Why Two Service Dogs are Better Than One

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Our First Great Placement

Ned the amazing Goldendoodle service dog joined our family in January 2015 as my daughter Miss Bee’s service dog. Her quality of life has dramatically improved. Ned’s presence when he accompanied her to middle school resulted in Miss Bee’s most successful school years both academically and developmentally. The only challenge we faced with having Ned was the kids fighting over him. Mac had difficulty reconciling that Ned needed to focus all of his attention on Miss Bee. This is why two service dogs are better than one.

Considering a Second Service Dog

In November 2015 Mac was assaulted at school. Shortly afterward he began experiencing PTSD like symptoms. Based on the results of an Independent educational assessment completed in April 2015, I had been fighting our school district for an appropriate school placement. The report determined that Mac’s nonpublic school (NPS) had never been appropriate. The school’s Principal and the District Special Education Director misrepresented the types of students served at this school. Mac was placed at this NPS inappropriately.

Mac’s assault was premeditated, unprovoked, and racially motivated. This was his second serious injury by another student. Both required urgent ER visits in less than a month. The assault was the last straw. Mac was never returning to this school.

The District’s Director of Special Education insisted that this NPS was appropriate for Mac despite extensive testing that determined otherwise. The Director was determined to save face at all costs. As a result of her horrid behavior and inappropriate decisions, Mac had no school placement. After a month of negotiations with our attorney, the District would only provide in-home instruction. This is the most restrictive school environment and was meant for seriously ill students.

Teens with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) require constant supervision. Mac was no exception. I was forced to take a leave of absence from my job. Eventually, I had to retire eight years early. This was devastating after a twenty-nine-year career working for a University. This was the last resort in order to ensure that Mac was supervised all day. The Director was deliberately ruining my family financially as a tactic to force me to give up on Mac’s education. She dragged our case out for over two years.

Requesting a Second Dog

Before Mac was assaulted, I had been considering approaching4 Paws for Ability about adopting a career-changing dog. This dog would be a pet for Mac. Once Ned was with us for a year, a second dog is allowed. There are highly trained dogs at 4 Paws that, for various reasons, cannot be service dogs. They are adopted by local families in Ohio and by families who have a service dog. We had two months left before we could request a career-changing dog.

In December 2015 I contacted the Director of 4 Paws due to Mac’s post-assault struggles. Because families spend twelve days in training at 4 Paws, our family, including Mac, were known to the trainers. An alternative was proposed.

The Director had a unique situation with a golden/lab named Raven. Due to a minor elbow issue, Raven was not able to be placed with a young child. The Director felt that Raven would be a great fit for Mac. Mac was able to be a little more careful with Raven. If we were willing to pay for a surgery to fix the elbow problem (instead of fundraising again) and to return for a training class, the Director would certify Raven as a service dog for Mac. The wait would be significantly shorter. Raven needed to rehab after surgery. We sent in an application and video as required.

Mac has FASD but he is much higher functioning than Miss Bee. I had not considered his eligibility for a service dog. The severity of a child’s disability is not a consideration in the application process. If a child’s physician is willing to complete the documentation there is no barrier based on severity.

Raven would be task trained to help Mac cope with FASD symptoms and assault induced anxiety. Because Mac was sixteen and capable, he would become the handler and he would take the public access test. Mac would be certified to handle Raven in public but with supervision. This was going to work well in our single-parent home. Raven, the spunky golden/lab would be joining our family. We attended the class six months later.

Logistics

The logistics to return to Ohio for two weeks were even more daunting than our first trip. Bringing Miss Bee and Ned to training was not an option. Mac needed low-key downtime when we were not in class. My friend Judy was trained to handle Ned as my backup. She offered to stay with Miss Bee and Ned while we were in Ohio. She is an angel on earth. Fortunately, we did not need to bring a second adult since Mac was a self-sufficient teen.

When we were in Ohio for Ned’s training it snowed our second day. The snow never melted due to negative six-degree temperatures. It was no fun for us wimpy Southern Californians to walk Ned in the snow and cold. It was scary to drive on black ice for the first time in years. Returning to Ohio in June was a vast weather improvement. We were fortunate to arrive right after an extremely humid heatwave had ended. The weather Gods were in our favor except for one rainy evening when we experienced a tornado watch for the first time. Fortunately, the sirens never went off because the storm was too far south.

Meeting Raven’s Foster Families

We arrived in Ohio a day early. We had the opportunity to visit with one of the two families that fostered Raven while she was training. They have a female golden retriever who is part of the breeding program and a pup awaiting advanced training. It was fun to spend the afternoon with them learning about Raven. We met the other lovely family who fostered Raven, during graduation. Their youngest son is a service dog recipient. Foster families play such a key role in the success of a service dog. I keep in touch with both families through Facebook.

