Unfortunately, this is the last blog post for Duke’s journey. Duke will not be placed as my fully-certified service dog since he did not pass his public access test. His alerts are good so he will be able to do that task for me as Snook retires and slows down. He just won’t have public access. Duke can go to pet-friendly places so we will still practice those skills.
While this is disappointing, I am very grateful for your support and encouragement through this self-training process. It was definitely a roller coaster for all of us. Duke is a loving, playful boy, but just not cut out for service work.
I will keep him and begin the process toward getting another dog to be my fully-certified service dog. I am on the list for application review/approval with an organization called Early Alert Canines, a division of Canine Companions in California. Their process, once approved, can take up to 2 1/2 years since they will need to breed puppies, raise/socialize them, train them and match them to their perfect job and handler training. I should hear their decision by the end of summer. I am exploring other companies as well but they are my top choice.
If you would like to support the effort for the next service dog, you can be praying for the process, the transitional blood sugar management without a service dog in public and/or providing financial support using Venmo (@Snooksaver).
Thank you again for your support and I hope to share some good news in a few months. When our new journey begins, I will be creating a new blog page so you can follow along on with us.
Sara, Snook and Duke
Let's Train Duke 
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