Not All Beautiful Meadows & Spring Flowers

                   I hear very frequently how great it must be to have Duchess. I feel very fortunate but in reality I would really love to have my old life back in so many ways. I think everyone has this very romantic idea of how everyday is spring time and I am dancing around in a beautiful meadow with Duchess running free next to me. I know people are like you can play with her all day and hug on her etc but in reality there is benefits to having her around but it is not as wonderful as many people imagine. I have public access issues, constant educating of everyone around me and also service dog etiquette that needs to be followed. There is always so much to be aware of such as if things will affect Duchess ability to do her job, will an activity be dangerous for her and what type of gear will I need to carry with me. I have a bag of items just for Duchess which has her rain coat, her dog boots, her treats, dog food and extra leash. I also carry all my supplies so life is not this really cool things I think most people think it is. The biggest time consuming thing for me is the constant training and work she needs to keep her on track. There will always be the wonderful and not so wonderful to having a service dog but I am not sure where people get that it such a glamorous thing that is filled with fun. There will also be some fun aspects to having a service dog but I am just astonished how much people think it would be so much more that it is.

                     I know I am fortunate that I had the chance to purchase Duchess and to had this incredible tool in my arsenal. I am thankful the good and the bad actually most of the time but I know I have some bad days as well. I have learned so much about how to handle things such as conflicts in a better manner because of my public access issues and also how educating can be so important. I know my work to many issues because of some of the obstacles I have faced in the past couple of years. I am sure the thought that life is all roses will never change but at least I know what some of the general public thinks at times.