Fifth graders at Marshall Elementary School today learned about dog training as a career from Canine Connection owner, Cindy Ludwig who spoke to the youth about what a typical day in the life of a dog trainer looks like and how to prepare for a career as a professional dog trainer. Opal helped by demonstrating some of her service dogs tasks, tricks and freestyle moves.

7 month-old Grace is an amazing puppy in more than one way. She passed her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test tonight with flying colors and is well on her way to passing the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test. She did this despite being hit by a car just two weeks ago! Grace has mastered basic training, is healing well and is on her way to a happy life as a well loved and well trained dog!

Today was Opal's day to shine! Always an eager beaver to show off her service dog tasks, she also did a few tricks and demonstrated a few musical freestyle moves for a group of kids at the Multicultural Center downtown. The kids were a great audience - they asked very good questions! They even remembered what they learned at last month's bite prevention talk!

Two years ago a toddler was killed by two rottweilers in Hopkinton, Iowa when the dogs escaped from a kennel in the back yard. In a coincidental twist of fate, Cindy and Ginger traveled to this same small Iowa town this afternoon to give a bite prevention talk to children at the public library. Children learned how to be safe around dogs in an interactive educational program which ended with the children being allowed to pet Ginger, using the techniques they had just learned.