Category Archives: San Antonio

ADA Rights, Denied Service, Experience, San Antonio, Texas

Thanks to the San Antonio Police Department

Service Dog Express would like to send a tremendous thank you to Lt. Miles Earwood with the San Antonio Police Department. Laurie and Lt. Earwood met about a year ago when a Service Dog access question came up – and since then, he has been in constant contact with Laurie to help learn the Service Dog access laws. He and Laurie have been exchanging information these past few weeks, and Lt. Earwood is going to ensure that the SAPD Training Academy new recruits and existing officers become more aware of how to handle SD access issues. This will help our clients tremendously when there are access problems and the police are called (which we always recommend). Lt. Earwood last wrote:

“Dear Laurie:

I have already sent the information you have gathered to our Training Academy Commander and requested they generate and disseminate a training bulletin on the matter regularly.

Take care,
Lieutenant Miles Earwood #4015
Desk: 210-207-6549
Email: [email protected]
Monday – Friday; 7:45 am – 4:30 pm

SAPD’s Guiding Principles:
Integrity – Respect – Compassion – Fairness”

Agoraphobia, Air Force, Anxiety, Depression, Military, Mobility, Panic Attack, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR TRACY AND SD DAISY!!

Service Dog Express's photo.

CONGRATULATIONS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR (Air Force) TRACY AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, “DAISY”!! THEY PASSED THEIR PUBLIC ACCESS TEST (PAT).

San Antonio trainer Sue tested Tracy and her Great Pyrenees, “Daisy”. Tracy suffers from agoraphobia, anxiety, depression, mobility issues, panic attacks, PTSD, and night terrors.

Tracy needs Daisy to be able to accompany her in public and to be able to go to stores where she would freeze up when walking in. Daisy was also trained to wake Tracy up every morning for work when her husband was TDY for six weeks. Daisy naturally helps with ‘reduction of hyper-vigilance through teamwork’. Bottom line is that Daisy makes Tracy feel safe.

SCORING OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS CERTIFICATION TEST
Always=All the time
Mostly=Most of the time (more than half of time)
Sometimes=Some of the time (half or less of the time)
Never=Never demonstrated the skill
The team must score all ‘Always’ or’ Mostly’ ’ responses on the A-M-S-N parts of the test.
The team must score at least 80% “YES” answers on the “YES” “NO” portion of the test.
All questions marked by an asterisk (*) must be answered by a “YES” response.

CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE:

Daisy did not try to leave vehicle until given release command.

Daisy waited in the vehicle until released.* Yes
Daisy waited outside the vehicle under control. Yes
Daisy remained under control while another dog was walked. Yes

APPROACHING THE BUILDING:

Relative heel position, not straining or forging.

Daisy stayed in relative heel position. Always
Daisy was calm around traffic.* Yes
Daisy stopped when Tracy came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY

Daisy waited quietly at the door until commanded to enter.* Yes
Daisy waited on the inside until able to return to heel position.*

HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING

Daisy was within the prescribed distance of Tracy. Always
Daisy ignored the public, remaining focused on Tracy. Always
Daisy readily adjusted to speed changes. Always
Daisy readily turned corners–did not have to be tugged or jerked to change direction. Always
Daisy readily maneuvered through tight quarters. Always

SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD

Daisy responded readily to the recall command–did not stray away, seek attention from others, or trudge slowly.* Yes
Daisy remained under control and focused on Tracy.* Yes
Daisy came within the prescribed distance of Tracy.* Yes
Daisy came directly to Tracy.* Yes

SITS ON COMMAND

Daisy responded promptly to the command to sit. Mostly
Daisy remained under control around food–not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.* Yes
Daisy remained composed while the shopping cart passed–did not shy away, show signs of fear, etc.* Yes
Daisy maintained a sit-stay while being petted by a stranger.* Yes

DOWNS ON COMMAND

Daisy responded promptly to the command to down. Mostly
Daisy remained under control around the food–not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.* Yes
Daisy remained in control while the child approached – child should not taunt Daisy or be overly dramatic.* Yes

NOISE DISTRACTIONS

If Daisy jumps, turns, or shows a quick startle type reaction, that is fine. Daisy should not show fear, aggression, or continue to be affected by the noise.

