Today was a momentous day in my "career" as a volunteer at Pet Orphans of Southern California (POSC) -- I was promoted from dog socializer to dog coach!  When I first started volunteering, I was most interested in socializing the cats.  They are calmer, quieter, and I can visit 15 in the same time it takes to visit 4 dogs.  This I did for a couple of years before I got up the nerve to socialize the dogs. 

I have two dogs but I was still not as confident in my abilities to keep control of a dog.  I had visions of a Pet Orphans dog getting out of its kennel as I entered and running away from me, and me chasing the dog around the kennels as all the dogs barked hysterically (probably cheering on the canine escapee).  But I've found out that this has happened to other volunteers so having a dog make a prison break is not as scary to me as it once was.

So when the opportunity to take a 5-week Adoptable Dog training course came along, I jumped at the chance.  I wanted to build my confidence in working with the shelter dogs and learn some techniques to use with my own dogs.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I worked with Astro, a 72-lb shepherd mix who sometimes got the better of me but I persevered and we earned a B- in the course. 

Near the end of the course, to my surprise, I received an e-mail invitation to attend training to become a Dog Coach at POSC!  I guess that even with the lowest grade in the class, the trainers saw potential in me!  Maybe working with Astro was like attending Punahou -- a B- at Punahou is like an A- at almost any other school.  At least, that's what we Punahou graduates tell ourselves!  I was flattered but also a little apprehensive.  Could I really train the other dogs?  Could I keep them under control on walks where they might run into people and things that would frighten them?  Did I have the time to commit to such an endeavor?  Did I have the patience?  What I did know was that I wanted to help these dogs become better behaved so they could be adopted quickly.

So I took the plunge and said YES, I wanted to become a dog coach.  Today I went on a walk with some other dog coaches as my formal evaluation and afterwards earned my brown leather leash (POSC's equivalent of an Oscar) for successfully completing training and working well with Joselyn on the 2-mile walk. 

The next time I walk into POSC, I will proudly carry my brown leather leash and walk confidently down the street with Joselyn or Brenna or Candy or Astro (another blog coming soon about Astro's progress).  They may not always behave for me and they may pull at the leash, but I have the tools to work with them and the determination to be the alpha dog.   And I know that, with each step we take and every sit, stay, down & watch me that we practice, that dog will be closer to finding its forever home!   

A hui hou
=^..^=