Posts Tagged: service dog

Just Trying to Do My Job

Posted March 11, 2024 | Aiden the Service Dog

Many people who observe me with my handler, Christy, notice I keep my eye on her. A lot of people comment that I only do it for the treats from the pouch she wears.

Yes, I love food, but the purpose of giving me treats is to keep “Sustained Focus on the Handler.” When I keep my eyes on Christy, I’m focused and I get a reward, but rewards are limited to a certain amount per day.

When I alert Christy to a low blood sugar and I’m correct, I get the high-value treats.

I love those treats so much; I try to get them by pretending to alert. But Christy knows I am a foody because Labradors love food, and she tells me, “Let’s check” for an immediate blood sugar result.

If I’m wrong, she will give me one regular kibble and say, “ten minutes,” since my nose is faster than a continuous glucose monitor, and her blood sugar could drop that quickly.

When ten minutes pass, and she hasn’t dropped, it’s obvious I was just looking for a treat. It’s a process both of us have been highly trained on and strictly follow. It helps keep me in line.

Is that legal?

So, we visited a new doctor’s office and as we checked in, the receptionist asked if Christy had a dog with her and proceeded to tell her she had to leave.

Did you know there is only one question that can be asked of the service dog’s handler? “What work or task is the dog trained to perform?” Anything else is illegal.

Unfortunately, Christy had to educate the new office and hopefully there will be no repercussions. All this because people try to pass their pets as service animals.

If you sign up for Christy’s newsletter, you will receive a list of how to identify imposter service dogs. Plus, you’ll learn lots more about the important role service dogs play and how to spot the real ones in this article on a veterinarian’s website, AtlanticVetSeattle.com. Christy was quoted in the article, and I’m the “cover dog!”

If you think being a service dog is an easy job, think again. My job may be to keep focused and alert, but Christy’s job is to educate and sometimes that is indeed harder than mine.

Making Friends With Snoopy

Posted September 25, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

I’m an easy-going kind of dog. I travel well. In fact, I fit under the seat of an airplane like carry-on luggage.

Well, I’m in the middle of another big trip adventure.

After taking a walk through a long airport called Dallas and finding the relief station, we got on another airplane, where I had a long nap.

When we finally landed in Santa Rosa, the smells became familiar. My ears perked up because I knew where we were! Things got even more familiar as I recognized a famous dog, but he couldn’t play and was larger than his pictures make him out to be.

He showed me his house, but I didn’t climb on top to hang out with him.

Apparently, this famous dog’s master lived here for many years and created lots of things called comic strips.

Christy loves Snoopy because he’s a writer, too.

Of course, I had to smile for a photo with a bronze-smelling statue of two of his friends before we moved onward to the next adventure in our travels.

What is a Time Zone?

Posted September 5, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

Here we go again! Yes, I love adventure and that usually means traveling.

So here I am in an airplane flying to California to be with family for a special day called “a wedding.”

The trouble with flying isn’t that it gets us there quickly. The trouble is with something I don’t understand. Time zones. Apparently, we crossed a couple of them while in the sky. Of course, you know I can’t tell time. I have talked about this problem before.

I keep my eye on Christy, hoping she is aware that no matter what time zone we have crossed, I have a schedule to keep.

I knew something had changed as my tummy rumbled and Christy didn’t feed me right away. I watched Grandma Kit peeling carrots – one of my favorite treats – but she didn’t feed me.

When I finally got my dinner, Christy apologized. She was doing her best to keep me on schedule while dealing with time.

Food is not the only issue I have to deal with; this time zone crossing thing is exhausting!

Why I’m Called Captain Slurpsalot

Posted August 28, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

Once upon a time I was born and raised to become an official Guide Dog for the Blind.

Things were going really well until they discovered a personality trait that could not be changed. You see, a guide dog for the blind must maintain focus and pass the tests with 100% accuracy.

Although I was very good, I loved to give kisses.

Along with those kisses came the clicking sound of my teeth clacking together, making me sound like I was biting. This is a character trait that caused me to be career changed. I went into training for Dogs for Diabetics and was nicknamed Crock.

I confess. I love to slurp. I can’t help myself. I love to give kisses. It’s my way of letting people know I like them.

I admit it can be annoying to some, but not to Mom. She loves it. She has put on my collar a tag that gives fair warning to those I meet.

It seems to be how people identify me. Those who know me give me more nicknames, like Captain Slurpsalot, or Crockadile, or Sir Licksalot.

I don’t mind the names, and I give kisses whenever I’m allowed. I guess that’s why Mom was given this sign that now hangs in our house’s entryway.

Come and visit and I’ll greet you with a slurp.

What’s a Gender Reveal?

Posted August 21, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

I’ve seen a lot of things and enjoyed many events, but this one is a doggy first.

We arrived at our church fellowship night when a lady whispered in Mom’s ear.  A few minutes later, Mom hung a wooden sign around my neck. It felt awkward, but I am a go-with-the-flow kind of dog.

We stayed hidden until the “scavenger hunt” for baby gender clues had finished. Everyone seemed perplexed and lost at the misleading clues until I walked over to the new expectant mom as she read the board.

Reading the sign made her so happy. If she had a tail, it would be wagging very fast.