Daisy remained composed during the noise distraction.* Yes

RESTAURANT

Daisy is unobtrusive and out of the way of patrons and employees as much as possible.* Yes
Daisy maintained proper behavior, ignoring food and being quiet.* Yes

OFF LEAD

When told to drop the leash, the team maintained control and Tracy got the leash back in position.* Yes

DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON

Another person can take Daisy’s leash and Tracy can move away without aggression or undue stress on the part of Daisy.* Yes

CONTROLLED EXIT

Daisy stayed in relative heel position. Always
Daisy was calm around traffic.* Yes
Daisy stopped when Tracy came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE

Daisy waited until commanded to enter the vehicle. Yes
Daisy readily entered the vehicle upon command. Yes

TEAM RELATIONSHIP

When Daisy did well, Tracy praised Daisy. Always
Daisy is relaxed, confident, and friendly. Always
Tracy kept Daisy under control. Always
Tracy was prepared with proper working materials and equipment in case of an access confrontation (laws, etc.). Yes

Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Attack, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATS TO ANN AND SD SCHATZ!!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ANN AND HER NOW SD SCHATZI!! THEY PASSED THEIR PUBLIC ACCESS TEST (PAT)!

San Antonio Trainer Sue tested Ann and her Weimeraner SD Schatzi. Ann suffers from Anxiety, OCD and Panic Attacks.

Sue writes:

“Ann and Schatzi are a great team. Schatzi had his basic obedience training a while ago and was truly eager to learn new tasks to help Ann in public”

SCORING OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS CERTIFICATION TEST
Always=All the time
Mostly=Most of the time (more than half of time)
Sometimes=Some of the time (half or less of the time)
Never=Never demonstrated the skill
The team must score all ‘Always’ or’ Mostly’ ’ responses on the A-M-S-N parts of the test.
The team must score at least 80% “YES” answers on the “YES” “NO” portion of the test.
All questions marked by an asterisk (*) must be answered by a “YES” response.

CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE:

Schatzi did not try to leave vehicle until given release command.

Schatzi waited in the vehicle until released.* Yes
Schatzi waited outside the vehicle under control. Yes
Schatzi remained under control while another dog was walked. Yes

APPROACHING THE BUILDING:

Relative heel position, not straining or forging.

Schatzi stayed in relative heel position. Always
Schatzi was calm around traffic.* Yes
Schatzi stopped when Ann came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY

Schatzi waited quietly at the door until commanded to enter.* Yes
Schatzi waited on the inside until able to return to heel position.* Yes

HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING

Schatzi was within the prescribed distance of Ann. Always
Schatzi ignored the public, remaining focused on Ann. Always
Schatzi readily adjusted to speed changes. Always
Schatzi readily turned corners–did not have to be tugged or jerked to change direction. Always
Schatzi readily maneuvered through tight quarters. Always

SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD

Schatzi responded readily to the recall command–did not stray away, seek attention from others, or trudge slowly.* Yes
Schatzi remained under control and focused on Ann.* Yes
Schatzi came within the prescribed distance of Ann.* Yes
Schatzi came directly to Ann.* Yes

SITS ON COMMAND

Schatzi responded promptly to the command to sit. Always
Schatzi remained under control around food–not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.* Yes
Schatzi remained composed while the shopping cart passed–did not shy away, show signs of fear, etc.* Yes
Schatzi maintained a sit-stay while being petted by a stranger.* Yes

DOWNS ON COMMAND

Schatzi responded promptly to the command to down. Mostly
Schatzi remained under control around the food–not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.* Yes
Schatzi remained in control while the child approached – child should not taunt Schatzi or be overly dramatic.* Yes

NOISE DISTRACTIONS

If Schatzi jumps, turns, or shows a quick startle type reaction, that is fine. Schatzi should not show fear, aggression, or continue to be affected by the noise.

