Category Archives: Texas

Anxiety, Austin, Fibromyalgia, Military, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Krisia and her SDIT, Corgi “Bear”

From our trainer, Emmett, who had his fourth session with Wounded Warrior Krisia and her SDIT, Corgi “Bear”! Krisia suffers from severe anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and fibromyalgia.

Emmett writes:

“Today, at Target, we worked on reinforcing Bear’s” sit/stay” and “down/stay”, as well as introducing Bear to blocking Krisia with “covers”. Krisia can become very anxious or pained (fibromyalgia) if strangers get too close to her. We are working on having Bear block (cover) on command in front of Krisia as well as behind her.

We also worked on having Bear heel through tight quarters, as well as having him do controlled meet and greets by several strangers. We also had two different willing strangers hold Bear’s leash while Krisia walked off in preparation for the Public Access Test.

Since our last session, Bear has improved tremendously!! He used to be a bit distracted in new environments, and would slide into a “down” when asked to sit and stay. He now (80% of the time) will stay in an upright, seated position when asked for a “sit/stay” which is HUGE progress. He also accepts treats much more politely now that Krisia has been working with him on that.

So far Krisia and Bear are doing wonderfully! They will be working on Bear’s “cover” while Krisia is visiting family in Puerto Rico.

Agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC), Central Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

Lovely post from the mother of Jayna

A lovely post from the mother of Jayna, was born with a very rare medical condition called Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, and her SDIT, “Brian”

“A successful end of the first day of school for Brian! The School Administrator wrote, “All is good. Brian is doing well. Jayna seems a bit distracted….but that will get better every day. The kids here have had Service Dogs before at school. They know they are not allowed to touch or talk to while he is “working” during school. That probably helps keep him calm, too. Brian knows what he is doing….smart dog. Jayna just needs more work with commands and how to give treats at right time. The thing to find out…….we have told kids while he has vest on…he is working which means no petting. Did the trainer say that when no vest on he knows that means playtime? Jayna is trying to play and tells kids to play with him….just don’t want to confuse this with what the trainer taught him. Just let me know so we are all on the same page.” She then wrote, “He will be a great fit here.” This was a beautiful report and we are so thrilled!! God is showing His grace and favor and we are so honored that He saw fit to bless our daughter NOW in her life! What a blessing!!

In turn, I immediately texted our trainer, Jackie, and she was so thrilled. She and I both think Brian is a natural at being a Service dog. A few tweeks to be made, but they are both well on their way to a great educational experience together!

Thank you for all of your support. We are planning on a training session at Toys-R-Us this weekend…and I can already hear the “Mama, I want…”

In His Love,
Katherine”

El Paso, Fibromyalgia, Mobility, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Marsha and Charlie

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who had his third training session Wounded Warrior Marsha and her SDIT, German Shepherd “Charlie”! Marsha suffers from PTSD, fibromyalgia, and mobility issues.

Terry writes:

“Today’s session was Marsha and Charlie’s first exposure to the shopping mall. It was exciting and interesting to see both Marsha & Charlie’s reaction to the people and movement within a congested mall setting!! Both parties did well on their first outing. As expected, Marsha and Charlie were a little anxious at the beginning. But after a lot of walking, talking, shopping, and exposure to different settings within numerous stores, they both calmed down and took things in stride. We also made a quick pass through the food court! Charlie was curious for sure, but was not overly distracted! Good job!

Marsha has had a number of back surgeries, which greatly hinder her mobility and motor skills. She performed marvelously through this exercise. What a trooper!

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? :)”

Anxiety, Austin, Bipolar, Military, MST, Pain Management, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR, RANDI, AND SERVICE DOG, YORKIE GUNNERSON

CONGRATULATIONS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR, RANDI, AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, YORKIE “GUNNERSON”!!!

Emmett, our trainer in Austin, helped this wonderful pair pass the Public Access Test! Randi suffers from Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, MST (Military Sexual Trauma), and Migraine Headaches that leave him physically paralyzed.

The PAT was held at Home Depot in Georgetown, TX.

