Truman

Sponsor Announcement

I am thrilled to be sponsored by the Gerholdt family. My name was chosen by a loving woman named Karen and her family in honor of Karen's late husband, Dennis Truman Gerholdt. Dennis saw the benefits of dogs first-hand, as his son Trevor had adopted a released dog from Retrieving Freedom; Sweep. Sweep continues to bring their family joy since the passing of both Dennis and Trevor. My name represents the wonderful life of Dennis and his devotion to always serving others. I hope to make everyone proud throughout my training! I will spend my Stage 1 training in the loving home of Dennis' daughter, Whitney Gerholdt Gerst, along with her husband and their four children.

Truman's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi there! My name is Truman. I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program. My parents are "Annie" who is originally from Kerrybrook Labradors and is now fostered by the Card family, and "Stone" of Oasis Labradors. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Whitney. Whitney is the daughter of Dennis, who I was lovingly named after.

Throughout Stage 1, I will learn the basics obedience, public behavior, and a lot of socialization. I understand that it takes a very special dog to complete the program as there is a high standard to become a Service Dog. I am aware that I may be one of the dogs whose purpose is outside of service work so I will be updating my profile on a monthly basis for all that would like to follow my journey through the program.

May 2020 - 2 months old

This month I transitioned from my wonderful breeding foster home in Texas, to my new puppy foster home in Iowa! I am quickly picking up on lots of things at home - I have mastered potty training (like a champ!), crate training, and I'm learning to walk on the left-hand side of my handler. I've already learned not to bark at my neighbors' dogs... sometimes I get tempted but I know what "no" means, and I always obey my foster, Whitney! I'm currently learning the difference between what I'm allowed to chew on, and what I'm not - I'm quickly teaching my foster human siblings to keep their toys cleaned up. :-)

June 2020 - 3 months old

I continue to amaze my family with how quickly I am learning and growing! I easily mastered learning my name, and the "sit" and "down" commands. Now I'm working on staying in "place" while my mom works from home - which can prove difficult at times when my human siblings get rowdy! I'm never hesitant to try new things, surfaces, or techniques. I have an overall cool, calm, and collected demeanor. I really enjoy pontoon rides, hanging out on the beach, and belly rubs! I love everyone I meet, but I have a special affinity to my 6-year-old human brother Finley.

July 2020 - 4 months old

I've been spending extra time training at Retrieving Freedom. It is so fun to try new obstacles!

August 2020 - 5 months old

I am growing so tall and strong! I continue to attend foster training classes to perfect my skills and show off to the trainers all that I've learned with Whitney!

October 2020 - 7 months old

Whitney and I attended a Halloween-themed training class this month. I'm the cutest "wide retriever" around!

November 2020 - 8 months old

Whitney and I attend monthly training sessions at the Retrieving Freedom facility. The trainers are continuously impressed with how I'm growing and learning!

December 2020 - 9 months old

Because I'm so tall, there's a chance I may be trained to assist someone with their mobility someday. It's best I familiarize myself with the particular training equipment that comes with that, and the sooner, the better! Whitney worked with me near walkers and wheelchairs. I did great!

January 2021 - 10 months old

Whitney and I visited Retrieving Freedom for our monthly training session. We are currently working on performing commands that are given to me when Whitney is standing further away. I have to learn that she won't always be directly next to me when giving a command. We are soaking up every last moment together - later this month I will transition to the next phase of training. I will miss her and the rest of my foster family so much!

February 2021 - 11 months old

This month I had to say a tough "see ya later" to my amazing foster family. It will be especially hard to leave my little buddy Finley. I can't thank them all enough for their dedication over the past 9 months and hope to see them again someday! Now it's time to transition into the next phase of training, where I'll work with a student handler named Tina at Mizzou. Since joining Tina, we have been working on getting into a routine and figuring out where I'm at in my training. She has been reinforcing commands that I know, and has been beginning to work through small issues with me such as holding my "down" command throughout long classes and barking at strangers - especially if they have a dog with them!

March 2021 - 1 year old!

Now that I'm settling into a routine with Tina on campus, I'm whining a bit less during classes. I have improved on positional commands and did well when I was introduced to a puppy. I need to work on barking while we're at home.

April 2021 - 13 months old

This month I had to say a tough "see ya later" to my buddy Tina and all my other friends on Mizzou's campus. I can't thank her and the team enough for all they've dedicated to me this semester!

June 2021 - 15 months old

I have been working hard with the professional training staff at the Retrieving Freedom facility on various tasks to determine whether I will continue down the Veteran or Autism training path.

July 2021 - 16 months old

I love public outings for training sessions! Here I am pictured on a trip to Menards.