Saturday, June 9, 2012

Dohanna Day!


Today is the day! Dohanna Day! Dohanna should be arriving at about 10am to see her new home, meet her new housemate Wheezy, and start to settle in. I am so excited. It seems like it has been such a long journey getting here, first getting used to the idea of a service dog, learning all about the benefits, thinking the cost was out of our reach, getting the prescriptions and letters of medical necessity, filling out all of the applications and being accepted, fundraising, being shocked by the amazing, overwhelming response of friends, families and generous strangers, raising the full amount in just over 3 months, meeting all the amazing dogs in order to get the very best match for Lu, and now finally, here we are, the day we get Dohanna. Dohanna Day! I can see us celebrating June 9th every year just like a birthday.

I think Lu is excited too. We have been talking to her about Dohanna some, but not too much because when we were last in Phoenix for her week at SARRC we told her one evening that Dohanna was coming to visit her at the hotel and Lu wanted to see her so much that very minute that, well this happened:




And then this:



I wanted to take a video of it because other than wanting her Mom or her Dad when something sad or scary was going on (like the hospital or feeling sick) I have never heard her ask over and over for anyone. She didn't tantrum or scream, she was just weeping and calling for Dohanna again and again. It was so sweet and heartbreaking and helped me to feel sure that this really is a good match. Tallulah was longing to be with Dohanna.

And Myffy seems to be pretty down with Dohanna too! We will all be spending the next two weeks in Service Dog Boot Camp where we will learn to be service dog handlers and trainers. This is the last hurdle because if we don't pass the tests at the end of the training period, we do not get to keep Dohanna! But we will study and work hard and make sure that we pass because we have come way too far to not keep our girl at this point! I'll try to post some photos and videos as we go along so stay posted!

And thanks again to all of the many wonderful people who have made all of this possible with your donations and support. We love you!