A New Year - Training Wheels and Doggies

Happy New Year!
Last year at this time we were anxiously waiting to see if Mercy would be coming home to us. It was a bittersweet time since we went through the holidays without her but were relishing our last weeks with Atticus our foster as well. Also, we weren't quite sure if Mercy would even make it as a service dog for us, which was hard to think about. Turns out that patience paid off and just as Chris said - "Jeremy did his magic" and Mercy made it.

Now there are two young dogs tearing around the house and how different it is since last year! In addition to the increase in dog hair, Mercy and our new foster girl "Keeva" have filled our house with silliness, mischief, doggie kisses and just plain "life". Chris has also made so much progress since last year, especially since our trip to 4 Paws. We go to all sorts of places now and have even been able to participate in some school events. Chris has tried things I never would have imagined. His world has expanded.
In some ways Mercy has been like 'training wheels' for Chris, providing support, building his confidence and being there in case he loses his balance. Just as a parent can let go of the bike once a child starts using his training wheels I have been able to let go a little too.
Things aren't perfect by any means, but having those small slices of normalcy are so priceless. Some have asked will he always need those 'training wheels'? I don't know. Right now though that hardly matters, the most important part is that he is going out and enjoying the ride.