She’s That Girl! A Pup-Date on SSD Freya

At the time of writing this (November 4^th), we are celebrating SSD Freya’s 8^th month of sponsorship. If you have pups of your own, give them a treat and a pat on our behalf to celebrate!

Named by the Barcoding + DecisionPoint team and sponsored by Honeywell, she continues to be a happy, wiggly, and friendly puppy! She is a great traveler, often joining her raisers whenever they leave the house. She's gone grocery shopping, visited big box stores, and even went to the bowling alley! Every time she's gone out with them, she practiced walking on a loose leash, sitting or lying down out of the way, and ignoring lots of distractions (sights, sounds, and smells).

She has been working especially hard on some of the fundamental cues for assistance dogs – sit, down, and stay. While these may seem like cues that any dog should know, for an assistance dog, they’re essential for disappearing in public (under a table in a restaurant or a desk in the office, for example). These cues keep dogs safe in many scenarios, such as if something is dropped on the floor. That kind of self-control is an important skill for an assistance dog.

When Freya is not training, she loves to play with her favorite soccer ball!

Barcoding has been a long-time partner with Susquehanna Service Dogs and we always look forward to these PUP-dates. Visit their official site to learn more or become a sponsor today!