Military, Panic Attack, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior, James and Service Dog, Sadie

Laurie had an amazing training session with Wounded Warrior, James, who was paired with Service Dog, Sadie. James said Sadie has fit into their family perfectly. He takes her to work at San Antonio Military Medical Center every day, and Sadie is an absolute wonder for all the patients he cares for. James also gets to take long breaks with Sadie to take her for walks on the base grounds when his anxiety gets too high. So far, James has only been working with Sadie, who knows all commands, at home and at work. Sadie sleeps with James and consistently wakes him from his night terrors. Sadie also alerts James and his wife if their child is crying or not sleeping well!

Laurie writes:

We had our first public training session at Petsmart. James’ PTSD and TBI are so severe that he has not been able to go to public places other than work without his wife and Sadie with him. So this was an extreme challenge for him. When I met James outside of Petsmart, he was sitting with Sadie in a cover, already in a full-blown panic attack – sweating, feeling lightheaded, etc. I stayed with them outside for quite some time, and explained to him that this panic attack is absolutely normal and expected for someone with his conditions. I helped him do some deep-breathing exercises, had him focus on Sadie and pet her until he had calmed down a bit. He said he felt like leaving, but he didn’t want to give up. I was so proud of him! I promised him that we would go very slowly in Petsmart, and that any time he started to panic, we would step to a quiet area so that he could breath and focus on Sadie, letting her know he needed her.

We entered Petsmart slowly, with Sadie waiting at the door until James told her to “go through”. Then we walked around the edges of Petsmart slowly, letting James get comfortable with the amount of people and dogs there. Luckily, it wasn’t very crowded, and James said that that helped. He kept saying he was still anxious, but I reminded him that I was right beside him, and Sadie, who is always eying her surroundings, would always alert James if there were anything he should worry about. One huge trigger for James is children, due to his past experiences in battle. He loves them, and wants to conquer this fear he gets because he immediately goes into a flashback. The first thing we did was make an appointment for Sadie to get a furminator treatment for her coat. I had James come into the small grooming area, which was crowded, and let him stand in the corner with Sadie in a front cover while I made the appointment for him. I kept checking with him to see if he was OK with a thumb’s up, and he did great.

Next, we just started going up and down the aisles slowly, found a collar where Sadie stayed in a perfect heel, and practiced just walking and having James walk by people and other dogs calmly. When people would ask if they could pet the dog, James actually said absolutely, put Sadie in a “sit/stay”, and James and Sadie did perfectly! The more we walked and talked, the calmer you could see James becoming. We did several meet and greets with other dogs, and Sadie was a perfect lady even with the dogs that would bark or jump. James was so proud of her!! We picked out some items for Sadie, looked at the birds and fish, and actually, James was able to do a meet and greet with a child! He was beaming after accomplishing that.

James and I talked about how things were going at home, because I noticed that while Sadie performed perfectly, and responded so wonderfully when James would squat down and give her love, their seemed to be a bit of distance between them. So I asked James about what happens when he gets home from work and is frustrated or angry about something. He said he usually goes out onto the back porch alone and sits there, leaving Sadie inside, because he doesn’t want Sadie to get upset. I explained to him that it was Sadie’s JOB to be there during those difficult times. She needs to see him when he is feeling at his worst – Sadie can handle that – because that it what creates the bond. He agreed to make sure just he and Sadie spend that time together alone, so that Sadie can feel his moods and comfort him. Sometimes, James also said that he retreats to his room when he is feeling bad, so that he doesn’t take it out on his family. I asked him if he takes Sadie in there with him every time. He again said no, because he didn’t want to upset Sadie. We talked a long time about why it is desperately important that he include Sadie when he feels this way, because that is her job, and she needs to know that James needs her during those difficult moments and will provide comfort. This is so essential to the bonding.

James understood, and said he would do this, instead of letting Sadie just be in another room with his wife and child and their puppy, Colby (who loves to play with Sadie).

When we finally left Petsmart, I mentioned to James that he had survived an entire hour in Petsmart and DID IT!!!! I hugged him and told him how proud I was that he did it. He was proud, too!!!!! I told him some jokes when we left and although he said he would sit in his car a bit to decompress, I reminded him to focus on Sadie and give her love and treats!!!!

Service Dog Express's photo.

 

Addison’s Disease, Central Texas, Experience, Texas

WONDERFUL news from our former trainer and client, dear Julia

WONDERFUL news from our former trainer and client, dear Julia, who suffers from Addison’s Disease. She had wonderful Misty, who detected her cortisol levels consistently, but Julia had to rehome Misty with someone she knew for an entire year because her apartment complex would not allow her Service Dog – despite all the information we sent them. They are together again!!! Julia writes:

Hi Service Dog Express!

I just wanted to update you on Misty and I.  She’s back home with me after battling the rental company. I finally got a doctor to sign the form they required! After being a year apart, she remembers everything about me, my husband, and our two kitties. She also very in tune with my 5 month old daughter! Not only does Misty still alert me when my cortisol is low, she now will wake me up if she hears my daughter crying on the monitor. She’s gotten a lot better about scratching my arm when alerting. Now she just grunts and licks my face!

