Equinox: Psychiatric Service Doodle In Training

A blog for tracking the growth and training of my next Psychiatric Service Dog, Equinox. He is an F1B labradoodle, born January 18, 2018. || Also featuring: My 9 year old owner trained Border Collie Mix PSD; Oreo | My 3 yr old Great Pyr; Asbjörn- a washed out SD prospect | My Boyfriend's 9 yr old Siberian Husky; Luna | My 1 year old house cat; Taji | My ferret, Chaos | And my Rats & Mice! I have a Rattery, so the amount of rats and mice I have is always changing 😅 || || And I suppose I matter too, so here's me...: Alex | they/them | Born '96 | Neurodivergent with chronic pain and cPTSD. | I love animals! All animals of all types! | ♌ Leo ♌ 🐀 Year of the Rat 🐀 | INFP-T | Likes to draw, sew and bake. | Likes furries, too - don't judge me either, they're awesome and you know it. Just take a look at your childhood cartoons and try to deny it to yourself 😂 || ... also I have a few sidebolgs..... a lot... @neurodivergent-raccoon, @canis-raccoonis, @radical-ringtail, @carrion-raccoon, @disabled-trash-panda, @pagan-trash-panda, @raccoon-collecting-art, @moonlight-mischief-rattery ... I like to keep stuff organized for later 😀

[txmriddlx]

Can you please reblog if your blog is a safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, non binary, demisexual or any other kind of queer or questioning people? Because mine is.

[service-doodle-equinox]

Late post, but! Equinox and his doggy carrot cake on March 17th - which is his Gotcha Day!

He LOVED it! I have video of him bouncing for it that I will try to post also - though I was having trouble with it 🤔

He is doing really well with his training, too!

He has a really good understanding of his body around mine and in general space, he understands all of my hand signals and most of my verbal commands, he understands how to alert and does it when needed without extra prompting or commands and his distance recall is just BEAUTIFUL!

We are still working out some kinks though! We are working on better table manners (still begging 😅), we are still building trust and I am still socializing him and putting lots of work into his engagement - he focuses really really well, but gets distracted pretty easily still 😅

We're also still proofing everything!

One other super annoying thing we are still working on is him barking at people who are outside when he is inside the house or a car. It is annoying, and we are working on it... but so far has caused no issues while we are training outside the house. I feel like it could impact a future hotel stay or train ride though, so if I can't work though it with him myself, we will get some pro help to fix the issue >.<

[service-doodle-equinox]

Equinox got neutered today!!! :D

[crippleprophet]

we need to be taught disability history in school because it is 2019, i am 20 years old, and i am only now learning that the National Association of the Deaf had to take Netflix to court in 2012 in order for closed captioning to be required on streaming sites (source). any amount of accessibility in our lives has been fought for, and those stories need to be told.

[service-doodle-equinox]

This was only a week or two after he came home ^.^

He is still so sweet <3

LOOK AT THAT BLEP!!!

[service-doodle-equinox]

EQUINOX TURNED ONE WHOLE YEAR OLD ON THE 18/19th !!!

He was born in the middle of the night so he is kinda both days, haha!

He is such a good boy, but we just moved and I am so so tired... so we are doing his doggy birthday this coming weekend :D

I'll post cute pictures then too ^.^

I'm getting him neutered in a month or so here, because he is to distracted for me to work with him in the new house 🙄

Hopefully I'll do more updates as we start doing more public access work, but we'll see, I do my best 😅

Here is a cute picture of him outside at the new place, needing brushed bathed and trimmed... it's been a long month 😓

[service-doodle-dog]

A SD Handler Without Their Dog

Clicks and gives cues to thin air???

Why do they have so many poo bags?

And treats??

Constantly marveling they dont get stopped in public

Like people dont stare

Its crazy

Anything remotely fuzzy = is that my dog!?

Anything vaguely the color of the dog =is that my dog!?

“I feel naked”

I have hands! Let me carry stuff!

Feel free to add more

[moonlight-mischief-rattery]

Lucas, male

He’s about 3 years old ^.^

[moonlight-mischief-rattery]

Lucas passed on Sunday December 4th, 2018. We buried him in his little baby pouch behind the house…

[service-doodle-equinox]

I love Lucas a lot... he will be missed :c

[quite-likely-valentine]

I know there’s a lot of tension after Tumblr’s new policy annouced for December 17th, but reblog this if you aren’t leaving Tumblr so that other blogs can know they aren’t going to be completely alone!

[service-doodle-equinox]

I am going to shave Quin like a panda next time.

