What My Service Dog Means To Me

Grab your kleenex for this Video...youre gonna need it!!!
From Service Dog to Surfer Dog!  ( I had to watch it twice!)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGODurRfVv4

I found this story on another website, which I have posted in my blog on "Helpful Links." I think this story helps people understand what peoples service dogs mean to them, and the some of the issues they face on a daily basis.  

 

           

Tamandra and Borias - A Match Made in Heaven - submitted by Tamandra

                                                                                                           

Borias is the best thing thats ever happened to me. Its hard to believe its been seven years since fate brought us together; seven years since I first held this chubby fuzzball in my arms. I had just suffered the unexpected tragedy of losing my doberman to a heart problem, and so decided turn back to the breed I had as a child. A German Shepherd Dog is the ultimate working dog, with beauty and brains in abundance.

I call all of this fateful because of how we were brought together. My order was a tall one. Its no easy task finding a good, quality German Shepherd thats been bred to work, but that also has his drive in check so that hes not too difficult to handle. I was about to give up but then I found that folded piece paper on the floor of my car--the one that had all the breeders names crossed out. All but one. With this one last chance, I left a message saying I was looking for a Service Dog prospect, and hoped for a male. Later on, when the breeder returned my call, she informed me that a couple who worked for the FBI were there doing extensive tests on the litter in hopes of finding a cadaver SAR prospect. There were only two males in the litter, and they had said that this largest male would make a great Service Dog because he was mellow, and took things in stride. This made the breeder glow with pride, since she had long hoped to have a dog of hers do that kind of work). All that meant that Borias and I were meant to be.

And he knew it too. Weve been inseparable since the day I was allowed to bring him home. He displayed none of the typical puppy- separation-anxieties like crying for his mom and litter-mates. It was as though he knew hed just found home. The very next day he went on an outing with me on leash, trotting right beside my wheelchair with no problem. He was such a quick study. I used clicker- training to begin teaching him some of the things he would do for me, but I had no idea, at nine weeks old (and after only a few training sessions), that he would be picking up my dropped keys and wallet! In fact, he got so into excelling at his job, he learned how to unzip my backpack when I wasnt paying attention--- to take out my wallet just so he could give it back to me! (Perfect practice makes perfect, after all!).

On one occasion early in our relationship, I was in a grocery store, and had unknowingly dropped my wallet in the aisle. When I noticed, I said out loud "Oh no! Wheres my wallet?" Instantly Borias was headed behind me, pulling on his leash, then suddenly was again in front of me, wallet in his jaws, tail wagging proudly. What a good boy! 

This bond of ours has deepened through the years, which go by so fast. Weve shared some incredible times, both recreationally and competitively. Hes gotten to hobnob with celebs, been to a U2 concert, watched the Broadway play The Lion King with great interest, and is a regular at the zoo, where he often gets more attention than the other critters! Hes the first dog Ive ever earned an obedience title with, getting a blue ribbon twice. He passed a therapy dog test with a flawless performance, and can now visit the infirm and have children read to him.

    

Yet despite his eerily human capacity for understanding and our blatant and essential life-connection, we still run into incredibly small minds. Do they have an idea in their head that a dog to assist a person with a disability must look a certain way? I realize that Borias has the stature and presence of a police officer, but we are rarely treated with the respect that an officer gets. Quite often, were denied access to functions and establishments. Its hurtful, and infuriating all wrapped up inside of a helpless feeling.

Being in a wheelchair comes with some (but not too many!) obstacles. Do I really need to add social ignorance to my list?

Id love to find a way to open the heart of the world...

Thats the way Borias lives his life, with an open heart. He is my
inspiration. My soul-mate. My heart dog.

-Tamandra (http://www.petjoyonline.com/Service-Dog-Stories-s/214.htm)

This story below is a bit long but WELL worth the read.....Enjoy!

Brendan & Spook Show - Service Dog or Super Dog? Both! -submitted by Cheryl

My son Brendan will be 7 Dec, 17 2008, he has had severe Epilepsy since he was 2 mon old. Brendan has 6 different types of seizures, & has Mild Autism. Brendan was having over 100+ seizures a day before he was placed on Meds, & Received  a VNS (Vagal Nerve Stimulator) Brendan had surgery to place this device when he was 2 1/2 . My son still had 35 + seizures a day even with the VNS. 
 
