12 months together. 365 days. Go figure.
In honor of our 1-year anniversary, here are a few lists of 12 things about life with a service dog and and about Owen that I have learned along the way.
About living with a service dog...
1. People will stare at you, every time you go anywhere. Sometimes they try to disguise it, most of the time they will not.
2. Even though I will look people directly in the eye, majority of the time they will ask me if Owen is a "seeing-eye dog". I had one parent explain to her kids - as I was getting out of MY CAR - that Owen was a guide dog to help me see.
3. Strangers will think you're a walking, talking show-and-tell exhibit. Apparently walking around with a service dog entitles people to intimate details about my life. I'll share details about my neurological disorder with strangers in the middle of Target when they want to share the results of their last pap smear/prostate exam.
4. You will get to hear about everybody's dog that has died. And everybody who has a Labrador (which no matter what color, looks EXACTLY like Owen). And about everybody's dog. And everybody's dog who definitely has the right temperament to be a service dog. And everybody's friend who knew someone who had a dog...
5. Even with 3 signs on Owen that say DO NOT PET, people still ask to pet and try to sneak pets without you seeing. I think there must be fine print somewhere on the sign that says "this rule does not apply to you"...
6. In a town like mine, where I am the ONLY service dog team, I have to be cautious of how Owen and I act at all times out in public. It wouldn't be very hard for someone to find out where I worked. This means I have to keep the snark under wraps out in public (though I cannot be held responsible for what is said in the Starbucks line before I've had my coffee).
7. Everybody will stare at you. All the time. People will stalk you in stores and stop and stare open-mouthed at you. People will talk about you right in front of you, as if you aren't there.
8. Sometimes people will be angry with you for no reason. Like when you don't want to stand in the middle of a busy grocery store to talk to them. Or when you tell their toddler "no" while they look on, allowing their two-year-old to run up to the "doggy" and try to grab its tail.
9. Somehow, even with a 75-pound Labrador, you will scare people. You will be accused of being "sneaky". Because my big galumphing Labrador is "sneaky". The best is when you tell your service dog to "chill out" because "mom doesn't have time for this" and people think you're talking to a child.
10. People become incapable of talking to you about anything other than your service dog. I am so shocked in public when people ask me questions about me, that I don't even know how to appropriately answer them. 99.99% of my conversations with Owen go like this: "He is so cute." "Yes, he certainly thinks he is." "Oh, haha." And repeat.
11. People will stare at you. (Did I mention this already?) You will not be able to go anywhere without people staring; sometimes, they'll crawl under your table at a restaurant to see the "puppy".
12. Everyday is an adventure.
And about Owen...
1. Owen knows about 40 tasks and commands. He also knows the words "cute" and "handsome". If you use them in his presence he will turn on the charm. It's a con to get you to pay attention to him, try and resist. Otherwise you are falling right into his trap.
2. Owen has an attitude. When he doesn't get his way he will sulk. Sometimes I even get the silent treatment. He can only hold out for about 10 minutes before he caves, so I'm not too worried.
3. He has no shame. None. He will eat a textbook and leave the evidence on his bed. And not even look guilty about it.
4. Owen loves the airport. Like, a lot. To the point that, when we get to baggage claim, I don't even try to control his behavior. It doesn't matter if 10 people are meeting us in baggage claim, or if there is nobody there to meet us, Owen is a dork. You never know who you might find at an airport; he especially likes looking for my dad and will try to approach random guys who have my dad's same build/height in an airport (the last time we were in an airport, he was so frantically looking for my dad he had me convinced he was about to have a potty accident - he only wanted to see my dad, stinker held it until we got to my parent's house, an hour later).
5. Owen loves getting to work. After doing deep pressure therapy (his favorite), he races around the room with a goofy grin on his face, very proud of what he's done.
6. Owen loves watermelon.
7. While watermelon might be his favorite treat (that he's allowed to eat - popcorn would be the winner if he were allowed to eat it), everything on the floor has the potential to be edible, and if I'm not paying attention, he'll try it.
8. Everybody in the world has the potential to be a best friend. When I don't let him meet someone he wants to, it's like I'm standing in the way of the world's best friendship. See point #2.
9. When he is off-duty it is like he's never had a day of training in his life. When we go to the dog park he pretends like he doesn't know who I am (but if he loses sight of me, he panics and I have to call him over so he doesn't freak).
10. Owen thinks he's a 75-pound lap-dog, and he tries to convince me of this at least once a day.
11. Owen also thinks that my new, pillow-top, queen-sized bed is his bed and that he allows me to sleep in it every night instead of the other way around.
12. He finds some way to make me laugh every single day.
One year ago I had no idea what was in store. I didn't have a job lined up for this year, I hadn't written my thesis, I didn't know where I was going to be moving to or how I would get there. I couldn't imagine what life with a service dog would be like. Now, I couldn't imagine life without him.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
The Future
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the future of my blog. What I want to talk about, how often I should be writing... I have a slew of half-written posts, some that I may look at in the future, but most of which will probably never see the light of day.
The truth is, that I've been out living. I'm working full-time; Owen and I are at school most times 10+ hours a day. I'm using the weekends to rest, but I'm not crashing like I used to. My body is tired, but not exhausted. I'm not tied to my computer on the couch all day, I've taken on a lot of DIY projects. Most Saturdays I can be found in sweats and an old t-shirt, staining and painting and sanding away. I am planning what I want to put in my apartment to make it seem more like a home, instead of the sparse apartment I used to live in (I'm also wishing to move into a rented house sooner rather than later... if wishes were horses...) ;)
My teaching job consumes so much of my energy; planning lessons, trying to work my schedule around everyone else, and trying to teach to both IEP goals and district curriculum. It's a lot to juggle, and just as I think I've got it figured out, another curve ball gets thrown my way. I am so fortunate to have an amazing partner teacher who never seems to get frustrated with my endless questions and to have a very supportive team and administration. I try hard to not bring work home, I'd rather stay at school until 7 at night than take it home. Most nights when I get home, I can barely cook dinner before crashing on the couch. It's exhausting, and in some ways I feel like we should be much further than the 50-something-th day of school, but a lot of days I can't believe it's almost the holidays and I worry that I've wasted time with my kids.
