Look Who Got His Service Dog Vest




Bo gets lots of attention in his vest.

Bo's service dog vest and patches arrived on Friday. I gave him the vest when I opened the package and he carried it around the house and then mouthed it before I put it on him. The patches were sold separately so we asked our wonderful neighbor, Sylvia, if she would stitch them on for us. Thanks to her kind heart and sewing skills, the vest was ready to wear Saturday morning.

Walking on the beach.

On Saturday, we took Bo to Hampton Beach to experience the sand and water, as well as the sights and sounds of the boardwalk. We figured dogs would be allowed on the beach in late October, but found out they are not per RSA 7301.08. A quick online search of "7301.08" and the phrase "service animals" returned information on RSA 7301.08(b), which states: Service animals shall be exempt from all prohibited areas. With this information, we headed for the sand.



Hearing music on the street.

Bo tasted the salt water, chased the receding waves, and carefully navigated his way across the jetty wall. When we finished on the beach we headed to the boardwalk and then got back into the car and went to Porstmouth for dinner. Walking in downtown Portsmouth provided many opportunities for Bo to experience people, bicycles, strollers, musicians and even a horse and carriage.

Other socialization activities included:

• Visiting Manchester Airport and meeting "Sisky" a bomb sniffing dog, seeing luggage on wheels, and experiencing  a turn-style revolving door.
• Attending a football game at Gil Stadium and hearing music and announcements over the public announcement system. Walking and running on the stadium bleachers.
• Walking along a rock wall at the Village Green and climbing rock stairs.
• Meeting other dogs and people while on a walk in the Village Green.
• Visiting the Bedford Fire Department and seeing a firefighter in his fire gear.

A dog and his boy.

As part of his diabetes alert training Bo has been having low parties with Austin. This involves Austin blowing on Bo when his blood sugar is between 75 and 85 mg/dl and Bo receiving treats while this is happening. The idea being to associate the scent of Austin's low with the pleasure of getting treats. We are also capturing scent samples from Austin when his blood sugar is in the 70-80 mg/dl range.

A reader suggested a post from Austin. Would you like to hear from Austin? If yes, what would you like his perspective on regarding raising Bo?