Yes - I had a Certified Hearing Guide Dog, a AKC
Samoyed that was donated by a Breeder because
she had so many defects and flaws and she couldn't
even be sold for "cheap".

The Guide Dog Service wasn't sure that she could
be trained but her response and alertness was so
well defined, in spite of her 3.5 years of age, they
decided to give it a shot anyway, and she did very
well, but they had a hard time finding a hearing impaired
person who would take the dog in, until I came along.

Her name was Star - and she and I were meant for
each other, and we hit it off the moment we saw each
other, and the Director had never seen anything like it,
in fact, the dog came home on the same day!

After a few weeks of adjustments - well that's what
the Director said, but she was already adjusted in 5
seconds!

She made herself a home, and we were a team! After
several months of progress, she was certified and all
paperwork, ID's, leash, collar, etc were completed.

But Star was different - she went the extra mile.

She seemed to know when I was going to have a seizure
before I did or anyone else did, for example, she knew
when a Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal) was going to happen,
she would push and shove me to the couch, or floor,
or to my bed, whichever was the closest, and curl up
in a ball and stay there and was so protective and would
not let anyone nearby (except family member).

One episode when we were outside, I don't know what
kind of a seizure I had, but witnesses saw it and called
911, and paramedics and cops were there, but they
just couldn't reach me because of Star, she wouldn't
permit them to be near me, since it was daytime, they
went on a manhunt looking for my son (it was in the summer
and school was out), and by the time they got my son they
were able to get the dog out of the way.

But it only resulted more problems (my son was small and
the dog is a workhorse), so the paramedic had an idea, for
my son and the dog to sit there, while they treated me,
and it worked like a charm. Then they transported me to
the hospital where I was admitted for 3 days, and I was
told Star wouldn't eat at all, and all she would do is look
out the window and wait patiently by the door for me and
just whimper.

Once they got my meds lined up, the Hospital called and
said it was time for me to go home and bring the dog - and
Star just went berserk when she saw me in the room, just
so overjoyed, and once we stopped to get my meds, and
headed home --- she ate like a PIG, ate like there was no
Tomorrow!

Star was very short-lived unfortunately - this is why my
son and I cry off and on.

One day, she couldn't get up, I had to carry her to the Vet,
her hips were gone, and they also found other stuff wrong
with her, and the very next day, the Guide Dog Service took
her away from us (it was part of the contract), and we never
got a chance to say "Good Bye", we weren't even allowed to
even keep her as a family pet. We learned later, she passed
away not long afterwards. She died very young.

Nothing can replace Star.

She wasn't a seizure response dog at all, she was a Certified
Hearing Guide Dog that went the extra mile. She only responded
to Tonic Clonic seizures 3 times before anyone knew about it
and to Complex Partials several times and that was it. Psychological?
I don't think so. There was no way she could have known about
me having Epilepsy, she wasn't trained for it - but she knew.

I was supposed to get another Certified Hearing Guide Dog,
unfortunately that Guide Dog place went under and out of business
due to excessive complaints and tactics and other things that I'm
not aware of ... as this was many years ago.

Both my Son and I miss Star very, very much, and yes, tears are
shed when we see her pictures.

Would she be alive today if she was well?

NO - she wouldn't. Her time would have expired years ago, probably
at least 10 years ago tops or more, for a normal dog's lifespan.



I've been putting in for years applications for Hearing Guide Dogs
and Service Dogs, but the hardest thing is ~ being rejected, all
because I'm on SSDI and SSI - and I do not have sufficient income
even though I'm a homeowner!

I've pretty much given up filling out applications now - I cannot
bear to fill out anymore. My Doctors in the past have gotten so
tired of putting in their letters of recommendations, and only for
me to be "rejected" or "denied" due to lack of income.

IT HURTS! Especially when I live alone, so in exchange, I have my
son living here instead and returned to being a landlord and giving
up my own bedroom and sleeping on the floor and giving up my
privacy because of this.

I apologize if this is long.

Wow your story is so moving southie I thank you for sharing it. I am so sorry for your loss, and your loss too JDPhD. It's so sad to lose any loving companion like that.

Have you found an organization that will accept you? Have you applied to NEADS in princeton, ma? Have you considered training your own? I'm currently training a poodle puppy that is supposed to be from parents with the ability to alert to medical conditions. She's only 5 months right now so we will see how she does. I'm hopeful she'll do well with her training.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brighthorizondogs Have you found an organization that will accept you? Have you applied to NEADS in princeton, ma? Have you considered training your own? I'm currently training a poodle puppy that is supposed to be from parents with the ability to alert to medical conditions. She's only 5 months right now so we will see how she does. I'm hopeful she'll do well with her training.

Unfortunately at this time, I need a everything
dog ... and as for Agencies to train one, they
can only go so far.

*sigh*

I have to go over with my Physicians as to what
specific dog I would need, since pretty much the
Agencies will now only train them to a maximum
of 2 levels. I am considering possibilities of having
a Hearing & Seeing Eye Guide Dog combination
and skipping on the Assistance & Seizure Response
Guide Dogs ~ since I pretty much figure in due
time, the dog will detect this on his/her own after
rapport has been established.

But I do admit this one thing - many places either
want money upfront or those who offer it for free
requires the individual to go up there (wherever
they are) for training before they come to the
residency. This is a major problematic issue. I
cannot drive nor can I fly - plus financial issue
is a major dilemma.

I could obtain "sponsorship", but typically they
last but for a year and move on to someone else
(rotating to differing individuals every year). This
would create a hardship for me personally and
would be totally unfair for the Guide Dog entirely
as much as I need one.

But thank you for inquiring. The overall outlook
does not appear to look good at all.

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