I also wanted to share my story and my fundraiser for Addison’s Disease! Please feel free to share on your Facebook page my story, fundraiser and picture of Misty May. Thank you guys for everything you do.

Addison’s Disease Awareness Thirty-One TOTE-ally Online Fundraiser

“To make a long story short, I’ve had Addison’s Disease for 2 years now. I’m 23 years old and feel like a 70 year old woman. Now that I know everything there is to know about Primary Addison’s Disease, I can truly say that my adrenal glands have been dying my whole life. I’ll start out by explaining my tiring childhood.

December 1991 – September 2012

All my life most people have asked me what it’s like to be a twin. My response was always the same; what’s it like to not have a twin? Growing up with a twin was different and kind of hard. People liked to compare us often. My twin was considered the “advanced one”. She was very driven and enthusiastic about school. She enjoyed learning, orchestra, and sports. She was the student that would get outraged about getting anything but an A+… But me? I was the completely opposite. I did enjoy orchestra, yes, but I wasn’t trying to become a professional violinist. School was never the place I wanted to be; I slept through most of high school and got excited if I got a D- to pass the class. My mind often wandered and I doodled in my notebook.

When I hit high school, my mom and I decided that maybe going to a private school would be the better choice for me. My twin decided to continue to Public High School. I soon found out private school was even worse because the classes were designed for college prep. I obviously could not keep up and as a result I failed a lot of my classes. My mom finally got me to a psychologist and he diagnosed me with ADHD. I was immediately put on Focalin. That drug made me too focused. I could block out any teacher, and focus on anything I wanted to instead of the material. Needless to say, my freshman year was a waste and I went back to public high school with my twin. I stopped taking the Focalin because it would take all the brain power out of me that about 2 o’clock in the afternoon I would pass out and couldn’t function the rest of the day. I went through the rest of high school barely passing classes and almost didn’t graduate. I hated every moment of high school. People and teachers made me feel worthless; and I started to believe them.

To make another long story short, I was in an abusive relationship with a man for two years. I was so focused on trying to fix this relationship that I was not on speaking terms with my twin sister and my relationship with my parents was very strained to say the least. It was a rough and emotional time for me and for my family. The following summer, I started a community college and I told myself that I was done with people’s rude comments and I was going to do this and bust my butt trying to pass these classes. I also began a part-time job as a front desk agent with my twin sister at a local hotel in town. I also helped with housekeeping and breakfast on occasions.

August 2012

I finally had it one day, I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 years and called my parents. I apologized and told them everything. I wanted to just come home. Without any questions, my parents came and helped pack my bags and put my things in boxes and I left and never looked back. I continued going to college and working at the hotel. I didn’t like living at home with my parents again; it felt like a repeat of high school.

I was really lonely during this time. While I was dating him, I really hurt my twin a lot and she didn’t want to be around me anymore. That broke my heart. I went in and out of a depressive state. I finally had had enough and told myself that I deserved more. So something inside of me told me to get on an online dating site and make a profile. Within the next week, I had met my future husband, Jimmy I was happy again. A man in the Army with his life together, with no criminal background, no smoking, no drugs – nothing! Hooray! I kept a secret for a while from my parents. Most sane people would need time to get over a two year relationship, but with an abusive relationship; it’s just different. Jimmy was this beacon of light in my life and I was never going to let that go. Jimmy was stationed at an Army base 4 hours away. He drove up to my hometown to meet me the next weekend. We had a blast and he made me happy. So he eventually met my parents and Jimmy and I a drove back a forth every other weekend to be with other; along with Skype during the weekdays.

September 2012

Jimmy asked me to be his girlfriend in September! I was tickled pink! Going to college full time, having a part-time job, and driving back and forth to jimmy was becoming exhausting. I felt extra tired – like I had run a marathon the day before. I felt like things were becoming easier emotionally, I was happy, and of all thing – I was losing weight! What girl doesn’t want to lose weight!? I weighed 178 in August. I now weighed 161 without doing any exercise.

October – November 2012

This is when my body began to change. I was taking some sick days because I was throwing up some, but I just assumed I had the flu or ate something bad. Towards the end of November, I had my wisdom teeth removed. My face was really swollen. And it took me over a week to go back to work and school. My twin got her wisdom teeth removed a week or so later, and it only took her three days to recover. Once again, I was the freak who took too long to do everything. The puking increased after my surgery. I never really threw up food, it was more foamy white clear junk. I really just thought I kept getting the flu. I weighed 152 now. I remember visiting Jimmy on base one weekend. He lived on the third floor in the barracks. I remember getting extremely winded trying to keep up with Jimmy, walking to his room. When we got to the stairwell, I passed out on the 2nd floor set of stairs. My vision went completely black. I woke up in Jimmy’s arms. Jimmy had to carried me up the 3rd floor set of stairs and to his room. I remember not doing much the rest of the weekend – I think we just watched movie after movie.

