Liberty's journey with me has ended, but her journey with her girl, Kylee, has just started. On May 10, Liberty was placed with Kylee as her Diabetic Alert Dog. I spent two days with Kylee, attending school with her, as well as practice and going about their life with them. This was to help transition both Liberty and the Dwinal family to their new lifestyle. My previous two DADs were placed at 9 and 10 months old. I wanted to experiment with Liberty, placing her a few months later when she was more mature. Liberty's behavior at 9 months and 14 months was pretty similar, however the transition to her new family went more smoothly. I can't know for sure if this is because she was more mature or because we had a gradual transition period (3 sleepovers with Kylee, many training sessions, etc.). But, I believe that a gradual transition period and a 12-14 month old dog is a better combination. Suzie, the dog I placed around 9 months, went through a 'depression' period when I placed her. She didn't have the opportunity to have a gradual transition, and she was very young, so the transition was hard on her. While it's not always possible, I would like to mimic Liberty's schedule to help ease the dog into their new life.
So far, Liberty's transition has been going well! She attends school with Kylee every day (which is a huge responsibility for both Kylee and Liberty!) and is learning her place in the family and what her new normal looks like. I'm incredibly proud of this new team. It's never perfectly smooth, but they are doing a fantastic job ensuring Liberty is the best she can be as well as giving her the love and family she needs. Thank you to the Dwinal Family for taking care of my girly, I miss her more than words can say but she couldn't be in a better place, helping a better girl.
So far, Liberty's transition has been going well! She attends school with Kylee every day (which is a huge responsibility for both Kylee and Liberty!) and is learning her place in the family and what her new normal looks like. I'm incredibly proud of this new team. It's never perfectly smooth, but they are doing a fantastic job ensuring Liberty is the best she can be as well as giving her the love and family she needs. Thank you to the Dwinal Family for taking care of my girly, I miss her more than words can say but she couldn't be in a better place, helping a better girl.
So what's next? 1 week ago I picked up my new pup, Filly. Filly is a very different temperament than my Liberty Belle. Filly reminds me a lot of Suzie - spunky, outgoing, and hilarious. She's not the clingy cuddler that Liberty was, but as long as this personality continues as she matures I think she will make a great DAD. We just began scent training and she is only at the stage of "sniff and click", where she sniffs the low blood sugar sample in a metal container, then I click and give her a high value reward. I will try to do better about updating as she progresses :)
