Category Archives: Texas

Austin, Mobility, Texas

SDiT Buddy

Our Austin trainer, Emmett, had his first session with a local family and their son. The son suffers from autism and mobility issues. Their SDIT is a Labrador Retriever named “Buddy”.

Emmett writes:

“I met with the family and their SDiT prospect, Buddy. Buddy passed the temperament and trainability test with flying colors! He is a 10 month-old lab that they purchased from a breeder some time ago and since then, he and their son have become bonded. Buddy allowed me to touch him all over his body and inside his mouth. He accepted treats from my hand. He has no history of aggression toward people or other animals. Buddy is able to “sit” on command. He is also up to date on all vaccines and is on monthly heart/flea/tick/etc. preventative. He makes decent eye contact but, being a puppy, his attention wanders – so that will need to be worked on.

No tasks were worked on at this session. We brainstormed as a team what tasks would be beneficial for their son. The family would like Buddy to be trained to help the son when he becomes upset (the child has significant cognitive disabilities). Deep Pressure Therapy and tactile stimulation are the tasks we have decided on for this.

As the child matures, they would like the team to be trained for bracing and counterbalance, as their son goes through periods of time where his stability is impaired. They are aware that Buddy cannot begin heavy mobility training until his joints and bones finish growing. He will start “light mobility” (being trained to retrieve objects their son drops or needs) in the meantime.
Buddy is very, very friendly, but his focus needs to be worked on. I believe this will be Buddy’s biggest hurdle while training. He is very curious about the world, but also very well-rounded. I see him doing good things for their son soon!

The family will continue to work on “sit” with Buddy. They will also work on “down”, “off” and “watch me” until they come back from their family vacation.”

Anxiety, Depression, El Paso, Panic Attack, Texas

Evalynn and Oreo

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who did an assessment with new client Evalynn, who suffers from depression, stress and severe social anxiety. She would like a Service Dog who will distract her from her depressive thoughts, scratching herself, major panic attacks, and feeling lonely. Her SDIT is a 5 year-old Chihuahua named “Oreo”.

Terry writes:

“A temperament and trainability test was performed on Oreo, and he passed with flying colors! Oreo knows some basic commands, and upon command executed them to a good degree of accuracy. From my observation, I can detect a very strong bond between Evalynn and Oreo, and the dog’s willingness to assist and please Evalynn. This is a small dog – only 8 lbs, and the living arrangement with other dogs and cats in the home is excellent. The dogs have a fenced in back yard where they exercise and play in a safe environment. I checked for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk, and there was none found. I would highly recommend Evalynn and her dog Oreo for Service Dog training. It will be a pleasure to work with them!”

Autism, San Antonio, Texas

Veronica and her son’s SDiT Shaggy

From our wonderful trainer, Beverli, who had a session with Veronica, who has a 7 year-old son with autism and is nonverbal. He also has no sense of danger, and on a couple of occasions he has wandered off. Their SDIT is Labrador/Ridgeback mix, “Shaggy”. Beverli writes:

“We had our session today at Walmart, working on fine-tuning all the fundamentals of Shaggy’s public manners and techniques. In addition to usual distractions public places provide, we also introduced grocery store scents and food scents at his level. Shaggy ignored them completely and stayed focused beautifully! He is growing more comfortable in new situations and places, and is able to “settle” much more quickly. Homework given for the next session was having Veronica and her son continue taking Shaggy to new places, and challenging his focus.”

Anxiety, El Paso, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Welcome Wounded Warrior Ethan and SDiT Shae’mus

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who did an initial assessment on new client Wounded Warrior Ethan, and his SDIT, “Shae’mus”. Ethan suffers from severe PTSD, anxiety, and a TBI. Ethan’s wife wrote that since Ethan has been home, Shae’mus already seems to know there is something wrong, and helps my husband when he is sleeping if he’s having nightmares by coming and lying half his body on my Ethan. If they are out in public, Ethan has severe anxiety. Terry writes:

“I performed an assessment on 4 year-old Mastiff mix, Shae’mus for trainability and temperament. Shae’mus passed the assessment perfectly. Shae’mus has some knowledge of basic obedience commands, and executed them to a good degree of accuracy. From observation, I could detect a very strong bond between owner Ethan and Shae’mus, and the dog’s willingness to assist and please the owner. Shae’mus is a fairly large dog, and the living arrangement with another dog in a house was good, as it provided a large backyard for exercising. In addition, the owners take Shae’mus out for walks to allow him some other means to relax and exercise. Shae’mus is excellent with the children inside the home, as well as with the other dog in the family. I checked Shae’mus for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk; there was none found. However, I did note that the Shae’mus has a slight limp, and the owners have agreed to take the dog to the vet for further observation. I would highly recommend Ethan and his dog Shae’mus for training in the Service Dog Express Program.

Mobility, Pain Management, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), San Antonio, Texas

Madison’s meet and greet

From our trainer, Brenda, who is working with Madison, who suffers from “POTS” (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), bad migraines, and a nerve condition that makes her go randomly paralyzed. Since the day she woke up and couldn’t move, she has also suffered from PTSD and anxiety.

Brenda writes:

“I met Madison and her mom, Robin, for a meet and greet with some dogs. They met Suzy, Rocky, and Rufus. Madison spent quite a bit of time with Rufus who, after getting some energy out, calmed down very well and kept going to Madison and sitting by her. He knows the verbal and hand command “sit” and seemed to like the praise even more than the treats. I could touch him all over and even pull on his ears and tail and he was not bothered. They are going to discuss it with Madison’s father, but Rufus could be the one!”

