15 Months since Shiloh Retired

It has been fifteen months since Shiloh retired.I was focused on adjusting to life without a service dog again, and was so busy and tired I did not have it in me to write. I had to hire a human personal assistant again and cut things out of my schedule simply because there wasn't energy for it. It has been a long 15 months full of change.Leslie and Gwen started a new job and moved to Washington. Ten months after she retired I received a call from Summit for an assessment day which is something they do when the trainers need more information about you and your disability or they think they may have a dog somewhere in the ranks for you. 13 months after Shiloh retired I decided to take a new job and move to back Washington.   

Upcoming series on Retirement

Shilo retired on August 17th after five years, 10 months and 2 days of partnership with me. Making the decision to retire a service dog is never easy even if there is an undeniable reason such as failing health driving the human partner to the decision. I am working on a series of post about Shilo's retirement to help people understand this all too little discussed inevitable phase of life with service dogs which will include topics:

1. Timeline to Retirement
2. Signs a Service Dog Needs to Retire
3. Preparing for Your Dog's Retirement
4. Celebrating your Partnership
5. To Re-Partner or Not? Deciding whether a Service Dog is still right for you.

Also in the series will be stories from Shilo's retirement:

• Shilo's Last Trip- Vegas Baby!
• Shilo's Retirement Party
• Shilo's Last Day Working
• Shilo's Retired Life

Ending the Way We Began

On Friday September 21, 2012 I started my day with a flurry of calls from my parents, which could only mean that something big was wrong. Little did I know when I returned the call just how big. You see in my family animals are just as important as the people. I called my parents back and found out Bastien wouldn't or couldn't get up, so they we taking him to the vet ASAP. As usual my parents put me on speaker phone so that Bastien could hear my voice, as soon as her heard me call Bastien... Bastioni-Macoroni he was on his feet. I could hear the relief in my father's voice that he was up; maybe it wouldn't be too bad. 

Less than hours later I got a call back from my mom. Bastien has cancer; it's bad- wrapped around his intestines. The vet wanted to end things then and there. There was nothing to be done. My mom, always having been my fiercest advocate that I knew my own mind and body gave my Bastien no less respect. She said "this dog will tell us when he is done, as he has many times before." She left vet's office with a week's worth of pain meds and called me with the awful news. I promptly planned with my best friend, Leslie, to get everything in order for mad dash to Washington. I knew I would know what was in store for my baby boy.

I walked into my parents place and knew the instant I set eyes on him he was not long for this world. Due to a massively bad allergy season he had lost about half the fur on his body, and while the skin had healed thanks to my mom's diligent nursing the fur just could not recover. Even in such a state, he go up to come greet me, Leslie and Shilo before we could get over to him. As usual he knew Grammy (my mom) had set out a fruit and vegetable tray and he wanted his share! So I laid on the floor with him stroking, and doing puppy massage until he purred (yes some dogs do purr with delight). I don't know how long I was on the floor, but we we there for a while. I shared the last bite of each fruit or vegetable I had from the tray., and just as he always had Bastien waited patiently for his bite taking whatever I offered gently.  He didn't care what it was if it was fruit or veggie and I was offering he was eating! We shared squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

I knew as I drove the four hours up, I was going up to see for myself and to say goodbye. I didn't want to even risk that he might suffer just so I could get there say goodbye. Bastien die on Monday September 24, 2012. The world has lost a happy go lucky, mischievous, wicked smart dog who never met a person or dog he didn't think was his best friend. Me, I lost my kindred spirit in a dog suit who outlasted 3 jobs, two boyfriends, saw me through my 20's, saved me from the utter confusion/depression that was what to do after college- afterall, to that point my whole life had been about college. He was the best ambassador and travel companion ever accompanying me to more than half the states and four countries over his career. He taught me patience and the true meaning of consistency. He was always up for a party and finding interesting ways to solve any thing that got in the way of fun. He loved snow and snowballs. Bastien thank you for it all, even the sad parts.

