Networking

(This post is part of the April A to Z blogging challenge.)

Before I got Duncan, I found a service dog list on Yahoo Groups and asked a lot of questions. Some were the wrong questions, some were built on misinformation. I learned, because those people were willing to share their knowledge.

I grew up in a training club that worked to educate and encourage new people. I have tried to keep that mentality going. Sometimes I'm grumpy, but for the most part, I feel like I'll spend the rest of my life trying to pay off the debt I owe those people who helped me. The only way I can think of to try, is to help other newbies. Which is why I have tried to use this month to explain things.

That sort of networking helps move the community forward. I haven't seen but a handful of service dogs in person. Most of the people I ask questions are online.

Strider came into my life via networking. I saw someone's comments on a blog, went to her blog, got to talking, saw her take in a GSD, started following the GSD breeder's blog, and contacted her when I started thinking about successors. We traveled halfway across the country. When things started going wrong, she talked with people she knew in the area, and Strider and I were evaluated by a trainer with a lot of experience with GSDs. The trainer said what I figured he'd say, and I called the breeder to return Strider. We're still friends, so I don't regret him, only that he didn't make it as a service dog, and that I couldn't keep him.

Keeper was another networking coup. One of the ladies in garden club was active in obedience, saw my jumps, and started talking with Mom about dog training. She had Shelties. When she heard Strider didn't work out, she talked with a friend who had Shelties... and a Berner. I talked to him for 40 minutes or more. I went to a dog show, and emailed the breeder.

Sometimes, community is the way to get things done. For the most part, my networking has been unintentional- garden club, blogs, etc. But as my networks grow, I hope to be able to help more people.