More Than Just a Pet
Everyday when I get home from school I always have a cheerful face and a wagging tail to greet me. Whether I am walking home from the bus stop on a beautiful, sunny day or coming home crying at 11 o’clock at night being over-tired and overwhelmed from my busy schedule, she is always there. She plays with me when I want to play, she cuddles with me when I am tired, she listens to me when I need someone to talk to and no one wants to listen. I can’t imagine my life without her. If I didn’t have my dog in my life I would be a completely different person. A much more unhappy person.
Aside from being my friend, my dog has also acted as our homes security system. When I was younger, I would ask my mom why my friends had alarms on their doors and we don’t have any on ours she would tell me not to worry. She said that if someone were to come up to our front door and try to break in, they would hear barking, and they would move on to the house next door.
This has always stuck with me and comforted me.
And my dogs vicious sounding bark has proven to scare people. A lot. One night my brother had a friend over to watch t.v. with our family. The moment that he came up the front porch steps my dog began to bark. He came inside and she barked. He sat down on the couch and she barked. It wasn’t until he had been sitting in our house for about fifteen minutes that she finally stopped barking, and even then, she never let her guard down. She laid down right next to my brother’s friend and stared at him and every time he moved, she barked.
My dog has changed my life for the better by being a friend that I can always count on to be by my side, and by always making me feel safe. Many other people feel this way as well, but their dogs don’t always help them in the same way that my dog helps me. On top of being a companion, dogs can also provide many services that can often be live saving.
Diabetes:
Many people let their disabilities hold them back, but not twenty-six year old Kyle Cochran. Kyle has loved climbing ever since he was a little kid and was excited to tryout for the show “American Ninja Warrior,” where he could test his climbing skills in a series of difficult obstacle courses. But Kyle wasn’t like all of the other competitors, he had diabetes. With the help of his dog, LeeLoo, he was able to still do what he loved, on and off of the “American Ninja Warrior” courses.
LeeLoo, a Labrador Retriever — Whippet mix, was able to help Kyle through the struggles of being a type one diabetic and an athlete. Since it is very easy for Kyle’s blood sugar levels to change drastically while he is exercising, LeeLoo’s job is to alert Kyle when she senses a change.
Kyle was able to train LeeLoo on his own using a book his dad found for him on the internet. He took swabs of his saliva when his blood sugar was low and when it was high and froze them. Kyle then had LeeLoo smell them and then he would give her a treat. After showing her the swabs, he taught he to alert him when she smells the swabs, teaching her to lie down when she smells low blood sugar, and put her paw on his knee when she smells high blood sugar.
Not only does LeeLoo alert Kyle when he is training, but she even alerts him if his blood sugar levels change when he is asleep. Having LeeLoo by his side allows Kyle to live his life normally without having to worry as much about his health.
Guiding Eyes and Hearing Ears:
Many dogs can also act as a person’s eyes and ears if theirs don’t work properly. This allows for people with these sorts of disabilities to live a much safer, and easier life.
Hearing Ear dogs are not as common as Guiding Eye dogs, but just as important. Hearing Ear dogs can learn to respond to signals made through a persons voice or hands. They are trained to then make physical contact with their owner to the source of the sound so that they know where it is coming from.
Having a Hearing Ear dog can often be a life saver. If there is a fire, especially during the night, deaf people can not hear the smoke alarm going off. In this case, the dog will pull at their clothing in order to alert them that there is danger and lead them out of the house. Hearing Ear dogs can also alert their owners if they hear people near their house to allow their owners to feel safer and more aware of what is going on in and out of their home.
Guiding Eye dogs can do similar things for people who are blind. They can lead their owners around and keep them on a direct route without being distracted by things that most dogs are easily distracted by. By doing things like directing their owners in the right direction, it allows their owners to live an easier life.
One very important thing that Guiding Eye dogs do is disobey their owner if they are in a dangerous situation that the owner may not be aware of. If the owner tells the dogs to move forward when they are walking on the street, but there is a car coming, the dog will not cross. This is called “Selective Disobedience” and is one of the most important things that guide dogs do for their owners.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
There are also service dogs that can comfort people who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a very common disorder that affects many people who come back home after fighting in wars. These people can be provided with a “Battle Buddy.” The Battle Buddy Foundation is an organization that helps pair trained dogs with veterans who have PTSD.
“Battle Buddies” are trained to do many things to help alleviate some of the stress that comes with having PTSD. One job that many Battle Buddies have is to wake their owner if they are having nightmares. If the Battle Buddy sees the signs of a nightmare, the dog will jump on the bed and lay on him or her or lick his or her face until the person wakes up. Another job that Battle Buddies have is called posting. This is when their dog sits behind the owner and watches behind their back in public places so that the owner doesn’t have to worry as much about what is behind him.
Therapy Dogs:
Therapy in hospitals is another helpful service that dogs can provide people with. Therapy Dogs International (TDI) is one organization that helps people in hospitals by training dogs to comfort them.
There are many different jobs that dogs in hospitals can preform. Some patients enjoy seeing the dogs because it reminds them of their dog at home. Being able to have a dog in their hospital room can cheer them up and allow them to start conversations with the dog’s handler about their own dog, which can cheer them up as well. Sometimes, therapy dogs sit in the lobby so that visitors can pet them before going into the hospital rooms. If patients are waiting to have surgery done, or are depressed, or just haven’t had someone visit them in while and are feeling lonely, a therapy dog can cheer them up and make the often gloomy hospital setting a little brighter.
Having a dog is a big responsibility, but one of the best decisions I have made in my lifetime. Whether it is for health related issues or just because you want to have a furry shoulder to lean on, dogs can provide you with many services for their whole life and memories to last for all of yours.
They are more than just a pet.
They are life changers.