Schatzi remained composed during the noise distraction.* Yes

RESTAURANT

Schatzi is unobtrusive and out of the way of patrons and employees as much as possible.* Yes
Schatzi maintained proper behavior, ignoring food and being quiet.* Yes

OFF LEAD

When told to drop the leash, the team maintained control and Ann got the leash back in position.* Yes

DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON

Another person can take Schatzi’s leash and Ann can move away without aggression or undue stress on the part of Schatzi.* Yes

CONTROLLED EXIT

Schatzi stayed in relative heel position. Always
Schatzi was calm around traffic.* Yes
Schatzi stopped when Ann came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE

Schatzi waited until commanded to enter the vehicle. Yes
Schatzi readily entered the vehicle upon command. Yes

TEAM RELATIONSHIP

When Schatzi did well, Ann praised Schatzi. Always
Schatzi is relaxed, confident, and friendly. Always
Ann kept Schatzi under control. Always
Ann was prepared with proper working materials and equipment in case of an access confrontation (laws, etc.). Yes

Equipment, Experience, Medical Alert, Military, Mobility, PTSD, San Antonio, Self Training, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Robin’s Training Experience

After an intensive week of many, many hours a day training here in San Antonio after she and Smokey flew in from Philadelphia, combined with her own self-training (she had a previous Service Dog who just passed away), the team passed the Public Access Test!!!

Smokey is a rescued, 3 year-old black Labrador/Shepherd mix.  Robin suffers from complex PTSD and mobility and balance issues.  Robin spent two years in the Israeli Army, and then went on to become a Physician’s Assistant.  Robin’s trainers were Beverli and Laurie .

Laurie was absolutely delighted to see the transformation in both Smokey and Robin’s disposition from the time they arrived until the day they left.  They came as a unit that knew most every “command”, but by the end of the week of training, their bond had increased dramatically and the team dynamic was outstanding!!!!

Please watch this 15 minute video of Robin talking about her experience:

Air Force, Anxiety, Army, Coast Guard, Depression, Experience, Fibromyalgia, General, Marine, Medical Alert, Military, Mobility, Navy, Pain Management, Panic Attack, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Capone’s Success Story

The animal rescue world is challenging on the best of days. We see the broken and unwanted of the City of San Antonio on a daily basis. One of the most unforgettable of those days was 5 weeks ago, when Capone walked through our door. He was starving, with patches of hair missing, broken teeth, and his ears jagged and cropped…you won’t believe his transformation…read more at  SAPA – San Antonio Pets Alive | Capone’s Story

Autism, Military, San Antonio, Texas

Active Duty Janice, and her Chihuahua mix, Bruce.

From our trainer, Beverli, who trained with Active Duty Janice, and her Chihuahua mix, “Bruce”. Janice’s son suffers from autism, so training has been focused on training Janice and Bruce first.

Beverli writes:

“Today, we had our training session at Lowe’s. I brought my Service Dog, Luke, and we worked on Bruce’s ability to heel, obey commands, and respond to his handler with another dog nearby. We started with a sit/stay and down/stay off leash, as well as crossing paths with another dog (my Service Dog), and redirected Bruce to ignore him when needed.

Bruce’s confidence seemed to have improved in new situations, and his responses to commands have improved as well. Bruce needs a little more work on his “heel” and with his focus with another dog nearby.

Homework given was to continue working on Bruce’s scent location skills, as well as ignoring the public on walks and in stores. All in all, it was a very productive session!”

Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Military, Mobility, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Amber and SDIT Holiday

From our trainer, Beverli, who had her second session with Wounded Warrior, Amber, and her SDIT, hound mix,“Holiday”. Amber suffers from Bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and back problems.

Beverli writes:

“Today we began Holiday’s introduction to the Public Access Test rules and skills at Petsmart. We worked on “heel”, “leave it” when Holiday got distracted by smells or other people, and a calm, controlled “entry” into and out of different stores. We also worked on “sit-stay” and “down-stay”.

I brought my own Service Dog, Luke, to test Holiday’s distraction with other dogs. Holiday was focused on Amber, regardless of Luke’s location and proximity to him.

Amber and Holiday’s bond has grown since our last session. He responds quickly to basic “sit” and “down” responses, and this shows Amber’s diligence in working with him.

