Category Archives: Panic Attack

Anxiety, Experience, Panic Attack, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

Rachel and Her BFF Piper

An update from trainer Sue, who is working with 6 year-old Rachel who has severe PTSD, and her 6 year old Brindle Greyhound mix, Piper. Piper has been raised with Rachel.

“Piper is a well-trained companion dog, as Rachel’s grandmother showed and trained collies for AKC Conformation and started obedience training with Piper as a puppy.

Piper knows sit, down, heel, cover, come, load and unload, waits and does not cross the front door threshold. She gets along with men, women, other dogs, cats, kids and strangers. Rachel’s mother, Rebecca, takes Rachel and Piper for walks and Piper automatically heels on Rachel’s left side and has been trained to obey Rachel’s commands. When Rachel gets stressed out and distraught, Piper immediately sits or lays with her to allow her to hug her until she is back to normal. Piper sleeps on her bed so that Rachel does not have nightmares. Piper puts the other two dogs that live at the house in check (in a mom dog way) when they are getting too crazy. They have a male Lab/Great Dane mix 2 year old and a 6 month old male Pit-bull/Lab mix puppy.

Rachel has many triggers. She has PTSD and has screaming fits, will freeze and tense up, shuts down and won’t communicate and even will go run and find a dark place to hide when there are loud noises, knocking, sirens, raised voices, fire alarms etc. Rachel can go to PetSmart and PetCo where Piper can go, and Rachel has no episodes as she has Piper there to comfort her. Rebecca cannot take Rachel to Walmart or HEB without Piper without having to leave because Rachel has an episode. Rebecca has to go to school to help comfort or pull Rachel out of her freeze/hiding trances. The school had a fire alarm last week, and Rebecca got called to the school as Rachel ran and hid and would not come out.

Piper seems to only need to refresh her obedience commands, sit stay, down stay and do an automatic sit when you stop walking. I left Rebecca with homework this week to work on these three things.

Rebecca and Susan (her mom) have requested my assistance in helping them get grant funding and would like me to be Piper’s trainer. I think they may be eligible for “SIP” to help them fund vet care and dog training and service dog equipment for Piper. They know that eventually they will need to start training another dog that can step in to be Rachel’s Service Dog when it is time to retire Piper as a Service Dog, but hopefully, that will be sometime down the road. Piper is almost at the point where she can pass her PAT.”

 

Anxiety, Panic Attack, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS to Tracy and Cooper

CONGRATULATIONS to Tracy, who suffers with extreme PTSD, flashbacks, and disassociation episodes, and her now SD Cooper!

Tracy has been through SO much over this past year. She was originally paired with SD Apollo, and at first, it was an instant bond. Tracy and her loving husband, Jon, met Apollo about one year ago, and immediately at my house, Apollo started doing covers for Tracy. For a long time, and with a lot of training, Tracy and Apollo passed their PAT together.

However, as time went on and Tracy’s therapy was not working, her disassociation episodes continued to get worse. She began withdrawing from everything – even Apollo – and Apollo started bonding more with her husband, Jon. Apollo would not sleep on the bed nor next to it to wake Tracy from her night terrors. They realized, sadly, that Apollo would be better off in another home. They gave Apollo to a Wounded Warrior, whose symptoms were not as severe. It was a bittersweet day for Tracy.

However, in the meantime, Tracy had already adopted Cooper, a magnificent dog fostered by a woman named Margaret, who already knew most of the PAT command – he had just not found the right “person”. Tracy and Jon adopted Cooper while still looking for a home for Apollo, and Tracy went right to work practicing everything she had learned from working with Apollo to working with Cooper. Cooper had the very opposite type of personality as Apollo – while Apollo was very laid-back and slow-moving, Cooper was more active and much more in tune with Tracy’s moods and behaviors. Cooper immediately started sleeping with or next to her, waking her from night terrors, and would alert every time she went into disassociation. It wasn’t that Apollo wasn’t a great SD – he just wasn’t the one for Tracy’s particularly strong needs.

