Catching Up

CritterLuvva · Aug 3, 2012

My apologies I haven't been around much lately. Life has been just a little hectic.

GUINEA PIGS. Just before I stopped getting on the forums, I got 2 precious little fosters- Penny and Ginger. To my chagrin, Penny died just a few weeks later. So I immediately set about looking for new bond mate(s) for Ginger. I now have 3 piggies and am in the process of bonding them- currently that means dividing the main cage (a 3x5) in 2- just until they get used to one another. I'm a little nervous because I've never bonded guinea pigs before. My camera's broken, so I can't share a picture of the girls with you right now- sorry! Their names, though, are Bella and Macey. Bella's white and brown and Macey is a tricolor.

I had hoped to adopt the girls from the time I got them. There was something holding me up, though, and I wasn't sure if it would be possible or not, but I determined to take the best care of them as I could while I waited to see what happened. Well, I am proud to announce that things are finally beginning to fall into place and I WILL be adopting Ginger! I'm so excited!

A SERVICE DOG. In the mean time, my husband and I have also decided I need a Service Dog. So I have been looking into that. The breed that best matches me seems to be a Shelty- or Shetland Sheepdog, for those who may be unfamiliar with the breed. They're often mistaken as little lassies, although they're not at all collies. The two have similar ancestors, which makes them look a lot alike.

My best option is to get a puppy and self train- which I have the legal right to do. I'll be getting a private trainer to help me select and train the dog to legal Service Dog status. I'm really looking forward to getting a new puppy- both for a new canine relationship and to the possibility of freedom it will bring me.

Only 40% of dogs make it as a Service Dog so I'm praying that God leads me to THE right dog for me from the very beginning. I went to the rescue I work with yesterday and saw the puppies she has (not prospects, not even shelty) and realized just how big of a job choosing just ONE is going to be! They were all so cute! I wonder how I could ever choose among them even to just foster, let alone if they were shelties and I was looking for my service dog!

Before I got more fosters and later decided that a Service Dog would be right for me, I'd been intending to foster one or two of those puppies until they could find homes. They seem to be finding homes pretty quickly, though, so I'm thankful for that! Their mother, Athena, and 2 (of 7) puppies have been adopted out already. Only 5 sweet babies to find good homes left. All of the dogs have been fixed and will be micro-chipped.

AND FELINE FOSTERS. We're working towards getting my fosters fixed- a Momma kitty and 7 kittens. What a story there! Some bozos dropped off a bunch of cats to this lady's home out in the country last fall. 2 sisters had litters- Momma and her sister- 2 weeks apart. One had 3 kittens, the other had four. After her sister took off, Momma adopted her babies and has been raising all 7 together.

I've heard of animals doing things like this before, but I'm also aware that not all Mommas will, so it has caused me to think highly of Momma. So this lady called into the rescue and I volunteered to foster them. The kittens are now 12 and 14 weeks and I'm working on a way to split up Mom and babies. She continues to insist on breast feeding and we still need to have her fixed so she can be placed in a new home. In order for her to be fixed, she has to have not been nursing for 2 weeks.

I got them June 1st when the kittens were only 3 and 5 weeks old. Now they're grown and we're trying to get them all fixed so they can go on to new homes. I haven't had to pay for any thing for the cats. The lady who dropped them off has stayed involved and donated food and litter. It's been a real pleasure working with her.

My household total comes to 13- 2 RES, turtles, (we own them), 3 guinea pigs, and 8 cats. So I've just been a little preoccupied.

I will try to get on more often, although I can't promise any thing. As far as this post is concerned, it's gotten a little long, so I better wrap things up. Thanks for listening!

CritterLuvva · Aug 8, 2012

LOL. "Zoo" is a good way to put it too. I love my foster babies and I'll really miss them when they're gone, but I hope they find their furever GOOD homes soon- the bigger they get, the more interesting fostering 8 cats in a 706 sq foot house becomes. Love them forever, love them for always... but looking forward to good placement of these wonderful babies. Then it will be time to get a service dog and, later, continue with my fostering.