December 2012

In December, I began working a lot less and calling in a lot. I almost stopped going to class completely. I usually was only going to my night classes (Which I was failing too.) I had bought a plane ticket to fly across the country to meet Jimmy’s parents for Christmas. That trip just about killed me. I had never had so much anxiety or fearfulness about being in a airplane. I think it was because I was trying not to throw up on the gentleman next to me in the worlds dinkiest plane. I remember getting there; I threw up in the airport bathroom. I felt so bad, like I was hiding something from Jimmy. I felt so dizzy that I had to lay down in the back of Jimmy’s car on the way to his parent’s house. That entire trip I slept a lot. I couldn’t keep up with Jimmy and his family while walking through the mall. I asked to sit down a lot. I was extremely dizzy, my vision would go in and out. I drove back with Jimmy home, I slept even more in the car. Now my hair started to fall out – in golf ball sizes.

January 2013

In January, Jimmy asked me to marry him. I was more than happy. I slowly became worse, throwing up 4-10 times a day. My twin lived up north about 2 hours away with my Aunt. I went up one weekend to hang out. I slept almost of the whole time. I felt so sick and dizzy, that I couldn’t drive my car back home. My parents had to come get me. My aunt told my mom that something else was going on with me. My aunt mentioned how dark my knuckles were and that my skin was yellow. I weighed 138 now and I had absolutely no appetite and had bald spots in my hair. I remember staring off into space a lot and having the occasional feeling of being in a earthquake – even though I wasn’t moving at all. When my parents picked me up, we made the 21/2 hour trip back to our home and my mom took me directly to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I was given a prescription and was told to see my primary doctor. I went to the doctor the next day and they looked at the emergency room report and agreed it was hypothyroidism. I left with the medication with the understanding that sometimes it takes awhile to get the dosage correct. I felt good for about 3-4 days and then it all started again. I went back to the doctor and they changed the dosage of the medicine and said it could take up to 30 days for the medicine to have the results they wanted. Again, in about 3-4 days I was sick again. this time the doctor could not get my blood pressure to regulate and noticed that my muscle mass was quickly deteriorating. the doctor suggested I get some Ensure to add calories and nutrients to my diet. Things continued to get worse. The medication wasn’t helping. My Mom wanted me to go back to the doctor, but I was sick of the doctor and wanted to give it the 30 days they doctor had indicated.

February 2013

By now, I no longer could travel to go see Jimmy; so he came to me. My boss at work took me off the schedule until “I felt better” and I completely stopped to going to college. My mom could not understand how I could be so distant from planning my own wedding and questioned me as to if I was sure if I wanted to get married. She didn’t know what was going on with me. I stayed in my room and slept all day. I just got engaged – shouldn’t I be excited? I was emotionless and I just wanted to sleep. I was still getting worse. My mom took my to the ER this time. I was rehydrated and told to see my primary doctor again. After that, I went straight back to throwing up and no appetite. It now was the norm for me to be in bed for 10-15 hours a day with a towel and a puke bucket next to my bed. I started to lose my muscles in my legs and arms. I had to use my sheets to pull myself up out of bed and I would crawl on my hands and knees to get to the bathroom. I lived on the second story of my parents house. I never went downstairs. I had a box of saltine crackers and a water bottle I would fill up in the morning. I was literally dying and had no idea.

March 2013

Jimmy and I were to be married in March. We were going to have a private wedding since I didn’t feel well. A week before our wedding, I called our Pastor and told him we will have to postpone because I couldn’t even walk down the aisle. On March 24th, 2013, my mom wanted me to return to the emergency room because I was obviously not well and deteriorating. the morning of March 25, 2013, my mom came to check on me upstairs before she left for work and found me covered in puke and not able to get up. Mom contacted my older sister, who was in nursing school and told her we were going to the ER again. My older sister explained she had finally found the disease that caused the skin to darken and discolor and told my mom to print off the information and take it with her because it is a rare disease that is not well known. I collapsed and passed out. Mom called my Aunt who lives near by and they both got me downstairs and rushed me to the hospital. I remember sitting in the ER waiting room in a wheelchair. I couldn’t hold up my head. I was a limp rag doll. No thought in my head – nothing. Just sitting in the wheelchair with my head fallen forward. No muscles to hold anything up. Worse part was Jimmy was on his way to our house to come visit. He had no idea what was going on. I weighed 119 pounds. Last time I was that small, I was ten years old. They immediately took me back when they took my blood pressure. I was two points away from being in a coma. The emergency team could not understand why my blood pressure would not stabilize like it should. They asked my mom was there something they needed to know. Mom pulled out the information she had printed off about Addison’s Disease and gave it to the doctor. The doctor immediately took the information and contacted someone, we don’t know who, but he came back with two vials of life giving medication – Prednisone. I was admitted to ICU and the blood work began. I was on bag after bag after bag of saline to keep me hydrated. The doctors came back and told me that along with my deathly low blood pressure, my potassium was incredibly off the charts low as well as my sodium levels. After doing a cortisol and ATCH blood test, my blood work was ordered and shipped to Mayo clinic. (My twin sister was also tested and blood work shipped to Mayo clinic. Since we are twins, she has a 70% chance of getting Addison’s as well. So, she will be monitored for any signs of Addison’s for the rest of her life.) Jimmy arrived at our house and called my cell phone to ask where everyone was. I told him I was in ICU. He drove over and stayed by my side until the nurses told him visiting hours were over. I spent the night listening to my my machines beeping and leg boots compress my legs over and over. I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t wrap around my head what had just happened; That months had just flown by and they my doctor said I would’ve have died. The next morning, Jimmy, my mom, my dad, and my older sister were in my room when my ICU doctor came in and asked to shake my older sister’s hand. We asked why? He said, “ She saved your life, Julia. Addison’s Disease wasn’t on my radar.” He continued to explain what Addison’s Disease is and that I will have to take steroids the rest of my life. I remember not even knowing my jaw had dropped to the floor. I didn’t understand. What the heck is an adrenal gland? I’m chronically sick? What!? He left and told me that he’ll get my meds going and I should be able to leave later that day. They injected my steroids into my IV and I felt better within the hour. I had energy again and I had lots to say. Everyone left and it was just Jimmy and I. I remember crying my heart out and asking Jimmy if he still wanted to marry me now that I have a lifelong chronic illness. He giggled and said we hadn’t said our vows yet, but “for better or for worse” applies here. I truly love him with all my heart. I had to walk with a cane for the next week or so while I regained my muscles. My knees were like jelly, literally, they bent backwards.

