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Maximum, the new Service Dog in Training (most current report at top of page) [see “Animals at Work” photo page and “Experiences at Work” page] December 23, 2010 Max: continues to improve in “doing laundry”: he helps every time now and brings the entire load, one garment or sock at a time, from the sorting pile to me at the washing machine (from one room to the next!) NO MORE BENDING OR TWISTING FOR ME, at least at the “loading the washer” stage! We play “toy” or outside “ball” when we’re done working. We live in the country and we’ve moved our www.desertlakerealty.com office home so Max won’t be working in public as often. This is a concern as I don’t want his training to fade away. I have just returned from a 5-day vacation leaving Max with his “dad” (my husband.) Since I’ve made VAST improvement in living with Fibromyalgia, and since I was with my daughter-in-law and WAY FUN 1 yoa grandson, I had the help I needed and I didn’t need the extra stimulus and responsibility of hauling Max with us. My Service Dog is A MESS (he’s never been away from me for this length of time.) The combination of ?? food allergies and ?? nerves has caused large strips of hair to fall out. We’ve been battling this skin issue for months, thought not this severe) and thought we had found the answer in feeding him a very high quality NO GRAIN dog food/no table scraps/fish treats only. Our best guess is that he’s eating rabbit poop= HIGH GRAIN CONTENT. Remedy:
GoodOne: very content being home with his “dad.” He was glad to see me but his reaction was that of a sweet pet rather than a working dog. This is GOOD NEWS for us! He is content to be a dog. February 13, 2010 Husband and I have just returned from a blessed 4-day business getaway to brainstorm ideas for our real estate business, www.desertlakerealty.com This is the first extended trip “Max,” our 1 yr-old Pitweiler/mix (?maybe Lab or German Shepherd... he was a rescue as all of my Service Dogs have been.) has made. Max was absolutely perfect. He wore his bright jacket and training collar, he made a significant difference for me with my migraines and gait problems (much bigger and stronger than a cocker!), he went “potty” on command, he had perfect manners at the condo, the restaurants and the shops, and he was hyper-vigilant toward me. Yes, God has blessed us with ANOTHER Good One!!!! My little GoodOne stayed behind for the 1st (extended) time in his Service Dog life He was a shaking, nervous basket case when my husband dropped him off, but he was warmly received and much loved by a familiar face (his groomer.) She and her husband take GoodOne in as one of their own (GoodOne watches sports on the couch with them, gets along very well with their three schnauzers, AND SLEEPS IN THE people BED WITH THEM AT NIGHT!) When I picked him up, he seemed “dull” and confused... and he kept watching my friend, then back at me, then at her as if he was saying, “Which is my Mom?” He was a normal, wiggly little cocker when my husband came home from work that night but I can see him slowly fading. My heart is heavy. He’s so young.
GoodOne’s Service to Me: August 17, 2009 Bad News moves to Good News! While GoodOne has caused me great heartache in his wanting to retire, the good news is that the vet found nothing wrong with his heart. Blood tests are good/urine sample clean. He (supposedly) has giardia but if that’s true, he’s probably had it his entire life. Shouldn’t have noticed abrupt changes in his behavior from that. Bad News: hubby and I came across pics of GoodOne when we first got him almost 4 years ago (as a rescue dog, his age at that time was difficult to determine, but vet thought about 1 1/2 yrs old) and MY PUP HAS AGED TERRIBLY. Service Dogs do.... Bad News moving to Good News: GoodOne, the Cocker Spaniel (bird dog by breeding trait) has discovered that he LOVES chickens, particularly to chase (and kill in play) our chickens! After many very hefty spankings (which are totally unfamiliar to him!), he has begun to show signs of wanting to WORK FOR A LIVING once again! I took him to work with me x 3 this month and he did very well!!!
