The Issue That No One Talks About
I’ve been involved in the service dog world for several years now, and one thing that no one seems to talk about much is how to know when it is time to retire your service dog. This is something I’ve been discussing with quite a few people lately and it seems like no one can give me a clear answer. Ultimately it seems like this is a very personal, individual choice that is really just up to each individual handler.
I started thinking about this a lot recently because I’ve come to the decision to retire my personal service dog, Basil. Since this is something that seems not to be discussed very often in the service dog world, I’ve decided to share my experience. This isn’t a decision I made overnight. In fact this is something I’ve been mulling over for quite a while now. This decision involved a lot of thought, prayer, and meditation, as well as discussing it with several friends and family members.
I started thinking about this a lot recently because I’ve come to the decision to retire my personal service dog, Basil. Since this is something that seems not to be discussed very often in the service dog world, I’ve decided to share my experience. This isn’t a decision I made overnight. In fact this is something I’ve been mulling over for quite a while now. This decision involved a lot of thought, prayer, and meditation, as well as discussing it with several friends and family members.
Disabilities are Unpredictable
The first thing that ultimately led to this decision had to do with myself. As many of you may know, Basil was trained to assist with some digestive diseases I have as well as to be a demo dog for my company. He has been an amazing help and I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been so grateful to have him with me. He really has been a life saver.
In January I hired a health coach. She has helped me create a whole new diet and lifestyle for myself. Before working with her I was getting sick on a nearly daily basis, having nausea attacks that would typically last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours each time. Since working with her I only get sick a handful of times a month, typically only lasting 10-30 minutes each time. This has been a huge difference for me and things have been so much more manageable now. Because of this, I’ve hit a point that I just don’t feel justified in taking a service dog out with me. I really don’t need him anymore.
I have encountered handlers who, while they may have needed their service dog in the past, have hit a point where they really don’t need a service dog anymore, but they continue to take the dog out because their whole identity is wrapped up in having a service dog. They no longer know how to be without one. I promised myself that I would never let that happen to me. I didn’t want to ever be the person who couldn’t stop taking my dog out with me because I didn’t know who I was anymore without the dog. Sure, I’m not looking forward to all the questions about why Basil isn’t with me anymore. It’s not going to be fun to deal with. But I know that it’s something I can do. Regardless of if I have a dog with me or not, I’m still me.
In January I hired a health coach. She has helped me create a whole new diet and lifestyle for myself. Before working with her I was getting sick on a nearly daily basis, having nausea attacks that would typically last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours each time. Since working with her I only get sick a handful of times a month, typically only lasting 10-30 minutes each time. This has been a huge difference for me and things have been so much more manageable now. Because of this, I’ve hit a point that I just don’t feel justified in taking a service dog out with me. I really don’t need him anymore.
I have encountered handlers who, while they may have needed their service dog in the past, have hit a point where they really don’t need a service dog anymore, but they continue to take the dog out because their whole identity is wrapped up in having a service dog. They no longer know how to be without one. I promised myself that I would never let that happen to me. I didn’t want to ever be the person who couldn’t stop taking my dog out with me because I didn’t know who I was anymore without the dog. Sure, I’m not looking forward to all the questions about why Basil isn’t with me anymore. It’s not going to be fun to deal with. But I know that it’s something I can do. Regardless of if I have a dog with me or not, I’m still me.
What if it Comes Back?
For a while I was concerned my disability would “cycle” and I would get really sick again. After all, it’s done that in the past, cycling every 1-2 months between pretty good and really awful. So I thought maybe I would continue to take Basil out with me just to make sure that he stayed up on all of his training. That way if I happened to get sick again, he would still be in working condition. But 2 months turned into 6 and the cycle never came. This has been the best I’ve ever done in years and no matter how I spin it, I’ve just felt that continuing to take Basil out with me was cheating the system. It’s very possible that one day my illness may cycle and I might end up getting really sick again, but I will cross that road when I come to it. For now, I’m just going to be grateful that my health is doing as well as it is.
Dogs Have Feelings Too
The final hammer on the nail that made me decide to go ahead and retire Basil had to do with Basil himself. Over the last couple of months he has lost all of his enthusiasm for work. Instead of jumping up and running to the door when I tell him it’s time to go somewhere, he just sits there and doesn’t move. What’s worse is that often times he will even run away when I pull his vest out. He’s gone from being a dog that was constantly wanting attention and invading people’s space to not wanting anyone but those closest to him to touch him at all. Whenever we were out working he just seemed stressed, anxious, and frustrated, which in turn caused me to be stressed, anxious and frustrated. We went from being a great service dog team to being a discombobulated mess.
I think a big part of this is because he’s a Great Dane and he draws massive amounts of attention and harassment everywhere we go. I can’t take him anywhere without having people making comments wanting to pet him and grab at him, barking at us and making all kinds of obnoxious noises, etc. While it's normal to get this type of treatment when you're out with any service dog, it’s worse with him than any other service dog I’ve worked with. He’s also been attacked 5 times by other “service dogs” while out in public.
I think another big reason is that he’s realized as well that I really just don’t need him with me anymore. When things shifted from me taking him out and him regularly helping me, to me just dragging him out without actually needing him, I think he just got tired of all the harassment. If I was still as sick as I was before and still actually used him to help me on a regular basis, he might have continued to do fine and “put up with it.” But as it is, he’s just done with it all. Whether you need a service dog with you or not, if your dog is no longer enjoying the work, it’s not fair to your dog to continue to drag him/her out with you.
I think a big part of this is because he’s a Great Dane and he draws massive amounts of attention and harassment everywhere we go. I can’t take him anywhere without having people making comments wanting to pet him and grab at him, barking at us and making all kinds of obnoxious noises, etc. While it's normal to get this type of treatment when you're out with any service dog, it’s worse with him than any other service dog I’ve worked with. He’s also been attacked 5 times by other “service dogs” while out in public.
I think another big reason is that he’s realized as well that I really just don’t need him with me anymore. When things shifted from me taking him out and him regularly helping me, to me just dragging him out without actually needing him, I think he just got tired of all the harassment. If I was still as sick as I was before and still actually used him to help me on a regular basis, he might have continued to do fine and “put up with it.” But as it is, he’s just done with it all. Whether you need a service dog with you or not, if your dog is no longer enjoying the work, it’s not fair to your dog to continue to drag him/her out with you.
The Retirement Process
So Basil is now making the transition from service dog to pet. Originally I was planning to ease him out of it over the course of a few weeks, starting by leaving him home from his least favorite places (like Costco) and cutting out his favorite places (like restaurants and movie theaters) last. I thought that if I just stopped taking him places he would think he was in trouble. But after a few days leaving without him, he seemed much happier and more relaxed. It’s as if he knew before I did that it was time to retire and he was content to just be done. The retirement process is going to be different for each individual dog and handler, but the important part is listening to your dog and playing it by ear.
Looking Ahead
Though retired, Basil will still do a lot of work as my demo dog, as he really enjoys working with other dogs. There are still plenty of pet-friendly places I can go with my clients that I can also take him to work. I will just no longer be working him out in public like a service dog. I am extremely grateful for the time I had with him as my service dog partner. I have been able to learn and grow so much during that time. I know that we still have lots of love and adventures to come in the future!
RSS Feed