I've been mildly irritated by many things lately, causing me to step farther away from the internet world. In September I stepped away from the Tourrette's facebook pages because I couldn't stand the things that were being posted. I've spoken about it before - the overwhelming majority of parents to adults with Tourette's, the hatred towards schools, the lack of understanding of disability culture, the endless searching for a cure as opposed to raising awareness - and my biggest pet peeve, persons without a disability fighting my fight for me. I'll be the first person to write about things I find offensive, but I try to do so in a calm, rational manner. When people pick fights over things that are [at best] mildly offensive, and they do so with vulgar language and let their emotions overrule their message, it puts people all people with Tourette's in a bad light, even if we aren't the ones making the comments.
I'm sick of seeing posts online of people bringing dogs out into public who have no business being there. It's not "cool" to have a disability, but apparently it's cool to bring dogs out into public pretending that you have a service dog. People who feed their pet dogs at restaurants, who allow their dogs to greet people, who carry their dogs or put them into grocery store carts, placing them well above the level of most food give service dogs a bad image - even if they aren't a service dog. It makes people question all service dogs in public, especially those whose handlers have invisible disabilities. I'm sick of being yelled at in public, of children screaming about the dog in the store, of people thinking that my service dog means I want to talk to strangers about intimate details of my life, of employees getting down on all fours calling out to my dog, of somehow scaring people when my 80-pound Labrador manages to "sneak up" on them... It makes going out incredibly frustrating at times.
My solution has been to have Owen accompany me most of the time, but not all. He goes with me to work all day every day. Some days he stays in my room all day while I go out and run around. Most days he's with me about 50 - 70% of my day. There are places I go at school that are just not reasonable for Owen to go with me, like PE with 70 1st graders. There are times where I'm called at my room to go get a kiddo because of behaviors, and I have to leave quickly - Owen stays those times. There are days where Owen is noticeably tired and when he pouts about having to leave my room - so if I'm feeling good enough to leave him, he can stay. Owen goes with me to the chiropractor and the grocery store for quick after-school runs. He doesn't go with me to get my nails done or to do my weekly grocery shopping run. A lot of thought went into that decision, but what it came down to was that it was taking over an hour and a half to go shopping at the giant store 5 mins up the road. I had to bring Owen with me because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to shop, but with Owen there, navigating the store was a nightmare. Now, I drive about 20 mins into Houston to go to Trader Joe's, which is such a small, easy-to-navigate store, that I don't bring Owen.
Now that Owen and I have been partnered up almost a year, I am understanding why the one year mark is typically a tough time for teams to get through. The director of our program identified two months, six months, and a year as troublesome times for teams - and teams who work with the program now must do followups at those points in time. Owen and I worked through the first two rough patches pretty well on our own. At about two months I finally stopped feeling panicked every minute of the day and started asserting myself more in our partnership, working more to having Owen actually assist me instead of just following me around. At the six month mark, Owen started testing the water, trying to see how far he could push the boundaries (this is who Owen is, and I love him for it). At each point in time, it was tough going for a while, and then it would get better. Looking back on it, I could see that we were at a new point in our partnership and were having to figure things out. I know the first year is the toughest, I just hope I'm not placing too much stock in this "one year" mark...
Unfortunately, the things I dislike about having a service dog aren't going to miraculously change on December 20th. I love Owen, he has given me back my independence and has allowed me to do things I had only dreamed of previously. But if you told me tomorrow I could trade him in for a healthy brain, I would.
I guess I'm lucky nobody is forcing me to make that choice.
While I love working full time (and finally earning a paycheck I can actually live on with minimal family support), I am more than ready for the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing my family for the first time in months, and I am looking forward to getting a small break from the daily craziness. Owen and I will be flying for the first time since May to visit my parents over Thanksgiving - and I am trying very hard not to get worked up about flying. Before Owen, I was so anxious over flying that I had to be medicated just to get on an airplane. After getting Owen, we traveled so frequently that I never really had time to get stressed out about it because we were constantly on the move. I've enjoyed not flying and traveling, but I wish we were a bit more in-practice. Luckily, my dad has upgraded Owen and I on both our Thanksgiving and winter holiday flights, so I don't have to worry about having enough room for Owen. And we are flying United the entire time; they are great about Owen and the only problem I've ever had with them was Owen not fitting on a small plane (and the attendants were great about it and helped move passengers around so we fit).
I have also not been talking about my weight loss journey. It's not because I have bad news; it's because I have no news. My weight has fluctuated between 245 and 247 since I started teaching. Considering I have not been active except for the [very] occasional walk, and I have not had the best eating habits since the school year started, I'm happy with my weight staying right where it is. Over the holidays I'm going to work on getting my medication dosage (for insulin resistance) back where it is supposed to be (the pills make me very sick initially, so I stopped taking them during school hours - which is bad, I know). Next semester, I want to focus on becoming more active - even if it just means a walk once or twice a week after school with Owen. With those things combined, and keeping an eye on my carb intake, I'm not too concerned about my weight. Obviously, I wish it were better - but I keep reminding myself that I used to weigh 274 pounds, and wear a size 22... And then I feel a little better about not having gained any weight this year.
