A Dream of Mine

Two years ago, I attended the Delta Gamma Convention in Palm Dessert, California, and something I saw there changed my life.

DG's charities of choice are all vision related- Service for Sight, we call it. Collecting eye glasses, babysitting visually impaired children, educating the public of vision health- all of those are worthy causes, but the one I learned about at Convention truly inspired me.

It was there that I first decided I wanted to foster service dogs. 

They had a presentation with a blind man and his dog who had been with him for years. Hearing what he had been though, how this dog changed his life- it changed mine. Having this dog gave him a sense of freedom. Once resigned to staying in his own house, this dog has allowed him to get out into the world. It has made him social again. It has made him happy again.

Service dogs can't start their real training until they are a little older, so someone has to step in and care for them as puppies, introduce them to social situations, potty train them, all the basics.... enter me.

Whenever I tell people about this dream of mine, the first question is,

"But could you really give up the dog?"

Of course I could. Knowing that this dog was going to help someone; that this dog was going to change a life.... Yes, it would be easy to let them go. 

I'm not saying I'm ready yet. I need more time. I need more money. And I need to get better a dog training (that's sort of important). But I can't wait until the day I can start fostering future service dogs.