9/29/13

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Serenity is the eleventh dog this handler has worked with and the leaving time never gets easier. She is so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Serenity and loves this sweet girl. She knows that Serenity loves her and will love her new family even more. Serenity has mastered sit, down, stay, here, heel, shake, bed, stairs, wait and kennel. She's good at her commands and even better with treats! She can be shy with strangers sometimes, but gets over it quickly. This sweet girl will let you hug her endlessly and has fallen asleep before now with her handler's head rested on her shoulder. All she wants is to be loved, and her handler says you can't resist her because she's "so stinking cute"! Serenity is such a great dog, so laid back, so calm, so lovable, so affectionate, so happy, so perfect. She is one-of-kind. "Thank you so much for this program and these dogs," says her handler. "I am always amazed at the wonders that come with this program."

9/22/13

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Serenity is very, very loving and a happy girl. She's shown she can be timid with some people at first, but is fine once she gets to know them. She has not been aggressive at all. She loves to chase other dogs off leash. She will bark at them if they don't pay her attention. She is usually very quiet and calm, so when she plays and barks, it's kind of cute and funny. Serenity is an amazing little girl and she is ready to get love from her new family.

9/15/13

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Serenity put on a little weight with all the tryouts giving her treats, but her regular handlers know it'll settle right back down again, now that she's back to her routine. Her commands include extras kennel, leave it and paws up. She is so, so sweet and, even though she still prefers to avoid crowds, she bonds quickly with those close to her. When she embarks on the next stage of her journey to be with her forever family, it won't take long for her to trust and love them. Serenity is a happy girl and her handler is so glad for the person who is going to adopt her. They will be getting a lot more than they had hoped for because she is such a great friend and an amazing dog.

9/8/13

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Serenity is still doing very well with all her commands, including extras Leave It and Paws Up. She's a little slower with stay and shake commands but does know them and is getting plenty of practice with them. Serenity is a super sweet girl and so great. She's been roaching a lot in the dorm and she really loves to just relax and get rubbed all over. She's a real joy to be around and her handlers love her so much.

9/1/13

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Serenity is very calm and gentle. She's super sweet and loves affection. She's so great to work with and gives her full attention when her handlers work with her. Though she doesn't like crowds, she's done great with the inmates trying out this week for the greyhound training team, doing what she's asked to do. She's such a good girl. Her two regular handlers both say how much working with Serenity helps them. Having Serenity around gives them the assurance they need to believe that everything will be fine and that they can continue to trust. The way she looks at us, they say, is amazing, as if we are so important to her. It makes us feel so good. To know that we do matter is a great feeling. Sometimes we forget that we are important. We forget that there is love and we can have it. She brings us so much joy and has the power to turn a whole day around. This sweet girl loves everyone and will make a wonderful pet.

8/25/13

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Serenity has been getting lots of TLC and her coat, which was patchy when she first arrived, is now beautifully silky and soft. She's doing well with her commands, a little stubborn sometimes! This girl doesn't like big crowds - she just wants to be loved and play a little. She loves getting affection from everyone and is laid back and calm. Serenity is so much fun to be around. She spent some time in her other handler's class this week. The teacher showed a training video and Serenity, who was watching too, tried to greet the person on the video, thinking he was in the classroom with them! She's so sweet; everyone in the class, including the teacher, has fallen in love with her. They all ask about her when she isn't there because she just lights up the whole class.

8/18/13

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Serenity is coming along very well. She is starting to play with toys but isn't overly playful. She's more a lie-around-and-get-loved-on girl. She's curious about her surroundings and last week went exploring round the bathroom area, only to be briefly startled by a strange creature behind her when she turned around: it was a mop leaning against the wall. Serenity went with her second handler to the education area this week. She settled right in, greeting the teacher, getting loved on, exploring the classroom and then settling on a bed to sleep while her handler worked at her desk. Serenity is very gentle and affectionate and will lie next to her handler for long stretches of time enjoying belly, face and paw rubs. She's very sweet and easy going.

08/11/13

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Yay! Serenity is sitting on her own now! It's a little slow, but getting better every time. Her handlers are very happy with her progress. She's still happy go lucky and demands love and affection from everyone around her. Everyone loves her to bits. She's going to make a great pet for some lucky family because she's very smart with a wonderful personality. Serenity is great in crowds and noisy places such as the rec, and the only time she has shown any signs of being uncomfortable was at the recent huge all-compound baseball event, which was crazy loud, with banging and a lot of movement. She is the sweetest dog and completely lovable.

08/04/13

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Serenity has had a very good week.  She has bonded with both of her handlers as they began training this week.  They've begun work on the "sit" command.  She sits in her kennel all the time and they praise her for it but she hasn't made the connection between the word and the action yet.  She will though - all in good time.

Serenity is very smart and very loving.  She loves to cuddle in her handlers' laps at the end of the day and just relax.  She also loves to be brushed and will lean into them when they brush her.

Usually when a dog goes up to someone, they will leave when they realize the person doesn't have a treat.  No so with Serenity.  She is there for the affection.  She goes up to everyone.  She'll put her face right up to everyone for hugs and loves to be hugged around the neck.   She even goes up to staff for some loving!

She is the sweetest and is very gentle.  She loves it when you talk to her, too.  She is going to be a pleasure to work with and love.  She eats well and goes into the kiddie pools with ease. 

She has let her handlers clip her nails and clean her ears.  She is a very good girl.  They love her already!!

First Impressions - 07/28/13

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The first few days with Monkey Face have been amazing, her inmate says.  She came in very excited and curious about everything.  They've named her "Serenity".

So far she no fears of anyone. She walks right up to all the staff members, uniformed and those in street clothes, men and women, she likes them all.  She isn't afraid loud noises or bouncing balls.  In fact, she wanted to chase the bouncing basketball in the gym.

Overall she is adjusting well to her new environment.  She has bonded well with her two handlers.  She loves to cuddle and sticks close to her handler.  It's very sweet she says.  She has already stolen her inmate's heart with her sweet, loving ways. 

Both of her handlers are looking forward to training Serenity during the next nine weeks.  Her personality will most certainly blossom during this time and that is what they are looking forward to seeing!