Respect and Love to the Service Dog <3

Hahahaha--not high on the list!  Right now, Lorenz assists me with mobility (upright) at home, so I can work standing and have one hand free to carry and do other things.  He pick up what I drop, and retrieves a number of things on command, most importantly, my phone.  He can unlock the door with a wooden piece I made to go over the key, which I leave in door overnight in case I need to get out quickly (ha!).  In a crisis, he turned the metal key before I got the wooden piece in place that night--let the EMTs in and didn't eat them!  I was so proud of him, because he doesn't like metal against his teeth.  Now I have a lock box on that door with the key in it, and can give the code to 911 if I am able--2nd option.  I hope to train Lorenz to pull my chair, both out front for exercise and longer ventures and alongside for inside help, or on ramps.  Expect to need some help with this...  Because Lex wouldn't give up his favorite task of turning out the light, Lorenz has resisted learning this for 2.5 years!  Lorenz's favorite task is rinsing and scraping, and he trained himself!

This last saves me a lot of effort and pain, since the RA in my hands is progressing and scrubbing is often beyond me. My favorite thing is when I am washing dishes, and he stands up beside me at the sink while I clean off dog tongue residue (nothing else left...), with his paws on the second sink, and looks deeply into my eyes with that question, "Are you canine or am I human?" I just smile and say, "Yes!", and nuzzle his muzzle. This is one of our little rituals that occurs frequently, like howling to greet the day, to answer sirens, or close off the evening before curling up. I cannot imagine life without him, best anti-depressant, friend, helper, and comic relief rolled into one!