For the future of my blog, I am going to try and focus on one post a week. I know there will be weeks I don't post at all, but I do not want to let months go by without posts anymore. I am considering a series of posts about service dog etiquette as well as terminology (like the difference between a service dog, a therapy dog, and an emotional support animal) as well as addressing the growing problem of fake/untrained service dogs and "certification". I also want to write about disability; my thoughts on the Tourette's culture and community and how it impacts my daily life (as well as how disability has impacted my personality, opinions, and life choices).
And of course, I will be continuing to write about my partner-in-crime and our adventures together. Now to begin planning how we will celebrate our one-year partnership!
The truth is, that I've been out living. I'm working full-time; Owen and I are at school most times 10+ hours a day. I'm using the weekends to rest, but I'm not crashing like I used to. My body is tired, but not exhausted. I'm not tied to my computer on the couch all day, I've taken on a lot of DIY projects. Most Saturdays I can be found in sweats and an old t-shirt, staining and painting and sanding away. I am planning what I want to put in my apartment to make it seem more like a home, instead of the sparse apartment I used to live in (I'm also wishing to move into a rented house sooner rather than later... if wishes were horses...) ;)
My teaching job consumes so much of my energy; planning lessons, trying to work my schedule around everyone else, and trying to teach to both IEP goals and district curriculum. It's a lot to juggle, and just as I think I've got it figured out, another curve ball gets thrown my way. I am so fortunate to have an amazing partner teacher who never seems to get frustrated with my endless questions and to have a very supportive team and administration. I try hard to not bring work home, I'd rather stay at school until 7 at night than take it home. Most nights when I get home, I can barely cook dinner before crashing on the couch. It's exhausting, and in some ways I feel like we should be much further than the 50-something-th day of school, but a lot of days I can't believe it's almost the holidays and I worry that I've wasted time with my kids.
I've been mildly irritated by many things lately, causing me to step farther away from the internet world. In September I stepped away from the Tourrette's facebook pages because I couldn't stand the things that were being posted. I've spoken about it before - the overwhelming majority of parents to adults with Tourette's, the hatred towards schools, the lack of understanding of disability culture, the endless searching for a cure as opposed to raising awareness - and my biggest pet peeve, persons without a disability fighting my fight for me. I'll be the first person to write about things I find offensive, but I try to do so in a calm, rational manner. When people pick fights over things that are [at best] mildly offensive, and they do so with vulgar language and let their emotions overrule their message, it puts people all people with Tourette's in a bad light, even if we aren't the ones making the comments.
I'm sick of seeing posts online of people bringing dogs out into public who have no business being there. It's not "cool" to have a disability, but apparently it's cool to bring dogs out into public pretending that you have a service dog. People who feed their pet dogs at restaurants, who allow their dogs to greet people, who carry their dogs or put them into grocery store carts, placing them well above the level of most food give service dogs a bad image - even if they aren't a service dog. It makes people question all service dogs in public, especially those whose handlers have invisible disabilities. I'm sick of being yelled at in public, of children screaming about the dog in the store, of people thinking that my service dog means I want to talk to strangers about intimate details of my life, of employees getting down on all fours calling out to my dog, of somehow scaring people when my 80-pound Labrador manages to "sneak up" on them... It makes going out incredibly frustrating at times.
My solution has been to have Owen accompany me most of the time, but not all. He goes with me to work all day every day. Some days he stays in my room all day while I go out and run around. Most days he's with me about 50 - 70% of my day. There are places I go at school that are just not reasonable for Owen to go with me, like PE with 70 1st graders. There are times where I'm called at my room to go get a kiddo because of behaviors, and I have to leave quickly - Owen stays those times. There are days where Owen is noticeably tired and when he pouts about having to leave my room - so if I'm feeling good enough to leave him, he can stay. Owen goes with me to the chiropractor and the grocery store for quick after-school runs. He doesn't go with me to get my nails done or to do my weekly grocery shopping run. A lot of thought went into that decision, but what it came down to was that it was taking over an hour and a half to go shopping at the giant store 5 mins up the road. I had to bring Owen with me because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to shop, but with Owen there, navigating the store was a nightmare. Now, I drive about 20 mins into Houston to go to Trader Joe's, which is such a small, easy-to-navigate store, that I don't bring Owen.
Now that Owen and I have been partnered up almost a year, I am understanding why the one year mark is typically a tough time for teams to get through. The director of our program identified two months, six months, and a year as troublesome times for teams - and teams who work with the program now must do followups at those points in time. Owen and I worked through the first two rough patches pretty well on our own. At about two months I finally stopped feeling panicked every minute of the day and started asserting myself more in our partnership, working more to having Owen actually assist me instead of just following me around. At the six month mark, Owen started testing the water, trying to see how far he could push the boundaries (this is who Owen is, and I love him for it). At each point in time, it was tough going for a while, and then it would get better. Looking back on it, I could see that we were at a new point in our partnership and were having to figure things out. I know the first year is the toughest, I just hope I'm not placing too much stock in this "one year" mark...
Unfortunately, the things I dislike about having a service dog aren't going to miraculously change on December 20th. I love Owen, he has given me back my independence and has allowed me to do things I had only dreamed of previously. But if you told me tomorrow I could trade him in for a healthy brain, I would.
I guess I'm lucky nobody is forcing me to make that choice.
While I love working full time (and finally earning a paycheck I can actually live on with minimal family support), I am more than ready for the holidays. I am looking forward to seeing my family for the first time in months, and I am looking forward to getting a small break from the daily craziness. Owen and I will be flying for the first time since May to visit my parents over Thanksgiving - and I am trying very hard not to get worked up about flying. Before Owen, I was so anxious over flying that I had to be medicated just to get on an airplane. After getting Owen, we traveled so frequently that I never really had time to get stressed out about it because we were constantly on the move. I've enjoyed not flying and traveling, but I wish we were a bit more in-practice. Luckily, my dad has upgraded Owen and I on both our Thanksgiving and winter holiday flights, so I don't have to worry about having enough room for Owen. And we are flying United the entire time; they are great about Owen and the only problem I've ever had with them was Owen not fitting on a small plane (and the attendants were great about it and helped move passengers around so we fit).
