Anxiety, Austin, Depression, Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Texas

Meghan and Precious

An update from our trainer in Austin, who is working with Meghan, who unfortunately suffers from PTSD, severe anxiety/depression, and fibromyalgia. She says that most nights when she sleeps, she has severe nightmares and wakes up every few hours. The anxiety from the PTSD, nightmares, flashbacks causes severe panic attacks. The anxiety leads to depression which makes leaving the house difficult. At times, the fibromyalgia leaves her exhausted, affecting her ability to stand and her general ability to function or concentrate. She will collapse or have to sit down wherever she’s at. Her speech can even become slurred. We hope with the help of SDIT, Precious, she can find some peace and joy, along with balance relief. Our trainer writes:

“Hello Laurie!

I had a morning session with Meghan and Precious. It had been a couple of weeks since we got together. Today, we focused on distractions outside. As we walked outside of her apartment over to the dog park in the complex, I noticed that Precious heels very nicely alongside her. Meghan rarely had to redirect or tell Precious to stay by her side.

We got to the dog park and there was nobody there, which was perfect. So we sat down and waited for Precious to settle into a down, and had Precious make several eye contacts before letting him off leash. After she took him off leash, he continued to stay in a down even though he had the freedom to roam in his environment! As soon as Meghan got up, Precious then wandered off to smell the dog park and do his business. We used this as an opportunity to practice his recalls so he could be immersed in his environment but still listen to Meghan when she calls for him. He did very well considering how much there was to smell around him!

When we headed back to her apartment, I showed Meghan some tips on how to stop Precious from jumping onto the kitchen counter and grabbing food that is left up there. We made some good progress today! My favorite part is how nicely he heels by her side. That is a HUGE help for her stability!”

Bipolar, Depression, Military, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Nathan and Owen

An update from Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior Nathan, who suffers from PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder due to childhood abuse and deployments, and his SDIT, “Owen”!

“We did our first training session at a public location. Although Nathan and Owen have been practicing, they hadn’t made any serious trips. Now that they have their own vest and ID, we wanted to give them practice. We started in the garden section and practiced basic behaviors and commands. Then, with the assistance of a sales person there, we had Owen practice staying seated while someone petted him. He did well for his first “petting” from a stranger. Then, we found a cart and practiced pushing the cart with Owen heeling right next to the cart through turns, tight spots, other people, etc. Owen did very well!

Owen was a little nervous with all the sounds and people, but he quickly adjusted and recovered very well from loud noises with very little startle. Good boy with heeling, with a cart, with sitting and watching out when we stopped and took a break. Good Boy Owen! Good Job Nathan! Owen brings Nathan a lot of joy.”

Autism, San Antonio, Texas

Brandi, Alex and SDiT Will

An update from our trainer Beverly, who is working with mom Brandi and her son, Alex, who has autism, and SDIT, Will!

“We walked around the whole apartment complex, around several people in passing and dogs barking from balconies. Will did great! There were no signs of any problems. Will growled for a short moment at the frenzied barking dogs, but walked on and ignored them when told “leave it.” Brandi will take treats on her walk and have random people feed treats to Will while he is in a sit position so he knows other people are okay (especially strollers and any unfamiliar objects.) She will also ensure he sits whenever they stop walking and is not allowed to pull on the leash while walking. I showed her how to give a proper leash correction with the flat collar and discussed the importance of not letting him get ahead and start any pulling. Will did GREAT on the walk around the whole complex and only needed to be reminded to heel a few times. Will knows sit, down, stay, watch me, and leave it.

Brandi says Will and Alex sleep together every night and they have a very tight bond. Alex loves to pet and hug Will, which can calm him if he gets upset.”

Alzheimer's Disease, Army, Diabetes, El Paso, Medical Alert, Military, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Beto and Osito

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Another wonderful update from our trainer Michelle, in New Mexico, who is working with Beto, a Wounded Warrior who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has diabetes, and his SDIT, Osito!

Michelle writes:

“I met with Beto and SDiT Osito. It was a good visit. However, Beto’s short term memory is quickly fading. He was not able to remember the things we talked about regarding commands. However, he was able to remember to check his blood sugar when Osito began kissing him and alerted to high sugar levels in excess of 250; scary!!! AWESOME JOB OSITO!!!!!!

We also worked on “leave it”, and by the end of the small session OSITO would not take it unless told he could have the treat!!!!!

