Category Archives: Austin

Anxiety, Austin, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

Emmett and SD Daphne

From our delightful client, Emmett, who has SD Daphne! Emmett suffers from PTSD and anxiety. Emmett is so completely in love with Daphne, a pit bull originally saved by Cherry Jenkins and her rescue, In Dog We Trust, from a puppy mill. Daphne is equally in love with Emmett! They make a WONDERFUL pair – and Daphne always knows when Emmett is anxious and immediately responds with comfort.

“Hello Laurie! Just wanted to send you a quick update. Classes started Monday here on campus, and Daphne has been going to all of mine with me. She curls up at my feet under the table if space permits or to the side of my desk. She responds very well to hand signals (i.e. Sit (fist), down (two finger taps on floor), under/in (1 snap and point in any direction)). She is getting better and better at walking in a heel without much direction. She is fully switched over to grain-free food, so she’s not “passing gas” so much. All in all, it’s going great! I will start teaching children as part of my education, and will be bringing Daphne!”

Austin, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

Emmet and Daphne

I am so happy to say that our dear client, Emmett, who is a college student and suffers from severe PTSD, is doing a REMARKABLE job with his new SDIT, Daphne (rescued, vetted, and wonderfully cared for by Cherry Jenkins of In Dog We Trust). They have an AMAZING bond. Emmett is always so joyful when he talks about Daphne. Emmett is such a kind, compassionate, and intelligent young man, and Daphne just loves nothing more than snuggling with Emmett and looking at him with those gorgeous eyes!! Emmett is at school in Georgetown, TX, but his family lives here in San Antonio. So, we had our first training session when Emmett came down for Thanksgiving break. I was astonished at how knowledgeable Emmett was about dogs and Daphne in particular. We talked about diet, basic obedience (Daphne knows just about every command already), and Emmett said that Daphne is so welcomed at all his classes in school. He said Daphne behaves perfectly – and she is already helping with his PTSD tremendously. Emmett has such wonderful family support! We will train again when they come down for Christmas break – several times. Emmett has self-taught Daphne so many things already, and they are inseparable!

Anxiety, Austin, Experience, Panic Attack, PTSD, Texas

Presentation by Lucia and Lily

What a joyful day in Service Dog world! Dear Lucia, in Austin, with her SD Lily, was asked to teach a class on Service Dogs at the local college! This is what she wrote! Can you imagine – someone who was paralyzed by PTSD and anxiety going up in front of a classroom full of people to educate them about Service Dogs! SO PROUD OF YOU LUCIA AND LILY!

” Hi Laurie! The class went very well! You should have seen the critical thinkers in the class that were so interested in Service Dog issues. Since they are all future educators, we even got into how to address Service Dog concerns in the classroom after the basics were covered (kids/students that are afraid or don’t understand why they can’t pet, how to address parents and classmates without compromising privacy, even issues regarding conflicting interpretations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA Titles II and III regarding Service Dogs). I think they got a pretty good introduction to what it’s like to have a Service Dog on a daily basis, too–including the harassment, questions, weird comments, weird and inappropriate behaviors, etc. (and of course good things, too). We talked about invisible disabilities, too. Lots of things!”

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. INFORMING OTHERS ABOUT SOMETHING YOU EXPERIENCE YOURSELF IS SO POWERFUL!

Air Force, Army, Austin, Coast Guard, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Experience, General, Houston, Lubbock, Marine, Military, Navy, New Mexico, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Waco, Wounded Warrior

Unbelievable kindness

Unbelievable kindness. Ken, a Wounded Warrior who has Service Dog “Mozart”, does this amazing artwork. He is donating proceeds from the sale of it to help wounded warriors get funding for Service Dog training with Service Dog Express!!! THANK YOU KEN!!!!!

Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the oppurtunity to adopt service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost
Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the opportunity to adopt service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost
Anxiety, Austin, Panic Attack, PTSD, Texas

Hannah and SDIT Addie

From our trainer in Austin, who is working with 16 year-old Hannah, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety.

“Hi Laurie!
I had a great session with Hannah and SDIT Addie, her German Shepherd puppy!

Last time we met, we worked on Addie’s excitement towards people and dogs in public, and she has made HUGE progress! Hannah got Addie a head halter due to Addie pulling on the leash, and it made a huge difference!

We spent some time inside Petsmart to expose Addie to a dog environment and then went outside and worked on loose leash walking in the park with the head halter on. She is still getting used to it, but her walking with it made a huge difference for Hannah being able to control her. Addie has an obsession with little children, so we went over to a playground, sat on a bench and worked in on keep her settled while there was a child running around so Addie could get used to them.

I made the suggestion that they go to a playground, find a bench to sit on and over-expose Addie to kids so she gets desensitized to them.

Hannah also asked me about how to make Addie’s recalls stronger. I suggested putting Addie on a long leash and call her over and treat her every time she comes to her. Another way to make her recalls much stronger is doing it at a dog park when she is around other dogs and distractions, and just practice calling her back and highly reinforcing that.

They both did great today and can’t wait until our next session!”

