas able to helpsetupthe eventearlier
inthe day,and thenfedOscar afterwardsinthe room.Assoon as he finishedeatinghe carriedhisbowl
aroundthe room,justlike he didas a puppywhenwe hadhim.
As we enteredthe eventitwasveryclearhow muchOscar had grownand maturedinthe lastyear.He
was poised,focusedandlookinglike aseasonedveteran.We made the roundsandtalkedwithpeople
and made some bidsonthe auctionitemsbefore sittingatourtable.We alsoran intootherworkersand
volunteersforBrigadoon.Itwasveryclearthat Oscar hadmade greatfriendshipsandbondswhile at
Brigadoon.The entire nightOscarwasa verywell behavedboyandhe got manycompliments.
Afterthe eventitwastime forme to take himback to the kennel andsaygoodbye.LastyearwhenI
droppedhimoff Iwas much more emotional.We were notjusthandingOscarover,butPaddingtonas
well.ThisyearIfeltverydifferent.Afterspendingthe eveningwithOscar,Ifelta sense of pride and
excitement.The once littlewiggly,excitedpuppythatwasso eagerto learnwasnow a mature,readyto
workand still eagerdog.Oscar isinthe final stagesof trainingandif all goesaccordingto plan,he will be
graduatingina fewshort weeks.He isa huge reminderof whyIlove puppyraisingservice dogs.Iloved
raisingOscar.He was everythingIlookforin a puppyas a raiser.To have a chance to see himone last
time before he headsouttohis foreverhome wasahuge gift.I’mso proudof himand how he has
grown.I can’t waitfor himto start teamtrainingwithhispartnerandhear aboutall theiradventures
together.
For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at: assistance dog, ptsd dog,
hearing dog, mobility dog, psychiatric service dog.