The gift returned...

Today, more gifts will be returned than on any other day of the year. The reasons are many; too small, too big, too many, too too. The return of a gift rarely evokes an emotional response. It's simply a transaction. But how does one accept the return of a gift that was crafted with love and time and effort. A gift that brought as much joy to the giver as it did to the receiver, yet still wasn't the right gift?

It is with sorrow that I share the news that Belle has earned a career change within Helping Paws. Her exceptional skills - due largely to her intelligence and playfulness - were outdone by her occasional willful independence. Willfulness is not necessarily a bad thing - but Belle's independent expression put her partner's safety at risk. That is a fatal error for a service dog. With much heartache felt by all, Belle was given a new role; Helping Paws Demonstration Dog. It's a role she has performed with aplomb during her training years and one in which all expect her to excel given her penchant for playing to the crowd.

It is with joy that I also share the news that I will be Belle's new partner in this venture. To answer the question posed earlier in the post, I accept this returned gift with humility, gratitude, and a profound admiration for the courage and love it must have taken for Jesse to return her to a life for which she is better suited. And I pray that Jesse's next partner will be a perfect match.