I have said before that dogs can’t read, but whatever the sign said, I’m glad I was the one who got to deliver the good news.

Mom got excited recently about a new panda place where we had to stop for lunch.

I met another big furry creature walking up and down the sidewalk as the restaurant was celebrating a grand opening.

It was a very hot day and I think this furry friend could have used some water. But he was kind enough to let me sniff him. My nose tells me he is not a real panda bear. What do you think?

New Friends and Interesting Creatures

Posted June 5, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

Last month Mom had an author spot at the Iris Fair in Greeneville, Tennessee. It was another adventure where I was able to meet and greet interesting characters, young and old.

This sweet lady had a talking bird on her arm.

She cracked me up with some ‘punny’ jokes. I wondered if her arm got tired holding a bird of that size.

The fun thing about going to these fairs is I have made a few friends and got to slurp them once again. These beautiful young ladies brought a new friend too, Miss East Tennessee 2023 (she’s in the middle).

You can read my blog post, “Beauties and the Beast,” about these beauties.

Pirates wandered everywhere. Mom says they were advertising a Renaissance Faire, whatever that means. I just know they made growling sounds but were very friendly.

Then I met some maidens who were waiting for something, I bet they were waiting for a treat.

Apparently, they work together at the Renaissance thing. I looked it up online and you can find info about the Faire here.

My favorite was this big furry guy that smelled like trees.

Zeke is Tusculum University’s mascot because he’s a pioneer and that’s their team name. We were there in April at Author’s Row.

Mom says he looks a lot like Davy Crocket, a historical figure who lived in our area. I don’t care who he looked like, he smelled good and I gave him a welcome slurp.

It’s My Birthday!

Posted April 24, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

As a diabetic alert dog, time is something I don’t understand. But apparently, I have walked through another human year and turn eight years old.

I love birthdays.

I know the sound of the song well. In fact, when I am in the company of someone who is having a birthday and the song is sung, my ears perk up.

I look around for the treats I am about to eat, but only get a regular kibble from Mom. Oh, well. I’m never disappointed when I get something from the treat bag.

Everyone says I’m getting old because I have some grey whiskers showing up on my chin. But most people think my brindle coloring is me turning grey.

Mom politely tells people it’s a rare genetic defect that gives me the look of muddy or grey paws and face.

Mom has a genetic defect too. But she quickly tells them it’s to her benefit since I’m extremely handsome because of it.

The thing about birthdays is, I get something called presents. Mom doesn’t wrap them up like she would for humans because I am not a destructive dog. I could never tear up paper or even de-stuff a toy, for that matter.

I live with an older small dog who would, and he will steal my new toys, but that’s for another story.

Until then, I’m going to enjoy this birthday thing and hope it lasts a long time.

A Little Rubber Disc and Ducks

Posted February 6, 2023 | Aiden the Service Dog

Recently I traveled to California, where Aunt Cindy took us to a hockey game.

I recognized the smells from the last time I visited.

From where we sat, I could barely see the rubber toy the players flung about on the ice below.

They were celebrating Chinese New Year with a party for the fans outside, where I sneaked in a kiss or two on some sweet cheerleaders.

In-between playtime periods, Mom introduced me to some over-the-top fans. One smelled suspiciously like my Uncle Rex, aka, Towel Man, complete with blinking lights.

Besides lots of people at this huge place, there were also ducks at this game, but I didn’t smell any feathers.

So Many Santas (A Service Dog’s Perspective on Christmas)

Posted December 26, 2022 | Aiden the Service Dog

I really enjoyed my Christmas season, exploring new places and meeting new friends and people everywhere I went with Christy.

My nose has been working overtime, smelling the scents of the season. Everywhere we have gone, I’ve met Santa Claus. The first place was at the mall.

Santa is a very nice man that I sniffed very closely and found to smell like cologne and candy canes.

Christy and I explored downtown Morristown and its variety of specialty shops and local businesses. Outside one of the shops, I met Santa again.

He smelled different from when I met him in the mall. His face was younger looking, and his beard smelled of synthetic fibers and aftershave.

Mom and I walked across the street to a bookstore. In the window I found the real reason for Christmas.

It is no wonder the Santas I met smelled differently. They were actors, portraying a mythical man. But as I sat in front of the bookstore window’s display, Mom gave me a treat and said, “This is why we celebrate Christmas.”

I wagged my tail as my doggy heart agreed.

Knead These Donuts

Posted November 28, 2022 | Aiden the Service Dog

It’s the time of year for sweet treats and I’m looking forward to having a few myself. Of course, they are the kind of treats a dog can eat. No people treats for me.

One day Mom and I visited a donut shop near us that has been voted the best one in our area for a few years, according to a poll taken by the local newspaper. It’s called Knead Donuts.

A sign on the door displays the shop’s hours from opening until they run out.

From what I hear, they are on high demand and sell out quickly.

I’m on a strict diet to stay in shape and there are rules a service dog must follow like ‘no table scraps.’ That’s okay, though. I get plenty of awesome duck jerky when I correctly alert my mom to a low blood sugar.

But today, Knead Donuts gave me a doggy donut.

I’m certain we’ll return to this dog-friendly shop for more tasty treats.