[00:00:57] [Music Ends]

[00:00:57] Can you tell us a little bit about how you got here? How did you connect with and start to work with Canine Companions?

[00:01:06] Aubree: So, in 2016 I started with Canine Companions, and that’s where I started my apprenticeship. Four years later I became an instructor. And then now I’ve moved into this role, which is the client services program manager, now I get to not only work with applicants, but the folks who are placed with the dogs and get to see kind of the start of their journey and how they’re able to be long-term assisted by these dogs that we train and provide to them, so.

[00:01:35] Dannelle: That is amazing. How did you connect with Canine Companions, Makenzie?

[00:01:41] Makenzie: So, I actually am deaf in both ears and have cochlear implants, bilateral cochlear implants. So, it was back in high school when I was trying to figure out, okay, I’m gonna be going off to college and I need a way to safely be able to go to college. And I had tried all the different alarms, like the bed shake, awake alarms, the strobe fire alarms, all those different types of things. And none of them had worked.

[00:02:05] So, I started doing some more research because I knew I couldn’t depend on other people like I could depend on my parents. I wouldn’t be able to depend on my roommates in that same way, and I didn’t want to have to depend on other people like that. And so, when I started doing research, I found out about hearing dogs, and that’s where I saw Canine Companions.

[00:02:26] So, I decided to apply for a hearing dog from them and I ended up getting accepted onto the list and then getting my hearing dog in May of 2017. And then I had gone off to college with Hanalei and Hanalei gave me the ability to be able to go to college completely independent.

[00:02:44] And then while I was in college, I was doing some animal science degrees and I decided that – I saw a position open up at Canine Companions and I wanted to be able to play a part in helping other people experience the same independence I had gained. So, I came and started working for Canine Companions.

[00:03:01] Dannelle: Oh, I love that. So, I mean, that is perfect example of quality of life, how the dogs help people to maintain their independence and to increase quality of life. So, um, oh, and I just wanna ask, is Hanalei there with you. Can we say hi?

[00:03:22] Makenzie: Yes, she is. Come here. So, this is Hanalei. [Laughs]

[00:03:28] Dannelle: Hi Hanalei! We’re so glad you’re here. Thank you so much for being on The Caregiving Soul! [Laughs]

[00:03:35] Makenzie: [Laughs]

[00:03:37] Dannelle: So, what are some of the other reasons why people would seek out and benefit from a service dog for support?

[00:03:48] Aubree: So, every person has their own story and their own reasoning behind wanting to get any kind of service animal in their life. So, there’s definitely a lot of folks that we have served and will continue to serve. But I know just some little examples.

[00:04:05] A lot of our veterans, they don’t enjoy going into public places. They’ve had a lot of trouble with re-assimilating into this society. And having a service dog with them, not only can help them be a little bit more confident in their own abilities, but just kind of be environmentally aware in a way that’s safe and familiar to them.

[00:04:27] We do provide task work where the dog will like just stand in front of the veteran or behind them so they can feel a little bit more comfortable in those public spaces that they might not normally. The dogs also provide anxiety interruption, so it’s almost like this partner in their life is hopefully trained to become so attentive to this individual that they can recognize these certain cues or triggers in this person’s repertoire of their kind of day-to-day.

[00:04:56] So, the dog’s gonna be right there to you know, help in that particular way to really make them be able to be accountable in their own way and not feel like they need other people to really help them.

[00:05:07] When we work with our professionals, they’re really helping, uh, a, a vast variety of clients and patients, and individuals there. So, for them, I feel like, their goals can be as much as it is maybe hard for somebody to go through a rehabilitation process after going through an accident, the dog can be there to motivate, that client or patient to do one more rep or do one more step. That kind of thing really kind of helps.

[00:05:34] And when a furry [Laughs] cute furry animal’s looking at you, you wanna do that much more than just if your, your nurse, or child life specialist or your rehabilitation doctor is like, “Hey, you can do one more”. They’re like, “No, no, no”. But if a dog’s there you’re like, “I’m gonna do as much as I can to be with this dog for as long as I can”. So, they can really touch a lot of lives there.

[00:05:56] Dannelle: Yes. And in so many different ways. Dogs can help and support someone in a way that sometimes we humans are less attuned to.

[00:06:06] Aubree: Absolutely.

[00:06:07] Dannelle: So, Makenzie, tell us a little bit more about your relationship with Hanalei?

