learning about transportation

Bella is making great progress.  In the last few weeks Bella has learned how to “heal" by my side as I walk with my cane.  She is learning that she must not crowd me when we walk together.  At the same time, she is beginning to understand that she must stay close enough to me that I will be able to lean on her if needed so that she can help me regain my balance.  Yes, there's even a command for that.  Bella has learned that when I say the word “help" that she is to brace herself and to be ready to assist me.  Today, Bella and I will be going over to the Alamance County Transportation authority's home base where they keep their many different vans when they are not in use.  It is there that we will practice entering and exiting the different types of vans that I might be using for my transportation.  I am thankful for the helpfulness of the folks at the Transportation Authority.  They have shown that a genuine Willingness to work with me and the trainer as we work with Bella.  Today as we go in and out of the vans I will practice giving Bella the proper commands and she will learn how to enter and exit the vans.  Bella will enter the vans walking up the stairs one step, at a time slowly, when she gets to the top, she will stop, sit and wait for me to enter the van.  When leaving the van, she will go down the steps, again one at a time.  Then she will sit at the bottom and wait for me until I exit the van and give her the command to heal.  Later on in the day, Bella will come with me to my office where she will be asked to "down stay".  By which I mean that she is to lay down and stay where she is, until I give her another command.  We will be doing this at my office while I am working with a client.  Bella will be expected to remain in the position I tell her without getting up for 45 min.  I have great confidence in her ability to do this while we are at the office I will show her around and let her see some of the other people who work in the building.  It is important that they understand that they should not call her or attempt to pet her.  I found out the other day that there are times when she is working with me that I should not pet her.  That is going to be very hard.  I am so excited because I am getting closer to the day that Bella and I will go places together as a team.  Right now, we both make mistakes.  There is room for that right now because we are both learning.  Bella is learning very quickly, much faster than I, if I could keep the commands straight Bella would do better.