- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
- Messages
- 3,096
As many of you know I have been fostering two German Shepherd Service dog training failures. Both dogs exhibited issues or quirks that made them unusable as a Service dog but would still allow them to be great companions and pets. Indi the first new child has an issue transitioning to new or different situations so she was deemed unsuitable or unreliable and removed from training. A couple of months later the wife had been to Petsmart to get dog food on a Saturday and was looking at all of the puppies and dogs available for adoption. Her thought was that Indi needed a playmate. In an effort to prevent getting another dog I called the foundation where I had gotten Indi and hoped that the head trainer would tell me that was a bad idea and that would be the end of getting another dog. It didn't quite work out that way because the owner/head trainer said they had another dog that was in need of a long term foster because she was reactive to thunder and lightning. So now I have two dogs and life is pretty good. We continue to work with both of them to help address their quirks in the hope that they would be "Normal" pets again one day. Indi is making progress in teeny tiny baby steps and Dixie the newest dog was making huge gains in leaps and bounds. Since both dogs are fully obedience trained and also trained to recognize and react to nightmares and other stress while the veterans are sleeping we continued to practice all of the commands and procedures that the dogs must demonstrate to graduate from the school. So after a couple of months training Dixie we have eliminated all but the most direct overhead thunder that come up without any warning being a trigger anymore. Then it happened. I was experiencing an issue breathing and Dixie sensed that I needed help. She woke me up and attempted to help calm me so I could catch my breath, but to no avail. She then went to my wife's bedroom and woke her to come into the living room where I usually sleep to help me. She called 911 and the ambulance was dispatched in a moment and on the way. Dixie too up a shielding position and continued to ty and calm me so I could breath easier till the ambulance arrived. She behaved perfectly and allowed the attendants to do what they needed to do to get me stable and transport me to the hospital. After I was discharged from the hospital I told the owner of the foundation what she had done and she too was quite amazed that she went so far to get help for me. So this Saturday evening she graduated from SD school and was also awarded the Service Dog of the year award from the foundation to recognize her for saving my life like she did. Apparently a dog physically saving a life is a big deal in the dog training industry so now I have been paired permanently with her as an award winning SD and companion. So things do work out for the best shen you stop pursuing and just let events happen as they develop on their own. Just figgered I would gloat for a minute on my little (70 pounds) teenaged service puppy. She just turned 2 last month so she still has about 6 months before she is really considered to be a full grown mature dog instead of being considered a puppy like she was when she saved my bacon. Here is a link to their site and they need supporters and sponsors all the time, so get involved if your looking for a cause!!! Sorry for the long post too!!
Wheelchair Bob
Wheelchair Bob
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