Thank you for your condolences on Penny's loss. It was very devastating. I was worried about Ginger for about a month afterward, but she seems to be doing much better now. Sure wish I had an ex-pen. I'm eager to give her a chance to have a face to face greeting with Macey and Bella.

Sorry my first post was SO long- so much to tell and I get a bit carried away sometimes in the telling.

fresian.m · Aug 8, 2012

I'm sorry about Penny

Good luck with the other animals though! I was wondering where you got off to!

PigPandemonium · Aug 8, 2012

Yay, another person here who is going to be owner training a service dog.

I've been working on my dog for about a year or so now to become my service dog, and she's almost done with her training. I'll also be adopting a Rottweiler puppy soon to train as my service dog, mainly because the dog I'm training now is smaller, and a bigger dog would help me more.

fresian.m · Aug 9, 2012

I think having a rottweiler as a service dog would be absolutely amazing. I love bigger dogs.

schavarry · Aug 9, 2012

I'm glad you're doing alright! Sounds like you're REALLY busy!!

Sorry to hear about Penny

but it's good that you've aquired two other guinea pigs to keep Grace company!!

Good luck with finding homes for those foster kitties and finding the right dog to be your service dog! In my experience the dog chooses you, and I hope you will find that to be true for you too!

foggycreekcavy · Aug 9, 2012

What do you need a service dog for?

PigPandemonium · Aug 9, 2012

fresian.m said:
I think having a rottweiler as a service dog would be absolutely amazing. I love bigger dogs.

I've always grown up with Rottweilers and love them to death

They are the sweetest dogs that wouldn't hurt a fly, it's sad that some of the stupid people in this world have given them a bad reputation by training them to be aggressive, or not training them and exposing them to other people/animals so they become aggressive.

@foggycreekcavy Was that a question for me or the OP?

CritterLuvva · Aug 9, 2012

Kelsie said:
I think it's great that you are considering a Sheltie as a service dog. They are such wonderful dogs. I've always heard they are very trainable and very loyal to their owners. Best of luck in finding that special pup.

Emphasis on the "very (trainable/loyal)". I am NOT going after a Shelty as a Service dog because of my loss of Sunny- I was very careful to research the proper breed for me and my needs. (In fact, I actually came up with Collie first, but I don't think that would be fair in our space for the dog. I want to make sure this dog is given top of the line quality care and I intend to continue fostering, so there isn't much room.

I actually avoided Shelties from fear of confusion over my loss of Sunny at first, but...) I found that a Sheltie would be the next best thing.

That being said, my Sunny was BRILLIANT. You told him something only two or three times and he really had it down pat. Quite typical, let me assure you. You know, Shelties place sixth on the top 10 smartest dog breeds in the world? As far as loyalty, he followed me around the house CONSTANTLY. It used to annoy the living day lights out of me, but now I miss it.
Doing some more research into the breed recently, I found out that it's typical for his breed. I had to leave him with my mom for a few years during the college years, but when I got settled down, I wanted him back. My family said, "You ought to leave him where he is. He probably won't remember you any way." Well guess what? Not only did he remember me- he was more then happy to go home with us!

Their loyalty and their fast learning skills stem back from their shepherding days, I think, but make them particularly attractive as service dogs.

PigPandemonium said:
Yay, another person here who is going to be owner training a service dog. I've been working on my dog for about a year or so now to become my service dog, and she's almost done with her training. I'll also be adopting a Rottweiler puppy soon to train as my service dog, mainly because the dog I'm training now is smaller, and a bigger dog would help me more.

So you're going to have two service dogs? I didn't know you could do that. As stated above, if I had the space, I'd be getting a collie (instead), but I don't feel I do, so I can't. Maybe one day I'll have more space, huh?

schavarry said:
I'm glad you're doing alright! Sounds like you're REALLY busy!!

Sorry to hear about Penny but it's good that you've aquired two other guinea pigs to keep Grace company!!

Good luck with finding homes for those foster kitties and finding the right dog to be your service dog! In my experience the dog chooses you, and I hope you will find that to be true for you too!

