Top Dog Team #107!

Three cheers (or woofs!) for Top Dog Certified Service Team #107!!

This past week Brogan and I spent in Tucson, Arizona going through testing for his internationally-recognized service dog certification. Since we are heading off to Europe soon, I wanted more than just a California assistance dog license: Top Dog's out-of-state training program and on-site week-long testing were just what we needed to prepare us to take on Europe as a fully certified service dog team.

Brogan shows off one of his favorite tasks, carrying.

He can carry full water bottles, shopping bags, keys...even the Netflix envelope to the post office!

The adventure started with Brogan's very first plane ride. With his two metal knees, the first challenge was getting patted down by security. There was a bit of an argument in the ranks of the security agents about who was going to frisk the Rottweiler, but once they met Brogan (who appreciates a good petting no matter what the occasion) everyone was all smiles. Once on the plane, despite being wider than the space between seats, he shoved his way into the floor under the seat and stuck his head into the foot space in front of me. Our only mistake? He got turned around on the way out and Brogan had to back his way out of plane, all 34 rows, since he is too large to turn around in the aisle. Good thing I taught him that 'back up' command!

Our training guru Lydia gets bowled over by a bit of Rottie loving in the Tucson desert.

Once in Tucson, Brogan performed like a champ on all four days of testing. I am SO PROUD OF BROGAN! What a great dog. He strutted his stuff in a huge amount of tasks, such as carry, retrieve, paws up, back up, under and more. For the final test we scored a 178 out of 180... we missed two points for Brogan picking up his leash and giving it to me instead of letting it drag behind him as we walked. Since that is what I trained him to do, I'm even proud of his 'mistake'. Various tests over the four days included temperament testing with both friendly and aggressive dogs, hyper kids and assorted strangers. He resisted food dropped in public and on tables at home, he waited at doorways while I left his sight, he had clipboards dropped behind him (he didn't flinch), had to pick up and carry all sort of items, go under tables and wait quietly in restaurants.... the list goes on, but you get the idea.

Perla (human) and Sysy (Chi girl rescued from Mexico) are the heart of the Top Dog office.

All the people at Top Dog were lovely, especially our trainer Lydia who spent hours with us each day. She gave me a lot more confidence in my abilities as a handler and answered LOTS of questions. She literally (co)wrote THE books on handler-trained service dogs which are used worldwide, "Teamwork I" and "Teamwork II". I feel like I have two dog gurus now, Lydia and Cesar Millan. It seemed perfect that our graduation gift from Top Dog was a copy of Cesar's second book with Brogan and my names and our team number on the book plate. I can't thank Lydia, Perla, Lynn all the Top Dog crew enough for their advice, kindness and time. You all are great! Read more about Top Dog at www.topdogusa.org.

Brogan posing with his Easter basket from Fran at Garcia House, our home away from home in Tucson.

I'll hopefully have time to write more about our experiences in Tucson, but I have to also mention our lovely hostess of our vacation rental, Fran at Garcia House. Fran runs an amazing little operation and she and her husband Charlie couldn't have been more gracious and kind. We were greeted with doggie bowls and a doggie treat Easter basket with Brogan's name on it (and goodies for me, too). Fran took a chance on us as her first doggie guests and I'm so glad she did as the trip wouldn't have been the same without her. The apartment was wonderful and neither Brogan or I wanted to leave! Check out Fran's amazing apartment and fun website at www.garciahousevr.com.

Fran and Charlie's rescue Chi mix Eddie graciously shared his domain with Brogan.

Mornings were all about training but afternoons were all about discovering Tucson. To be honest, I didn't think the desert would be my 'thing' but I really got an education. The landscape is truly incredible and there are a myriad of things to see and do in the area. More on Tucson tourism and lots of photos of Brogan standing in front of cacti in the next post...

Brogan in El Barrio neighborhood in downtown Tucson.