Diego the Service Dog

I'm Quinn and my dog is Diego. I have dysautonomia, vasovagal syncope, non-epileptic seizures, autism, ptsd, and chronic fatigue. Diego is trained to help me live safely and more freely and I also use mobility aids. This blog has been the story of Diego and my journey through training him and me learning to live with my health problems.

[diegotheservicedog]

We got to stop by Diego’s favorite fire truck at our old neighborhood park

[diegotheservicedog]

Pictures from the first day of our trip to Iowa! Diego did an absolutely wonderful job in the airport and on the plane. I got around partially with his and my cane’s help and then also with the help of airport attendants. There was a lovely woman with her whistle who pushed me around in the wheel chair and then drove the cart. She would ask people to get out of her way, and when people inevitably didn’t listen she would blare her whistle and people would move! One other wheel chair attendant got standoffish about the whistle, but she defended it saying she needed it to do her job. I totally agree with her! People don’t always pay attention for those having difficulties.

[diegotheservicedog]

Back from Traveling

I just got back from an extended trip to my hometown in Iowa and, since I’ve wanted to start blogging more, I thought I would upload a photo here and talk about my mobility aids for the airport and travel.

Diego is trained to help me get up and down safely so I don’t faint, and in the event I do fall he can keep me safe. But he’s been getting a bit older and sometimes it’s difficult needing to bring dog everywhere I go. Like on an airplane with limited space, or when he is feeling sick like he was around the time we had to return home.

The cane attached to my backpack allows me to be sturdier on my feet while walking. I can lean on it when I feel wobbly and I can use it to stand up slower. Sometimes I even flip it around and move items on the ground with it so I don’t have to bend over and risk falling.

I was also wearing compression leggings to keep the blood in the upper part of my body. Then I wore a fanny pack so I could easily access important things without having to move around my backpack or bag (which saves a lot of precious precious energy). I kept my boarding passes, cell phone, wallet, headphones, and portable charger in there. In my backpack and carry on were all of my medicines, other health/service dog items, comfort blanket, and my technology.

The newest mobility aid, which is only slightly in the picture, is a rolling walker with a seat. I got it specifically for the airport but I think it’s going to become my primary aid for bad days when I need to go out. I can walk a lot faster with the walker than I can with the cane or with only Diego. Since it can lock the wheels and has a seat, I am able to fully sit down whenever I get dizzy and not just lean on something. This is safer for me and better for getting my blood pressure/dizziness back under control. The seat also functioned as a way to transport my bag through the airport since I get fatigued quite easily. The walker saved my butt many many times in the airport and allowed me so much more freedom than just my cane or an airport wheelchair assistant that I’ve used before. Spoiler alert: airlines don’t really care much about accessibility and often don’t have enough handlers for all the people who need help. And if you have a layover to catch, this can be an extremely sticky situation. I know walkers aren’t a possibility for all people, but I personally benefited greatly from it an I’m thankful I had it.

I’m still recovering from my trip, but part of that has been watching/reading content from disabled people online. That was instrumental in my decision to get the walker before coming home, and also in helping my mental transition from using a cane to the walker in public. I still haven’t yet, since I’m pretty bed bound for now, but I want to start connecting more online while I am sick and then taking pictures or even videos and talking about my future experiences. We’ll see where this blog goes, because I want to try and upload all the many pics I have of Diego since I’ve been inactive. But spoons are few and far between so we will see what I can do. Thank you for reading and I hope you are in a good place right now 😚

[diegotheservicedog]

A happy springtime mess

[diegotheservicedog]

Made it to Washington! Yesterday Diego got to go to an off leash forest dog park with his new dog roommates Ginger (coonhound) and Willow (a pitty Shepherd + something small mix)

[diegotheservicedog]

Another day of travel has been on its way! We are driving through Utah and Nevada today, stopping in Sacramento, CA tonight The two black kitties are sharing a big carrier behind my seat because they get lonely and cry without each other. Diego is enjoying having his entire bed next to a window, as well as front seat access for head rubs.

[diegotheservicedog]

From a rest stop in Nebraska

[diegotheservicedog]

Night two of coast to coast move was spent in the Quad Cities, our hometown. Goal for today is to clear Iowa and Nebraska by driving all the way to Cheyenne, WY. At time of writing this, there are 5 hrs to Cheyenne.

[diegotheservicedog]

Day two of @ideaofanidentity and @sammac1996’s coast to coast trip

[diegotheservicedog]

At Niagara Falls. Currently moving from New York to Washington. 3 hrs in, ~45 more hours of driving to go

[unifiedunusuals]

Also Maisy got to hang out with @diegotheservicedog, and they just make the cutest pair of couch potatoes I’ve ever seen. Photo credit to @ideaofanidentity

[diegotheservicedog]

For a reward for getting through the paw-aitus again, have a picture of Diego and his new friend Maisy! I will try my best to post more pics, but health got in the way for a while. Maisy's human is @unifiedunusuals

[diegotheservicedog]

Every day I am extremely thankful to have these two beautiful furry souls by my side. Diego is always there to literally pick me back up when I fall and I wouldn't be able to do really anything without him. And Samhain the kitty always knows when I am sad and need some kitten purrs to make me feel better. I will always be thankful for the love that animals give us and the amazing things they do for humans. Happy thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are all safe, healthy, and happy this holiday season. -Quinn

[ideaofanidentity]

Well evacuation was fun, made it to the hotel in NC safely

Took the reversed highway lane, and we definitely made the right choice. A lot less traffic. Felt super unnatural though.

During stop and start traffic the guy in that semi leaned out the window and asked for a cig so he hopped out and I rolled down my window to give him one. Then any time we passed each other he would wave and shout thanks and blessings over our way.

People would lean over the bridges and wave and take pictures. Some had signs. Idk why they want us leaving to Ohio and not coming back but nah no thanks I think I’ll pass on going back to the Midwest, hurricane or nah

Kitten did well, David Bowie helped to calm her down. Diego was cramped but seemed to have a good enough time.

[diegotheservicedog]

Diego says:

At first I was worried when we packed a lot of stuff again, but we just were going to a hotel and this time my sister got to go with!

There were lots of cars on the road and it was pretty windy but my human parents got the whole family to the hotel safely.

There might be a storm coming but this is like a vacation!

[diegotheservicedog]

I didn't want to stand still for the family selfie, but my human and my daddy @sammac1996 really wanted me in the picture so I held still, for a second at least. I had an amazing adventure at the beach and I can't wait to go back there soon! I may miss the forests of Washington, but swimming in the ocean is a decent trade off.

[diegotheservicedog]

Swimming in the ocean for the first time was so exciting! The waves surprised me sometimes but I could jump over them and I'm a really good swimmer. This was nothing like the creeks back in Iowa though! I got lots of water and sand in my fur but I shook myself off all over my human's clothes and got lots of rubs with a towel.

[diegotheservicedog]

My human and I take good care of each other and get to go on lots of fun adventures. The sand felt weird beneath my paws but I still loved jumping and running! I was spinning in circles on my leash with how excited I was. I may have been born a long time ago, but I am still very much a puppy.