Weims as service dogs for Autistic persons

[Irena]

I was just wondering if there are any Weims that are service dogs for Autistic persons in Europe, and how suitable this breed is for performing such duties.

Hopefully we can get Penny Lane's owner in Oregon (USA) to respond, it would be really interesting to hear more about it.

[complexmom]

My name is Peggy and I welcome this topic because my son's service dog, Penny Lane (links to our site are on the links page together with a picture of my son, Billy Ray and Penny Lane when she first came to us in June). Technically Billy Ray is her owner not me. Realistically Penny Lane owns us.

Penny Lane came to us because Fred (sometimes known as Mr. Wetdog) was her foster parent in Missouri (USA). He felt she would be a great therapy dog. Therapy dogs visit schools, nursing homes, etc. She got a more full time job with us as service dog. She works with Billy Ray 24-7 especially since he doesn't always sleep all night.

Working with Penny Lane who has some special needs herself and reading about Weims has me thinking about the appropriateness of Weims as service dogs. It is my plan to share as I have more time about those thoughts. We are in the middle of unpacking boxes from a recent move but I will try to add more thoughts on breaks.

I read on a Weim list that Weims are not dogs they are kids. Penny Lane is certainly more like that. She does her job well with Billy Ray but I am her Mom and she expects excellent care. Thus, I'll sign off as:

Penny Lane's Mom

[Irena]

Peggy, a big hearty WELCOME to the board, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I know very little about service dogs as we do not have them in Latvia (let alone Weimaraners doing this job), but it sounds amazing to me and I would love to hear all you would like to say about it, especially your thoughts on what you have discovered having "employed" a Weimaraner. It does sound like Penny is doing a great job, I cannot even imagine.

I once saw a service dog for a disabled girl, it was in Holland and the dog was a Weim(!) too, and in fact, they both went into the ring at the World Winner 2002! He is a longhair. Hopefully Marjolein (on this board) will show up soon and tell us more about this dog, as he belongs to her friends!

I hope you don`t mind if I post the links to your sites here, as the Links page you are referring to is not accessible from this board.



www.parentingyourcomplexchild.com/ServiceDog.html
and www.lighthouseparents.com/ServiceDog.html

Again, welcome, and it would be great to hear more when you have the time.

[complexmom]

Maybe a good place to start is a brief description of service dogs since you don't have them in your country.

Service dogs used to be mostly seeing eye dogs for the blind. They were called guide dogs. They have paved the way for other types of service dogs. Some pull wheelchairs and/or retrieve things the disabled owner can't bend over to pick up. Some can even open doors. There are hearing ear dogs where dogs hear things the deaf owners can't hear such as the doorbell and fire alarms.

Service dogs for mentally disabled children are more about companionship and calming their owners. Petting Penny Lane will make Billy Ray calmer when he is agitated due to his disabilities. That is the purpose we got her for; however, she has shown far greater skills in that she is also monitor his breathing and has warned me when he needs assistance.

I don't know as much about Weims as I do dogs in general. Penny Lane is the first Weim I have ever known. I understand that her temperament is calmer than some Weims. Initially I thought that Weims would not make good service dogs. However, the more I get to know Penny Lane and train her as well as studying uses of service dogs the more I feel that Weims are good for service dogs to higher functioning people such as Autistic persons.

I will talk more about the Weim personality (at least Penny Lane's) in comparison with the Autistic personality. I am hopeful that Fred will see this and add his input about Weims in general relative to those comments as I may be not be accurate given only having Penny Lane.

Back to unpacking,
Peggy

[Irena]

Thanks Peggy!

Here is a pic of Billy Ray using Penny as a pillow.

[marjolein]

A friend of mine has a service dog. A LH Weimaraner male.
Joèlle is 22 now I think, and her dog Shadow (Young) is 5 now. Joèlle suffers from posttraumatic dystrophia.
That means she's in a wheelchair for years now. She can't use her left arm and her right leg. She already had a GLP and she thought him everything. Unfortunately that dog has HD, so she can't use him anymore. That's why she decided to buy a Weim. She loved the breed and thought she would be skillful enough to raise him as a service dog. Well, she did a great job.
She did it all herself, from the start on. She started with a puppy course and after that obedience. When he was a little bit older, she started teaching him things that would be helpful for her, like getting her the mail, opening doors, picking up stuff from the ground, handing over the wallet to the cashier. He also pulls her wheelchair whenever needed.
On top of this, she's doing GG in Holland now. GG is the obedience test in Holland. She just passed GG1 and GG2, and now she's busy for GG3. As far as I know, only 2 Weims achieved that in Holland.
I think Weim can be great service dogs, as long as you know how to train them. They're not the easiest breed on the planet !!!

