by Elana Duffy, Pathfinder.vet CEO
Pathfinder.vet and our partners followed the transformation of a hyper pup into an emotional support dog for a Veteran in need.
You could hear the energy from the bottom of the hill, almost all the way back to the subway station leading to the dog park. Barking, and occasionally the loud shout:
“Blue! No!”
Marc and Rose were at the park, as they are frequently, to greet us. We wanted to meet the friendly, happy, Labrador mix named Blue.
But it was hard to introduce anyone to the 88-pound bundle of energy since that would entail getting him to stop sniffing other dogs, chasing everything from pups to leaves to the occasional squirrel unlucky (or dumb) enough to cross through the dog run. Marc and Rose hoped the park was not just a way to introduce us, but a way to (theoretically) burn off puppy energy. After two hours, it had little noticeable effect on Blue and all the effect on his parents.
Marc, an Air Force explosive ordinance disposal (bomb squad) Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, only had Blue about a week before he realized the puppy might have a little too much energy for what he could handle. He adopted Blue from a friend, saving the 1 year-old from heading to a shelter when the friend couldn’t take him to a new home. Marc has severe post-traumatic stress, and the hope was a dog would provide some emotional support and encourage healing and adjustment.
But as I watched Marc and his girlfriend, Rose, as Blue tore around the park the exhaustion was apparent. Blue had the basics down, like sit and stay, but otherwise was unresponsive to direction. Distraction was the name of his game, and “No” was not in his consistent vocabulary. The stress on the faces of his new parents was evident, and Marc was starting to shut down the longer we were out there.
An emotional support animal is not any pet; it is an animal that a medical professional such as a therapist or doctor has deemed necessary for the health of the individual. Blue, as much as he loved to love, was causing more stress than he relieved. He ran full-speed into people, jumped on other dogs to make friends, and pulled on his leash. He was a great companion for someone who had the time and energy to help him learn to behave, but right now that was not Marc. And it was evident Blue needed to learn this before it became too much and Marc shut down into the stress. We worried for Marc, and worried for Blue.
Enter our project: taking Blue from a hyper-active puppy to a fully registered and trained emotional support dog. Thanks to the amazing help of the Veteran service organization Dogs2DogTags, Lone Duck Obedience Academy with owner/trainer Bob Owens, and our partnership with PupJournal, Pathfinder is helping Blue learn what it will take to be there for Marc.
Our Veterans rely on animals like Blue to help them stay connected with the community. Follow the story of Blue on our blog with photos, videos, and more as he makes his way through training during April 2017. We can’t wait to see you!
