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Stormyw2000 · 06-17-2012, 07:03 AM

I adopted 3 year old yorkie-Maltese mix from a local shelter when my 15.5 & 16 year old schnauzers died 2 weeks apart. The shelter didn't know his history - he was picked up as a stray in a local city last January and no one claimed him. They adopted him out to a couple with other small dogs. After 5 weeks, they returned him to the shelter. He was sad, withdrawn, fearful of the husband and the other dogs. They decided he would do best with a single woman in a quiet home. I adopted him as pet but he's become my guardian angel.

I have a long list of autoimmune disorders - including lupus. I frequently have bad dizzy spells and lose my balance. My bones are brittle from 30 years of prednisone so falls are very dangerous. My right hip was replaced twice after I broke it from a bad fall. A few weeks after I adopted Benji, I had a spell and fell when I was walking him. Ever since that day, he's been able to sense when a spell is going to hit me & will do everything he can to make me sit down. He'll bark, refuse to walk on, or only walk toward a bench or wall & won't move again until he's sure the spell is over. It's amazing. I told one of my drs and she said that makes him a medical alert dog. His vet said the same thing. My medical team is trying to determine the exact cause but it's most likely related to lupus.
I didn't intend him to be anything but a pet, but he's taken on this responsibility and I love him even more because of it. He's got a beautiful temperament, is well behaved. This little dog was heaven sent. He also reminds me to take my medicine at night and woke me up a couple of times when the pain was really bad. If he hadn't, I probably would have missed work the following days. I wonder if he had previous training for this. We met a lady in a wheelchair & he automatically positioned himself so that his lead wouldn't catch in the wheels. She thinks he had to have some experience to know that and was impressed that he was comfortable with the wheelchair. It didn't scare him at all.
I ordered him new tags to ID him as a service dog. I'm trying to get used to bringing him places. It took me a year to get used to using my HP parking placard. My disabilities aren't obvious and I don't like drawing attention to myself.

06-17-2012, 07:03 AM	#56
Stormyw2000 Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2012 Location: Salem, MA Posts: 23	I adopted 3 year old yorkie-Maltese mix from a local shelter when my 15.5 & 16 year old schnauzers died 2 weeks apart. The shelter didn't know his history - he was picked up as a stray in a local city last January and no one claimed him. They adopted him out to a couple with other small dogs. After 5 weeks, they returned him to the shelter. He was sad, withdrawn, fearful of the husband and the other dogs. They decided he would do best with a single woman in a quiet home. I adopted him as pet but he's become my guardian angel. I have a long list of autoimmune disorders - including lupus. I frequently have bad dizzy spells and lose my balance. My bones are brittle from 30 years of prednisone so falls are very dangerous. My right hip was replaced twice after I broke it from a bad fall. A few weeks after I adopted Benji, I had a spell and fell when I was walking him. Ever since that day, he's been able to sense when a spell is going to hit me & will do everything he can to make me sit down. He'll bark, refuse to walk on, or only walk toward a bench or wall & won't move again until he's sure the spell is over. It's amazing. I told one of my drs and she said that makes him a medical alert dog. His vet said the same thing. My medical team is trying to determine the exact cause but it's most likely related to lupus. I didn't intend him to be anything but a pet, but he's taken on this responsibility and I love him even more because of it. He's got a beautiful temperament, is well behaved. This little dog was heaven sent. He also reminds me to take my medicine at night and woke me up a couple of times when the pain was really bad. If he hadn't, I probably would have missed work the following days. I wonder if he had previous training for this. We met a lady in a wheelchair & he automatically positioned himself so that his lead wouldn't catch in the wheels. She thinks he had to have some experience to know that and was impressed that he was comfortable with the wheelchair. It didn't scare him at all. I ordered him new tags to ID him as a service dog. I'm trying to get used to bringing him places. It took me a year to get used to using my HP parking placard. My disabilities aren't obvious and I don't like drawing attention to myself.