[Irena]

Is that the dog? This is the pic I took in Holland at World Winner 2002.

[Irena]

And by the way WOW at all your friend's achievements with her Weim. I hope Peggy (Penny's "Mom") will have a look at this thread again and read about him, too. Might be interesting to see another service Weim, although not for an Autistic person. (Peggy, we'll be waiting to hear more from you when you have the time. I know you are very busy too.)

[marjolein]

I WAS THERE...... shame we haven't met!!!

[Irena]

Yes, indeed!! Oh well.... "Next time is the best time, we all know!" (c)

[Sylvia]

We were there too.
2008 Sweden then? LOLL

[complexmom]

Irena: Sorry that I am so slow in getting back on the board. That is fascinating about the Weim service dog for a physically challenged person. I was unsure how that would work because as stated they aren't the easiest on the planet to train. Some are probably easiest than my son's dog because she is 50-60% deaf.

I really do believe in the family being the trainer if that is an option. I wrote a chapter in my book about service dogs about that.

In a way it is kind of funny because parenting a disabled child requires adapting everything to his particular needs. We have to do the same thing in Penny's training. Once we communicate what we want her to do she is so smart we can cue her with eye contact. She knows what she is supposed to do and does it with only a look.

Weims are certainly strong enough and smart enough to be service dogs to physically challenged persons. I am pleased to hear someone has been able to do so.

Peggy Lou
Penny Lane's "Mom"

[addicted2weims]

Hello Peggy Lou, it is Shela. I finally made it here and joined. It will be good to reconnect through Weims with you. I love the pictures even though I have seen them before. It is very heartwarming. When I get home I will be contacting you again with some questions regarding Weims as service companions. I don't want to start anything new because I probably won't get on a computer for at least 4 days...........unless I get a chance along the way. I will talk to you again soon Peggy. Blessings on you and all you do. Shela

[complexmom]

I am really delinquent in checking in with this list. It has been a hetic time for us with moving, finishing my book (which by the way has a chapter on service dogs) and my son's serious health crisis this summer. Not to mention that Penny Lane is having problems with allergies abd we been trying to figure it out.

Penny Lane continues to be a very tolerant loving dog for Billy Ray. She really missed Billy Ray while he was hospitalized this summer but it would have been too difficult to maintain her at the hospital with him. The reunion when he came home you can only imagine. They are pretty much back to normal now. Yes, she is still carrying my slippers. She takes them into Billy Ray's room usually on his pillow.

I will try to stay more involved with this topic.

Peggy Lou
Billy Ray and Penny Lane's Mom

[marjolein]

We've just been visiting our friend Joelle, the girl in the wheelchair on the pic. She's achieved GG3 a week ago, the highest level of obedience in Holland, the third Weim to ever achieve this and the first LH to achieve this. Well done Joelle!!!!!!

[complexmom]

Hi Everyone:

I haven't been on here in a while. Got Fred's email encouragement so thought I'd stop by.

Penny Lane and Billy Ray are continuing to do well together. Billy Ray has an ear infection presently and is recovering. He has had some major health issues this past year - we almost lost him in July but he is bouncing back fairly well.

Penny Lane had some real struggles with her own ears from the surgeries she had while in Fred's foster home through Heartland. We have played with different foods because the Vet thought allergies might be part of the issue. It does seem to help. She was having pretty regular antibiotics for a while but seems to be stabilizing out a bit now.

It is still clear that we are her people and this is her house not that she is our dog. She is service dog to Billy Ray but definitely a part of the family - the boss, if you ask her. She is in with Billy Ray a lot but goes to check on everyone else frequently too even the outside dog which has become the office dog lately because of the weather.

Max, the outside dog, is far too wild to have the run of the house but I have been gating the door to the hallway and letting him into my office which has an outside door. Max and Penny are playing with Billy Ray in the office now that the snow is deep.

