Blazer is a nearly 4 month old English Springer Spaniel pup from Kismet Kennels in Jackson, New Jersey. Blazer is 3rd cousin to my beloved spokesdog and hard worker, Bean. Those who know me know I love dogs but Springers stole my heart when Teisha entered my life in 1981. After many puppies raised/trained/placed and supported including goldens, labs, aussies and a few mixed breeds, the stars aligned! To earmark a springer for psychiatric service dog training for a young man! At last. A springer to raise/train! And a perfect candidate indeed. It was truly with great joy and not one whit of trepidation I picked Blazer up on June 30 and drove him from Jersey to Cleveland.
As our first month together comes to a close, I am heartened to see I have an intelligent, thoughtful, calm, confident but gentle puppy to shape into a magnificent being. One who can and will help his person open up to how wonderful the world can be — especially when seen through the eyes of a puppy and gently steered by his engaging personality and smushy lovely face. To instill confidence and introduce him to people who can be kind and engaging instead of stinging and aloof.
Blazer has met hundreds of people of all ages, he has met dozens of dogs as well. He is besties with our kitten Dill, and even though the police horses at Wade Oval Wednesday were cool. He has been in ice cream stores, delis, garden centers, home improvement stores, several homes. He has enchanted in pet stores, movie theaters, the new Apple Store and a couple banks. He’s perfect in the car.
He has learned his basic manners — sit, down, touch (he is AMAZING at recall!) and go (as in “go to your crate”, “go to your bed”, etc. Stay is hard for him, but he’s improving steadily. He now eats meals out of a bob-a-lot or in training and his leash manners are getting better every day (thanks Bean!). His retrieve is quite developed. His endurance is also growing! And he LOVES water in every form (I cannot wait to see his first impression of snow..well, yes I can!). My goal for August is to find him some pools to swim in!
Here’s a quick little trailer of some of the highlights of our month so far. Now that Blazer is picking up endurance and house training is firmly established, our socialization outings will pick up dramatically. Stay tuned! And if you’re interested in learning the form and function a service dog could be for you or a loved one, please check out this page and then email for more information.
