Hi! I'm very pleased to welcome you to my very own page! Here you will find my photo scrapbook which follows my quest for certification, the friends I meet along the way...and a few humorous bumps along the way! (Mom says with me, there's a whole lot of funny to go around!)
This page will continue to grow as more and more photos are added, so you should check back often! Hope you enjoy......
--Dawson
This is me sporting my new backpack. I was very excited, because it meant that my training had reached a level that I could now accompany Mom into public places!
Okay, I still find absolutely no humor in this whatsoever! Mom told me I was going to the vet to get "tutored". I figured, "Great! I'm gonna get real smart!" There I was, expecting some sort of degree or something, and all I got was this stupid hat and a nasty headache....humans have a very warped sense of humor!
I need to back-track here a little... This photo was taken the day Mom came to "test" me, to see if I had what it takes to become a service dog. I met her and really liked her so I wanted to make a really good impression. I heard her tell my breeder that she needed a dog who could retrieve things for her.....sooooo, here I demonstrate my amazing retrieval skills....You want me to retrieve? Just tell me where, what and when--I'm you're man! Not only can I retrieve....
I can leap over things in a single bound....
...now just where did I drop that retrieval thingy?!
This is my doggie daddy...(Tartanside Select) Isn't he handsome? See that sable collie with her back to the camera? She's my grandma!
And this is my doggie mommy (Tartanside Foolproof). My human mom says I look a lot like her...
When I first got here, I spent time watching and learning from Dewey. Mom said I had awfully big shoes to fill...I felt up to the challenge, though, and set my mind to filling those shoes...
So I practiced with big shoes...
...and a hat for good measure...
But I still didn't feel it was enough....
...So I studied ....
...and studied some more.... I learned the true meaning of what it meant to be a part of a "team!"
All that studying really paid off!
Come back soon! We're hitting the road and we're going to have lots more photos from our book tour!
This is me on my first birthday!
We had cake! ....I went to the store with Mom and picked out my own birthday cake!
Party on, dude!
This is what happens when the big brother has too much sugar!
Sugar crash.......
Party's over!....
...The morning after...aaauuuggghhhh!...just thinking about it makes my head hurt!
But at least I didn't end up with a lampshade on my head!
Not funny, Mom!
This is me and Mom with the pastor from our church. Pastor and I are real good friends! In this picture, we were honoring him for "Pastor Appreciation Day"... Mom wrote him a poem that made everyone cry.... I kinda got in the creative mood myself and Mom helped me to pen my own poem! Here it is:
Dawson's Prayer
Blessed is he who brings me milk bones,
for he must be Heaven-sent!
However, it is with fear I worry,
must I give them up for Lent?
This man my mom calls "Pastor"
is now my closest friend--
he's always kind and gentle
and his stash of goodies has no end!
My big brother is now retired,
and since he was there first,
has filled me in on just a few of the things
I need to know about how to bahave myself in church.
But as I listen to the strains of music,
and hear voices from every pew;
I just can't help but wonder,
Lord, why can't I sing, too?
Thanks be to the Milk Bone Man,
for it is he who taught me how to pray.
Lord, just one more question...is it a sin for me
to wish it were Sunday everyday?
Copyright 2001 by Kimberly Carnevale
This is my new baby sister! I love her very much and am very protective of her... she's starting to reach out touch me now...Mom says she likes me! I can't wait until she can run and play with me!
The big brother is such a softy! We both love our baby sister very much....and she loves us too!
They grow up so fast! Here, my little sister is reading a great book to me! (As a matter of fact, I've never heard such a wonderfully, compelling, inspirational and educational story in my life...BTW...word has it that this book is available now!)...proceeds help my mom and me promote service dog awareness!
Ok...I've recently gotten in touch with my artistic side! My mom was doing some finger painting with my little sister...well, she got real scared when she got the paint on her paws...I mean hands, so Mom had me show her that it was fun! The paintings came out so good that Mom framed them and uses them as artwork for our booth when we go on the road! Many people have wanted to purchase these one-of-a-kind pieces, so they are now available for sale! (You'll have to contact my mom for details...)
This is me and my mom demonstrating some of my training skills. Mom has trained me using hand signals because she knows that my canine mind picks up body language much better than voice commands. I love performing in front of crowds!
My mom loves me very much. Because she loves me so much, she looks out for my emotional well-being. She knows that even though I'm a working dog, that sometimes I need time just being a dog. I love going to the farm and running around! There are so many great smells, new friends, and great things to see and do...only thing is, I go straight into the bathtub when I get home! :-(
Not one of my favorite things to do, but it's worth it!
Ok, now this IS one of my favorite things to do...meet and greet with some of my "fans" after a Canine and Abled performance! I love getting pets (don't worry, Mom gives permission to allow people to pet me at certain times during the show...and I have to remain seated...those are the rules!) People often have lots of questions after they hear my mom speak and see me perform tasks. While Mom answers their questions, I get the pets! If you ask me, I think I've got the better end of the deal!!!
My mom's always saying that when one dream ends, another one begins... That couldn't be more true in our case! Canine and Abled is a dream come true for all of us!
