Dog as Copilot’s Starlight Navigator

A new puppy, a new post.

I’ve not wanted to write anything worth posting because reasons, but I feel that I need to tell the story of how I got a new puppy when I didn’t even mean to.

Gypsy died 368 days ago.  It was hard.  It still is hard.  I went a little nuts after she passed and considered committing to so many dogs, but all of them were just not right and eventually I made some better decisions and came to accept that she was gone and I couldn’t fill the hole she left with any other dog.  I focused on Becky and we played at all the sports and bonded and we healed some together.

So I wasn’t really looking for me.  In fact, I attended an adoption event as a volunteer.  My job was to talk with clients about the dog they were adopting and offer training advice. So I arrived the night before the event to meet to the dogs. There were a total of 65 dogs and I probably met 35 of them that night in the course of about two hours. I have a few clients that I’m looking for dogs for, so I had that in the back of my mind while I was working.

The evaluation I was using was a abbreviated modification of the one I use to evaluate service dog candidates.  That test can take quite some time, but I needed to meet each dog and do a quick assessment in two or three minutes. I met a pair of puppies together and started on the assessment.  One of the pups just kept going, pushing me to do more and more of the evaluation.  Finally I threw my keys on the ground. Her sister jumped and backed away, this little girl turned, looked at the keys, picked them up and brought them back to me.

SOLD.

I asked one of the other volunteers what her name was because I wanted to adopt her for my program. ( I have a client right now waiting for the right service dog prospect and I thought she would be a match.)

Get this. The rescue named her Gypsy.

Gypsy.

At that point there was no way I wasn’t bringing this baby home.

I called my client and told her that I had a potential match. She had some reservations (size, breed, generally not what she wanted) but I promised pictures and she promised names. I called my family and announced that I would be coming home with a dog.  They mostly sighed and agreed that I could do no less.

I shared her picture and story with some close friends and The Name Wizard™ suggested the registered name Dog as Copilot’s Starlight Navigator with the call name “Vagabond” shortened to Vega. The long name was perfect. The shortened name was okay. We called her Vega for the first few days and then her potential match chose the name “Violet.” That was a little closer, but in my heart of hearts, I felt her name was “Doodle Bug.”

We made the trip to visit her potential match and she decided she wasn’t the right fit and I was THRILLED. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to be wrong about a match. I had been holding back for the time that I had her, even thought I knew that she was right for me.

I’m not really into signs and portents, but even I know when the world is shouting at me that something is right. So please make Doodle Bug welcome to the family. She will be my starlight navigator and I honestly have no idea what she’s going to grow up to become, but I’m here for the journey with her and I’m sure she will show me the way.

Gypsy Ridge-Face – a life story

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May 5th, 2004 is the day I estimate that Gypsy was born.  It was an easy date to remember about 9 weeks before she came to me.  She came to me in the afternoon of July 12th, 2004 as part of a larger transport of dogs coming north through VA.  I was living in Manassas, VA at the time and I agreed to look after her for a few days while her new family sorted themselves out.

That new family fell through and little Gypsy with her knowing looks and sassy ways forced her way into my heart and into my life.  By the time 2005 had rolled around with the loss of my Grandmother and my first service dog Toby, Gypsy had made it clear that she was here to stay and that she was very much in charge of everything.  She would force me to take her out and train her. She would NOT take no for an answer.

She went everywhere with me after Toby died, as I had gotten used to always having a dog with me.  One day on my way home from work, I had an accident and flipped my car over.  Gypsy, Boogie, and Dundee were all in the car.  Everyone was okay, but the windows busted open so Gypsy and Boogie were able to get out of the car and run away.  I managed to follow them and called out for Gypsy to ‘place’ which is her emergency stop/down cue.  Gypsy laid right down on the double yellow line and looked back at me.  She then recalled and let me put her on a leash.  I was able to move her and Dundee off to the side of the road, and we did recover Boogie safely later that same night.  Gypsy was completely unflappable.  It took two days for her to recover from the fright of the car flipping and be okay with riding in the car again, but ever since they she insists on ridding in the car on the floorboards behind the drivers seat.  I think because it kept her from sliding around.

