Canine Good Citizen!

Bow doing her perfect down stay, one of the parts of the Canine Good Citizen test

February 12 marked an important milestone in our household. Bow passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test!

We have been working on obedience almost since the day Bow arrived nearly two and a half years ago. In January we began an intense course for the Canine Good Citizen test with two other rescue dogs -- a gold retriever named Paddie and a Heinz 57 named Pablo who was rescued just hours before he was scheduled to be euthanized. All three passed the test which is pass fail, not based on a cumulative score.

Considering that Bow has dealt with seizures and her brain tumor I questioned a few times if I should put her through the training. Should I just indulge her and let her do whatever she wants with what time we have left together. I am glad that I did not go with that scenario. Bow loves to "work" and has come to enjoy the socializing in the class. When she arrived she would freak out if she saw another dog within 50 feet and would start whimpering, spinning and chewing her leash. She can now let Paddie pass within inches and have no reaction. She has built trust of her slowly. She will probably never want to play a game of chase with her, but they have a respectful tolerance of each other I never thought possible two years ago.

Basenjis teach and remind us of many life lessons each day. I am glad that Bow and I pushed ourselves to reach this milestone. I think it has helped her health and agility to have gone through the process. I did indulge her with extra treats as a celebration.