Service Dog
Belle is a pure bred german shepherd who my husband and I got about 4.5 years ago when she was just 10 weeks old. We trained her ourselves with the help of a trainer for two weeks. She was quick to pickup on what the overarching theme was… To take care of mom. We are so blessed and are constantly working with her and growing together as a family of three. This is where I will keep you guys updated of our progress with Belle!
FAQs
Where did you have Belle Trained?
We took her to a place called Kennel wood in Illinois and they worked with her basic skills: sit, stay, climb, free. Belle did this for about two weeks and then we ended up needing to move. We took what we learned from the trainers and studied what we could do and ran with it. We have trained her to get things for me, alert mike when i am having an attack and so much more.
What does Belle help with?
Belle is trained to do deep pressure therapy whenever I am stressed, anxious or in large amounts of pain. She is trained to find Mike and bring him to me when I am having an attack. She is trained to bring me medication and my supplies that I need often. She is currently doing well but being trained to alert me for low blood sugars. She currently alerts me before I am about to have a pancreatitis attack.
Does Belle go everywhere with you?
This is mostly dependent on how I am feeling. If I am doing fine and would rather just be on my own I can leave her at home. If I am not feeling well i usually bring her so that she can help me regulate the situation. This means she has been in hotels, restaurants, malls, stores, and even her first airplane ride to Bailey’s!
Is an emotional support animal the same thing?
Absolutely not. An emotional support animal is great. I think it is awesome that people are embracing them more. However, they are not trained to handle situations in public like service dogs are and this is a potentially dangerous situation.
ACTION
These are some videos of Belle completing Tasks we have worked with her to achieve.
In this video Belle is understanding that she can bring me the bag or get the medicine out of it. She is paying attention to my needs.
This is Belle understanding that I have a orange tag on a bag that she is supposed to bring to me no matter where it is or why. She is successfully understanding and then listening to ques to bring it to the bed.
