In April of 2011 I decided that I wanted a service dog. It proved to be a little more difficult than I had expected…  The first obstacle I had to overcome was the fact that I am allergic to dogs. Fortunately there are hypoallergenic dogs that I don’t have a reaction to. When I am around dogs that are not hypoallergenic I get itchy and have a difficult time breathing. Because of this I am not able to have any of the usual breads that are trained as service dogs such as labs, golden retrievers, German shepherds, etc.

I found a registry with every certified service dog training facility in the US and their contact information. I began calling to find one that trained hypoallergenic dogs. After around ten hours of calling and emailing, I had reached every facility. I was a little disappointed that not a single place trained hypoallergenic service dogs. However, I had set my mind on getting a dog to help me with a few things and to just hang out and be my friend, so that is what I was going to do. My next option was to just buy a dog and train it myself.  After two months had passed I had researched every hypoallergenic dog to find one that’s needs aligned with my lifestyle. Also during that two months I had read three different service dog training books, watched two different four hour movies, (one for puppy training and one for advanced service dog training) and I had passed an online class for service dog trainers.

When I felt prepared, I found an accredited kennel that raised the breed (border terrier) I decided was the best fit and contacted them.  They had two puppies available so I reserved one for when they were old enough to leave their mom. When he was three months old he was sent on a plane from Wyoming and I picked him up in Salt Lake City. He flew Delta. The breeders originally named him Wyatt , but when I got him I changed his name to Danger. Because he was from an accredited breeder and pure bred with a champion blood line, he cost what one might pay for their first car.

After I received Danger I spent several hours every day training him. By the time he was a year old he was able to come with me anywhere in public. By the time he was a year and a half he could close a door for me, pick things up for me, from my phone to a piece of paper, and do a menagerie of tricks. My personal favorite is his ability to attract girls.

Even though I spent hundreds of hours training Danger, he is still a dog and still screws up. Recently Danger and our other dog ran across the street and were playing in a field. They found a skunk and began to chase it, when they got close they got sprayed…. They came home smelling absolutely horrible. After four days of baths with several different shampoos, vinegar, baking soda, and tomato juice they are now bearable. I can finally take Danger with me in public again.

Even though Danger isn’t always a model dog, I still love him to death. He is always happy to see me, he forgives me for getting mad at him almost immediately, he always wants to be petted or lay near me, and the list goes on and on. He is with me 100% of the time. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be without him.  There is so much I can learn from him if I just take the time to notice. For example, he loves everyone, I mean everyone.  Regardless of what someone looks like, or what stereotype they might fall under, he treats them all equally. He has several qualities that I strive to follow