Life with a Service Dog

28/07/2022

Merlin came with me to a concert in downtown Seattle last night and it was amazing!! We had three couples helping to protect him from people stepping on him! He did very well considering it’s been months since we have done anything like that. Merlin is a great dog and did so well.

08/05/2022

Merlin was very happy to be able to come out with me for an adventure for a few hours. He was a rockstar as always. caught two alerts that kept me out of a panic attack. He’s the bestest boy!!

23/03/2020

Handsome Merlin got a bath tonight because he was very stinky! Now he can sit with me again. He seems to find super stinky things to roll on when I’m not looking. 🤢 But now he smells nice.

07/01/2020

We had a tree come down and so we were all out while we had a break in the rain to mend the roof of the shed it fell on. Merlin go soooo wet and muddy! 😂 Luckily he dries off easily with a towel.

31/12/2019

My copilot to get rabbit cages today and a training session at Starbucks for fuel on the way home. He did very well. 😊

28/12/2019

This last week has been a challenge for me mentally and health wise. But the kids all had such a great time that they didn’t mind that I was only partially there. Then the day after Christmas I came down with a bad migraine and ended up in bed for the entire day. I felt so bad but that’s what happens sometimes. Luckily the kids love Merlin as much as I do and were nice enough to help me with him for the day. They are the best. I was feeling a little better today but now the migraine is shifting to the other side so tomorrow might be off the agenda too. We will see. Anyway, Merlin is just such a sweet and fun dog!! We love him to pieces!! He is growing like crazy and just about grown out of the collar and harness I have for him. So I’ll have to go up a size soon. He’s also almost grown out of his puppy crate for sleeping in at night. So I’m on the hunt for a replacement that won’t cost $100. 😬

Anyway, we had a nice Christmas and everyone was happy with their gifts this year.

16/12/2019

Today we started working on priming the clicker and doing “puppy pushups”. He is a very fast learner and I finally found a treat he loves. Cheddar cheese! Also, Merlin will go up the stairs to bed without much assistance now and also goes into his crate on his own. Smart boy for sure! No more whining when I close the door either, unless I leave the room, then he gets mad, but we are working on that. He’s not great about being left alone. But he’s only been here 9 days, and has already learned so much. I could not ask for more!

16/12/2019

Merlin has hit a crazy mode! He wants to play and play forever!! 😂 Luckily I have kids who also never get tired of playing with him.

12/12/2019

Merlin is doing really awesomely! He is such a fun little pup. The kids love him too. He loves to play and is always happy. I’m so happy we gave him.

09/12/2019

Merlin is full of energy today! He helped distract the alpacas so I could grab Elle and readjust her coats. She is growing so much I needed to loosen them. At least now he is finally napping and Elle Paca is back with mama.

08/12/2019

Merlin had a great day today. I had a migraine that I didn’t catch in time to treat so spent a lot of the day sleeping. The kids and Joel helped with Merlin though so I could do that. Maggie actually played with Merlin inside the house this evening, which she had never liked a dog enough to do that with before.

06/12/2019

06/12/2019

Merlin is home!! 🥰💜🥰🎉 He is doing great and seems to be enjoying us and all the new sights and smells.

26/11/2019

Merlin is growing so much and is still shaping up to be a perfect SD prospect!

19/11/2019

This is the mama to Merlin. The pups got to go outside today and here are the pics of Merlin while having fun today! 🥰🐶😍

18/11/2019

Merlin is 5wks old today and getting so grown up looking now! His arm coloring is so cool how it has changed! We are so excited to be bringing him home soon. I will also be posting some things I’ll be selling for Christmas presents to help raise the funds we need so stay tuned!!

15/11/2019

If anyone would be interested in contributing to our journey but would rather not donate funds, I have created a shopping list of things we will need for the pup on amazon. It would be such a blessing for our family in any help at all we receive. It will help us free up more funds to cover the purchase price of the pup itself and my medications.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3EX1EOO1ENVLB?ref_=wl_share

14/11/2019

14/11/2019

I was able to go up and meet the pups and their mama today. It was a really great visit. Each of the pups have very different personalities and looks. One of them that was on the list of ones who may work seems to be too forward and bossy. He doesn’t really like to do anything other than what he wants to do. The other while very sweet was much too timid. He will make a great pet but isn’t brave enough for what I need. The one I always liked the most ended up being the one we are going to go with. He is brave, curious, likes to snuggle, plays gently, and is unbothered by much of anything. He was also the very first one to come up to check me out and was very interested in all the things I smelled like. He was playing nicely with me and also let me hold him and mess with him without squirming or being bothered by it. So we have decided on him and his name will be Merlin. I am excited to be able to bring him home to start bonding and training in about a month from now. Hopefully all will come together for that to happen. Please enjoy the pics and I will post videos as well.

11/11/2019

Pup is getting so big!! I love these new pics!

07/11/2019

If anyone is able to share or donate, it would be much appreciated!!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/1sxe1wpr40?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=97b69e6eadbc43c4be39465794b7da74

Nicole Penner Service Dog For Mother Of Five I’m a mother of five beautiful kids, a farmer, and a wife. I also have high anxiety, bipolar, and PTSD. It keeps

07/11/2019

This is “Pete”. He is shaping up nicely to be my service dog prospect.