Service Dog Del
March 2021
Chris and Del have been working very hard these last few months. They have worked through the "getting to know you" phase and have established a strong bond. Chris has gone through a few major life changes of late and Del has been at his side through it all. With Chris' new job Del goes along every day and is the perfect gentle dog in the office. Obedience work is going well and it is on to task work! Chris sent some great photos and Del is looking great in the wild and in his closeup. In the last photo, you clearly see Izzy the cat feeling confident that Del's training will keep him just watching...
Keep working hard Chris and Del! See you soon!!
November 2020
Chris and Del recently traveled to Texas for a training session. This young team has pushed through the first phase of training and has been working to establish a strong bond between the two of them.
After returning to the Pacific Northwest they have had to deal with restrictions and even smoke from a wildfire. Through all of this, they have continued to work and progress in their training. Del is maturing very nicely and is fitting into his role as Chris’ battle buddy very well.
We all wish Chris and Del the very best in training and life in general. Keep up the great work guys, your future is bright!!
October 2020
Chris and Del are headed back to San Antonio for another training session. After spending several months as a team now is the time when the intense training begins.
Tara has a full week planned for them, and the learning curve will spike this week. We all look forward to seeing the progress that Chris and Del will make this week. Del is a great dog from Heart of Texas Labradors and has shown tremendous qualities that will make him a great battle buddy for Chris.
Enjoy your week of training Chris and Del! We all will be waiting to hear how it goes!
Curtis Hendel
Service Dog Program Manager
Rocky Mountain Dawgs Project
August 2020
Del came to us from Heart of Texas Labradors but seems to be enjoying his time on the West Coast with Chris! They have been back at home for about a month and a half and Del is certainly settling into his new mission in life. No pheasants here, but he is happy to accompany his veteran everywhere he goes. Chris is learning the art of working with a four-legged partner and has been doing his part by working on the fundamentals of obedience, which is the foundation of all training, and rapport, the art of snuggling. Chris has had many great things to say about Del already, and I think he is seeing the potential that they have to work together.
Good luck Chris and Del! Keep working hard and enjoying the ride!
June 2020
During the last week in June, another Service Dog Team was introduced. Chris McConnaughay traveled to San Antonio to meet with Trainer Tara and was very happy to be matched with Del. Chris spent several days in Texas with Tara, learning the beginning phases of training so that he can work with Del back at home.
Chris brought Del to his new forever home and the two have been working very hard to build rapport and begin their training. Throughout the meeting and return home Chris has been extremely happy with his new partner and is taking him out in public every day, never leaving home without him. The opening weeks of this partnership are going very well and I would like to wish Chris the best of luck through training and utilizing this awesome young dog. Del is the second dog from Heart of Texas Labradors, following in the paw steps of Dexi, and has a great amount of potential! Heart of Texas produces some of the best Labrador Retrievers you can find.
During the early phases of training, Chris will continue to take Del out into public and work on all of the tasks he has been taught by Tara along with obedience tasks. Rocky Mountain Dawgs Project trainers Katie and Tara are both available to help out veterans at any time and are more than happy to help guide them on their exciting journey.
The photos say it all, I think the two of them are smitten with each other!! Congratulations Chris!!
June 2020
Our next veteran will be traveling to San Antonio to meet with Tara to pick up his new Battle Buddy. Chris McConnaughay is a retired Lieutenant Commander of the Submarine Service in the United States Navy. Originally from Illinois, he now resides in Washington State. Chris will meet Del, a young Yellow Labrador Retriever that has been in training with Tara for several months as travel has been difficult in these strange days. Del is another rock star from Heart of Texas Labradors and is one of the coolest characters out there, according to his trainer. Del and Chris will be another great team and we all look forward to watching their progress. Chris will be in San Antonio in late June to train for a week with his new lifeline.
Curtis Hendel
Service Dog Program Manager
Mcconahay_edited.jpg)
