Weekly Update 11

Hello Everyone!

This week was very busy running back and forth between classes, specifically Dog lab. We break it up between three classes a day. I think next week we are even moving to four times a day. Wrigley is doing very well, when we started, she basically knew how to sit and how to spin to her right. We have been working on a variety of behaviors and I would say that she has a good foundation for “lay”, “give”, spinning to the left, and jumping up and over a picnic table. She is also a champ at the agility course, the only obstacle that we need to take our time with is weaving through the poles. I am also working on a “tall” behavior with her. This would be her putting her paws on my arm while she stands on her hind legs. She has not quite caught on to that one yet, my goal is to get further with that next week.

Another part of my program is going to different facilities and being able to see firsthand how they operate differently than DRC. This last week I was able to go visit Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, Fl. It is actually the second oldest marine mammal facility in the United States. The site originally started as a quarry, and when it flooded during a hurricane the owners thought that it would make a good site for a park. We were able to visit the birds, meet their dolphins, learn about their sea lion family, see the rescued sea turtles and experience behind the scenes.  It was a fun time, everyone made us feel welcome and went out of their way to show us around.  It was also interesting to see quite a few people who started their career at Dolphin Research Center!