My service dog, Bear

I am a 69 yr old widow. I stared many years ago loosing my balance here and there. As an equestrian all my life I was called Calamity Jane by my riding friends. I was diagnosed with vertigo/vestibular migraine at age 67 by by 2 ENT doctors. A year after my diagnosis this condition forced me  to totally stop riding my horse. I was in danger just doing my daily barn chores. I had to sell him and the other horse I had and move out of my one bedroom tiny private house I designed for myself (next to the Savannah State Park with trails) to an apartment the size of a tuna can in an over 55 senior community.

I realized that I needed to be near people that can hear me yelling when I have vertigo, fall, and can’t get up. This happened one too many times. Once I drove up to my house in the dark feeling fine, I get out of my car in the darkness (because in winter there is less daylight), and down I go. I was down so long that I made the decision to move nearer people instead of on a private road with 5 acres between neighbors. I loved my house, it was supposed be my retirement home, my last house. I found the size of my little house also a problem. In larger spaces my dizzies were mild. I had my head spinning during the last episode 9 months ago. Because I live alone I do everything on my own. I just packed an entire household to move. It took over 2 months, but I accomplished this on my own. I still have a major balance disorder, but finally the head spinning stopped. All of this is only when I’m standing. I get out of driving my car in a parking lot and people think I’m drunk.

Due to my lifetime of riding horses I have physically learned to fall without stiffness. So far, no broken bones. While I was packing my house I fell backwards on my metal trash can; it now has a permanent dent of my entire buttocks. Living alone with this condition is challenging. I found using a walker or two canes was dangerous the way I can tip over still haling on.

I am an animal lover, so I have applied for a service dog. I tried to get on a list but it was so long I would never come to the top of the pile of applications. The cost of a trained balance a dog is $85,000. After making out several applications and hearing how Covid set the training back I decided to train my own dog. I’ve trained dogs in groups and alone so I needed a non shedding dog half my weight at least 18 months old to teach. It was something I knew I could still do.

I got myself a large male Golden Doodle and began to train him to give me stability when I’m walking. If I go one way he should counter balance me to not fall over. I do occasionally tip over but holding his harness should steady me.

Bear is a large dog; he was the smartest puppy the breeder ever bred. She kept him as long as she could, but at 18 months and also having 5 females she had to sell him. I was the right person at the right time. I needed a dog that would be easy to train. Bear’s price tag seemed a lot at $3,500, but after meeting Bear I could tell he would be easy to train.

A year later, Bear’s name became Tippy Bear. He is an amazingly smart dog. He was easily trained in very little time and could be tested and registered in a year. I am so proud of this dog. He changed my life. He will come to my aid if I do fall. I’m able to lean on him and pull myself to a position I can get up from.

My story might be a little different than most because I wasn’t going to let vestibular migraine take over my active lifestyle. Tippy Bear goes everywhere with me and he is all business as soon as I need him. I keep a soft harness for indoors. He is a regular, playful, happy dog. Being part poodle he can leap very high and run very fast at play. When I give him one command to take his place, he becomes all service. I taught him to adjust his gait to my speed, which is slower than his normal walking speed. I must admit that Tippy Bear was the fastest, most obedient dog I have trained. I have trained over 500 dogs and handlers.