My Journey To Get A PTSD Service Dog

I've been on the waiting list for almost 2 years and they say all good things come to those who wait and the time has finally come.

Yesterday Feb 4 2013 was my first day of training and I met my dog. She is beautiful and very smart, she wagged her tail the whole time I was with her and she seemed very happy with me and I am happy with her.

She is a Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix and she is coal black, sweet face and her name is Cinder! I am going to get a picture of her today and I will post it. We worked a little with our dogs yesterday and met them for the first time. This week and next is filled with lectures and training, training is for me, Cinder knows everything already :) She gave me kisses and I just melted.

The combination of the labrador/golden is perfect for me I am only 5" tall and I needed her for balance also. So the dog had to be just the right height and my baby girl is perfect. I've done some reading and this mix is being bred specifically to be service dogs, sort of the best of both breeds. She is calm and eager to please and enjoys her work.

I went through Support Dogs, Inc. Check them out a wonderful group of folks. They couldn't be any nicer or helpful. Now putting Cinder aside for a moment, let me tell you about the other folks in the class one little girl 7years old was born in India with her legs on backwards, her mom and dad had a heck of a time adopting her and getting her here from India and then one doctor wanted to amputate her legs, but they found another doctor and after many surgeries her legs have been reattached correctly, all her bones grow wrong, but let me tell you nothing stops this little girl she is face first into life and moves faster with her walker than I do without one :) She got a chocolate lab name Stover and she calls him her chocolate boy she is very sweet. Then there is another little boy who got a Golden named Wonka, he has spina bifada and he is quite sweet and a little quiet, but when Wonka came out I am telling you the smile on his face was so big, you just had to smile along with him. His step dad was with him and he is an Iraq Marine Veteran been out about 2 years and having trouble getting help with his issues. So I told him about our site and plan on talking more with him each day.