Will, as found on side of highway.

My first introduction to Laurie was by way of email, when she inquired about enrolling her little rescue dog, Will, in a basic skills class. At that time, Will was nearing his first birthday. Two things were clear from her email:

The first? Will was struggling with a mountain of medical issues. Found at three months of age on the side of a highway in Mississippi with his littermate, Gracie, both puppies had severe skin infections, and the fur that remained was terribly matted. Both had severe congenital musculoskeletal disease.

The second thing that stood out was that this woman has an infinite amount of compassion. I would later learn that Laurie cares for nine dogs that suffer from all manner of medical conditions, most of them seniors with special needs, and a former puppy mill dog with crippling fear. Laurie takes the challenging cases. The dogs no one wanted. The dogs that needed someone to love them most of all.

She noted in her email that surgery for Will is really not an option at this advanced stage in his condition. When attempted with Gracie, she ended up in the ICU for a month and narrowly survived. Will’s case is more advanced, and he is considerably larger. This means Will has perhaps two or three years before he becomes so crippled, Laurie will have to let him go.

Will and (much smaller) littermate, Gracie.

The high note on which she ended the inquiry is testament to her ever-present optimism: “Will is very mobile. Will is very, very smart. He’s motivated by his favorite toys (which he plays fetch with), food, and attention. Incredibly happy dog, all things considered.”

Will joined a class last spring, and what a team they were! The patience and care with which Laurie worked was touching to say the least. He got his prescription anti-inflammatory medication before class every week, we modified standard training plans to suit his form and movement, and we gave him all the breaks he needed. When Will chose to call it quits for the night, he would nestle in Laurie’s lap as she sat on the floor and quietly watch the other dogs in the class train. Of important note, they kept up. Will learned every skill and performed them on verbal cue readily.

Will, today.

At graduation, Laurie asked what was next. Will loved coming to class, and Laurie wanted to continue to provide him that opportunity. “I just want him to do all the things he’s capable of. I want him to enjoy his life. I’m just so proud of him!” And so, we decided to prep him for the canine good citizen certification test (“CGC”) through the AKC. Some might think this a tall order for a dog with physical limitations, but we were confident Will would rise to the occasion. The class began in late summer, and both Laurie and Will came ready to work.

Again, we modified just a few of the training plans to ensure Will could perform all ten required test components when it came time. For example, one component requires the dog to welcome and permit being groomed and examined. Included in the criteria is gently lifting each paw off the floor, for which we typically teach a preliminary sit-stay. While Will could easily perform this behavior for ear examination and brushing, he would topple in that position for the paw lifts, his balance compromised by his badly luxated patellas. For Will, we modified it to a down-stay, and he sailed through the training. We did the loose leash walking exercises early in the class, when Will had the most stamina. As with the prior class, it was a little bit of magic observing Laurie and Will working together in their sweet way.

Something else special began to happen during that prep course. Will had not enjoyed dogs being in his personal space in the first class he took with us. This isn’t uncommon, and we simply made sure dogs weren’t walking too closely to him to ensure everyone’s comfort. In this new class, however, he grew to be a social butterfly, opting to approach the other dogs in the class politely, and even playing a bit before and after class. His favorite dog was Cricket, a lovely Golden Retriever, and we joked that he was clearly smitten with her.

Will and Cricket

When Will successfully completed his certifying test this fall to become a recognized Canine Good Citizen, everyone cheered. Most of us cried a little, especially Laurie. Laurie always said that she knew Will was capable of all of the things other dogs could do, “We just take a different path to get there,” she’d add.

My tears weren’t because he passed. I knew he was capable of that from the start. They were for a different reason:

As a dog trainer, the most common question I get is “How can I get my dog to stop [fill in the blank].” After all, most dog owners are enlisting the help of a professional to change undesired behaviors, even if those behaviors are normal for the species. This is a reasonable request, of course, and much of the work I do involves teaching dogs acceptable alternative behaviors that owners prefer. There are few things I love more than seeing happily engaged owners and dogs – cooperatively working together, relaxed, and enjoying that extraordinary inter-species companionship. It’s really the best part, but it doesn’t always start that way. More often than not, it starts with frustration and a desire to change something about the dog to make it better fit into the owner’s lifestyle or home. And that’s okay!

Every now and then, however, the owner will present a paradigm shift and ask, instead, “Can you help me make my dog’s life better?” Every now and then, the primary focus is on ensuring the dog’s needs are met for enrichment, for comfort, for mental stimulation, or just for pleasure. For owners like this, the goal is spending quality time with their dogs and developing better communication with them. The goal isn’t to make the dog more acceptable or tolerable in any specific context. It is only to make the dog’s life better in some way. Laurie is that kind of owner. Will hit the dog life jackpot. We were afforded the honor of witnessing it all; and as a dog trainer, I find that incredibly restorative and worth sharing. Congratulations, Will! And thank you, Laurie.

Will and Laurie