Havok's Mobility Assistance Service Dog Trip

[valkyrie1]

I just thought I would take a minute and share a photo I took over the weekend of Havok with my Mom.

I purchased a new car in Idaho and had to fly from Seattle to Spokane to go pick it up - (After the rebates it was about 4300 under MSRP) I thought since it was Mother's day weekend that I would take my mom with me. I also thought it would be a good chance to get Havok on another plane ride. (He had previouslytraveled to Sacramento and back)

The last time we flew the TSA had assisted my Mom and then had me go through with the dog. In Seattle they had me leave Havok on a stay on the other side of the metal detector, and then call him through after I cleared. He did great even with two young children running up to pet him and a mother yelling "NOOOO" Behind them:D

I left my mom at one of the Chairs in the check point and went to get our belongings. When I returned I found Havok and Mom surrounded by 3 or 4 TSA officers all petting Havok and getting kisses. I wish I had my camera out that would have been a great shot. But I had to wonder - weren't they suppose to be checking baggage?;)

This is a man who was waiting for his plane in the airport. Just a really nice guy. He and Havok hit it off so I took this photo and sent it to him.

Sue L

[Elaine]

absolutely fantastic photos of a fantastic dog... thanks so much for sharing this :)

[Lindsay]

Wow, that is really neat that he is an Assistance dog. He looks wonderful and also looks like he has great temperment. Thanks for posting!

[dobesign]

Tungsten is sooo proud of you! He knows it's not an easy job.:D

[gmh]

Sue,

I'm very, very impressed at how well behaved & how well he does his job as your mothers mobility assistant, especially when you concider that he isn't even two years old yet. (We won't mention the Intact Male handicap that you've managed to overcome)


You should be very proud of him as his breeder and his trainer. All your hard work has definitely paid off, when you see him working along side your mom.



Gail & "good sister" Mira:D

[valkyrie1]

Thank you to everyone for all the kind words about Havok.

My parents are sure proud of him, and on top of everything else he does for mom he also helps keeping them involved in activities.
They come to every show he is in .. It will be interesting to see what happens when he finishes and it is just Storm showing ;)

Sue L

[tosca]

Thanks for posting, Sue! Don't forget to add that, inaddition to being a fabulous representative of the breed, Havok's sitting on 11 points, both majors - and - is training in flyball, agility, and herding! With all of Havok's activities, he truly has been in limited shows; maybe 1 weekend per month. Since January, he's earned 10 points, both majors. He's not only brilliant, he's beautiful on the outside too! :D

[sorthund]

Thanks for sharing the story Sue, he's a great boy.
What kind of car did you get?

--Charlotte--

[valkyrie1]

Thanks Charlotte!

I bought a Chevy HHR. I kept my Silverado 4x4 but I wanted something that got better gas milage for running around.
The HHR is nice because I can get a 400 wire crate with a side door behind the seats. It has a 60 / 40 split so if I drop the large side I can get one more wire crate in and still have seats for 2 additional passengers. It is pretty crowded but it can be done. - The good news is it gets 30 mpg so it costs me about $50 to fill up instead of $100
Sue

[sorthund]

That's great mileage for a bigger car. We just test drove the Highlander Hybrid, but in our neighborhood we'll only get 20 miles pr. gallon, so that's not enough savings. So, I just put in an order for a Prius where I'll get 40 miles pr. gallon. It'll be tough with 3 kids and FiFi, but thankfully we're rarely all together. It'll beat the 10-12 miles in my LR3, can't wait.
Are you in Lynden this week-end? post results. We were going saturday, but it made sense for us not to after all....

[valkyrie1]

Sorry I am not at Lynden.
I am hoping to hear good news from Cathy.....

The HHR is really pretty small. It looks similar to a PT Cruiser but it is 8 inches longer. It is just very effecient in its use of space.
Sue

[sorthund]

Oops, sorry, have to study up on car models.... :rolleyes: either way, great mileage.

[Sheila]

Hi Sue
Finally managing to catch up on my reading here. What a fantastic boy you have. He is obviously very adept at multi tasking!!!!! Wonderful you can find time to have Hakok participate in all the different venues!

Sheila

[Sheila]

Did post yesterday buy cyberspace must have it<G>

Havok is an absolutely amazing boy! He is such a multi talented dobe and you and he deserve kudos for all the hard work put into his training. The fact he is your mom's assistance dog is icing on the cake! Big big congrats to you and Havok!

Sheila

[valkyrie1]

Sheila
Thanks for the kind words about Havok
Sue