Ginger, not Grace. I agree. I'm stuck trying to figure out what I'm going to do to give them time closer together, though. I don't have an ex pen yet and it's driving me crazy. I don't have enough grids either. I've thought of our bathtub, but want my hubby to help supervise and there just isn't much space in our bathroom for maneuvering.

I have to be careful what dog I choose specifically, though. Not all dogs will be able to become Service Dogs. I'm just praying for THE right dog. I'm dreaming of a blue bitch named Hope. I usually let my animals tell me what there name is, but in this case, her name comes from the HOPE of a new, independent lifestyle.

I have nightmares I hope she'll be able to identify and bring me out of on her own, but we'll see.

foggycreekcavy said:
What do you need a service dog for?

I need a Psychiatric Service Dog (Psychiatric Service Dog Society) to help me with my Mental Disabilities. I'm easily stressed and therefore rarely leave my home. A Service Dog would keep me grounded and, in case of a panic attack, bring me back out of it or even warn me before it happens. A PSD can also lead a handler to safety when they're confused and they can't think properly. Which happens when I start to panic.

@PigPandemonium Whether she was talking to me or you, I don't know, but I would be interested in comparing notes. What are you getting a Service Dog for, if you don't mind my asking? Basically if not specifically.

I know @foggycreekcavy asked innocently enough, and I answered as clearly as I care to, but I am also aware that question is actually illegal. A handler can answer as specifically or as vaguely (or not at all) as they choose.

For any one who may be wondering why, consider Patient Confidentiality rights. I don't mean to step on any one's toes here, but I feels it's something we should all be aware of.

Paula · Aug 9, 2012

I have some general questions about service dogs; it seems there’s actually been a lot of talk about service dogs here lately and the topic has kind of sparked my curiosity. I don’t want any specific information about either of your circumstances.

How is it determined that a person needs a psychiatric service dog? Does a doctor have to first determine that you have a psychiatric disability and then that it substantially limits your ability to perform one or more life functions? Doesn’t a service dog, by definition, have to be able to do something you physically cannot do for yourself instead of just be there to snuggle and be a calming factor by presence alone?

Also, don’t service dogs have to undergo fairly extensive temperament and health tests to ensure they are temperamentally sound and healthy enough to perform duties as a psychiatric service dog? Are those tests required? If so, if you’re training the dog yourself, or getting the help of a trainer, who pays for that testing? I had been under the impression that there really wasn’t a certification or registration mandated in the US, which seems to suggest to me that maybe there’s no diagnosis required and that pretty much anyone can decide they have a disability and call just about any dog a service dog. Is that the case? It just seems to me that if it is, it might actually be doing a disservice to those who do acquire a dog through an agency that places a dog who has been professionally and thoroughly trained, either by an agency or by a qualified trainer.

PigPandemonium · Aug 9, 2012

@Paula To get a service dog, one must first have a disability. This can be physically or mentally. Sometimes it starts with a doctor recommending it, or someone thinking about it and then asking their doctor. Under the ADA a service dog's tasks must be something that mitigates the owners disability, and must be something a dog doesn't do normally. Being cuddly is not a task, or offering emotional support (As of 2010) is not a task.Service dogs can help owners with mental disabilities in many ways such as alerting to panic attacks, giving tactical stimulation during panic attacks, giving the owner meds, guarding from people touching the owner, ect, ect. It all depends on what the disability is, and what the owner needs.

Dogs don't have to have any temperament tests/health test, ect, which is why a lot of people can fake service dogs, however most of us (Including me) Chose to get our dog's CGC test done, public access test, get a doctors and psychiatrists, note of approval, and also get the dogs health tested and such. This also helps in court.

PigPandemonium · Aug 9, 2012

@CritterLuvva You can't actually work two service dogs unless two are needed such as if one dog who guides, one who alerts to medical conditions, but the guide dog can't alert, and the alert dog can't guide. But some people have a service dog and a service dog in training at the same time, mainly when one dog starts getting older. (Which Bella is, plus she's better fit to being a family dog than a service dog)

That's creepy, that we're even both going to train PSDs. lol I have extreme Agoraphobia (Among a list of other things such as ADHD, OCD, Depression, ect) Bella's tasks that she does include but are not limited to, tactile stimulation during panic attacks to ground me, stopping OCD actions, and "guarding" where she goes to the side I ask her, so that people don't get close enough to touch me.

