TAKING A COURSE

I felt like my life was already not busy enough so I decided to sign up for a course. It is a four 1/2 day course.

Let me start at the beginning. I am a neighborhood first responder. I took that course a number of years ago. It is a six 1/2 day course or as I took it a two and 1/2 day course. It taught what to do in an earthquake, a fire, a nuclear disaster, etc. How to clear a building, how to triage injured people and how to put out a small fire. We have a disaster bag and a go bag. We have emergency supplies in case of an emergency. We aren't like doomsday preppers. We just have a container ready in case of an emergency and the electricity and gas is shut off for days.

We have had an emergency. My apartment burned so badly I couldn't live in it. It is crazy to come home and find the firemen nailing your door shut and your apartment burned. Years later and in another apartment we had a flood. The flood was in the apartment on the third floor. Yes, on the third floor! The balcony flooded into the apartment. We had three inches of water in the whole apartment. We woke up the the electricity arching from the water.

So we have had some emergencies and after the first one, we realized it was important to be prepared.

Now I am signed up for a new course. I am going to be a first responder to rescue animals in an emergency. I would be certified to go to a disaster zone and assist in the rescue of animals. I could do the rescue of the animals or the administration portion. I am excited about it. There is a lot to do. I have to first get re-certified for my neighborhood first responder course. My certification has expired. Then I take the four 1/2 day course for the animal rescue. Then I have to take three online certification courses. Once I am done with all that, I will be certified. Whew!

I figure if I can handle my little devil, most any dog will be a breeze! I used to be so afraid of dogs, it is kinda funny I am doing this course. When I was very young I was caught in a dog fight between a German Shepard and two huskys. I didn't get injured but was very scared. This made me very afraid of large dogs that I didn't know.

I have always had smaller dogs; poodle, cocker spaniel, shiba inu, shiba inu/basenji mix and chihuahua/basenji mix. All under 30 pounds. But I am better about going up to larger dogs now. We have an American Staffordshire Terrier next door who I adore. He is deaf and so sweet. I will go up to him but I won't let me dogs go up to him. We have some labs in the area who I pet and who know me. Some of the dogs see me and come running when I am without my dogs.

I am pretty excited for this course and hopefully I will be able to give it the time it deserves. I hope it is interesting. The re-certification for the neighborhood course starts next week. Wish me luck!

Until tomorrow...