Category Archives: Anxiety

Anxiety, Military, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

William and SDiT Justiz

From our wonderful trainer, Beverli, who had her third session with Wounded Warrior, William, and his Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog/Beagle mix, “Justiz”. William suffers from PTSD and anxiety.

Little is known about the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog – and since I, Laurie, have one straight from Louisiana (when we ere stationed at Barksdale AFB), I’d like to take a moment to talk about this amazing breed.

The Catahoula Cur is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, in the state of Louisiana, in the United States. After becoming the state dog of Louisiana in 1979, its name was officially changed to Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog. The breed is sometimes referred to as the “Catahoula Hound” or “Catahoula Leopard Hound”, although it is not a true hound, but a cur. It is also called the “Catahoula Hog Dog”, reflecting its traditional use in hunting wild boar. As a working dog, Catahoulas have been bred primarily for temperament and ability rather than for appearance. As a result, the physical characteristics of the Catahoula are somewhat varied.

Catahoulas are highly intelligent and energetic. They are assertive but not aggressive by nature. Catahoulas in general are very even-tempered. Males tend to be more stubborn than females, but Catahoulas are very serious about their job if they are working dogs. They make a good family dog, but will not tolerate being isolated, so interaction with the dog is a daily requirement. When a Catahoula is raised with children, the dog believes that it is his or her responsibility to look after and protect those children. Many owners will say that the Catahoula owns them and they can be insistent when it’s time to eat or do other activities. Catahoulas are protective and a natural alarm dog. They will alert one to anything out of the ordinary.

This tough yet strikingly beautiful dog can have a spotted, brindle, solid, or patched coat of many colors. Other outstanding physical characteristics are his webbed feet, which allow him to swim well and work in soft, marshy areas, and his eyes, which may be blue, green, brown, or amber. Some Catahoulas have eyes that are each a different color or “cracked” eyes: two different colors within the same eye.

Befitting their heritage as herding and driving dogs, Catahoulas are wary of strangers. They’re protective of their families and opinionated about who is and isn’t trustworthy. People who live with them say they’re excellent judges of character.

Expect to provide this hard-working and independent dog with at least an hour of strenuous exercise daily as well as firm guidance during training. When their exercise and leadership needs are met, Catahoulas are loving, calm, and dedicated companions.
Well, we (Laurie and Joey) have a Catahoula, and she is the goofiest, most friendly and loving dog we could imagine. She is like a clown! She is extremely energetic, however, so training does need to be started early!

OK – onto the write-up! Sorry, Beverli! Beverli writes:

“This was our third training session, and we had it at PetSmart. Today, we worked on fine tuning Justiz’ heel, as well as trying to work on sit/stay. She did much better with “leave it” today!
Today, we allowed Justiz to “cover” when she felt she needed to for William’s sake, which she naturally does, and we talked about William’s anxiety and how to work through it step by step with desensitization and having William rely on Justiz to be there for him.

Justiz still needs work on her ‘stay’, but she seemed to stay much calmer with all the smells and sounds in Petsmart, and she ignored the parakeets MUCH better on this trip!

Homework given for the next session was working more on sit/stay ON leash. Justiz is so bonded to William, she still really wants to get up and follow him as soon as he moves away from her.
I must say – I’ve never seen a dog so eagerly, tirelessly and naturally work for her handler. Justiz is SO in tune with William’s feelings and energy. She makes me realize and appreciate a dog’s abilities even more than I have before.”

What a beautiful sentiment, Beverli. Thank you.

Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, San Antonio, Texas

Ossie and Hua Hua

From our brilliant trainer, Brian, who had his first session with Ossie and his new SDIT, German Shepherd, “Hua Hua”. Ossie suffers from severe anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.

Last week Brian met with Ossie and Hua Hua at the foster’s home to introduce the two to find out about handler/team compatibility, equipment testing, rapport instruction, and the final adoption of SDIT Hua Hua!

Homework given was simply to have Ossie and Hua Hua establish rapport and bond for at least one week, with no training. Let’s hope it works out!

