One day while at an appointment with my Doctor, I asked why he had a Golden Retriever as a practice pet? He replied “‘Johnson’ is not just a pet he provides therapy for some patients.” I then remembered how much I looked forward to talking with Johnson while he sat quietly listening to whatever I said to him.You see Johnson was trained as a guide dog which didn’t quite make through the training, because of a physical disability. Every patient who came to the practice would meet Johnson and we all got to share him with the Doctor’s family.
Thinking out loud, I asked “do you think that a dog like Johnson would be able to work with me and my disability.” Doctor said,“I have never thought about before, your disability is more neurological than physical.” “Does anyone in New South Wales train dogs to work with these types of illnesses?”
The research started I phoned the Dog training organisations and was told that the waiting list was very long, that a dog could be trained for work with me and no dog was available at this time. But they would not train a dog for an owner. I thought about asking others with assistance dogs about how their team was matched up, most had a breeder or trainer recommend a dog to satisfy those needs.
Shortly after this I did meet a wonderful family who breeds Golden Retrievers, they had Rebel, would I like to meet her? We had a great time meeting and talking about their dogs. We talked about how they socialize, train them. Most importantly all of their dogs have a Veterinarian check hips, heart, eyes and general health before they go to new homes. I could see how much these dogs are loved and cared for.
Rebel came and set beside me and watched everything that I did, when I spoke she listened. I took her for a short walk and she stayed at my side waiting for me to ask her to do whatever I needed. I told the breeder that I really liked Rebel and still needed to see some other dogs so that I could make the correct choice. I did see other dogs and breeders and found that Rebel would suit me best. I visited Rebel several more times before deciding.
The breeder told me that Rebel had decided that I was right for her. Rebel and I have been doing training with a really great training company. We have passed advanced road work and many other tasks. It has been interesting to learn from a trainer who understands how dogs think and learn. Watching how the trainer teaches through love, respect and patience, helps me learn and to live with my dog.
