Liam Reunion & Graduation

Liam Reunion & Graduation

Here are scenes from Liam’s graduation ceremony from hearing dog school in Florida, including his sweet, yet brief, reunion with Tina before heading off towards his new life with Butch & Laurel as a certified service dog.

---

Part I: Driving Down & Reunion with Liam

Tina, Rick, and Nitro started the drive to Florida on Wed, August 2nd, in order to attend Liam’s graduation on Friday, August 4th. Young Nitro quickly proved himself road-trip worthy with his excellent car demeanor. That was a nice development.

Friday morning at 8am, before the formal graduation ceremony, Tina was given half-an-hour to reunite with Liam. Remember, Tina had last seen Liam on November 4, 2016 when she dropped him off at the CCI center in NY. So it had been a full nine months since they had seen each other.

Here below is a video of that reunion. While there are many notable points, I have never ever seen a dog wag its tail that far or that fast before!! Enjoy…

After the initial excitement, they settled in for a nice family portrait – Tina, Rick, & Liam.

After their 30 minutes of quality time together, there was a continental breakfast hosted by CCI, and then by mid-morning everyone went to the site for the formal graduation ceremony.

---

Part II: Pre-Graduation

Here we’ve got Liam (right) and one of his look-a-like buddies waiting for the ceremony to begin. (note: The “guy” on the left is actually Liam’s brother – Len.)

So while the above graduates were patiently waiting, the young’un Nitro was pretty much strapped down for the ceremony.

But his older buddy / brother Liam understood Nitro’s plight and cheered him up with some serious playtime. Actually the two were inseparable during their time together – just misbehavin’ & playin’…

And then it was time for a little shut-eye before doing the formal walk on the stage for graduation. Always important to be well-rested for grand occasions.

---

Part III: The Graduation Ceremony

Ok, the moment of truth has arrived – going on stage for the formal graduation ceremony. Here below, Tina has brought Lima on stage to make the pass over to Butch, who is in need of a hearing dog. (Note: Butch and Liam lived together on the CCI premises for the final two weeks of Liam’s training to make sure they were a good match. So this is not Liam’s first time meeting Butch.)

And here is the actual handover, from the one who raised Liam to the one who will be working with Liam…

---

Part IV: Embarking On a New Life

Here are a casual shots of Butch and Liam. They fast became friends and partners and Liam seems ready for the task at hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butch is a man of many talents and great demeanor. At one time, Butch was a drummer in a band. When I said this in class, someone immediately shouted out: “AC/DC!” Nope, that’s not it. But Butch did play with Johnny Cash back in the day. Butch is also a boat captain so Liam might become a grand sea-faring dog.

Here is Butch and his wife Laurel along with Liam…

Sorry Liam, this next shot is one of those rare “humans only” photos!

Alas, now they are going home for their new life together…

After living (and training) with Tina till he was 18 months old, and after 9 months of intensive training at CCI centers (4 1/2 months in NY and 4 1/2 months in FLA), Liam meets his true destiny of working as a service dog. Only 40% of the candidates successfully graduate. Liam worked hard and cleared all the hurdles. And now he is ready to serve.

Best wishes to Butch, Laurel, and Liam!!

Final thought: Should you ever go to a yoga class with Liam, he will know exactly what to do!!

---

About Canine Companions for Independence (CCI)

• Graduation Ceremony
• Hearing Dogs

---