She came along to work with me at the pet resort and spent her first several months playing in daycare while I worked.  Everyone at work adored her, but sadly that wasn’t enough for me to keep my job there.  Due to my general depression and my struggle with my mental health my work deteriorated and they were forced to let me go.  I am endlessly lucky because I had Gypsy by my side, and my parents agreed to let me move back home.

I moved back to CT and Gypsy kept an eye on me.  She forced me up to take her out several times a day, and she continually encouraged me to wait for the next dawn.  I can honestly say if I did not have her in that time, there is no way in hell I would still be here today.  She saw me at my darkest, and loved me with every fiber of her being.  Never once did she ask me for explanations or excuses.  She just kept loving me and encouraging me to put one foot in front of another.

In that time I kept working at her training and eventually I convinced my family to understand what she was to me.  My parents took me on a few family vacations and Gypsy was by my side as a service dog the whole time.  It took some work on my part to help them understand and to for myself to understand just what that meant.  When my father came to understand, he told me in his own way just how proud he was of us for what we had accomplished. My mom, as always, was mildly baffled that her girl child acted as I do, but loved and supported and did her best to understand me all the same.  She really is the best mother a girl could have, and the best Grandmother a dog could have, too.

Gypsy was her loving unflappable self the entire time.

A few years later Gypsy was found to have some arthritic changes to her knees that were concerning.  We started her on Adequan and glucosamine and that made a big difference.  Her vet (and orthopedic specialist) recommended that I reduce her workload, but continue to work her part time as long as she was willing and seemed to be pain free.

I talked with my family about what that would mean for Gypsy and for myself and they agreed that I could get a second dog with the stipulation that the second dog would be a service dog who could take some of the load off of Gypsy.  I got a little aussie pup named Dusty who proved to be a lover and so super sensitive to my needs that he began plucking the fur from his front paws. Gypsy tolerated him and would sometimes bite him when he was being a jerk.

Next I found Billy, a 3 year old smooth collie who Gypsy told me was perfect.  She met him and instead of snapping at him and being a grumpy old herding dog female (ahem no swearing) she flirted with him and gave him kisses.  I’m not sure she ever really snapped at him, even when he took bones from her.

Gypsy settled into a wonderful life of only having to work when she wanted to and being treated like the queen she knew she always would be.

As Billy and Gypsy aged, I began to look for a successor dog and found Charlie who’s tale is told in these pages.  Then it became clear that Billy no longer wanted to work.  I couldn’t have two retired dogs kicking around in a house I’m still a guest in, so I reached out to his breeder who was so happy to have him come back after he did so much for me.  So it was just Gypsy and me when I heard from Becky’s breeder and it was Gypsy that escorted me to go pick her up.

That was her last real working trip.  Gypsy got to go on a few more trips without having to work after that, of course and she had a grand old time being fussed over by all of her fans. She was grudgingly coming to like Becky too and only put two small bite holes into her when she was being a bit too obnoxious for Gypsy’s tastes.

But now. Now Gypsy is 13 years old and her kidneys are failing and she’s slowly slipping away from me day by day.  I am writing this story about her past so others can come to know what an amazing, wonderful, magical, perfect companion she has been to me over the years.  Gypsy has touched many, many people in her long life.  I want to invite all those who have loved her as I have loved her to come and say their last goodbyes now, while she can still enjoy them.  Gypsy loves her fans and it would bring her joy to see those she has connected with again.

I will not let Gypsy suffer.  I want her last weeks on this planet to be full of sunshine, love and all the treats she can eat.  Please respect the pain her family is in knowing that she is not going to be around much longer.  I have consulted with multiple vets and she is on pain meds and a special diet to help keep her as comfortable as possible.  We have done all there is to do and we will continue to consult with her vets about her ongoing health to ensure that she is as comfortable as possible.

