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The making of a “bombproof dog”
Yesterday we went to the zoo, one of my favorite places, and the primate house is always an experience with a service dog. The orangutans in particular are absolutely fascinated by Atlas. @philadelphiazoo ‘s Batu, a baby orangutan, ran over and put her face on the glass. At first, Atlas was very apprehensive, but we trained through it, running body awareness and focus drills until he was relaxed, attentive, and voluntarily turning his back to the glass. Yes, I allowed him to “greet” Batu through the glass. I’ve found I have the most success with impulse control training through the use of engagement and disengagement where Atlas knows and trusts my judgement for appropriate engagement.
Picture shows Atlas in his black and teal vest at the center of the photo, greeting a small orangutan through the glass. Batu is on the right side of the frame with her face and right hand up against the glass. Ren, a 20 year old brunette can be seen on the left side of the frame, crouched down at the level of Atlas and Batu.
Swipe ➡️ for photoshoot pictures. We had a great chill weekend with our friends, lucky to have these humans and dogs in our lives. •
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this is not simulated, acted out, or a scripted clip. this was during the *end* of a REAL breakdown. this is one of her psych tasks. she helps by breaking up and interrupting my meltdowns/breakdowns, i also dissociate a lot so it also helps bring me back to reality. this girl is my light in the darkness and the reason i am able to keep going during hard times. if you don’t know or don’t follow my other instagram, my uncle is in the icu.. right now penny gives me hope and light. she helps me keep going and reminds me to smile while i’m at it♥️