Cancer, Experience, Houston, Texas

Sia’s Story

Laurie had to share a beautiful story about a phone call she received the other day.

A beautiful, compassionate, courageous woman that I met from Houston called to say that she would like to get her white German Shepherd, “Rio”, trained as a Service Dog for her depression, anxiety, and arthritis. She told me the most beautiful story.

Her husband passed away just the beginning of May. They were soulmates. In March, he started losing weight rapidly and his blood sugars started fluctuating. Previously, they had been very adventurous – hiking, sailing, taking cruises – everything – and they are in their late 60s. They had even just returned from a trip to Hawaii, and were ready to settle down, retire, and enjoy their lives.

They took Sia’s husband, Gordon, to the doctor, and he was immediately sent to MD Anderson with the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Gordon was British, and had a wonderful sense of humor, but also was reserved when he started feeling ill – not telling anyone. But their amazing dog, Rio, knew something was wrong. When Gordon stopped eating, Rio stopped eating.

Sia realized that Rio needed to be with Gordon. So she brought him to MD Anderson to visit Gordon. Below is the picture of the visit. Immediately, Gordon’s spirits were lifted, as were Rio’s. Sia spent every day with Gordon in the the two months he was hospitalized – until the day he finally passed away. The staff at MD Anderson were so amazed by Rio’s gentle, loving, healing nature, that they asked Sia if she would consider bringing Rio in some day to visit the children in the cancer ward.

It all happened so suddenly, but Sia had so much family support as they had 9 children combined.

Now, she has decided she needs some time alone with her and Sia. She would like Sia, who is 5, to become her Service Dog to help with her depression, anxiety, and arthritis. Of course, we will help train Sia. But I had to share this beautiful story of love – between a husband and wife, and the love between a dog and his person.

God bless you, Sia. Gordon, rest in true peace.

El Paso, Experience, Texas

Welcome to Stephanie & Black Wolf

From our wonderful trainer, Terry, in El Paso, who did an initial assessment and session with Stephanie and her Husky mix, “Black Wolf”.

“Good Day to All,

I provided an assessment for trainability and temperament for “Black Wolf”, who is 1 1/2 years old, located in El Paso, TX. A temperament test was performed on Black Wolf and he passed with no issues to record. Black Wolf has limited knowledge of basic obedience commends. From my observations, I did detect a very strong bond between Stephanie and her SDIT. The dog has a willingness to assist, eagerness to learn, and desire to please his owner. This is a fairly large dog, and the living arrangement with other dogs in an apartment gave me some concern. However, they have areas where the dogs can run and play in a safe environment, while also socializing with other dogs in the complex. I checked the dog for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk, and none was found. I would highly recommend Stephanie and her dog Black Wolf for training in the Service Dog Express Program.

Kindest regards

Terry”

Depression, El Paso, Military, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Rudy and SDiT Jenny = Part II

From our trainer, Terry, in El Paso, who is working with Wounded Warrior Rudy, and his SDIT, Jenny.

“Good day to all,

Another good training session with Rudy and SDIT, Jenny. This time, we went to one of our largest shopping centers “Cielo Vista Mall”. Here, we practiced entering and exiting the elevator, avoiding noise distractions, socializing with other people as well as children, and last – food distraction! In all tests, Rudy and Jenny did very well with no problems. If you train hard, you should enjoy the fruits of your labor, so we engaged ourselves with our spouses in a little socializing as well! Shortly, Rudy and Jenny will be taking their Public Access Test! Well done, team!”

Depression, El Paso, Military, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Rudy and SDiT Jenny

From our super trainer, Terry, who is in El Paso, and is working with Rudy, who is a Wounded Warrior suffering from PTSD, TBI, Depression, hyper-vigilance, sleep apnea, and nightmares, and his SDIT, “Jenny”.

Terry writes:

“We had a great outing and exposure to the mall, and all of its many distractions! Rudy and Jenny did exceptionally well on their first outing in the mall. We practiced and mastered the proper procedures of entering and exiting the mall, as it has double doors, and requires some skill level to get in and out successfully. We visited a couple of stores; some crowed with people, some crowed with merchandise, some empty with people, merchandise, and some with confined space for maneuvering. Rudy and Jenny performed exceptionally well in all situations presented!! We also made use of the elevator, and again, both parties performed so well! What a wonderful outing!”

Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATS TO FRANK AND SD NICHOLS

From our brilliant trainer Pat, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Frank, and his now Service Dog, Springer Spaniel Mix, “Nichols”! CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK AND NICHOLS!!! Frank suffers from anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Pat writes:

“Frank, Nichols and I performed the Public Access Test at crowded HEB! CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE was fine, but Nichols got a bit distracted when another dog was walked past. APPROACHING THE BUILDING was perfect, as was CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY. HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING was mostly perfect, but Nichols had a bit of a struggle readily adjusting to speed changes. SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD was brilliant, and SITS ON COMMAND was just fine. Nichols took a few prompts to “sit” with all the distractions, but he eventually got it down, with the same responses to DOWNS ON COMMAND. NOISE DISTRACTIONS were not a problem at all for Nichols, and he performed wonderfully in the restaurant. OFF LEAD work, DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON, CONTROLLED EXIT, and CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE were flawless. I encouraged Frank to praise Nichols a bit more when he did his commands well.”

WELL DONE, PAT AND TEAM!!!!