Dog as Copilot’s Gipsy Danger

A little over a week ago I flew out to Wabasha, MN where, with some help, I selected a dog who will hopefully grow up to be my next service dog.

It was amazing getting to finally meet the breeder I have been talking with for almost a year, and to see and meet her dogs.  I can honestly say that if my puppy is anything like her father, I will be totally blessed.

We spent hours getting to know each of the five girls in the litter using CARAT to score each dog so we could get an idea of each of their strengths and weaknesses.  At some point soon I will get more into CARAT and what an awesome tool it is.  Once we evaluated the pups, it was clear I had two choices.

You can click on each one to look closer.  The cream poodle on the left is light blue collar, and the brindle on the right is yellow collar.  The cool thing about the CARAT scoring system is that each score is neither good nor bad.  A dog that is suitable for sporting has a very different profile than a dog that is suitable for police work, who has a very different profile than a dog who is suitable for service work.

“In CARAT, the components are rated on a 9 point scale ranging from -4 to +4 with the center point of 0. Each point on the scale has an operational definition.The scale is laid out on a left-to-right basis. We talk about dogs being “left shift” (-) or “right shift” (+) in terms of which way they are moving off the balanced, functional midpoint.

“The left shift (-) is a tendency towards inhibition, passive, suppression and/or avoidant behavior.

“The right shift (+)is a tendency toward activation, irritation, excitability and/or aggression.

“The midpoint – 0 – is functional, highly adaptable to a multitude of situations, has greater tolerance to a wide range of influences and stimuli.” (CARAT Intro)

So a dog who is blind would score -4, while a dog who is hyper aware of visual input to the point of being unable to process other information would score +4.  It is very rare for a dog to score on the extremes of behavior, but most dogs have some left or right shifts across the board.

The last three points on the bottom of the score sheet are scored 1 through 5 with 1 being weak and 5 being strong.

While either of these pups could be suitable for service work, one of them has better structure, and is a better match to my training style.   We let the pups all come out and play after testing and during that time I was able to hold and handle yellow collar and light blue collar. I knew as soon as I held her, that light blue collar was Becky.  She’s everything I was looking for in a puppy, and she’s a total snuggle bug to boot!

So welcome to the family Dog as Copilot’s Gipsy Danger, known to her friends as Becky.

So why the fancy name?  Two things.  One, Gypsy has been my partner, my friend, my copilot, and my heart for many many years, and while I hope she will be with me for years to come, she absolutely MUST retire soon.  I hope that giving Becky a little bit of Gypsy to carry with her, she would find the strength and heart to step into her pawprints.

The second thing has to do with what Gipsy Danger is.  Have you seen the movie Pacific Rim? In that movie there are large monster killing machines called Jaegers.  Jaegers require two pilots, joined mind to mind, to drive them.  One of the Jaegers, Gipsy Danger, was driven by two brothers with the last name Becket, hence Becky.

Becky has been home with me for a full week, and I am so in love with this beautiful girl.  I hope that she will be my partner for a very long time to come.

The Cost of Owner Training

So often I hear from people that they are making the choice to owner train because they simply cannot afford to purchase a fully trained dog from a professional trainer or service dog organization.  Granted most of these groups charge between $3,000 and $15,000 which is a steep payout for anyone on a limited income, but they are not really charging anything more than the amount they had to cover to purchase or breed a dog, raise it, feed it, house it, and train it.  If you choose to owner train, you will be soaking that cost yourself, and you may or may not end up at the end with a dog that can be called a service dog.

I’ve had a run of really really bad luck when it comes to my owner training journey.  I selected a number of dog who I thought I was picking out well, but really I selected dogs who did not prove out.

Dusty was a wonderful puppy but he was too intense for service work.  He would pluck the fur from his paws due to stress caused not only by public access training, but also by his inability to always fix what was wrong with me.  He would alert to anything that even mildly stressed me, and couldn’t seem to handle it that I couldn’t always end the stressor.  According to his adoptive family, the only time they see this behavior is when one of them is sick or recovering from surgery for more than a few days at a time.

