Domino Service Dogs

It was a Saturday night when I overheard my mom talking on the phone to our friend Ricki. She was talking about visiting a litter of puppies. After she hung up the phone I asked if I could go with her. She responded by saying ,”Okay but I am just going to look so don’t get attached.”  “Like I really want a puppy,” I said.

Early the next morning we picked Ricki up and drove out to look at the puppies. Anne lived on a big farm. She had at least 4 or 5 dogs. All her dogs lived inside the house, even the puppies.

We went into her bedroom and checked out all the puppies that weren’t spoken for. My mom looked them over one at a time. I watched as she carefully checked each puppies eyes, ears and teeth. When my mom was done checking them over she told me that they all looked fat and healthy. I picked them up one at a time and set them on the bed so I could watch their reaction to a different environment. All the puppies were beautiful but none of them jumped out at me as being the one that would spend its life by my side.  This was definitely going to be a difficult decision.

Anne had been quietly watching as I held each of the pups. My mom had told her that we were looking for a puppy to train as my future service dog and she could see that I was struggling. She walked over to me and said “I usually only have one litter of puppies at a time but I just happen to have another litter of chocolate labs right now. They’re a little bit older but I think one of the females might just be perfect for you. Would you like to go into the other room and take a look?”

When we got to the other room I saw 5 puppies. They were all beautiful and definitely older than the first ones we looked at. In the midst of them was a large female. She was a little more rambunctious than the other ones but she also had a great personality. I picked her up, looked her over and then set her back down. She immediately turned around and started barking at me! So I picked her up again and handed her to my mom. She looked her over and then put her back into the whelping box. She ran straight to the other side of the box where I was standing and started barking again!

By this time it was time for us to head out to dog class. My mom told Anne that this was a huge decision and we would need some time to think about it. Anne assured her that there was absolutely no rush and said that we were more than welcome to come back anytime.

The next day after I went to physical therapy I asked my mom when she thought we would have time to go look at the puppies again. My mom asked me if I felt up to driving out there this afternoon. I told her that I thought that would be great. She called Anne and we were on our way.

As soon as I walked into the room my puppy ran over to the side of the box, put her front paws up on the edge and looked up at me expectantly. I picked her up out of the box and sat down with her. All of the sudden she started squirming! Then she turned around, looked at me and bit my nose! Can you believe that? After about an hour had passed my mom asked me if she was the one. I thought it was pretty obvious!

We had to wait three weeks before we could take her home. During that time we went to visit her every week. Finally it was time to pick her up. I decided to name her Talia after the daughter of Zuess. The whole family thought she was adorable and a great addition to our family!

In the end, Badger will always be my first service dog. Badger will always have a special place in my heart that no other dog will be able to fill, but that doesn’t mean that Talia can’t have a special place in my heart too.

Most kids are excited by the prospect of adding a new puppy to their family. Days and nights are spent dreaming of the adventure they are about to embark upon. Dreaming of games of fetch and tug-of-war. Dreaming of the long walks they will take and the wonderful friends they will become.

That is not how it happened at our house. In fact, the mere mention of a new puppy brought tears to Caitlin’s eyes. Not quiet tears either. The long hard sobbing kind of tears. Caitlin was not at all excited about getting a new puppy. Instead it was breaking her heart.

The relationship between Badger and Caitlin is complicated. Badger gives Caitlin confidence and independence. Badger does not judge Caitlin, call her names or tell her that she is too slow. Instead she just accepts Caitlin for who she is right now, today. Badger is not a friend of convenience. She is always there for Caitlin. Badger is by Caitlin’s side for for each and every one of her accomplishments. She also comforts Caitlin when she is sad or in pain. After 4 years together, Caitlin rarely has to give Badger a command. Badger knows what kind of help Caitlin needs and she does her best to provide it.

I tried to console Caitlin. I gently explained that this was not the end of Badger’s life or even the end of Badger’s working life. Ultimately I came to realize that this was a process that Caitlin was going to have to go through. It was a process that was going to take some time and the only thing I could do was wait patiently until she was ready to take the next step.

We had known this was coming for over a year. Badger had been showing signs of her age for quite a while. She was having a difficult time getting in and out of the truck. She was sleeping a lot more. She was 6 1/2 years old and was starting to slow down. Several of the teachers at Caitlin’s school started noticing the change in Badger and asked me what the plan was.

Last November, I awoke early one morning to find Badger lying on the floor by the front door. She could not stand up or lift her head. As soon as I saw her my heart sank. As I rushed her in for an emergency visit  to our veterinarian I honestly wasn’t sure she would ever be coming home again. During our appointment our veterinarian explained that over the next few years incidents like this would eventually begin to happen more frequently and that it was time to start planning for Badger’s retirement. Of course, we also started Badger on a cocktail of joint supplements but Great Pyrenees are a short lifespan dog and nothing will change that. While we hope that Badger will be able to work for at least two more years we could definitely see that she would need some help in the near future.

So the rather long and tedious search began. Every Sunday I scanned the ads listed in the local newspaper. Every morning I read the ads on Craigslist. I also devoted a lot of time searching for reputable breeders. I spent months weighing the pros and cons of adult dogs versus puppies. On one hand there are so many adult dogs in need of good homes and they usually come potty trained. On the other hand I knew Caitlin would bond better with a puppy. Months passed before I even started making phone calls. I was determined not to be in a hurry. I needed time to find the right puppy for the job and Caitlin needed time to accept the change that was about to take place in her life.

Last March I finally made my first appointment with a breeder. When Caitlin asked if she could come along I knew she was ready. She still wasn’t excited about the prospect of working with another dog but at least she was beginning to accept the idea.

During our appointment I gave Caitlin some advice and then sat back quietly so that she could decide which puppy would work best for her. Ultimately she didn’t choose a puppy for herself. Instead she let the puppy choose her.

We brought Talia home the day she turned 8 weeks old. From the day she came into our home she knew she belonged with Caitlin. Wherever Caitlin was Talia was there too. When someone else tried to put Talia on their lap she would wiggle and squirm until she made it back to her kid.

Talia is almost six months old now. As I am writing this our family has spent the last three weeks in a local hotel due an incredible hail storm that caused severe damage to our house. Talia is staying with Ricki, a friend of mine, who generously offered to care for her until we can finally move back into our home. Earlier today as we were getting ready to leave Ricki’s house and head back to the hotel, Caitlin had tears in her eyes. Today Caitlin’s tears were for Talia and I think that speaks for itself.