We're big fans of Christine Gillow over at her blog Raising Ruby. She wrote a lovely post about her older dog Kiva interacting with her service puppy trainee, which I loved, so she kindly agreed to write a shorter companion piece to share with the Embrace readers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I first read it.
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The other day, my friend Tamara tweeted a touching little story that I was lucky enough to catch:
"Saw something special on my way to work this am—an elderly golden retriever walking with her mom. Mom was very patient with her slow walk. I thought, now that is a lovely relationship."
The vignette made me smile. My friend's words immediately brought to mind the relationship I have with my old dog, Kiva, and how willingly she adjusts her stride to mine.
Kiva was 11 years old when I made the decision to raise a service puppy. I chose an organization that partners service dogs with mobility-related disabled individuals, and the puppy raising commitment is significant: a bouncy, two-month-old retriever mix is placed in your arms and burrows her way into your home, life, and heart until she’s 18 months old and leaves for advanced training. During that first year and a half, the main goal in raising a service puppy is socialization, so the puppy accompanies her raiser literally everywhere—restaurants, shopping malls, supermarkets, sporting events, the car wash, the dry cleaners—whenever you look down, an inquisitive little black jellybean nose is pointed back up at you. At least you hope it’s pointed back up at you. Sometimes you find it buried in the lingerie rack at Macy’s.
I had debated for months about bringing a service puppy into my one-senior-dog household. Kiva is tolerant, very well socialized, and she's met hundreds of other dogs in her lifetime without issue, but she had never shared her home with one. I wanted very much to be a service puppy raiser, but I worried if my aging dog could accept a willful toddler taking over her space. If they did bond, would Kiva have trouble with the loss when it was time for the puppy to move on? Would she feel threatened or jealous of all the attention I'd need to devote to raising and training a service puppy? Was I asking too much of my precious old girl?
I worried constantly in the weeks leading up to the puppy’s arrival. I should have known that I didn’t have to. As soon as our service puppy, Ruby, arrived, Kiva accepted the puppy without reservation, scattering my shadowy doubts to the breeze like dandelions. She always turns my worries into wishes and makes them all come true.
I happily took Ruby with me to the all the shops, I taught her to sit, stand, and to come when I called. But Kiva nurtured Ruby in her own way, guiding with her gentle nature and the experience of age. She imparted a calmness into the puppy that only a dog can convey to another. Kiva’s invaluable lessons will serve Ruby well as she becomes a service dog whose actions are careful and deliberate.
Throughout that year and a half, Kiva gave me as many gifts as she gave Ruby. She accepted Ruby with a level of patience I can only ever try to live up to. She let me delight in the whole experience, enjoying it with me. And the morning after Ruby left us to move on to advanced training, Kiva glanced around the bedroom for a moment or two...then flipped a toy in the air and never questioned me.
These days, at 13 years old, Kiva needs me to walk a little more slowly with her, too. But no matter how long it takes her to get me there, she still always leads me where I need to go.
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Christine Gillow lives in Colorado with her husband Jeff, and Kiva, a former NY ASPCA puppy who is as happy on a mountain trail as she is on the couch. Enjoy more of their service puppy adventures at servicepuppyruby.blogspot.com.
Related Posts:
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Claim Example: hyperadrenocorticism or Cushings Disease in 9 year old dog
Guest Post: Letting Her Lead by Christine Gillow
