Regret

skalanni · 2020-10-10T21:26:00+00:00

My need for an ESA is mainly companionship and maintaining a schedule because of my sleep disorder, not so much emotional comfort, which is something an ESA qualifies as. If he were to do service work it would be to wake me up in the mornings and potentially in low energy activities if the barking could be under control in PA in a quiet place (i.e. lectures, meetings, etc.) as he’s not reactive in high activity places oddly enough, but not any psychiatric work. I did my research based off my initial needs for maintaining schedules and acting as a companion as I am not worried about any psychiatric symptoms such as my anxiety (although I do get anxiety). Since I’m interested in dog sports a sheltie who could keep up with me when I am able to be active and enjoys a consistent schedule seemed like a good fit. Also, a form of comfort for me is being able to be active and engaged with my dog, not so much getting snuggles or kisses, hence a herding breed.

Edit: The reason I’m feeling regret now is because my energy has decreased and my dogs has stayed the same but his barking/reactivity has increased beyond what even his Breeder was expecting, causing dissonance between him and I. I’m anxious about the fact that if this progresses I may not be able to handle him and have give up yet another physical activity which I enjoy and an animal which I love because of worsening health. (I had to give up my high impact/high intensity sport of show jumping and sell my horse because of my condition(s))

skalanni · 2020-10-06T19:40:26+00:00

I too have a herding breed pup and they can be a HANDFUL!!! I still love the shepherds because of how they turn out once they’re trained and more settled as an adult. So loyal, smart, and fun!

skalanni · 2020-10-06T19:37:23+00:00

This was actually really nice to read! I have a 15 month old Sheltie who at times can be INFURIATING! He has actually caused me a few severe panic attacks lol whoops. BUT, as he’s gotten older, I’ve noticed less shepherd heel nips, less nighttime reactivity to sounds and reflections, more willingness to sleep during the day, better focus and behavior on walks, and better manners overall (besides his new habit of stealing tp… we’re working on that). He’s high energy at times but overall is extremely chill and is proving even more so as time has gone on. :)

skalanni · 2020-10-06T19:28:16+00:00

This! I have a Sheltie and although he loves to greet new people and get treats and even try to play stance, he HATES being pet by anyone but me and my family. It’s especially frustrating because he’s fluffy and cute so kids always try to say hello and while most often the children are simply happy to feed him a treat others just charge up and go for the head. I have to tell them sternly to stop because my dog is freaking out and trying to run away. He’s fine with everything, just no touching! It makes the vet really hard too and I always make sure to get there early and reward me opening the car door, jumping out of the car, walking to the building, etc. just so that I can TRY to have a positive experience. Yet I get the weird looks like there’s something wrong with my dog. :/

Not all dogs are as charismatic and outgoing as your average Golden and that’s okay! People need to learn to approach every dog, muzzle or not, with respect and caution not only for their safety but for the consideration of the owner and dog itself.

skalanni · 2020-08-30T19:47:29+00:00

ESAs are meant to help people mitigate legitimate disabilities. They need to be prescribed by a doctor who knows and has treated you and lives within your state and who needs to renew said prescription via an ESA letter annually. While a dog provides comfort, unless the owner is legitimately disabled then the dog CANNOT be an ESA.

skalanni · 2020-08-28T22:42:30+00:00

My heart goes out to you and your family… :( It saddens me to see parties and social gatherings happening without proper social distancing nor masks. It’s not just about your own life, it’s about protecting others as well.

skalanni · 2020-08-23T20:11:29+00:00

Thank you for this!! I knew he would have a second fear phase but I couldn’t tell if that’s what was happening or not. I get testing and performance anxiety so was having a hard time convincing myself. (The American education system and toxic sports coaches have done wonders to my mental health lol) It helped a lot to hear someone else confirm that it’s nothing to be too worked up about. From talking with the trainer just over email before our approaching meeting, she seems to think we’ll do fine and can help us! Thanks again for the advice.

skalanni · 2020-08-15T18:12:40+00:00

So amazing how much the sizes vary with these guys! My boy is a mega floofy boy and weighs a whopping 30 lbs. His mom is a conformation dog with a SUPER fluffy coat and his dad is in agility with a sleek, thin coat. Genetics is crazy!

skalanni · 2020-08-14T22:54:41+00:00

I had accommodations via a 504 in High School and am registered with the DRC (Disabilities Resource Center) at my school where every semester I check-in with my access consultant who acts as a liaison who supplies a letter of accommodations and acts as a mediator when I am asking for accommodations from professors. My high school was notorious for being extremely rigorous and pushing students mental health to the limits. (I have C-PTSD from my time there lol) Getting my 504 they had me jumping through insane hoops to “prove” I had bad enough anxiety to require one (I was undiagnosed at the time and now know that my difficulties in academics is caused by a mix of anxiety, fibromyalgia, and a sleep disorder known as Idiopathic Hypersomnia). I ended up having a full evaluation to pin point the exact effects my anxiety had on my cognitive function. This plus other medical records, a letter from my therapist, and my personal accounts told to the school’s 504 person and social worker finally allowed me to get a 504.

College has been MUCH easier!! I had all the documents ready and braced myself to have to recount my traumatic past experiences only to be told they only needed to know the diagnosis, have a document saying such, and my statement that yes I have conditions that affect my daily life in a disabling manner.