April 2013 – January 2014

Losing 60 pounds in under 6 months was scary. I was a size 12 and was a size 2 when I left the hospital. Everyday I gradually got better. I ate more and saw my endocrinologist monthly. He had me on Prednisone and Fludrocortisone. Jimmy and I got married on April 13th, 2013. It was a beautiful day. (Even though my dress didn’t fit me) I took the rest of April to regain my strength and pack up my things to move to base to live with Jimmy. In May, I decided to cut all my hair off. It was still falling out and I got sick of dealing with it. Since then, Jimmy and I continued enjoying life as newlyweds and I saw my Endocrinologist every 3 months and got blood work done; adjusting my medication as needed. We got orders to a new duty station and the Army sent us on our way. It was very emotional saying goodbye to my family. They saved my life. We got two cats and I got my first full-time job. I gave up on college. One of the side effects of prednisone is unexplained anxiety. Doctors tried putting me on more meds to help. They made me insane and I didn’t get know who my husband was. Needless to say, I went looking for alternative way to help with my anxiety. After researching online, I found a Service Dog Company that helps with psychological and physical disabilities. It turns out that they have dogs that they train to detect when cortisol is low and dogs that help with anxiety. In January 2013, I was given Misty, a five year old black lab! She has saved my life multiple times. She also knows how to help me with mobility when I’m having a Addison’s Crisis. She comforts me with my anxiety cause by the side effects of the steroids.

Febuary2014 – October 2014

In February, I began get sick again like I did before. I was throwing up, the bucket next to my bed, and I was missing work again. I was losing weight quicker this time. I couldn’t keep my meds down. I tried saltine crackers, I tried crushing my meds up and trying to drink them. I threw up everything. I went back to the doctor – turns out I was pregnant! I was admitted into the Army hospital for dehydration 8 times during my first trimester. Nothing like spending a month in the hospital, right? In April, we found out that my husband was going to be deployed to Afghanistan. I was not getting any better and now he was going to leave. We decided that it would be best if I were to move back home to be with my parents while he was away. So in May, my parents flew down to come get me. It was nice to be back home with my doctors that already knew my story. But now we had a problem – They had never had a addison’s patient that was this young and now pregnant! I had lots of extra ultrasounds and my doctor decided to switch me from prednisone to hydrocortisone. I had lots of heartburn and heart palpitations while i was pregnant. from my knees down i was very swollen and had to wear compression hoses often and couldn’t stand for more than an hour. It was literally a waiting game until November. Jimmy’s Sargent let him come home early to see our baby born.