Billy is an amazing dog, in his own way, but he cannot work in some important places like shopping centers.  I rarely go grocery shopping now and I haven’t been out to the mall in more than two years.  He simply cannot handle that environment.

 

And then there is Charlie.  Charlie was so perfect it hurts.  He is built well, bred well, has the perfect temperament, and he loves learning. One accident, and $20,000 later, he didn’t pass his medical evaluation and had to be washed out.

Cost for Dusty: $2,665
Purchase Price: $900
Total Vet Fees for 2 years: $740
Equipment: $420
Puppy Social Class: $125
Food for 2 years: $480

Cost for Billy: $1,140
Purchase Price: FREE
Total Vet Fees for first year: $120
Clearance X-Rays: FREE
Equipment: $780
Food for 1 year: $240

Cost for Charlie: $2,960
Purchase Price: $900
Shipping: $225
Total Vet Fees (not including the accident): $545
Clearance X-Rays: $650
Equipment: $600
Food (foster home mostly paid for his food): $40

The average cost for each of these examples is $2,255 and all I’m looking at is the out of pocket cost at this point. Your costs may vary depending on where you live and local veterinary costs as well as what kind of food you are feeding. I have been lucky with my local vets and they have offered me a discount for my service dogs and prospects.

For each of these dogs I spent far more than the 120 recommend hours training them.  Based on my training journals I estimate I spent 250 hours of formal training time on Dusty and Charlie and about 175 on Billy.  If I were to pay myself $10.00 an hour for training that would ‘cost’ me $2,500 for each of the puppies and $1,750 for the adult dog.  Realistically a service dog trainer earns on average $17.50 an hour. Which ups that price tag to $4,375 for the puppies and $3,062.50 for the adult dog.

But what if I wasn’t a skilled dog trainer already, or what if I come up against a problem I can’t solve because I’m in the middle of it and not an impartial observer?  Then I will need to hire a skilled trainer to help me. Consultation fees are usually between $75 and $200 for an hour.  I can expect to pay between $300 and $1,000 to an outside trainer for each dog I work with that comes up against a problem.

Each year I attend at least two conferences related to dog training or service dogs. Should I include this cost in my expense chart? How about the hours and hours I have spent learning about dog training and practicing my trade?

So this really is an expensive proposition.  And the thing that is the hardest to swallow, is that of the three examples I listed, ONE became a PART TIME working dog, the other two both washed out.

So how much will Becky cost? So far: $4,102
Purchase price: $1,500
Travel to evaluate the litter and pick out my pup: $1,677
CARAT testing: $750 (discounted due to my involvement with the program)
Shipping to bring Becky home: $125 (she’s riding as a carry on pet)
Vet fee for Shipping clearance: $50

Costs going forward: $4,745 for the approximate time of training.
Initial Vet Visit: $175
Follow up Vaccines x4: $200
1 year old Vet Visit: $175
2 year old Vet Visit: $175
Genetic testing: $400
Clearance X-Rays: $650
Flea/Tick Prevention (Seresto): $45/year
Heart Worm Prevention (Sentinel): $75/year
Puppy Social Class: $125
Food: $50/month ($1,200 for 2 years)
Insurance: $45/month ($1,080 for 2 years)
Equipment: $325 balance harness purchased when she’s 2 years old

Of course all this is not one big pay out.  This is all over time.  I’ve been saving for quite some time for the initial costs of getting Becky, and the future costs are factored into my budget so it’s a pay as I go situation.

If you are paying attention, my budget for Becky is four times what I’ve spent in the past for service dog candidates during their training period.  Why? Because I have better access to better care and knowledge now.  I am hoping that by using such care in picking out my puppy, one of four, that I’ll get the best puppy possible and have a better chance of succeeding with Becky and finally having a full time working dog that I can rely on.

The bottom line to this post is that, quite frankly, you are not saving any money and taking on more risk by owner training your service dog.  Unless you are super skilled, super lucky, or supported by a very skilled and knowledgeable service dog trainer, plan to have to wash out, or early retire at least one of your service dog prospects. Why then would you want to put yourself through this?

