At rugby practice Morey becomes everyone's service dog. With a whole group of quads there is a lot of stuff that ends up on the floor and Morey is very willing to work for anyone who gives him a butt scratch or throws his tennis ball in return.
Today, one of the new players on our team was watching me direct Morey to pick up pieces of trash that were on the floor. Morey was very dedicated in crawling under bleachers to grab empty water bottles and pulling pieces of tape that had gotten stuck to the floor. After a few minutes my teammate commented "I wish I had a slave dog."
I have to admit, I don't think I've ever heard a service dog referred to by that name and it made me laugh. I guess it kind of makes sense; I do "own" Morey and expect him to work for free- in return I provide him with food, shelter, and other necessities. He doesn't really get days off and he has to give up his natural dog instincts and behaviors in order to do what I ask of him. However, I prefer to think of our relationship as a partnership; with each of us providing things we can't get on our own. I don't think the name "slave dog" is going to replace "service dog" anytime soon (I can just imagine a vest that says "Slave dog-please do not pet") , but it certainly gave me a good laugh and made me do a careful evaluation of how I am putting Morey to use!
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