[00:06:16] Makenzie: Yeah, absolutely. So, the relationship, I mean, it’s, she is basically my lifeline. That’s the way that I always view her, is that she’s my lifeline. She has, on several occasions, proven that she could and would save my life cuz like when you’re in the college dorms, fire alarm goes off, and at night a lot, because people don’t know how to cook in those dorms and they set off the fire alarms a lot.

[00:06:40] Dannelle: [Laughs]

[00:06:41] Makenzie: And yeah, unfortunately that is a thing and you get up at midnight, but I wouldn’t have gotten up in the first place if Hanalei wasn’t there to wake me up. And so, in the case of that being a real fire, then I would’ve still been in the dorm and there’s no telling what could have happened. But Hanalei was right there to get me up and get me out. So it’s a huge safety aspect.

[00:07:03] And then when she is off duty, she is always there wanting to cuddle, and we have an amazing relationship where we just trust each other. And even though they are our working dogs and we have that working relationship, we still have that relationship with them like a normal pet owner would have. It’s just I feel like sometimes on a higher level because you’re working day in and day out with this dog.

[00:07:28] Dannelle: So, you have dogs that are specifically trained as hearing dogs. What other kinds of training and support can the dogs provide?

[00:07:41] Aubree: So, in the beginning of their life at eight weeks old, they’re given to a volunteer who helps really build that foundation for our dogs. So, somebody in the community will take their dog, do the socialization, really introduce those basic commands that will need to build their skills as a service dog.

[00:08:00] They’re in professional training with an instructor or a qualified trainer for six to nine months, and probably within the first three months we really do kind of hone in on their strengths and weaknesses to understand exactly what type of placement and, and what type of person really is. So, there is an extensive training process.

[00:08:18] And, it really depends if a dog is really strong with their impulse control and their reliability, that might make a really good service dog that does physical task work where they’re picking up dropped items for their handler and they’re tugging open heavy doors and drawers and, and pushing those automatic push plates. Some dogs that might be kind of higher energy and maybe have a little bit more intuitiveness and independence benefit most from that hearing dog program. So, definitely a lot of different pieces and parts that go into that process.

[00:08:51] Dannelle: I’m just amazed at the process and how much work is involved and just the relationship that it creates with these service dogs.

[00:09:04] Makenzie: I think something that, really makes Canine Companions pretty unique is the community that comes behind these dogs. It is really a giant family that comes together across the entire nation to make it all happen, whether it be the graduates that are the family, the puppy raisers that are family.

[00:09:21] I still talk to Hanalei’s puppy raiser all the time, and the puppy raisers usually keep in contact with the graduates and you gain another extended family when you get a Canine Companion dog or you gain another person in your family when you raise a Canine Companion dog.

[00:09:35] When you’re traveling, you can post on some of the social medias and stuff and you’ll be able to find people in that area you’re traveling to that are Canine Companion people, and they’re willing to help you out if you need help there. It’s just this huge community that comes together to support the mission of getting people independence and everyone works together to try and be there for each other and just [Music] create this huge family is what it comes down to being.

[00:10:05] Dannelle: I loved speaking with Aubrey and Makenzie about the ways their organization develops service dogs to create effective care partnerships.

[00:10:17] One of the biggest eye openers for me was how these trained dogs improve quality of life for people with different care needs and circumstances. After this episode, we wanted to learn more about how service dogs work as part of a care team.

[00:10:36] When we discovered Cienna Ditri and her service dogs, Piper and Pamina, we knew we had to share her story.

[00:10:44] If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this full episode yet, be prepared to be wowed by some of the amazing alerts Cienna’s dogs have learned.

[00:10:58] [Music Ends]

[00:10:58] Cienna: So, I have quite a few diagnoses, but one of those is definitely hypokalemic periodic paralysis. It is a genetic disorder, and it is a rare disorder. So, basically for me, it’s just a very fancy way of saying that when my potassium drops I can have anywhere from muscle weakness to full body paralysis.

[00:11:19] Dannelle: And so now as a young adult, of course you are living your life and want to live as independently and safely as possible with these conditions. And so, we are happy to welcome Piper and you have another service dog, Pamina. Can you introduce us to Piper and Pamina and how did you first meet them?

[00:11:52] Cienna: Let’s see where to start. [Laughs] Piper’s turning six years old in August, so we’re very excited. It’s almost his birthday. But I met Piper when he was eight weeks old, and I met him very suddenly because my service dog before Piper retired very suddenly cuz he developed seizures. So, since he had a disability, he couldn’t be my service dog anymore. But at the same time, I couldn’t function without a service dog.

