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Rowena Initiating a Game of Soccer. She cheats!!

"Late Night Training"

It was near midnight as I put Rowena's service vest on to head out about town to do some late night training. I figured that since Rowena is easily distracted that our late night "last-call-for -bathroom-breaks" walk would be a good time to practice some things in a place other than the lawn and inside, or at class. She would have enough going on so that she would have some distraction, but not like in her obedience class where the whole place is going berserk. I have my bag of treats hanging from my side as I walk down the sidewalk lit by streetlights reflecting from mudpuddles. After days of rain and flooding, that evening, the sky cleared and the sun set. Stars actually twinkled above and the semi-lit shadows of soft clouds were visible, lightly populating the sky.

Grabbing a treat and placing it in my left hand, I realise that my first job will be to work on Rowena's obsession with the treat. since beginning this last class, she know leaps up on me for the treat (or just leaps up depending on where it is being held). Before the class, she would sit down promptly when she saw a treat in my hand. At heel, she gives short lundges towards my hand to try to get the treat from between my tightly pinched fingers. I can feel the smooth outside of her front teeth against my fingers and eventually, after telling her to heel and yanking firmly on the leash, she gives up on the treat stealing endeavors and snaps into business. Eyes focussed, she trots forward.

I go along the fence that separate the lawn of 2 stores from the public sidewalk and tell Ro to stop. Sit. Then flashing the treat, I tell her to "back-up" as I begin to step backwards. She turns around instead, lundging for the tiny treat, throwing her tail right out behind me in my path, setting me up for a guilt trip if I happen to step on it. After a couple more tries at "Back-up" in different locations around town, she begins to do it on the first try. It usually takes 3 to 4 tries for her to get something new. It sometimes takes that long when she knows what she's doing because she is distracted by something, but I know she knows those things.

We practise some sit and stay exercises in different locations about town (on the sidewalks). She knows this, but hates it when I go out of view, and also loses focus at times. She does manage to do it successfully after about 2 to 4 tries. I hold a treat in one hand, the leash is tied around my signaling hand. I firmly say "STAY" and maybe repeat it a couple other times if I notice her eyes or body looking like she's gonna get up and move as I walk a wide circle around her. Always a "Good Girl". Then we work on some phobias. Garbage cans, US Postal Mail boxes, dumpsters, garbage bags, moving wire fences... I tap my foot on the side of the garbage cans and dumpsters in order to get her used to not just the sight, but the sound and to see that I will touch it, (so it must be safe). She grabs for the treat and as I tap my foot on the side of the object, I encourage her: "Good Girl!" Then I will let her retreat with her treat.

The night hightens my senses as it does hers. When I hear something I stop and try to locate the where and the what of it before moving on. Same for Ro, when she stops and looks around for something, I try to figure out what it is. Sometimes her phobias are just as much a mystery. When we are walking about without a problem and all of a sudden she puts on her breaks and plants all four feet to the ground, refusing to move forward as if she were a stubborn mule. I will look at her and look in the direction she is looking and turn back to her again... "What?" I will demand. "What is it? What are you afraid of now??" If I can figure it out, I kneal down next to it and coax her towards it. If she comes over to check it out, she gets a hug and a "good girl!" and we move on.

Sometimes I forget how noisy things can be late on a Friday night. I think of the dog that attacked Ro and about how before that, I never carried pepper spray. I am more worried about Rowena's wellbeing than my own! I am thinking maybe I should have chosen a breed of dog that was a little less like myself. Yes. I would like to have seen that German Shepherd attack a Pitbull Terrier service dog. I think even a five month old pitbull would have been more assertive... uh, or aggressive than Ro was. Then again, if a Pitbull had become as much of a momma's girl as Ro, the Pitbull would not be as tolerant of some things. Rowena would be more concerned with my reaction to pain than who was causing the pain. She comes up to my face when I am crying to make sure I am going to be okay. She checks me when I am sleeping to make sure I am breathing. Any wierd noise or whatever that comes out of my mouth, she will atleast look up to see if I am okay. Those eyes of hers, ever enquiring... ever concerned. No, she's perfect for me. I let her walk home on a lax leash. She trots ahead of me and I watch her. Her hips seem okay tonight. All I see is the beauty of a Border Collie, head lowered, gently padding along the sidewalk towards home. That's my girl! She makes me proud even if she doesn't do the exercises perfectly. I love her either way!