November 2014 – Present Day

I got my old endocrinologist back and decided to get the same doctor that delivered my older sister’s baby. Well, I learned something. When you have a rare disease – you get all the doctors in the office on your chart! Because my doctors had never had a patient with Addison’s, i got Cushings Syndrome really bad, because my steroid dose was way too high. I got purple striae (purple stretch marks) on my under arms, thighs, butt, stomach, back and some of my calves. I also had a “buffalo hump” on the back of my neck and had a extremely round face. On Nov 3rd, I sat down on my mother’s couch to watch the football game and my water broke. We rushed to the hospital where I went into labor. I was only 4 cm dilated when my baby wasn’t taking the contractions well. Her heart rate kept falling. Once the contractions starting getting stronger, my body started to fail. My blood pressure wouldn’t stay stable. So my doctors decided on a Emergency C-section. My baby girl was born the following morning with her daddy getting to be the first one to hold her! Recovering was the absolute worse thing I have ever gone through. I gained 70 pounds during my pregnancy.I felt like a overweight jelly blob with no strength to even sleep. The stress of the c-section put all of pressure on my legs – which were weak to begin with. I got to go home two days later. I had a lot help from my twin and my mom. I had to walk with a cane and lean against walls for the first few days. I literally cried every time I knew I had to take a shower. I still get nausea thinking about my incision on my bikini line. My husband did most of the work at night – changing her diaper and such. I was just trying to recover. My husband had to help my put on my pants for the first two weeks after giving birth. My daughter is worth all the pain I went through. I love her. Currently, I’m now a stay-at-home-mom. I truly can’t work anymore. It’s not worth get hospitalized over and over and stressing myself out into a crisis. So I hang out with my service dog, Misty and my daughter and two cats. I focus on the little things in life and do big things when I can. I enjoy my crafting and music. I sometime have to be selfish and think about myself first. I have to ask myself often: “Can I physically do this or will I regret it later?” Taking a shower, doing a load of laundry and taking care of my daughter is enough for one day. But everyday is a blessing from God.”

Anxiety, Experience, Medical Alert, Military, Mobility, Navy, Panic Attack, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Denise and SDiT Sandy

From our trainer, Brenda, who is a paraplegic in a wheelchair and specializes in working with our other clients in wheelchairs, who has been working with Denise and her SDIT, Sandy!

Brenda writes:

“After several training sessions, I went through a mock Public Access Test to show me that Sandy was ready for her formal test. We did the following:

1) Sandy “loaded” onto the bus perfectly. I had also observed her loading into Denise’s provider’s truck Friday without hesitation.
2) Sandy “unloaded” off the bus perfectly.
3) Denise demonstrated “sit” and “stay” without a problem. Sandy did not pay attention to the food on the floor at McDonald’s and has never had an issue at home when Denise eats. We did not go to the grocery store, but I have seen in the past that Sandy has no issues with shopping carts in the store. Denise does not want anyone petting Sandy.
4) Denise demonstrated “down” with little problem. At 1st, Sandy was very excited and wasn’t focused, but Denise quickly got her full attention when she brought out the can of Pet Corrector! Sandy then laid down right away and stayed. Sandy laid right down in McDonald’s, too, and did not bother with food that was already on the floor. She did not break the down position when people walked by.
5) Denise and Sandy went through the door at her apartment and at McDonald’s with Sandy heeling just in front of her chair, out of the way of it and not too far ahead. Sandy also demonstrated that she knows her directions.
6) When we were going to and from the bus stop and restaurant, I observed that Sandy heeled perfectly next to Denise’s chair (or just in front of as needed), and there was slack in the leash so I know she wasn’t pulling. Traffic and noise do not bother Sandy. She stops when Denise stops.
7) Sandy executed “go through” perfectly and waits for Denise once she is through.
8) Sandy stays right next to Denise at all times.
9 & 10) For safety reasons, I did not have her demonstrate these; I feel more comfortable waiting to do these with someone who can walk just in case things go wrong. However, Denise told me of a situation last week where when they were getting dropped off by ViaTrans. Sandy saw a cat when the door opened, and Denise did not have good hold of the leash. Sandy took off after the cat and Denise said “NO Sandy! Come back here!” Sandy stopped right away and went back to Denise. Sandy did the “sit/stay/come” combo perfectly in the house.
11) I have done this in the past without Sandy even flinching, and she wasn’t distracted by noise or people on our outing today – so I didn’t drop anything. It also wasn’t feasible to do this rolling on the sidewalk. We only went to McDonald’s and not HEB too, as this would have been too much for Denise today and I didn’t want to be redundant on things I know that Sandy is perfect with and will pass on her official test.

I did do some wheelchair troubleshooting. There was an issue as far as the bus one time; Sandy did not have a place to sit in front of Denise’s chair, out of the aisle. I saw this in the past, and had been thinking of what we could do. I suggested that Denise make sure her chair was as far back as possible and to swing out the leg rest that was on the window side, put her foot on the floor to give Sandy more room to sit for the ride, and also to swing out the leg rest on the aisle side like a door when Sandy gets in and out to make it easier on her. Denise didn’t even know that her leg rests COULD swing out and I’m not sure that you would have known either or how to do it. Sandy was still hesitant to get into that spot, but I think it’s just from her past experience of having no room and being uncomfortable, so I advised Denise to be ready with treats to coax her there in the future until Sandy catches on that it is easier and she now has more room to sit comfortably. I made it clear to Denise that I am still here for her if she has problems and to call me so I can do more troubleshooting. I believe that once Sandy realizes that adjustments have been made and she has a big enough spot to sit every time, Sandy will go right into her spot without hesitation and it will be a faster process!

They are ready for their Public Access Test next session!

Experience, San Antonio, Texas

Lori and her Boston Terrier, Abbie

Laurie had a wonderful training session with Lori and her Boston Terrier, Abbie! They had their first session in public at Petsmart.

