I sent Simba out to the country 2 days ago so he could get some exercise with his sire, khan and sister, Athena. This morning, the family called to say Simba had cut his paw, slicing his radial artery. A few stitches later and he was okay, though if the lady had not been forced home to change her clothes, he could’ve easily bled out. Every time I have that thought I cringe and die a bit inside. He is too closely tied to Sean and we only lost him 3 weeks ago. Sean’s sons that were here with me when we heard of Simba’s injury were panicking too. Makai told me he couldn’t lose Simba after losing daddy. Exactly how I feel about it!
Makai was devastated when he heard of Simba’s injury.
Puppy Nala was sent to friends when Simba returned. She is relentless about playing and far too rough for a hurt Simba. Simba has been able to make it outside to potty and kept his food down. We will have to make sure he takes it easy for a few days before the dressing comes off.
Simba and Camden after the stressful vet visit.
All of this brought me back to yesterday’s post about expenses and reminded me how vital his health is to me now. And how expensive it will be. Time to do pet insurance before anything else happens! I was also very pleased with his treatment of the veterinarian and the vet tech. He was sweet and compliant and never showed a tooth or growled. That is wonderful information for me. Further proof of his sweet nature and excellent temperament. The further down this road I go, the more anxious I’m getting about the huge responsibility. That said, I’ve always felt that Simba was worth something special and if I can do this, both our lives will be richer.
Accepting the responsibility for training a service dog is even more intense than I thought. Once I had decided to train Simba as my Mobility dog. I began to look into what certifications were required for my state and the United States. I wanted to know what types of trainings were required to be certified as a service animal. To my shock and dismay, I found there are absolutely no regulations or laws regarding what a service dog must be trained to do in order to be called a service or assistance dog. Apparently, there are many sites out there that pretend or fraudulently sell service dog kits, service dog certifications, service dog collars, tags, registry or vests. When I looked into it, I found that none of these things are technically illegal but they give a false impression that the dog has been evaluated by some government agency, or have met some sort of criteria. The criteria is money! Under The Americans with Disabilities Act a service animal must perform some task or job that assists the disabled person. This is the only requirement necessary to call an animal a service animal. Any business may sell these items but it means nothing (except you’re out some cash.). They’ve absolutely no authority in the registration or certification of service animals as there is no such authority. The best you can do is to check and see if the agency you are using for a service animal is registered with Assistance Dogs International. If it isn’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the training that your assistance dog will receive there is no good. Having one registered with ADI (Assistance Dogs International) is no promise of good training. And since I know many of you out there are thinking, my Fido can learn something then I can take him everywhere! Let me be clear, you must have a legitimate disability and needing emotional support alone from your dog isn’t considered service. The dog must DO something.
Next I want to address another concern. What about breed bans for Rottweilers, Pitbulls or other negatively stereotyped breeds. These bans do NOT affect service animals. A city or municipality can’t ban a service dog based solely on breed. That said, the dog must be under the handlers’ control at all times. So, I can decide how best to train Simba, but it’s also my responsibility to control his behavior. Hmmmm.I’ve got to get some good advice now on how best to proceed. My biggest fear is doing something that will negatively impact the legitimate service dog community. I’m starting to realize the breadth of this undertaking. I’m going to get Simba’s AKC Good Citizen Certification first so any breed issues with behavior are addressed up front. I’ve gotten some great advice from several blogs. One is Al Brittain, the Dog Chief. Another is called Actually Service Dogs. This blog is going to be an on going story of my journey with Simba. Come back and see what’s next for us!
This is Simba, he is a German Rottweiler, here at 5 weeks. He came from a litter of 10 and being the only male he was given a small dot on the head to differentiate him from the girls.
5 week old German Rottweiler, Simba
At six weeks this boy never looked back. Just look at those paws! I knew he’d be a beast!
Simba 6 week old German RottweilerSimba and Mari were already best friends
I spent the first month with him with my hands and fingers in his mouth. I prefer to get the nibbling out of the way before they can swallow you whole! Simba learned quickly and now at one year he is so gentle you can barely feel him take your arm. Simba was Sean’s puppy and he had to take him while he was renovating the house he would live in. That meant I got to keep Simba with me and begin basic training for the first 4 months. I knew he was exceptional from the start. Even then, I secretly wished for a dog like him for my mobility dog.
Simba and owner Sean
At 4 months Sean’s family moved to the house in the country and Simba lived in dog heaven for awhile. Strong, caring owner and 4 boys to play with, Simba reveled in the freedom to run down the block to where his dad lives and play. His sire, Khan, is just 2 years older than Simba and has plenty of go left in him.
Simba is in the middle with Khan in the red collar and Athena, Simba’s sister, in the back.This is one of the ways Simba adapted so I could play with him.
Simba brings his toys up on the bed so I can play tug of war with him. Front paws on bed, back paws on the floor. Love this dog!