"Regarding Certification for Service Dogs"

Because not all service dogs are going to be doing the same things, there is no set standard of service dog training. People disabled by the same disability can vary so much from one another that his/her service dog must be trained specifically for that person based on symptoms or major life activities affected by the disability. It is not necessary to have a prescription, however I highly reccommend it. To see if you qualify to use a service dog, there are things you must have the correct answer to: "Are you disabled as defined by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)? This means that your disability affects one or more major life activities... getting dressed, going to work, running errands, personal safety, or simply going into the community. Can a service dog be trained to do work or perform tasks that will help mitigate your disability? If you are new to this, you may need extra guidance from someone a little more seasoned with service dog experience.

Service dogs can be individually trained for many things: they can detect epileptic seizures, blood sugar fluxuations in someone with diabetes, can steady individuals who are unsteady on their feet or have a difficult time balancing themselves without assistance, there are seeing eye dogs (who have specific training), dogs that assist with children with autism (grounding and safety tasks), hearing dogs, dogs that are trained to work not with the disabled but as public servants assistance: canine police dogs, bomb or mine sniffing dogs. Then there are dogs like Rowena who are being trained as a psychiatric service dog. I am sure there are many other types of service dogs out there as well. There are trainers who train dogs for some specific jobs, but there are not enough trainers around and not all types of jobs require such special training to do their job. There are usually long waiting lists, is very expensive and there are criteria to qualify for some such dogs. This makes it difficult for a person to find A trainer... let alone one that will train the dog for his/her specific needs. That is why it is okay for the person with the disability to train his/her own dog. Who would know the needs of a person seeking a service dog better than the person with the disability? Especially in the case of Rowena where my needs are so varied from any other individuals with a disabilities I know that is paired up with a psychiatric service dog.

Rowena's requirements are not too hard to train for. First and foremost, she must know basic obedience and must know what I call, "public etiquette". For example, not jumping up on people, not pulling ahead of me, sitting and lying next to me or out of the way of foot trafic when I am in meetings, not begging when there is food, and she needs to decrease her dramatic reaction to all of her little phobias (ie- briefcases, big bags, garbage cans and bags, carts...). I was told that this is a phase she will outgrow. Vocalizing is something that I discourage her from in public as well, unless it is only loud enough for me to hear (like a throat bark). What makes training most difficult right now (as she is almost 8 months old) are: her ability to focus and not get distracted during training activities, some of her phobia reactions, and when she learns bad habits from watching other dogs who are behaving badly (such as in her present obedience class).

I feel more comfortable having Rowena with me in public places when I keep a copy of my Doctor's prescription with me at all times even though the ADA says that I do not have to show proof that she is my service dog at all (all I have to do is tell them that she is my service dog). I will show people the prescription card only when it is totally necessary (not very often), and carry a copy of her vaccines. I also like to carry an identification card that describes and identifies Ro as my service dog. I don't need to show it, but just its mere presence may prevent any access problems (as with Ro wearing her vest). I know that there are individuals out there that abuse the fact that ADA says they do not have to show proof. Those individuals make it difficult for those of us who try our best to play by the rules, and truly do need the assistance of a service dog.

The last biggest requirement for Rowena is that she must be able to keep up with me. Therefore, it is my job to take care of her the very best I can so that maybe she can be with me for many more years. Rowena is a very special dog, and we have a partnership that makes us inseparable, and we love each other very much.

ANYONE WANTING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOGS, CHECK OUT THESE LINKS:

http://www.psychdog.org

http://www.deltasociety.org

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/animal.htm

Rowena, Sitting and "waiting" for me to open a door. Why didn't she do this in class for me??

Here I come, Mom! A practice in Recall.

"Double- Trouble in Obedience Class: Revised"

Tonight was Rowena's and my fourth obedience class over at a local kennel. The first three had brought up many questions and concerns for me, but I thought I was ready today to take whatever the instructor threw at me, I mean, after all, I wasn't hormonal this time!