The First Day of Class

Meeting your child’s service dog for the first time is a magical moment on a very special day. It is an honor to witness each child’s introduction. Raven was the third dog. It was love at first sight. Ned was a hard act to follow in our world but Raven was also an ideal match. Raven has a very different personality and temperament. She is spunky and fun. She loves to do tricks and cuddle with her boy. The photos speak for themselves.

Hotel Life Where Service Dogs Are Welcome

Most families spend their two weeks of training at Homewood Suites by Hilton in Fairborn OH. We enjoyed dinner and downtime poolside each evening with the other families. All of the rooms are suites with kitchens. Breakfast is complimentary every day. Four dinners per week are also included in the daily rate. Taking advantage of the complimentary meals and bringing our own lunches resulted in significant savings towards our travel budget.

Training For Number Two

This time, the pressure was off. All of the focus was on Mac. I sat back and observed. I practiced now and then but it was all about Mac learning how to handle Raven. Because the pressure was off, I absorbed much more of the information. I learned new things I did not recall hearing during Ned’s class. Raven is over thirty pounds smaller than Ned. She is much easier to maneuver in public. Shopping at Target with Raven was a breeze. Once Raven’s vest is on, she is once a hundred percent focused. She is eager to please her boy.

Types of Service Dogs

There was a child with a hearing impairment. Watching her hearing ear dog practice was incredible. Children also received service dogs trained for seizure alert, diabetic alert, mobility assistance, and autism assistance. I learned a lot more about these difficult syndromes and diseases during Raven’s class.

During introductions, a golden retriever began licking a young girl. She was not this dog’s match. It looked like the dog was pre-alerting for a seizure. The alert happened before she met her own dog. Eventually, the girl went into the playroom. Several minutes later her big sister came running out to get their mom. The girl was having a terrible seizure. She was receiving a seizure alert dog. The golden retriever had accurately pre-alerted. It is heartwrenching and scary to witness a child having a seizure. When seizures happen during the night they can be deadly. The families receiving seizure alert dogs were going home with a four-legged, life-saving warning system.

Our Classmates

As an observer this time around, it was much easier to observe the other children with their dogs. It was a pleasure to witness the bonds forming between a child and their dog. There was a teen with autism. Her service dog was active and he overwhelmed the teen’s parents. I knew how they felt. Learning how to handle our ninety-pound Doodle during our first training class was daunting. Their teen was forming a beautiful bond with her dog. Because her parents sat behind her they were unable to see the magic. Providing her parents with photos helped them relax and feel more comfortable with their active dog.

The families traveled from all over the country and arrived with compelling and often heartbreaking stories due to their child or children’s special needs. Several of the families were coping with life-threatening and/or progressive diseases and syndromes. Despite our individual challenges, we rooted for each other as the connections with our service dogs began to click and we mastered each dog handler skill.

Public Access Test

This time the public access test at the mall was a snap. I got to watch Mac do all the work and he passed with flying colors. In order to take the dog home, the handler must demonstrate, in public, that they can safely handle the dog. The dog needs to listen and follow commands. A trainer directs the team around the mall and observes. Once the access test is complete, the families head to 4 Paws to sign a folder full of placement documentation.

Service Dog Graduation

The families, trainers, foster families, college fosters and volunteers gather in the afternoon after the public access tests to celebrate graduation. For some, it is bittersweet as they say good-bye to a dog that lived and trained with them. It is also an opportunity for the recipient family to meet the folks that had a hand in their dog reaching advanced training and placement.

Every graduating family has the opportunity to speak about the impact their dogs are making on their child and family. Sometimes a brave child recipient will also say a few words. By the end, there isn’t a dry eye in the house. It is a very special way to culminate twelve days of hard work, new friends, exhaustion, and new beginnings for our children.

Taking Home Our Second Service Dog

We spent our last night in a hotel near the Columbus airport to ease the stress of an early morning flight. Raven did great. After flying home the first time with a giant Goldendoodle, our golden/lab was easy. She fit between the seats. Raven and Ned had a great first meeting. It took Raven about four days to adjust to her new life. The impact on Mac was as immediate and wonderful as it was for Miss Bee and Ned. Raven is Mac’s constant companion. Her fun personality and desire to please helped Mac through a very difficult time. Their love for each other is evident. Raven only has eyes for Mac the second he walks in the door.

Two Service Dogs are Better Than One

Three years later Raven remains a beloved member of our family who knows exactly how to read Mac and respond. Ned and Raven are very different personalities. They are not interchangeable according to my children despite their similar training. Our service dogs made a much bigger impact than all the programs, therapies, and medical interventions we tried in order to cope with FASD. Two services dogs have definitely been better than one for our family.