Service dog

[RayLee]

Does anyone have a service dog or know of anyone who does that has PD? How did they get the dog? What kind of dog is it? How does it help them?

Thanks!

[jillannf6]

my reply has gone missing

u r in the

USA so should be able to get a dog to help u

some posts were published on this site (about 2 yrs ago?)

plz let us know how u get on....

lol jill

[shasha]

I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE IS A LADY ON HERE WHO HAS A DOG AND SHE LIVES IN THE USA ! HER NAME IS TLONGMIRE SO YOU COULD GET IN TOUCH VA OUR MESSAGING SERVICE - HOPE THIS HELPS

[tlongmire in reply to shasha]

I was supposed to get my dog "Charlie" in December. When they changed my diagnosis to MSA and with Tommy's back problem we decided not to accept Charlie. He has his hands full enough with me. Charlie (a Standardd Poodle) was placed with a gentlemen with PD in Colorado.

[shasha in reply to tlongmire]

I A SORRY THAT YOU DID NOT GET YOUR DOG BUT CAN UNDERSTAND IT WITH TOMMYS BACK AND ALL THAT OUR DEAR HUSBANDS DO FOR US BOTH XXX

[tlongmire in reply to shasha]

Thanks Sharon. You are right our husbands do a lot for us and we are blessed.

[tlongmire in reply to shasha]

I posted the information above as well.

[quirkyme]

woman in US has a great dane as a service dogs. She experiences falls and can grab onto the dog.

[RayLee in reply to quirkyme]

That makes my daughter happy! She is part of the Great Dane Rescue here in NM.

[quirkyme in reply to RayLee]

for her, it's the answer. She had just gotten it when I saw her but seemed like a very gentle, calm dog.

[tlongmire]

I was supposed to get my dog "Charlie" in December. When they changed my diagnosis to MSA and with Tommy's back problem we decided not to accept Charlie. He has his hands full enough with me. Charlie, (a Standard Poodle), was placed with a gentlemen with PD in Colorado. It takes two years to train a service dog. We went through Paw Pal Assistance Dogs in Colorado (a non-profit organization). They are the best and train the dog specific to your needs.

paw-pals.org/

[RayLee in reply to tlongmire]

I'm sorry!!! Both about the dog and your husbands back. Do you live in CO or is that where the dog was trained? I live in NM and we are so behind civilization here with everything but marijuana smoking! LOL. I will check out Paws. We have a place in Santa Fe but it doesn't sound very intensive, more along the lines of certification training than actual day to day training.

[tlongmire in reply to RayLee]

Thanks. I live in Arizona and Charlie was born and raised in Colorado. I would definitely recommend you Google Paw-Pals Assistance Dogs and take a look around there website.

[margie]

servicedogsfl.org/

It depends on your needs and where you live.

I have an 8 pound service dog ( maltese) who gets on my feet and digs at them, somehow I stop freezing and I can step..He also has been trained to go to a button and push it if I say help, or if I fall and continue to lay there, He pushes the button, the monitoring station calls and if no answer an ambulance is sent. I am unable to smell with PD I had an electrical fire in my rowenta iron, as I took an item to be iron, my dog, Spencer started running around me and crying, I sat down quick, thinking he was worming me of another stroke, I felt ok I started getting up and he begins crying again, I look up and my iron is sparking and all of a sudden flames begin to come out. I immediately pulled the plug Using oven gloves put the iron in the sink and ran water over it, There are other service dog org. around the country. I live in Florida. I hope this gives you an idea of how wonderful and caring all service dogs are. Margie

[margie]

I I have a friend in Melbourne, Florida who has PD and has golden retriever service dog. She was able to find the non-profit organization on-line. He does 50 different things including pulling the door open for her. She is in a wheelchair now. If she drops something he picks it up. etc.

[StephCabo]

I have a service dog for PD! I adopted her & trained her, but I also got her certified with a trainer. She helps me most of all when I freeze. She taps on my foot and nudges left or right. She reminds me of pill times, picks up things for me. Just focusing on her and following her really helps me walk especially in a crowd. It is my goal to pare shelter dogs with people with PD because I believe with all my heart that a dog knows who to connect with. Dogs have a way of sensing our needs.My mom had PD and had a Shiba Inu that helped her that I trained. My pup is a 33 pound Sheltie mix. If you need the dog for balance you need to get a bigger dog. You can go online and look for places that train and provide service dogs. OHSU (Paws for Parkinson's) may have info. I live in Hawaii so am not much help for those on Mainland. But if you have any more questions I'm here! Aloha, Steph

[RayLee in reply to StephCabo]

I would love to hear how you trained your dog!!! I do I give you my email? I want to train my own also. I am able to. I am going to school for my second career and come to find out they now require a physical for nursing school and I can't pass! I am taking the summer off because I was totally stressed out. I think this will give me a purpose and something positive to do.

[StephCabo]

Hi Ray Lee, My first question is have you ever trained dogs before? I worked for a vet when I was youger for many years and trained quite a few dogs. I never got my trainers certificatian because it was not my full time job. The first steps you need to take are to be sure you pup will qualify and work as a service dog. They need to pass obedience training classes first, then they should fit a personality profile for service dog. To find out this information you can call most training centers or go on line and google Service dog requirements. I would recomend you call a local trainer to get some advise and help its not always as easy as it sounds... How old is your dog? How does it react to your needs.. All this needs to be addressed in person. I hope this helps.

[Joyable]

I've been thinking about a service dog almost from the time I was diagnosed in 2006. The first few organizations I checked with told me my needs were too complex. Think I overdid it with all the ways I thought a dog might be able to help me. Since then, unfortunately, I have learned that animal hair and dander has been collecting in my lungs from all the animals I've had over the years and has caused me to have low blood oxygen levels. My pulmonologist says I shouldn't be around dogs with hair. At first I stayed away from them completely; but I've been cheating more and more and my blood oxygen level has been fine. However, if I were to have a service dog and spend all my time with the dog, he or she would have to be hairless.

I now have 2 hairless dogs, a purebred American Hairless Terrier (AHT) and an AHT/ Xolo Mix. But they are small dogs and I do need a lot of help with balance. I know there are a couple of larger hairless breeds but they're rare. A smaller dog could be helpful with other things like warnings, opening doors, and picking things up. The small breed hairless dogs I have are super intelligent. I wonder if any have been trained and successful as service dogs? My 2 hairless dogs had puppies on April 5th. I'm wondering if there's a chance one of them could be trained as a service dog for me? Or even my male larger hairless adult? I'm going to go to Margie's link and research possibilities. Thanks so much for sharing, Margie.