In previous weeks, I have noticed Rowena leaving class and being less cooperative... for example when I walk her, when Chris takes her out to go to the bathroom, when I am in the agency with her, she tugs more and jumps up more... and more so with other dogs as well. She has become more vocal also, and I know these things are things she has picked up from her class. The instructor there says that that is not how dogs learn. She says that they learn from repitition. (Gail had told me a story the week before about how a Border Collie used to learn everything before class by watching everyone before her.) The class is full of under- socialized, hyper beginner dogs who are allowed to bark and jump and pull and snap at other dogs in class. These are things that we worked for six weeks to get Rowena to stop doing when we took classes with Gail at Cotton Hill. We will no doubt have to return there to get Rowena under control again.

Rowena cannot concentrate because all the other dogs are so excited that she seems to get distracted. The instructor says that if Rowena really knew the commands that she would do them regardless of the chaos in the room. She will tell me one minute I don't have to use treats, and then later reprimending me because I am not using them enough... and then again when Rowena jumps up during a heeling exercise because I am using the treats the same way the instructor had with Rowena the week before... and Ro was leaping up for the treats at that time. She says I throw too many commands at her, but I am only doing so because, first of all Ro knows them. Secondly, she may be doing a behaviour that she is not supposed to be doing and I do not want her to do it in class either, third, Ro is so distracted that I have to repeat a command several times before Ro may actually hear it and pay attention to it.

I spoke to her after class the other night because I have gotten to the point to where I am afraid to do anything in fear that it is the wrong thing. She says that I am too hard on Rowena and should lighten up... she's only a puppy after all. I'm thinking that she needs to encourage the other owners to be more firm with there dogs... and that she should be a little less tolerant of chaos. Anyway, I left the class that night in tears, feeling like a failure and a bad parent. Should I return to this place if I leave in tears and with an anxiety attack?

I spoke with the head dog trainer on the phone today. No doubt this guy's heard about me. He gave me a bad first impression of himself almost immediately when I mentioned that Ro was training for and acting as a service dog. He says that I should not call her a service dog until she is certified because she will give certified service dogs a bad name. What nerve!! First of all, there is NO certification for all service dogs and one is not necessary (says ADA). Secondly, Rowena is a well behaved "psychiatric" service dog, accepted at hospitals and counselling agencies in the area. People love her and she loves them all. I will have to control myself regarding his service dog certification issue when I return to this kennel to attend his class, a level higher than the one we had been attending, next week. I only have to survive 2 more weeks and then I can return to Gail!! Meanwhile, I need to spend some extra time in therapy to process this whole experience further.

"Double Trouble in Class: First Edition"

Tonight was Rowena's and my fourth obedience class over at a local kennel. The first three had brought up many questions and concerns for me, but I thought I was ready today to take whatever the instructor threw at me, I mean, after all, I wasn't hormonal this time! In previous weeks, I have noticed Rowena leaving class and being less cooperative... for example when I walk her, when Chris takes her out to go to the bathroom, when I am in the agency with her, and more so with other dogs as well. She has become more vocal also, and I know these things are things she has picked up from her class. The instructor there says that that is not how dogs learn. They learn from repitition. (Gail had told me a story the week before about how a Border Collie used to learn everything before class by watching everyone before her.) The class is full of under- socialized, hyper beginner dogs who are allowed to bark and jump and pull and snap at other dogs in class. These are things that we worked for six weeks to get Rowena to stop doing when we took classes with Gail at Cotton Hill.