Lori was in a lot of pain from her medical issues, but she was a trooper and did a super job! Abbie unloaded perfectly, waited at the doors before entering, went up and down all the aisles and stayed in a perfect “heel” position, and never barked even though other dogs barked passing by, and did a wonderful job at staying in a heel when Lori dropped the leash! Abbie was in perfect position when we got the shopping cart, responded to “leave it” when she sniffed too much, and kept her focus on Lori. We did several meet and greets with adults and children, and Abbie was delightful. She loves people! There were some slightly “growly” dogs there, but we asked and did meet and greets with the dogs, and with careful redirection, the dogs were able to do the proper introductions to each other with the usual “hi, can I sniff you to get to know you?” Abbie and Lori and I also practiced sit/stays and down/stays in the back, and Abbie was great. She needs a bit more work on her down/stay, but other than that, this team is truly amazing. When Lori is feeling anxious or in pain, she will ask Abbie for hugs, and Abbie will either jump in her lab if Lori is sitting and hug her with her little legs and kiss her face, or will do it when Lori bends down. They have an amazing, loving bond.

Anxiety, Mobility, San Antonio, Texas

YAY TO NETTE AND SD ELLA

YAY TO NETTE AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, ELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nette, who has had a stroke due to an inherited condition and has anxiety and mobility issues, has done AMAZING work with Ella! Laurie remembers first meeting them many months ago, and Ella was just a huge ball of all over the place energy. Well, not anymore! Even though she is only 1 ½ and a Labrador, Nette and Ella and Laurie have trained continuously in many different places, and Ella did every command perfectly during our Public Access Test (PAT) at Bass Pro Shop! (the workers there are so used to Laurie bringing dogs in there for the PAT, they know what parts of the test they will be asked to participate in!) Ella unloaded, waited in a perfect sit until Letty was ready, did a wonderful controlled entry, always stayed in heel position, kept her focus on Nette despite all the many distractions at the Shop, we did turns and fast-pace and slow-paced walking, did steps one at a time (step-wait, step-wait) because Nette has difficulty on steps, rode in the elevator where Nette did the proper holding of the door to let Nette go in and out first, met children (Ella LOVES children – and especially loved a little 2 year-old whose parents agreed to the meet and greet and whose name was also Ella!), met adult strangers, did controlled exits, controlled load into vehicle – everything. We even could put her favorite treats on her paw and she would “leave it” until Nette gave her the command that it was ok. Ella heeled perfectly next to a shopping cart, let me take her and walk with her (looking back to make sure “mom” was following and ok), did not react to any loud distractions, etc. She received SO many compliments from people who came up and said “I wish my Labrador could act like your dog!” She did a perfect down/stay, and sit/stay – even when Nette disappeared out of sight a bit still saying the command stay!

Although we have had many training sessions, Laurie has to give all the credit to Nette, who is extremely intelligent and compassionate and consistently has been training with Nette at home and in public. She has done an amazing job, and Laurie is SO proud of her. They have developed a friendship that will last for life!!

Of course, Ella received tons of praise when she was done, and you could tell Ella knew she did a great job. She’s got a little bit of sassiness to her that makes her all the more adorable! She was rewarded with her favorite treat by Nette afterward – a vanilla ice cream cone!

Anxiety, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth and SD Zoe

CONGRATULATIONS to client Elizabeth, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety, and her now Service Dog, ZOE!!!!!

Laurie has been training with Elizabeth and Zoe for some time now, and they passed their Public Access Test at Laurie’s favorite place to give the test, the Bass Pro Shop! They went through each and every command, and received outstanding results on every part! The only one that needs a little more work is the six foot on leash sit/stay. Zoe is able to do it when Elizabeth is at work, and Zoe is tied to her desk when Elizabeth walks away to go to the water fountain or supervise someone at their desk, but in crowded places, Zoe is so incredibly bonded to Elizabeth that she can stay for about three feet and then doesn’t want Elizabeth too far away. Zoe is extremely attentive to Elizabeth and seems to understand her moods and need for Zoe to be near – she follows Elizabeth everywhere at home, too. These two have worked extremely hard at all commands, and Zoe does them all without treats needed – she just seems to know when she has done something well because Elizabeth is so proud of her. Elizabeth says that now if they are at home and Zoe does something she shouldn’t, Zoe wraps herself up in her blanket and looks at Elizabeth as if to say “I’m sorry, mom!”

We ended up the successful test (she will continue to work on the six foot on leash sit/stay) with a score of 95% by behaving perfectly as Elizabeth and I had a sit-down lunch in a very busy restaurant with food on the floors – and Zoey did not need extra corrections if Elizabeth said to “leave it”. Zoey just laid down near Elizabeth’s feet the entire 45 minutes, drank some water, and watched the scenery – but did not once try to get at the food even when a delicious hot pizza was brought to our table! Elizabeth takes Zoe to work at the call center every day, where Zoe is accepted and behaves perfectly.

I am so very proud of Elizabeth, who takes wonderful care of Zoe along with her fiancé, and we plan to keep our friendship going!

YAY FOR ELIZABETH AND ZOE!!!

