Service Dog

Jack Jack at your service! This week I was invited to a local day camp to show hooman pups how to be kind to canines.

To be honest, I wasn’t overly excited when I first learned I was going to be a part of a service project. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was going to spend it in the park with my favorite hooman. The idea of staying on my leash and being pawed by hooman pups all afternoon did not have me chasing my tail in excitement. None-the-less, my hooman loaded me up in the car and off to camp we went.

When we got there, I could not believe my eyes – the park was full of close to twenty hooman pups – all running free! As I got closer, the head hooman blew a whistle and all the little hoomans ran to one area on the grass. It was pretty impressive the way all those pups knew how to sit and be quiet at the same time!

I was a bit nervous as I waited to be introduced, but once our presentation began – I settled down a bit. I got to show off all my commands, then I had to sit very still while each pup practiced how to approach me (they offered me the back of their hand with fist closed so I could sniff them out). When the hooman pups first formed a long line to meet me, I thought this was going to take furever. The last thing I wanted to do was to be pawed all afternoon, but I waited patiently as one-by-one the little hoomans took turns practicing their dog safety skills.

As they did, they would make comments about me. Things like how my fur is soft or that I was nice. One little pup even said I was funny! If he thought my sitting still was funny – I blew his mind when I high-fived him! From there I got creative. I played dead, rolled over, and shook hands. By the time I got through all twenty little pups I was exhausted!

After almost an hour in the hot sunshine, I completed my demonstration and the little pups erupted with applause. Then one-by-one they took a turn at giving me a treat and thanked me for coming. I was such a hit that they asked me to come back and visit camp again! 

I didn’t realize when I first started this service project that I was going to have so much fun! I thought the best time at the park would be spending it with my hooman, but it felt really good to give my time away. In the end, I think I had THE MOST fun out of all the pups in the park! Turns out when I made time to serve others – it brought me joy in return. 

So friends, as we head into another week, find some time and give it away. You might think you have absolutely no extra time to share, but trust me, the satisfaction of serving others is a gratifying adventure you do not want to miss.

If you need help finding a place to lift a paw – message me at barkingwithjack@gmail.com and I will be happy to help you find a place to volunteer in your community.  And as long as you are on your google machine, click here and “follow” me on my facebook page. I am trying to be more social! 🐾

I’ll bark at ya next week!

Your friend, 

P.S. Feel free to forward this to a friend and help me share my Canine Adventures with more explorers. Thanks! 🐾