I am going to quote myself:

“My dog came to me with no skills or abilities.  I taught her how to behave around people, in public, in stores and malls and play parks.  I taught her valuable skills to help me cope with my disabilities.  I MADE my cute little pup into a skilled, willing, able, loving, supportive, friendly service dog.  She is my independence, my hope to take back my life and to LIVE.  She is my PRIDE.

Nothing is more valuable to me then that, NOTHING.”

 

The Next Copilot

One week from today I will be flying out to Minnesota to make one of the most important decisions I have ever made for Dog as Copilot.  I have to pick between these four beautiful poodle puppies and decide which one will be my service dog candidate.

Light Blue Collar Cream Female

Purple Collar Phantom Female

Red Collar Cream Female

Yellow Collar Brindle Female

This little girl will hopefully grow up to be my service dog, and, if she proves out, may become the foundation bitch for Dog as Copilot. That’s a whole lot of pressure for one tiny puppy.

To make sure I’m making the best decision possible (and that I’m not just falling in love with a pile of fluff, which, to be honest is super easy to do when you are presented with four adorable poodle puppies) I am taking along an expert in observing and identifying traits in dogs.  She uses a method that I am a mere student of called CARAT.  Learn More Here She has worked for a guide dog school and used CARAT there in both puppies and in-for-training adolescent dogs.  I trust her to have a light hand with these puppies and help me identify a puppy that has the right temperament for me and what I want to accomplish with her.

This little girl already has a name.  Becky.  I’ll wait to reveal her registered name until after I know which of the four she is.

I owe it to Becky to make a few promises to her now:

• Becky, I promise to support you as you learn about this big scary world.
• Becky, I promise to ensure you always have the best medical care full stop.
• Becky, I promise to let you enjoy your time as a puppy.
• Becky, I promise to celebrate each accomplishment with you.
• Becky, I promise to let perceived failures pass without criticism.
• Becky, I promise to love you always.
• Becky, I promise to always consider your welfare first in all my decisions about you.
• Becky, I promise to never put my own need for a service dog before your welfare.
• Becky, I promise to never push you beyond your ability to cope and learn.
• Becky, I promise to provide you with the opportunity to grow into the best dog you can be.
• Becky, I promise to always always honor your dogness.
• Becky, I promise to see you as the beautiful gift you are.
• Becky, I promise to value you as yourself, and not in comparison to others.

I hope that I can keep all these promises to that tiny little bit of fluff.  I can’t wait to see her grow.

Looking for a Home for Charlie

Thank you for your interest in Charlie.  We have received well over 30 applications and we are slowly processing them.  We want to ensure that Charlie gets the best home possible so we will be calling for phone interviews and home visits soon.  We will no longer be accepting applications. 

Charlie is a 16 month old neutered male Standard Poodle.  He was in training to become a service dog, but due to an injury received, he has to be removed from the program for medical reasons. I would like to keep Charlie local to CT, but I will send him further for the right situation.

Charlie would be suitable  for most homes, but he would especially thrive with children and other dogs.  We do not know how he would be with a cat, but he has shown curiosity without malice in his brief interaction with felines. Because of Charlie’s hips he is not a good candidate for high impact sports or jogging.  Charlie can handle normal dog exercise like walks, running around in a fenced area, or low impact sports like Obedience and Rally-O.

Charlie has had substantial training as a service dog, and could work for someone as an in-home only service dog.  I would prefer to find placement for him where he can use his training, like working as a facility dog, or a therapy dog.  I will be careful here because I want to ensure that he will be physically capable of doing the job his new owner has in mind.

Long term care for Charlie will be fairly simple.  He has some simple physical therapy exercises that should continue in his new home and his vet recommends that we start him on a glucosamine supplement when he gets a bit older.  He should always be kept on the lighter side of his weight range to reduce stress on his hip joints.  We have had the pins removed so he should not require any more surgeries.

