We have had another wonderful year with Dixie. She continues to be an extremely affectionate and attentive dog. Drew and she have really developed quite a relationship. He interacts with her on a regular basis, and enjoys playing games and fetch with her and at a more extensive level and for a longer period of time with a little bit of guidance from an adult. He has also begun to give her simple commands like "Dixie Come" and "Dixie Drop" to name a few. The emotional bond between the two of them has been very neat to watch as it has grown over time. Dixie continues to sleep with Drew in his bedroom on the floor.

With Drew's increased interaction with Dixie and his increased communication and participation, also came his increased ability to try and control the things that Dixie puts in her mouth and carries around. When something ends up in Dixie's mouth, Drew will normally follow her and then grab her tail while telling her no and then proceed to her mouth and take it out of her mouth, sometimes by opening her mouth with his hands and taking it out. Dixie's behavior during this continues to be just to let Drew take the item out of her mouth, her normal demeanor of being very passive continues to amaze but not surprise me. She has always had such a good demeanor and her behavior is exactly what you would expect in a service dog!

 From Drew's Therapist

Dixie is a great friend for Drew. During therapy sessions, Drew loves to play with Dixie. Drew calls her and gives her instructions which I believe helps build his assertive communication skills. We have practiced a search and rescue during therapy and Dixie performed superbly. I haven't had the chance to see Dixie is a public setting but the family takes her places frequently: soccer games, road trips, and the store. There is bo doubt in my mind that Dixie is ready for another year of outstanding service!