Practicing escalators.

We are TOTALLY getting one of these devices - Pumbaa's boy's mom has a vacuum attachment for their Furminator. Genius!!!

Soothing melt-downs: With the dog's heavy head on the child's lap, a child with autism not only feels the calming pressure, they can pet the dog and learn to "self-soothe".

Best practice at a restaurant is to get a table next to a wall, so the dog is not in the aisle. In this case, there were no wall tables, but since there were no waiters, either, we decided to have Homer just lie as close to the table as possible. The other customers were very patient about stepping around Homer (thank you!!), and since 90% of the customers were students on their laptops staying at their tables for hours, there was very little foot traffic. Good dog!

Pumbaa's blue vest after six months, and Mille's upgraded red vest after two years. Millie's family bought this red vest after just a few months using the blue one, because they've found this red "Ruff Wear Web Master" version to be more durable, slides around less, and the hand-holds are better. Which one should we use for future dogs?

Chilling while awaiting the next move.

Pumbaa and her boy at their six-month checkup. The two of them love spending time together, and mom says that it's virtually impossible to go on an outing without Pumbaa. Yay, Fluffy White Dog!

Demonstration at White Bear Lake High School.

Otto practicing "Sit" and "Stay" among the temptations of a store full of dog food!

How to get a Labrador Retriever into a bathtub? A chair, a towel, and four days of training. (Millie's future charge lives in an apartment, so she needs to be able to be bathed indoors, especially in the winter.)