Canine Partners for Life

As you may remember, I am on the (seemingly endless) waiting-list for a service dog. The organization I am working with is called Canine Partners for Life. The only thing that makes me feel better about how long and excruciating this wait is, is knowing that I’m waiting for something great and that as I’m waiting, K9P is getting better at training and matching dogs.

Learning about this process has been such a joy. It started in August of 2015. I researched many organizations that worked with alert dogs and choose K9P because they had the best reputation, highest success rate, friendliest staff and alums and community, and a great structure to their organization.

Training dogs can be difficult and training them to do tasks for people with disabilities is an art. K9P provides and sustains professionally trained service and companion dogs by using positive reinforcement. They train their dogs to meet the specific needs of individuals and the environments in which they are living.

I completed my application and sat for an interview, when my time on the clock started. I have been on the waiting list for a year now.

During this time, there isn’t much that I can do. However, I can learn more about the process and prepare for the long-awaited phone call.

One of the components with K9P that has stood out the most to me has been their endurance in relationship-building. They focus on establishing a lifetime bond between dog and graduate, as well as with the companion team and the K9P staff. They’ve developed a comprehensive program of follow-up training and support services to ensure each team’s success in achieving their goals. Wellness checks and dog-updates are a mandatory component of the program and the K9P staff works with graduates long after their initial training.

This is how I’ve learned the most about K9P. I’ve been attending “Graduate Support Classes” to observe and learn from the newly graduated companions. CPL also offers graduate support classes twice a month at our campus.  The classes are led by our training staff and offer the opportunity for our teams to practice their skills and share with other graduates. “Applicants,” such as myself can sit in on these classes to learn about the process and ask questions. The best part of this experience is that while I’m there, I am paired with a dog who is still in training and not yet paired with an applicant. I’m not sure if this is the staff’s way of gaging how I work with dogs or learning which dogs bond well with me, and I’m not sure if my attendance makes it easier for them to find me a match or moves the process along any faster, but at the very least, it is interesting and fun.

The classes last about two hours and consist of a warm up conversation where everyone introduces themselves and then graduates bring up concerns they’ve had or issues they’ve faced lately. Then, the training staff leads the graduates through a few training exercises and tasks. Applicants get to sit and watch this part of the class with the dog that’s been paired with them for the day.

I’ve been with Trapper and Hawkeye.

Me and Trapper

Me loving on Trapper

Trapper was a big-pawed black lab with a huge nose. He loved to rub his nose against me and wanted my mom to pet him so badly. As with any other service dog, the dogs paired with us for the day are not allowed to interact with anyone else. Unfortunately for my mom, petting Trapper was not allowed. Trapper listened very well and laid at my feet during most of the class. He was snuggly and docile, though you could tell he had a puppy heart. He wasn’t as curious or energetic as many labs I’ve met, but he was young and playful and adorable.

Then, I was paired with Hawkeye. Hawkeye was a bit less docile than Trapper. He was a yellow lab and had a fixation on the blanket of the dog sitting next to us. Throughout the first part of the class, Hawkeye kept standing up and walking over to the blanket. He laid down and snuggled the other dog, who didn’t seem to mind. Hawkeye would listen to my commands to “sit” and lay “down” if I could catch his attention long enough to give him the command. During the portion of the class where applicants watch along the sidelines, Hawkeye told me he had to use the bathroom. So we went outside and he immediately went. Upon returning, Hawkeye was much more calm and ready to lay down.

 

Hawkeye listening to me

Hawkeye watching the class intently

Both dogs were young and sweet and eager to learn. They had great attention to their companion (me, at the time), however fleeting that attention may be.

I’ve been very moved by the stories I’ve read and heard about from K9P. In fact, this week, a documentary about K9P first cardiac alert dog, has been airing around the area.  I haven’t seen it yet and, to be honest, I’m nervous about how it will make me feel. Thinking about having a partner through all of this has been so exciting and emotional. Throughout my daily routine I’m constantly concerned about fainting and hurting myself. I know that the worrying affects my family as well. I know that, at least with my current condition, moving out or away from my family is completely out of the question. I know that pursuing a graduate program is not a possibility until I can find a way to live independently. That’s where K9P comes in. If I could have a partner there to help keep me safe, I may finally feel like every other 22 year old, with a world full of possibilities ahead, instead of a chronically tired and anxious girl who sees a world full of sharp edges and hard surfaces.

Here’s to another 1-2 years on the waiting-list!