They practiced and perfected each and every inside command – as Tracy made up her mind not to give up on the idea of a Service Dog – and they started going out into public (something that Tracy had stopped doing as much when her symptoms returned and Apollo was becoming unresponsive). She said it was like night and day. Cooper never let Tracy out of his eyesight, alerted the minute she would start to have a flashback, would get Jon if she needed help, and Tracy began to feel confident again.

After many intensive, multi-hour sessions, Tracy and Cooper passed their PAT! They were perfect together. They passed every command out in public over and over flawlessly. Cooper automatically covers Tracy without command from whatever direction she needs it. We even dressed Cooper up in Halloween attire, and he got a lot of meet and greets with happy little children! Now, Tracy is off to receive intensive outpatient therapy with Cooper ready and by her side, and she rests comfortably knowing that fully-trained Apollo is helping someone else.

BEST WISHES, TRACY, COOPER, AND JON! THANK YOU FOR YOUR BITTERSWEET SACRIFICE!

Anxiety, Austin, Panic Attack, PTSD, Texas

Hannah and SDIT Addie

From our trainer in Austin, who is working with 16 year-old Hannah, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety.

“Hi Laurie!
I had a great session with Hannah and SDIT Addie, her German Shepherd puppy!

Last time we met, we worked on Addie’s excitement towards people and dogs in public, and she has made HUGE progress! Hannah got Addie a head halter due to Addie pulling on the leash, and it made a huge difference!

We spent some time inside Petsmart to expose Addie to a dog environment and then went outside and worked on loose leash walking in the park with the head halter on. She is still getting used to it, but her walking with it made a huge difference for Hannah being able to control her. Addie has an obsession with little children, so we went over to a playground, sat on a bench and worked in on keep her settled while there was a child running around so Addie could get used to them.

I made the suggestion that they go to a playground, find a bench to sit on and over-expose Addie to kids so she gets desensitized to them.

Hannah also asked me about how to make Addie’s recalls stronger. I suggested putting Addie on a long leash and call her over and treat her every time she comes to her. Another way to make her recalls much stronger is doing it at a dog park when she is around other dogs and distractions, and just practice calling her back and highly reinforcing that.

They both did great today and can’t wait until our next session!”

Anxiety, Experience, Mobility, Panic Attack, San Antonio, Texas

It’s SUPER SERVICE DOG to save the day

What a WONDERFUL training session Laurie had with Nette, who has mobility issues and anxiety due to a stroke, and her beautiful SDIT, Ella!

Nette has just been doing a wonderful job training Ella between sessions. Ella knows all the basics – sit, down, stay, come, controlled load and unload, wait, and heel. She stays by Nette’s side and is of great comfort to her. Nette is beginning to take Ella out more and more, and her comfort level going out is increasing as she becomes more confident in Ella’s training.

We went to Costco and worked on training with electric cart, with Ella safely tied to it in a perfect heel position near Nette. We did sharp turns slowly so that Ella could get used to maneuvering alongside the electric cart safely and confidently. She learned SO quickly! It is helpful for Nette to know she can use the electric carts because sometimes her balance is off due to the strokes. We also walker Ella through the various sections of Costco, like the meat and bakery, and she did wonderful “leave its”. We also worked on Ella’s stay and come since we had an audience! Everyone was in love with beautiful Ella! We practiced staying focused while doing these tasks even with people watching, and Nette stayed calm and focused, which helped Ella . They have such a beautiful bond, and Nette is so compassionate and loving toward Ella – it’s truly beautiful to watch.

Nette sent me the following update on Ella!

“Just wanted to give you update on Ella. She turned one last week – can’t believe it! We are still working on meet and greets; she still gets really excited and forgets to stay sitting, but it’s more with kids than adults. Several weeks ago, I started teaching Ella the command: “take me to the car”. I would pick random times to suddenly stop and give the command, walk out to the car, and then give her treats. My purpose for this is that sometimes I become very panic-stricken if I am in a crowd and disoriented. I thought this might help me feel a little more confident about trying new places. In addition, my mobility is becoming more limited and I am spending more time in wheelchairs and electric carts.

