Due to a failed back, and some other issues, my balance is poor at times. So I now have a balance and mobility service dog. Being a rather well nourished fella at 5’10” and 220lbs, I need a large breed. This, is Chloe. A 14-month-old female Great Dane. She is a Piebald Harlequin Dane, a fairly rare color. Weighing in at nearly 200lbs, she is from European stock. A little on the skinny side at the moment.
She was donated to me after Christmas by a former customer. Having worked training Police K-9 and rescue animals, I should have her performing nicely in 2-3 months.
Great Danes have a natural instinct of leaning against their owner. This characteristic, when taught to lean on command provides a steadying object to a person feeling dizzy, or unbalanced. They also can slow your fall if you collapse. Being large, they can brace themselves and slow your descent as you hold onto them to lower yourself to the floor.
Michelle’s Service Dog “Annabelle”
Michelle and I finished the training of Michelle’s smaller Dane, Annabelle. Annabelle came from a service dog facility in Texas, Annabelle is loved everywhere we go. Her dog is for balance and mobility. “Annabelle” is trained to stop at curbs, stand and brace, and allow Michelle to steady herself, by placing her hands on Annabelle’s back or harness attachment and step up on curbs. She also can assist Michelle up stairs stopping on each step if Michelle needs assistance steadying herself to step up to the next step. Getting up and down from awkward lower couches. People are amazed when she refuses a treat by them in a restaurant. We walk her outside, and she will accept the treat, but not in the environment where she is working. Of course people aren’t supposed to offer treats and interact with Annabelle, but you know how that goes.
Sometimes, it’s a hard job for them
Imagine going to a restaurant, all the wonderful smells, your handler sitting close by eating. You’re working and not allowed to accept food. So you dutifully wait, and perhaps get a small training treat once you’re away.
A trip to the Emergency Room with Michelle’s friend one evening was not fun for Annabelle. In the treatment area next to Michelle, separated by just a curtain, was a Meth-Head who was overdosing. The two officers trying to control the crazy man, came through the dividing curtain. They deployed a Taser to subdue the suspect. In the close quarter fight, the taser fired, and struck Annabelle, who was on the floor next to Michelle’s exam bed trying to remain calm. That was a bad time for a service dog.
A trip to Walmart one evening, resulted in two idiot teenage boys running with a shopping cart, came out of an aisle broadsiding Annabelle, actually knocking her off her feet.
Then you have humans
Then you have strange humans. Even though you put patches on service animals that say Do Not Touch, Please don’t distract me I’m working, Service Animal Don’t touch, you get people that do. Actually I find adults are worse than kids. Unless you don’t count the 12-year-old girl in Walmart, that thought it would be funny to put one of the huge shark heads on, and make like she was eating Annabelle’s head! That’s a real heart stopper there. Annabelle did great, backed up pulling her head out of the shark mouth and looked at the girl like she was crazy.
Comments/Questions welcome,
Hi Ron, nice to see you back. Greetings to Chloe! I hope things work out with her. I feel even smaller than I already am when I look at her! 🙂
Poor Annabelle! People can for sure be crazy! I believe dogs think that a lot when they watch us!
Hello Joy! She will make the grade I think. She needs more time and training to make all tasks consistent before I take her to sensitive places. We’ll start with a small park where people are, but not too close or loud and judge her reaction and start teaching her to ignore distractions.
Yes, they have to wonder about us when they see the things we do. Thanks for the comment, always a pleasure to see you. .
Great to see both of your hard-working dogs, Ron. Your stories of human interaction with them go to prove that most dogs are more sensible than the people they meet!
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you, Pete. When you stop and think about it, your right. Annabelle wouldn’t run up and bother a child, but for a mother to stand and watch a 12 year old basically threaten a large dog with an animal looking head, is insane.
Thanks for the comment Pete,
Ron
I’m cautious with all dogs asking for permission before any engagement. Can’t believe the poor pup got tased. Michelle could have gotten tased too!
That’s the way everyone should be Kate. Walmart has a policy in most stores that prohibit employees from touching service animals. At the pharmacy they love to see her. They ask permission to interact each time. They are amazed that she won’t take a doggy treat from them, so they give it to Michelle for her later.
People don’t realize the liability of interacting with a service animal. Even well trained dogs have a limit. A child or adult walking over and wrapping their arms around them, run the risk of accidentally stepping on a foot and causing enough pain, to cause the dog to yelp, or heaven forbid break the foot and maybe cause a aggressive action. In many places, a service dog that bites, or shows aggression is put down.
I wasn’t there, but the friend said Michelle had murder in her eyes. 🙂
If it was my dog, I’d be in jail.
I have never seen a Dane service dog but it makes a lot of sense for someone with balance issues. Even worse (if possible) than people ignoring the service dog warnings are those who abuse the service animal system just to be able to take their pet wherever they want. Chloe looks like a lovely addition to your family.
You are so right. German Shepard’s, Labradors, Other large breed dogs that are of the working breed make good service animals. Great Danes are rare. Since the Insurance won’t pay for one, as they very expensive, We took what was donated.
Annabelle came from Texas, a co-worker of Michelle’s brother was talking with him one day in a group at work. The conversation moved to back injuries and insurance companies. Her brother told them that Michelle had been told by her doctor that it would be a good idea to have a service dog to assist her stability, until her back gets too bad to walk.
