Good Luck, Zinfandel!

The time has come for Zinfandel to say goodbye to all of us, here on the blog and hello to In Formal Training, a.k.a 'college'. We will miss her terribly and Kristi is hoping she finds a way to stay out of trouble, quickly, now that she won't have someone to care, train, exercise and groom on a daily basis. This sweet girl loves to work and is most happy when learning something new or putting her current skill set to use. She learns quickly and is happy to please. She can be strong-willed, too, which is good for a working dog. She has a great balance of obedience and stubborn. She will have her medical testing finished by the 18th. Results of those tests should be back sometime in February. She will work with the training staff or prison puppy raisers. She will be getting settled in the Canine Housing Unit, learning a new routine and showing her skills and personality. Assuming her tests come back clean, she will then be placed into one of the assistance branches, guide, service or social. She will then learn the skills needed in that discipline. She will then be trained specifically for the partner she will end up with. Then she will train with that partner and leave KSDS with her new partner and start her new life as an assistance dog. This process will last anywhere from three to 12 months. At any point, from the day of turn in (Jan. 7) to graduation day she can be released. We are praying that does not occur, but know Thy will be done and will wait for word from KSDS.
In the meantime, enjoy some of her previous posts, going back to when she was just 8 weeks old and coming 'home' to us.