Beto’s wife, Maribel, was out of town taking care of family, and was unable to help with the training these last 2 weeks. She reassured me these next two weeks she will help more.

We did get SDIT Osito to start wearing his vest, which came in the mail. Maribel will be doing some alterations so that it doesn’t hurt Osito when he wears his vest. The xs is still too large, and patches are being sewn on.

I still have high hopes for this team, they just need reminders. We will work with things like sticky notes, writing pads, etc. Beto loves his Osito SO very much!”

 

Anxiety, Mobility, New Mexico, PTSD

Shauna and SDiT Kilo

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Shauna

An update from Michelle, our trainer in New Mexico, who is training with Shauna who suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and mobility issues, and SDIT, Kilo.Michelle writes:”Working with Team Shauna and SDiT Kilo is awesome!

We went to the pet store, where I watched Kilo work off-leash, walk up against Shauna in a cover, and his down and stay is getting much better. He only got up twice from the down/stay as I believe he felt vibes from Shauna possibly getting nervous or a little anxious. That is normal. Kilo’s doing great!!!!!!
We then went to the grocery store to go over the “colored tiles” to learn those were access chasers for the freezers. Great job!! As those chasers are hollow, and Kilo doesn’t want mom to fall, he was alerting for her to stay away from them and again planted himself in the way, not wanting her to be near them.

Upon completion, went to the Allsups that had been giving Shauna and Kilo a hard time, happy to learn they have new staff and welcomed both my SDIT Abby and Kilo without question!

Then Abby felt the need to stand on Kilo on our way back to the house. Silly girl, he’s your friend!!!”

Good job, Shauna, I would let Kilo still alert to those chased covers; he obviously doesn’t feel comfortable around them, Trust Kilo!”

 

Austin, Texas

Lily is truly inspiring

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From our trainer in Austin, who continues to perfect the work with dear Lucia and her SD, Lily. The trainer writes:

“Hi! Lucia and Lily worked on distractions yesterday at Petco. Lucia and Lily passed their PAT last weekend but want to continue their training sessions, improving Lily’s focus on distractions.

Lily was able to get close enough to the cat! We also worked on squeaky toys as well!

Lucia is so dedicated to perfecting Lily’s training and focus that I have no doubt that Lily is just going to get better and better!”

I personally have to say that in talking to Lucia, her determination to excel beyond expectations with Lily is truly inspiring.

Lucia and Lily

Anxiety, Dallas-Fort Worth, PTSD, Texas

Heather, Marcus and SDiT Duke

From our trainer in Ft. Worth, Candace! She is working with wonderful mom, Heather, and her 7 1/2 year-old son, Marcus. Heather writes that Marcus suffers from PTSD and anxiety as a result of severe abuse and neglect he suffered prior to our adoption when he was 4 1/2. PTSD disrupts his life on a daily basis. He is a bright, compassionate, energetic young man who is being limited by the ghosts of his past. Poor Marcus’ PTSD seems to be most intense at school. The hustle and bustle of school can be overwhelming to him. His teacher reports a lot of hyper-vigilance behaviors that interfere with his ability to focus in class. He is constantly on the lookout for trouble and has to sit in a spot where he can see the whole classroom. . Often, he is afraid of sleeping in his room by himself because he has frequent nightmares / night terrors. His mother is completely committed to helping Marcus with the aid of a Service Dog.

“We’d like to give a warm welcome to Heather and her son Marcus! They just added Duke to the family and are beginning their journey. The only thing I did with Ms. Wilson this session is help assess the dogs, providing pros and cons. Duke really took to Marcus. They are both in the higher energy realm, so it looks like they will be great buddies! More than that, Duke will be a wonderful companion for Marcus. Ms. Wilson reports that they are doing well with leash training, but mostly they are working on the two bonding. They will start working on the easier commands sit and down, but more than that, play! It’s just wonderful to see Marcus happy! Here are some pictures of the two Marcus and Duke the day after they brought him home. Looks like a great match to me!!”

Diabetes, Experience, Military, Mobility, Navy, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

John and his wonderful SD Sancho

Veteran John and his wonderful SD Sancho are still going strong! Sancho is getting a few grey hairs – he’s 8 – but he still listens to every one of John’s commands and is as lovable as ever! John has been taking extra care of himself because they believe he is having mini-strokes, which sometimes affect his speech and memory along with his movement – but he’s a real trooper and tries not to let it get him down! Caretaker Mary takes John and Sancho to all their appointments at the VA and with specialists, and Sancho is still as helpful and devoted as ever. John just loves Sancho to pieces!

