The one thing on my wishlist

Houston at the Virginia Aquarium (there's a shark right on his left)

My current service dog, Houston, has been with my for over six years. He's an Anatolian Shepherd Dog and has been an amazing partner. The fact that he's been an amazing service dog is compounded by the fact that, when I went to look at him, I was told he could not be trained and could not be groomed. His owners couldn't handle him at all.

I spent 10 minutes alone with him and knew that the problem was not with the dog. He was even-tempered, sweet, attentive, and bright. Houston (at the time "Huey") was also a mess! His coat hadn't been touched in over a year according to his owner. His nails were in a terrible state. He did not listen to his owner at all. It was clear why. The man had no idea of how to handle a dog.

Within four months of Houston's arrival home his obedience was flawless and he was doing many of the tasks that I needed done. He picked up things I dropped, helped me get up and down from chairs, supported me when I lost my balance, and even helped with laundry.

Christmas 2010 - Santa's 'lil helper!

Houston on Virginia Beach - ready for retirement?

When Houston started showing signs that he was going to have to retire I was truly upset. I am so used to working with him and trust him so completely that I was sure no other dog could do what he does. Rationally, I knew that I could "replace" Houston, but my emotions kept getting in the way. I put off finding another dog because I couldn't imagine working with another dog.

After a long time of arguing with myself, I knew it was past time to start looking for a new service dog. I really wanted another Anatolian Shepherd for several reasons. Many of the qualities that make Houston such a great s.d. for me are typical of the breed. I need a large dog for the balance/counter-balance work and Anatolians are certainly large. I needed a dog that could be content without a lot of exercise. Anatolians are bred to lay in a pasture with their goats/sheep and don't have to run around constantly to be happy. I needed a dog who wouldn't drool excessively so that he would be accepted in public without grimaces. The same went for the fur. A dog who would shed constantly or look messy because of knots wouldn't be terribly presentable. Anatolians require grooming, but they don't drool and don't have overly "sheddy" coats.

The only problem is that they're somewhat hard to come by, especially where I live. It seems that many of the "breeders" are more interested in showing the dogs they already have than actually breeding. I had put a deposit on an unborn puppy because the breeder promised me she'd keep the sire home from an "important" show because it fell in the dam's heat cycle. She lied. After waiting for months I found out that she'd taken the dog to the show and that the bitch wasn't pregnant. She offered to have me wait nearly another year for a puppy. I declined. For all I knew there would be another big show and I'd be out of luck again.

For a while I thought I'd have to settle for another breed. I was disappointed but I knew I had to find a dog before Houston was done working. Then I found the lady in Kentucky, with the "Anatolian" that looked just like a Great Pyrenees. After such a long drive down there, I pressured myself into giving him a try and it was a disaster. I then had to go all the way back to Kentucky to return the dog.

I then located a breeder all the way in Arkansas. That's a very long way from Michigan but she had a male she thought would be perfect and had several other puppies available if I thought the pup she'd picked wasn't right. It was a long way to go if none of the puppies seemed likely but I had to take the chance.

Marty, my husband, was reluctant at first. He was thinking of the long trip back to return a pup if it didn't work out but I assured him that unless I felt certain one of the pups had an excellent chance of being a good s.d. I'd be tough and just say no. It took some persuasion, but he finally agreed to make the nearly 800 mile trip down.

We'd arranged to drive down on a Monday and see the pups on Tuesday morning but we left even earlier than planned and made better time than we thought we would, so Becky, the breeder, said we could come on Monday. Becky and Jerry live very high up in the Ozark Mountains so we had a beautiful drive to their ranch.

Jerry & Becky of Diamond Acres Ranch   

When we arrived Becky had bathed the pup she chose and had him on a lead. I had told Marty I expected some of the Anatolian aloofness from the pup and he was pretty distant. He hadn't met strangers way up on his mountain and so he was particularly shy. That would have been a red flag for me except that he warmed up and was very friendly very quickly. I felt sure he'd be able to accept strangers quite well once he had the opportunity.

I looked at the other pups and, in spite of the fact that they were both younger and "cuter" I was sure that the pup Becky had chosen would be the right guy. Papers and money were exchanged and the next thing I knew we were on our way to the hotel with a new service dog candidate. I was hopeful but a little nervous. I knew the first night would give me an indication of how this guy was going to work out. The one thing I knew was that I'd gotten the one thing on my wishlist. I had an Anatolian Shepherd.

My first look at the really new guy.

Starting Again

Tucker, the service dog candidate from Kentucky, is not going to work out. He is unwilling to learn, preferring his own ideas to mine. He's also very destructive.

In just 8 days he ate Houston's leash, chewed my dresser, destroyed 4 of Houston's beloved "woobies," and his tennis ball. Some of these toys Houston's had for years.

Tucker also managed to injure my leg by pulling me so hard on leash that I can barely walk. A couple of days ago Marty took him for a walk and Tucker ended up knocking Marty down. Now Marty's entire right side is bruised and sore and his elbow is scraped raw in spite of his long-sleeved shirt. I hate that he got hurt but it would have been much worse had Tucker done that to me.

Tucker is afraid of people, mostly men, and noises freak him out. If a pan drops in the kitchen while he's in the bedroom, he jumps and tries to hide. We've tried to introduce him to people who really like and understand dogs but he's still very afraid.

He'll make a wonderful farm dog. He loves being outside and will, no doubt, grow into a dog who will defend his goats with his life. He already has an impressive bark and a deep growl. And he's a very sweet puppy.

If we wanted a dog simply as a pet and could keep him outdoors most of the time, we'd probably keep him. You can't help but love him. But he's not ever going to make it as a service dog and that's what I need. He'll be happier back home and I'll be able to find a dog to take over Houston's job. I'll miss Tucker, but it's for the best.