Emmett writes:

Wounded warrior Randi and her now Service Dog Gunner (Gunnerson) did AMAZING on their public access test! Randi served in the Air Force and after some time began training with Gunner. He is an incredibly bright Yorkie and is ALWAYS focused on Randi. The highlight of their public access test was Gunner demonstrating his “leave it”. Randi threw out a few treats, commanded him to leave them and walked Gunner through. He did not so much as sniff at them! Gunner also did exceptionally well on the obstacle course we created from the carts at Home Depot. He sat and greeted a stranger with ease as well as kept composure when his leash was taken. Randi and Gunner’s dedication was very apparent. Congrats to this team! You have done phenomenal! We will continue to work on disability related tasks.”

The following were perfect:

CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE,
Dog did not try to leave vehicle until given release command.
The Dog waited in the vehicle until released.* Yes
The Dog waited outside the vehicle under control. Yes
The Dog remained under control while another dog was walked past. Yes

APPROACHING THE BUILDING:
Relative heel position, not straining or forging.
The Dog stayed in relative heel position. Always
The Dog was calm around traffic.* Yes
The Dog stopped when the client came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY
The Dog waited quietly at the door until commanded to enter.* Yes
The Dog waited on the inside until able to return to heel position.* Yes

HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING
The Dog was within the prescribed distance of the client. Always
The Dog ignored the public, remaining focused on the client. Always
The Dog readily adjusted to speed changes. Always
The Dog readily turned corners–did not have to be tugged or jerked to change direction. Always
The Dog readily maneuvered through tight quarters. Always

SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD
The Dog responded readily to the recall command–did not stray away, seek attention from others, or trudge slowly.* Yes
The Dog remained under control and focused on the client.* Yes
The Dog came within the prescribed distance of the client.* Yes
The Service Dog came directly to the client.* Yes

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

DOWNS ON COMMAND
The Dog responded promptly to the command to down. Always
The Dog remained under control around the food–not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.* Yes
The Dog remained in control while the child approached – child should not taunt dog or be overly dramatic.* Yes

NOISE DISTRACTIONS
If the Service Dog jumps, turns, or shows a quick startle type reaction, that is fine. The Service Dog should not show fear, aggression, or continue to be affected by the noise.
The Service Dog remained composed during the noise distraction.* Yes

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

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

DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON
Another person can take the dog’s leash and the dog’s partner can move away without aggression or undue stress on the part of the dog.* Yes

CONTROLLED EXIT
The Service Dog stayed in relative heel position. Always
The Service Dog was calm around traffic.* Yes
The Service Dog stopped when the client came to a halt. Always

CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE
The Service Dog waited until commanded to enter the vehicle. Yes
The Service Dog readily entered the vehicle upon command. Yes

TEAM RELATIONSHIP
When the Service Dog did well, the client praised the Service Dog. Always
The Service Dog is relaxed, confident, and friendly. Always
The client kept the Service Dog under control. Always
The client was prepared with proper working materials and equipment in case of an access confrontation (laws, etc.). Yes

OTHER
Were there any unique situations that made any portion of this test not applicable (write comments below)? I marked “yes” for dog waited until exited the vehicle but Randi physically removes him to keep his joints in the best shape (it is a very high truck). That’s the only “non-applicable” part.

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!”

Agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC), Dallas-Fort Worth, Experience, Texas, Waco

Jayna Curlee and her Service Dog in Training, Brian | Kids & Family – YouCaring

The Story of Jayna & Brian

Our daughter, Jayna Suzanne, was born with a very rare medical condition called Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.  Agenesis of Corpus Callosum (AgCC) is a rare disorder that is present at birth (congenital). It is characterized by a partial or complete absence (agenesis) of an area of the brain that connects the two cerebral hemispheres (taken from RareDiseases.org).  In Jayna’s case, she has a “complete agenesis” which means that the Corpus Callosum (AgCC) is completely absent or not there.  This condition is said to happen in 1:4000 of the population (taken from Caltech University, April 2007).  Persons with agenesis of the corpus callosum may have neurological problems, such as seizures (60%), intellectual impairment (70%), and psychosis (taken from National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2010).  Our Jayna does suffer from seizures and intellectual impairment although her seizures are in remission as of date and we’re praying she doesn’t have any more, however, that could change at any point. AgCC is not an illness or disease.  It is a deformity where the brain did not form while in the 12th – 22nd week of gestation.

