New Life

So we have a change of life approaching. This means that I will only continue with instagram, not blogger.
So if you would like to hear of our new life, then please do follow our account.

https://www.instagram.com/assistance_dog_meadow

Instagram

For anyone who wants to keep following our story we are on instagram too:



https://www.instagram.com/assistance_dog_meadow

The Journey to getting my amazing Canine Parnter

I wanted to share my journey about my Assistance Dog, but how it’s different when you have an unique cat. Some of you may already know about my amazing cat who was recently in the news due to winning an award. She is able to detect my collapse episodes which she has had no training for this. Here is the link to what was written at the time - https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/lunar-the-cat-who-helps-owner-ali-coles-from-watton-when-she-suffers-blackouts-is-nominated-for-a-national-award-1-5058614

And

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/lunar-the-cat-from-watton-who-can-predict-when-her-owner-is-about-to-be-ill-wins-prestigious-award-1-5134478

They are slightly different as one is written as nomination, and one when we won the award. This shows what an amazing cat my dog lives with.

I was on the list for under three years for an assistance dog, I applied in June 2015 to Canine Partners for an Assistance Dog, after a long hunt around all the different assistant dog companies. All the others refused me on multiple grounds which luckily Canine Partners oversaw, as they liked a challenge; and saw it as finding a way to create an ability around the disability.

I got invited to their centre for a training day where they would assess if they could meet my needs; rather than agreeing from just off a piece of paper. I don’t want to go into too much detail about it all, I’d rather say about how my assistance dog and my cat have bonded which we thought wouldn’t happen so soon.

Originally I should of gone September/October but I was hospitalised, so it got postponed until mid-November. Canine Partners were great with the delay though - as they are working with chronically ill people every day; so they were very reasonable about the delay.

After the day at the centre I saw the Dog Occupational Therapist (DOT) who came out to my home, this was to check that the surroundings the dog will live in is habitable. The home, garden, any hazards to myself which could put the dog in danger even like a step with me using a wheelchair; and my cat at current time anything that we could do to make them transition easier.

Together we also had to go to the chosen most used exercise area for the dog, along with a long list of other things.

After many long months of waiting, they then believed they had the ideal dog to my situation and needs; and they had found the dog that would benefit from living with me.

We met for a day for a matching day in November 2017 to see if the dog (Black Labrador x Retriever) would be ok with my cat (chubby and grumpy), and how the dog and myself would connect. This was the turning point.

You spend two and half years on the waiting list, not knowing when you will get the call to be told your potential match has been found; then if that match is good when you meet you get six weeks to wait typically. I got two, from meeting the dog till training to get your head around it.

It’s almost like being pregnant, you wait all your life for your baby; you keep dreaming one day it will happen. It’s the longest pregnancy for an assistance dog you don’t know when the birth will be though, whereas mothers going into labour at least they know the longest will be nine months; maybe a couple days over. I could have had three babies in that time if I was pregnant and just train them to level of an assistance dog, although I’m sure they wouldn’t qualify and wouldn’t be allowed. Although there wouldn’t be any of this problem with businesses saying the dog isn’t allowed when the dog is allowed by law as it’s an assistance dog.

To help my cat settle with the dog more I ended up getting a natural plug in diffuser. I would highly recommend this.

https://www.medicanimal.com/Pet-Remedy-Natural-Diffuser-Plug/p/I9106277?_fp1=ppc&_fp2=277849834&_fp3=1213860958744278&_fp4=I0009879-mauk&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=F3D+-+MA+-+Shopping+-+Generics+%25255BUK+-+EN%25255D+ACQ-PLA-BHV&utm_term=4579465930408112&utm_content=F3D+-+MA+-+Shopping+-+Dog+-+Dog+Training+%252526+Behaviour+%25255BUK%25255D+ACQ&gclid=CNHBlNjgk9gCFQX7GwodlZUCeQ&gclsrc=ds

The first 48 hours has a strong scent of herbs and oils, but I do have heightened senses so it maybe isn’t as bad. But it actually was a calming smell even to me.

I plugged it in a week before the dog arrived so the cat had some benefit in her system and the house was well scented for when the dog arrived; although the dog is fine with cats as he displayed brilliantly when I met him, and showed he can touch noses gently with a strange cat on a pathway and didn’t even frighten the cat. 

For the dog and cat it made them be a lot more relaxed, only a small amount of tension on first couple of days. The cat is one to stand her ground if she felt the dog was doing wrong being in her home, so I think the plug in helped to some degree.

I felt my cat needed this especially as she may of felt pushed out from a dog being bought in, due to her being especially close to me as previously mentioned caused by my condition. But I make time to be with both of them at separate times, and then also together at their comfortable distances at the early days; and this seems to work for us and they accept it this way.

Throughout the training we learnt the similar things that all partnerships do, some bits were tailor-made to our partnership and will be throughout ours, but the dogs can pull doors open, undress, do light switches, un/load washing machine, pull shoes off, pick up dropped items, and bring happiness to your life; among so much more.

Once the intense training finished I got an Aftercare worker allocated to us, who will come out to my home to visit my dog and myself to see how we both getting on – this will remain happening until my dog retires. At first these visits were weekly then slowly got less until there was a couple months in-between. And that continued for the first year.

The first month or so can be tricky, the dog has been uprooted from all he has ever known, its ‘puppy home’ to now it’s ‘working home’. He has lost all his familiar surroundings/smells and people he has ever known from the ‘puppy home’ and been placed in a ‘working home’ and expected to get on with it. So it’s expected that there would be some teething problems; from both sides.