[00:12:20] So, I think I was without a service dog for one or two weeks, and I was in the ER literally every single day cuz I was just passing out so much. I was hitting my head when I passed out. My blood sugar was dropping, I didn’t know it. Like, I was having allergic reactions, just lots and lots of bad things all the time.

[00:12:38] So, I have a service dog trainer and I gave her a call and she already knew what was going on, and we got really lucky. So, she talked with my doctors and figured out what I was going to need in this new service dog. And she matched what I needed with a breed. And at the time my mast cell activation syndrome was so bad, I was reacting to everything.

[00:13:01] So, my trainer found Wirehaired Vizslas and their wired hair – nothing can stick to it too much. They have a great on and off switch, so if I’m not feeling good, like he could lay down with me and be all cuddly all day and then like when I’m feeling good and going, like he’s gonna keep going too. He’s not gonna get too tired to do that. And all the alerts I need him to do all day long.

[00:13:23] So, we thought it was gonna be really hard to find one. And we got really lucky. We met the first breeder and there were two dogs that tested in his litter that would’ve been good picks as service dogs. But Piper was super interested in my scent. He kept like jumping up on me and licking me and he was just this little puppy and my trainer was like –

[00:13:44] Dannelle: [Laughs]

[00:13:44] Cienna: “That’s what we want. He’s gonna be able to do all the alerts we need. This is the one. He’s going home with you today”. [Laughs] And he did. So, he’s been with me ever since then. [Laughs]

[00:13:54] Dannelle: Oh my God. What a godsend.

[00:13:57] Cienna: I know he’s a very special boy. [Laughs]

[00:14:01] Dannelle: That is amazing. It’s so interesting, it didn’t occur to me that there would be that type of complex coordination –

[00:14:13] Cienna: Yeah.

[00:14:13] Dannelle: – between your medical providers. That is really amazing. Um, what a –

[00:14:23] Cienna: Yeah.

[00:14:23] Dannelle: – godsend.

[00:14:24] Cienna: We took what I thought I needed and like my opinion and their medical opinions and my mom’s opinions and the service dog trainers, and we put them all together to figure out exactly what I need. And that’s kind of how we work as a team.

[00:14:38] Dannelle: Wow. I’m blown away by your care team. So, what are some of the specific skills that he’s learned to be able to provide that level of support?

[00:14:52] Cienna: Yeah, the first alert Piper was going to learn to tell me before I passed out cuz we all decided that that was most dangerous and that needed to be taken care of first. So, he was gonna learn that first, but we kind of had to readjust cuz he wanted to learn hypoglycemia first. And that’s fine. We were all happy with that.

[00:15:11] So, to let me know that I have low blood sugar he boops me with his nose. So, if this is like my hand or my leg or something, he’ll just come up with his nose and give it a good nudge and that’s how he tells me my blood sugar is low. And he’ll wake me up in the middle of the night poking me, just whenever. He actually gets really happy when it’s low cause, don’t tell anybody, but sometimes I share my snacks. So, [Laughs]

[00:15:40] Dannelle: [Laughs]

[00:15:40] Cienna: Um, he loves it. [Laughs] So, after – he learned that and the syncope alert pretty quickly right next to each other, cuz we knew that those were the –

[00:15:50] Dannelle: Can I just interject – syncope alert? I just wanna make sure I understand the words you’re saying and what they mean.

[00:15:56] Cienna: Mm-hmm. So, Piper will let me know before I pass out. So, Piper can give me about like a 15-minute warning-ish before I pass out and let me know so I can get to a safe position. And then I’ll elevate my legs. I’ll do what I need to do. And sometimes, mostly now like I won’t even pass out cuz we have our system now. We know what we’re doing, and because of Piper and my medical team, I haven’t passed out since November and that’s the longest that’s ever been since I –

[00:16:25] Dannelle: Wow.

[00:16:25] Cienna: – haven’t passed out. So, he alerts to my passing out. He alerts to my hypoglycemia. [Laughs] He umm –

[00:16:33] Dannelle: There’s so much! It’s so much!

[00:16:35] Cienna: I know! Too – my mast cell activation reactions, so they’re kind of like allergic reactions. A really important one that Piper does is he can let me know when I stop breathing. So, I have hypothalamic dysfunction, so my hypothalamus in my brain, it doesn’t do too much, so it doesn’t tell me to breathe. I have a diaphragm pacemaker that breathes for me, but I can’t use it in the shower. So, I have to unplug from it and then my brain’s still not telling me to breathe, so it turns into a kind of dangerous situation.

[00:17:11] So, what we do is I listen to music while I’m in the shower and I like focus on when the musician is breathing and then that’s when I breathe. But, I have to think about it. So if I start thinking about like how I’m sudsing my hair up, I might not be breathing as much anymore cuz now I’m not thinking about it. So, Piper can let me know.

