Sophie's Five!

Dear Sophie,
You're five already? Where did the past year go? Seems like it just started! It was a full and mostly happy year, though, wasn't it? You've learned so much and matured even more.
Your noteworthy "firsts" this year included your first puppy love affair with Amy's guide dog Ramsey, a geocaching adventure in bear country, your first traffic accident, and a live snowfall! And here's quite an accomplishment ... you racked up your thirtieth airplane flight! Think we can hit forty by the time you're six? This next year we're going to be working on a new project ... working with students and airlines to develop a teaching program on air travel with a service dog. Only once in 31 flights has a flight attendant had the faintest idea of what I should do with you in case of an emergency, specifically, a slide evacuation. I'm hoping we can help other service/guide dog teams by bringing awareness of proper procedures. Meanwhile, I'm still working on getting my paper on the subject available online and linked in this blog.
Sophie, my sweet little helper, thank you for another year of making my life so much easier and safer. I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated, and how very precious you are to me. Happy Birthday, Big Girl!