UPDATE: “Hua Hua was officially adopted the other day! Her new handler Ossie was in love from the minute they met, and Hua Hua was eagerly taking food and loved being caressed off the bat! Hua Hua is a bit camera shy, so it looks like I’ll be sneaking pics from my phone from now on! Picked up a crate, martingale collar, food, oatmeal shampoo and Advantix on the way home… awesome experience with two beings that deserve each other!

Anxiety, Austin, Depression, PTSD, Texas

Madeline and SDIT, American Staffordshire, Hera

From our dear trainer, Emmett, in Georgetown, who is working with Madeline and her SDIT, American Staffordshire, “Hera”. Madeline suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Emmett writes:

“This was my fourth session with Madeline and beautiful “Hera”. Today, we went to Target, and worked on getting Hera to “cover” Maddie both in front and behind to help keep Maddie calm in stressful or crowded situations. We also worked on having Hera look back on cue to give Maddie a better sense of security when she is walking alone. Finally, we worked on Deep Pressure Therapy. This was the task we worked on the most today. It was the hardest for Hera to catch on to, but it is very important to help someone when they are feeling anxious.

In addition to disability-related tasks, we worked on Hera’s “sit/stay” and “down/stay”. Hera performs a beautiful “sit/stay”, but her “down/stay” could use some work.

This was Maddie and Hera’s first session after a long break with central Texas trainer, Jackie, who has moved to a different territory to cover. Hera and Maddie seem to have made significant progress since then, which means they have been working hard during the break!

Hera knows “down”, “sit”, “stay”, “leave it” (her record is 15 minutes for leaving dropped food), “controlled exit and entry into and out of a vehicle”, “heel”, and avoiding distractions. When they are out together, Hera’s sole focus is on Maddie. They have a wonderful bond.

For homework, Maddie and Hera will be working on “cover”, “check”, and DPT as well as Hera’s “down/stay”. At the next session, we will be conducting a mock Public Access Test so that Maddie and Hera can get a feel for the process.

Anxiety, Military, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior William and SDiT Justiz

From our lovely trainer, Beverli, who had her second training session with Wounded Warrior, William, and his SDIT, Catahoula/Beagle mix, “Justiz”! William suffers from PTSD and severe anxiety.

Beverli writes:

“Today, we had our second training session at Petsmart. We worked on heeling in public amidst all the Petsmart distractions, with having Justiz keep his focus on William, as well as random “stops”, sits, and “leave it” when encountering other dogs in the store. Justiz NATURALLY covers, both in a sit, and when standing! She seems to know exactly how much pressure to put on her handler to make William feel safe. So we allowed her to do this, while talking about why she’s choosing to cover, and helping him recognize how he’s feeling.

Justiz is so in tune with William, that she has a hard time with “stay”. She just wants to be as close to him as possible, so this will need lots of extra attention when William walks away from Justiz – but overall, the reasoning is understandable.

This was our first session outside of their home, so today was about getting a baseline for Justiz’ manners and training in public.
Homework given for William and Justiz to work on was to start “fetch”, “target touch”, and “sit/stay”.

ADA Rights, Anxiety, Denied Service, Experience, Military, PTSD, Wounded Warrior

American Airlines Update

THIS IS IN HONOR OF WOUNDED WARRIOR CHRISTOPHER WILLIS. HE DESERVES EVERYTHING AMERICAN AIRLINES HAS TO GIVE HIM FOR ALL HE HAD TO ENDURE – AND HOPEFULLY, HIS EXPERIENCE WILL HELP MAKE CHANGES WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES!!!!

July 10, 2015

Dear Ms. Gawelko:

On behalf of American Airlines and US Airways, thank you for contacting us. I’m sorry that I was unable to reach you by telephone earlier today.

The travel experience you’ve described is regrettable, and we apologize for the difficulties Mr. Willis encountered. Our intention is to offer the best travel experience possible. The details you have provided indicate that we have failed to meet our intentions.

