You can read about both Maisie and Chuy (probably more about Maisie) on this site…but I want to write specifically, because they are dogs that work for us, about what they do.
I will write about Chuy first. Most people aren’t aware that he is an emotional support animal (ESA). He actually started out as my dog. Once he joined our family, we noticed immediately that he had an amazing ability to calm my brain. I had suffered brain injury in a stroke, and – among other things – an overload of sensory input causes chaos and almost a panic. Right from the start, when that chaos would start to ramp up, he would “call” me (using body language) to sit down. Then he would put his front paws on my chest, pushing as if pressing me back while staring directly into my eyes. I have never seen anything like it. And he was persistent until the chaos (handball in my skull) would subside. This continued for several years and I grew dependent on him for that comfort when I would start to lose control of my thought processes and responses.
This is particularly astounding because he had – and has – a lot of baggage from past physical abuse. He runs and hides from loud noises, or even when someone, to this day (9 years later) picks up a stick of any sort. But as I became more agitated and vocal he did the opposite, and took charge…
At one point Pete started to have more intense therapy for his PTSD, which brought up a lot of responses in him that were quite unpleasant. It was at this point the Chuy “switched sides” and started working on Pete. He does similar, but also puts his head down and presses the top of it against Pete’s cheek or chest or neck or even chin as well. This is a very calming thing for my husband, and his psychologist agrees and sees the value in Chuy’s work, so Chuy is now a legal ESA for Pete. He seems to know who needs him the most, and what to do. (He will still occasionally “work on” me these days but for the most part, he is definitely concentrated on Pete!) As for me…well, I’m often on my own…but after 16 years we are more used to it I guess…
And now Maisie. And I will TRY to keep it short. There is so much that she does for me that will be difficult. You can read elsewhere about how she came to be my service dog so I won’t waste space here on that. In brief, she helps me with nearly everything I do from the time I wake up in the morning until the time I go to sleep at night. I have multiple disabilities and health issues and trained her specifically to meet my own needs. However, over time she has developed behaviors on her own to help me with various other things.
As a typical day goes, when I take my PJs off she helps me pull it over my head (“pull” command) and arms; after kicking off the pants she picks them up and hands them to me. After my shower I tend to drop my towel while drying off, which she retrieves and places in my hand. (I drop a lot of things – she does a lot of picking up!) If I have my clothes set out, she will bring me the items one at a time if needed; she knows, with pairs such as socks or shoes, “bring it” whatever I point to, and “the other one” brings its match. She walks carefully behind me as I come down the stairs with my walker, then positions herself so that I am within sight and a short distance. When I move somewhere else, she follows. If I left something upstairs – my phone, or purse for example – I can send her for it, and same if I’m upstairs and an object is downstairs. If my feet get cold and I need my slippers, she will go up and get them for me. She saves me many painful trips up and down the stairs.
When we are outside she walks next to my walker; if I get a leg stuck in a rut I tell her “pull” (yes, same command as in dressing/undressing) and she moves forward to pull my walker out and get me moving again, then comes back to my side. She keeps her eyes and ears open for anyone approaching from behind and stays between me and people that she believes are suspicious, though she is always calm – she just gets alert and stand-offish with the stranger. When she has to urinate I make a clicking sound and she can relieve herself when I allow her to rather than at inopportune moments. She does the things like sit-stay and down-stay, “look at me” (mostly to distract her from something I think she may react to), and I converse with her as we go when out and about, quietly guiding her with “walk easy” “no pulling” (if she suspects I’m lagging because my walker is stuck), “back behind” etc. When my vertigo worsens I can lay my leg against her steady side until it passes; when we are going up stairs she does “pull” “stop” “pull” “stop” to get me up; when I am unable to walk at any sort of pace, she does “step” “stop” “step” “stop” which makes it easier for her to anticipate when I will be able to take another step.
I often get severe leg pain, and on the command “legs” she will lay along my outstretched limbs so that her body heat and weight will help calm the pain and the muscles. If I release her from a command, “OK” lets her know she’s on her own, and when I release her for the night, “Night night” tells her she can go downstairs to bed. (When I wake up in the morning she is next to me already, waiting!) I continually communicate with her vocally and in body language, and she reads signals I am not even aware I am giving. She it notorious for solving problems that arise, which I have written about before; I can depend on her to work out a task I give even if she’s never done it before. If she understands what I want, she will make it happen. There is more of course, but trying to remember it all at one sitting is impossible.
Each of these dogs work for and with us, and share our lives more intimately than past dogs who have been “mere” pets and companions. Honoring every dog, whether working for their owners or just being with us – and those in military and police and therapy work – and those who love to herd or hunt or guard – or whatever they do with their too-short lives, deserve to be honored on National Dog Day…and every day.
If you’d like to read more about Chuy and Maisie, click on SUPER FIND! in the header and look up their names. I’ve written a LOT about these guys, as well as some of my other dogs, if you are interested!
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