Later the friend called Scott and told him he had talked to his older brother who ran a service dog facility. His brother offered a service dog on the condition that we find a way to transport her from Texas to Alabama., and finish her training. Michelle’s brother on his off days, drove from Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, and we met him there.
Michelle stood in the parking lot and cried when she saw Annabelle.
Your right about the abusers. People with Skunks, Pigs, Lambs, one lady on the news had a Chicken! As an emotional support animal! That is ridiculous, all do it for the attention. It makes it hard on those that need a dog for blindness, or disabilities that would require a working class dog that is able to physically assist a person.
Michelle tries to keep Annabelle’s “footprint” as small as possible. Always asking for a table out of the way. Annabelle lays as close to, or under the table as possible. A service dog is not a show and tell item.
Also, a service dog needs good training. I worked with Annabelle for three months before putting her in working situations. Training is ongoing forever. A year is a minimum to me for the basic training. Annabelle wears a “Service Dog In Training” patch on her vest, in a effort to deter people from distracting her.
Thanks for your engaging comment, I enjoyed it.
Wow, that’s such an interesting story! Do the dogs get to play together at all, or are they mostly on-duty, or ready to be on-duty at all times?
They are allowed to relax when out of their vest. While the vest is on, we don’t allow them to play, but be alert and ready for commands. We do that while at home even, to reinforce the “down and stay” so we know they understand that the house is not always a free play zone. The get to know the vest means serious work time, and taking the vest off, and telling them to go play teaches them to relax. I constantly check them for response to commands voice and silent hand, to ensure they know to comply.
Some say not to tread a service dog as a pet, but I try to teach them the difference, so they know work from play. When Michelle needs to go somewhere, she goes to the door and picks up Annabelle’s vest. Annabelle goes to her when called, and the vest is help head height, and Annabelle steps forward and puts her head in it, and stands while you buckle her up.
But basically they are ready at all times. If they are un- vested and and I need their attention, I use a snap of the fingers, or the command “focus”, or both, and they should drop back to serious working mode until told to go play. They play together, but are discouraged from playing too rough, or barking.
Thanks for the question.
That’s marvelous that you have the dogs and know how to finish training them. Thanks for the photos of them, too.
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. Perhaps I can get around to doing more of her in a working enviroment, and possibly videos of Annabelle assisting Michelle.
I’ve met some very demanding dogs. It’s wonderful to know service dogs can be so very helpful to human beings.
What beautiful dogs. Great Danes and Irish wolfhounds are my favourite breeds, but we don’t have space for a big dog in our motorhome (not that we go away often – it’s more often used as a spare room).
My husband used to keep three German shepherds when his boys were small. He tells me he trained them according to the UK Police Dog Training manual (being in the Metropolitan Police at the time). i find this difficult to believe since he spoils our Staffie and next door’s Bull Mastiff something rotten!
Hi Cathy, he must be a nice person. Dogs can tell, and will resist abusive handlers. I had a Shepard once that I trained for working. I never used him in law enforcement, but would do demonstrations. Unlike most Police Dogs I have met, he was perfect. A child could scoop food from his bowl while he was eating, pull on his ears and he never got upset. Put him in work mode, and have a person act as the target, and he would hold them in one spot, and attack when told to if the person took off. If you attacked me while I was talking or searching the vehicle or your person, he needed no command.
He loved riding to the Burger King drive through. They always gave a free small fry for him.
He was very special but later died of old age.
What a pair of beautiful service dogs. I do wonder about how crowded it must be with the two of them, the two of you and the mother in law. I am very glad that you are getting the help you need to keep going.
It can be crowded sometimes, but they are in the yard, or on their dog beds most of the time.
I’m glad for the help, I just wish they would stop experimenting (or sometimes that is what it feels like) on me with the meds. I do good some days, to remember what I wanted from room to room! Haha.
I can’t believe they can’t get your meds straight. I hope they do soon!
Congratulations on the new friend. Any day better than a human as a friend is my thought. And i learnt a lot about not petting service animals. I often see service dogs at airports and have been tempted to pet them, and that would have happened, had they not had such serious looks about them. Now I know better.
Glad for Chloe and Annabelle. Hope they can keep the MIL under control too. Does she have any dog stories of ” better behaved dogs” at her other relatives’ houses ?
Happy New Year, Ron.
Susie
MIL dislikes animals. I think it’s why Michelle is an animal lover. MIl put Michelle’s Doberman outside when she was 15, and the dog had babies, and they all froze to death during the night. She allowed the next dog to die from unknown illness. MIL refused to take the dog to a vet, even though they were financially well off. Her Dad was out of town working most of the time.
Funny you mention it, but she does tell glowing stories of how well behaved the dogs of her brother and sisters are.
Susie, some handler/owners allow them to be touched to keep them “socialized”. They just like to know it’s coming and give permission first, so they can be attentive during the encounter. Some service dogs lead lonely lives, or at least I feel that way. They aren’t allowed to really be pets, since too much fun interaction could be carried over into the working mode. They don’t get the touches and attention from kids and others, they have to learn to ignore nearly anything around them and not show interest or interact, only perform the function for which they are trained.
At home they can get special attention for family, but when working, they should stay on task.
Happy New Year to you Susie, thanks for the comment.