I have documented your displeasure with how we enforce our policies as they relate to service animals and emotional support animals and will ensure your comments are forwarded to the appropriate managers for internal review. Our job in Customer Relations is to listen to passenger’s issues and concerns and give each a code for reporting purposes. Feedback of this nature is vital, and will be used in an effort to improve our service.

This method has proven very successful; in fact, many of our current policies, procedures and positive changes are a direct result of customer feedback.

Given the privilege of serving Mr. Willis again, I am confident we can provide him more satisfying travel experience. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us on his behalf.

Sincerely,

Kale K.
Customer Relations
American Airlines

Anxiety, Austin, Depression, Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Texas

Meghan and her SDIT, Precious

Our trainer, Taylor, in Austin, is working with Meghan and her SDIT, Precious. Meghan suffers from PTSD, severe anxiety/depression, and fibromyalgia.

Meghan writes:

“Most nights when I sleep, I have severe nightmares and wake up every few hours. The anxiety from the PTSD, nightmares, flashbacks causes severe panic attacks. The anxiety leads to depression which makes leaving the house difficult. At times, the fibromyalgia leaves me exhausted, affecting my ability to stand and my general ability to function or concentrate. I’ll collapse or have to sit down wherever I’m at. My speech can even become slurred. I also am in constant pain. I am disabled and have a part time job but only work 16 hours (4 hours days) due to a doctor recommendation. This at times leaves me with little or no energy. My psychiatrist recommended that a Service Dog might help me with panic attacks, PTSD, and even the depression. Recently even my physician suggested a Service Dog for both my PTSD (panic attacks) and fibromyalgia.

A Service Dog would be a constant companion I could rely on. Helping me realize when the PTSD is causing me to hallucinate and have flashbacks. My companion would help me focus my thoughts in these moments. He would also help me to keep from becoming overwhelmed by my surroundings. A companion will be able to give more of confidence when I step out because he would be able to notify me if I am having a panic attack or starting to disassociate with my surroundings forcing me to focus on him instead of my fear. He would also allow me to exercise and function better outside of the house. Part of my fear is if I become tired or have a fibro spell I will have no help. Most days I will not leave without my boyfriend. A Service Dog could also help for when the fibromyalgia leaves me with no energy and I start to collapse, by giving me someone to lean on physically and emotionally. I have also heard that they can help comfort you when the PTSD causes nightmares and can help with the nightmares. This would be wonderful, as I sleep very little especially at one time. I wake up some nights and am even afraid to go to the bathroom or I lay awake afraid to go to sleep. Having someone there to remind me what is and isn’t real, that will stand by my side will be an immense relief. He would help me function better when I go out and perform daily activities.

What an amazing amount of insight Meghan has about Service Dogs and how they can help!

Taylor writes:

“After a long hiatus from training with this pair, I had a session with Meghan and Precious a couple days ago. We met at a Target. I have to say I am super impressed with the work/training that Meghan has done with Precious. He heels perfect by her side, inside and outside in public.

We worked all the behaviors that are expected from the Public Access Test inside Target. We went by the produce and meat section to work on Precious not lunging towards the smells, he did awesome!

We also worked on “down/stays” and “sit/stays” while Meghan walked away from Precious, while I walked by and while a random stranger walked by as well. Precious held his position every time!

At our second session, I met with Meghan and Precious at Barnes and Noble. She wanted to meet there to work on the elevator. Precious did great the first time we got on the elevator, but then the second time, he got very nervous. So now we have to start from the beginning by desensitizing him to the elevator.
His “down/stays” and “sit/stays” were still very good along with all the basic commands, and Precious stays in heel position very well once Meghan drops the leash by his side. We also spent some time sitting in the cafe, seeing how he settles while people walk by him. He definitely needs more work on not getting up to smell or greet people!

Precious started getting a little whiny halfway through the session, so I gave Meghan some tips on how to watch his threshold and try to get him outside before he starts whining and not allow him to rehearse that behavior.