Brendans Autism & Seizures have caused him to have Developmental, & Speech Delays, as well as he is an exceptional escape artist, he also has Melt Downs that are out of his control, he escalates so high , to the point that he doesnt even know or realize what he is doing, or what is happening. Brendan is the most loving, kind-hearted child you could ever know, he meets no strangers. Brendan functions on more of a 2 1/2 - 3 yr old level, he doesnt comprehend, that if he runs out in front of a car & gets hit, he could die; if he did live he would turn right around & do it again. He honestly doesnt understand what can happen. He can be outside because of the heat; it makes him seizure more, when he gets too hot. I also have Epilepsy, & Narcolepsy, but have been told that Brendans Epilepsy isnt caused from mine, The Drs dont know why either one of us have Epilepsy. 
 
We were Lucky enough to be blessed with a friend that my husband works with & who knew about Brendans special needs. He also Breeds Labs, & wanted to donate one to Brendan, I worked with another Trainer to train him to be a Seizure Alert & Autism Service Dog, he showed me when he was only 4 weeks old that he could tell me before Brendan was having a seizure that it was going to happen, he was such an awesome dog & was so smart. We worked with him & trained him for 8 mon. he was so great for my son as a Service Dog, & a Friend, Sadly he passed away on New Years EVE. He went into a seizure himself & wasnt able to recover from it. I rushed him to the Pet Emergency Hospital when I found him like that & they did everything they could but he just wasnt able to fight the fight. We do miss him greatly. 
 
Shortly after the loss of Hogan, the SD that passed away, my sons Seizures started getting worse, & his Autism melt downs were worse as well. We knew that we had to find another SD for him, but I didnt feel I had the time, nor the Ability to Train another SD, so this time we decided to find a SD that was already trained for my sons needs. We were sooooo luck to find a lady in South Bend Indiana, that trains Siberian Huskies for all types of SD work, & she happened to have a SD that was ready to go & was a perfect match for Brendans Needs. 
 
Her name is Spook Show Baby ScoobyOvanna, Spook , or Spook Show for short.  She is trained to alert to seizures before they happen, she is trained to do Search & Rescue scent tracking, she also is trained to help with the Autism, she blocks Doors, she pushes the HC buttons that stores have to help open the door when needed, as well as many other special things. It took us approx 6 mon to raise the money needed to get Spook Show for our Son. We are so happy & Blessed with having Spook as our new Family Member. 
 
Spook Show just had her 2nd Birth Day on June 9, 2008 we got her on April 24, 2008. Spook was only home with us for 5 min when she started Alerting to a seizure coming on for Brendan; she nudged him over to the trainers lap, to let her know she needed to help him. The trainer was willing to fly here to us with Spook Show so that we wouldnt have to spend so much money flying 4 people & hotel for 2 weeks + Meals. I had gone to the store to get some meds for her when Spook Alerted to her first seizure in Brendan, Spook also will go to Brendans room & pull his covers back & nudge him to his bed when she senses a seizure coming on, if he is asleep & has a seizure she will lay across his legs to keep him from trying to get up & falling after the seizure, she also licks his cheek to help bring him out of the seizure, & to let him know hes ok & she is there for him, if Brendan vomits during a seizure, Spook will burrow under him & roll him on his side so that the vomit will go out of his mouth & he wont choke on it, & she then will clean it up so he wont get it back in his mouth. 
 
We went to the Grocery Store one day & Brendan got away from me & Bolted through the store, I had to let spook loose to help me find him & get him back, she ran as fast as she could & fallowed his sent through the store until she found him, she then blocked him & barked to let me know she found him. She does her best to keep him from bolting away from me when we get out of the car, she thinks ahead, you can literally see her wheels turning she is already up & ready to get out & as soon as I open the door she jumps out & runs to the end of the drive way & watches to see where Brendan is going to run, & when he does bolt she takes off & tries her hardest to keep him from getting away. 
 
Spook also Alerts to my seizures, so she has double duty, & she is really awesome. She isnt happy unless shes working. Spook was placed here for my son & she is awesome at what she does. Spook also Pulls my sons Special needs chair, he uses when we have to do a lot of walking, she also has a Mobility Harness that she wears & Brendan holds on to her for balance, he also has a vest he wears, with a tether strap that connects to his vest, & also to Spooks Harness, so now Spook also helps Brendan balance when walking, & helps keep him from running off by being hooked together, I can give her a sit stay, or lay stay command & she will do it & it keeps Brendan from getting away , she uses all her weight & strength to keep him from dragging her across the world.
 
