After I got the initial information, I approached my boss to ask if I would be able to bring the dog to work after class and on weekends when I was working. He is an animal lover and goldens are his weakness, so he had no problem with it as long as the puppy didn't create an issue while we worked.

I went to visit the puppies and made the decision to move forward before I even told my kids. I have 4 kids and the youngest was a senior in high school. The others are in college or out on their own. I was nervous but excited to see what this would bring for us
As for my kids, especially the youngest 2, who were either in high school or college and home on weekends/breaks, it made a big impact on how they interacted with people. Covid did such damage to the kid's personalities, causing lots of anxiety and isolation by keeping them separated from everyone. They became very introverted and almost afraid to talk to people. High school is where they should have learned how to speak to adults and prepare for the world face to face and they lost out on that. Having the puppy was exciting for them and being able to take her out to places and show her off as well as be the center of attention and discuss why we had her and what she was being trained for gave them both a huge boost in confidence.

As for my work, it's a very stressful job. We never know what the next call will bring or who's life will be impacted by an emergency. Having the dog at work brought joy to the room and allowed someone who had a tough call or even just a bad day, the ability to just sit with the dog and get some puppy love. You saw the room light up when she came into the office. Due to her training, she was always tired but would go around the room doing her tricks for a milk bone and then find her bed and crash. The noises, sirens and alarms never bothered her. I've also joined a peer support team that assists other 911 dispatchers after taking a tough call or unimaginable loss. Ziva and I had worked together in this because having a dog along who's trained for comfort is a big icebreaker when needed.

For me: I went through 4H training many years ago when I was about 10 years old. That training has stuck with me throughout the years, and I've always fallen back to it when training my dogs over the years. GOFI training is totally different and training me was harder than training Ziva. It's harder to teach an old dog new tricks, but it can be done. Each time we started a new command, I would explain it to the kids and also to my coworkers so the commands would be consistent with everyone. I became part of an organization that was bigger and better than I could have imagined. Everyone is always so helpful and wants to see the dog and the family succeed.

We got Ziva at 8 weeks old and had her till she was just shy of a year old. We did an Instagram page and had lots of people following her adventures.  She was about 10 months old when I heard she may be placed with Hanson Police. They had a GOFI dog who was sick and had to retire. Over the next 2 months, we worked with Officer Harrington to transition her to his care. My kids were sad but knew this is why I got into it in the first place. When Ziva was placed, she tested for her certifications and passed with flying colors. It was all because of the work from GOFI, the reinforcement from us, and the love and exposure she had from my family and work over the last 10 months. The pride we all felt when she got her certificates was immeasurable. We are now watching her adventures through her new Instagram page and love to see what she's up to and the joy she brings to those who meet her. This is what makes it all worth it.

Next up, a new litter of puppies and CRDs/service dogs to be trained. We are looking forward to doing this again and can't wait for all the adventures we will have