Three days to go

Trooper still hasn't got here, and already I'm thinking of my new service dog the way a parent puffs up with pride about a small child who displays a glimmer of potential.

Yesterday I emailed Laura, his trainer at Dogs for the Deaf in Central Point, Oregon, and asked for some background on the 1 1/2-year-old schnauzer-poodle mix. Where was he from? What were the highlights of his training? When did he start at Dogs for the Deaf?

"Trooper came to us from a shelter in Bakersfield, California," Laura said. "I am not aware of any history and parentage but I will ask the person that procured him from the shelter if they have any more information.  He started training in July, 2015, and proceeded through the training very quickly, only taking four months to complete. That is phenomenal for a dog with no known prior training."

Norrmally it takes up to six months of training for a canine recruit to achieve certification as a fully fledged service animal.

Trooper is a phenom? I'm busting my buttons. I can't wait for Monday.