Who knows, my doggie may actually be a great fit for the job. :)

Hello all, I hope you are having a lovely Sunday. I wanted to update you on what I have decided to do thus far regarding the panic attacks. Since it costs so much to acquire one through a program, I have decided to train my own. As some of you may already know, my papillon/ pomerinian mix Luke Bryan is very friendly and full of energy(did I mention full of energy lol), so I thought he would automatically be disqualified right off the block. However, I decided to give it a shot as it doesn't hurt to try things, and so far  I have been amazed by what has happened in just a little over a week. In just a little over a week, Luke has been real receptive to learning to sit and stay for periods of time even with distractions. He also has learned to give deep pressure therapy, to walk at my side(he still pulls at time, but the head halter has been helping him so much), to stop when I stop, and to focus on me even when someone else he knows is screaming his name. Today was the turning point when I realized that he might actually make it.

We were taking  nice afternoon walk down the busy sidewalk near my apartment, when something told me to drop the leash and tell him to stay in place. I know what you are thinking, that I am out of my mind. I would have thought the same myself, but I prayed and then I told him to sit and stay, while casually dropping the leash and walking a few steps away. To my amazement, he stayed despite cars going buy and people biking on the sidewalk. He didn't move until I gave him the correct command and he made sure that I was ready to walk before walking. If that is not God working I don't know what it is. :) So we decided to take it a step further and try it again on the bike path. Again he stayed despite people walking and children, and I was able to walk 10 feet away.  It was incredible! The last thing we tried was him heeling next to me without me holding the leash, and again he actually walked several feet next to me. I didn't want to overwhelm him, so I only did that for a few min. However, I never in a thousand years would have dreamed of him being off leash. Just a few months ago and even a few weeks ago, I would have thought he would have ran off.

I am very impressed with his progress this week and a half, and I hope he continues to do well. If for some reason he does wash out, as that is common with trying to find the ideal service dog, then I will adopt another young adult dog that will make it. I know no matter what God is in control and his will will be done. At the same time, it is so exciting to see my hyper dog learn to focus only on me and be so good! I am including the video links so you all can see for yourself ;). So ya, I am very excited for the future either way, and I will update you all again soon. Have a blessed night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG2tr2SY02Y

Luke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmH7IzA4eTc

When life decide's to throw you lemons, you make lemonade with your service dog right by your side

Hello everyone,

I hope you enjoyed reading my testimony blog post, and that it was able to feel encouraged and love by it. I love helping people out, and encouraging others makes me very happy. The Lord has blessed me a lot, and I love being able to use my life as a way to point people to Christ. I often enjoy helping others, but don't like asking others for help. However, this time it is out of my control. I have been battling with an illness for a while now, and have recently made the decision to get help for it. The illness is not life and death, thankfully, but it has been impacting my life more than I would like to admit. It is genetic, and it can be debilitating at times to the point where I cannot focus on a task I am doing and I began to feel disoriented. Sometimes it can take 30 minutes or longer before I am able to regain focus and recover. It has gotten worse this past year, so my doctor has recommended a service dog.

The dog can be trained to be able to detect when my body is about to have an episode, and to do tasks to make me recover quicker. As a dog lover, I was excited to find that a dog could literally be my best friend and help  me not be set back by the sudden, unexpected attacks that happen to my body. However, the costs of obtaining one is quite expensive and range from 7,000 to around 25,000. I am unable to afford that currently, so I am hoping to be able to fund raise and get the amount needed. I found a place that can train a dog  for 8,000, if I can get the funds within the next two months. It would be such a blessing if I could receive the money to get a service dog. I know some of you may be thinking "just train Luke". Well, I would have loved to make him my service dog, but he is not the correct temperament for one. He is just too hyper and submissive. So, I will need to have another dog trained for me. As for Luke, he will always be my baby and my pet :).

It would be a huge blessing if you could pray for me and that I get enough money to get the service dog I need. If you would like to donate the link is below. Every little bit counts and can make a difference. Also, even if you can't donate right now, please share my fundraiser link on Facebook and encourage your friends and family to do the same. I appreciate prayer and any donations received. Thank you all and God bless


https://www.youcaring.com/angelica-sweetness-517993