Setting the Rhythm

This is a post for the 8th Assistance Dog Blog Carnival
ADBC origins http://aftergadget.wordpress.com/about-the-assistance-dog-blog-carnival/
The call for submissions for this round is at Ruled By Paws http://www.ruledbypaws.ca/2012/06/assistance-dog-blog-carnival-call-for-submissions/
The topic is "Marchin' to your own drum".

I have never gone the stereotypical route of applying with a service dog program. I first learned that I could use a SD with my disabilities while I was still in college, and I was focused on getting done with class as soon as I could (now-now-now!). There was no time in my plans to go train with a dog for weeks, no time to pause from classes. I learned an incredible amount from a number of people on several Yahoo groups. Everything got funneled into a desperate, needy place, where had-to, must-do, and need-it-now beat out a terrifying rhythm.

My years of bird dog training, and knowledge of many dogs I had seen grow up (and how they turned out) fed into a fear-driven pounding of things that must happen as I hit shelters and checked pounds to see if they had anything with the right temperament near the size I needed in a mobility dog.

I found one, and then the real pressure began. I had the few short months of summer to turn my big brown mutt from friendly but unruly to businesslike. By some grace (and a lot of luck), we did it, and Duncan went back to school with me, ready to take on the chaotic schedule of classes, meetings, and study groups.

All fueled by need it now, can’t fail and fear.

I knew I’d beaten enormous odds to pull a dog from the shelter and have him work out as a service dog, so I began looking around for breeds I might be able to use in the future when Duncan was 3. It wasn't that he wasn't working, it was that the fear was still there, still driving my choices. When he was 5, I contacted a German Shepherd breeder whose dogs I liked the looks of, with temperaments which seemed to be appropriate for public work. I didn’t ever want to be without a service dog, in that place of pounding worry and pressure to make it work, again.

Duncan developed neurological issues, which are mild, but I can’t see the fairness in working an ill dog. My plan to have Duncan work and help me train my SDIT fell through. I am without a public access service dog, though Duncan works in the home and when we visit family in their homes. I grieved the loss of his aid while out in the world, but the relentless worry never returned because he was still home, still working there.

I’m back at the very beginning when it comes to SDs. I’ve started with my now 9 week old GSD pup, Strider, on a very few things- “tug”, “touch” and I’m encouraging every pick-up-and-carry of object he offers. I’ve got a lot of hope and need in this puppy. Somehow Duncan’s able and willing attitude in the home has kept me from falling back on the desperate, speed of need rhythms.

I am taking it slow with Strider, making sure he’s happy with the new things in his life while we work on the skills that are vitally important to our future together. Sometimes, I do wonder what would have happened if I’d gone to a program, and had that support system in place as I retired my first SD. It’s a mild curiosity, as I don’t regret my choices to do it myself.

Having Duncan pick up the burden I couldn’t carry on my own, and bring his joy into my life has slowed many of my worries. I’m not desperate for a helper this time around, and I think that more relaxed attitude will benefit Strider as we move forward.

I’m happy with the way working with Duncan has changed the tempo of my life. I’m hopeful Duncan will continue to transition well into retirement, and I’m hopeful Strider will come into his own as a SDIT and mobility SD in the years to come.

With Duncan, there was no time for him to be a puppy and grow up. I was working toward a goal, I needed help, and I needed it immediately. I chose an older dog to cut down on the time he’d be growing and unable to do tasks. I pushed Duncan hard, and he handled it.

This time around, because of Duncan and the help he does at home, and the way I’ve re-arranged my life to do things without Duncan, Strider gets time to be a puppy. Because of Duncan, I had the option to go looking for a puppy from a breeder. It’s a freedom I wouldn’t have had without shelter shopping and finding Duncan.

Additionally, while Duncan was a mutt, he met the "expectations" of the public for the most part. Mostly Lab shaped, a warm brown with an engaging face and tan markings, mostly gregarious, mostly quiet, he was commented on and adored by many who saw him working. I don't know how things will be different with Strider, but I think it'll be a new wrinkle to adjust to in the partnership. He is a bicolor (black with a little tan on his paws and cheeks) GSD, with the traditional prick ears. He'll be a different outline, a different presence. I don't know how the public will interact with him, but he's already less of a draw for cooing well-wishers than the other puppy in the house.

Duncan’s neurological issues remain steady, and I hope he’s around to help me keep the tempo of “everything in its own time” for many more years. He’ll be 6 next month. I like the heartbeat he’s given my life, and I hope I can keep it as Strider and I work into the future.

Introducing Strider

He sat on my lap as we did the paperwork. (pre tattoo)

On July 12th, I got to meet the Blackthorn S litter (Xita x Jedi). There were 7 boys and 5 girls. I watched the litter for a while, and based on the recommendations of the breeder, a SD trainer friend of mine, and my own observations, I took home the bicolor boy with the puppy name Simba.

The next day we were back, and I helped hold them for tattoos, and we headed back west, toward home. 1040 miles and one car accident later (we were rear ended in East Saint Louis when construction halted traffic, we were unharmed, Strider was unphased), we were home. Duncan's taken to the little dude very well, and I'm still working on coming up with his official name. His call name is Strider. He's smart, toy motivated, and seems to be very fetch oriented.

He and the English Setter puppy Sunny are the sort of chaos you'd expect in two pups from working bloodlines, but so far they're a joy to have.