Spook has always put Brendans safety first, she will run across the street right after Brendan not even looking or worried about herself getting hurt or hit, she worries about Brendan, & his safety. She is truly a GOD SEND, & I dont know what we would do without her. She is not only a Service Dog, but she is a member of our Family, & Brendans best friend. He loves her sooooo sooooo much. Spook never lets Brendan out of her sight. We love her more than she will ever know, or understand. Thank You Spook Show for all you do for our family, & for saving Brendans life many times.

We Love you, youre our Angel. Love Mommy, Daddy, Nathan & Brendan (www.petjoyonline.com/Service-Dog-Stories-s/214.htm)

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Jade and the Firemen

So, I was very excited about getting to take Jade to the firehouse to do some training with the firemen there, but wasnt sure how the firemen would respond to this request.  The trainer and I werent sure how they would respond to our request to assist Jade with her training, or whether they would at all.

So yesterday came the day.  My trainer met Jade and I at the firehouse, station 13, to be precise. Its a very small station, and didnt seem too busy; and its right down the street from my house! So Jade and I decided since it was such a nice day that we would ride my scooter down there to meet the trainer.  It was a very nice day and the sun was blazing, but I think had we realized  how hot it really was, we wouldve taken the car.  Whew! I got sunburned.

We met the trainer there in the parking lot and briefly went over how we could present this request to the firemen, excuse me, fire people, inside.  (Women are fire people too). My trainer would introduce us and talk about what we are doing, and we would take it from there.  I have to say we were both pleasantly surprised at how well the firemen/women responded to our request, and felt VERY welcomed!

Before ringing the doorbell to the firehouse, my trainer said, "We better let Jade stay out here with you while I talk to them because she might get fearful at just going right in too quickly.  We dont want her to get over threshold and then she wont respond to training."  Good point! Jade was on the scooter with me (she loves to ride on that thing with me!) and we waiting while the trainer rang the doorbell.

A couple of firemen came to the door and opened it.  The trainer began telling them why we were there.  They nodded their heads, and one of them said, "wow, ok!"  They invited us in, and were so extremely nice and very responsive! We explained that Jade was very fearful of men in uniform and I was very uncomfortable with this because there may come another time that I need help and need the paramedics/firemen/police to respond to my residence, and they wont be able to get passed Jade to help me, due to her fear.  So we want to help Jade get over her fear of people in uniform, specifically men, so that when I need help, I can receive it. As of now, I told them, if I start to spasm and fall, and cant get up, Jade will run to get the phone for me, and come lay next to me until help arrives.  The problem is, that when help arrives, she wont let them get to me.  NO good! We explained that we were from a training organization here in town and also would like them to come to the organization and give a class on how they respond to calls for help, and how they handle dogs at the residence, precisely service dogs.  They were very responsive to that as well.

I was very pleased how they handled Jade.  As soon as we went into the firehouse, Jade became nervous.  She stared at the firemen/women, with her ears up high and her body tense, and started to growl and bark a little bit.  We quickly stopped her by handing my bag of treats to one of the firemen, who took them and tossed Jade a treat.  They asked us, "Would you like us to put on our complete gear or are these uniforms good enough?" We asked them if they could maybe put their helmets on too. They said, "Sure, absolutely," and went to fetch their helmets and some of their gear.  I was so happy! I had to coax Jade off of the scooter, and the fireman tossed treats and Jade came closer to him and got them off the floor.  In seconds, Jade was eating out of the firemans hand.  The firemen/women were all standing around talking about Jade, and calling her over to smell them, and squatting down so she could smell their helmets. They took Jade around the firehouse and showed her all of their gear and uniforms and boots, and Jade sniffed liked crazy.  She ran happily around the firehouse with them, following the treats, and stopping to sniff different things, then she would circle around and run back to me, making sure I was ok, and then run back to them. She relaxed, her tail started wagging and she had a smile on her face! The firemen/women petted her, and ran with her around the firehouse, they played with her, and she gave them kisses! I was amazed!

