On Opening the Fridge

I've mentioned before that Isaac opens the fridge on command.  And, hopefully, will soon be opening it in order to bring me juice as well.

I do not normally need Isaac to open the fridge for me.  His trainer taught him to do it, apparently that is something she teaches most of the dogs she trains, and it's something I have him do a lot because he likes doing it and because he is just happier when he gets to work.  If I am in the kitchen putting away groceries or cooking, Isaac likes to be in there with me.  And he gets underfoot.  He is happier if I give him jobs to do, like opening the fridge.

He opens it by tugging on this braided fleece rope that is looped around the door handle.  When I first got Isaac, I wondered if he would open it on his own, without being told, when I was not around to supervise him, and help himself to hotdogs or something.  He knows there are hotdogs in there.  He knows there is cheese in there.  He is a smart dog.

But he has never, ever, ever attempted to open the fridge without being told to do so.  I don't think it occurs to him that he could.  I think in his mind, that is just something he only does, only can do, when I tell him to.  Which is just fine with me.

It's funny, though.  He could go in there as soon as I fall asleep and help himself to  a whole pack of hotdogs.  He just doesn't realize he could do that.  

Juice Dog

Isaac and I are continuing to work on fetching a juice box from the fridge, as I wrote about the other day.

After fetching juice boxes over and over again, he managed to poke holes in two boxes, once causing juice to dribble all over the kitchen floor and once causing it to squirt everywhere.  I decided to put three of the remaining boxes out of his reach and to wrap the remaining three in clear plastic packaging tape.  My hope was that it would be a lot harder for him to poke holes in the boxes that way, and it does seem to be working. 

Of course, I'm not sure how I'd actually open the box to drink the juice.  I'd need him to also fetch a big knife to saw off the top or something, since the entire box is now sealed in tape.  And no, I would not really have him fetch a knife.  I never have Isaac pick up anything sharp like that.

These boxes are just for practice.  Hopefully when he has fully learned the task and is no longer picking up the boxes over and over and over again, he will be less likely to poke a hole in one.  Or perhaps I will look for a brand that makes sturdier juice boxes.  I don't know.  I'm not worried about how I will open the box at the moment.  Right now I am focused on training him to fetch it for me and that's all.

I have been giving Isaac the command to open the fridge, then giving him the command "juice".  He is accustomed to opening the fridge for me already.  And he has now, after three days, learned the command "juice."  He is also good at picking up the box.  He knows how to pick it up, the right angle to turn his head, that sort of thing.

I am now working on standing further away from the fridge when I give the "juice" command.  If I am too far away, Isaac looks like he's not sure what I want.  I don't know exactly why it works this way, but he did it with the lights, too.  For a long time, he would only turn on the light switch if I was standing near it.  Now I can be lying on the couch all the way across the room and say "lights" and he turns them on, but it took many days of practicing with me slowly moving further and further away from the switch before he would do that.  So that's where we are right now with the juice.

Passing for Normal

Today at the grocery store, someone complimented me for training a service dog. I was told that I was doing a great job training him, and isn't it wonderful all the people a dog like Isaac can help, and it's just such a wonderful thing I'm doing. I'm like, uh huh, I can't even train him to stop eating Cayenne's food every time I go into the bathroom.

You know, as nice as it is to know I look "normal," the assumption that I am training Isaac really wears on me. It had actually been a couple of weeks since I last heard that. Usually I hear it at least once every time Isaac and I go somewhere.

But it's more than that.  I want to look "normal" or be accepted as "normal" but I also don't like the assumption that I don't need a service dog, that I must be training a dog for someone else (someone that does look disabled, I assume), that I don't have special needs and can't have special needs and should be able to do all the things everyone else can do.  It's hard to explain.  I'm having trouble finding the words. 

I guess I'll just say I wish diversity was respected and valued more.  I wish people didn't feel the need to divide people into "normal" and "abnormal" groups and that I could go to the grocery store and just be me, a woman with a service dog that wants to buy her apples and almond butter and yogurt and dog treats and go home, not some poor disabled girl and not some saint that trains service dogs for other poor disabled people.

Service Dogs in Training

I am frequently asked by strangers in public places if I am training Isaac.  I think I am asked that because I don't look disabled (whatever that means).  My standard response is, "No, he is already trained."  I thought I would point out some things about service dogs in training, though, which I think many people are not aware of.