Paula · Aug 9, 2012

To get a service dog, one must first have a disability. This can be physically or mentally. Sometimes it starts with a doctor recommending it, or someone thinking about it and then asking their doctor.

So, basically, though, just about any person could wake up and "decide" they need a service dog and commence training one themselves? That's kind of the impression I had after the last thread on this topic and wasn't sure. Since it came up again I thought I'd clarify. Thanks!

Owned by cavy · Aug 9, 2012

Wow. I didn't even know that you could do that. What a great idea. I work from home, I go to school at home and I prefer my pets to people all the time. I can go out in crowds and panic attacks for me are very rare, especially as I've gotten older. I just can't handle it when people touch me. I don't like that. I can be sitting in my house and if my kids or my boyfriend come up and touch me/talk to me and it'll scare me. In a crowd of people that I don't know, it's amplified by 1000.

Obviously it's not necessary for me, but it's a great thing to know that it's available for those that need it. As I suffer from Depression, ADHD, OCD and very minor agoraphobia, it's a relief to know in case things were to ever get worse for me. I have a husky that becomes attached to me when my depression/paranoia takes a turn for the worse. He knows before I realize that it's a bad day. If I thought that I could do it, I would train him to be more active for me in that capacity, but this is all out of my depth.

My daughter has a condition known as ODD which causes her to go into bouts of rage. Do you think that a service dog could be trained to anticipate that behavior from her and provide her with a tactile response to calm her?

PS I'm glad to know that you're ok and that your piggie family is doing well. I am also sorry for your loss. I hope that you find homes for all your kitties and I hope you find exactly the dog that you are looking for.

PigPandemonium · Aug 9, 2012

Paula said:
So, basically, though, just about any person could wake up and "decide" they need a service dog and commence training one themselves? That's kind of the impression I had after the last thread on this topic and wasn't sure. Since it came up again I thought I'd clarify. Thanks!

It is very messed up. It also enables people to fake service dogs really easy when they don't really need one, and train any little yappy dog to be a "service dog". Plus it gives real service dog teams a bad name, and makes it hard to get in public businesses and such if they have had bad experiences with these fake service dog teams before.

PigPandemonium · Aug 9, 2012

@Owned by cavy A dog can't be trained to detect things like that. I believe, just like your husky, It has to be a natural response and has to be enhanced upon. Most people get dogs that do alert work from a program, as the dogs have to be carefully selected. Though if you've noticed a physical alert to when she will start a bout of rage, such as for example maybe biting her nails, you can train the dog that whenever she bites her nails, to start the tactile stimulation. Though there is a lot more than just task training to train a service dog. The dog has to have a solid, sit, down, stay, must leave any dropped food, must ignore people, must keep a tight heel, must show no signs of aggression, may not take food from a stranger, or invite petting from strangers (Jumping up on them, ect, licking their hand), ect.

I recommend that if you really do want to have a service dog for your daughter, first talk to your doctor to see if she is really disabled, then talk to some service dog programs to see if they can train you a dog, if not defiantly work with a trainer with experience in service dogs.

Owned by cavy · Aug 9, 2012

PigPandemonium said:
@Owned by cavy A dog can't be trained to detect things like that. I believe, just like your husky, It has to be a natural response and has to be enhanced upon. Most people get dogs that do alert work from a program, as the dogs have to be carefully selected. Though if you've noticed a physical alert to when she will start a bout of rage, such as for example maybe biting her nails, you can train the dog that whenever she bites her nails, to start the tactile stimulation. Though there is a lot more than just task training to train a service dog. The dog has to have a solid, sit, down, stay, must leave any dropped food, must ignore people, must keep a tight heel, must show no signs of aggression, may not take food from a stranger, or invite petting from strangers (Jumping up on them, ect, licking their hand), ect.