I have also not been talking about my weight loss journey. It's not because I have bad news; it's because I have no news. My weight has fluctuated between 245 and 247 since I started teaching. Considering I have not been active except for the [very] occasional walk, and I have not had the best eating habits since the school year started, I'm happy with my weight staying right where it is. Over the holidays I'm going to work on getting my medication dosage (for insulin resistance) back where it is supposed to be (the pills make me very sick initially, so I stopped taking them during school hours - which is bad, I know). Next semester, I want to focus on becoming more active - even if it just means a walk once or twice a week after school with Owen. With those things combined, and keeping an eye on my carb intake, I'm not too concerned about my weight. Obviously, I wish it were better - but I keep reminding myself that I used to weigh 274 pounds, and wear a size 22... And then I feel a little better about not having gained any weight this year.
For the future of my blog, I am going to try and focus on one post a week. I know there will be weeks I don't post at all, but I do not want to let months go by without posts anymore. I am considering a series of posts about service dog etiquette as well as terminology (like the difference between a service dog, a therapy dog, and an emotional support animal) as well as addressing the growing problem of fake/untrained service dogs and "certification". I also want to write about disability; my thoughts on the Tourette's culture and community and how it impacts my daily life (as well as how disability has impacted my personality, opinions, and life choices).
And of course, I will be continuing to write about my partner-in-crime and our adventures together. Now to begin planning how we will celebrate our one-year partnership!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Successfully getting a job with a service dog
Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on interviewing or working with a service dog, but this is what worked for me.
Legally, I would be within my right to interview for a job without Owen and not say one word about needing accommodations until I had been hired for the job and received my contract. There are service dog handlers who advocate this method, citing multiple instances where they have been denied for jobs allegedly because they brought their service dog to the interview.
Personally, I did not feel like that was the road I wanted to go down. I completely understand why some handlers would chose to go to an interview without their service dog, but I did not want to get a job if Owen and I as a team were not wanted. I did not want to get hired and force a service dog on a principal who wanted nothing to do with one. I was very up front in all of my interviews and today I have officially gotten word from human resources in my school district that I can bring Owen to work with me.
I had three in-person interviews, one skype interview, and one phone interview. Ironically, the job I will be starting in a few weeks is at the school I phone interviewed with. They offered me the job without every having seen Owen (or me!).
After two of the in-person interviews, I left knowing I would not get the job. Whether it was a result of Owen being there or not, I don't know. One principal was very iffy about Owen and not warm about him being there; the other interview was extremely impersonal from the very beginning. The third in-person interview went well; I think I may have been able to get that job, but there was a lot of red tape I had to get through in order for their district to consider me for employment, and by the time I had jumped through all their hoops, I had already received a job offer in another district.
Even though I walked into all of my interviews with Owen by my side, an interviewer is not allowed to bring up the topic of disability. I did not disclose to anybody when I was scheduling interviews that I was bringing a service dog along, so he was a bit of a surprise. At the point in the interview when they would ask if I had any questions or wanted to add anything (and they all reach that point), I would bring up Owen and tell them a little bit about him.
What I chose to disclose was: I have a neurological condition, Owen is a mobility assist dog, he helps me by providing support when I walk to help me stay balanced as well as doing some other tasks to mitigate my disability.
I would then turn it around on them and ask if they had any questions about Owen or any thoughts about having a service dog on their school campus. During the two in-person interviews that did not go as well, the principals did not really have anything to say at this point in time. During the interview that went well, they had lots to say about Owen and how well trained he was - they talked about getting him a badge and how cool it would be to have a service dog on staff. In this interview, they had all talked about being dog people, and at the end of the interview I took Owen's gear off and let him "say hi" to the people interviewing us.
I had a fourth in-person "interview" of sorts; I will be working a part-time job with an after-school social skills group for individuals with Autism in the area. I'm still working on figuring out exactly what this job will look like, but people who work with the special needs population are always better about Owen than other people - at the social skills group they barely noticed him. I'm optimistic about this job, and the extra income (no matter how small) will be a big help - not to mention this job will help me work towards my BCBA certification.
The skype interview went very well as well. It was with the district that was making me jump through hoops, so had I pursued working in that district, I think I may have been a top contender for the job. The conversation about Owen went the same way as it did during the phone interview.
When given the opportunity to ask my own questions, I simply stated that there was something I wanted to speak with them about that came up very easily when I meet people in person, but wouldn't come up unless I brought it up with them. I described Owen (yellow, male Labrador) so that they would have a picture of him in their head and described what our gear set up looks like. I explain that he is a very laid back dog who loves to work and ended by saying I would love to meet in person and have them see for themselves how Owen conducts himself. I gave them the chance to ask questions about Owen if they wanted.
I was also open about being disabled during interviews; not necessarily the extent to which I am disabled, but how it affects me as a teacher.
When I met with my school principal in person we talked more about Owen and thoughts for how to integrate him successfully into the school environment. We didn't come to any conclusions then, but it was a good first introduction to a service dog. Owen (of course) was on his best behavior and was a good example of what a service dog should act like - mildly curious about his surroundings, but ignored the people and kids and stuff in the school.
