Molly B., is my five year-old service dog and my best friend. I acquired her from a breeder in Upton, MA, shortly after my other dog, Buffy, passed away. Buffy, was not a service dog but a wonderful family pet and the primary reason I have a second golden retriever. The temperament of that particular breed is truly superior.
My daughter is the one who suggested that I get a service dog. I have MS and to be honest, I never considered a service dog for myself. I spoke to several people at the VA in Bedford, MA, where I go for medical care and also with a friend of mine who runs the Kansas Specialty Dog program in Washington, Kansas. She suggested that I bring MollyB, to them for training. Molly, started her training right around the time that she turned one (about 7 in doggy years).
I never realized how much training goes into training a dog to become a service dog. Besides learning how to walk in public and having to continually ignore the reaching hands that pet her, she also has to be aware of where I am at all times. Molly, was taught to walk 3 feet in front of me, more in order to clear the way to help me avoid any mis-steps (common with MS). As we walk, she is constantly
looking over her shoulders to see where I am. She knows her left and right and what straight means. She is completely hand command trained so no words need be spoken. When I stop she comes and stands at a forty- five degree angle in front of me between me and whomever I may be talking to.
When we are in a restaurant, she lays to the left of my feet. Molly B., knows me better than I know myself. What I mean by that is, if I am about to have an MS event, she seems to sense it about ten minutes before it hits me. While at home, she will start heading to the bedroom, which is an indication to me that I had better go lay down. Trust me, ignoring her is not the thing to do..... she becomes a persistent pest to get me to move. For example, she'll push against my legs to try to direct me down the hall to my bedroom. I've learned over time that it is better to listen, than to try to ignore her. If we are out, she will direct me to a chair where she lays at my feet until either help arrives or enough time passes and I am strong enough to continue.
When we are home, Molly B.,has chores which she does each day; for example she picks up the dirty clothes from the floor and brings them to the laundry room and puts them in the basket to be washed. She has also been taught to bring me my medications and water, which I keep on a table by the bed. If I am in the other part of the house, she provides comfort when I don’t feel well and is always within a hands reach. Just touching her brings me tremendous comfort when I am not feeling well!
Each day Molly B., and I spend quality play time together. She runs on the treadmill when the weather keeps us closed in and cannot go out. She' ll run about a mile a day. When we are outside, she chases the ball and also enjoys swimming. I was told early on, to keep her mindset in that of being a service dog at all times. I am truly blessed with a special dog because when Molly B. sees the service dog vest come out, she immediately goes into service dog mode. We work at it every day and are very lucky to have her in our lives!
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