"BRETON"

8-Days after Clipper was gone, the puppy coordinator phoned again to see if we would board another pup from the same litter as Clipper. Their breeder in Nova Scotia decided to donate one more puppy from the same litter as Clipper, as she felt Breton was just too smart not to be to given the opportunity to earn her wings, and possibly become a future service or assistance dog.

I found myself back at the Air Canada Cargo terminal a few nights later at 11:30pm greeting the seventh puppy who flew the same journey as her brother's and sisters, alone (the chew toy she had been given for company, didn't make it). Greg chose to stay home because the lack of sleep from Clipper's arrival was still fresh in his memory. Myself and Elisa decided that of the two names left to choose from, Schooner or Breton, that we would call her "Breton"(after Cape Breton). Breton and I drove home from the airport together and she didn't make a peep from the kennel in the backseat all the way home. When we arrived, we spent 45 minutes in my backyard together becoming familiar with each other and I waited patiently for her to relieve herself in the crunchy, cold patchy Edmonton snow that hadn't quite finished melting yet. When the deed was done, I took her into the house and placed her on her bed that lays next to me on the floor of our bedroom. It is important as a service dog that she get used to sleeping beside her future master, and so kennel training is not allowed. Bentley sleeps at the foot of our bed in his kennel. I didn't quite know it at the time, but this was to be the first night of having her sleep beside me for what will now be the next 12-14 months.