[00:17:35] We’re not sure if it’s the low oxygen he picks up on or the high CO2, or a combination of them both. But he lets me know when I’m not breathing. So, that’s one of his –

[00:17:46] Dannelle: Oh my god.

[00:17:46] Cienna: – most important alerts. [Laughs] So, before when I got Piper, I didn’t have my pacemaker in the beginning, no one was exactly sure what was going on, and this poor dog did not sleep through the night for a very long time once he learned how to do it. Cause as soon as I’d fall asleep, I wasn’t really breathing.

[00:18:05] So, he was very happy the day I got my pacemaker. His job became a lot easier. [Laughs] So yeah, we, we say that Piper loves sleep. He doesn’t like to be woken up in the middle night now. He’s very protective of his sleeping time.

[00:18:17] Dannelle: Well, he’s working hard. He’s work –

[00:18:19] Cienna: He is!

[00:18:19] Dannelle: He’s working hard. So, before Piper was alerting you when you weren’t breathing while you were in the shower?

[00:18:29] Cienna: Yeah, he does that like every time I take a shower. He lets me know definitely at least once every shower. “He’ll be like, no. And he’s kind of funny about it. Cause in the bathroom, Piper is a dog. He’s a service dog, but he is a dog still. And Piper’s favorite thing in the world is a ball. Like, Piper will run through –

[00:18:49] Dannelle: [Laughs]

[00:18:49] Cienna: – a brick wall for a ball. [Laughs] This dog and his ball –

[00:18:52] Dannelle: [Laughs]

[00:18:52] Cienna: – is a true love story. [Laughs] And so, he has a special bathroom ball that he plays with while I’m taking a shower, and it’s his special reward for being such a good boy and working while I’m in the shower.

[00:19:06] So, he’ll always drop it off while I’m taking a shower and I’ll pick it up and throw it for him, and we just play fetch the whole time. But if Piper hits me with the ball and throws it at me instead of just like setting the ball, it generally means I’m not breathing. And then if he takes the ball and he puts it on the toilet where I would have to get out of the shower to go get the ball, it means I’m really not breathing. I need to stop what I’m doing. So, that’s his little system for that. [Laughs] Cause he can’t always do like his actual “alert, alert” when I’m in the shower.

[00:19:41] Dannelle: Wow, that is absolutely incredible. If you could share a message about what it’s like to live and have this relationship with service dogs for your audience and our audience, what would it be?

[00:20:01] Cienna: Wow, that’s a hard one. Having a service dog – it’s life-changing and lifesaving in so many instances. But for a lot of people with service dogs, their disabilities are invisible, and you can’t see what that dog is doing.

[00:20:19] Like people can’t see Piper getting ready to tell me I’m gonna pass out. They can see them hit a button and open the door and me and my wheelchair go through, but there’s so many things that they do, so much more that a lot of them do that you, you just, you can’t see. So, I think it’s important to remember that anybody with a service dog, they have a service dog because they truly need them and they are working.

[00:20:46] They, they go through years and years of training to get to being able to do those things and to help their people and them doing those things, it brings the people they help so much independence and it gives them a whole new world. I just, I think that that is so important. And so, just with all the training that these dogs go through, you wanna make sure you’re doing what’s best [Music] for you and them.

[00:21:20] Dannelle: Thank you for joining our National Family Caregivers Month episode with Aubrey, Makenzie, and Cienna.

[00:21:28] The Empowered Us team would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the 50 plus million human family caregivers across the country.

[00:21:39] The care you give not only supports your family members, but also elevates our communities, fuels our economy, and shows us who we can be when things get tough.

[00:21:54] We’re thankful for your stories shared so generously on The Caregiving Soul and beyond.

[00:22:01] For more information on National Family Caregiver’s Month, Canine Companions, and Cienna’s work, check out our show notes.

[00:22:11] Every episode of The Caregiving Soul has a page on empoweredus.org where you can find the extended show notes, including tips and takeaways, transcripts, and relevant resource links.

[00:22:24] For additional bonus content from this episode, and to connect with us, be sure to follow the Empowered Us social channels on Instagram @empoweredusnetwork and Twitter @empowereduspod.

[00:22:40] The Caregiving Soul is an Empowered Us original, presented by Good Days, hosted by me, Dannelle LeBlanc. If you liked this episode, be sure to rate and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:22:56] And remember, the right care includes care for you.

[00:23:07] [Music Ends]

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