I considered getting a service dog for a number of years to help with my mental health issues, but I never felt like they were bad enough to get a service dog. That’s mostly just the imposter syndrome talking. I definitely was disabled and could have used a service dog. Then, I started having more physical issues and eventually a geneticist diagnosed me with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and POTS. I finally started to embrace my identity as a disabled person and realized that I needed more help.
I started struggling with my POTS more, which meant that I was having frequent dizziness and lightheadedness. Sometimes, I couldn’t even get up off the floor to get myself water or other treatments. That is when I decided I needed to look further into getting a service dog who could help me when I was unable to help myself.
I did a lot of research into training organizations, and I felt pretty discouraged. Many had multi-year waitlists and the dogs costs thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars. However, through my research I connected with a local trainer. She’s incredibly experienced and has trained many service dogs, including for the Make a Wish Foundation. I didn’t have to wait at all to meet with her; she even came to my apartment!
That first meeting was a whirlwind and felt like a miracle. I described my needs to her, including that I needed a hypoallergenic dog. She told me about a litter of puppies that had been born to a breeder she had worked with for years, another client had put a deposit on a puppy but changed their mind. If I wanted, I could take over their deposit instead and have my puppy in six weeks.
It was a huge and sudden decision and although it was less expensive than many program trained dogs, it wasn’t cheap either. I connected with a few of my trainer’s previous clients who had worked with her and the breeder, Hunnington Farms. They were all big fans of the trainer and in love with their dogs. In the end, my family took over the deposit and bought the puppy.
I looked at the puppies’ photos all the time. I didn’t know which one would be mine, but I knew I was getting a boy. The trainer went to Louisiana herself to pick out my puppy. She got the second pick of the litter. She tested the puppies on many things, including scenting abilities. Arlo had the best personality and ability to find things by scent, which is essential for his medical alert tasks. Arlo was seven weeks old when he flew to Texas and came to live with me. He is now two years old and I hope you’ll stick around as I write more about Arlo and what he does for me.