See More at: Jayna Curlee and her Service Dog in Training, Brian | Kids & Family – YouCaring

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

Wounded Warrior, Cody, and SDIT, Mastiff and Labrador mix, “Zeus”

From our trainer, Cherry, who is working with Wounded Warrior, Cody, and his SDIT, Mastiff/Labrador mix, “Zeus”. Cody suffers from PTSD and multiple TBIs. Zeus was adopted from Cherry’s rescue, In Dog We Trust.

Cherry writes:

“It was super special to train with Cody, who adopted amazing Zeus. Zeus knew me when we first saw each other after Cody had bonded with him for a while, and wagged his tail, but wasn’t over excited. This gave me mixed feelings because on the one hand, I feel sad that the dog I rescued and worked so hard with really wasn’t that bothered to see me again, but on the other hand, it’s so nice to know that the bond is so strong with the new owner that the dog has “moved on”. It was clear to see that strong bond with Zeus and his owner, Cody, and far more important.

Our session was about heeling. which Zeus did perfectly, and as one can see by the photo, performs beautiful covers by leaning right in to Cody’s legs. Zeus’ “sit” and “down” were perfect – so Cody has been doing his homework! The next thing to teach Zeus is “stay”. He does a good stay in the sit position, but his down/stay needs work.

We walked past busy aisles, crowds and noisy children and Zeus just ignored them all – keeping a steady pace next to Cody. At one point during the session, a man walked up to us and reached out his hand to Cody to thank him for his service. Cody smiled and shook his hand, as we walked away he said to me quietly, “I wish people wouldn’t do that. It triggers my anxiety.”

This is an excellent point that Cody raised. We all want to thank our brave men and women, but they have a Service Dog for a reason. In many cases, that reason is PTSD, and a simple gesture like suddenly coming up to the Wounded Warrior can trigger it. My advice to anyone wanting to thank the men and women, is to nod and smile first; the client’s body language will let you know if they welcome an approach. If the client does, the person approaching must step forward slowly; a sudden appearance of a person with an outstretched hand can startle some.

I left Cody with some homework to practice the Down and Stay and asked him if I could pet Zeus; I couldn’t resist a snuggle on his gorgeous face! :)”

Ankylosing Spondylitis, Mobility, San Antonio, Seizure, Texas

CONGRATS TO CHARLOTTE AND SERVICE DOG, “DAKOTA”!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHARLOTTE AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, “DAKOTA”!!!!!

Laurie is SO proud of all the amazing work 17 year-old Charlotte and her SD Dakota have done – they are both wise beyond their years!

Charlotte was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis at the tender age of 12. Is an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse together. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. Charlotte’s started in her hips, and has had increasing limited mobility in her spine due to AS. She also started developing seizures, and periods where she is very dizzy and loses her sight. She also experiences migraines about twice per week. These are all common in patients with AS. Ankylosing spondylitis has no known specific cause, though genetic factors seem to be involved. In particular, people who have a gene called HLA-B27 are at significantly increased risk of developing AS. Charlotte’s neurologist started her many months ago on a prescription medication especially for AS, but it can also cause side effects that often mimic problems directly from AS. Unfortunately, the medication did exacerbate all of Charlotte’s symptoms – the seizures, sight problems, dizziness – so now, she is off the medication, but it takes up to a year to get out of her system completely. At that point, any damage that has been done usually goes away – but there is a SMALL possibility that the damage from the drug might be permanent. I told Charlotte she will NOT be one of those who is affected permanently! Positive outlook always!!!! Her wonderful mother, Amy, is dedicated to following through with all Charlotte’s doctors looking for an answer and hoping for recovery – which I believe will happen just because Charlotte’s positivity and her dedication to keep moving and trying is the first step!!