After receiving notice that I had gotten the job (yay!), I found out who to contact in human resources about disability accommodations and sent him an email. A week or so ago, I got the disability accommodation request form from him and filled it out. I sent back the request form, the letter of support from my neurologist, and Owen's information from Heeling Allies. I met this morning with my contact in HR about Owen. He let me know that all of my paperwork was fine and that Owen is cleared to go into work with me; Owen and I are the first service dog team that has ever been hired by the district. We are kind of like pioneers! :)
It's nice that we are the first in that they don't have an expectations, good or bad, to place on us. But it also puts pressure on me as a handler to make sure we succeed as a team. There are 4000+ teachers in the district, and hundreds of new hires this year, but everybody we meet will remember us. I am so fortunate that Owen is a great service dog, he does his job well with minimal distractions. And he loves kids and loves getting to go to work. He is easy going and very tolerable, he will be able to handle anything school throws at us. It is my job to make sure Owen is always well turned-out, that he is well groomed and that our gear is clean. I will likely get a small hand-held vacuum to keep at school so I can clean up stray hairs as needed. I will have to stay on top of keeping him groomed so that if there are any dog allergies in my school, I can have as little impact on them as possible.
A big part of having a service dog is being a good steward and understanding the reasonable part of reasonable accommodations. I'll talk more about that in another post though.
My plan now is to contact my principal and meet with her about making sure Owen and I have a smooth transition into school this fall. I will work on getting my classroom set up so that Owen has his own space to stay, and I am going to get a baby gate so that if I ever had to go deal with something where Owen couldn't come (think aggressive behaviors), Owen would be safe. I will get a water bowl to keep at school for Owen to have access to during the day, and a few good bones of course. How I introduce Owen to the school will depend on what my principal thinks is best.
Wish us luck! As crazy as it's going to be, I'm happy to start school with my best friend by my side. :)
Legally, I would be within my right to interview for a job without Owen and not say one word about needing accommodations until I had been hired for the job and received my contract. There are service dog handlers who advocate this method, citing multiple instances where they have been denied for jobs allegedly because they brought their service dog to the interview.
Personally, I did not feel like that was the road I wanted to go down. I completely understand why some handlers would chose to go to an interview without their service dog, but I did not want to get a job if Owen and I as a team were not wanted. I did not want to get hired and force a service dog on a principal who wanted nothing to do with one. I was very up front in all of my interviews and today I have officially gotten word from human resources in my school district that I can bring Owen to work with me.
I had three in-person interviews, one skype interview, and one phone interview. Ironically, the job I will be starting in a few weeks is at the school I phone interviewed with. They offered me the job without every having seen Owen (or me!).
After two of the in-person interviews, I left knowing I would not get the job. Whether it was a result of Owen being there or not, I don't know. One principal was very iffy about Owen and not warm about him being there; the other interview was extremely impersonal from the very beginning. The third in-person interview went well; I think I may have been able to get that job, but there was a lot of red tape I had to get through in order for their district to consider me for employment, and by the time I had jumped through all their hoops, I had already received a job offer in another district.
Even though I walked into all of my interviews with Owen by my side, an interviewer is not allowed to bring up the topic of disability. I did not disclose to anybody when I was scheduling interviews that I was bringing a service dog along, so he was a bit of a surprise. At the point in the interview when they would ask if I had any questions or wanted to add anything (and they all reach that point), I would bring up Owen and tell them a little bit about him.
What I chose to disclose was: I have a neurological condition, Owen is a mobility assist dog, he helps me by providing support when I walk to help me stay balanced as well as doing some other tasks to mitigate my disability.
I would then turn it around on them and ask if they had any questions about Owen or any thoughts about having a service dog on their school campus. During the two in-person interviews that did not go as well, the principals did not really have anything to say at this point in time. During the interview that went well, they had lots to say about Owen and how well trained he was - they talked about getting him a badge and how cool it would be to have a service dog on staff. In this interview, they had all talked about being dog people, and at the end of the interview I took Owen's gear off and let him "say hi" to the people interviewing us.
I had a fourth in-person "interview" of sorts; I will be working a part-time job with an after-school social skills group for individuals with Autism in the area. I'm still working on figuring out exactly what this job will look like, but people who work with the special needs population are always better about Owen than other people - at the social skills group they barely noticed him. I'm optimistic about this job, and the extra income (no matter how small) will be a big help - not to mention this job will help me work towards my BCBA certification.
The skype interview went very well as well. It was with the district that was making me jump through hoops, so had I pursued working in that district, I think I may have been a top contender for the job. The conversation about Owen went the same way as it did during the phone interview.
When given the opportunity to ask my own questions, I simply stated that there was something I wanted to speak with them about that came up very easily when I meet people in person, but wouldn't come up unless I brought it up with them. I described Owen (yellow, male Labrador) so that they would have a picture of him in their head and described what our gear set up looks like. I explain that he is a very laid back dog who loves to work and ended by saying I would love to meet in person and have them see for themselves how Owen conducts himself. I gave them the chance to ask questions about Owen if they wanted.
I was also open about being disabled during interviews; not necessarily the extent to which I am disabled, but how it affects me as a teacher.
When I met with my school principal in person we talked more about Owen and thoughts for how to integrate him successfully into the school environment. We didn't come to any conclusions then, but it was a good first introduction to a service dog. Owen (of course) was on his best behavior and was a good example of what a service dog should act like - mildly curious about his surroundings, but ignored the people and kids and stuff in the school.
After receiving notice that I had gotten the job (yay!), I found out who to contact in human resources about disability accommodations and sent him an email. A week or so ago, I got the disability accommodation request form from him and filled it out. I sent back the request form, the letter of support from my neurologist, and Owen's information from Heeling Allies. I met this morning with my contact in HR about Owen. He let me know that all of my paperwork was fine and that Owen is cleared to go into work with me; Owen and I are the first service dog team that has ever been hired by the district. We are kind of like pioneers! :)
It's nice that we are the first in that they don't have an expectations, good or bad, to place on us. But it also puts pressure on me as a handler to make sure we succeed as a team. There are 4000+ teachers in the district, and hundreds of new hires this year, but everybody we meet will remember us. I am so fortunate that Owen is a great service dog, he does his job well with minimal distractions. And he loves kids and loves getting to go to work. He is easy going and very tolerable, he will be able to handle anything school throws at us. It is my job to make sure Owen is always well turned-out, that he is well groomed and that our gear is clean. I will likely get a small hand-held vacuum to keep at school so I can clean up stray hairs as needed. I will have to stay on top of keeping him groomed so that if there are any dog allergies in my school, I can have as little impact on them as possible.