• Just because a person doesn't look disabled, that does not mean they are training the service dog they have with them.  Many disabilities are not readily apparent, including seizure disorders, autism and other disorders on the autism spectrum, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and other anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dissociative identify disorder and other dissociative disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, unstable diabetes and hypoglycemia, partial hearing loss, and traumatic brain injury.  I'm sure there are plenty of others that are not coming to mind at the moment.
• Service dogs in training often, though not always, wear vests that say something like, "Service Dog in Training" on them.  Federal law doesn't require service dogs to wear vests and federal law doesn't mention service dogs in training at all, but some state laws may require vests for dogs in training.  Isaac's vest clearly says, "Service Dog," which is an indication that he is fully trained.  A service dog in training would not typically be wearing a vest that says, "Service Dog."  A dog in training would wear a vest that says, 'In Training."
• The federal law that gives people with disabilities the right to take their service dogs into public places with them, the Americans with Disabilities Act, does not address the issue of service dogs in training.  In other words, the ADA says a person with a disability can take a trained service dog to Walmart but does not say anyone can take a service dog in training to Walmart.  Most states have laws that address service dogs in training, though.  Those laws vary from state to state.  In Ohio, where I live, only professional trainers working for programs that train service dogs have the legal right to take service dogs in training into public places.  It would be legal for me to train my own service dog, but the law does not require that Walmart allow me to train my dog there.  For me to take a service dog I was training into Walmart, I would have to ask for and receive permission from the manager.
• While federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, applies to people with all disabilities, some state laws regarding service dogs and service dogs in training only apply to people with certain disabilities.  For instance, in Ohio, state law only requires businesses to allow service dogs in training if the dogs are being trained to serve people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, or physical disabilities.  If a professional trainer working for a program that trains service dogs is training a dog to serve someone with, say, PTSD, Walmart does not have to allow her to bring the dog in.
• Service dogs in training are still expected to behave appropriately in public.  Business owners, and other customers, may be more tolerant if they realize a dog is in training.  After all, if his behavior was perfect, he wouldn't need training, would he?  Still, if a service dog in training is bothering other customers or otherwise being disruptive, the trainer can be asked to remove the dog.

Talked to the Trainer Last Night

The trainer that currently has my soon-to-be service dog called me last night with a couple questions for me about tasks I need the dog to do, and also she wants to plan a time for us to meet up soon.  In about a week, I should get to finally meet Isaac!  I'm thrilled.

She said he's doing really well.  One of the things he is being trained to do is to interrupt some self-harming behaviors, like scratching myself.  She said he loves doing that.  She said dogs often have a task or two they really enjoy doing, although they'll do whatever they're trained to do.  Isaac loves nudging her hand away if she starts to scratch her arms.  He also likes turning on lights and bringing things to her and dropping them in her lap.

She said when he first gets up in the morning, he is pretty energetic and gets a little goofy, runs around the house all playful and silly for a couple of minutes, but then he wants to eat breakfast and go for a walk and then go to sleep.  I said that sounds like my cats, he should fit right in.

I'm so excited.

Doggies!

I met the trainer I'd talked to on the phone and saw two of the dogs she's trained today.  One of the dogs is almost done with his training and the other has a little longer to go but both were able to demonstrate things like sitting, down, heeling, opening and closing doors, and retrieving things.  We went for a short walk with one of the dogs and I got to hold the leash and tell him to heel and she showed me what she does when he starts to get ahead of her on a walk.  He was really sweet.  When he started to get ahead of me I told him to heel and he did and then he looked at me and I could tell what he wanted was a treat.  He also really liked sniffing my sandals (I think they smelled like my cats) and licked my feet for a bit.

She told me that service dogs can do more than three tasks, that what she had meant was that they typically only train three tasks before placing the dog with the handler, but then more tasks can be added on.  She said she meant that it's too hard for a dog to learn more than three tasks at the same time, which makes plenty of sense to me.  I think she just wasn't explaining things well over the phone.  Or I just misunderstood, but I  think it was more how she was saying it.

Anyway, she said she thought she would be able to train a dog to do the things I need him to do but that some of the things I would need to work on further after I brought the dog home, and that all made sense to me.  I'm very excited now.  I still need to get the paperwork form my doctor, which I should get sometime next week, and send that in and the director should be calling me sometime next week to talk about when they might have a dog that would be ready for me.

