A Real World Example of the Importance of Wait

There are some commands that the importance of your dog knowing them is obvious. A strong recall comes to mind. Yesterday, I had a real life situation that demonstrates the importance of the "Wait" command. For Izzy, wait means to stay where she is when I say wait until I release her.

It was a beautiful, cool morning. Izzy had her second observed visit later that morning and I decided to get her out for an early morning walk. As we started out at our usual walking spot, I was admiring how beautiful it was and enjoying the weather. After we got about 1/2 mile, a bug flew into my hair. I figured it was a beetle. I felt it moving around and it didn't take off, so I tried to gently sweep it off with my hand. It immediately dug down to my scalp and started stinging. I realized quickly it was not a beetle. It was so painful and the pain radiated to my ear and jaw. I tried shaking my head to get it to come out but got another sting. I'm sure I looked like I was having a seizure. I realized I needed to stop trying and get help or get to my car and a mirror. I could feel it walking on my scalp. I was in so much pain, I wasn't sure if it was stinging more or it was residual pain from the other stings. When I turned around I saw one of the regular walkers, Cookie. I was so happy to see her. One of the nice things about walking at the same place is you get to know the regulars. There are a lot of really amazing people and dogs who walk at the pond.

Unfortunately, Cookie has a reactive dog, Ellie, who does not like other dogs and has attacked one. I considered just getting to the car but I needed that yellow jacket out of my hair. I told Cookie I needed help and what was going on. She said she wasn't sure how it would work with her dog but she'd try. I put Izzy on the opposite side and told her to wait. The first time Cookie tried, Ellie tried to get to Izzy. Izzy maintained her position. We decided to try one more time and this time I blocked Ellie with my hand. She is great with people. Cookie finally got it out. I was so relieved and Izzy stayed in her wait through the whole operation.

I am not sure how many times I got stung but it was at least 5. I got myself home and took a claritan and two homeopathic remedies. Today my head is less sensitive but my lymph nodes are swollen and that is painful. I am thankful I didn't have and allergic reaction (that was the first time I've been stung by a yellow jacket). I am really glad it didn't attack Cookie or either of the dogs.

We made it to Izzy's second observed visit at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital and she did great. There were two other teams with dogs she did not know. She never engaged with them. She also seemed to understand more of what was expected this time. She approached everyone who wanted to see her. One nurse said she really needed a Therapy Dog as a favorite patient had to transfer to ICU. As she told me, she got tearful and Izzy scooted closer and when she sat, she leaned into her. She knew what she needed. She even relaxed while we waited. Her last observed visit is Tuesday and we can then submit her paperwork to get her certification!

Izzy and Tia resting. Therapy work definitely is tiring.