Anyway, today was not a training exercise – but something triggered a panic attack in me, and I asked Ella to take me to the car – and she did it!! Usually, she looks back at me for assurance – but it seemed like she knew this was different. It’s a small thing, but it feels very empowering.”

NETTE – WHAT CLEVER AND HELPFUL TRAINING YOU ARE ADDING TO THE BASICS TO HELP YOU! WHAT ELLA DID BY TAKING YOU TO THE CAR IS NOT A SMALL THING – IT IS A HUGE TRIUMPH FOR BOTH YOU AND ELLA, AND IT SHOULD FEEL EMPOWERING! I HOPE YOU ARE FEELING MORE AND MORE CONFIDENT AND ASSURED THAT ELLA CAN DO HER JOB WHENEVER YOU NEED IT – AND THE FACT THAT SHE DID NOT LOOK BACK FOR ASSURANCE BUT JUST DID WHAT SHE HAD TO IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

I added this other quote from Nette’s FB page. It describes her and her husband to a tee.

Anxiety, Austin, General, Medical Alert, Panic Attack, Psychiatric, PTSD, Texas

HAGGER THE HUMUNGOUS HAS PASSED!!!!

From our trainer in Austin! HAGGER THE HUMUNGOUS HAS PASSED!!!!

“I am happy to announce that Lee and Hagger have passed the Public Access Test! We met at Walmart this morning and took a nice stroll with Hagger heeling beside Lee the whole time. Lee took Hagger through some tight quarters and narrow turns and Hagger fit right in!

Hagger does sits and downs on commands just once. He has great stays as well with a shopping cart going by him!

We headed to Subway to eat and settle while Lee and I talked for a bit, Hagger made himself at home on the floor!

Lee has worked and trained Hagger TIRELESSLY to get him ready and he has been more than successful!

I am so happy for those two!”

LEE AND HAGGER, EVERYONE AT SERVICE DOG EXPRESS IS SO, SO VERY PROUD AND INSPIRED BY YOU BOTH – YOUR DETERMINATION, YOUR COURAGE, AND YOUR DEDICATION. THE WORLD IS TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE YOU BOTH IN IT! AND TO OUR TRAINER – WONDERFUL JOB!!!

Experience, Panic Attack, Virginia

SDiT Baron, Catt, and the Presentation

Such joyful news and a testament to how much Service Dogs help us! This is from our newest trainer in VA – Catherine – with her SDIT, Baron! Catherine is a brilliant student at Virginia Tech!

“I wanted to let you guys know about something really exciting from Friday. I had a professional presentation on research I had done over the summer on Friday. In the past, this would have been a presentation that I would have been panicking over for weeks. I probably would have gotten so upset before the presentation even started that I would have to be excused and do the presentation in a quiet room with only the professor (if I could even do that).

With my SDIT Baron’s help, I was able to make it through the ENTIRE 2 hour presentation!!! I only had to step out twice, and Baron stayed by my feet or in a “cover” the whole time! I can’t believe I actually made it through my presentation and I am so proud of myself! I just wanted to thank you guys for everything because without Baron, I would still be hiding in my house ordering my groceries.

This is why I decided I wanted to be a trainer with SDE. I want other people to have this moment for themselves too!!

Thank you and much love from Baron & Catt!

CATT – THAT IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!!! WE ARE ALL SOOO VERY PROUD OF YOU – WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT! TWO HOURS – HOW MANY OF US COULD DO THAT? YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF YOURSELF AND WE ALL ARE SENDING THE BIGGEST OF HUGS TO BARON!!!!

Anxiety, Depression, Dyslexia, Experience, Panic Attack, Texas

In Inuko Own Words

 

A beautifully written message from our dear client, Inuko, who lost her first SDIT, Trooper. She asked me to share this. We so appreciate her words. We love you dearly, Inuko!