Gorgeous Simba sitting on my bed, 4 months old
When Sean died on July 4th, 2016, Simba was nearly killed by police for protecting his body. He was so fierce that friends who knew him were afraid. Since Sean’s death, Simba has been back with me. He’s not the same and it took me about 2 weeks to figure out he’s been waiting for Sean to come and take him home. He’s been visiting his dad for the kind of rough play only big dogs can handle. But I was still faced with how to help him.
These 2 boys have a very special bond. The adoration is definitely mutual!
I was told a story about a Rottweiler who was ex-military. When his handler died he was adopted by an older man who wasn’t active. The dog steadily declined until the man took him to a handler/ trainer and was told he could easily adapt but needed a job to be happy. The man trained the dog to retrieve his paper in the morning then sat waiting as the man read each page. When finished he would place each page on the floor and the dog would take it and throw it away. The dog then returned and waited for the next page. Apparently this was enough of a job for the Rottweiler who settled in happily thereafter.
This story just clicked in my head and I realized I had the perfect solution. Since I have still not had an initial interview with the service dog agency, I started asking questions and after the funeral one of Sean’s friends in Colorado, who is a handler, offered to do Simba’s initial service dog training. He has a pure pitbull at home who will love Simba. I believe sending Simba to Colorado will change his scenery and routine enough that he’ll adjust and be much happier.
I haven’t yet spoken to the service dog agency but all involved feel they will accept him more easily if he has already finished his basic training. This may be a “hand of God” outcome I never could have expected. I am hoping there will be shared healing all around.
(After spending a lot of time researching, I realized how much I don’t know. Stay tuned for part 2, which will focus on the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES Act and laws regarding service animals)
My name is Cyndee Pelley, I’m an amateur artist with a spinal disability and this blog allows me to share my art, tangle patterns and coloring ideas. I’m also bound to touch on dogs and horses as well as family because they’re a big part of my life. My hands shake so my lines aren’t perfect but I’ve found expressing myself through art extremely important in maintaining a healthy perspective when my body is trapped in a bed. Family, pets, art and health are all topics that will arise but mostly this is about art.
One of the most significant things to happen to me in the last 15 years was when I accidentally came across the Zentangle(registered trademark) Method created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Instead of trying to explain their method let me quote from their official website Zentangle.com.
“The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.
Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle Method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages.
We believe that life is an art form and that our Zentangle Method is an elegant metaphor for deliberate artistry in life. ” (quote from the Zentagle.com website)
These are some examples of simple patterns and what you can do with them.
This is a tangle using the pattern “SKYE” deconstructed by the wonderful Margaret Bremner, CZT (enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com)This is called a ZIA (Zentagle Inspired Art). Meaning it’s a mix of patterns and ideas based on the Zentangle way but not conforming to the structure and rules of it. Like adding color.This tangle pattern is called “pkok” the pattern was deconstructed by Sandhya Manne, CZT at Zen Temple Tangles and I added color for my own flair
I will be talking more about this method in later blogs but for now I’ll just say that Zentangle has changed my life. I’d encourage anyone who wants to draw but doesn’t know where to start to visit Rick and Maria’s site Zentagle.com. I also highly recommend tanglepatterns.com which is Linda Farmer’s collection of tangles including Rick and Maria’s official tangle patterns.
I will also be chronicling my application process for a mobility service dog. I’ve always loved animals and in particular horses and dogs. I just lost one of my rescued dogs (Daisy) after 15 years.
My Daisy Mae (passed in April, 2016)
Her long time companion, Chance, is fading fast though I’m hopeful he will last the year.
This is Chance, who is also a rescue. His hips are quite bad and winter has me worried.
I also have a foster dog from a local rescue agency. His name is Jake and he mostly likes to hide from the world.
Foster dog Jake who was rescued during below zero temperatures 3 years ago. He has serious anxiety issues.
The rules regarding service dogs in the home are usually that no other dogs are allowed to be present in the home. The reason for this is service dogs are working dogs and can get distracted which works against their training. Having a service dog is a commitment to ongoing training and special care. I have made my application to an organization based in Norman, OK called “A New Leash on Life”. http://newleashinc.org/ They take donated puppies (usually Golden or Labrador Retrievers for their natural retrieving abilities) and train them for the specific needs of each client. This takes between 1 and 2 years because the pups need to be fully grown to support the pulling, balancing and other activities a mobility dog must handle. So, I applied after Daisy’s death making me both sad and excited and guilty about the excited. Their letter to confirm my application was dated May 11, 2016. I’m trying to patiently wait for the next phase!
That’s enough for the first blog. I hope you’ll come back to see what kind of art we’ll be working each week. I also hope you’ll check out the 3 tangle patterns I’ve deconstructed. I’ve sent them to Linda Farmer, CZT at tanglepatterns.com to see if they conform to the tangle rules and can then be published there. Either way, feel free to experiment and share your thoughts and comments.
The Tireless Tangler 