So much to be thankful for

Well, friends. I finally received the news I have been patiently waiting for—giving me even more to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. After seven long weeks since we took our test, Gunther and I have been certified by PAWS With A Cause as an official service dog team! His ownership has been transferred to me and, while we will continue to receive any additional training support from PAWS if needed, we will generally be on our own to carry on with life until the retesting and recertification period 24 months from now. 

Gunther and I would not be in this happy place had it not been for the outstanding training and assistance provided by our PAWS client rep, Connie. She is simply remarkable at what she does. Obviously, she’s an expert when it comes to dogs and knows how to work with them. But to be as effective as she is in her role requires so much more than just being good with dogs. There’s a level of compassion needed and the ability to be a good listener and problem-solver that makes for a highly successful client relationship, and this lady had all those qualities in spades. I especially appreciated her pragmatic approach to things and what a reassuring source she was, even when my anxieties would get the best of me. I suspect that all of PAWS’ client reps are wonderful at what they do, but I am beyond grateful to have been paired up with Connie. She did an incredible job in engaging my family in this process and setting us all up for success. And while Gunther and I did a lot of work together to get here, I feel like she is the primary hero in this first part of our story.

Now seems like the perfect segue into a charming anecdote about how my amazing service dog did something so astounding that it leaves you in complete awe of what these animals are capable of. But let’s not kid ourselves here. I started this blog to document all the highs and lows in this journey, and I won’t begin sugarcoating things now. I would be remiss if I did not share the specific circumstances around when we got the great news of our certification. And while it won’t leave you awestruck, I promise you will be astounded. 

A few days before Thanksgiving, I was having a girlfriend over for a little happy hour. I had planned on making some flatbreads for us to nibble on as we sipped on our wine. While I was caramelizing onions and sautéing mushrooms, my husband came in with the mail and announced that I had received a large envelope from PAWS. Since I was busy cooking, he opened it and read the letter to me. It was thrilling to finally receive the news after what felt like a lifetime of waiting. Knowing that my friend was on her way over, I hurried to assemble the flatbreads. To give you an idea of the planned menu, I had made some with caramelized onions, mushrooms, fresh thyme, and Gruyere cheese, some with fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto, and some with blue cheese and a savory garlic and onion jam. Even now my mouth is watering just thinking about them…

My friend Christina arrived, and Gunther decided that greeting her was far more appealing than sitting or staying where he was supposed to. In fact, I had a difficult time getting him to listen to me at all and had to break out the “mean mommy” voice a couple of times before he would settle down. Fortunately, Christina has had other opportunities to see G on his best behavior, so she knew what a well-behaved boy he was capable of being. After the wine glasses were poured, I shared the exciting news with her. Amid our cheering and the celebratory clinking of glasses, I happened to look over and see the top of Gunther’s head hovering over the baking sheet of assembled flatbreads. My highly trained, newly certified service dog extraordinaire had snuck over and was stealthily gobbling down Gruyere cheese, mushrooms, and onions. I let out a shriek, and G dog simply looked at me as if saying, “What? It wasn’t me.” Luckily, he could only reach two of my unbaked creations, so we were able to salvage the rest. 

Gunther then proceeded to walk around our kitchen in a stupor, ignoring every command I gave. I was in utter disbelief. Here we were acknowledging his incredible accomplishment, and this was the precise moment he decided to be at his naughtiest. Perhaps this was a lesson in not getting too complacent. Perhaps my culinary skills were simply too irresistible. Whatever this was, it proved to be both mortifying and hilarious at the same time. It was impossible not to see the irony in the situation, and we just had to laugh. 

Despite my initial feelings of horror and humiliation, it was good to know that the next day was a fresh start— a do-over full of opportunity for us to get things back on track. Because, you see, having Gunther in my life makes me not only thankful for the things that he does for me but also appreciative of the things that he’s teaching me. Not just to seize the day when it comes to food (I think I had already mastered that one!) but to let go of any negativity tied to the past. No matter how badly you might have screwed something up, every new day is a chance to do better. So, cheers to us on an incredible accomplishment and cheers to another day!