This went on for about 25-30 minutes, then one of the firemen said, "Shes really doing great now!" We agreed! Then he said, "The tough part is gonna be when we show up at your house for a call, because thats when they get really territorial." We agreed! So then my trainer asked, "We were wondering if one of you, or a few of you would actually be willing to come by her house and practice a little with this, just to get her used to having you respond to a call?" I cringed, thinking theres no way their gonna do that. Then one of them said, "No ones ever asked us that before, but I dont see why not." Wow! The firemen/women looked at each other and said, "Yeah, sure we can come by," and asked where I lived.  They asked for my address and phone number and I happily gave it to them. They said, "Lets make an appointment, were usually not too busy in the afternoon, at this time...unless we get a call, but its usually slow." They made an appointment with me, to come by my house next week, same time, and I was ecstatic!!! I couldnt believe how helpful these people were!!!! This is GREAT, I was thinking! My trainer was very pleased. She also asked them about coming to the training organization and doing a brief training there with the trainees and their dogs, letting the dogs get used to their smell and their gear. They thought that was a great idea! I think we started something wonderful!

So we decided on a date and time, and they seemed happy to do this! They took down my address and phone number, and the fireman said, "I have your phone number just in case we do get a call, I will call you and let you know."  I was truly amazed that they were so helpful and willing to come by my house even to help with this.  I asked them if they have a lot of trouble with dogs when they go on a call, and they all nodded.  I think they see this training as a way of helping them too; a way to help them learn how to deal with dogs when responding to a call. One of the firemen explained how they deal with dogs, saying, "Well, some of them are scared and do a lot of barking, but they dont approach us, so we just carry on....others are just plain aggressive and we just put our bags in front of us and go for it....we gotta do our jobs....we sometimes have one of the guys catch the dog and put it in a room or outside....whatever we have to do to help someone.  We sometimes have to save dogs from fires and sometimes theyre not easy to save...we have to just throw blankets over them and grab them." While he was talking he was squatted down and giving Jade a scratch on the head and back, and she was loving it! She was sniffing his helmet and giving him kisses!  I was so glad to be having this conversation with the firemen/women!

One of the firemen said, "Lets do some work on you and see how Jade reacts." So they pulled out the blood pressure machine and the pulse machine and started taking my blood pressure and my pulse, with their helmets on.  Jade came over and sniffed their hands while they worked, and she watched me to see if I was okay.  Her ears were up again, but she was fine! She watched, and then the trainer gave her a few treats. The fireman said, "Your pulse is high, take a few deep breaths, and he laughed." I was so happy, thats probably why! We all laughed a little, and the fireman told us about their dog that they have working with them sometimes.  "Hes a sniffing dog," they explained.  "He doesnt get food unless he sniffs something out for us." We talked a little more, then suddenly a lady came over the loud speaker and they all started scrambling about.  "We gotta go, got a call, but well see you next week at your house!" I put Jade back on the scooter as the large garage door started going up and they jumped in the truck.  They pulled away and the sirens came on.  Jades ears were up and she watched intently, but she did great!

My trainer and I stayed outside talking a bit about the experience after they left, and we were both SO pleased about how it went! We were very grateful for their willingness to help, and could hardly believe their willingness to come by my house and practice some more training! This was great!!! We talked more about having them come to the class and do some training there.  My trainer will be here as well when the firemen/women come over next week and well see how that goes! Im so excited about this! This is great stuff!

Stupid me! I didnt think to take any photos! I want some photos of Jade with the firemen! Im so glad Ill have another chance to do that when they come to my house next week.  I hope it works out and they dont get a call they have to go to instead.  Im hoping that even if they do, they will still be able to come by afterward.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Another thing the firemen told me is that its a good idea to post a little sign, or sticker on your door, or window stating that there is a Service Dog Inside the house.  The firemen, and police really take heed to those stickers, and if you write that its a service dog, even though the dog may act frightened or even aggressive, they are MUCH less likely to shoot it. The police sometimes will shoot your dog if they cant get to you and the dog is aggressive and not letting them do their job. We discussed this. So, whether you have a service dog or not, its a good idea to post something like that where the officers responding to your residence can easily read it. Itll keep you and your animals safer.  Itll also give them a heads up if you have a house fire; they will try to save your animals as well.

Im really glad to be able to share this on my blog and very grateful for the experience! God bless the firemen/women! Never forget 9/11.  Firemen/women are some of the most courageous, and brave people on this planet!  Also, God bless the dogs that worked those days on 9/11 at that site!

I should have some pictures for you all next week after the firemen/women come by the house.  But for now....

Pretty cool video about the dogs at 9/11

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/rescuer-lauds-dogs-work-after-9-11

A Story of the Service Dog, Roselle, who walked her blind handler down the 78 floors of the South Tower on 9/11 right before the building collapsed (photo)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/09/06/blind-man-his-guide-dog-and-lessons-learned-on-11/

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