By. Patty W.
My favorite thing about dog corps is the relationships that you are able to build
with the dogs. All of the dogs have different personalities from each other and being
around them you are able to see all of they’re personalities come out. I have built
relationships with all of the dogs but some more then others. Two of my favorite dogs
are Raven and Emmie. By spending time with them I feel like I have a real relationship
with them, like they are actually friends of mine.
I have had experiences where I am having a hard time and the last thing that I
want to do is spend time with people. So instead I am able to take one of the dogs with
me to go on a walk in the woods. Being able to do that helps me to calm down and
relax. On one specific occasion I had had my first weekend home visit planned in the
near future that I was really excited about. I had been looking forward to it for a long
time because I had been away from home for about nine months. The only thing that
would be able to get in the way of my visit was my grades. I have always struggled in
school so I was worried that I wouldn’t pass all of my classes so I was studying really
hard.
About a week before my visit I took my EOMs for my classes and wasn’t sure
how I did. I ended up failing two classes making myself unable to go on any visits. I
went to the middle school and didn’t know what to do, all I wanted was to be left alone to
think. I took Raven and went on a walk down the milk road into the woods. After a while
I sat on a rock with her and was able to clear my mind. Just sitting in the woods alone
with a dog relaxed me and made me feel a lot better. I decided that what I needed to do
and dedicate myself to my classes in order to ensure that I pass. The next month I did
just that and passed all of my classes for the first time since being at The Family School
and got my first home visit.