Yes is adorable to have an assistance dog and it will make my life so  much easier and more safe when I go out; but will be a test to start with; and a time where I could need support from my loved ones too.

Not long into the partnership, we noticed the cat and the dog are getting on now, but we have to keep a happy balance every day to check it’s keeping that way due to the uprooted nature; luckily I have the aftercare team on hand if things do erupt.

I will have so much more freedom and independence having an assistance dog, I’m in my 30’s I shouldn’t be reliant on others despite having chronic health conditions. This was 2018 I got him, and yet there isn’t the support out there unless a dog is willing to help as they don’t make the judgment.

So thank you to the wonderful people all involved in my dogs care up to this point and throughout his partnership now. Without them none of this would be possible. For just my partnership alone it costs them £20,000 to train, feed, house, vet bills, insure, toys etc.

And that’s the ones that don’t go missing sadly, there have a been a few rare cases where they have been out training on ‘free runs’ and gone missing with massive searches with no trace.

And also the ones that ‘fail’ their training.

I kept this quiet until our partnership was a good month in, rather the day after he arrived home, but no doubt the news travels fast due to training at my door, on my road and in my town; and assistance dogs in my area are uncommon. It’s a shame privacy isn’t a thing anymore, especially when you need it when training up an assistance dog; and needing that time to put your effort and energy into your bond and making sure things are correct.

Since those early days of having my dog home, I have trained him to strip the bed, get items from fridge from another room and put his used breakfast items in the sink; among other tasks.

We are constantly training, some things take longer than others.

He enjoys training, you just have to watch his wiggle and his tail to see that.

It’s not all work for him though, he gets loads of off lead time playing with local dogs – or playdates with other canine partners further away. And he even goes out and does amazing days out like sailing – yes he has been in the sailing boat, and was amazing.

In 2019 we plan to do many more amazing things, task wise, but also days like the sailing, so keep a check on our accounts:

https://www.facebook.com/If-Assistance-Dogs-Could-Talk-J-196064361187829/

https://twitter.com/AliNorfolkEDSUK

https://www.instagram.com/assistance_dog_meadow/

I have been so honoured to be placed with a dog from Canine Partners and work with them through the training course; just the same as the Cats Protection to know them over the years and the support they have given. I now have a wonderful household which works in harmony.

Those two and half years were well worth waiting for, and that time was spent preparing my cat with reading dog stories too.

Social Media

Hi there, we don't blog much these days due to the access to a laptop, and the app crashes constantly.
But if you want to want to keep up with what we are doing awareness wise, please find us on instagram and facebook

instagram: assistance_dog_meadow

facebook: If Assistance Dogs Could Talk - J

Assistance Dog Day

Briefly before attending the event which nicely coincided with Assistance Dog Day, we went for a lovely walk down by the canal. So picturesque; and ultra jealous that people have this wonderful place right on their doorstep. Its so accessible, great open space, pubs on the canal, exercise....... just one problem they don't seem to like fuel garages around this area to the assistance dog event area - nearly ran out fuel. Was so concerned.

We met at the training centre where they were holding an event for Assistance Dog Day, and My dog met his brother who he hadnt seen since they were 8 weeks old; thats over two years ago!

We met so many lovely people, and had a lovely  day; being part of the Assistance Dog crew is awesome in that way.

Assistance dogs improve the quality of life for countless people who live with disability or illness, and a special day celebrates these four-legged friends every year. Assistance Dog Day recognises and honours assistance dogs, their trainers; and anyone involved in the stage to getting to being partnered.

Also aims to raise funds and increase awareness of the work they do. It is part of International Assistance Dog Week, a yearly event started by long-time paraplegic, Marcie Davis. There are many different kinds of assistance dogs, from the well-known guide dogs and hearing alert dogs that help people with vision and hearing loss, to lesser-known helpers like seizure alert and medical alert dogs that can recognise the signs of heart attacks, strokes and epilepsy; and those that assist with a range of disability needs creating independence. 

A range of events are held to celebrate Assistance Dog Day, including dog shows, sponsored dog walks, talks and dog graduation ceremonies. Many assistance dog training facilities hold open days and tours on this day to show the work that they do.

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/assistance-dog-day/

Wonderful Wandlebury

What a day!
Well it started off terribly with my Assistance dog being very concerned, but thats not to be included in this blog. This is to be about about the wonderful Wandlebury that we discovered.
We were passing by and saw a brown tourist sign for Wandlebury; as in a place of countryside.
Decided to discover it, and so glad we did. What an amazing place.

Free parking for blue badge holders, or if not set pricing for type of vehicle, can easily spend half a day there, plenty of woodland/fields/hills/huts to discover; no cafe on site.

I'd definitely recommend if your in the area.

Wet Dog

Today we went for a walk to the river, I love this place, such an ideal spot for a spot of sniffing the grass, hedges and where feet have been. But best of all is all the play mates I find when I get to go in the river; which is more like a stream with access into it by a muddy slope.

Today was best of all though, my human owner came in with me and paddled with me up to her knees to get to the middle huge boulder; and 'set up camp' there. We took a snappy there, I made sure my human owner was as wet as me by the time we left; would of been rude to not include her:

We took a lovely one of us together also, but not for public viewing.

Once we got home, Human owner made me all wet once again; I had just started to dry again. With a thing called a shower. How dare she?! Although I was very good and stood very patiently for her to rub in my oatmeal shampoo, and rinse it all out; then I had a comb too. I love having a pamper.

But there was that wet dog smell again.

Its part of summer when you live in the countryside, right?