Olive and Chief

By Sonja Ohldag

Over the 20 years we’ve been coming to Point Isabel we’ve brought four generations of dogs to romp the grounds. We’ve had really cool times, including small dog meetups, costume parties, events, picnics, Canine Good Citizen testing, and breakfasts at Mudpuppy’s.

Our first dog, Josephine, was an avid fan of PI. We peeled ourselves out of bed before work just so she got to run and swim. She would get in the water by the parking lot, and instead of walking, she’d swim the entire loop right “next” to us while we walked. She had lots of friends to meet and play with, and balls to retrieve.

Jolanda was a silent walker. She just walked by my side, and enjoyed sitting and watching wildlife, or watching dogs play. She didn’t care much for other dogs but she had her friends.

Chief, our little guy, has so many friends I can’t even keep up anymore. He loves to spend time with

them, walk the loop, carry his ball, and sniff out the news of the day. Olive, our Australian cattle dog, loves running and zooming in the water. She doesn’t mingle much but won’t say no to a fun run with a pal.

Chief and Olive are service animals, trained to detect low blood sugar and impending seizures. I trained the two myself. It takes about two years raising, training and task-training them. Chiefie is nine years old and likely the best service dog I’ve ever worked with. Olive is five and equally brilliant. To balance out their busy service dog work schedules, we spend lots of time in the regional parks for hiking and playtime. I couldn’t do life without Olive and Chief. They give me independence and quality of life, and I offer them the best life, in return. I’m glad Point Isabel is part of that.