  

Caring for an Elderly Dog - Age is Often Mistaken as a Symptom of a Treatable Illness - Whole Dog Journal Article

Aaron Epstein’s 14-year-old Australian Shepherd-mix, Sam, was losing weight and his appetite wasn’t the same. “I just thought he was getting old because in addition to not eating with the same vigor, he was slowing down a bit, wasn’t able to walk as far, and sleeping a little too much,” Epstein recalls. The once 45-pound dog had shed close to 15 pounds -30 percent of his body weight -before concerned friends could convince a reluctant Epstein to get Sam to the veterinarian for an exam and blood work, both long overdue.
Caring for an Elderly Dog - Age is Often Mistaken as a Symptom of a Treatable Illness - Whole Dog Journal Article

Taylor & Francis Online :: “Not just a dog”: an attachment perspective on relationships with assistance dogs - Attachment & Human Development - Volume 13, Issue 5

Taylor & Francis Online :: “Not just a dog”: an attachment perspective on relationships with assistance dogs - Attachment & Human Development - Volume 13, Issue 5

 We explored individuals' relationships with an assistance dog from an attachment-theory perspective. We used both inductive and deductive thematic methods to analyze semi-structured interviews with 25 participants who had lost an assistance dog to retirement or death. Analyses revealed attachment processes of safe haven, secure base, and separation anxiety. Although attachment dynamics were an important feature of these relationships, caregiving was equally important. When confronted with the loss of their dog, almost all participants experienced intense grief. Most grief responses were consistent with the loss of a caregiving relationship. Findings suggest that grief is a natural response to the loss of a beloved companion who fulfilled fundamental needs for attachment and caregiving.

News: Vida and Old Age

Retirement of a service dog.. The dog's eye view,

by Jill Sweet

Jill tells me that when she is out with Moses, some people get a concerned look on their face and then they ask her if I am still around. Yes, I am still here. To prove it, I am writing this week's column. The theme of my column is "getting old is a real B _ _ _ _ !!!" And I don't mean a female dog.Read More

News: Service Dogs - Why Do Some Quit on the Job?

In January, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine quietly embarked on an important new study to investigate a curious phenomenon: trained service dogs suddenly quitting early on in the job for no apparent reason. Until now, the issue had not been examined.

"We're studying seeing-eye dogs and a population of assistance dogs to try to find out why they don't seem to want to do it anymore," the study's lead researcher, Dr. James Serpell, tells Paw Nation. "They just seem to stop working, meaning they stop doing what they're trained to do." Read More

Dean Koontz and Trixie Retired CCI Service Dog

Recently Dean Koontz was a guest on Petlife Radio's show Oh behave. The Koontz's dog Trixie was a retired Canine Companions for Independence Service Dog. She went on to write three books with her master "Life is Good: Lessons in Joyful Living", "Christmas is Good" and "Bliss to You" with all proceeds from the books supporting the work of Trixie's alma mater Canine Companions for Independence. Visitors can also read the archives of Trixie's Monthly Column. Trixie's second career as a columnist goes to show that some dogs just love to work no matter the task at hand.

Settling into retirement

As I wait for news of my next dog, I went up to visit my parents this weekend. This of course meant I would see Bastien. Retiring him was, without a doubt, one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Bastien, being a dog is incapable of lying to spare my feelings. Something I often wonder is if we humans do more to spare our own feelings than anyone else's. As soon as I walked in the door, Bastien showed me I had made the right decision sending him to proverbial Florida – aka my parents house. No sooner than I was in the door he laid claimed to me and would not let the other dogs even greet me. I knew I had made the right choice in sending him there. It would have been a total mystery and complete betrayal to our relationship for me to have begun to work a new dog. He also would have most likely interfered – just as he does with the other dogs greeting me -- in the new dog's ability to work.

Since I retired him, every time I come to visit he is given the option of sleeping with me. In this too he showed me he was happy in his situation. Each time I visited previously he had chosen to stay with me. This time he walked me to bed and as I got in he looked at me, wagged his tail, and turned to follow the others out. Earlier that evening he was happy to sit with me and even showed me that he still remembered those odd games we used to play. I dropped my cell phone and he immediately dove under my chair and retrieved it! I was so proud of him; I made quite the fuss over it. A little while later I needed a water bottle and his response was “I played the game once, I am done for now.”

While I do not know what my new partner with bring into my life or what I will bring to theirs; I know I will continue to partner with these dogs for as long as can provide them with the care hey need. Much of how my partnership with Bastien has changed my life has only revealed its true depth in the clarity that comes with hindsight.

