A Visit To Ability First

April 07, 2014

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FEATURED IN THE DAILY BULLETIN

So Penny and Elvis got invited to Ability First to represent Priceless Pets as part of a PR event for America’s Family Pet Expo last week to teach kids about responsible pet care and how to approach a dog. Ability First serves children and adults with developmental disabilities. The Pet Expo had asked if Priceless Pets could bring any dogs for the kids and they picked Penny and Elvis. This was a big moment for them. Not only did they get to represent such a great organization but they also got to be ambassadors for their breed!

However, this was also a “sink or swim” situation for them. Yes, they’re going through their CGC training but they’ve never been in this type of environment before. These kids ranged from severely autistic to kids/adults with down syndrome. It’s a different type of energy and not all dogs do well. And with the local newspaper there, all eyes were gonna be on them.

I had taken both dogs there the day before just to walk the perimeter so it was somewhat familiar to them when we got there the next day. I wanted to better prepare them for this but I didn’t know how to prepare them for this. All I had was what I had taught them and I knew I had to stay calm no matter what because they would be feeding off my energy.

I wanted to get there a little early that day to get the dogs settled in before all the kids got there. I called up a fellow Pittie Crew member, Terra, to help me handle Elvis. She’s the perfect choice since she’s his handler through all his classes. I remember the look on the director’s face when she saw Penny and Elvis. It was that “Those are pit bulls. Why are there pit bulls here” look. Lisa and Mandy (Priceless Pets Directors) introduced me and the dogs. I felt a nervous handshake and all I could think to myself was, “just get to the room so the dogs can settle in”. You see, Elvis is oblivious to anything. He’s ALWAYS in a good mood. Penny is a little more sensitive. As we made our way to the room, all the kids had walked through the door. One of the kids bee-lined straight for Penny and went to pet her. She was visibly nervous and it was obvious she was overwhelmed. Luckily, only a few of us noticed it and we calmly walked to the room. Once we were in the room, we all decided that we would let Elvis do the demonstration and just let Penny watch.

You would never know from his pictures but Elvis has a TON of energy. And he LOVES people. He loves to jump on you and kiss your face but he also seems to have a “switch”. As the kids went to pet Elvis, he was just about perfect. He didn’t jump on any of the kids. He shook their hands and sat when they asked. One kid accidentally grabbed his mouth and he took it all in stride. A little girl came in with her wheel chair and he sat politely and let the girl pet the top of his head. Nothing phases Elvis. Even when I catch him doing things he isn’t supposed to, he’s still a happy-go-lucky dog even if he gets corrected. He was built for this.

As Penny sat quietly next to me, I noticed her settle down more and more as these kids approached Elvis. She actually got so comfortable she fell asleep. After the presentation, we all took a group picture which Penny happily sat in for. She even felt comfortable enough to let some of the kids pet her and give her some treats. She even let the kid that she was unsure about give her some lovin’. In the end, the director even admitted she was nervous about having them in the classroom and had completely changed her mind about her view on “pit bulls”. Later that day, I got a text from Lisa Price (Founder of Priceless Pets) saying, “If Penny and Elvis can do that well in that environment for their first time, they can master anything!” The next day, the article came out praising Priceless Pets and there was actually a positive article about pit bulls in the paper! Mission accomplished!!

Now, as much as I would like to take credit for calming Penny down, I gotta give this one to Elvis. Elvis has guided Penny through so many uncomfortable situations. It’s hard to believe that Elvis was hours away from being put down. I hope you’re realizing by now that THOUSANDS of good dogs get put down daily. Elvis should have been one of those dogs. However, thanks to Priceless Pets, he’s visiting classrooms being a mascot for not only the bully breeds but for rescue dogs. This was Elvis’ 2^nd visit to a classroom and he basically held Penny’s paw through the whole process. Thank you again, Priceless Pets, for saving Elvis. Thank you, Mandy, for picking them to represent Priceless Pets. And thank you, Elvis. I know I give you a hard time for being out of control sometimes but I don’t know what Penny and I would be doing without you. One thing is for sure, we wouldn’t be able to spread our message without you. Click here to view the article in The Daily Bulletin.