A big part of having a service dog is being a good steward and understanding the reasonable part of reasonable accommodations. I'll talk more about that in another post though.
My plan now is to contact my principal and meet with her about making sure Owen and I have a smooth transition into school this fall. I will work on getting my classroom set up so that Owen has his own space to stay, and I am going to get a baby gate so that if I ever had to go deal with something where Owen couldn't come (think aggressive behaviors), Owen would be safe. I will get a water bowl to keep at school for Owen to have access to during the day, and a few good bones of course. How I introduce Owen to the school will depend on what my principal thinks is best.
Wish us luck! As crazy as it's going to be, I'm happy to start school with my best friend by my side. :)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
For anybody checking in (or just stumbling on my blog) - I wanted to let everyone know, I'm alive. :)
I'm working on getting my thesis finished as well as packing to move (in 3 weeks!) and blogging has not been the first thing on my mind lately.
I promise, once I have a few less things on my to-do list, I will be blogging all about Owen and my adventures with our new home and new job!
I'm working on getting my thesis finished as well as packing to move (in 3 weeks!) and blogging has not been the first thing on my mind lately.
I promise, once I have a few less things on my to-do list, I will be blogging all about Owen and my adventures with our new home and new job!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
The one with the almost embarrassing Winco disaster.
Thank you to all of the service dog handlers out there in the internet world who preach that you should listen to your dog.
Thanks to their knowledge and wisdom (and embarrassing stories), Owen and avoided an embarrassing encounter today at the grocery store.
(Poor Owen would be so embarrassed if he knew I was telling this story, but I do so in order to add my wisdom to those that have gone before me).
If you're easily grossed out, you may not to read this story - but rest assured, we didn't have anything too embarrassing happen. :)
Owen had an upset tummy yesterday when we got up; as far as I knew he hadn't eaten anything funny. For the last few days his stool had been kinda loose, but not bad. Nothing that made me worry. But yesterday morning, he was clearly not feeling well. I wasn't feeling well, and I gave Owen his regular amount of fish oil in the morning because I didn't think to withhold it (which I should have). Which meant Owen's tummy stayed upset all morning.
Once I realized he really wasn't feeling well, I gave him a snack of pumpkin and kibble. He got pumpkin frozen in a Kong later on in the day for a snack, and more pumpkin last night for dinner and this morning. As a result, when he had a BM this morning, I thought he was feeling fine. A whole can of pumpkin will apparently do that.
We went to work this morning where Owen was fine, he was a little goofy when we were leaving, but I thought that was because he had been sleeping for 3 hours. Hindsight is always 20/20.
I had to go grocery shopping, so we went to Winco. Immediately, Owen was acting funny, dancing around the cart, pulling me forward, and not heeling at all. I was completely flummoxed (trying to make him behave while I shopped), and then I recalled the stories I had read on forums of handlers who didn't listen when their service dog was sick because they had only been teamed up for short periods of time. I looked at Owen, ditched our cart in the middle of the store, and we high-tailed it out of the store. Fast.
There was a small median right outside the store with some mud and sad looking plants. Owen just made it. I was very happy I pack extra poop bags in his harness just in case.
He was so embarrassed, and of course I felt so bad for having drug him to the store and for reprimanding him when I thought he was messing around. I packed him up in the car and brought him home. He got to snooze in his kennel while I went back to Winco. (Hilariously, my cart was right where I left it, totally in everybody's way.) I finished my shopping, but it was way harder without Owen at my side. Just walking in from the parking lot, I felt so dizzy and disoriented. I could tell I was weaving and I was having trouble making sure my feet stayed where they were supposed to. Once I had a cart, I did better because I had something to stabilize myself with, but getting there was hard.
Now Owen and I are both home and are both very tired; he's going to be getting meals of rice, cottage cheese, and pumpkin until his tummy problems clear up. If he's still sick in a few days, we will be going to the vet to make sure there's nothing else I can be doing. (Owen also has a slightly yucky looking ear, which I think may be contributing to his overall feeling of ickiness.)
The moral of this story is clear: Listen to your dog! I know I will be from now on.
Thanks to their knowledge and wisdom (and embarrassing stories), Owen and avoided an embarrassing encounter today at the grocery store.
(Poor Owen would be so embarrassed if he knew I was telling this story, but I do so in order to add my wisdom to those that have gone before me).
If you're easily grossed out, you may not to read this story - but rest assured, we didn't have anything too embarrassing happen. :)
Owen had an upset tummy yesterday when we got up; as far as I knew he hadn't eaten anything funny. For the last few days his stool had been kinda loose, but not bad. Nothing that made me worry. But yesterday morning, he was clearly not feeling well. I wasn't feeling well, and I gave Owen his regular amount of fish oil in the morning because I didn't think to withhold it (which I should have). Which meant Owen's tummy stayed upset all morning.
Once I realized he really wasn't feeling well, I gave him a snack of pumpkin and kibble. He got pumpkin frozen in a Kong later on in the day for a snack, and more pumpkin last night for dinner and this morning. As a result, when he had a BM this morning, I thought he was feeling fine. A whole can of pumpkin will apparently do that.
