Our Story

Hi All!

I wanted to use my first post to tell you a little about myself and to explain my reasons for writing this blog. First off, I was born with a rare genetic bone disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). Essentially what that means is that my bones are very brittle and break much easier then the average person's. This caused my legs to be very weak from multiple breaks and fractures and I have been bound to a power wheelchair since I was five years old. Another result of the multiple fractures I endured as a child and the many casts that I've been in and out of was stunted growth. I'm 28 years old and 2' 11".

As you can imagine, being disabled and a Little Person poses many challenges, but I have always shrived to face every challenge head on and find a solution that makes me as independent as possible. One way I am able to do this is by having a service dog. I realized that a service dog would be a good way to gain independence about 5 years ago when I wanted to move into my own apartment and be completely independent. As you can imagine there were several concerns about me doing so, one of which was if I fell I wouldn't have my phone to call 911 and I'd be alone for who knows how long without being able to get help. A service dog however could retrieve my phone or could be trained to push a "panic" button that would immediately call 911, not to mention retrieve any items I drop, flip light switches, even help me open doors and assist me with many other things. So I began doing research on how to obtain a service dog and how much it would cost. At first I started looking at groups that train service dogs but soon discovered there were long waiting lists and that some of them charge a lot of money for their services. I've always had a "Do it Yourself" kind of outlook on life and have never seen the justification for paying someone else to do something that I could do myself. This attitude drove me to learn to sew when I couldn't find clothing that fit me correctly and it was this mindset that gave me the impulse to see if one could train their own service dog. The answer that I found was very encouraging...not only could I train my own service dog but I could choose whatever breed I though would work best for me. All I had to do was work with a trainer to help do the physical work I was unable to do on my own, make sure my dog was very well behaved in public and ensure that the dog I trained met the ADA requirements.

So armed with my information and an "I can do it" attitude I began my search for my first service dog. I searched many breeds from the typical German Shepard and Labrador Retriever to more non-conventional breeds like Newfoundlands and Bernese Mountain Dogs. In the end it was the Bernese Mountain Dog that called to me. I fell in love with their lovable nature, their intelligence and their ability to pull carts. My brain storm at the time was that I could teach this dog to pull a cart that will enable it to help me to go food shopping and maybe even pull my manual wheelchair. Due to tight navigation on the sidewalks in Philadelphia where I live I never put that part of my plan into action but the puppy, Niko, that I ended up getting grew into a wonderful service dog with a lot of hard work on my part and the encouragement and help from the trainers I worked with.

It has been four years since I started the journey of training my own service dog and I find myself starting the adventure all over again with my new service dog in training, Xena. This new journey happened very suddenly and unexpectedly a little over three months ago. I was in upstate New York and I was headed back to my hotel when Niko and I got hit by a car. I broke my femur and Niko fractured several bones in his leg and paw and was severely traumatized from the whole incident. I knew as soon as it happened that I was going to have to retire him not just for the obvious medical reasons but because the trauma had caused him to become skittish and very fearful of cars.

I was resolved to the idea that I will be without a service dog for quite some time while I saved up the money to replace him. A couple of very close friends had other plans. They began researching puppies that might be suitable for my new service dog and they found Xena, a four month old German Shepard puppy from a breeder in Czechoslovakia that specializes in breeding working dogs. They didn't stop there tho...they banned together and helped me come up with the money to purchase her and have her shipped to the states. After being shuffled around a little bit and getting a crash course in obedience along the way I was able to start working with her about a month ago.

So that pretty much brings us up to date. I've been working with Xena for about a month now and she is terrific. Training her is going to be a different experience from training my first service dog since I'm working with a dog who already has a retrieval drive as opposed to my Niko who had to be force retrieved to even get him to put things in his mouth. While Niko was a great service dog I learned what worked and didn't work for me and a dog with a high drive was a must for the next time around. I also know how to teach several commands like stand, under and step (putting front paws on wall or counter) that I'd wished I'd taught Niko earlier and have begun teaching them to Xena already. I though that it'd be nice to document our journey and share the joys and trials that training a service dog yourself can bring.

Coming soon...training videos with my trainer working with Xena and videos of training her on my own. Stay tuned!