06/04/2026
Day two at the dentist with Marionberry — and definitely a challenge we were both up for.
This appointment was much longer than the first and also included her first time wearing ear protection. We had only received it a couple days beforehand, so there was very little time to actually work on conditioning it before the appointment. While she tolerated it overall, it definitely was not something she fully loved yet.
One thing that makes the dentist especially difficult as a handler is not being able to verbally communicate normally or even visually see your service dog while laid back in the chair. Most of our communication had to happen through touch, finger snaps, and small movements while she continued working through the appointment.
I was incredibly proud of everything she did, and every experience like this continues building confidence, trust, and teamwork together. 🖤
