I am medically retired from the U.S. Air Force, and it is part of that medical diagnosis that has brought a service dog into my life. I have been given the opportunity to work with several dogs, most of them Lakeland Terriers.
I first came to Quansa Kennels at the suggestion of the Veteran's Service medical staff. I am not a " sharer " per se, group sessions with support groups didn't appeal to me. After decades of treating symptoms with medicine not quite meeting my needs, my therapist suggested checking out the therapy programs with dogs. It seems that they were having a lot of success with it. I didn't see its applicable worth the first time I visited a year previously. This second visit was different. What was different, what had changed, I never figured that out. I just realized that this might be my last hope in finding some relief for my situation.
Lucy, my Lakeland Terrier, came into my life late last year, and my life has been changed for the better ever since. With Lucy I can't just coast through life like I had been. It is akin to having a child once again. While I went for days shut up in my house, not caring whether or not I ate, saw or talked to another person, you can't do those things when you have an animal depending on you. You can't seclude yourself from the world when you need to walk/play with a dog outside. Taking Lucy to the grocery store, a shopping mall, or to some function, people come up to us, want to know what her breed is, what tasks she does. People are full of questions. Normally, I am quiet and keep to myself, often times too much. But with people wanting to know about Lucy, service dogs in general, and other types of questions, I have had to force myself to engage in conversation and stretch my comfort zone out.
That comfort zone includes the training that Lucy and I have done this past year. Being firm with her taught me to be more self-assured in my daily life. Praise is important in training a dog, and in praising her, I am more accepting of praises I receive. Training in a group environment has been beneficial. Working in a setting with a variety of people and different dogs all around, a person just can't sit in a corner being an island unto himself.
This is why I sought out and found a service dog, why I have not only chose to work with the people at Quansa Kennels but why I continue to improve my skills as well as my dog's skills there.