Written By: Allison Chancellor
A month dedicated to the dogs who give up “civilian life” to become the arms, legs, eyes, ears, or simply a calming influence for their person. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of having THREE service dogs!!! I call them my backwards Oreo: two yellow Labradors and one black Labrador. Sammy lived to the ripe age of 14, Tyler to 15, and Lambo, age 7, is still going strong. Each of them worked until around age 10. Tyler just recently had a birthday, but sadly, she passed away this week. The rainbow bridge must look pretty beautiful.
There are different levels of assistance dogs: Mobility (mine), Hearing, and PTSD. There are more, of course, but these are the ones trained by the amazing team in St. Louis at Duo, formerly Support Dogs, Inc. All my dogs were given to me free of charge, a gift that can’t be repaid, especially when it costs upwards of $30,000 to breed, raise, train, and place these pups.
Lambo is my newest and probably goofiest boy. He helps me take off my socks and shoes, retrieves ANYTHING (I have to watch him closely so he doesn’t damage things or choke. He totally thinks it’s a game). I make everything fun so he doesn’t get bored. He loves running alongside my Quantum Stretto power chair.
He’s the easiest dog to walk because he doesn’t think he’s walking me. He’s not fazed by ANYTHING. One thing I always do is elevate just enough to be seen, but never all the way, to avoid any accidents with a short leash.
Let’s talk about the things he does for me: he retrieves my television remote probably so many times that he’s thinking, “AGAIN?” but he still does it with so much enthusiasm. He can tell when I’m super tired and knows when mom needs that extra boost. And he’s right there, although a treat helps too. Let’s be real, I work better with a little incentive myself.
He works in public with me. He pushes automatic door plates with his nose and again, loves it. Sometimes he even does it twice just to “check.” The biggest lesson? Even when it doesn’t look like he’s working, just laying next to my chair in his harness, yup, he’s working.
The best thing you can do is ask before interacting. And be okay with the word no. Sometimes interactions can really distract, but sometimes I can allow it!!!! Support dogs are extensions of their people. When we need an extra hand, we usually find a paw.
