Ria
Release Dog

My Life, The Sequel

By Ria Wade

Always having been a student of history, I was recently struck by how the immortal words of the Declaration of Independence apply to my present circumstances.   It goes like this….

When in the course of canine events, it becomes necessary for one dog to dissolve the bands which have connected it with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them….We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all dogs are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….

One chapter of my life was ending and another chapter beginning.  There were many goodbye parties thrown in my honor by family and friends.  The biggest party was at work, though.  While television news cameras covered the event, speeches were given, the President of PECO Energy named me Honorary Vice President of Human Relations, my co-workers munched on a six-foot cake shaped like a bone, the President served me a huge dog biscuit on a silver platter, and the ceremony concluded with a lovely rendition of “Puppy Love”.  There was nary a dry eye among my hundreds of co-workers in attendance, who said ‘farewell and Godspeed’.  Then it was off to advanced training in New York.

I went to CCI University, tried it for a while, and then came home to pursue happiness via a different career.  And that’s okay. 

I came home because I missed Sally, Mom and Dad very much.  And, I missed The Lake!   Home, whether in Ambler or at The Lake, is where I am happiest. 

But life has not been one of retirement and couch sitting with the box of “bonebones”.  Oh no!  I’ve been busy from the first day I returned home to Pennsylvania. 

Among the many interests I’m pursuing is my love of carpentry, where I am Dad’s right-paw assistant, pet therapy work with the Delta Society, Social Director at Highland Lake, New York, and associate puppy raiser to my new little sister, L.E., and a whole new group of CCI assistance puppies in training. 

Life is full, and I am very happy.  What makes me happiest is knowing that although I didn’t stay in advanced training and graduate as a service dog, I still have a very, very important function to fulfill.  I still make people laugh and smile as I did previously; I help people who don’t feel very good about themselves physically or emotionally; I am an outspoken advocate for CCI and raising the public’s awareness about service dogs; I demonstrate commands and behaviors for the younger CCI puppies; and most importantly to me, I delight my Mom and Dad every morning when I greet each new day with a big smile, wagging tail and full-body wiggle!  

Yes, there are times in one’s life when it is right to dissolve the bands which have connected one with another.  I still love CCI, but my life’s purpose has changed.  That’s perfectly okay.  I love my life and am fulfilling a new purpose, the purpose God has for me.   Will I continue to spread the news and raise funds for CCI?  You bet.  Will I wonder from time-to-time what things might have been like if I’d graduated as a service dog?  Sometimes.  Will I doubt that where I am is where I am supposed to be?  Never!

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