Our Journey to a Service Dog:
I have never
considered myself a dog person, or a pet person. I spent many summers growing
up, on my grandmothers and uncles' farm and dairy. I remember the chores of
feeding the baby calves, feeding the cattle and horses, spending time on the
tractors, and watching my three uncles work very hard on the farm. Animals were
meant to be outside. I had the chore of feeding the chickens and gathering
their eggs, and giving scraps to the kittens and cattle/shepherd dogs. I
remember having a fondness for animals, and giving the enthusiastic answer
"a Veterinarian" to the question, "what do you want to be when
you grow up?" But pets were in my mind, a means to an end, and only
allowed outside. I never had a dog growing up and had a fulfilling,
wonderful childhood so.... Why? Are my kids really missing out?
As an adult, I never
wanted or honestly seen the purpose or excitement of having a dog. Yes, I was one
of those who when a dog came up to me, I would back away and say "oh don't
touch me” or “don’t get your wet nose or slobbery tongue on me!" I was not
the friend who would bend over and pet my friend's dog when they met me at the
door! I thought yuck, they slobber on you, bark, some jump on you, and they smell.
I never saw the need or the draw to a dog.... Until....
My family had teased
me for years. They begged me for 10 years to give in, and to consider getting a
family dog. I always stood my ground, never relented. I knew it would be me
taking care of the thing and cleaning up after her. I heard for years the good
intention statements we all hear..."you don't have to do anything mom and
dad, I'll do everything". The good intention comments from my kids, which
I knew were only good for about a month! I just couldn't do it.
Finally my son said,
in August 2015 when he was 12, "mom, I'm almost 13, a real teenager now,
and I'd like to have a real conversation about something important to me."
Wow I actually wanted to listen. He proceeded to say, "I really want a
dog, and I know my begging and other means to ask for one haven't worked. I
understand your concerns, so I'd like to schedule a sit down discussion with
you. I have written out a proposal. Does
Tuesday night at 8:30 work for you?" I was taken back by his approach. I
have to admit I was impressed and proud of his mature approach. I decided I had
to hear this "proposal". I had always found a way change the
conversation or shoot it down with comments, like "too expensive, too
messy, a lot of responsibility for you, I don't want a dog in my house, or we
are always gone..." But this time it was different. He deserved to be
heard, I said, "Ok, if you have an organized meeting, with topics to
discuss and you are serious about understanding the answer still might be no,
I'll hear you out, and we can have a true sit down discussion about
this."
My husband and I took
a long walk that night to discuss the upcoming event. I told my husband, “it
was so sweet, I never had been willing to entertain a discussion, but now I
feel like I have to just hear him... Even though I know I will say no.” My
husband looked at me and said, “honey this is a righteous desire, we have to
help cultivate it, and we not only need to hear him, but I think you need to
consider giving in, and compromising here.” My heart started to race! Really?!
How would this work? How can a compromise work and we all get something we
want? But my husband planted a seed in me, and my heart began to soften. I felt
the sweet plea from my husband to hear him and my son out. Later that night
Janson invited my husband and I to sit down on the couch, and our 12 year old
son stood in front of us, his notes in hand, and proceeded to present to us his
presentation. He had 2 pages, a well thought out report including solutions to
the questions of the how's, what's, where's and why's of becoming a dog owner.
He had ideas on how to earn and save money to pay for the dog and a family
budget to pay for food and all of the necessary items to buy for our new family
pet. He had divided up chores and even devised a chore chart. I could tell he
had good intentions, and had put his heart and soul into making sure his mom
knew this was something he really wanted and was ready for.
My heart was softened
and my mind opened. I told him "daddy and I need to discuss it, discuss a
compromise, and get back to you." We told him next Friday we would let him
know. During that time he didn't bug me about my answer, he waited patiently.
My husband and I talked and talked about it. We talked to God about it. I began
researching what kind of dog would work for our family. I came across a message
from more than a year earlier from my friend Kim's sister Kristy. She had told
me to look up Tattle Tail Scent Dogs since I had a Type I son. At the time I
thought, ‘nope!’... But for some reason the year old conversation popped up on
my message app on Facebook, and my interest peaked! I read back through our
conversations then messaged her. I began to research the website and reading
stories. I felt an overwhelming sensation of peace and comfort come over me.
Was this it? If I knew that our dog had a purpose, to not only be my son's
best friend, but alert to dangerous blood sugars and possibly even save his
life... then YES, perhaps this could be our compromise! The dog could actually
be an asset to me, she could help me! I discussed it with my husband and we
decided to call KC that night. Even though ‘The Lady’ tried to talk us out of
it, LOL...we knew this was the answer we had all been looking for! I just felt
right. We told Janson that Friday after school. He was so happy and excited to
learn about the fact that he could get a dog, and that would also help him with
his diabetes! I remember he just kept saying "yes, yes, yes...wait is this
a dream mom?! I can't believe it; my prayers were answered!"
