Strange Question

Hi Akita!!  WELCOME!!
 
I am so glad that you are still posting here and that you are getting a lot of useful information!  I posted on your initial thread and then didn#%92t see you post for awhile so I thought you might have given up on i-dog…glad I was wrong!  []
 
No experience with dog training here so can#%92t comment directly,  but I work with quad#%92s and para#%92s daily and some of them have canine companions so even though you aren#%92t going for a total service dog…let me know if you have questions. I can find out how some of them work with their pups on picking up items or turning on and off lights… (most of them are C4 - C6 if that helps).     
 
Can#%92t wait to see pictures of your new pup soon!! []
 
Shelly
 
 

Nope were not going anywhere!  You guys are great and I'm going to need all the help training Mako that I can get.  In fact I get to bring him home on Friday for good.  It's only Tuesday but it already seems like an eternity.

On a serious note I would appreciate any information you can give me, the bullet didn't cut my spinal cord but other than that I am a C4 C5.  Which has me a little worried about how to handle things until he gets a bit bigger.

Thanks
Semper Fi

Nope were not going anywhere! You guys are great and I'm going to need all the help training Mako that I can get. In fact I get to bring him home on Friday for good. It's only Tuesday but it already seems like an eternity.

On a serious note I would appreciate any information you can give me, the bullet didn't cut my spinal cord but other than that I am a C4 C5. Which has me a little worried about how to handle things until he gets a bit bigger.

OMG- you must be so excited that you only have a few days left til Mako goes to his forever home![]


As far as your SCI, The voice commands/ sounds should work fine since the “clicker” is out.  Also, if you are planning to use treats as reward while training do you have a family member or friend who could possibly make some sort of bag or something that treats can go into and hook onto your chair to allow you easy access to them??    

 Also, you may want to go to petco or someplace with an open “pet food bar” and figure out what size and shape of dog treats will be easy for you to handle with limited finger control.   

My coworker and good friend Tim has been a C5 for 25 years now and he has owned several dogs as pets only (they don#%92t do service activities[]).  His current dog is 13 and they got him from a pup, so I will ask him how they got him comfortable with the chair and with things like spasms and such.   Are you in a power or manual wheelchair?  

On a side note…I wanted to say that I am sorry that you have had to learn first hand about paralysis and the struggles that go with it. Thank you for all you have done for our country to secure our freedom.   [sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif]


I work with one guy in his late 20#%92s who wanted nothing but to be a pilot and fly for the Marines. He had graduated college and was ready to start with the Marines and learning to fly when he was run over by a car and is now a quad.  He has let his feelings of failure overcome him and since 9/11 when his friends were sent away to serve, he has come to feel like he failed himself, his family and his country.   He can#%92t seem to understand that working through our work (an injury prevention education program)…he helps protect lives and save people every singe day.  He has been a source of great inspiration and courage for many (including the marines he speaks to at safety stand downs) but can#%92t see that for himself. [&o]  

You sound like a very determined gentleman who won#%92t let much stop you and I hope you use that strength to your advantage.  If you do you will go so far in life and have so much to offer and little Mako will be the first to reap the benefits.  []  

Best of luck to you with dog training and with life, you have my sincere respect.

Thank you for the kind words.  As far as my injury goes I'm sure you already know that every quad is different I should've been a bit more specific.  I'm completely paralyzed from about the chest down, my wrists and hands are fully paralyzed but I still have about 95% use of my arms.  I also have learned how to use what abdominal muscles I have left to move my upper body around.  With all that said it doesn't really matter, I'm really concerned about your friend and my brother! 

I don't know if he actually got his Eagle Globe and Anchor but judging from your post it sounds like he's a devil dog at heart and I'm sure any of his fellow Marines would gladly take his place if they could.  The paragraph that you wrote really struck home with me because I'm only 29 and everyday really is a struggle.  Not to sound like a cliché but it really does change your life in ways you can't explain to anybody that isn't in a wheelchair.  Your entire life becomes rearranged and you literally become a different person.  On the other side of the fence a whole different world opens up to you though.  For example, I'm a diehard skier and I still put in at least 20 days on the mountain each year, I was able to buy my own house and live by myself , I also own several nitro powered RC trucks that I'm able to control (sort of [8D]) and I still can paint with my airbrushes. I could keep going but I'm sure you get the point. I'm not sure how the webmaster feels about giving out your e-mail address but here's mine [email=jerrodg@bresnan.net]jerrodg@bresnan.net[/email] please make sure he gets it and tell him I EXPECT to hear from him soon. I can't fix his problems but I can listen real well.

