The Wait Begins! 13 December 07
Posted by turtlemom3 in Ability, Disability, Service Dogs, Sponsorship.trackback
I’ll be waiting for a looooooong time! What am I waiting for? A Service Dog!
I’ve been accepted as a client by PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assisted Living Services)!!!
What, you ask, can a Service dog do for a half-crippled old woman who isn’t blind? Well, that will be an ongoing story. With fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, I don’t get around as well as I used to. Don’t do “normal” things as well as I used to.
The Woof could pick things up off the floor for me — especially my cane, which I must drop 4 or 5 times a day. I have fallen several times just trying to bend over to pick it up. This is obviously a BIGGIE.
The next thing is to “brace and hold” when I am trying to get up from my chair – or off the smaller “chair” in the “little room down the hall,” – or out of bed. I’ve “hit the floor” a couple of times getting up in the mornings.
Since the Ol’ Curmudgeon frequently leaves me alone during the day when he must go to a job site, we both worry about me being here alone. We will get a “Big-Button” phone for the dog to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency. We will have to register our phone with the 9-1-1 utility noting that the dog may be the one making the call.
We have a long, two story house. When the Ol’ Curmudgeon is downstairs or at the other end of the house, I could send the dog to go get him. Or send the dog with a note pad!!
So, we are Waiting for the Woof! In the meantime, there are many things to do.
Raising money for the organization is now one of my prime activities in life. It costs over $22,000.00 to breed, raise, give vet care, socialize, do preliminary training, and get the various “hardware” needed (collars, leashes, toys, harnesses, capes, etc). Vet care includes the expensive X-rays needed to verify that the dog does NOT have hip dysplasia. There are other problems that Labrador Retrievers can carry genetically that must be tested for and the dog certified free from. There are shots to be given and dental treatments, and growth to be followed – just like a baby’s! There is spay/neutering to be performed, and flea/tick/heartworm preventatives along with annual innoculations to be given. All this costs dollar$$$$.
As a “token” of our commitment, we agreed to raise 1/3 of that amount. Now, that doesn’t all come out of our own pockets – what we really need to do is find sponsors who will make a long-term commitment to support the organization over time. This is so important – not just for me, for us as a family, but for all of the other people with ability problems who need service dogs.
So I will, from time to time, write entries here detailing our progress in our wait for my Woof!
This is A service dog in training – not MY service dog. But mine will be much like this – a Labrador Retriever (either yellow or black).
Wish for me that God’s Will will be done.
I hope you are able to get your dog soon. I want to tell you that I have a german shepherd, golden retriever mix. I guess it’s his breed, but from puppyhood, (he is a rescued dog), he has always wanted jobs. I am not a trainer, but he was anxious to learn, and does the following for me; He gets me the phone when I ask, if it is on it’s base. He finds the remote control, tells me when the oven timer sounds, by bringing a potholder I leave on the kitchen floor, picks up any object I can’t reach, (I say, please get the —, it is UNDER, or ON or BEHIND, and he follows those clues,) gets the newspaper in the am from the yard, puts things in the trash, and guards the house. I have fibromyalgia, usually not too bad, but live alone in a townhouse, and he saves me many trips up those steep stairs, etc. I don’t know what I would do without him. I tell you this because maybe, if the wait is long for an official dog, you can find a dog like mine to help in the meantime. Kodiak (Kodi for short) was in a foster home. He’s just a born helper. I think shepherds are just that way. Maybe someone knows of a dog who is similarly inclined or has that potential. I would be glad to share any training tips or contacts, but I am just an amateur. I have been truly blessed to have found such a wonderful dog. Best of luck.
Hi Laurie – thanks for your comments and suggestions.
Yes, the Lab/Shep mixture can be wonderful – and both breeds need jobs to do. The Ol’ Curmudgeon and I discussed the possibility of just getting a puppy and training it ourselves. There are books and DVDs available for “training your own service dog.” The problem is that he (the Ol’ Curmudgeon) is such an ALPHA personality, the dog most likely would “look to him” rather than to me. And I’m the one the dog needs to “look to” and bond with. There is also the problem of neither of us being able to train “from scratch” anymore. His work is all-consuming, and he has a bad back. I’m just non-compos-mentis some days (that ol’ debbil fibro-fog), and aching and fatigued. So we feel this is our best choice. The PAALS organization is wonderful. It is small as yet, but it is also very responsive. I contacted a total of 6 service dog organizations and PAALS was the only one that responded. Two others sent me brochures – no letter, no nothing. I decided that PAALS would be my choice unless or until I were turned down. I have not been disappointed on any level. They are wonderful. And I am looking forward to meeting my “partner” – however long it takes!
I knew it would take between 2 and 5 years when I applied – that’s why I applied as early in my diseases as I did. The fibro is progressing, as is the rheumatoid arthritis, but I can still function fairly well (except on “bad” days).
I’m blogging this so that others will know about this precious resource, and can, maybe, make that choice to apply for a lovely partner who can help out in so many ways.
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