Abby obtained her emotional support certification in January 2023. Weeks following her newfound job, she was triggered by nose-to-nose contact from a herding dog at the fence line. It was devastating to us. My support dog had her own triggering episode! I took her to a behavioral veterinarian, and she was on medications for 6 months to stabilize her.

After the incident, I was required by the behavioral veterinarian to get Abby a trainer to overcome the trauma and assess her condition. In addition to assessing Abby, we had to work on our owner to dog bond to improve trust and boundaries. As it turns out, she’s an amazing pup and just guarding her home. We learned a few tricks: stay, place, drop it (good luck if it actually happens with a ball in mouth without a treat in the hand), free, and we worked on various commands for come. I believe the trainer fell in love with her happy temperament and we are hoping to work on agility training in 2024 or 2025. Another option is to turn her into a therapy dog. Abby loves to have a job and work!

Abby’s Dog Trainer

I work at a home office desk and my office is mostly surrounded by toys, chew bones, and lots of cries for attention and playtime. In 2022, I found a dog walker to attend to Abby’s needs while I worked during the day. Abby found her favorite BFF. I cannot say her name without Abby running to the window or door. I am so blessed to have her in our lives and she is an extended part of our family. Sometimes your emotional support animal requires another human to be the center of their world if your pet is not socialized with the community regularly.

Abby’s Dog Walker

Abby does not like flying creatures. She frequently kills flies. This time she found her match with a bee and it stung her. Even though this was not a good experience for her, I feel like I captured an adorable photo of what must have been very painful experience for her.

Abby attending to her mom when I had an emotional day. Animals are so beautiful, and she brings me much joy in this life.