Dogs | Dog Training | Dog Health | Pet Insurance

I never hesitate to show off my dog when given the opportunity and I thought I might do a little of just that for this week’s post. Lars, AKA Bar is my second guide dog and is four years old but is quickly approaching his fifth birthday. I met Lars on a rainy day in Oregon back in November of 2008, not long after retiring my first guide dog, a big yellow named Luther. Bringing home another guide dog when I had a dog that physically had all the skills to guide me, waiting for me at home was one of the toughest things I think I have ever had to do but the pair hit it off and became best buds and I quickly got over my self induced guilt trip.

Many people who see a service dog and handler at work often have the opinion that the poor dog is on the clock 24 hours a day, a fact that could not be further from the truth! Service dogs, whether they be guide dogs, dogs for the hearing impaired or dogs trained to assist people in wheelchairs do take their jobs very seriously, but when they are off the clock, they are just that, off the clock and they need to be treated as such.

Lars loves his work and he is very good at it, but when his harness comes off, he turns into a four year old Labrador, full of an abundant supply of energy that I do my best to quell. He loves running and before he ran into a year’s worth of knee trouble he was an avid runner, logging up to 35 miles a week with me. I also spoil him terribly with an abundance of toys, ranging from nylabones to tug ropes, all of which Bar thoroughly enjoys playing with, whether it be with me, or just by himself.

Would you ever think that the dog in this video was a well trained service dog? For your information, this is Bar, off harness. Enjoy!