In September of 2013, I was given the opportunity to train Secretary of State John Kerry’s dog, Ben.
Secretary Kerry purchased the five-month-old puppy from his cousin, Iris, but before he could bring Ben home he wanted to have him trained. I was honored that my facility, Puddleduck Retrievers in Morrill, Maine, was chosen to train the young dog. I received a phone call from Secretary Kerry asking whether I was interested in training his puppy and during our conversation we agreed that I would provide basic obedience training and socialization for a period of two months. The secretary stated that he was looking forward to having a trained puppy home in time for Thanksgiving.
On September 23rd, Iris delivered Ben to me and she brought along Ben’s sister, Daffy, for the ride. Once Iris arrived at our facility, we let the dogs romp and play in the fields and on the trails. This enjoyable experience helped Ben to quickly acclimate to his new surroundings at Puddleduck. After Iris and Daffy departed, I brought Ben into my home to introduce him to my two dogs, Ally, age five, and Dakota, an eight-week-old puppy. Ben is a very sociable dog, so he immediately made friends with his two new roommates.
Although Ben definitely needed training, I found him to be a very smart puppy and so willing to please. I thoroughly enjoyed the two months I spent training and bonding with Ben. He came along very well and actually exceeded my expectations. Ben’s training included learning self-control, not jumping on people or counters, to come when called, walk nicely on a leash, sit, lay down, stay, place (meaning he would go to a bed, or mat, and stay when you pointed towards it and said “place”). During the two months of training, secretary Kerry would often call to check-up on Ben. Discussing Ben seemed to put the secretary in high spirits. He is definitely a dog lover!
On November 26th, secretary Kerry and his detail arrived at my house around 4:00 PM. What an entourage of SUVs!!! We spent about an hour together going over what Ben had learned during his stay at Puddleduck. Ben performed extremely well and I was so proud of him! As we were finishing up, I felt a bit of sadness knowing Ben was leaving and it wasn’t until secretary Kerry and Ben were walking out of my front door when Ben suddenly stopped and looked back at me as if to say, “Hey, what’s going on? Aren’t you coming?” Boy, did that pull at my heartstrings! I quickly ran over and with tears in my eyes, gave him a hug and walked with them towards the SUV. Ben loves to go for rides, so he loaded up and off they went! Secretary of State Kerry has stayed in touch with me as promised, and tells me that Ben is doing great and that he couldn’t be more pleased with him. Ben goes to work with him each day at the State Department and often attends meetings.
Media Links
AKC Dog Lovers
"Secretary of State John Kerry flies to Maine to pick up new dog" - "Bangor Daily News"
"Secretary of State turns to Mainer to train family dog" - WMTW-TV
