Hi, I am Abe and I am a Service Dog.
When I was a puppy, my owner told me I would be a Service Dog for a person who could not see. I didn't know what that meant, but I knew it was something special. When I got a little older, I was sent away to school.
My sister was sent to another school to learn how to help people with Autism. To be their friend and help them get around.
One of my other brothers was sent to a special school so he could learn how to warn people that they were going to get sick before they did.
My other brothers and sisters became good friends with people in good families. Not every dog can become a Service Dog.
School was hard.
I had to learn many things just like you. I had to learn to stop and look before crossing the street. And learn what a red, yellow, and green directional light meant and what I should do. I was taught how to guide a person to go left, right, to step up and down, to stop, to move forward a little, to back up, and much more.
I had to learn where I was and how to get back, even in strange areas.
I had to learn how to behave in a restaurant and never, ever, beg for food. That was hard.
I had to learn that I could be a plain old playful dog as long as my halter was off.
But once it was on... I was working.
I became the eyes of my master and their safety and how they got around was up to me.
