Category Archives: Texas

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, 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.

Houston, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Joshua and SDiT Olaf

From our wonderful trainer, Kendra, in Houston, who is working with Joshua and his SDIT, Olaf! Joshua suffers with PTSD and TBI. Kendra writes:

“Joshua had two meet and greets with Olaf at Olaf’s rescue and at Joshua’s home to let the their other dog meet Olaf. It went awesome!

Olaf was attached to Joshua immediately; he stayed next to him for most of the sessions! While we were talking, Olaf just sat on Joshua’s feet and stayed there while we spoke. Joshua tried out the commands that Olaf knows, which are “sit” and “down”. It was raining and cold, so Olaf was reluctant to lay down on the cold wet concrete, but he did! And he sits beautifully for Joshua. Olaf takes treats very gently, and was just so focused on Joshua. Olaf kept looking up to check on my him, and and I noticed Olaf nuzzled Joshua’s hand a couple of times while we were all talking to get his attention. They played a little bit, and Joshua took Olaf on a short walk to test his leash skills. The only one habit we will have to break that Olaf is so bonded that he walks leaning into you, and some times it can trip you. So we will train him to walk touching Joshua’s leg, but not pushing into the leg. Olaf also loves to sit in between Joshua’s legs, and Joshua didn’t seem to mind at all. The bond was strong! I just know you will see it in these pictures. These pictures are worth more than anything I could say!”

 

Experience, San Antonio, Texas

Noelle and SDiT Hazel

From our trainer extraordinaire, Brenda, who was meeting with our current client, Rowena. Rowena, also a dear, dear friend, has Multiple Sclerosis that is getting worse, and her current Service Dog that trainer Laurie trained through the PAT, “Blessed”, was just too big for her to be able to handle anymore. She loved Blessed so very much, and Blessed loved her, but Rowena knew that Blessed would be better suited for someone else who had the mobility capacity to use a larger dog.

Brenda was working with a new client, Noelle who, with her parents, fell in love with Blessed’s description on our website. Brenda writes:

“I met up with Noelle, her parents, Rowena, and Anthony (Rowena’s husband and also our client) for a meet and greet with Blessed. Rowena told them all about Blessed’s temperament, personality, and what she could do. Noelle and Blessed hit it off right away – and once Blessed sat down next to Noelle, Blessed never really left her side! It was like Blessed just knew what was going on and was telling us that she was ok with it! I had Noelle give Blessed some commands to see how she would respond to her, and Blessed did all that was asked of her without any hesitation. Blessed’s former trainer, Laurie, had just done a “refresher” course on all the PAT commands with Blessed, and knew she still was perfect. Noelle’s family had brought their little dog Lucy to make sure that the two dogs would get along, and they did, so that just sealed the deal. Rowena didn’t want a long, painful parting, so she passed the leash to Noelle, and with that, Blessed became Noelle’s Hazel.

Since now “Hazel” has already passed the PAT as mentioned above, she just needs to get used to Noelle being her new handler, and Noelle needs to learn how to apply the commands. She had already been working on “sit” with her. Noelle wants to be able to bring Hazel to school ASAP, and Hazel will of course need to mind her manners there – so we were working on “down” and “stay”. Then, we added some distractions in for Hazel to ignore, “leave it”, and getting her attention back on Noelle if she went to investigate the distraction.”

Anxiety, Bipolar, Dallas-Fort Worth, PTSD, Texas

Staley and SDiT Magnus

From our dear trainer, Candace, in Ft. Worth, who is working with Staley, who is a crime victim suffering from PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression, Dissociation Disorder & Bi-Polar Disorder. His SDIT is “Magnus”. Candace writes:

“Staley and Magnus have their work cut out for them! Magnus is a young boy with a lot of energy. I took my Golden Retriever, Kyna, and my Border Collie mix, Lady, to meet Magnus. My two dogs have two different personalities, but both are relatively calm and well-mannered. Magnus was very excited to meet my girls, and immediately thought it was play-time. I explained to Staley what Magnus’ proper response should look (and sound) like. I gave Staley a few ideas on how to curb his energy (such as utilizing Staley’s children to get Magnus to both run around AND listen), and I gave her some homework to come up with two purely fun “tricks” to teach Magnus. I believe that this will help the team to more closely associate training with fun-happy-time, and bring Staley and Magnus closer together. I will meet with them in a couple of weeks, after they have had a chance to go on a few socialization road trips, and see how things are working out!”

Anxiety, Dallas-Fort Worth, Marine, Military, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Derrick and Anni

From our trainer, Candace, in Ft. Worth, who is working with Wounded Warrior, Derrick, and his SDIT, Anni. Derrick suffers from PTSD from his service in the Marine Corps, has difficulty sleeping, nightmares, and anxiety in large crowds. Candace writes:

“Derrick and Anni’s training session was very straight forward and fruitful. We focused a lot of our time on proper heeling for Anni. We also focused on what was acceptable and not acceptable for Derrick’s specific diagnosis and what he felt was comfortable for him. Anni is a bit of a puller, but also a quick learner. We added some directional vocabulary to her list, including “left,” “right,” and “back.” We also talked a lot about Derrick’s anxiety and how Anni has been responding to him. I wanted to get a better idea of how she reacts when his stress level goes up, so I sent Derrick on a mission as homework of increasing his anxiety level in as safe a situation as possible with his family. He was to note Anni’s reaction and what he would like her to do so that we could work on this for next time. We spend the last bit of the session working on Anni staying under picnic tables so Derrick can go out to eat with his family. She did a great job!”