Kinda like a retro lamb clip, but instead of cutting the whole body down, I'm going to clip his ribs and waist but leave the fur longer over his shoulders and his rump, also gonna leave his fro and tail floof. A panda pup :D

[service-doodle-equinox]

We have been too lazy with training lately,

I was getting burnt out and frustrated and pushing him too hard, so we toned it way way back and it has actually helped things move on faster than before 😅

Anyway, cute pictures of my puppy begging for a noodle. Begging is his worst problem right now 😫

He's a good boy ^.^

[service-doodle-equinox]

Mostly groomed puppy :D

(Feet are still fuzzy XD )

[sunflorally]

if you’ve ever taken a shower to muffle your sobs, I’m sorry and I love you. if you’ve ever eaten alone in a bathroom stall, I’m sorry and I love you. if you’ve ever used makeup to conceal evidence of pain, I’m sorry and I love you. if you’ve ever looked in a mirror and wanted to change what you saw, I’m sorry and I love you. if you’ve ever questioned your worth because of someone else, I’m sorry and I love you. you’re not alone, and you don’t deserve the hurt you’ve experienced. you are good enough—more than good enough. you and valid, you have meaning, and you are loved even when you don’t know it.

[disabled-trash-panda]

4-On-The-Floor..?

I am not entirely sure what or how detailed the original definition of “4 on the floor” was, but it has come to mean: “Must have 4 paws on the floor unless completing specific tasks to aid handler” (-IACP website), and it’s applied seemingly regardless of size or situation. I really don’t like that “rule” for a few reasoms, but primarily because of the very real and serious danger that it puts miniature and toy dogs in.

I feel like 4 on the floor should mean:

“Must not put paws on any objects or surfaces except the floor unless completing specific tasks to aid handler.”

Because you cannot tell me in good conscience that in a crowded place with high foot traffic- such as a mall, a hospital or a school- that the floor is the best place for something like a 6 pound alert dog to be walking around. An inconsiderate fool is almost guaranteed to step on them while they’re focused on their ‘whatever’. If my service dog were under ~15 inches tall, you bet I would be carying them around anywhere with high foot traffic. So, in other words, the places most strangers would be seeing me with my dog and howling about how it wasn’t on the floor…

The other thing that irritates me so about it is that it’s really nobody’s business how a dog and handler interact with one another when it isn’t a disruptive interaction. Someone carrying their tiny whatever alert dog in its own purse or under their arm? That’s not hurting you, ignore them. It’s not impeding the dogs ability to work either, if anything it probably makes it easier, if theyre closer to potential symptoms.

Anyway. I guess I am just trying to say, if that dog you see isn’t being disruptive or a threat of being disruptive, just leave them and their handler alone. It really isn’t necessary to police people for their harmless activities just because you don’t understand, or agree.

[disabled-trash-panda]

Reading the comments, I am reminded of big reason I don’t like ‘4-on-the-floor’, number 2:

Antagonizing people with small service dogs because of whether or not they hold their dog when they walk, may make it impossible for that handler to have a safe and comfortable experience with their service dog. Which would make the service dog counterproductive and obsolete as medical equipment.

[service-doodle-equinox]

We were gone from the 1st to the 5th of August! We are back! I am still super tired, so here is something to show you that I didn’t die :Also, quin got a new vest from Patience and Love 143 on e tsy and I am VERY pleased ❤

[taliandus]

WAIT WHERE DID YOU GET THAT GANDALF PATCH I LOVE IT 😍

[service-doodle-equinox]

It is a leash sleeve!!! I got it on Etsy! From PatienceAndLove143!!!

It is here!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/227985222/1-you-shall-not-pet-leash-sleeve-snap-on

Here is a vest version, too!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/214189184/vest-for-25-to-90lb-dogs-thou-shall-not

And she takes custom requests! So you could almost certainly get a patch version of it!!!

[disabled-trash-panda]

4-On-The-Floor..?

I am not entirely sure what or how detailed the original definition of “4 on the floor” was, but it has come to mean: “Must have 4 paws on the floor unless completing specific tasks to aid handler” (-IACP website), and it’s applied seemingly regardless of size or situation. I really don’t like that “rule” for a few reasoms, but primarily because of the very real and serious danger that it puts miniature and toy dogs in.

I feel like 4 on the floor should mean:

“Must not put paws on any objects or surfaces except the floor unless completing specific tasks to aid handler.”

Because you cannot tell me in good conscience that in a crowded place with high foot traffic- such as a mall, a hospital or a school- that the floor is the best place for something like a 6 pound alert dog to be walking around. An inconsiderate fool is almost guaranteed to step on them while they’re focused on their ‘whatever’. If my service dog were under ~15 inches tall, you bet I would be carying them around anywhere with high foot traffic. So, in other words, the places most strangers would be seeing me with my dog and howling about how it wasn’t on the floor…

The other thing that irritates me so about it is that it’s really nobody’s business how a dog and handler interact with one another when it isn’t a disruptive interaction. Someone carrying their tiny whatever alert dog in its own purse or under their arm? That’s not hurting you, ignore them. It’s not impeding the dogs ability to work either, if anything it probably makes it easier, if theyre closer to potential symptoms.

Anyway. I guess I am just trying to say, if that dog you see isn’t being disruptive or a threat of being disruptive, just leave them and their handler alone. It really isn’t necessary to police people for their harmless activities just because you don’t understand, or agree.

[securityunit-ese]

What a great list of ideas for proofing sit (and drop and stand)!