Austin, Experience, Texas

Lucia and SD Lily’s Exciting News

SUCH EXCITING NEWS FOR OUR DEAR CLIENT, LUCIA, AND HER SD, LILY!!! THIS IS FROM HER TRAINER IN AUSTIN!!

“Hi Laurie!

I had a session with Lucia and Lily a couple of days ago. The Austin Pets Alive shelter had a videographer following Lucia and Lily around, doing a documentary and they filmed a training session of ours, along with an interview with me! We met at a Target so we could work on distractions and “leave it” in the toy aisle. Lily did well, except there were moments where she was VERY distracted; dogs have off days just like us humans too!

Lily does exceptionally well out in public and I was super happy that Austin Pets Alive had chosen Lucia and Lily to film to show a clip at their upcoming Gala to raise money for animals!”

OBVIOUSLY AUSTIN PETS ALIVE SAW HOW WONDERFUL AND DEDICATED LUCIA HAS BEEN THROUGH HER STRUGGLES AND HER AMAZING WORK WITH HER SD, LILY!!! SO PROUD OF YOU TWO!! THANK YOU TO OUR TRAINER!!!

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Anxiety, Austin, Fibromyalgia, PTSD, Texas

Meghan and Precious

From our trainer in Austin, who is working with Meghan, who suffers from PTSD, flashbacks, and fibromyalgia.

“Hi Laurie!

I had a session with Meghan and Precious. Precious is heeling really nicely along Meghan’s side while outside. She is having difficulty with meet and greets and jumping on counters while food is on it.
So, we went to her apartment office and had Precious do a couple meets and greets with a couple nice ladies. I showed Meghan the appropriate way to have Precious behave if a stranger wanted to come up and pet him with her permission.

We went back to Meghan’s place and worked on “leave it”. I worked with Precious on leaving a piece of chicken on the floor, table, and kitchen counter. He did really well and did not jump at all (probably because he knew we were watching him . We wanted to catch him jumping and train him not to, so that is still a work in progress.
But, overall it was a good session. I told Meghan to go ahead and buy a vest for Precious. They are ready to do more training in public now.”

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, MEGHAN AND PRECIOUS. IT WILL COME!

Anxiety, Austin, Equipment, PTSD, Texas

Hannah and Addie

From our trainer in Austin, who is working with Hannah, who is a delightful 16 year old who unfortunately suffers from anxiety, night terrors, and PTSD.  Her SDIT is Addie!

“Hello!

I had a session with Hannah and Addie on Sunday. Addie is a beautiful 6 month-old German Shepherd who has grown tremendously and knows her basics very well. Hannah had concerns about Addie being overly excitable when out in public. Addie gets excited when she sees other dogs and people and starts to bark and jump in the air, which of course a Service Dog cannot do.

I worked with Addie out in a public park on a 20ft long leash so we could practice recalls. I also wanted to tire Addie out. I made sure I saw people or dogs walk by, had my hand pre-loaded with treats, and treated Addie rapidly as they walked by. I would treat her for no reaction and pretty soon, she caught on and started to turn her attention back to me! This is a technique I recommend clients try out. Hannah felt a lot better after the session, knowing it can be managed.

We also worked on leave it, stays, and eye contact. Addie’s eye contact is amazing!”

BRILLIANT WORK TO OUR TRAINER, HANNAH, AND ADDIE!!!

Austin, Military, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Vietnam Veteran Travis and SDiT Sergeant

From our trainer, Andrew, who is working with Vietnam Veteran Travis, and his SDIT, Sergeant:

“On Sept 23rd, I had my first initial session with Travis and his SDIT, Sergeant. Sergeant is a tri-colored collie and is very smart. He has lots of food drive, but also likes to play with a tug. I worked some with a sit/down and sit/stay and the dog did as expected for being so raw and only just over two years old.

At our second training session, Sergeant proved to still be a very exuberant dog and is a very quick learner. We worked on basic obedience – mainly sit/down stays. I had an extended talk with Travis about training his dog: that sit means sit and down means down. I instructed Travis about leading the dog up to being able to stay in whatever position Travis commands even if he leaves the room. We talked a little about rewards as well and the pros and con’s of using praise rewards and food rewards… I only took one picture and here is the beautiful dog below in a down stay!”

Austin, Mobility, Pain Management, Texas

Daveed and his SDIT Redmond

From our trainer, Andrew, who is working hard with 19 year-old Daveed, who suffers from mobility and other medical issues due to a rare disease called Polyarteritis Nodosa, and his SDIT, Redmond!

“On Monday, Sept 22nd, I had a training session with Daveed and his SDIT, Redmond. We worked on reinforcing the down/ sit stay, we worked on reinforcing a sit when Daveed stops walking, and while waiting for Daveed to climb the stairs. And I also introduced the first “find your spot” game to Daveed and Redmond, which is the act of the dog finding his designated spot in whatever room they may be in… They enjoyed it, we had a good session, and they are making considerable progress!”

SO PROUD OF YOU, DAVEED AND REDMOND!!