Narrative

Ilene

Self-reliance is something people often take for granted, but for people with disabilities like me self-reliance is our greatest desire. In an attempt to gain more self-reliance I decided to get a service dog. Since I got my service dog, Ilene, she has become one of my closest friends. She helps me do thing I can’t do on my own, and she keeps me company when no one else will. My disability is of no consequence to her. Her love for me is unconditional.

            I began the process of getting a service dog by filling out a Canine Companions application. When I completed the application I was put on a waiting list, and was told that it would be several years before I could begin handler training. I received a call a few months later, and was told that there was an opening in a handler training class. I was so excited to be able to start handler training so soon.

My handler training started with learning the commands. I knew that service dogs had to be smart, but I was surprised to learn that the dogs knew over forty commands. Ranging from a simple sit command to a more complex turning on and off lights command. After learning all of the commands we got to handle the dogs. At first I handled three dogs to find one that I worked well with. It turned out that Ilene was the dog that I worked the best with.

Now that I was paired up with Ilene I got to take her home. She was very excited to be coming home with me so excited that she tried to play with my other dog, Annie, who was much too old to play. She also chased my cat, Abby, around the house a lot. I’m sure that neither of them was too excited about their new house guest. These two bad habits were nothing compared to her favorite annoying activity. Picking up everything. This is something a service dog should definitely not be doing, but it’s hard to stay mad at her when she looks at you with her sad eyes.

Now that we trained handling our dogs we started taking them out in public. The first place I took Ilene was a Cracker Barrel, and I was a little bit nervous because I didn’t know how she’d behave in a crowded and noisy place. I actually forgot she was there because she was so well behaved. The next place I took her was the mall. We navigated through stores with ease even the Disney Store with its plethora of stuffed animals which are Ilene’s favorite thing to grab. I had her pressed the elevator buttons which were a little more challenging than navigating the stores. The mall trip was almost perfect except Ilene decided to relieve herself in front of a Claire’s. It was embarrassing and also not fun to clean up.

            We didn’t go on any public outings after that we stayed in the training center and reinforced the commands to make sure that I hadn’t forgotten them. Now I was ready to take the handler exam. For the exam we went to the mall again, and had Ilene perform some of the commands which she passed with flying colors. I was now Ilene’s owner, and was able to take her out in public on my own.

            All I had to do now was go to the graduation. Before the graduation there was a lunch where I got to meet the person that raised Ilene when she was a puppy. She was a nice lady, and she gave me a scrapbook with pictures of little Ilene, Ilene’s parents, and the other puppies in her litter. During the graduation they called all of the handler dog pairs to the stage, and gave everyone a diploma. I was so happy to finally have a service dog.

            I’ve had Ilene for a few years now, and I don’t take her out as much as I should. Some of her service dog skills are getting rusty, and I haven’t gained as much independence as I had hoped but that doesn’t matter. It’s her loyalty that’s the most important to me. She’ll be my friend no matter what I do, how I feel, or how my disability effects me. My love for her is unconditional.