SERVICE DOGS

Service dogs can be an exceptional blessing to life with a disability and the challenges the disability presents. For example, my dog will look to make sure it is good to cross the street and then if things look good he will let me cross. If not he will walk in front of me, stop me, and then make sure it's time to stop and wait. It seems like a small thing, but for me it is a big thing. I have an advocate watching over me.

I will never forget when he pinned me against the wall during a seizure so I would not fall forward. He then slowly eased me to the ground so I wouldn't get hurt.

He has done numerous things and I know he makes a difference because so many people will criticize Gabe and question if he really helped me. You know you are headed down the right path if people question the value of your service dog. For example, just a few weeks back Gabe looked at me, he's always watching me, and sensed something wasn't right. I was walking, but inside I was completely lost. I had no idea where I was. It was terrifying. Gabe knew I was lost and he pulled me home and pushed me to bed and would not let me leave until my wife was home. That is just one of many examples where my service dog either saved me from danger or saw something bad was going to happen ahead of time and got attention so I could be protected. Simply amazing.

We have to define Gabe was a service support dog which means he is a working dog. This is where life get's difficult. I have to make sure strangers and even neighbors understand when Gabe is working, treat him as a service dog which means no petting or being over-exuberantly friendly. Gabe also has a special talent with older and handicapped individuals and offering love and affection. That is viewed as service and is acceptable. He also has a sense if someone is sick or has a special disease. He gently offers affection and encouragement that helps the individual. I've never seen anything like it and it all came from him being trained as a service dog.

Step 1: Be Patient.

Finding the Right Service Dog for You

I always say Gabe found us more than we found him. Just know that finding a service dog is not fast nor easy. If you train the dog yourself get ready for a significant time commitment. I spent months looking for Gabe for the specific goal of finding a service dog or I should say dog that could be trained as a service dog. The biggest challenge was it brought me face to face with the reality is that to have someone else do the dog selection and training was going to cost more money than I had available. Second, there are schools of thought, professional expertise, that is brought specifically by a third party to your dog. Think of it like eating. You can go out to eat and have a chef prepare the meal with ingredients they specifically sourced and prepared. Or I can read the food prep guide and learn how I can do it myself. Will I ever be as good as the professional. Never, but I can do it with the right ingredients so it is acceptable, but in this case I need to be committed to daily training of my dog and myself. It truly never ends. Nothing wrong with either option. Also it might turn out that I really just want a new dog who knows obedience. Once again set your expectation, your means, commitment, and your final goal.

Lastly, don't laugh but there are professionals who do nothing but help you find the right dog you could possibly train yourself. They help to bridge the gap between trainer and owner and dog. They can be extremely helpful, but be careful and make sure they are not just "sales agents" for specific breeders.

This is the difficult side of finding the right service dog. You really have to learn about an entire new world you never knew existed. For example, people buy a dog then breed the dog and sell the puppies and then rinse and repeat. To make matters easier they might even try to get you involved in the process. We found an adorable dog, fell and love, and then at the last minute they told us it was part of this breed and repeat model. This just wouldn't work for us and where we live. The problem was the dog was super sweet, I was now in love, my epilepsy was doing poorly. We offered many times worth the dog to break it out of the process but the owner knew they had the perfect dog. So we had to leave and I was stuck with a broken heart. This was my test. How badly did I want the dog and could I make it non-emotional? Could I step back and look for a dog I could train myself to fit me and my needs. It was tough, but I am grateful for the process. This was put to the test on dog number two that the breeder/trainer said was ideal for someone with epilepsy. He knew epilepsy. Said he had trained the dog for that role. The problem was that I didn't like the dog and the dog didn't like me. The trainer tried, but it wasn't happening. This took us hundreds of miles away as we were providentially placed with our "perfect" service dog.

Step 2: Train. Train. Train Your Dog.

It truly is never over because you are never done training and being trained. It's not a 30 minute TV show. This is a bond that will forever change you and vice versa. It has been my experience from talking to professionals that this is not a guaranteed process.

First, if you have a disability you might not have the energy or focus to be able to complete a self-training process. During those early days of epilepsy I was fortunate to make it out of bed let alone do much more. So be honest about what you can really handle. This is especially ture if you are battling a disability. Look for your endurance and what you can handle. This is really important. This is the huge value of having a professional trainer and service. They do the "heavy lifting" before you become involved.

Second, In my opinion the next step is the most important. Watch your dog. Is he watching you, observing you or oblivisious to wahat is happening or just having doggy fun. Ideally, you want to just notice that your dog is observing you. keeping an eye on you. That there is a a connection. You're looking for a bond. Anything. You aren't going to have a guide dog yet, but you want to see that they have an interest in you. You can build on this over time through treats, but you don't want it to be treats alone. This is just my personal opinion. You just wear out. That is ok. You just might have a great dog that can help you and nothing is wrong with that. I find this is incredibly true, but in my case my dog my energy is often mirrored with my dog. He will rest when I rest. He will have energy when I do. Knowing this can and will happen means I have to then train and reinforce this activity.

Step 3: A Lifetime Commitment.

This means having to walk your dog even when you don't want to or when you feel up to it. See your provider or partner if you need their help. You will not be able to do it all and can they help you. It takes a family to make this work so make sure that everyone is "all in" which includes picking up dog poop often two to three times a day in the rain or shine. THis is also when I have sometimes seen a family "service dog" understand life has changed and just adapt in ways that will bring a tear to your eye. yo. Also if you have a disability, like epilepsy, there are times it is unsafe to walk your dog and you will need help so you need to see if your dog can adapt their schedule or if you will have a mess because they couldn't wait. This is also a great time for the dog to know you and your condition. I put t-shirts in Gabe's crate that I had worn during a seizure so Gabe began to know my scent of a pending seizure.