Well, after a lot of thought and observation, we & the 4 Paws trainers have decided that Caitin will be better off with a different dog--Abraham (we are calling him Abrah as this is easier for Caitlin). Abraham is a 1 year old black lab.
Amos was a very sweet boy, but also quite spoiled and high maintenance. While all dogs need lots of attention, service dogs need even more attention--but he was a bit much for us to handle and would require many adaptations to life in Alaska. He became very attached to me and was getting protective to the point that they were concerned that he would likely never fully bond with Caitlin. She had two seizures in bed last night and he did not react to her at all, only focused on me. He has done super well in his training up to this point, but if we have hesitations now, we have to resolve things before it is too late.
As far as Caitlin goes, her condition has changed so much since we first applied to 4 Paws. Now she not only has multiple seizures from Tuberous Sclerosis, but as most of you know, her condition has also progressed to autism. This requires much more behavior modification and tolerance abilities that a small dog like Amos can give her. She needs to be able to hug on and bump up against a larger dog and be provided with stabilization assistance at times. Plus, we never know where this disease may lead, so it will give her further support options in the future with a larger dog. Not to mention that a larger dog is going to enjoy our life in Alaska much more than little Amos will.
Abrah was actually scheduled to go to New Zealand to be a Seizure Alert & Autism Assistance Dog. He is now going to be Caitlin's dog. He is trained in seizure detection and behavior modification, but also in tracking and search & rescue. We hope that the latter is never needed with Caitlin, but it does leave the possibility if we need it (some autistic children become "escape artists" as some lose their sense of fear). He is also trained in harnessing, so he will wear a harness vest when he is out & about rather than a standard service vest. This will allow a special loop for Caitlin to have her own "leash" attachment and be able to hold a leash handle as we walk him too. She will really enjoy this when she is older. There is also the possibility that she could be tethered to him in this way for mobility assistance if it is ever needed. He has received over 800 hours of training, and was a back up dog for Caitlin, as apparently they had some concerns whether she would need more as they had a chance to observe her.
So anyway, as you can see, the rationale to switch dogs is certainly there. While he won't be as cute & unique as little Amos--he will be better for Caitlin's needs--which is the whole point. We worked extra hard this morning and we are already working just as well as everyone else as a team (he is very pupperoni influenced!) and we are all caught up with the class. We go out in public tomorrow (Friday) for the first time for class training at the local mall. He is also allowing both Paul & Ashley to walk him (Amos wouldn't) and accepting commands from both of them. This is important to make an easier transition to the classroom when I won't be there. Emily is loving and hugging all over him and he loves it equally as much. Caitlin seems much more vocal and affectionate towards him. She says his name a lot and is including him in some of her songs. She loves watching his big tail wag and says he is like Clifford the Big Red Dog. Best of all, we believe he was alerting us to a seizure she had about 5 minutes after his behavior.
So there will always be a little place in my heart for Amos, but Abraham is going to be the best dog for her and we are so happy for that. He does have a brother Jefferson in class with us. (There are also siblings Truman, Kennedy, Reagan & Monroe--see a pattern?)
Amos was a very sweet boy, but also quite spoiled and high maintenance. While all dogs need lots of attention, service dogs need even more attention--but he was a bit much for us to handle and would require many adaptations to life in Alaska. He became very attached to me and was getting protective to the point that they were concerned that he would likely never fully bond with Caitlin. She had two seizures in bed last night and he did not react to her at all, only focused on me. He has done super well in his training up to this point, but if we have hesitations now, we have to resolve things before it is too late.
As far as Caitlin goes, her condition has changed so much since we first applied to 4 Paws. Now she not only has multiple seizures from Tuberous Sclerosis, but as most of you know, her condition has also progressed to autism. This requires much more behavior modification and tolerance abilities that a small dog like Amos can give her. She needs to be able to hug on and bump up against a larger dog and be provided with stabilization assistance at times. Plus, we never know where this disease may lead, so it will give her further support options in the future with a larger dog. Not to mention that a larger dog is going to enjoy our life in Alaska much more than little Amos will.
Abrah was actually scheduled to go to New Zealand to be a Seizure Alert & Autism Assistance Dog. He is now going to be Caitlin's dog. He is trained in seizure detection and behavior modification, but also in tracking and search & rescue. We hope that the latter is never needed with Caitlin, but it does leave the possibility if we need it (some autistic children become "escape artists" as some lose their sense of fear). He is also trained in harnessing, so he will wear a harness vest when he is out & about rather than a standard service vest. This will allow a special loop for Caitlin to have her own "leash" attachment and be able to hold a leash handle as we walk him too. She will really enjoy this when she is older. There is also the possibility that she could be tethered to him in this way for mobility assistance if it is ever needed. He has received over 800 hours of training, and was a back up dog for Caitlin, as apparently they had some concerns whether she would need more as they had a chance to observe her.
So anyway, as you can see, the rationale to switch dogs is certainly there. While he won't be as cute & unique as little Amos--he will be better for Caitlin's needs--which is the whole point. We worked extra hard this morning and we are already working just as well as everyone else as a team (he is very pupperoni influenced!) and we are all caught up with the class. We go out in public tomorrow (Friday) for the first time for class training at the local mall. He is also allowing both Paul & Ashley to walk him (Amos wouldn't) and accepting commands from both of them. This is important to make an easier transition to the classroom when I won't be there. Emily is loving and hugging all over him and he loves it equally as much. Caitlin seems much more vocal and affectionate towards him. She says his name a lot and is including him in some of her songs. She loves watching his big tail wag and says he is like Clifford the Big Red Dog. Best of all, we believe he was alerting us to a seizure she had about 5 minutes after his behavior.
So there will always be a little place in my heart for Amos, but Abraham is going to be the best dog for her and we are so happy for that. He does have a brother Jefferson in class with us. (There are also siblings Truman, Kennedy, Reagan & Monroe--see a pattern?)
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