Charlie knows all his basic commands and loose leash walking, has started retrieval work and off leash training.

Thank you for your interest in Charlie.  We have received well over 30 applications and we are slowly processing them.  We want to ensure that Charlie gets the best home possible so we will be calling for phone interviews and home visits soon.  We will no longer be accepting applications. 

Charlie

I’ve been having a very hard time writing this post.  On Tuesday March 3rd, I brought Charlie to his vet for his final set of x-rays that would show us how well he healed up and give us a good idea of what level of work he would be able to do.  The results where not at all what I hoped for.

You can see that his right hip (the one with the pins in it) healed very well.  The pins have moved a little and at least one has passed from the bone into the cartilage.  This can be causing him pain and may cause trouble in the future so those pins have to be removed.  It’s a good tight hip that will work well in the future.  The problem is with his left hip (the good hip).  Because Charlie was mostly weight bearing on the left side while he recovered, it caused the socket of his hip joint to flatten and created more laxity in the joint. Basically there isn’t a lot of bone keeping his hip joint stable.  If you are an experienced orthopedist and you look really closely you can already see signs of bilateral osteoarthritis.

I’ve had several vets and other people who know hips look at these x-rays and everyone sees the problem almost immediately. There are differing opinions about Charlie’s ability to do the jobs that I need.  His surgeon told me that he’s probably not feeling anything painful at the moment beyond twinges from the pins, but if he was pushed, we would start seeing signs of pain by the time he turns three.  He would probably have to retire before he was six.

Based on everything I know and what I feel is right and best for my working dogs, I have made the decision not to work Charlie as a service dog, and find him a placement where he could work in home with someone, or be a very well trained, and very loved pet.

My heart is breaking, but I know this will be the right choice for Charlie.  He will be able to live a long life as free from pain as possible.  He goes in for his surgery to remove the pins on Monday. I’m going to get him through recovery and finish up some training with him, and when he’s ready I’ll start looking for a home for him.

I haven’t given up on a service dog for myself, and I’m certainly not giving up on Dog as Copilot. I’m already starting to talk to breeders about getting another puppy.  I am looking for another standard poodle.

Physical Therapy

Today Charlie started his physical therapy for his leg. During his physical exam it was discovered that his right thigh is three inches smaller in circumference than his left, which is not surprising, considering he has been heavily favoring it for the better part of three weeks.  He also has some stiffness in his upper back, from having to move differently.  We have some exercises to do at home every day to help with this. 

They did his first treatment today, of three different therapies, and he will get the same each time he goes, twice a week for five weeks to start with.  After that we will see if he needs more.  The three therapies were Laser Treatments, Balance Work, and Underwater Treadmill walking. 

The laser was used on his lower back and both legs, as well as his upper back, where he was showing stiffness during the physical exam.  Laser therapy has been proven to work well to loosen scar tissue, relax muscles, and promote healing.  

After the laser, Charlie got to try out some balance work on a balance board. He did really was and was completely fearless about the whole thing.  He was more interested in looking at himself in the mirror than in anything else. 

Next he got to try out the underwater treadmill.  He only went at a slow walking pace, but he did very well and caught on really quickly.  Mostly he was annoyed that his paws were wet. 

One of the best parts about today is that Charlie did all these new things willingly, and with good spirit, without a single treat!  Charlie has a bad belly and is on a restricted diet for the next 24 hours, so I couldn’t give him anything special, just pets and praise.  I am so impressed with this puppy. He’s fearless, smart, and willing, and that’s half of being an excellent service dog. 

Starting tomorrow, Charlie will have at home physical therapy every day he doesn’t go to Wizard of Paws.  For now it’s easy stuff like puppy squats (sit to stand), weight shifting, and walking backwards.  These are also things that will help him learn back end awareness and fits nicely with some of the things he will have to learn for his future as a working dog. 

In other good news, and for those of you who are curious, Charlie still enjoys going for car rides.  He happily jumps in, stays very relaxed, and quite frequently falls asleep in the car.

