Page 1019 - Total War on PTSD

Citizen test. One the Veteran/dog team pass that, the move onto level three, which works towards passing the Canine Good Citizen Urban test. At this level, the training also includes outings. There are numerous business in the area (to include Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Rite Aid and various restaurants where the dogs start to apply their public access training in real world environments. After that the team moves on to the fourth, and final level. The fourth level consists of passing the Public Access Test (PAT), and ensuring that the Service Dog can perform at least three tasks to mitigate the veteran’s disabilities. Level fours continues on, and expands the public outing training. Once that has been achieved, the Veteran has the option of either continuing to come in every Friday and continuing the training (as it is never done), or coming in when they want or need to (if an issue arises). The team is expected to return at least once a year to retake PAT to ensure that the Service Dog is still conducting themselves properly in public. Kodiak had a few hiccups during her training, which the trainers worked to resolve. Her desire to help me routinely surprises and pleases me, and we have developed such a strong bond from our symbiotic relationship. We have been working with Dog TAGS for three and a half years now, and in addition to the hour of formal training, the Veteran needs to commit to training the dog at more for three or four short sessions a day to make the training work. Considering the trainers and staff all volunteer their time to assist the Veteran, it is not asking much in return. I am grateful for all of the help that I have received from Dog TAGS, even though I may have been frustrated at times when Kodiak and I hit a speed bump in our training.
I would also like to take the time to talk about the elephant in the room, fake Service Dogs. Kodiak and I have run into them on quite a few occasions. You can spot them immediately — they are the ones that are barking, in a shopping cart, or sitting on a chair at a restaurant. Every
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