Bella
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Intro"Hi! I’m Bella, the personal service dog of Lisa, the founder of Courage Service Dogs. While I was not trained at the same facilities as the current puppies in training (I'm a San Diego Girl), I am an honorary member of the Courage Service Dogs team. I get to meet all of the puppies right away and they usually stay at my place for the first week so I can show them the ropes. It's fun for a couple of days, but I like it best when they move along to their foster homes.
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My HomeI live in Plymouth, MN with my mom, my grandma Marlys (in the summer) and my foster sister, Cricket. I love my house - It is very cozy and there are lots of places to cuddle up and take a snooze. There are some woods next to us and I get to see all kinds of animals. Deer, fox, rabbits, ducks, geese and even wild Turkeys! Sometimes we hear coyotes howling in the distance, but they never come too close. I'm glad about that - I don't want to tangle with one of those wild dogs!
There are so many great places to take a nap at my place. Here I am enjoying a snooze in the warm sun!
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This is me with my Grandma Marlys and Cricket. I know I am my grandma's favorite because Cricket gets in trouble a lot for chewing the bushes and eating her puzzle pieces.. Plus, Grandma always gives me the best carrots during "wine time" and Cricket gets the leftovers
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My Job as a Service Dog
My main job is working as a PTSD service dog for my mom, Lisa. I have a lot of tasks I need to do to help her feel better. I wake her up from nightmares (usually just whacking her in the head with my paw does the trick), keep people from getting too close to her (blocking), make sure she doesn't get too anxious ( I have a special noise I make that people say sounds like a honking goose) and just watch her back. I get to travel a lot for my job and have gone to San Diego, Santa Barbara, Florida and even on a cruise to Alaska! My favorite part of my job working for Lisa is going with her to her police classes. I went through the Citizen's Academy at the FBI and had a blast. I even get to go on the class field trip to Quantico in October.
Working at Target!
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Under Lisa's desk at Walser Automotive
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Working for Courage Service Dogs
I also have a second job with Courage Service Dogs. I am a "mentor' which basically means I get to show the puppies how to do things right. I get to go on all the outings and and fun field trips. Sometimes when the puppies are being dumb, I just roll my eyes and hope they don't embarrass me too bad. They are actually really smart (for babies) and lots of fun to play with.
Showing Willow the ropes at Home Depot.
Canine Coach grand opening in Minneapolis. Does this picture make me look crazy??!!!
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That's me laying under all the other dogs. "Don't mind me, I'm just the couch I guess!"
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Down Time
When I am off duty, I like to go to the dog park and swim. I also like hanging out with my boyfriend, Milo, We have been together for about 5 years now and I love playing in his yard and cuddling on the couch. Sometimes I think I wear him out because he sneaks off to bed when I'm not looking. He was a street dog, so I guess that has made him prematurely tired. I still love him though - even when he digs under the fence and runs around town looking for trouble! I also love to watch TV and my favorite program is Lucky Dog - Saturdays at 9:00 am if you are interested!
Running on the water at Elm Creek Dog Park
Cricket and I watching the puppy bowl
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This is me on the balcony during our cruise to Alaska. I loved watching the scenery go by and exploring all of the towns.
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