Guinness (my dog) has been taking a Canine Good Citizen’s Class these past few weeks. Every Wednesday, when my phone alarm goes off, he and I hop into the car and drive over to his class, given by Gold Star Dog Training, where he is led through his paces in preparation for the test.
The AKC (American Kennel Club) is the official organization that puts forth the Canine Good Citizen’s Test, which consists of 10 different steps, and includes such things as meeting and greeting both strange dogs and unknown humans with decorum and politeness.
The good news is that Guinness passed his test today. In fact, his personality is such that Ian – my other half, the two main trainers at Gold Star and I all think he would probably be a good candidate for a therapy dog program. If he passed such a program, he would be allowed to visit hospitals and nursing homes in an official capacity. Higher levels of training might allow him to bring love and happiness to people in the aftermath of large scale tragedy, like Hurricane Katrina.
The bad news is that I swear Guinness understands more English than he lets on. True to his nature, the minute the test was over, he knew it. And started behaving (I think he was celebrating, frankly) like a five year old with overindulgent parents the day after Halloween.
But hey, he’s entitled… at least for a little while. Atta boy, Guinness. You done good.
Musings from a Glass Artist 