Charlotte is a beautiful, gentle, kind, and always cheerful (at least when I see her, her mom says) young lady, who has an incredibly wonderful bond with her now Service Dog, Dakota – a lab mix. Charlotte currently uses a walker with a seat to help her keep stablized, and so that she can sit when she starts to get dizzy or tired. But she has pushed through every training session no matter how she is feeling – and Dakota has learned to do everything she needs to to help them pass the Public Access Test!

We held the test at Bass Pro Shop – my favorite place for PATs. They performed each and every part of the test flawlessly! Charlotte has a soft voice, but has learned to make it sound assertive when she is giving Dakota commands. Dakota did a wonderful sit/stay and down/stay even with all the activity around her! (I purposefully picked 5 pm to do the test hoping the store would be bustling – which it was). Dakota heels perfectly next to Charlotte’s walker, even when she did the “drop leash” portion! That was difficult for Charlotte because she has trouble bending over to pick up the leash, but she did it! We also played some hid and seek to make sure that if Dakota strayed for any reason, she would immediately come back to Charlotte.

We did several meet and greets with male and female adults and with children, and now Dakota can stay in a “sit” position (Charlotte makes sure Dakota is in a sit before any petting is allowed), and everyone just loved Dakota! It’s hard for Dakota to keep her wiggly little behind still when she meets people because she is so friendly, but she manages to keep it down for the meet and greets! They can navigate through tight aisles, around “obstacle courses” with Dakota in a maintained heel, and Dakota even loved the elevator! Charlotte knows how to enter and exit elevators with her walker making sure Dakota’s body and tail make it through the doors safely. Dakota watched the fish in the pond, did not startle at all by created distractions, and could walk right by dropped treats when Charlotte told her to “leave it”.

Dakota is wonderful at restaurants – one time they were seated right next to the kitchen door where waiters were constantly going by – and she stays in perfect position! One thing I wanted to work hard on that is not on the test is having Dakota walk up and down the stairs with Charlotte, because at home, Charlotte has to use whatever she can to stabilize her as she moves, and she has to come down the stairs backward so she doesn’t fall forward. So I first walked Dakota VERY slowly up the stairs with one hand on the railing – step, wait, step, wait – and Dakota stayed near my leg and patiently walked up the stairs. Then, we did the same coming down the stairs backward – step, wait, step, wait – trying to keep Dakota as close to my leg but not getting in the way so I could possibly trip over her. Then Charlotte practiced this, and they did so well!! They will continue to work on this at home, so that eventually, Dakota will act as a counterbalance next to Charlotte’s leg as she also holds onto the rail.

I gave Dakota extra points for behaving perfectly in the handicapped bathroom stall with Charlotte, where she stayed still and wasn’t fazed by the air dryer!!

I am SO, SO proud of this wonderful team. Charlotte will be attending college when she graduates from her special high school, and her mother’s biggest fear is that Charlotte might have a seizure when in the shower and hurt herself. So, even though we finished the PAT, we will continue to work on things like seizure alerts (Charlotte laughed when I told her she is going to have to fake them so I can teach Dakota to respond properly!)

In one remarkable twist of fate, when we were getting off the elevator, we met a Wounded Warrior who had the same type of walker as Charlotte. He had suffered severe TBIs and had 3 brain surgeries. The woman that was with him saw how his eyes lit up when he saw Charlotte and Dakota together, and the woman with him told us how much he would love a Service Dog – but that he had been told by another organization he was not eligible because he had a walker! We talked extensively to them about this, and although he had difficulty speaking, he was able to communicate how much he would love to have a Service Dog, especially one that was as hypoallergenic as possible, and he was able to speak some slow but clear sentences. The woman with him said that this was the most clearly she had heard him speak for a long time! He was so gentle and smiled so much petting Dakota. It was a truly beautiful moment. They happened to be going to a meeting for Wounded Warriors on the top floor of the Bass Pro Shop, and the woman asked for as many business cards as I could give her so that she could talk about what she witnessed with Charlotte to the other Wounded Warriors!

Again, congratulations to this beautiful team. They are truly an inspiration to me and to everyone who meets them!