Rowena cannot concentrate because all the other dogs are so excited that she seems to get distracted. The instructor will tell me one minute I don't have to use treats, and then later reprimending me because I am not using them enough. Then again when Rowena jumps up during a heeling exercise because I am using the treats the same way the instructor had with Rowena the week before... and Ro was leaping up for the treats at that time. She says I throw too many commands at her, but I am only doing so because, first of all Ro knows them. Secondly, she may be doing a behaviour that she is not supposed to be doing and I do not want her to do it in class either, third, Ro is so distracted that I have to repeat a command several times before Ro may actually hear it. The instructor says that if Ro really knew the commands, then she would do them regardless of what was going on around her. Not so. She can do these commands at home, in the field and in an office building (most of the time), but not here? I don't think so. I cannot even get eye contact from Ro half the time. She says that I discipline her too much, even when she doesn't do anything. I yank on the leash quick and short to get her attention if she is off in another world because of all the energy in the room. If she doesn't heel, I yank again and say "heel!" and may even repeat that throughout the exercise as she has gotten out of the habit of heeling and of llistening to my commands since we have been in the class. I know Rowena like the back of my hand... spend 24 hours a day with her in all kinds of circumstances. We walk with her off leash in the field and the forest and I take notice when she comes to me, as well as when she chooses to ignore me. I know what makes her most distracted, but I know what she is capable of. I have seen her do all of these things the instructor has instructed us to do. Everyday, several times a day in different locations in the surrounding towns I have Ro sit and wait for me to open a door. I know she can do it. She used to heel okay... at least slow down and hold back if I called her name. Now she doesn't. She charges ahead and pulls so hard at times she is on her hind legs! That has never been acceptable with her and she knew that. If she does not perform something in class that I see her do over and over again outside in the real world without much hassle, I will not reward her for it. She knows how to sit and stay and lets me walk around her, throw her toys by her and everything. However, in class I am accused of giving the stay command too often to her throughout the exercise. Why would I do such an insane thing? Ro is not focusing well enough. For me to say stay when I notice her attention slipping is reinforcing what I want her to do by helping her remember what we are doing right here and now. It works. Saying "stay" only once or twice does NOT work. If I yank at her leash when she begins to get hyper like the other dogs, I am not mistreating her or over disciplining her, I am reinforcing the behaviour that we practice at home, outside and in the office... basically reminding her that this out-of-control behaviour is not allowed here either, even though all the other dogs are doing it. Let's see, the instructor first told us it didn't matter if we used rewards. Since then, I have been reprimended for not giving out rewards, then not giving them out on a regular basis, and then for having them out at all even when the week before she showed me how I should use it while doing the same activity. I am not saying this right, not doing this right, not to mention I am too hard on Rowena and should lighten up a bit on her. I wouldn't have to ride so much on Ro's cute black and white butt if the other dogs were actually ever disciplined, if Ro was not so distracted by all the activity in the room, the echoes, barking... and I have been scolded for not paying attention because I am too busy correcting Rowena to hear the instructions, I too get distracted by all the echoing barks, voices, and when the instructor doesn't have a dog that she is demonstrating with, I can't keep track of it all. I am not going to let Rowena yank and pull and eat God knows what off the floor while I try to listen to the instructor give what I hear as vague instructions. Basically, I leave there feeling like everything I say or do is constantly being critiqued to the ground, and I can't do anything right. If I correct something, then that becomes the wrong thing too. The fact that my dog is not listening to me, is too distracted and is now bringing home bad habits from this class is not considered as the problem. I am being too hard on my sensitive Border Collie. To have someone tell me that my dog doesn't know how to do something when she does it everyday, or that they know my dog better than I do at any point is not acceptable. Rowena knows these things. She makes me look bad in class and the instructor makes me feel worse. Now the instructor thinks I am some sort of psycho and I'm not. I am just a person with PTSD who had reached maximum overload. I take Rowena out side as the next class filters in. A woman with an Australian Shepherd asks me if I am all right, so I begin to spew. The woman thinks that she really didn't care that much about what was wrong with me and the instructor came over to make sure I didn't say too much. I do not disagree with this woman's way of training the dogs, I disagree with how she thinks she knows my dog (and me) better than I do. Maybe all of the other people there are at work all day while their dogs are at home or in puppy daycare, but mine goes everywhere with me. I also think Gail might be right in saying this particular instructor does not know how to work with Border Collies. Again I feel totally judged and misunderstood. Do I want to go back to finish with the 2 classes we paid for?

playtime

"Injured While in the Line of Duty"

The Cone... trying to keep Rowena's stitches in. Feb. 8th, 2005

"RETRAUMATIZATION..."

