SHOULD I CONSIDER HAVING A SERVICE DOG?

BY ELLEN LENOX SMITH

Have you ever wondered what the advantages are of having a service dog? If you are attempting to cope with a difficult medical diagnosis, you might be interested in learning the many tasks a service dog, properly trained, is able to do to help improve the quality of your days.

I was very fortunate to be matched with a service dog from the organization called NEADS. Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, one’s life is unpredictable and difficult to navigate. I applied, was granted an in-person interview, and then after acceptance to receive my match, I waited for that magical call. At that time, I was confined to a wheelchair, which lasted four years, and needed help to be more independent. After eight months, the call came in that I was matched to Maggie and life became magical.

Just eight days after returning from my two-week training with her on campus, I woke up on the hospital bed with her next to me,

in defiance of the command to sleep next to the bed on the floor. However, I couldn't scold her because she sensed I had stopped breathing, despite using my bi-pap machine. She had jumped up and proceeded to reposition me until the airflow returned, saving my life. From that day on, the doctor asked that she sleep next to me to keep an eye on me. And understand, she was never trained to alert me in any way. Yet, just after two weeks of training with me, she already understood when something was very wrong and she clearly enjoyed taking on the responsibility of helping me. Her loyalty to doing her chores on command and keeping me safe remained for over ten years until her passing.