Cancer Dog

My friend Jill, always an early adapter, was the first person I knew who had a service dog because of her cancer.

She is still the only person I know with cancer who has a service dog, although once I get Constant, my little wannabe, trained to that level, he will be No. 2 among my circle of friends.

Jill’s Story
Jill’s breast cancer metastasized to her bones in 2002, and she fell and broke a leg because of a met. She had surgery to pin the broken leg, then surgery to pin the other leg, to keep it from breaking as well, a few months later.

The metastases and the long recovery time meant that Jill and her husband had to abandon their plans to adopt a child. Jill was grieving and depressed, and her doctor referred her to “Dr. Judy,” a psychiatrist who works with breast cancer patients.

“Dr. Judy is the beginning of the story,” Jill says now. “Judy said, ‘You have a lot of love and energy to give and you need an outlet to give it. Would you consider a dog? I think you are a candidate for a service dog.’” She wrote Jill a prescription for a service dog.

Dr. Judy helped Jill find a dog. She suggested that Jill get a dog that was small enough that it couldn’t pull her off her feet while she was still recovering from the broken leg. Jill had a cocker spaniel when she was a child, and she decided she wanted a cocker.

She found Pumpkin, who was being cared for at a private rescue in Oregon, through PetFinder.com. Pumpkin is a Cavalier/cocker spaniel mix with freckles on his nose. He arrived at Passover, in April of 2003.

“He was 7 years old, freshly groomed, and so sweet,” Jill says. The rescue had taken care of Pumpkin’s vaccinations and microchip, and also neutered him.

Pumpkin’s Job
“The law says if you are disabled, you can have a service animal that does something for you that you can’t do for yourself,” Jill says. “Most are dogs, but you could have a ‘service turtle,’ I suppose.

“Pumpkin’s job is to keep me balanced on my own two feet and keep me mobile. At that time, I had trouble getting around. Needing to take my dog for a walk kept me moving.”

Once Pumpkin was trained to behave impeccably in public, Jill took him everywhere—to her support group, doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, out to lunch … even to treatment appointments.

Pumpkin wears a vest from SitStay.com that identifies him as a service dog, and also has a patch that invites people to ask to pet him. Unlike a guide dog for a blind person, which should not be distracted while it is working, socializing is good for Pumpkin. “It’s fine for Pumpkin to interact,” Jill says.

Good Dog
Service dogs do not need to be certified, but Jill prepared Pumpkin to take—and pass—the “canine good citizen” test, which is the same test that the Delta Society uses for therapy dogs, Jill says.

To pass, Pumpkin had to obey the following commands: sit, down, and stay. He also had to walk on a loose leash, greet a friendly stranger, and sit with someone else while Jill walked away.

Only this last requirement was difficult with Pumpkin, who gets anxious when he is separated from Jill, but he passed the test.

Pumpkin now has a certificate and a patch showing that he is a “good citizen.” When Jill and Pumpkin are in public together, Pumpkin goes under the table and “becomes a piece of furniture,” Jill says.

Semi-Retirement
Last year Jill stopped taking Pumpkin everywhere with her, although she still takes him to her support group and also to treatment appointments to “keep up his good habits.”

“I was feeling better,” she says, “and he’s 11 now. He gets to slow down.”

Read more:

A Dog By Prescription

Want a Service Dog of Your Very Own?

Animals at the Office

My friend Lisa’s post on her blog, The Tale of My Left Foot:
Sadie

Jennifer's post, on Inner Mayhem:
Puppy (and Kitty) Love

From Teresa, The Cheeky Librarian, AKA Ninja Librarian:
Best to face cancer with a dog at your side

Still to come:

Constant, the Wannabe Service Dog

If you have a post on your blog about cancer and an animal, please send me the link: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Support this blog:

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[Jill]

I forgot to mention that when Pumpkin came into our life, he had a sarcoma the size of a golf ball on his left front leg. We had it removed; it was malignant, with a high chance of recurring, although not likely to metastasize. It's since come back and been removed two more times.

The vet. surgeon says as long as we catch it small, he can remove it. If Pumpkin should need to have that leg amputated at some point, we should remember that in his opinion, dogs are born with three legs and a spare.

[jeanne]

Jill--thanks for letting me put Pumpkin's story on my blog. And for adding this about his cancer. Jeanne

[laurie]

What a lovely story. My dog is not an official service dog (I can't take him to appointments or on the bus, unfortunately) but he is a great comfort to me - and he gets me out of the house and moving when nothing else would!

[jeanne]

Exactly! Constant does that for me too. We just came back from a walk through the park, complete with a stop at the stream for Connie to play catch in the water. Jeanne

[Lisa]

That makes me want to designate Sadie as a service dor. She certainly provides me with a service

[jeanne]

Lisa--I don't see why you couldn't. I'm working on a "how-to" post and will have it up soon. Then Sadie can go everywhere with you.

Jeanne