“Find your tribe, love them hard.”

To say that Covid in 2020 was a challenge would be an understatement to say the least. I am proud to say that Project Delta remained open and continued training. As an RN in a hospital setting, I had the good fortune of utilizing some of our patient adaptations and implement them for the handler/dog teams. We trained via Zoom and got very creative using our phones, computers and ipads. Was it perfect? Heck no, but when we couldn’t be in person or in public, we continued training. I cannot tell you how many dropped phones or tipped over ipad’s we had!

Just as important, we continued as human beings to interact and see each other’s faces. We talked in depth about the gratitude we all have for our dogs. It became crystal clear that these amazing animals have been place with us so we can learn from their grace, patience and loyalty.

Covid afforded us time to spend on program development for both our handlers and our dogs. we spent additional time fine tuning practices and creating relationships with likeminded organizations. Two in particular I would like to acknowledge, “Cloud Nine Training School for Dogs and The Eagles Healing Nest.” Both afford us training space and resources to assist our teams.

Human connection is critical for mental and emotional well-being. Have the dog in the handler’s life creates a sense of purpose needed to help adjust to the effects of the pandemic. Training and exercising their dog, improved their overall well-being.

Overcoming trauma: “Sometimes we miss the mark and sometimes hitting the mark is not enough.” The dog is not the cure. The dog is assists the processes already in place. When the day is done, the handlers learn how to trust the process, work hard and be consistent. That alone is a life game-changer.

“A little progress each day adds up to big results.”