“Dear SDE,

Let me start off by saying thank you… Thank you for giving me my life back. When I found Trooper, I was wasting away, sick, depressed, and scared. I barely slept at night and when I did, I had awful nightmares. I was miserable. And then… Trooper saved me. Suddenly, I knew I wasn’t alone, no matter where I went or who was around. When I got to places I couldn’t get back from, he chased me down and loved me until my demons were gone. They couldn’t touch me.

When Trooper died, I was terrified. I was upset and hurt. However… He had brought somebody else into my life. Orianna. He called to her and she came, and when he passed, she helped to take care of me. She means the world to me. She’s helped so much.

Incident struck again, and I’ve been graced with a third dog. Right when we realized that Orianna is too skittish to be a good SD, we talked to wonderful Cherry at the perfect time, and we were led to Gadget.

I wondered why this happened, and now I know. My spinal surgery – done before Trooper passed – failed. My disc herniated once more, worse than before, and now I’m going to have to get a spinal fusion. Because of all of my other health problems, I will most likely spend three weeks unable to walk and will have to go through extensive physical therapy. A close loved one recently passed away. I felt completely alone, terrified, hurt. I felt like I had nowhere to go. Then, one day, I curled up on the floor to cry… and both of my girls crawled over to me to lie down on me. They licked away my tears, made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and then… I slept.

I’m sure people at SDE will understand the beauty of that statement. I slept. I rested. I dreamed a happy dream and I woke up smiling. I slept! Through the pain and the fear, I managed to sleep…. and it was all because of my girls.

All three of my dogs have come into my life purely by chance, and all three of them have changed everything. I’m still sick. I am going to have to have surgery again. I will be even worse after the surgery. But you know what? It’s okay. It’s really, really okay. I’ve got my Family; people who love me eternal. I’ve got my haven; my home is finally safe and secure. I’ve got my World again… and it’s all thanks to my girls.

So dear everybody reading this, let me tell you something, okay? It gets better. It may seem like it never will. You might be scared. You might be hurting. You might be sick… I’m right there with you… and let me tell you: you’re not alone. You’re never alone. You’ve got the people at Service Dog Express, just like I do… and you have your dogs. They change lives.

They changed my life.
Thank you.
Inuko

Houston, Medical Alert, Pain Management, Panic Attack, Texas

Sarah and Lacey

From our trainer, Kendra, who is working with Sarah in Houston. Sarah has multiple medical conditions, including blood pressure and heart issues that cause dizziness and panic attacks

“I met with client Sarah and SDIT Lacey today. It was is a joy to work with these two! I did a evaluation on Lacey and she did wonderfully. She let me manipulate all parts of her body with no incident. When touching her teeth, she didn’t like it very much but she did let me, so I advised Sarah to work with Lacey and “brush her teeth” so to speak on a daily basis. Lacey is very bonded with Sarah and is always watching her. Lacey knows sit very well! She will sit on command. She does well heeling on and off leash, and is very treat motivated. She knows stay, leave it and off very well. After talking with Sarah about what she wants from Lacey, we have determined she will help with anxiety, she will get help if mom passes out, and will be able to bring mom her medications when mom isn’t able to get them.

I was able to train with Lacey for a bit after the evaluation and we worked on place. Mom will continue to work on all her basic commands. It was a pleasure to met this wonderful team.”

Bipolar, Depression, Panic Attack, Virginia

Ashley and her SDiT

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An update from our trainer, Catherine, in Virginia, and her new client, Ashley! Ashley suffers from Bipolar 2 Disorder, depression, and panic attacks in crowds. These issues have caused problems with school, her relationships, and being at large social gatherings.

“Meet Ashley and her new SDiT (name to be determined)! Ashley met this beautiful 8 month-old pitbull/mastiff mix today and the first thing the pup did was plop herself down in Ashley’s lap! It was kisses and belly rubs and snuggles from then on! We took her outside and I did some temperament and trainability evaluations on the dog. The dog passed with flying colors, and while the pup was snuggling with Ashley, she asked “would you like to come home with me?” The puppy proceeded to give Ashley a big kiss, jump up, and run around the yard like a crazy girl!!!! She is very eager to please and quickly figured out “sit” in a matter of minutes – so she will be a joy to train!