Billy Ray is an active kid so he benefits from having both dogs. Max will fetch with Billy Ray outside much better than Penny Lane. However, inside Billy Ray and Penny Lane chase each other --- it is so funny to watch. She will bring him her toy but she won't give it to him. She wants him to chase her and he does. They have their own version of fetch.

Penny Lane continues to monitor Billy Ray's breathing which frees me to get more rest. I don't know what I would do without her.

I will try to get on more but it is going to be busy with my book coming out in few months. I am preparing some presentations to get ready. I am also working on another book.

Peggy Lou

[complexmom]

Probably am long overdue for an update on Penny Lane and Billy Ray. It occurred to me when I got Fred's reminder that I better do it now. At long last my book is printed and heading to bookstores and I start publicity in a little over a month.

Penny Lane believes that the street we live on which ends is the word Lane like her name is really Penny Lane. She doesn't want any cars or people going by and lets us know.

She is becoming much more trainable than we once expected. However, we use the Serenity Prayer (change what we can, accept what we can't change and seek the wisdom to know the difference) on her just like with do for Billy Ray.

A cute story is that she has confirmed again that she is smarter than us... Last week I made myself a sandwich and came into my office with it. Of course she followed. She doesn't get the last bite if she doesn't sit and I can cue her to do that with eye contact fine. However, this day she went to the office door onto the patio and scratched. Then as I got up to let her out she went for my sandwich. I cued her with a loud "no" and she stopped but she tried.

Her relationship with Billy Ray gets deeper and deeper. Not only does the bond with him continue to increase but her insight into his needs and when to get me for him has increased. I sleep some because I trust her so much.

Surgery has not been removed from the table. We are doing better at keeping the allergy/infection process stable (only needed antibiotics and steroids once in 6 months).

I don't get on her as much because besides my book I do a daily blog (http://parentingacomplexchild.blogspot.com) about six days a week.

Take care everyone,
Peggy Lou

[Wetdog]

THANKS Peggy--it is really nice to hear that things are going so well with you all out there.
That is fantastic news about the book, what is the title and about when will it be out? I intend to look for it.
;D

[complexmom]

It is Parenting Your Complex Child. The endorsements by professionals and links to distributors is at www.parentingyourcomplexchild.com/Books_Materials_4_sale.html. It is available for preorder at most of the Amazon sites around the world, in Japan on other sites. It just occurs to me I don't know if it is available in Lavatia. I am going to have to find out.

There is a chapter on training a service dog but it is only for families similar to mine. I don't get into areas I'm unsure of.

[pennywood]

Hello: My name is Jackie and I live in the U.S. I breed and show Weimaraners under the kennel name Pennywood. I have been reading this thread with interest and have stories to share about 2 special dogs I have owned and or bred.

I loved the story about Penny Lane who is a service dog and who was a rescue.

Alex, who has since passed came into my life in 1990. He was 2 1/2 years old and in need of a home because his humans divorced. His owner worked long hours and reluctantly agreed to let the breeder place him with us! Alex worked with me as a therapy dog in a nursing home. He was awesome! Residents who were unwilling to talk to me, would happily visit with this gentle dog. Alex passed away in 1998, but he left me with such wonderful memories of the lives he touched.

Abby is a weimaraner I bred who needed a new home at the age of 1 due to her people divorcing as well. Being a responsible breeder, I needed to find her a new home. I was fortunate to place her with a family that homeschooled 3 girls ranging in age from 10 years to 14 years. They also had a 10 year old male weimaraner. Abby was in that home a few months, doing very well, when I received a call from her new owners saying "This dog was sent by God!"

I wondered what in the world could she have done to have received such a compliment? The youngest child was having fainting spells. One day, Abby got up from her spot and laid down behind the girl. Shortly after, she had a "fainting spell" and Abby broke her fall. Turns out that she had epilepsy. Upon further observation, they figured out that Abby could detect the seizures before they happened. She stares at her until she goes to her "quiet place". If she doesn't and has a seizure, Abby breaks her fall. Does not matter which direction she falls, she has never missed! She also reports to the parent when she doesn't take her meds.

Abby, is an official service dog. She passed her Canine Good Citizen Test and can enter stores, theaters, etc. By law, noone can ask what the person's disability is.

Jackie, Connecticut, USA