Stevie's Service Dog Training |
Our Training TeamFaithfully K9 trains individuals with PTSD, mobility and hearing issues - transforming lives by empowering disabled people to train their own service dog.
Port Chester Obedience Training Club is a volunteer run organization founded in 1940 that offers a tons of obedience and skills classes - nose work is Stevie's fav.
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Why get a dog?As you can imagine life was pretty busy with therapy and the focus on recovering. I was really excited to get a dog. I knew my life would be different and then it was before - I wouldn't be traveling for work and that I would potentially be alone and home a lot more. I didn't want to be alone. I felt worried about being alone in case I were to have another stroke. I also felt worried about being out on a walk and, god forbid, something were to happen, at least the dog would attract attention. I truthfully thought that somebody would stop to help a person with a dog potentially faster than they would stopped to help just a person. We had fostered a couple of dogs (Meg and Dugger) so that I could understand the physical and cognitive demands of having a dog. I could do it, but it needed to be the 'right dog'.
How to find the right rescue dog?I was lucky to work with a couple of rescues that were willing to understand what my needs were and help me find a dog that could match my abilities. I needed a dog that was good on a leash and did not pull, one that was small enough that they couldn't knock me down but big enough that I could notice it as to not trip. I explained my health situation and what some of my disabilities were and they kept an eye out for a matching pup. So into our world came Ginger, now and furever known as Stevie Nicks. We adopted her just 7 months after my stroke.
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So what made me think our rescue dog could be trained for service dog?
I believe Stevie he knew from the get-go that I was the weaker member of the pack. She intuitively kept an eye on me and there were a few times she blew my mind. I remember getting on top of the bed (do not judge me) to dust the fan and she went to alert Rob - he judged me. Another time, when I was walking down the stairs I lost track of my hand and it pulled my frozen shoulder back. I screamed in pain and sat down on the top step. When I became aware she was right by my side and would not move until I finally stood up, then she walked behind me step by step until I got downstairs.
Another time out shopping, she started getting fussy when we were next after a long check-out line wait. I got down on one knee to pet her and when I stood back up that grounding made me realize I was the one who was off and I think she knew I'd had enough. We were both ready to go. Her instincts have made her an amazing pet partner on my healing journey. I started researching how to get her trained to be a service dog - not easy research. I was very lucky to find Faithfully K9. Ironically, they were based in Colorado - that's where i was when I had my stroke. We we're headed to Denver in December 2021 for Maya's graduation and I arranged to meet with Cathy, the Director, to assess if my needs and Stevie would be a good fit for their program. Thankfully we were accepted into the program and we arranged to start virtual sessions in the new year until we were able to return to Colorado. You might wonder why an organization based in Colorado made sense to me, but you have to understand that before my stroke we were looking to buy a place in Colorado and our plan was to be there part time. It's where our daughter lives, so a big chunk of my heart is there and I knew we'd be visiting often. Plus, when you find the right people, who understand and want to work with you - then you know it's worth it. Helping someone with a disability train their dog is no easy task. It requires patience, repetition, problem-solving, and the generosity of spirit. There's empathy that's needed to put yourself in the place of the person with a disability to see where they're struggling and how to best help them succeed. |
In the new year I met with Anne weekly. We had already been in obedience training at PCTOC and so we continued supplementing with them too. That spring we returned to Colorado for five months and trained in-person weekly. At home we continued working with Anne, doing our at home training, and keeping Stevie busy at PCTOC with Nose work classes. Being a rescue there are a few behaviors that proved more difficult than others to mitigate - she's still not a fan of high-energy dogs we still actively work on it, but she's been able to keep it together when it matters most especially when she's working during outings with me.
On June 26 Stevie passed her Canine Good Citizen and AKC Community Canine tests. We'll be working towards the pubic access test next. We've trained over 170 hours on general obedience, many skills, some tricks, and most importantly our tasks. One of the most impactful tasks Stevie is trained for is to support me taking my meds. I think I describe it well in the video. Stevie learned this sequence working with me being coached virtually by Anne.
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Trick Time
BOSU Balance |
Touch |
Spins!!! |