Taking a Trip to See the Trainer Today

Today I am driving to see the trainer with the K-9's in Special Service program.  It's about a two hour drive, unfortunately.  But I'm excited to see a couple of the dogs she's been training and to learn more about her training methods and to discuss the tasks I need a service dog to do.

My plan is - I think - that if the dogs from this program are well-trained and good dogs, I will select three tasks for them to train the dog for me, and then I will work with the professional trainer I would use if I had to train a service dog myself to train the dog to do the rest of the tasks I need him to do.  That will be an additional cost to me but I've been told that the most difficult parts of training a service dog is selecting the dog in the first place, training the dog to behave appropriately in all sorts of public places, and proofing the dog to distractions.  Proofing the dog to distractions basically means that the dog will follow commands and perform his tasks even if there are people around calling to the dog, barking at him, meowing at him, offering him food, etc.  So if the program selects a good dog, trains it for public access, and proofs it to distractions, they've done the hardest parts.  Training the dog to perform additional tasks should not be that difficult.

I really, really hope things look good this afternoon.  I really hope this program works out.

Or Maybe Not Such Good News…

You know what they say about if something sounds too good to be true.

So I emailed the service dog program lady and asked if she could put me in touch with a couple of people she’s trained service dogs for.  Asking for references seems like a reasonable thing to do, right?

She emailed me back and said that there was one person she might be able to put me in touch with but she had to check with him first to make sure it was OK to give me his number, which is perfectly understandable.  I would be concerned if she just gave out people’s numbers without their permission.

But then she said that as far as all their other clients, she was sure I understood that most of them have psychological disorders like PTSD and it was hard for them to even let a trainer into their lives and she would not even think of asking them to speak to anyone about their experiences with the program.  Um, no, I don’t understand that.  I have PTSD and I would be willing to talk to someone about my experiences with a service dog program.  It’s not like I want personal information about people.  I want to know about their dogs.

Then she said that they are a small program and that is how they keep costs down.  I don’t understand that, either.  How does refusing to provide references keep costs down?  I provide references for my life coaching business and it does not cost me anything to do so.  It’s not like I pay my clients to provide references for me!

And anyway, this program charges almost three times as much as many other programs.  So it does not appear that costs are being kept down.

So now I’m very skeptical.  I will still speak to the one person she said might be willing to speak to me, if indeed he is willing.  And I will still see if I can find any additional information about this program.  But it looks like I may be going back to my original plan for training a service dog.

This Could Be Good News!

Yesterday morning I emailed my application to the Greater Dayton Labrador Retriever Rescue (along with my $25 non-refundable application fee, which is deducted from the $275 adoption fee if I end up adopting a dog from them), and in the afternoon I received a call from someone with the rescue.  Her name was Renee, and she was calling because she saw on my application that I was looking for a dog to train as a service dog and she wanted to make sure I was aware of the service dog training program that is associated with the rescue.

Of course, I was not aware of the service dog training program, since there is nothing about it on the rescue website.  I went back and looked at the site after talking to her on the phone, and no, there is nothing.  And I did not find any information about it when I was googling service dog programs in my state, either.

But there is a program, and it is called K-9’s in SpecialService (K.I.S.S.), and they do have a website, although it does not actually provide very much information.  And it turns out that they are looking for volunteer puppy raisers right now, if anyone is interested in raising a puppy that will become a service dog for someone in need.

Anyway, she told me some stuff about the program, and it sounded good.  There was a lot of static on the phone, and I think it was her phone, not mine, because I usually get pretty good reception and I even went outside in the 92 degree heat to see if I could hear better but it didn’t really help.  So it was kind of hard to talk to her.  She is supposed to send me an application for the service dog program and also links to some videos I can watch online of a couple of the dogs trained by the program.  I’m going to try to do some research and see if I can find out more about the program, including how satisfied or dissatisfied some of their prior clients are with their dogs.  I’m also going to ask her for a couple of references so I can talk to some other people that have dogs from that program.

One of the best things about the program is that their waiting list is very short.  I’m not sure why that is, though.  Does it mean no one wants dogs from them?  Or does it just mean their program is not very well known yet?  I don’t know.  But I could get a dog in as little as four to six months, if my application is approved.  That is just amazing.  Most programs have at least two year waiting lists.

