The Dog Days of Summer: Catching Up With SSD Freya

It’s hard to believe it’s been over one year since we’ve been introduced to SSD Freya, our fourth service dog we’ve sponsored with Susquehanna Service Dogs alongside our partner Honeywell! To help celebrate, we wanted to share the latest “pupdate” we’ve been given on Freya’s hard work.

SSD Freya’s puppy raiser says she is a pleasure to take care of and train! She’s a beautiful, smart, loving, and very friendly puppy, and anytime she’s around people, she wiggles with happiness.

SSD Freya has worked hard to master the cues “sit,” “down,” “stay,” “come,” “under,” “off,” and “heel,” and is working on “visit.”

“Off” is a cue used to let a dog know to put all four paws back on the floor, however, it’s only used if the dog was invited to leave the floor in some way. For example, if the dog was cued to put the front half of their body on someone’s lap, the person would use “off” to let the dog know to return to the floor.

Like all SSD dogs, Freya started learning “heel” by using a box to anchor her front feet while she pivoted around to stand at her raiser’s left side. Over time, her raiser lowered the box until she was standing on the floor.

“Under” gives Freya superpowers—she becomes invisible under tables, benches, and chairs. This is especially useful in restaurants, offices, and classrooms, but “under” also helps Freya tuck herself under things so she’s not in the way.

Freya loves car rides! She will jump into the back of her raiser’s CRV and just relax for the entire ride. Her raiser takes her everywhere—stores, doctor’s offices, auto garages, parks, and restaurants. She even went on vacation with her raiser!

When she’s not working, she loves to play ball. She’ll retrieve just about anything. The other day, her raiser was carrying the laundry basket, and a pair of socks fell out. But no worries, because SSD Freya was following and she scooped them right up!

We here at DecisionPoint are so proud of Freya, and if Freya’s journey inspired you, consider becoming a puppy raiser yourself! Learn more and apply at: https://www.khs.org/what-we-do/assistance-dogs/apply-now/