Ashley is a bit worried about the fact that the pup does look more like a pit than a mastiff, and that people will give her trouble. However, I told her I know she is strong enough to handle this and that there are plenty of people at Service Dog Express (including myself) who are behind her to support her!”

ABSOLUTELY, ASHLEY!! CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME!!!!

Anxiety, Army, Depression, Military, Mobility, Pain Management, Panic Attack, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Kimberly and Kimmy

GREAT news from Wounded Warrior, dear Kimberly, who met the new love of her life, SDIT, Kimmy! Kimberly and Kimmy met at Laurel Ridge, and the bond was INSTANT! Kimberly, as intelligent and detail-oriented as she is, already had the training manual memorized. Kimmy was beautifully behaved, and started covering for Kimberly the minute they met, as poor Kimberly was shaking with nerves and excitement from this new part of her life! Kimmy heeled perfectly with Kimberly at the hospital as we walked the halls and I showed her how to use the collar properly, would sit, down, stay, and make incredible eye contact. Even the Medical Director at that Laurel Ridge unit popped her head in to see how wonderful everything was going – and she plans on integrating more Service Dogs into other patient’s treatments! Kimberly was given food, bowls, a leash, two collars, and all medical records for Kimmy. You could just see how much even having the presence of Kimmy on the Wounded Warrior ward brightened up everyone there – and the staff was amazing!

Kimberly and I talked regularly after we spent several hours together going over the basics, and have continued to talk almost every day since then. We had developed a trusting bond for several weeks before this day, and I knew a Service Dog would be perfect for Kimberly’s life at this point. The doctors allowed Kimmy to stay with Kimberly the last days she was there, and she had her own room, where they would snuggle and cuddle and were literally inseparable. Kimmy would let Kimberly know when she needed to go potty, and Kimberly enjoyed taking walks on the grounds of Laurel Ridge with Kimmy. Kimberly would let people pet Kimmy ONLY if they asked politely if they could pet her Service Dog, and if Kimberly felt comfortable with the person – and Kimmy would sit on command and allow the petting and treats.

I called the airline prior to Kimberly’s departure back home to Georgia to ensure that she would have no problems boarding with Kimmy at her 6 am flight! She did say that going through the screening was a hassle, because Kimberly is in a full-leg moveable brace and it was hard to manage everything – but she did say that many people offered her help, and for that, she was very grateful. She did remember to give Kimmy her Benadryl 45 minutes prior to the flight, and Kimmy was excellent – just a little anxious on touch-down. But she never barked or did anything inappropriate! Kimberly has worked with dogs all her life, so she and will continue to be an excellent handler.

Since Kimberly has arrived home and back to civilian life after 29 days at Laurel Ridge, she has said it’s been a bit of a difficult transition – but we both agreed she should take things slow and it will continue to get easier for her. Kimberly’s fiance is currently deployed in Iraq, but feels so much better knowing Kimmy is there to comfort her! One pleasant surprise – Kimberly has a cat named “Nubbins” (due to the fact that she has a nub for a tail) – and SDIT Kimmy and Nubbins are already best friends!! I am SO proud of Kimberly – she made her first trip out alone with Kimmy to the drugstore to get her medications – and it took a lot longer than expected due to the transferring process – but Kimberly said that having Kimmy there made a world of difference. Baby steps! Kimberly still wants to remain active duty – she loves being a soldier – and her command welcomed both she and Kimmy back onto base with open arms and commented continuously on how well-behaved Kimmy was! They are completely supportive of Kimmy being with Kimberly at work once she is settled back in – and for this, I am so grateful.

Kimberly and I will continuously train via video, Skype, email, and phone as they venture out more and more – but I am SO proud of the two of them!!!!!