Another good thing is that they are local.  They are maybe a 90 minute drive from where I live.  So I could easily go back and forth to do the training with my dog.  That was a big concern for me with programs in other states.  They want you to fly there, stay in a hotel there for two weeks or so, and train with the dog.  I’m thinking that, for someone with anxiety issues, flying across the country alone, then having to find their way around a strange city by themselves, well, maybe that would create a little anxiety?  I get anxious just thinking about it!

The cost is an issue.  It would cost almost $6000 to get a dog from this program.  Which is more money than I have in the bank right now.  And it’s more than many other programs seem to charge.  About $2000 seems to be the norm.  But then I started doing some math.  If I got a dog from a program that charged $2000, but had to fly to Seattle and stay there for two weeks, paying for a hotel and all my meals and cab fare or a rental car, I’m guessing that would cost me close to $4000 altogether.  Except I really can’t see how I could fly to Seattle and stay there for two weeks by myself.  If Mike had to go with me, then there would be his airfare and his meals, and he would have to take two weeks off work, and that would add up to $6000 at least, easy.

Adopting a dog and training it with a private trainer could end up costing more than $6000, too.  There would be the vet bills to have the dog checked for hip and elbow dysplasia (and if the dog ended up having that, I’d have to find a new dog and pay for the tests all over again), the cost of having the trainer evaluate the dog to see if it would be a good candidate for a service dog, the adoption fee, the cost of the obedience classes, and however many hours of private training ended up being necessary.  It could easily add up to more than $6000.

Of course, the biggest issue with training a dog on my own is the idea that I might discover, six months or more down the road, that the dog wasn’t going to be a good service dog after all.  Going with a program means that the dog has already been trained and demonstrated he is suited for the work before I ever meet him.  That is a huge, huge benefit.  Not just in terms of cost, but also in peace of mind.  How expensive, and how emotionally devastating, would it be to bond with a dog and spend six months or more training it only to determine that you’d spent all that money and all that time and were not going to end up with a service dog after all?

I’m really excited at the idea that I could get a service dog from a program in less than six months.  But I have so much to think about now.

So When Am I Gonna Get This Dog, Anyway?

Good question.  I hope soon.  I am trying not to rush into things, though.  Sometimes I get excited about an idea and I want to do it now, right now.  But some things work out better if you do some planning and preparation first.

I am hoping to start searching for a suitable dog in a couple months.  In the meantime, I am continuing to do some research and learn as much as I can about living with a service dog and just about dogs in general.  I’ve always been a cat person.  We had a dog when I was a kid but I didn’t really pay that much attention to it.  I know next to nothing about dogs.  Or I did, when I first started looking into the possibility of getting a service dog.  I know a lot more now, but still have a lot to learn.

I’m also starting to save some money to cover the costs of my service dog.  I have a storage unit filled with stuff, most of it from my old apartment when I used to live in another city.  When I moved in with Mike, he already had furniture and other household stuff, so a lot of my things went into the storage unit.  That stuff has been in there for eight years now.  I’m thinking, if I haven’t used it in eight years, I probably don’t really need it, right?  So my plan is to clean out the storage unit, sell some of the stuff on Craig’s List if I can, and use that money to cover the adoption fee for my dog.  Plus, if I empty out the storage unit, I won’t have to pay the monthly fee for it anymore and that amount is about half of the estimated monthly cost of feeding and caring for a dog.  So taking care of my storage unit and the stuff in it is an important part of my plan to be able to afford a service dog.

In addition to learning about dogs and saving money, I’ve been looking for a trainer.  I think I’ve found one but I have a couple other people to call.  I guess I should check out all my options so I can make sure I’m making the best choice.  I really like the woman I think I’m going to go with, though.  Her name is Becky.  She has a little experience training service dogs, not a lot, but a lot of experience training dogs in general.  She asked really good questions when I talked to her so she could get a good idea of what I would need from her and she was easy to talk to.  She’s willing to meet with me and my therapist to discuss the specific tasks I need a dog to perform.  She’s also willing to help me select a dog.

I’m hoping to start looking for a dog in a couple months.  I don’t know how long it will take to find one.  I want to get a dog from a rescue group, and plan to contact both a golden retriever rescue and a Labrador retriever rescue near me.  There’s no guarantee either will have a suitable dog at that time, though.  I might have to wait a while or check with other groups until I find the right match for me.  Picking out the right dog may be the most difficult part of training a service dog and I don’t want to pick out the wrong one just because I’m impatient.