Holiday’s overall comfort and ease in public locations needs improvement. He needs work with socializing and experiencing many new places.

Homework for next session is to work on “touch” in public, and to work on Amber’s handling of Holiday in public in a calm manner.

Depression, Medical Alert, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS TO HEIDI AND SERVICE DOG BRYNN

CONGRATULATIONS TO HEIDI AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, Labrador/German Shepherd mix, BRYNN!!! THEY PASSED THEIR PUBLIC ACCESS TEST!!!!

Our trainer, Sue, has been working with Heidi, who suffers from anxiety attacks, crowd anxiety, dissociation in public and in times of high stress/PTSD exacerbation, memory deficits resulting in difficulty maintaining medication schedule, and depression symptoms.

Sue writes:

Brynn passed every part of the Public Access Test – just had a little bit of difficulty doing quick turns – but soon adjusted.

We had another training session after the test when Heidi returned from her vacation to address a little bit of pulling issues at Costco. We tried the Head Halter in to try to curb Brynn’s pulling as the Martingale did not work well and a prong collar worked sometimes but needed to be replaced with a different tool. The Head Halter worked automatically! At Costco, I showed Heidi how to work on finding store anchors and safe zones to calm Heidi down from perceived threats and increased anxieties due to triggers. I showed Heidi how to use Brynn as a buffer by automatically placing Brynn in a cover between other humans or carts at places like checkout aisle intersections, and for Heidi and Brynn to be more alert to humans that are coming from right or left side, so that the client can also try to take routes without human traffic.

As homework, we also discussed new exercises to try for 3 weeks to have Brynn start reminding Heidi to take her medications. We also discussed starting using non-verbal (hand gestures) to train Brynn to do instant “covers”, in a heel position from the front, back, and sides.

Brynn no longer pulls on the leash! Heidi can go shopping at Costco in short sessions now that she knows how to find her anchors and safe zones. Brynn did awesome on the vacation with family and horses!

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

Wounded Warrior, Thomas and his SDIT, Samanatha

From our wonderful trainer, Cherry, who met with Wounded Warrior, Thomas and his SDIT, Samanatha. Thomas suffers from Migraines, syncope, seizures, PTSD, anxiety, and severe depression.

Cherry writes:

“This story may touch your heart. I had a wonderful assessment with Thomas and his SDIT Samantha. Thomas and his family chose sweet Samantha from the pound with the intent of her being a Service Dog for him. She was super cute, so they adopted her and took her home. Not long afterward, they discovered sweet Samantha is DEAF! Not wanting to give up on their sweet baby like some do, Thomas decided he would teach her sign language; and so far she has learned Sit and Come by sign alone!!

Samantha heeled well in PetSmart, ignoring most distractions – even the cats! She has an amazing bond with Thomas, so I know this team will do well!

Thomas’ homework was to continue having Samantha heel, performing “watch me”, and practicing “cover”. He will also keep on practicing the sits and stays.

I am going away to visit my family in Europe for a few weeks, but Thomas has great support from trainer Letty, who will be there if he needs her. Letty is proficient in sign language, and has her own deaf Service Dog. Thomas was super excited to start training. What a wonderful person to want to continue working with Samantha even after he discovered she was deaf! A war veteran with a huge heart, what could be better? :)”

Military, Mobility, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR RACHEL AND SERVICE DOG, “BEAR”

CONGRATULATIONS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR RACHEL AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, “BEAR”!!!!! Rachel suffers from diagnosed with PTSD and a TBI after a vehicle accident where she was the sole survivor. Her previous Service Dog was killed by her neighbor. Bear was given to our family in the aftermath of the loss of her beloved “Toby”.

Wonderful trainer Letty writes:

“Congratulations to Rachel and Bear for passing their PAT (Public Access Test)”. Rachel, who is active duty and will be moving to Alaska in a few days, has come a long way in a short amount of time. She and Bear worked extremely hard and are now a confident working team. The love and partnership between the two of them is both beautiful and inspiring to watch. Congratulations again and thank you for all you do in our Armed Forces!”