On February 8th of this year, Rowena and I were leaving the office of my chiropractor. It had been a pleasant day, so I didn't mind that we had missed the bus and would have to hang out in town for a bit. She had her little orange "service Dog" vest on and trotted along by my left side, heeling not quite close enough for my liking as we were close to the edge of the road and traffic was zipping by from behind. I rolled her 2 foot leash around my left wrist once to keep her on a closer heel. Her training collar, when given a quick tug, reminded her that she was pulling too hard on me. As we began our way on the sidewalk, I was talking to Rowena, saying that we could go to the store to get a snack so we would not have to wait at the bus stop for an hour. I watched as a man in a white pick-up truck had parked along the opposite side of the road and had gotten out to- I guess, deliver something to the house next door to my chiropractor. As Ro and I neared the front of the house, the man began to leave and walk down the front walkway. A woman stood at the front doorway and held the door open. On her right was a German Shepherd. He bagan barking and charged at us. Rowena, scared, began to back up to try to back out of her collar and get away. I tried to pull her closer to me to pick her up, but it happened too fast. Her head was facing me when the dog attacked her. He grabbed her hind quarters, upper jaw on the right hip, lower jaw latched on her left. He picked her up and shook her in his mouth several times before the woman from the house and the man leaving the property managed to get the Shepherd off of Rowena. I had screamed so loud that I saw stars. I felt totally helpless. There was really nothing I could do. The rest is a bit spotty, but the man was thinking soundly enough and got the name, phone number and address of the dog's owner. They were apparently not the same as the woman at the house already. He appeared to know the people and the dog. He said that the dog would probably be put down now. This lead me to believe that they had had problems with this dog before. When the woman came back out, she said the same thing. At this point, I was hoping that was true. I tried to comfort my puppy who needed me to calm her down so she would stop yelping. She had her hind quarters tucked under her as if her tail couldn't get far enough between her legs. The man offered us a ride to the police department and said he'd give me a ride to the vet if I wanted to take Ro. I accepted the ride to the police station (as I wasn't really sure where it was in this town). Rowena's fur on her hind quarters was all matted down by mud and gravel. As she has gotten older, her fur had become quite thick and nearly waterproof. When I tried to assess her (look for any wounds), I could not find any wounds, not even any blood. An officer greeted us at the door and told us that we could not bring Rowena in that way as there was a dog in the office presently that did not get along with other dogs. I could hear what sounded very much like a German Shepherd in the background. The man that had given me a ride said to the officer that that was why I was there for in the first place (a dog attack). We were told to sit on the other side to wait. The officer asked a few questions, asked if there were any wounds, and I answered "not that I could find at that point". He had taken my name and phone number and told me he or animal control would be in contact with me later. I decided to call up my husband to tell him what had happened and to see if he could give us a ride to the vets, and he left work early to do so. Since at this point it was near 5 O'clock in the eve, I called the vet to tell them we were coming. The vet remained open, awaiting our arrival. Dr. Richie found the puncture wounds right off. There were a couple on each hip. He said unless we wanted to take Rowena to the emergency vets, which cost more, she would have to spend the night. He would have to shave her fur, clean out the wounds and staple them together. We could pick her up in the morning. It had been such a chaotic afternoon that I began crying at the thought of being with out Rowena for a night. I didn't want to part with Rowena, however I felt that it was best to stay with Rowena's vet.

The next morning, when I got Rowena home we began a day of errands and appointments just like any other day. Everyone loves Ro wherever she goes and they were shocked and saddened to see what had happened to her. After all, she was only 5 months old at the time. I did skip some appointments as I was still having a difficult time with it all. My doctor increased my Ativan dose. I slept out in the living room near Rowena's crate for the next week and a half.

The Officer who took the incident report never called back, and animal control didn't either. When I called animal control, the woman said that the Police report stated that there was no broken skin. I didn't realize that this meant that animal control could be excluded from the case. I still don't know if that is the case. My husband called the police department and spoke with the officer. When my husband handed the phone to me, the officer basically asked me if I had been on the woman's lawn. I stated "No". I was walking on gravel and hardtop and have always made it a habit to NOT walk on people's property. Ro wasn't either since she was on a two foot leash and would have tripped me had she crossed my body. I wouldn't have let her on someone else's lawn anyway. I remember that day, she was in heel stance at my left looking straight ahead, minding her own business as we headed towards town. This woman was just trying to get out of a sticky situation, and even told the officer that her dog is "usually leashed." More on that later. (Basically, this dog has a rap sheet).

My husband and I noticed that after the dog attack that Rowena's hind quarters seemed to get stiff. This concerned me. I eventually took her to a puppy chiropractor a couple of times. He examined Rowena and said her saccral area was kind of a mess. The rest of her was still young and healthy. I was told to decrease her exercise and to keep her leashed while she healed. (How do you decrease the exercise of a 5 month old Border Collie?) As a result, I did decrease Rowena's exercise, giving her off days and slow days to help her recover after particularly busy days. How I hated that German Shepherd and his owner(s). Oh how I wanted to send an angry pitbull to do to him what he had done to Rowena.