Overall, it was a great session; Precious just needs more work on the elevator and increasing his threshold of being in public for longer periods of time.”

Anxiety, Depression, El Paso, Panic Attack, Texas

Evalynn and Oreo

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who did an assessment with new client Evalynn, who suffers from depression, stress and severe social anxiety. She would like a Service Dog who will distract her from her depressive thoughts, scratching herself, major panic attacks, and feeling lonely. Her SDIT is a 5 year-old Chihuahua named “Oreo”.

Terry writes:

“A temperament and trainability test was performed on Oreo, and he passed with flying colors! Oreo knows some basic commands, and upon command executed them to a good degree of accuracy. From my observation, I can detect a very strong bond between Evalynn and Oreo, and the dog’s willingness to assist and please Evalynn. This is a small dog – only 8 lbs, and the living arrangement with other dogs and cats in the home is excellent. The dogs have a fenced in back yard where they exercise and play in a safe environment. I checked for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk, and there was none found. I would highly recommend Evalynn and her dog Oreo for Service Dog training. It will be a pleasure to work with them!”

Anxiety, El Paso, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Welcome Wounded Warrior Ethan and SDiT Shae’mus

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who did an initial assessment on new client Wounded Warrior Ethan, and his SDIT, “Shae’mus”. Ethan suffers from severe PTSD, anxiety, and a TBI. Ethan’s wife wrote that since Ethan has been home, Shae’mus already seems to know there is something wrong, and helps my husband when he is sleeping if he’s having nightmares by coming and lying half his body on my Ethan. If they are out in public, Ethan has severe anxiety. Terry writes:

“I performed an assessment on 4 year-old Mastiff mix, Shae’mus for trainability and temperament. Shae’mus passed the assessment perfectly. Shae’mus has some knowledge of basic obedience commands, and executed them to a good degree of accuracy. From observation, I could detect a very strong bond between owner Ethan and Shae’mus, and the dog’s willingness to assist and please the owner. Shae’mus is a fairly large dog, and the living arrangement with another dog in a house was good, as it provided a large backyard for exercising. In addition, the owners take Shae’mus out for walks to allow him some other means to relax and exercise. Shae’mus is excellent with the children inside the home, as well as with the other dog in the family. I checked Shae’mus for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk; there was none found. However, I did note that the Shae’mus has a slight limp, and the owners have agreed to take the dog to the vet for further observation. I would highly recommend Ethan and his dog Shae’mus for training in the Service Dog Express Program.

Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATS TO FRANK AND SD NICHOLS

From our brilliant trainer Pat, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Frank, and his now Service Dog, Springer Spaniel Mix, “Nichols”! CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK AND NICHOLS!!! Frank suffers from anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Pat writes:

“Frank, Nichols and I performed the Public Access Test at crowded HEB! CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE was fine, but Nichols got a bit distracted when another dog was walked past. APPROACHING THE BUILDING was perfect, as was CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY. HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING was mostly perfect, but Nichols had a bit of a struggle readily adjusting to speed changes. SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD was brilliant, and SITS ON COMMAND was just fine. Nichols took a few prompts to “sit” with all the distractions, but he eventually got it down, with the same responses to DOWNS ON COMMAND. NOISE DISTRACTIONS were not a problem at all for Nichols, and he performed wonderfully in the restaurant. OFF LEAD work, DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON, CONTROLLED EXIT, and CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE were flawless. I encouraged Frank to praise Nichols a bit more when he did his commands well.”

WELL DONE, PAT AND TEAM!!!!

Anxiety, El Paso, Texas

Nick and Hershel

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who is working with Nick, who suffers from extreme anxiety, and his SDIT, American Staffordshire Terrier, “Hershel”.

Terry writes:

A good example of Nick and Hershel performing the Controlled Load and Unloading of a vehicle. Nick and Hershel also performed quite well in Controlled Entry Through the Building. Nick & Hershel are a fun team to work with – I always look forward to their training sessions!