Mary wrote about their recent outing to the Garden Center on Bandera Rd, were they got 3 plants. John loves to garden, and at our last session, he and Mary had cleaned up all the vegetable and flower beds and it was beautiful! They also went to Walmart and got some cactus and hats for the sun protection. It is important for John and Sancho to get out the house and walk and just get away from things so that John does not have to stay at home and focus on his disabilities. Amazingly, even with the inability to use one arm, John volunteers at the Guide Dogs of Texas, washing drinking bowls, helping keep things clean, and being around other dogs. His volunteer work gives him something to make him feel purposeful. John and Sancho will also continue to do therapy dog work as they have been – they are so good at it, and John has a wonderful sense of humor that is infectious for those who are in need of uplifting.

Here are some pictures of me outside with Sancho – I love to brush him with the Furminator because he sheds so much and I know it feels good for him! You can also see from the pictures how much Sancho loves John. And Sancho does REALLY well in his booties!!!

 

Epilepsy, San Antonio, Seizure, Texas

Savannah and SD Valentina

From trainer Letty, who is working with Savannah, who is 17 years old and has epilepsy and developmental delays, and her SD, Valentina (V):

“I had a wonderful training session with Savannah and SD Valentina. We walked from Target to Ross in the Forum. While we were in Ross, we worked on control, balance, and keeping SD V close to Savannah’s body. Savannah did a wonderful job and requires little to no cueing with V. When we were done, we walked back to Target and met up with Savannah’s grandma.

I went over each of the commands that SD Valentina knows including sit, down, stay, leave it, load, unload, heel and how to cue both Savannah and V for each of them correctly. I had Savannah put V in a front cover and practiced walking in that position. It’s always a pleasure to work with this team.!”

PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

A Glorious Experience

What a glorious experience we had yesterday!! As mentioned in posts below, a psychiatrist and caseworker from the San Antonio State Hospital contacted us a while ago about a client of theirs that they felt would benefit from a Service Dog. Mind you, the State Hospital has been in existence for over 100 years – and this is the first Service Dog they have decided to try with a patient! They regularly have Therapy Dogs that visit patients, but this one particular client and the acumen of her psychiatrist decided that based upon the client’s PTSD and other diagnoses, she would be a perfect candidate for this. The client has been “practicing” taking care of one of the psychiatrist’s dogs for months – learning how to properly take care of it, walk it, feed it, give it love and snuggles, and do some basic training. She has done a marvelous job – and that is why they feel a Service Dog will greatly benefit her as I train with her weekly at the hospital until she is ready to go out into the world on her own, with her SD by her side.

Finding the right dog for her was a bit of a challenge, but thanks to Val Moore, who rescues and fosters so many dogs in need (with the help of her husband – had to put that in there!), we found the perfect dog at ACS – Sammie. Sammie is a 1 1/2 year old small mixed breed with the most gentle and loving nature. Sammie was going to go to be permanently with the client last week, but one of the stitches in her spay popped due to an improper closing of the wound. So, Val lovingly took the dog to her own veterinarian, and the popped stitch is healing beautifully.

Val, her husband, myself, the psychiatrist, and the caseworker met with the client yesterday so the client could at least meet Sammie and hold her. It was love at first site for both of them! It was such a beautiful thing to see how gently and carefully the client held Sammie, who was swaddled in a blanket to keep her stitching area clean – the client was overloaded with kisses from Sammie and Sammie’s tail wagged the whole time!! I know the client will take the best care of Sammie – of course, always supervised by staff – and I will train with the two of them weekly. The client is already making a beautiful purple collar with butterflies on it for little Sammie – which was quite a coincidence, since Val brought Sammie on a purple leash and collar!!

The client loves to create beautiful, expressive artwork, and it is very therapeutic for her. This forward-thinking psychiatrist has a very holistic approach when working with clients, and it has helped the client start to work through her past issues and project hope for her future.

A HUGE thank-you to Val and her husband for taking the time to bring Sammie to visit the client with me. What a wonderful future both the client and Sammie have to look forward to!!!!