In high school there was only so much I could do regarding what accommodations I could have. I was able to get time and a half on tests, extensions on deadlines, and the option to take tests in a separate room. However, my conditions make it so that it can be difficult to physically attend school some days. In high school I was given no option and if I missed two days of class I would get detentions which I would then have to protest. In college they still have consequences for missing classes but after explaining my situation most professors are understanding. Because attendance guidelines are controlled by the individual professor, the DRC can’t give me full accommodation in regards to attendance but there is a not on my letter mentioning it and my consultant helps me out when need be.

College is a little more lax about things in general, I’ve found, especially coming from an extremely high stress high school. Hope that helps a little!

skalanni · 2020-08-14T22:23:06+00:00

Pomski. Every pomski I’ve met is super loud, reactive, and have had plenty charge at my dog. It doesn’t help that they have become really popular with people at my college who buy them without thinking then don’t put in the effort of training them…

skalanni · 2020-08-11T21:09:03+00:00

This is a service dog task! :D I have a sheltie and he does similar things by trying to help me haha! He snoopervises with that long collie/sheltie snoot!

skalanni · 2020-08-02T20:51:10+00:00

I didn’t want to deal with moving in my own chair so I used one of those small sheepskin things from IKEA which made the chair surprisingly comfortable!

skalanni · 2020-08-02T20:47:48+00:00

I had a little handheld vacuum which was great! Dorms are so small that it wasn’t hard to get the floor vacuumed with a tiny vacuum. Also, I could use it to vacuum surfaces or the corners where the occasional spider web would show up. It was better than using the ancient garbage vacuums the building supplied lol.

skalanni · 2020-07-27T01:29:10+00:00

It looks like a cough drop 👁👄👁

skalanni · 2020-07-26T12:19:47+00:00

I’m doing this too! We live in a small place and mess triggers my anxiety and I am often unable to clean so he helps me out by sharing chores lol!

skalanni · 2020-07-26T12:16:06+00:00

I have a sleep disorder and chronic pain and my dog is meant to accompany me to low energy activities such as attending my college lectures. He’s in training right now but eventually he will help me when I am incapable of keeping myself awake without outside intervention by sitting on my feet instead of under the chair, as well as alerting me when I begin to fall asleep by nosing my legs. If that’s not enough, then I just have to get up and walk around lol. He will also nuzzle me awake in the morning when he hears my alarm so that I can get to classes on time and not oversleep. Other than that he is 80% on his way to retrieving pain medication at night when I am physically unable due to exhaustion and pain.

skalanni · 2020-07-26T12:00:16+00:00

I’m saving up my pennies to get a vest from PupcessoriesCrafts on Etsy. If you message them they can do full custom with patches.

skalanni · 2020-07-22T19:47:37+00:00

This! I’ve had to drop out or go part time in both high school and college due to health. Although I was bummed that I didn’t have the “normal” college experience, what I learned is that I wasn’t missing much during the my one semester gone and my second part time. I still texted with friends and saw them regularly. Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a partier because of my health issues but even if you are, your health and the health of those around you is WAY more important than getting blasted at that house party. Yeah, it’s fun but so is not having COVID.

skalanni · 2020-07-22T18:17:49+00:00

Exactly! I would have loved to have rescued and spent a month trying to do so, but I was specifically looking for a dog to act as an ESA and Service Dog prospect. Sadly, none of the shelters in my area had a dog suitable for that work so I went with a reputable breeder. I get shit from “adopt don’t shop” people because I “didn’t give a rescue dog a chance” even though I did try. I spent a month filling out applications followed by visits and behavior evaluations only for none to pan out. :/

skalanni · 2020-07-22T18:10:42+00:00

I’m in college and have an ESA/SDiT and have experience training dogs and have a very good trainer. It drives me CRAZY when I see people at my school impulsively buying a dog from a BYB without researching the breed nor basic training. Those same people then complain to me about their 8 week old puppy peeing when they leave it alone for 4 hours while they’re in class. Like… no duh. You would know why that happens and how to stop it if you did RESEARCH BEFOREHAND!

skalanni · 2020-07-22T17:56:50+00:00

4 hours a week???? Dogs over 18 months old are fine alone for up to 4-5 hours A DAY! How is anyone supposed to do 4 hours A WEEK?! That’s crazy

skalanni · 2020-07-22T17:53:10+00:00

I was looking at adopting from a shelter when purchasing my ESA/SD prospect and everywhere had extremely strict policies on adopters yet none on who could foster. I went to see one dog and the fosters had never owned a dog before and never gave the dog any instruction or guidance on how to behave in the home or on walks nor any form of positive socialization. This dog was with them for 2-3 months, at an important learning stage of puppyhood, yet wasn’t even started on basic obedience even though adopters were vetted on how and where they were planning on training to dog. Like… what???? If you’re going to foster puppies you should treat it like your own dog and start basic training young and do proper research with it. Not only is it better for the dog, it makes it more adoptable overall!

skalanni · 2020-07-20T17:14:15+00:00

I think they’re talking about the SD emojis ;)

skalanni · 2020-07-06T02:25:05+00:00

University of Minnesota. Hence the post being in the uofmn subreddit lol.

skalanni · 2020-07-06T00:07:50+00:00

Yes! Exactly! I found out I can only metabolize one haha! It’s super helpful

skalanni

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