Anxiety, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

Lori and SDiT Abbie

Laurie had a beautiful training session with Lori, who unfortunately suffers from anxiety, depression, PTSD due to a recent sexual assault, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia. She initially asked if I would like assess her 2 year-old rescue Boston Terrier for possible training as a Service Dog. Lori rescued her about a year and a half ago, and said that “Abbie” has basic training, is totally housebroken, knows basic commands and tries very hard to do what Lori requests of her. Abigail is very good with people, totally non-aggressive with other people and dogs, and up to date on shots and takes her heart worm preventative. Lori explained that she finds it difficult to go into public places (like a store, etc.) due to anxiety and hypervigilance. She sadly stated that she has lost all of her friends due to her disability, but Abbie’s socialization skills make it easier for Lori to interact with everyone. Lori has to take her extremely supportive and brilliant husband or another housemate with her to most shops and restaurants because of her anxiety. She would really like to honor her Marine uncle by visiting him at the Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery, but she has been unable to do so because cemeteries are a trigger for her. She explained that “Abbie’s presence would make me less reliant on her medications, as Abbie is a calming, protective force in her environment. She simply stated, “We are in love!”

I had to admit that prior to going to my first session with beautiful, compassionate, and highly intelligent Lori, I was doubtful about how much we could accomplish with a Boston Terrier, as they are usually a bit difficult to train and have traits that are not what you would automatically associate with difficult Service Dog work. BOY, was I WRONG!!!! From the first meeting with Lori and Abbie, I was simply blown away by how incredibly smart Abbie is, and how much training work Lori had done with her! I could not say whether Abbie was just an extraordinary Boston Terrier or if it was the brilliance and attention to detail that Lori had working with Abbie, but walking into that house was like walking into a calm, beautiful, serene environment that simply emanated from every part of the home and from Lori, Abbie, Lori’s husband, and their housemate. Even in the midst of renovating their home, their experience with interior decorating, the soothing colors they chose for their rooms, and their amazing energy in the home was riveting. Abbie reflected this very same demeanor. She knew to wait at the door, obeyed gentle commands, had an unbelievably loving bond with Lori, made superior eye contact, and could perform so many commands already that I think I wanted to go out and pair up every client with a Boston Terrier!

Lori, her husband and I talked a lot about Lori’s experiences, and all the terribly unfortunate experiences they had encountered despite their desire and passion to help others where they used to live (and where the sexual assault occurred). Lori had a beautiful room for her office where she had so many computer monitors set up for her extensive knowledge about technology, and her husband, a professor of Art History and Philosophy, shared how difficult it was for them when they moved away from San Antonio down to south Texas to try and work with the people there spreading their knowledge in such a charitable way. After the assault, they had to move back to San Antonio.

Lori put Abbie’s beautiful vest on, which had all the appropriate patches, her ID with medical information on the back, and Abbie went straight into “working” mode. Abbie thrived on Lori’s love, so constant treats were not necessary (although she didn’t mind the few I gave her!). We easily went over all the basic commands in the house, and Abbie maintained constant eye contact with Lori when she gave commands. She was rewarded with hugs and kisses that she reciprocated and obviously brought tremendous joy to Lori.

At our next session, we will venture out into public. I have no doubt that they will do spectacularly as a team. It was humbling to say the least to see someone who had been through so much show so much determination and dedication to making the Service Dog process work. I am truly honored to have met this amazing family!

Experience, Military, PTSD, Self Training, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Tremendous adventure for Wounded Warrior Andrew

A tremendous adventure for our client, Wounded Warrior Andrew, and his Service Dog, Mozzie! Now that Andrew is officially separated from the military after suffering from severe PTSD, he decided to try a wonderful, new, healing and bonding experience with Mozzie – hiking the Appalachian Trail together! Here is a link to his journal – it’s just fascinating!

Andrew did call me yesterday because he said that Mozzie is getting a bit “overprotective” of Andrew in certain situations – especially when night falls and strangers walk by the tarp he is sleeping under – or when they meet certain people at the hostels along the way – but I explained that this is perfectly natural, because their bond is so close, and Mozzie is just watching out for Andrew with all the smells of the forest and smells on new people that he might be alerting to. Mozzie will just emit a small growl in certain situations, but stops immediately once Andrew checks things out.

Otherwise, when the two of them are hiking for miles, Mozzie is happy, joyful, curious, and they have had so much fun bonding surrounded by the peace of nature!

Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes

Amazing session with Greg

Laurie had an amazing session with Greg, who suffers with bipolar disorder, severe anxiety, and severe depression. Greg also has diabetes. He is training with beautiful rescue, SDIT “Missy”. Laurie was simply stunned when she had her first session with Greg and Missy. Greg has an uncanny ability with dogs, and had read the training manual so carefully that he knew every command he needed to teach her. Greg truly has a brilliant mind. When he opened the door, he already had Missy in a sit/stay position when he let me in the door. I walked in, and Missy delicately accepted a treat, did not jump at all although her tail was wagging! It was extremely apparent that they had already developed a very close bond in the few weeks they had been together. Greg is a very, very kind, compassionate, loving person, and it showed by how Missy always wanted to be by his side, made excellent eye contact with him, and seemed happy, healthy, and content.

