What makes Ranger a Service Dog (SD)...

Lots of people ask me - "What makes Ranger a Service Dog?" and "Why do [ I ] need him"- so those are the question I'm going to address today. 
The ADA rules on Service Dogs are that a dog must be "trained to perform specific tasks which aid and benefit a person with a disability."  These disabilities include both seen (hearing impairments, sight impairment, etc) and unseen (PTSD, mobility, seizures, autism, etc) disabilities.   The ADA guidelines also go on to establish where service dogs are permitted (most anywhere their human partner would be allowed, including restaurants, theaters, stores, etc) and where they are not (sterile rooms such as surgery suites, etc). 

Service dogs can be dogs which are received through specific training programs (for instance Canine Support Teams) or can be owner trained, like Ranger.  As I've been training dogs formally since 1999, and informally even before that, training Ranger myself was a really great decision for us.  It allowed me to work on tasks specific to *my* needs as my medical picture is so varied and I need a dog that is able to assist across multiple diagnoses. 

As an example, Ranger will, on command, come in front of my chair and "brace" on command - his muscles will stiffen up and his body will become rigid - so that I can use him to aid in standing slowly and steadily as I get to my feet.  He will also brace against my body if I'm standing and he feels my weight shift as I become dizzy.  In addition, he can help move me forward as I'm walking if my leg or hip become "frozen" or numb.  He can help pick up dropped items for me, especially when my hands become numb or are locked in a particular position and can not move.  He helps me up and down stairs (which in my parents' old Victorian where I live with my mom is a HUGE advantage) --  Those are some of the physical things Ranger can do for me when I'm having visible symptoms.   Some of the things that are less obvious are some of my most precious tasks.  When I'm laying down in bed on my side, Ranger can press along my spine to help aleviate pressure point pains that happen just from laying.  He will alert me when anyone comes near the house (or my car when we're out together).  He stands perpendicular to me either in front, or behind, and watches people and lets me know if someone is approaching that I don't see/hear so I am not startled into an anxiety attack (which happens often!)  He can sense when a vertigo or anxiety attack are coming on and takes appropriate measure to alert me and heard to either to a chair (in the case of a vertigo attack) or to redirect my attention (in the case of an anxiety/panic attack).  He even knows particular people's names and can go "find" them if I need help (e.g.:  "Where's Nonna" tells him to search the house for my mom and let her know that I need help) or to bark on command to let someone know I need help if he can't leave me (eg: if I've fallen and can't get up even with his help). 

*Most* program-trained dogs are trained for a specific disability.  They might be trained as guide dogs for the blind or deaf.  Possibly as mobility dogs for someone with MS.  Or even as service dogs for people with autism or psychiatric disorders.  For me, I needed a hodge podge of each of those things - and by training Ranger myself, I am able to have a dog who is customized specifically to *my* needs.   We trained to be in compliance with the IAADP's Minimum Training Standards ( http://www.iaadp.org/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access.html ) and continue to refresh "old" tasks and train new ones as needs arise. 

As for *why* I need Ranger - that's harder to put into words because my physical limitations are intermittent.  As I said in an earlier post, my clinical symptoms imitate that of relapsing/remitting MS.  This means that during a flare-up, I could have severe symptoms for days or weeks; during a remission there might be nothing for months or years.  The only 'true' pattern is that the flares seem to errupt mostly during times of a lot of stress or fatigue or illness, they last longer each time, and tend to increase in severity.  The chronic silent seizures (which manifest as migraine-like headaches almost every day), vertigo attacks, and perpetual ear ringing, on the other hand, are a daily condition to be treated, but not cured.  Additionally, my anxiety disorder, chronic stress disorder, and PTSD symptoms are, for the most part, ever present and manifest in many different ways.   So, even on a physically 'good' day, when I *look* like a perfectly healthy person on the outside, I'm often struggling through my day on the inside with little-to-no real relief from the chronic symptoms.  Lots of people see me and think 'she's young; what does she have to complain about?"  That's the curse of "invisible" disabilities.   Its also what makes people with these kinds of limitations hesitate about using assistive devices, whether they're canes or service dogs, or braces.  Its really *hard* to accept you need help when people around you don't understand why you need it. 

Its hard work to train, and keep training, your own service dog.  It also takes a lot of effort to *have* a service dog.  You have to get into a new routine of constantly thinking like a 'new mother.'  I have to remember to keep him on a feeding and walking schedule.  Have things on hand when we go out in case he gets sick or to clean up after him before/after we're in a store/restaurant/theater/etc.  Always anticipating what *might* happen and having a plan for it before it does.  Last summer, as many may know, Ranger and I did two stays in the hospital and he stayed with me.  It was a brand new experience for us both and one that we'd never trained for or anticipated - so we trained on the fly and made adjustments.  The nursing staff helped take him out for me when he needed and were great about making sure he had food/water if I couldn't get out of bed to get it.  He did great (even better than I did!!)

With so many difficulties in having a service dog, a lot of people would say, it's just not worth it.  But, for me, after crawling from the bathroom to my bedroom on several occasions because the whole world was spinning around me and I couldnt stand up to walk and after falling multiple times because I lost my balance - the choice for me was clear.  Every day that Ranger and I spend together as a team - and the bond we build - solidifies that choice.  I can deal with the stares and the whispers and the uncomfortable looks.  I can even deal with the challenging questions and glares.  I *choose not* to deal without having his help and support.
Jessica and Ranger
Lunar K9s Service Dogs Team #2