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Calm in the Chaos: The Building Blocks If you haven’t yet read Part 1 of this HHN service dog series, catch up here! Around this same time, Lady Priscilla started showing signs of dog reactivity. Not aggression. But BIG feelings. She’d bark and lunge and throw herself 6 feet in the air. Not exactly ideal…
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Trial by Fog Machine Every autumn, as the sun sets over Universal Studios Florida, the park undergoes a chilling transformation. For those training a service dog for Halloween Horror Nights, this season marks more than just festive fear—it’s a proving ground cloaked in fog, chaos, and sensory overload. From late August through early November, HHN…
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Sometimes, when Lady Priscilla leaps onto the agility table and stands tall, we’re struck by an uncanny vision. A beloved teacher in an old film, perched on a desk to challenge his students’ perspectives. Or the students at the end of Dead Poets Society, standing on their desks chanting “O Captain, My Captain” in solidarity.…
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Finding Her Footing in a Ghost Town Final post in the Traveling with a Service Dog series, featuring our most advanced public access with a service dog yet. The Procedure Room and the Paper Hat Doctor’s offices were already old news to Lady Priscilla. She’d spent enough time with Dad in exam rooms to understand…
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Hotels, Restaurants, and Training Truths Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2.1 of this real world service dog training series, if you haven’t already. Checking In (and Checking Herself) Check-in at the St. Augustine hotel went smoothly. Lady Priscilla walked in like she belonged there and settled by Dad’s feet in perfect “Relax”…
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Packing, Road Tripping, and an Airbnb Be sure to read The Trip That Changed Everything, Part 1 of this road trip with a service dog travel series. We didn’t have time to “get ready.” Not really. This road trip with a service dog came together fast — a medical procedure three hours away, turned into…
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Traveling with a service dog in training? At the last minute? Sure, why not! Lady Priscilla had been doing well with public access. She navigated stores and doctor’s offices like a pro, handling each new environment with quiet confidence. But traveling with a service dog is a whole different challenge, one we hadn’t tackled yet.…
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Sometimes, when Lady Priscilla stands at the top of a hill and surveys the world like it belongs to her, I can almost hear the wind whispering through feathers instead of fur. She isn’t flying — not exactly — but in her own way, she embodies the true meaning of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. When I…
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How tunnel command training became a lesson in confidence, creativity, and going at your own pace When Lady Priscilla began training as a service dog, we started thinking ahead. Specifically: How in the world were we going to get her on an airplane? She’s a big girl. Long legs. Strong body. A tight fit under…
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When we first brought Lady Priscilla home, the shelter described her as “shy but sweet.” That was accurate. What we didn’t realize—what we couldn’t have realized—was how deeply shut down she truly was, or how much patience rescue dog recovery would require. She spent the entire ride home curled into a tight ball in the…