"I have a suggestion. Why don't you kids try starting fresh and get to know one another?" Mr. Richard proposes.
"Sir, I appreciate your intention to help, but your kids have really upset me and Steven too much," Andy replies.
"Please, just give us another shot," Aiden pleads.
"We genuinely want to learn more about you all. Like that thing over there." Alana gestures toward an object hanging on the wall. "What is that? Why does it say service dog?"
With a resigned sigh, Andy responds, "Alright, I'll explain. That's a service dog vest for Tyson."
"He's a service dog? What for?" Aiden inquires.
"He assists Steven in managing his autism. He's his emotional support therapy dog. That vest allows him access to many public places where regular pets aren't allowed, which means he can accompany Steven to school," Andy explains.
"Wow, that's actually pretty awesome. Doesn't that make you guys popular at school?" Aiden asks, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Not at all. As I mentioned earlier, Steven is often looked down upon for needing Tyson by his side. Having a dog doesn't help us make friends; I wish it did," Andy says, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"What about the other dog in the house? Is she a service dog too?" Alana questions.
"Princess? Absolutely not. She's not qualified to be a service dog at all. Service dogs are meant to provide therapeutic support like Tyson does for Steven. Princess is the complete opposite—she brings chaos, not comfort. She's untrained and wild. She doesn't belong to me or Steven; she's Hannah's. And Hannah lets Princess run rampant, causing havoc for me, Steven, Tyson, and Angel every single day. There's no discipline from her," Andy states firmly.
"I do discipline her!" Hannah interjects.
"No, you don't. She's ruined so many of our things, and when we tell you, you just laugh and mock us about it. Sometimes you even praise her for her mischief. So how can you claim to discipline her when you clearly don't put in the effort?" Andy challenges.
"The efforts I do put into disciplining Princess clearly aren't effective to her," Hannah laments, her frustration evident.
"If you were actually a responsible pet owner like me and Steven, you wouldn't be struggling with your dog," Andy retorts, crossing his arms.
Alana, eager to shift the focus, interjects, "Andy, is it ok if we see the tricks Tyson knows? He knows a lot of tricks, right?"
"Yeah, he knows a lot of tricks, but you need to ask Steven to see them, not me," Andy replies.
Aiden chimes in, "Steven, can you please show us the tricks Tyson knows?"
With a sigh, Steven glances at Andy, then back at Aiden, and gives a reluctant nod. "He's ok with doing it, but he's got a very special way of doing it," Andy adds, a hint of mystery in his tone. "What does that mean?"
Alana asks, curiosity piqued. "Just watch," Andy instructs, as Steven begins to signal to Tyson, who performs an impressive array of tricks in response to hand gestures.
"Whoa, the dog knows sign language? That's incredible! I've never seen that before," Alana exclaims, eyes wide with amazement.
"How did he teach him that?" Aiden inquires, equally captivated by the display.
The efforts I do put into disciplining Princess clearly aren't effective to her," Hannah laments, her frustration evident.
"If you were actually a responsible pet owner like me and Steven, you wouldn't be struggling with your dog," Andy retorts, crossing his arms.
Alana, eager to shift the focus, interjects, "Andy, is it ok if we see the tricks Tyson knows? He knows a lot of tricks, right?"
"Yeah, he knows a lot of tricks, but you need to ask Steven to see them, not me," Andy replies.
Aiden chimes in, "Steven, can you please show us the tricks Tyson knows?"
With a sigh, Steven glances at Andy, then back at Aiden, and gives a reluctant nod. "He's ok with doing it, but he's got a very special way of doing it," Andy adds, a hint of mystery in his tone. "What does that mean?"
Alana asks, curiosity piqued. "Just watch," Andy instructs, as Steven begins to signal to Tyson, who performs an impressive array of tricks in response to hand gestures.
"Whoa, the dog knows sign language? That's incredible! I've never seen that before," Alana exclaims, eyes wide with amazement.
"How did he teach him that?" Aiden inquires, equally captivated by the display.
