Mia continues to practice her skills and visit a wide variety of places. She went with George and Bonnie to the State Fair to participate in a demonstration that Helping Paws did the last Saturday at the fair. No photos were taken but you can be sure she did a great job. She and George joined a shift of about 6 dogs at the Pet Center, and demonstrated many of the dogs' skills. There were both recipients and training families there, all happy to share their dogs with a curious crowd. People were so interested in what these dogs do and lots of good conversations took place. It caused us to reflect on how many things we have come to expect from Mia.
Mia also spent about 90 minutes at St. Louis Park Junior High while school was in session. With a very helpful teacher as our escort, Bonnie and Mia navigated halls, rode the elevator, visited a few classes and worked on opening doors. The students were so respectful, asking good questions, and not touching Mia. Mia was good about not licking or sniffing anyone, and the day was proclaimed a success!
The annual Gala was a fun evening with more well behaved dogs in a hotel than you could ever imagine. We loved seeing so many of the graduates!
At one point all the big dogs got up and walked among the tables. Mia just rolled with it the whole evening, kissing some of her siblings over and over. We tried to be supportive of the people with puppies, telling them to just believe that their puppy will be a well behaved big dog someday.
Just a few weeks left and we have papers to fill out, medical records to get, food to buy and lots of anticipation for graduation day. We want to thank everyone who helped us along the way, and also to thank Mia for all her hard work!