Charlie’s Recovery: The first two weeks.

It’s been 15 days since the accident where Charlie got injured.  12 days since his surgery.  I am happy to report that Charlie, Dani, Kim, and MacLeod are all healing well.  Dani, Kim, and MacLeod came out to visit just a few days ago and see how Charlie was getting on. This was the first time Dani got to see Charlie since the accident.  We would have liked to get a picture of everyone together, but Charlie is at a stage in his recovery where he needs to be kept calm and quite.  That’s quite hard already with a bouncy poodle puppy, adding another dog would be more than Charlie could handle right now.  We promise to get everyone together when Charlie can have a good romp with other dogs, and we can convince Kim to let someone else take the picture 😀

Charlie has been on strict crate rest.  This is very hard for such a bouncy happy puppy like Charlie.  For about the first week he was fairly sedated with all the pain medication he was on, but the second week has been hard.  We have four other dogs here and everyone in the house works, so we have been playing shuffle games with dogs and time to make sure that Charlie is getting all the care and love that he requires.  On days when I go to the office, we have one of my co workers from Sarah’s Pet Sitting come by to feed him lunch and take him out, and on days when I’m doing pet sitting, Charlie gets the whole afternoon with me. 

Charlie mostly chooses to lay down where there are soft things on the ground and nommy things to chew on.  He’s in his cone unless I can directly supervise him because he’s very sneaky about trying to lick his incision. After the first week where Charlie did a whole lot of not much, we started some very light physical therapy.  I massage his whole leg and lower back, and then very gently flex his leg, moving all the joints for their full range of motion. For the most part Charlie LOVES massage time.  He will groan and sigh and stretch his full body out as far as it will go.  I think we will probably do lots of massage his whole life, he likes it so much.  He doesn’t seem to care one way or the other about the range of motion stuff.  He lets me do it, and doesn’t appear painful at all, but he doesn’t seem to enjoy it either. 

On Monday Charlie will get his skin staples out and be given a good exam by his surgeon.  At that point we will find out more about physical therapy.  Charlie will be going to Wizard of Paws in Colchester for it.  I hear they are one of the best in the area.

Outside he is almost always sling walked, but today we made an exception so I could get some pictures of him.  He isn’t supposed to walk for more than  a few minutes at a time, so I had to be quick and careful. 

Charlie’s Not so Great Adventure A.K.A. OWCH!

Charlie resting on his cushions, and taking a nap.

Sometime around 2am Friday morning, Charlie was involved in a car accident during a combined trip and training session. Everyone involved, dogs and humans alike, is alive and recovering. I will recount parts of the story here, so please stop reading now if reading about a severe car accident would be troubling.  All the gory/scary parts will be over by the x-ray pictures, so you can pick up there if you want to know more.

My partner in Dog as Copilot, Kim Moran, was watching Charlie while Jackie and I were on vacation. One of the things I asked her to work on was ‘tuck it tight’ a command that teaches a service dog to curl up in a small area for transport, like on a plane or bus. We typically will train dogs to do this in the front passenger side footwell.  Dani, Kim’s life partner, was rewarding Charlie for laying calmly in the correct place. When the accident happened, Charlie and Dani were both injured badly.

There was a dark car stopped in the middle lane of the highway, with no lights. Kim was unable to stop in time, and they rear-ended the stranded car.  Dani, believing the car was on fire, opened the door to get out of the car, and both Charlie, and MacLeod (Dani’s service dog) attempted to bolt.  MacLeod was not injured at all and was more interested in making sure Dani was okay, but Charlie was understandably terrified and Dani had to hang on to him to keep him from running into traffic.  We found out later that Dani had a fractured collar bone, so I am still amazed that she managed to hold on for so long.

Two unnamed truckers rendered aid on the scene and got Kim to turn the car off, preventing an actual fire, and moved their trucks to block to highway to prevent anyone else from getting hit or hurt.  This enabled Kim to finally get the dogs from Dani and move them to the side of the highway, out of harm’s way, while the paramedics saw to Dani.