MAY 23, 2009 RETIREMENT IS NEAR Oh how heavy my heart is: my GoodOne is showing signs of needing to be retired as my Service Companion (age= approx 4 1/2). For some reason his focus is off. He’s more “dog” than “assistant” these days:
My husband’s and my two best guesses for the problems are: 1) He’s spending too much time at home playing with our pitweiler pup and has learned that being a dog is much more fun than being a working animal (he doesn’t realize that DOGS STAY HOME when we’re gone!) 2) He might have developed a heart condition, whereby working tires him out too much PLEASE PRAY THAT WE FIND AN EXCELLENT VET WHO WILL WORK WITH OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ January 16, 2009 My Comrade, GoodOne was PERFECT IN EVERY WAY yesterday as he accompanied me to my 1st Chamber of Commerce meeting as PRESIDENT. Whew! I spent 90 minutes going going going but it was all worth every second of it, and my Friend was with me every step of the way, in sync with my movements! I helped move tables and pass out papers and I was up, down, up, down in speaking to “the masses” [23 attendees], his lease over my right wrist. (He, like all of my Service dogs, have been trained to accompany me “on the right side” as I am left handed.) His movements were smooth and he was 100% alert to my needs. WHAT A GOOD ONE!!! ________________________________________________________ November 17, 2008 As my condition has been deteriorating (see “progress notes” under Guai Protocol), I am realizing that, at some point in the not-so-distant future, little cocker GoodOne might not be high enough nor strong enough to help me with my mobility (I’ll need a mobility harness much like those used by Guide Dogs for blind people). That’s why we decided to get a pup whom we can groom to be my NEXT Service Dog. His name is “Max” (short for “Maximum.”) He’s about 12 weeks old now, a Rotti mix and a TERROR. His story and progress report on training will follow as I have a chance. __________________________________________________ August 4, 2008 It’s Monday; the Wonder Pooch and I are on our way to work! (Please see my Progress Notes under Guai Protocol.) He wears his Service Vest every day that we are out, and he proudly struts his stuff at restaurants, the post office, the candy store or hardware store or wherever else we happen to go during our time in town! I use a gate to block the open office door (which isn’t too convenient for clients but is WAY FUN for the passers by who stop to visit from across the room and comment on “the puppy in the coat!”) Please... PLEASE... if you have a Service Dog, be sure he’s dressed appropriately. Not only does it save a lot of hassle for store owners and for you, but it is an EXCELLENT AVENUE FOR ADVOCACY for FMS; educating the public on this rapist of a disease is CRUCIAL to finding appropriate and safe medical treatment and PREVENTION; the vest is an instant conversation piece. I pass out GoodOne’s business cards whenever I have an opportunity, especially to daycare-school-age children. THEY CAN SHARE THEIR NEWLY-FOUND EDUCATION about Service Animals within their own communities! __________________________________________________
February 6, 2007 Pushing Through A Rough Day -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lady Fanny of Omaha What an absolutely gorgeous dog! (see her pic under “animals at work.”) She was so tiny and petite (a Cavelier King Charles TOY Spaniel) and photogenic, too! (I have a beautiful fall photo of her that I want to enter in the fair. It hangs on my “Service Dog wall!) Lady Fanny, for the brief moment we had her, turned out to be miraculously effective in meeting one of my greatest needs: SHE WAS A MIGRAINE RELIEVER!!! How totally wonderful is that? She had always been real sedate, like a stuffed animal, and when I set her on my head, SHE STAYED THERE! Her warm belly and heartbeat somehow TOOK MY MIGRAINES AWAY within about 10 minutes (if I caught it soon enough)! Wow. What an unexpected surprise! Sadly, on the day we were to start our very 1st day of work as a THERAPY TEAM at an Alzheimer’s unit (turns out, she would double as a Therapy/Service Dog [google “therapy animals” to see the stringent requirements]), she seemed weak and more inactive than usual. I knew she had a severe heart condition (typical for this breed... all the high-breeding), so I stopped by my vet to have him take a listen. His face grew solemn as he said the words, “She’s done working, as of today. Retire her or you’ll be walking along downtown one day and... well...” Lady Fanny and I drove home dumbfounded, neither of us making a sound. When we reached “our” couch, I caressed her as I cried and thanked her for her sweet nature and the help she had offered for those brief months. Then, I made two phone calls: one to the Facility to cancel our “work” schedule; the other to my friend at Howling Ridge Rescue (where I’ve gotten all my Service dogs) to ask that she take Lady Fanny back to let her sit out her days on the “favorite green pillow.” Lady Fanny passed away three months later of congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, without suffering. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Bitterman’s Service to Me: A Guy Never to be Replaced (written in November, ‘06 after his death) My Bitterman used to help me manage my (too much for too long) sleep. He'd awaken me and nuzzle me and make his weird whining sounds (he was deaf) if I had slept in past my usual 9 hrs. If I forgot to eat (I have severe Reactive Hypoglycemia), he'd bug me and hassle me like something was wrong. SOMETHING WAS WRONG! If my blood sugar gets out of whack at all, it's DEADLY MIGRAINE CITY. Our naps could only be about 2 1/2 hrs... he knew not to let me sleep longer or it would throw off my sleep patterns and I'd be a mess. There are so many things he did and it's soooo hard now because, though Lady Fanny of Omaha, my new Service Dog in training, is totally sweet and cuddly, etc. and we do have that necessary “CLICK”-- (though she is alert to where I am 24/7 and follows me to and fro) she isn't "me" at all. Bitterman was my shadow. He knew me inside and out. When I breathed in, he breathed out... that sort of thing. Lady isn't anything like that. I think she'll end up as a psych therapy dog and I will gift her to a friend's mom for that purpose. I'll keep looking for "that perfect match." I won't give her up, though, until that perfect match comes along. Living without ANY service dog, as I learned after Bitterman's death, set me back almost immediately. I have other animals and I love them all... but they are PETS... not service animals. There's a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
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