These weekends are what keep me going throughout the week.

Our plan for Ben was to have him come and stay as often as he can get here. Ben lives in Indianapolis, Indiana (moving to Elkhart Indiana) which cuts off a few hours of the drive. When Ben asked to come back, I told him since he knew the environment already (no shower, sleeping on blow up mattress) it was his choice. 24 hours later, Ben was here.  It was the best 48 hours for Stella and Ben! Stella was her usual self (barks, circles) when Ben walked in, but unlike last weekend, Stella knew it was him immediately, the barks turned into whimpers and faster circles of excitement. Ben was all smiles; you could see the stress from his 5 hour drive fall off him. He went and sat in the chair, Stella still circling him, before Ben could sit all the way down, Stella slipped right up on the chair behind him! Ben almost sat on Stella, in which I think I heard him giggle……Stella wanted Ben all to herself, acting like ‘Sheriff Stella’, moving the other dogs away. ….

This was a big weekend for Ben and Terran; they were having their first sleep over with their dogs. Donna and I got The Barracks as prepared as we could for quests. We took all the dogs away for the night, leaving just Terran/ Hershey and Ben/Stella. This was so imperative for them, to feed and take potty, to play and sleep with, all alone. I was so excited that I barely slept that night; I couldn’t wait to hear how it went! I showed up at 10:30 with breakfast sandwiches with them just waking up! (sleeping in for those dogs!) But the best part was being greeted by Terran, in his yellow SpongeBob fleece pajamas pants! (Whose smile was bigger than SpongeBob himself!) Friday night was a huge success!

Saturday was another big step for these guys. Donna was taking each of them on their fist ‘outing.’ We also had Dan and Foxy down for this. We started out with a training session in the warehouse to get all the dogs in a ‘working’ mindset. Ben and Stella set off first with Donna. They were going to Starbucks. Again, I waited back at the Barracks in anticipation…..45 minutes later, Ben walked through the door, with the biggest smile, he looked so happy! And so did Stella. Another Success! Donna and him talked about Stella being really good… it was easier than Ben thought…Stella kept looking at some guy… Stella lay down on the floor all sprawled out taking over the space to get to the bathroom. This was a big step for both Stella and Ben. I think I jumped in circles……

Dan and Foxy were next. Foxy and Dan haven’t been working together long, and since we didn’t have as much experience with her either, Donna and Dan decided to do a car ride and the Gas Station. Which going to the gas station , at Costco(which is super busy) meant Donna testing Foxy the whole time…….Donne pulled her hoodie up and snuck up to her car window, ran around the car, pumped the gas…….Foxy handling everything in stride! Foxy kept checking in on Dan to see how he was doing, Dan checking back to Foxy when he was getting stressed, rubbing her ears, calming himself. Another successful trip! Next time they are ready to make that move into Home Depot…..

Speaking of Home Depot…..it was Hershey’s and Terran’s turn.  I think, like the other guys, Terran was nervous, but not for himself, for Hershey. Terran took right off as the leader, making Hershey sit before entering. Terran was so focused on Hershey, that he even admits he wasn’t nervous about being the store as he usually is. He wasn’t concerned who was looking at him, his whole world at that time, was Hershey. And like a champ she performed perfectly. Enough so that Terran even added walking the store with a shopping cart and Hershey! Donna and I feel like such proud parents, of both the dogs and the Veterans!!

The weekend ended on such a bright note for me. Terran was ready to introduce his family to Hershey. We want the Veterans to feel their bond, and have control of their dogs, before we introduce them to other family members. Terran has been working everyday with Hershey, to do just this. Terran arrived first, so he could be here to introduce Hershey together. The family went to the pet store the night before, and in they walked. It was like Christmas, there were toys, food, treat just flying all around. Hershey had no idea what to do or who to go to first! Hershey’s but was wiggling she was wagging her tail so hard, the kids, the toys, Terran, Michelle…..is was a lot to take in! Dakota, 6 was first to pull out the ball he picked out to roll it over to Hershey…….Lily, 2, giggled and squealed when Hershey ‘kissed’ her face, she LOVED that! Hershey was a little concerned at what that noise was……The greeting was truly heartwarming and couldn’t have went better. However, I was not prepared what I saw, this time it was Hershey who was nervous, and her who was looking for support…….Hershey kept checking in with Terran at every move. There were times when she would just sit, leaning over Terran, or following him everywhere.  Michelle, Terran’s wife, is very sweet and supportive. She told me she already saw a change in Terran just from this last week, the time he spent here, the training her has done with Hershey, the confidence that has grown. Music to my ears! We took the kids in the warehouse area, where they ran all around, throwing the toys, pushing the shopping cart loudly….the energy was high, and this is what we wanted to see. Hershey and Terran walked together, worked together the whole time, step to step, pace to pace. Hershey sat and waited by Terran’s side, even as the shopping cart almost ran her tail over…..

Another step towards the end goal. Another step of inspiration…for these Veterans, and for us……

Wow….we really are making a difference……one weekend at a time …..