At this point, you may be wondering, “What is a service dog going to do for you?” Most of us seem conditioned to think of service dogs as only helping the vision-impaired or acting as emotional support animals. Service dogs can be trained to do a great many tasks, all with the goal of enhancing a person’s independence.
In my specific situation, G dog is going help with a number of things that I would normally need to rely on someone else for assistance. For instance, with the muscle weakness in my legs and arms, it’s impossible for me to pick up anything that’s low to the ground and get myself back into an upright position. So, when I drop something on the floor, as everyone ultimately does, it becomes something more than just a slight inconvenience. And, for whatever reason, I manage to drop things a lot. More like, all the damn time.
G is trained to pick up and bring me those dropped items from the floor—even things as small as a quarter. (Hence, the reason I named this blog The Pick-Up Artist. Kind of clever, huh?) And, yes, I do own those extended-reach grabbers to help with such things. But, even with having multiples of these dispersed in various rooms throughout the house, invariably, they would never be right where I’d need them. And when you have a neuromuscular disease, sometimes taking those extra steps every time you need the tool just becomes too exhausting.
After only a few practice sessions, G has already proven tremendously helpful in this capacity. I thought it would take a couple weeks of working together to get this all figured out, but this aspect of his “service” has come together pretty quickly. In addition to retrieving the myriad of dropped items, when I take off my shoes, he can pick them up and give them to me to put away on the shoe racks in my closet. He seems so genuinely excited and happy to perform these tasks that I never feel bad asking him to “work” for me. When this responsibility would fall on a family member, I’d always feel guilty afterward for inconveniencing them.
Another thing we are training G to do is to retrieve the phone for me in case of an emergency. A couple years ago, while I was home alone, I fell in the kitchen, smashed my chin on the floor, and chipped a tooth. As far as injury from a fall goes, it could have been so much worse. But I was nowhere near my phone and unable to call for help. I ended crawling to a step stool and used every bit of strength I had to get myself back up. To this day, I have no idea how I managed it. And with the progressive muscle deterioration I’ve experienced since, it’s unlikely that I would ever again be able to pick myself up from a fall now. Having G trained to get the phone should I need it will give me tremendous peace of mind moving forward.
Some of the other things service dogs can be trained to do for the disabled include:
- tugging to remove items of clothing like socks or outerwear
- opening or closing doors
- opening and closing cabinet doors and drawers (that bottom produce drawer in the fridge is my nemesis)
- carrying items up and down stairs or from room to room
- turning on and off light switches
Some can even help with tasks such as pulling a wheelchair or counter-balance for someone needing mobility assistance when walking upstairs. It’s really pretty amazing, and not all dogs are cut out for this. It takes a very specialized and consistent temperament for a dog to excel in this line of work.
Throughout the PAWS handbook and training, it’s been stressed that a service dog is a “working’ companion—not a pet. Because I adore G so much, sometimes it’s difficult for me to make the distinction. I know there’s a rather strict set of rules to adhere to that pet owners wouldn’t ever have to consider. These are all in place with the end goal of keeping the dog focused on what it needs to do and me safe. But since I can’t imagine any circumstance where I would love G more than I already do, I guess I’ll just consider him more as my “furry friend with benefits.”
The Pick-Up Artist 