Semper Fi

Jerrod-
OK...so no ability to pick up items (like treats) using wrist flexion then, right?
You are right...line up 100 people with SCI and no 2 will be identical in terms of function.
 
I am very impressed by your willingness to be so independent and active. I use to be a Recreation Therapist so I would have killed to have pateints like you that were so intersted in staying active and having fun.[]       So many "by their time" til the "cure" comes and so they don't actually live their life to it's fullest. OR they lay the pity card for the rest of their life which is even worse. [:'(]  Life is what you make of it...and a good attitude and a little persepctive will take you far.
 
As far as my coworker is concerned...i am not sure there is any chance in hell I could get him to e-mail you.  He is WAY to proud and stoic, but I will contact him to ask him questions about his canine companion for you and see where the conversation will lead. []
 
I don't think you sound cliche...sometimes the things we say may sound cliche or trite to others (or even to ourselves) but it truly is just the plain and simple truth.
Writing this post to you has actually helped me quite a bit today.  I have had a very bad past few weeks with work and have been really wanting to throw in the towel...but it is working with inspiring folks like you and working to prevent these type of disabilities that is why I stick it out.  I guess I just needed that reminder today and also a little perspective []. Thank you for forcing me to see that again.   I think I can now call Dh and tell him about my awful morning without balling my eyes out like I did a few hours ago.[]  
 
Will let you know what "dog related" advice I can find out for you for sweet Mako!  
Shelly

In my last post I feel that I went a bit overboard, it just bothers me that a fellow Marine who had a similar injury is my was feeling bad about himself.  Like I said I'm 29 and I haven't been hurt for very long so I can identified with his feelings physically and emotionally.  With that said I hope he does contact me even if it's just a way to vent his frustrations.

You're right I can't pick treats up with my fingers,  But I have learned how to get around small things like that. For example I could just drop a few on my lap and then toss one or two to Mako.  To be honest I don't know what to expect I'm a little bit nervous a little bit excited I'm a little bit happy and a little bit scared but I can't wait for the adventure.

In my last post I feel that I went a bit overboard, it just bothers me that a fellow Marine who had a similar injury is my was feeling bad about himself. Like I said I'm 29 and I haven't been hurt for very long so I can identified with his feelings physically and emotionally. With that said I hope he does contact me even if it's just a way to vent his frustrations.

 
No problem!  I fully understand your frustration…I feel the same way.   We will see how it goes…you never know…he could surprise me![]
 
OK, so today I worked with my friend who has been a C4-C5 quad for over 25 years (since high school).   His dog is now 13 (and not doing well…I am sad to say[&o]) but they got him when he was only a few months old.  Tim says that Chewey learned very quickly to adapt to the power chair.  They had a few run over the tail or paw incidents, but Chewey learned what the parameters of the chair were and never had any fear of it or anything.  This is very different than dogs that Tim sees around town who are freaked out by the chair or bark…etc.      
 
They have never done a lot of training with him , but he was a very hyper pup and they did have to hire a trainer to come in and teach some basic commands because Tim and his family didn#%92t have the patience and felt overwhelmed.  I don#%92t think this will be the same with you. 
 
Tim said that the hardest part of owning Chewey all these years is NOT being able to physically get close to a dog like he was able to when able-bodied.   He says that the closeness you can have with a dog (to hug or really give good belly rubs…etc.) just isn#%92t the same.  The one suggestion he has (which has nothing to do with training by the way!) is that it made all the difference having a couch that was the designated dog couch that Chewey could lay on and Tim could sit at the end of the couch in his chair and actually be able to get eye level with the dog and have that bonding time together.  He said that before they had the couch set up like that he would feel frustrated that he couldn#%92t really pet him or get close enough to him.  That is Tim#%92s suggestion to you![]
Also...he said that even though he physically isn't the one who can prepare his food...that he try's to always be part of the feeding process even if he just calls Chewey to dinner. He feels that the feeding part has really helped Tim and chewey bond and has made Tim feel like he was involved in the dogs care.  
 
Chewey absolutely adores Tim…in fact the second he hears the wheelchair move an inch, chewey is right there next to Tim.  He follows him everywhere and Tim is his whole world.  It is really neat to see their bond!  Not sure if any of this was helpful or not but thought I would pass it along.
 
Only ONE more day left til Mako comes home!  You must be so excited!!    [sm=dance.gif]