One thing that I kept
hearing, both from KC and in my mind was "if it is meant to be, it will
be". We put down a deposit and got on the wait list, and decided not to
stress…again, if it was meant to be, it would happen.
In June 2016 we
learned that our puppy was coming to us! We had asked for a yellow female. Roxy
was the only yellow female in her liter. We knew she was meant just for our
family. One year later after deciding to get a diabetic alert dog, we brought
her home and began our journey. This is a journey of hard work and discovery.
The journey of self-training and development of a service dog was not going to
be easy, and I knew it. But the obedience training, house training, scent work,
teaching new commands, being patient with her and ourselves, all led us to a
journey of joy, and I began to love her more and more every day. It was like
being a new mother, not having any experience in being a dog owner or ever
training one, I was learning every step of the way right along with her. She is
forgiving of us and our mistakes, and with every mistake she makes and lesson
she learns, we become closer and closer. My oldest daughter had just moved out
of the country for 18 months, and we were feeling down and sad. We found Roxy
made us laugh, and brought us together as a family.
I was extremely
apprehensive and nervous as a first time dog owner. I was afraid I would mess
things up and have this unruly animal. I learned pretty quick that raising and
training a service dog is not much different than raising my three kids! It
takes time and patience, and we all learn along the way. We set rules and
expect consequences for obeying or breaking those rules. I wouldn't let Roxy do
or get away with any behavior that I wouldn't want from my kids. I held onto
the knowledge learned from KC that it takes "patience, persistence, and
perseverance". I didn't trust myself at first; to self-train my service
dog. But I did trust the process, and followed it to the “T”, and it has all
come together for me.
Thanks to 'The Lady'
we have another powerful and heavy tool in our tool belt used to fight, fix,
and manage this nasty stupid disease!! I highly recommend the online classes!
Picking her up from Salt Lake was just the beginning of our journey and we had
lots to learn!
The follow up group
online classes has opened my eyes and helped me to see through the fog of self-training.
It has given me the confidence I needed to be successful. Hearing from other
DAD owners has been a vital part of the training process for me. I also know
that so much of the goodness our dog possesses comes from the selective
breeding and scent imprinting from KC. I always hear comments of how well
behaved my dog is compared to other dogs, when we are out in public. Something
someone said to me once after commenting on how calm she is, stuck with me,
"I've owned labs before, Roxy is amazing, that is in her breeding!" I
also believe in the process of KC’s ability to match dogs to families. Roxy's
temperament and nature is exactly what our family needed! She fits the mold of
our family perfectly!
10 things I have learned as a first time dog owner and service
dog owner:
1. Do a little bit,
every day.
2. Expect more of your
dog, she can do it!
3. TRUST IN THE
PROCESS, she knows the scent, you just have to reinforce what she already
knows.
4. Do what works for
you and your family and lifestyle, she will adjust. She is more flexible than
you think. She can be and do what works for your circumstances, your living
arrangements, ages of kids, work hours, school schedules, or travel schedules.
You bring your dog into your world, not the other way around.
5. Make sure you get
advice from the right sources. Everyone will tell you what to do, just like
when you are a first time parent. It was overwhelming and intimidating. It
helped me to turn ONLY to other Tattle Tail DAD owners and the online training
classes by KC. They are safe places to ask questions and share concerns. It
saved my life the first 3 months!
6. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE
in your dog for her to BELIEVE IN YOU! If you believe she is alerting, if you
believe she is trying to communicate with you...then she IS, and it works!
Skepticism prohibits growth. It kept us from bonding earlier. You have to hear
her when she is communicating, then she will trust you. The more you trust in
HER, the more she trusts in YOU, and her alerting happens more and more! Positive
reinforcement works miracles! A bond begins, and you will be surprised what
happens next! It is a process.
7. Never stop
working basic commands. And, go back to the basics when you don't get the
results you want. Every stage/phase is temporary; so don’t give up, it
will get easier.
8. Our service dog is
another tool in our tool belt. She is not always perfect or right. She is a
loving animal, not a machine or a piece of technology or an algorithm used to
calculate blood glucose levels. (Although, I have found to trust her over these
tools sometimes!)
9. She works for me,
but her person is the diabetic, and their bond is unique.
10. I didn't know how
much I could love her! The love our dog gives us is unconditional, and I find
myself loving her more and more every day. Kissing her and cuddling with her
happens daily in our home!
Our ‘Red Sox Roxy’ is
now 8 months old. She was named after Janson’s favorite baseball team, and she
lives up to her name! She loves watching him play baseball, fetching foul balls,
and alerting when he gets caught up in the game and his BGs are high or low. We
still have a LONG way to go on our journey… but if you would have told me 2
years ago…”you are going to be a proud owner of a diabetic alert service dog,
and you are going to do all the training from 8 weeks on yourself”, I would
have laughed in your face and said you were crazy! This process does work. It is not easy. It is
a journey. And it is so worth it!
Proud Owner of a
Tattle Tail DAD,
Andrea Cribbs
Mom to Roxy’s person
14 year old Janson
Cribbs
(Type I Diabetic since 19 months old)
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