Countdown to Graduation?

There's less than one month remaining before the next class of dogs will be graduating up in Oceanside, and we have reason to hope our beloved Mr. Brando will be among them. This is unprecedented (for us!), and it feels like a very big deal.

We received our last report on him on July 1, and it seemed to indicate he was doing well at just about everything, with one exception.  His trainer reported that he "had a fearful reaction to an auditory event and had difficulty recovering."

But she continued, "He has proven to be a willing worker and executes commands nicely. His overall confidence level has continued to improve, but he can still become insecure and shut down after being unsuccessful at a command. The majority of the time, he is able to recover quickly with only a small amount of motivation from the handler. Overall, Brando is progressing nicely with his skill work. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Brando will be rotating through the August Team Training class."   (Emphasis mine!)

We know that unforeseen circumstances can arise, and he could still be released right up to graduation day (Friday, August 12).  But he's one of the most charming and lovable dogs I've ever known; it's getting harder and harder for me to imagine CCI would ever let go of him.

Stay tuned.