Ok y'all, if you saw my post on facebook last night you know I'm lucky to be alive to tell this story. And I even have another to add to it. The life of a service dog may look glammerous, but like I keep tellin' Dasher, it ain't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, sometimes it can get downright dangerous! Shoot! Though, livin' with my mom is dangerous too for Dasher cuz he don't stay out of her way but that's beside the point.
So mom and my Dasher mom went to this ladies thing they call the Sharithon. Otherwise known as, Hours of naptime for Reba, with occasional leadin' mom around a few places. Apparently this year though, it also means, testin' Reba's reflexes, and poise as a leaderdog. Now I been at this job for almost 7 years with my mom and you'd think I've been through everything. I pride myself on bein' mostly unphased by most things, but apparently that ain't enough for the humans, they feel the need to test me more it seems.
So last night, I'm layin' there sound asleep, all is goin' well when this loud music comes over the speakers. No problem. I'm used to this. Well all the sudden out of nowhere I hear this super loud boom! I woke up from a wonderful dream of bein' barried in dog food to see a large box on the floor, just feet from my head. Someone had dropped a boom box within feet of my head! Hello! Looked like it was an accident and not part of the act. Least humans ain't totally lost their fool heads. Throwin' around boom boxes. All I can say is, thank goodness we were sittin' where we was I mean it! One roe back and I may have been a different dog today.
The next story happened today when we again went to more of this Sharithon. We sat in a different section this time. Few I thought. I'll be safe over here. So again, I curl up obediently where mom put me, and was soon asleep. This time the dream was of a giant milk bone that never got smaller no matter how much I ate it. Milk bones! Man I ain't had one in so long! Stupid allergies I mean it! So anyways, there I was, bein' a well behaved leaderdog when I heard this aweful wining noise. I pop up my head and look, and there's a monster flyin' at me! Shoot that ain't no milk bone! I shook my head wakin' up more and realized it was a woman on a scooter thing. She was goin' fast too! Zoomed right by me! I thought for sure she was gunna get my paw. Now that I think about it she was not that close but it sure seemed that way. When my heart calmed down after that one, I couldn't go back to sleep. I laid there and watched that scooter. I knew it was comin' back and sure enough it did a little while later, with the same obnoctious winin' noise like some cars make when they drive down the road. . I crawled around mom's leg after that to seek shelter under where they were sittin'. Looks like it's every dog for herself around here and I needed to find cover.
I don't know what the humans were expectin' out of me, but I'm pretty sure I disappointed them. Even caught off guard like that I kept my cool. I popped my head up, but I didn't sit up, stand up, wine, or bark. Mom said she was real proud of me and she and her friends felt bad I had been scared not once but twice. Yeh you better feel bad ma! Where's my treat! I know I heard a lady talkin' later in the day and in her speech I heard the words apples and carrots. Or was that in my dream too.
I was pretty good the rest of the day. Mom said I was too fidgity during lunch. Well excuse me ma! I'm kind of wonderin' what these humans are gunna do next. They get together and crazy things happen! Hello! There is a dog in your midst. A little consideration and some carrots might be nice. Mom let me walk around out of harness with her and her friends some to destress a little. That helped. I got home and all I wanted was my dinner. I didn't care that it was early. I wanted it now! I've had a hard day I deserve that much!
So even at my age, almost 8 and a half, you still never know what to expect when out with humans.
Reba the dog.