We went over basic commands such as “sit”, “wait”, “stay”, “down”, “watch me”, etc, and Missy and Greg were perfect. Next, we decided to go on a walk to the park area across from Greg’s apartment. Missy eagerly but calmly put on her vest and leash – with just a regular collar – and when we exited, Greg had Missy wait at the door until he gave her the command to “go through”. Missy stayed in an absolutely perfect heel alongside Greg at all times – no pulling whatsoever – even when people passed by or a cat appeared. She was focused on Greg. We walked around the apartment complex a bit, and then had to cross a very busy street to get to the park. When we got to the curb, Greg did not even have to give Missy a command – she immediately sat and waited until it was clear to cross!

When we got to the park, Greg explained that Missy had certain areas where she regularly eliminated, and we walked through the grass with Missy doing normal sniffing but absolutely no pulling. There was no time when Greg had to tell her to “leave it”. When we arrived at her “spot”, she promptly eliminated, and Greg reinforced this with “go potty”. Greg uses very little treats to motivate Missy – she seems to thrive on his love and the affection and positive reinforcement he gives her for being such a good girl. We passed by some children, and I asked Greg if he and Missy had encountered children before and how she reacted. Greg has a very large extended family with many children that visit or that he visits, and he said that Missy just loves children and is gentle and snuggly with them. We met a woman who asked if she could pet Missy, and Greg gave permission – and Missy was a perfect lady – first sniffing the woman’s hand and then accepting her pets. She even commented that she wished “all dogs were like that”.

When we arrived back at Greg’s home, Missy did the exact same sit and wait at the door until he gave her the command to go through. Missy was a bit tired after our long walk, and she laid down and when I went to pet her, she adorably rolled over and I gave her several well-deserved tummy rubs.

I sat with Greg and explained to him that after having done this for many years, I was genuinely astonished at how much self-training he had done with Missy. He even explained that Missy sleeps with him or very close by, and if he has nightmares, she is already alerting to them and will come and lick his face to wake him up. She also seems to be picking up on his sugar levels, because she gets very clingy and licks or paws him when they get too high or too low.

Unfortunately, Greg has to have a quite serious surgery on his foot due to a wound that will not heal due to his diabetes. However, he said that as soon as the surgery is over (it is in about one week), he will be ready to do more training in public. I mentioned that he will probably be in a lot of pain, and not to push it – but he cleverly answered that because he has neuropathy in that leg, he won’t feel the pain! But he promised he will follow doctor’s orders about walking and will take it slow. Of course, I told him that we can always do public training in a place where there are motorized chairs. Greg is also doing a magnificent job of weaning off of some of his many medications under his doctor’s supervision – he is a very, very determined and dedicated person who is ready, with his new beautiful buddy, Missy – to start making significant changes in his life to get out into the world and show them all he has and wants to offer!!! It was truly an honor to meet him. I honestly left with a tear in my eye by his inspiration.

PS Greg has learned a lot of training techniques from a you tube site called “kikopup”.

Experience, PTSD, Texas

Max has found the perfect home

If you all remember, our very first SDE client, Michelle, who suffered from severe psychiatric and physical disabilities, and her dear husband, Ed, adopted “Max”, and passed the PAT. We found out recently that Ed had unexpectedly passed away, and Michelle had a nervous breakdown and had to surrender Max. It was devastating, especially because the family she surrendered her amazing Service Dog to had no way for us to contact her. The family located us from Max’s paperwork, and we went to pick up Max so he could continue his Service Work.

Max has found the perfect home! Laurie’s client, Nette, who suffers from a blood clotting disorder and is about to finish the PAT with her dog, Ella, knew that her husband, Thomas, a firefighter and EMS, needed a Service Dog. They came and spent a lot of time together, and it is working out wonderfully!!

Nette writes:

“Max is doing wonderful! I cannot express to you how grateful I am and how much Max has helped Thomas. We have some things to work on with him, for which we will schedule some future sessions, but it seemed important to first establish a routine and let him get used to everything and put some weight on the poor guy!! Thomas and Max have really bonded. Ella LOVES Max, although I don’t always feel the sentiment is mutual lol.  Once Ella understood she is still “my person” she’s ok. Ella is having a biopsy next week for a lump the vet found last week at her annual checkup, so please say some extra prayers for her. They did bloodwork which the vet stated wasn’t conclusive so we will just have to wait and see. Max is amazing, and Thomas and Max are a perfect pair – Max is extremely attentive already to Thomas’ needs!”

We are so happy that Max is able to continue his amazing abilities as a Service Dog. Nette was kind enough to send back Max’s original collar that Michelle had specially made for him. I will always wonder where and how Michelle is, still mourn the loss of her husband, Ed, who had become a good friend to us, but the spirit lives on in Max – and we know Thomas and the entire family will give Max the same kind of love Michelle and Ed gave him.