"Isn't it hard to give the puppy up?"

YES!

Giving up the puppy that you have raised for 16-18 months isn't easy. The dog becomes your best friend and the one you can share your secrets with because you know they won't tell a soul. Yes, it is hard. What makes it easier is the fact that you know from the start, that you will be raising a dog that is going off to be something amazing.

Getting to see first hand how a service dog ends up working in the home with my mom really helps with the process. My mom's dog Felice III was raised in Idaho and then her puppy raiser had to give her up to go off to advanced training. Felice made it through the program and was placed with my mom. I got to stay with her at team training when she was placed with her dog, and it was the most amazing experience. Getting to see how these dogs change peoples lives SO much is the best feeling. They learn to make lives so much easier for a person who otherwise had it much harder. Just by having a dog pick up a pen off the ground can make all the difference. Seeing Felice and my mom every day is one of the examples I give to people when they ask about how I will be able to give Halo up.

So the answer to the famous question will always be YES. I know that I am raising a miracle and that is why even though giving them up is hard... I know that I am helping someone else that needs this puppy more than I do.