What a WONDERFUL meet and greet and adoption with Wounded Warrior, Ryan, and beautiful “Carl”, who has been so lovingly fostered for quite some time by Sandra. Sandra has been working with Carl on fine-tuning his commands (she can bring him to work because she works at Petco headquarters).
I first met Carl a few months ago – and could NOT believe this is the same dog! Carl was wonderful then, but when we all drove out to meet Carl’s new dad, Ryan, I was literally astounded at how much Carl had learned!! He could almost pass his Public Access Test now, he knew every command so well thanks to Sandra’s amazing training!
Ryan and Carl instantly fell in love! Ryan, a big, strong, tall man who suffers from PTSD and TBI had EVERYTHING ready for Carl – bought the perfect leash, vest, collar, tags, patches, and had read the manual through and through as was clearly evident as we went through basic commands and he caught on so quickly!! Ryan will be a perfect “battle buddy” for Ryan – one game Carl just loves is tug of war – and being a pit, Carl is strong! But Ryan is even stronger!! Ryan was smiling ear to ear after playing and getting to know Carl, giving Carl tons of love and pets. Carl took to Ryan right away.
Ryan manages a very large warehouse and has his own office, so Carl will be able to run around the warehouse or sit in the comfortable little nook Ryan already created for Carl. Ryan has a very strong knowledge of dogs, and it was evident by how quickly he was able to learn and mimic the commands I showed him – no evidence of TBI there!! They walked outside alone together, and Carl heeled perfectly.
Ryan gave a beautiful donation to Sandra for all her hard work – something he didn’t have to do – but he was so appreciative. Ryan is so much fun to talk to – he’s got a wonderful sense of humor and can’t wait to play with Carl and wrestle around – but only after the work day is done! Ryan also read the training manual so thoroughly, and with three children, he clearly grasped the concept of Carl being HIS dog – but 25% of the time, he can just be a family dog.
Ryan has a convention to drive to for three days, and there will be hundreds of people there – something that would ordinarily be overwhelming for Ryan. He now feels so much better knowing Carl will be by his side – and I explained that he needs to focus on Carl if his anxiety starts building too much. Ryan even called the Hyatt ahead of time to let them know Carl will be staying there overnight with him, and they welcomed Carl with open arms! This three days together will be a perfect bonding time for the two of them!
We will start formal training when Ryan returns!
BEST WISHES, CARL AND RYAN! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DID, SANDRA!!!!!!!!!!