This week, we had a mock exam to practice for the real animal therapy exam. I tried my new Sense-ation harness (photo on the right). The jury is still out on whether I will use my Ruffwear front range harness or the new one during the real exam. I always feel proud when I wear the Ruffwear harness. It’s very comfortable and I have worn it since I was first allowed to go on big trips. Besides, the trainer told me that I look smart with the Ruffwear harness. On the other hand, the new harness is supposed to help me be more responsive. To be honest, I did not know that there was a problem. OK, sometimes I am a tad bit enthusiastic. But hey, there are so many fun things to explore in the real world. 

For the first part of the exam, I had to stand still to be petted and examined. That was tough, especially when HM made the mistake of dangling a treat in front of me. I thought we could play, but not this time, she said. The exercise “leave it” was easy. All I had to do was walk past a bowl with food, without touching it. Just in case, I was keeping an eye on the food (you would too).  The exam also included a part where I was petted by a crowd of people. All I saw were legs and lots of hands reaching down for me. That was a bit confusing; I looked up but could not figure out which hands and legs belonged to who. They need to number those things. In the end, the mock exam was rewarding; I got lots of treats and even applause. Maybe I will bow next time.