Happy Monday, I hope you are all looking forward into a good week. Let’s jump right in shall we, as the the title suggests people are always asking me what Scout does for me.
This is the question that I get most often and in all of it’s various forms. From the ridiculous “ but you aren’t that handicapped why do you NEED a dog?” To the well thought out “ Now what is the purpose of your service dog?” From a medical person after an appointment. So I could make this post about the all the amazing things Scout does and leave it at that but Friends I want you to understand not only what he does but also why. Because knowledge is power. First I’m going to tell you a little bit more about who Scout is, not just what he does. If you read the last blog some of this will be a bit of repeat but who he is — is part of what he does for me and how he does it. Scout is a two and half year old yellow Labrador. He’s a big dog he weighs around 66 lbs. He is the calmest and most gentle go with the flow chill dog I have ever met. He’s a mobility service dog which means (for us) that he/we were trained to work together when I am using my mobility devices. Most often my scooter or wheelchair but he also helps me when I am using my walker or just walking around my house. He loves working. He gets super excited when I ask for his help. Like really really excited. So we never want people to think he isn’t really happy to be a working dog. He loves his job and we are pretty attached to each other. He loves peanut butter, and mealtimes. He likes fetch and tug of war. A good belly rub and also a nice nap. People who see us together sometimes think he’s sad or in some sort of distress because he moves so slowly. He’s not sad at all he moves slow and is super calm because that’s 1 his personality and 2 that makes him the perfect partner for me. I just don’t move very quickly. Most things we do have to be thought out and planned. If I’m using my scooter or walker and he moved fast I could fall and we both could get hurt. When he’s having playtime his default playing mode is running so fast he trips over his back feet and barking a lot. Think about it this way if you went to work at your office job and ran around yelling and bouncing you’d probably be asked to leave. It’s the same for a service dog team we have to under control and seamless at all times. The best compliment a team can get is “oh I didn’t know there was a dog here”. He gets plenty of time to be his goofy playful self but working in public isn’t the time for him to be running around and acting goofy. He knows when he’s in harness he is working. For me the biggest task Scout performs is picking up the various things I drop, When I have to bend down and pick something up there is a good chance that I will end up on the floor too. It’s just a fact of what CP looks like for me. His willingness to do this task over and over again and be super happy about it means not only do I fall less but I have more energy to use in my day. People with CP use a lot more energy just doing basic daily tasks, like taking a shower, or cleaning the kitchen. So having Scout to help me do errands and chores means I can do more in my day, Because he does a lot of the bending over and picking up that exhausted me before. Scout can open doors and close them for me. We have several special ropes and other adaptive equipment that allow us to do that safely together. One of those things is a plastic hook with a ribbon on one side for him to help me with doors in public, It’s portable and lightweight and he carries it for me in his harness so we always have it with us, It’s meant I’ve been places that I’d stopped going when I couldn’t pull the door open and drive the scooter or push my walker through at the same time. He can push buttons for me so he can open doors that require pushing a button to have them open, It’s helpful because honestly sometimes it takes two hands to keep my balance or wrangle the tiny humans and in that case he’s an extra hand for me that works better then both my legs. He can pull my laundry basket (again with a special rope for his safety) down the hall saving me energy to actually do the wash. I can move this rope to other things and he can help me move other big or heavy things saving me all kinds of effort and energy. He carries a small bag with things in it. Something I discovered quite by accident the other day and it’s really helpful if I need to pick up a lot of little stuff at once. He can help pick things up put them in the bag and then carry the things to the place they belong allowing me to focus on staying upright when I walk because I have to think about every step or I will fall. So those are just a few of the things Scout does to help me daily. And why those things are so important to me living my best life. I am so appreciative of the things he does for me that I make sure he is also living his best life.
He’s a sweet goofy dog who loves to snuggle and play and gets lots of time to do that. But he also is a very people loving working dog and he gets lots of attention when we’re are in public together. The thing people say to us most often is “Wow your dog sure looks happy.” I really believe he’s happiest when he’s getting praise and love for all the amazing skills he has. One of the misconceptions out there is that service animals are forced to work for people. Let me tell you something Scout and other dogs like him only work because they want to. Service dogs choose this work. We all watch them all the time to make sure they still enjoy doing it. If it ever was to stop being fun they’d definitely let their person know. I am so lucky to have Scout in my life.
Susquehanna Service Dogs is currently having a capital campaign to raise money for more/better facilities to allow them to continue their work, And to bring more amazing dogs like Scout to more people with disabilities. Scout has added so much to my life in just the short time we’ve been a team that I didn’t get to in this blog, My wish would be for every person with a disability who wants service dog to have the option of getting one. The money SSD is trying to raise will in enable them to change more lives Check out the link watch the video and consider sharing and donating if you can. To find out more about Susquehanna Service. Dogs and how you can help follow the links at the top of my blog. The link to the capital campaign is directly above Scout’s pictures. Thanks for being interested friends and remember to keep doing you! 🐾💚
https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/susquehanna-capital-campaign
#dogschangelives
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