Re: [PyrNet-L] Service Dog for a person with MS

[June Campbell <jcampbell@law5.law.virginia.edu>]

Hi Tania,

I can pass along some training resources, though I do not know how
applicable they will be for Pyrs. I know a woman, Samantha Burton, who is
training her Leonberger Fergus to be her service dog. (Leonbergers in
general are more easily trainable than Pyrs.) Samantha has severe
fibromyalgia and on some days is forced to rely on a wheelchair. She is
training her Leo to do all sorts of wonderful things: he can pull her
wheelchair, help with laundry, pick up small dropped items--do all sorts of
fetching and carrying and pulling, as well as providing support when she is
having trouble walking or falls and can't get up. She has a very useful web
page, which should be a good place for this woman with MS to start. 

I tried accessing it this afternoon, but couldn't connect, so I sent
Samantha an e-mail and received this reply:

>I just checked.  The server was down for about an hour, but it should be
>back up again.
>>
>Please direct this person to Fergus's website, specifically to the "working"
>pages.  http://fergus.fogg.net/working.htm
>
>Also, let her know that these pages are in dire need of updating.  They'll
>be new and improved by Fall.  She can e-mail me at this address
>sburton@mail.wesleyan.edu, and I will respond more quickly than I generally
>do to Fergus's e-mail.  (I still likely won't get a chance to respond in
>depth until end of May.) [Reason: Samantha is getting married in 4 weeks]
>
>In addition there are some great mailing lists out there.  The service dog
>list is good for information about laws and policy, but you must be prepared
>for some strongly worded debates.  I don't have the list information here,
>but the address I use to send mail there is
>service-dogs@acpub.duke.edu   I've got the sign up information at home.
[Until the wedding, she is several states away from her home, staying with
her parents.]
>
>The other list, which is excellent, is OC-Assist@onelist.com.  She can sign
>up through onelist.  The OC stands for operant conditioning, and this list
>is for people clicker training service dogs.  I love this list, BUT, if she
>really doesn't want to use operant conditioning, this might not be the best
>place for her to go.  On the other hand, if she is open to learning about
>OC, than there are some terrific people here (including Morgan Spector whose
>recent book is up for the Dog Writers Award, and Debi Davis who, with her
>service dog Peek, was named Service Dog Partner of the Year by the Delta
>Society).

Tania, I hope this information will at least will show the woman that
training is doable. Samantha has done all of Fergus's training herself, and
is very willing to share whatever she has learned along the way.

Best wishes to her,
--June Campbell, with Amos the obedient Leonberger and Star the less
obedient, but absolutely adorable, Pyr