We went to work this morning where Owen was fine, he was a little goofy when we were leaving, but I thought that was because he had been sleeping for 3 hours. Hindsight is always 20/20.
I had to go grocery shopping, so we went to Winco. Immediately, Owen was acting funny, dancing around the cart, pulling me forward, and not heeling at all. I was completely flummoxed (trying to make him behave while I shopped), and then I recalled the stories I had read on forums of handlers who didn't listen when their service dog was sick because they had only been teamed up for short periods of time. I looked at Owen, ditched our cart in the middle of the store, and we high-tailed it out of the store. Fast.
There was a small median right outside the store with some mud and sad looking plants. Owen just made it. I was very happy I pack extra poop bags in his harness just in case.
He was so embarrassed, and of course I felt so bad for having drug him to the store and for reprimanding him when I thought he was messing around. I packed him up in the car and brought him home. He got to snooze in his kennel while I went back to Winco. (Hilariously, my cart was right where I left it, totally in everybody's way.) I finished my shopping, but it was way harder without Owen at my side. Just walking in from the parking lot, I felt so dizzy and disoriented. I could tell I was weaving and I was having trouble making sure my feet stayed where they were supposed to. Once I had a cart, I did better because I had something to stabilize myself with, but getting there was hard.
Now Owen and I are both home and are both very tired; he's going to be getting meals of rice, cottage cheese, and pumpkin until his tummy problems clear up. If he's still sick in a few days, we will be going to the vet to make sure there's nothing else I can be doing. (Owen also has a slightly yucky looking ear, which I think may be contributing to his overall feeling of ickiness.)
The moral of this story is clear: Listen to your dog! I know I will be from now on.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Oops.
So, there is this stigma in the service dog community. One that everybody's service dog must be perfect 100% of the time. And if you admit to a flaw in your handling abilities or your service dog, you are typically eaten alive on the internet. But, it is foolish to think that every service dog is perfect every minute of the day. It's also foolish to think that every handler is perfect every minute of the day.
However, it is important when you have slip-ups you recognize them as a service dog handler and take steps to correct them.
What would make me a bad handler would be if Owen and I had a problem and I didn't take steps to correct it.
So what's our big dark secret?
Owen seems to have forgotten that he is supposed to ignore food on the floor.
In fact, at times he thinks I'm not paying attention (even though the leash is wrapped around my body) and he will swoop down to try and grab food on the floor. *cringe*
And I know this is completely my fault.
When we went through team training I was told that I needed to practice "leave it" at least every few days. I have not been doing this with any sort of consistency.
We practiced once this week (and it was obvious that Owen hadn't done it in a while), but before that? I couldn't tell you with any certainty when the last time we did this was.
I have also been very lax with Owen when he is off duty. My whole life our family dogs have eaten food that falls to the floor when cooking. So, when Owen started doing that I didn't think anything of it.
But now, Owen can be extremely pushy when I am eating meals at home, and I have to be vigilant when we are out in public making sure Owen ignores food on the floor.
If he knows I am paying attention, he is on his best behavior. But, if he thinks I'm not paying attention to him, he will try and steal whatever is on the floor even if I get him in trouble.
It's not fair to Owen that I've let him get lax on his training. It's not fair to Owen that because I got lazy with his training that he is now getting in trouble out in public for doing the same things I let him get away with at home.
When we work with kids, we say that you have to decide if what you are about to do is worth going to war over.
This is something that I am going to war over.
Starting tomorrow, Owen and I are going back to "leave-it" bootcamp. I am going to do all the things I am supposed to. Owen is not going to be allowed to eat anything off the floor, on- or off-duty. He will not have any people food, at all. And we will work on this every day until he is 100% consistent with it. (And once he is consistent with it, I will continue to practice so that he maintains his good manners.)
I also want to teach Owen a "watch me" command. This is not a task, it has nothing to do with my disability, but I want him to "watch me" (look up at me) when asked. This is the behavior he is supposed to do when we are practicing leave-it (he only gets treated when he makes eye contact with me), but I want to encourage it elsewhere. Owen is great about checking in when we are working, but I want to be able to get his attention at other times too (especially when he is a little spacy).
We are also going to start really practicing all of his tasks for about 20 minutes a day.
Having a service dog is a serious balancing act. I can't just keep living the same life I lived four months ago. I've gotten good about going on long walks 3-4 times a week (although Owen is still sleeping in his kennel - I think we both sleep better with this arrangement), and now I'm going to have to be just as regimented about incorporating training into our daily routines.
Owen and I are still learning, there are moments he still acts like a complete goof and there are times where I forget my job too. The first three months of our partnership were about keeping our heads above water, about remembering everything I needed to when we went out and about being a good steward out in public. For these next three months I intend to focus on Owen's training and not letting me or him get lazy.
However, it is important when you have slip-ups you recognize them as a service dog handler and take steps to correct them.
What would make me a bad handler would be if Owen and I had a problem and I didn't take steps to correct it.
So what's our big dark secret?
Owen seems to have forgotten that he is supposed to ignore food on the floor.
In fact, at times he thinks I'm not paying attention (even though the leash is wrapped around my body) and he will swoop down to try and grab food on the floor. *cringe*
And I know this is completely my fault.
When we went through team training I was told that I needed to practice "leave it" at least every few days. I have not been doing this with any sort of consistency.
We practiced once this week (and it was obvious that Owen hadn't done it in a while), but before that? I couldn't tell you with any certainty when the last time we did this was.
I have also been very lax with Owen when he is off duty. My whole life our family dogs have eaten food that falls to the floor when cooking. So, when Owen started doing that I didn't think anything of it.
But now, Owen can be extremely pushy when I am eating meals at home, and I have to be vigilant when we are out in public making sure Owen ignores food on the floor.
