Hello:

I'm new to the NeuroTalk Forum and I was really quite happy to see the subforum for service dogs/animals. Bailey is 5 yrs old now and she's been with me from when she was 8 weeks old. Initially we were going to train her to be a support animal for my mother who is now in advanced stages of Alzhiemer's Disease but, after it was suggested that I would benefit from the assistance of a service dog, well the plans changed. Bailey is certified for Special Needs/Hearing and as a Psychiatric Support Dog. Because of the region where we live, there were no local agencies or schools to train the dog for me, and the waiting list for a program dog was 2 to 3 years and the cost was going to be prohibitive ... the instructor that we were seeing for general obedience training and the trainer for Therapy Dogs both suggested that we could train Bailey at home ( my educational background and career experience were definite assests in the process ... with the added benefit that Bailey didn't use profanity or call me names the way some of my student's did!!! )

So we trained her here and then took her in for certification once we felt that she met all the criterion for the International Association of Assistance Dogs standards. There are no actual standards for Canadian Service Dogs so most provinces use the international standards or adapt the standards set out for guide dogs for the blind. We felt it was necessary to use the international standards since we live in a boarder town community to the U.S. and frequently cross the boarder.

We're looking forward to getting to know you all better, hearing about your furry life savers and sharing information. Bailey sends her regards to her collegues with wishes for lots of treats and belly rubs.

Take care all, be safe and well: Kefrin & Bailey