Kim refused to leave the scene and join Dani in getting treatment at the hospital until someone agreed to take Charlie and MacLeod to the e-vet. Charlie was shocky at the scene and I firmly believe that Kim saved his life by advocating for him and getting him transport to the e-vet. The cops on the scene were going to bring the dogs to a local animal shelter and let it all get sorted out later. Eventually Kim managed to convince one of the police officers to drive about thirty minutes out of the way to bring Charlie and MacLeod to Katonah Bedford Vet Center.

Charlie’s hip before surgery.

Charlie had contusions to his lungs and some internal bleeding. He needed immediate attention and the e-vet kept him stable, but was unable to do more to treat him until I could be contacted.  Julee Paine and Liz Bossoli both began trying to contact me as soon as Kim realized I could not be reached by normal means. Because I was camping and both Scotty and I had uncharged cellphones, I wouldn’t end up being notified until 6:00 am, though I did have a whopping 106 missed calls, 4 voice mail messages, an email and several facebook messages.  Before they finally got me on the phone, Kim’s family put down the deposits and signed off on getting Charlie treated.

I spoke with Dr. Joyce Wagner, DVM and she told me that he was stable, but he would need intensive care for a few days to make sure he was out of danger. She also began to address his other injury.  Charlie had fractured his right femoral head. It was a clean fracture and he was determined to be a good candidate for surgery, once he was stable.  At first she offered an FHO or a Femoral Head Ostiotomy, which is a surgery where they remove the ball part of the ball and socket joint and set the femur right into a pocket of muscle to create a false joint.  This surgery is often used on dogs who have hip dysplasia and dogs with this false joint live pain free lives, but are generally not able to do the type of work a service dog is expected to do.  Having this surgery done would be my last resort to make Charlie comfortable and pain free, before he was released to a pet home.

I explained to Dr. Wagner about my hopes for Charlie’s future and once she understood the type of work he would be expected to do she began to do some research for me and reached out to other vets to figure out a better option for Charlie. She found Dr. Matthew Palmisano, DVM, DACVS, who is an expert in hip surgeries and replacements.  Dr. Palmisano suggested that we bring Charlie to his clinic so he could review the case and determine the best course for surgery.

Charlie’s hip after surgery.

I transported Charlie to the VCA Veterinary Referral Emergency Center about 4 pm on Friday. He was showing signs of recovery at that point from the bruised lungs and internal bleeding and it had completely resolved by Sunday afternoon.  Monday morning Dr. Palmisano and his team pinned Charlie’s leg back together. They placed three pins and it all went very well.

Earlier today (Tuesday) I went to pick Charlie up.  The surgeon told me that Charlie should have about 2 or 3 weeks downtime with simple at home physical therapy, then after his staples come out he can start more intensive PT. We will do about two months of PT with a recheck about 6 weeks out from surgery for x-rays to make sure everything is holding well. He anticipates full bone recovery by the 6 week mark and total recovery within two and a half to three months post op.

Our hope is that Charlie will continue to and develop a strong hip joint with normal function.  We will be working with Dr. Debbie Gross of Wizard of Paws Physical Rehabilitation for Animals for Charlie’s PT.

The biggest problem we face now is paying for all of this.  There is a chance that, eventually, after some legal wrangling, we can be recompensed by the insurance company.   I can’t count on that because Charlie needs help and supportive care right now.  He will need physical therapy and return checks with the vet to ensure everything is healing right, so I am going to reach out, and ask for help covering the bills.

Current Costs ($7,211.75)
Katonah Bedford – $1,962.75
VCA Norwalk – $5,249.00

Future Cost Estimates ($1,575 – $2,675)
Physical Therapy – $1,200 – $1,800
Follow Up Visits – $375 – $875

Grand Total could be anywhere from $8,786.75 to $9,886.75

I have started a GoFundMe page, in the hopes that the community might be able to help.  If you cannot give financially, please help by spreading the word.

http://www.gofundme.com/HelpCharliesHip