I recommend that if you really do want to have a service dog for your daughter, first talk to your doctor to see if she is really disabled, then talk to some service dog programs to see if they can train you a dog, if not defiantly work with a trainer with experience in service dogs.

Thank you for that. She is mentally disabled, but I'm not sure in such a way that would merit a service dog. She is getting better with therapy and medication. And having a mom majoring in psychology isn't hurting things either. She goes to a therapist at school 2 times a week (she's had the summer off and is reverting some) and they have a therapy dog that she absolutely loves. He lives with the therapist full time and he comes to school every day to help the students. I was mostly just curious.

I am not very good at training dogs myself, I get distracted too easily and don't put in the time that I should, so they aren't very good at the basics. They know sit, lay down, etc. But my husky is strong minded and doesn't listen half the time. My saint bernard is much better trained, and more inclined to do as you wish. However, the one thing that they are trained on is not to show any aggression to anyone, ever.

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. I'll talk to her therapist and her doctor and see if they have any suggestions, or if they want to keep doing what we're doing and see if it continues to get better.

jacqueline · Aug 10, 2012

@PigPandemonium - THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you've posted about service dogs that was sooo right on the money!!

i had a service dog who was forced into early retirement due to illness. i've been waiting for my next service dog for months now and, as you can imagine, i'm soo lost without a dog to partner with.

there is so much mis-information and misunderstanding about service dogs. i agree with everything n you've said. the only thing i'd like to really emphasize is how important it is to go through a service dog program. i know the wait time and paperwork can seem daunting, but most people have no idea how intense the training and selection process is.

a doctor does have to confirm you have a disability, and if you do have a disability and are in need of a dog's assistance, it's hard to imagine that you also have the patience, time, energy, knowledge, etc to choose a dog and train it. the training, especially the public access training doesn't happen overnight. it is repetition, repetition, repetition.

it's hard to imagine someone who has agoraphobia being able to train a dog to be confident and supportive while out in public. the idea of training a dog to do something you can't do yourself makes my brain hurt!

one of the other things i so grossly underestimated was the whole emotional adjustment to having a dog partner with me. the bond and relationship is extremely intense. unlike ANY relationship i've every had - human or critter. and dealing with the public and all their reactions was very hard. it took a good year for Kazi and i to develop into a working team. and then, when he got ill and had to retire. . . that was 16 months ago, and i still weep with the loss. . .

so - go with a program. be professional about it - no short-cuts. get all the documents and training and CGC tests you can. read the IAADP web site as well.

good luck!

also, this is not about "bragging" alot of this book is about Kazi and I, with pictures and everything. it's meant for school aged children, but is just so well written. it's available through amazon, and hopefully in local libraries too!

[h=3]Service Dog Heroes (Amazing Working Dogs with American Humane) by Linda Bozzo[/h]

jacqueline · Aug 10, 2012

sorry - too late to edit my previous post. i do want to soften up what i said a little. i am clearly passionate about this, for obvious reasons. as PigPandimonium said, people that "fake" service digs can make things more difficult for those if us with legitimately trained service dogs.

that said, i do think it's possible to privately train a service dog. hard, but possible. it is important that anyone who trains themselves makes sure they stick to the standards, and comply with what few laws there are out there about service dogs. for some people working with a program is too overwhelming. but again, i think it's sooo much harder to be both the person with the disability who needs help and the person providing the help at the same time (training your own service dog for you to use for yourself).

the woman who trained Kazi had a VERY different relationship with him than i did. she was all business - didn't cut him any slack. trained him like any good drill sergeant. i never could have done that AND had a loving relationship with him. but that's just me

again, i do wish you the best if you do decide to train yourself.

PigPandemonium · Aug 10, 2012

@jacqueline I do recommend that others go through a program, or at least get the help of a professional trainer. In my case, however I have confidence in training a service dog for myself. I've had many years of dabbling with training dogs, and researching training even helping one friend with her lab that was so aggressive she could never have any animal/person over to the house.

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