Franny Farley Friedman Turns 1

Franny turned one the other day (dob 6/29/14). Now, as we begin the third quarter of 2015, I look back on her first year reflectively.

This puppy started out life in South Dakota with 8 brothers and sisters under the care and supervision of Meadowland Springers. From discussion and evaluation with her breeder, Nancy Brekke, she was hand picked by me to be a service dog for a young boy with autism named Corbin. Franny was my third puppy from the same parents, Traveler and Elsa. Both her older sister Ella (born May 2013) and her big brother Cort (born December 2013), are currently transforming the lives of their owners as psychiatric service dogs with their amazing spirits and I expected no less from their little sister.

I received her with open arms at 8 weeks of age and began the process of socialization, training and loving her. She was named Farley then and fit right into the menagerie. I had every intention of getting my own puppy from the next litter for myself as I was so enamored with these puppies. Bean, my aide de camp and training partner, was getting older, crabbier and deserving of a happy (at least semi) retirement. He has helped train countless dogs and puppies with his stoic, wise and measured lessons (chime in if your dog has been so transformed by Bean!)

Soon it was apparent that she was more suited for myself and less so for the child she was  to be partnered with. So with a little bit of shuffling, I acquired the PERFECT dog for Corbin. Farley became Franny Farley Friedman. Hard to prove, harder to accurately articulate, but on the day of the decision Franny’s demeanor shifted and she became more intensely bonded with me.

Her training has gone so well she has exceeded my timelines and is already hard at work training her first project, Tink the Golden Retriever. Stay tuned for updates on Tink (who remains at this writing available as a service dog or facility dog for the right person or organization — if interested please email [email protected] to learn more).

UPDATE JULY 12 – TINK IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. STAY TUNED ON HER CONTINUED ADVENTURES IN FUTURE BLOG POSTS.

Here’s to Year 2!  A Look Back at FRANNY’S first year. Enjoy!

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