I have not given up on trying to get justice for this attack on Rowena. People encouraged me to see what the law was regarding attacks on service dogs. For Maine, there is a $1,000 fine. I can also get reimbursed for the vet bills and my husband's lost work. Hardly enough to satisfy me, but it is something. In the meantime, I have a copy of the inaccurate police report (that says nothing of what I said to the officer, probably because no one ever really talked to me or wrote anything down.) I still cannot get animal control of Orono to return any of my correspondence, thus I am receiving little to no help on this whole matter.

Though Rowena seems to have no lasting psychological side effects from this dog attack, I have. I am a lot more cautious when we are out walking around. I feel like I cannot even protect my dog and would not be surprised if her trust in me had diminished. I now walk around with a can of pepper spray hanging from my backpack. I can't help but think that even that isn't enough to defend my dear puppy, Rowena.

More on this later.

"Puppy Training"

My first day with little 9- week old Rowena

This photo is supposed to be in my Profile section, but I have not figured out what I keep doing wrong. For now, it remains here.

Our first day with Rowena was a Saturday. My mother and I purchased this little black and white charmer on Friday evening, and went shopping for last minute puppy supplies. For my mother, she responded to this puppy like it was her first grandchild. Rowena was the first dog purchase any of her children had ever made. My two sisters and I had no "real" grandchildren yet. I had a miscarriage 9 years previous, and still grieved this loss. Each month I continued to not become pregnant just added to this grief as I had always wanted children. You will find out later what this all has to do with Rowena.

That night, we went to bed with a crate pan of woodchips for Rowena to use as a sort of litter pan. I was determine that NO dog of mine would be crated. NO WAY... NEVER! My husband and I awoke the next morning to find a trail of puppy feces and urine all over the floors (and rugs). For a week I continued to potty train Rowena without the use of that horrible crate. After little success and some research (and noticing that Rowena didn't like to use the litter pan more than once because it was too unclean) decided to try crating the little pooper. The first time I attempted to crate her, I closed the crate door and sat there for a few minutes. As I attempted to walk away, she began barking and crying. I ran to the crate and opened the door to let her out. Was it out of guilt that I did that or was it because I lived in an apartment building that I let her out.

After about a week, I finally accepted the fact that Rowena would be a terrific candidate for crate training. She didn't even like to poo in an already soiled litter pan! And so, training began. She quickly learned that her crying to get out wouldn't work. We did relocate the crate to a more social location which helped her feel more comfortable when in the crate. Soon after, she began to figure out that she was supposed to go to the bathroom outside! I found that I could actually sleep through the night and that when she had to go, she would cry and not be quiet when asked to do so. For a while she made mistakes, usually after long days. Now she does really well. She has an iron bladder!

"Springtime Beauty"

Beautiful Rowena

As the year begins to warm and ice ice receeds from the rivers and flower beds, I have been looking forward to going for long walks and hikes with Rowena. She loves being unleashed and running free in the fields and forest. I love watching her. She was born in the autumn (September 3rd.) and had not had the opportunity to experience the joys of spring and summer. I have begun to introduce her to water and have encouraged her to try out swimming. Fetch toys and canine peer pressure does help. I want to introduce her to hiking. Take her to some stoney trails that aren't too steep. I can begin training outside now and the world has opened up to Rowena's curious eyes and restless legs!

She gets bored when I am gardening though. I have to tie her up in the yard as I tow the big green and scary wagon behind me to throw the old brush and dried leaves into. Last week as I gardened, the driveway was one big muddy mess. It had enormous mud puddles, and deep thawing frost heaves lifting up the gravel and dirt from underneath. I remember reading that a bored Border Collie is a trouble maker. They will find something to do... and it may not be an activity you approve of. Sure enough, I turn around to check on Rowena and she is digging in an enormous mud puddle, throwing mud flaps and murky water back onto her white chest and legs. I got her to stop only to have her begin laying in the thick mud and rolling in it. "Your definitely getting a shower tonight!" I scolded.