If he knows I am paying attention, he is on his best behavior. But, if he thinks I'm not paying attention to him, he will try and steal whatever is on the floor even if I get him in trouble.
It's not fair to Owen that I've let him get lax on his training. It's not fair to Owen that because I got lazy with his training that he is now getting in trouble out in public for doing the same things I let him get away with at home.
When we work with kids, we say that you have to decide if what you are about to do is worth going to war over.
This is something that I am going to war over.
Starting tomorrow, Owen and I are going back to "leave-it" bootcamp. I am going to do all the things I am supposed to. Owen is not going to be allowed to eat anything off the floor, on- or off-duty. He will not have any people food, at all. And we will work on this every day until he is 100% consistent with it. (And once he is consistent with it, I will continue to practice so that he maintains his good manners.)
I also want to teach Owen a "watch me" command. This is not a task, it has nothing to do with my disability, but I want him to "watch me" (look up at me) when asked. This is the behavior he is supposed to do when we are practicing leave-it (he only gets treated when he makes eye contact with me), but I want to encourage it elsewhere. Owen is great about checking in when we are working, but I want to be able to get his attention at other times too (especially when he is a little spacy).
We are also going to start really practicing all of his tasks for about 20 minutes a day.
Having a service dog is a serious balancing act. I can't just keep living the same life I lived four months ago. I've gotten good about going on long walks 3-4 times a week (although Owen is still sleeping in his kennel - I think we both sleep better with this arrangement), and now I'm going to have to be just as regimented about incorporating training into our daily routines.
Owen and I are still learning, there are moments he still acts like a complete goof and there are times where I forget my job too. The first three months of our partnership were about keeping our heads above water, about remembering everything I needed to when we went out and about being a good steward out in public. For these next three months I intend to focus on Owen's training and not letting me or him get lazy.
Friday, March 22, 2013
In Limbo
Right now... I'm in limbo.
And I hate feeling this way. I hate feeling like I'm just waiting for something to happen. But the truth?
I am waiting.
I am waiting to be finished with school. I know I made the right choice to start grad school directly after undergrad. I never would have wanted to go back to school once I started working. And last semester I was okay with this choice. But this semester? I am going stir crazy and I'm bored. I just want to be out and working and not stressing about money every other day (because as little as I will make my first year as a teacher, I will be rich compared to my standards now).
I'm tired of being in undergrad level classes to fulfill requirements for the program. And it might be one thing if we were actually learning novel things, but we're relearning the same things we've been taught for four years in school... I love the program I am in and my professors, but I'm ready to be doing and learning something new.
I'm tired of working for very little pay; it's considerably better than student teaching all last year and then having to work two part time jobs on the side, but not that much better.
I'm tired of waiting to hear from school districts... I want to have a job and know I have a job. Or at least that I may have a job and somebody is interested in me.
So, this is why you haven't seen many blog posts lately. I don't really have much to write about. Our day to day life is pretty boring right now.
In one week (yikes!) Owen and I have a [very very] early morning flight to Texas. It will be the first time we have a layover during travel, but we have two-and-a-half hours in Denver which (experience service dog handlers have assured me) is enough time to leave the secure area, take Owen potty and let him chill out for a bit, and go back through security. Luckily, my dad hooked us up - we are upgraded on all legs of the flight, which means Owen and I will be traveling in style. :)
The plan once we are in Houston is to meet with as many elementary school principals as possible (I'm busy applying for jobs today and checking that my applications are all complete). I am also considering the possibility of working in private schools or as a behaviorist in other programs; while I prefer to work as a public elementary school teacher, I know the importance of keepingmy our options open.
While we are in Texas we also get to meet up with a really good friend who recently moved there who hasn't gotten to meet Owen yet! I am very excited to get to see her and catch up and have her meet my hero.
We will keep you updated as we start traveling to Texas and (hopefully) meet with people about potential jobs. Wish us luck!
And I hate feeling this way. I hate feeling like I'm just waiting for something to happen. But the truth?
I am waiting.
I am waiting to be finished with school. I know I made the right choice to start grad school directly after undergrad. I never would have wanted to go back to school once I started working. And last semester I was okay with this choice. But this semester? I am going stir crazy and I'm bored. I just want to be out and working and not stressing about money every other day (because as little as I will make my first year as a teacher, I will be rich compared to my standards now).
I'm tired of being in undergrad level classes to fulfill requirements for the program. And it might be one thing if we were actually learning novel things, but we're relearning the same things we've been taught for four years in school... I love the program I am in and my professors, but I'm ready to be doing and learning something new.
I'm tired of working for very little pay; it's considerably better than student teaching all last year and then having to work two part time jobs on the side, but not that much better.
I'm tired of waiting to hear from school districts... I want to have a job and know I have a job. Or at least that I may have a job and somebody is interested in me.
So, this is why you haven't seen many blog posts lately. I don't really have much to write about. Our day to day life is pretty boring right now.
In one week (yikes!) Owen and I have a [very very] early morning flight to Texas. It will be the first time we have a layover during travel, but we have two-and-a-half hours in Denver which (experience service dog handlers have assured me) is enough time to leave the secure area, take Owen potty and let him chill out for a bit, and go back through security. Luckily, my dad hooked us up - we are upgraded on all legs of the flight, which means Owen and I will be traveling in style. :)
The plan once we are in Houston is to meet with as many elementary school principals as possible (I'm busy applying for jobs today and checking that my applications are all complete). I am also considering the possibility of working in private schools or as a behaviorist in other programs; while I prefer to work as a public elementary school teacher, I know the importance of keeping
While we are in Texas we also get to meet up with a really good friend who recently moved there who hasn't gotten to meet Owen yet! I am very excited to get to see her and catch up and have her meet my hero.
We will keep you updated as we start traveling to Texas and (hopefully) meet with people about potential jobs. Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)