Applying for a Successor Service dog

I thought I would share with everyone what the process of applying for Summit Assistance Dogs has been like for me. I finally had made the decision to complete and mail in the application. Truth be told I had completed most of it a few months earlier, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish the final essay on why I wanted a service dog. Finally, in November with much travel looming in the first part of 2008 I decided that the best time for me to officially retire Bastien would be Christmas --I know what a present to myself. I really wanted to make sure I had time to take him and all of his things up to my mom's and get him settled in.


I had to fill out the form complete with contact information for my vet, groomer, and any trainers I had worked with in the past. I also needed a form from my doctor. Finally, I had to get two letters of personal reference from people who are not my family. I also needed the $35 application fee. I sent the application off and Bastien and I proceeded to leave on our last trip together. We spent a week in San Antonio attending the American Council of Foreign Language Teachers, which had an attendance of nearly 7,000 people. During our time there Summit made their first call to me;however, since I was in San Antonio they spoke to my sister/roommate who gave them a lot of much needed details about me and my lifestyle. When I returned they called again to schedule my first assessment, which would take place over two days in Anacortes, Wa. My assessment would be in January, since neither the weather or the holidays made earlier possible. Summit has only seven staff and many, many volunteers.

What kind of dog is that?

Ever since I rescued Bastien from the Seattle Humane Society people have wanted to know what kind of dog he is. Originally, the shelter has him classed as a Newfoundland mix (which was what I was looking for), we believed the other part to be Australian Shepherd. Over the years we have come to believe that he is an English Shepherd. These dogs are not for first time dog owners and must have a job. If you don't given them work they will create their own! Bastien in his retirement has taken to freeing my mother's house of vermin, keeping the peace between all the dogs, and become the office dog for my father's business.

The Process of Retirement

Retiring Bastien was a long process mostly because that's the way I needed it to be. I remember the process of choosing him though to today, and I know my life and the person I am has been forever changed by having him in my life.

I knew Bastien needed to retire. I had known he would have to retire fairly young as working dogs go since when I saw his hip x-rays at two years old. I asked the vet if I should retire him then and there. He asked me about the kind of work I would be using Bastien for and after giving him a detailed list the vet felt the work would not hurt him. He did ask me if I understood that his working life would be shorter and that I might not be able to ask him to do certain tasks. He also pointed out I would have to watch for signs that his hips were deteriorating. I started him on glucosomine and chrondroitin and fish oil supplements. For many years these supple allowed him to work and play with little sign of the the bad hips underneath all that fur. The last two years I had him with me, it slowly became apparent that what I was doing was no long enough to allow him work happily starting with more easily overdoing it during romps at the dog park. Overtime, it morphed into an out and out refusal to do certain thing or maintain some positions. I can remember filling out the application to Summit Assistance Dogs with tears in my eyes and Bastien snoring at my feet. Bastien is my twenties, outlasting and sticking with me through three jobs, three apartments, three moves and a boyfriend. I still find myself giving the "wait" command at curbs or talking to him and he is not there. I do feel silly but these are hard habits to break. December 27th I packed Bastien and all of his things (he has a lot of things) to move him to my mom's.

Why I re-homed Bastien

Many people can't understand how I could give Bastien up. The answer is simple: it was the best thing for him. Bastien has always had me to himself and never spent more than a few hours alone. It was completely unfair to expect that he could understand why I was going with another dog and not him. Furthermore, he had always been reluctant about sharing my affection with other dogs. He was never aggressive, but always made it clear I was his and that was that. He will not even allow me to train other dogs without the world's loudest hissy fit. The need to re-home is not always an automatic. It depends on the working dog in question. For Bastien it is the right thing. I visit him regularly and hound my parents regarding his care (also a hard habit to give up). He is very happy in his retirement and is always showing my parents how smart he is.

Sorry for my long absence

Hi all,
I began this blog with good intentions of keeping you all posted throughout the process of retiring Bastien, the furry love of my life. While I knew the process would be difficult, I don't think one can ever prepare for giving up a life partner of seven and a half years. I have now been living without Bastien for six months and am deep in the process of getting a new partner. I am also struggling to learn to let Bastien be and enjoy his retirement.