Registering Brody

This is his photo ID that I have to carry around with wherever we go.
It's a picture of Brody when I first got him.

 

I got my dog Brody September 2012 when he was about 9 months old through a breeder. On December 20 Brody turned 6 years old. He actually comes from a family of show dogs but didn’t meet the cut. Although I got him at a slightly older age, he still adapted well and was all ready set up for a home environment.

Since I got him, he’s always been my side, a companion who’s helped me through some tough times. Over the years, Brody has adapted to my disability. He knows when something’s wrong with me and also provides comfort if I am in need of a little TLC. He’s also been great for helping me with independence and getting out of the house more. I love taking him for walks outside around the neighborhood, no matter what the temperature is.

Even though I didn’t initially get him for this purpose, I recently certified him as a companion dog. Now I can take him anywhere with me as long as I have his vest on and card with me. There is a difference between a companion and therapy dog. Companion dogs usually don’t work. Instead the principal service that companion dogs provide is simply companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. While service dogs are trained to behave flawlessly in public, companion dogs may or may not be as well-behaved.

Companion dogs don’t need to have special training, although Brody has some behavioral issues. In order to better help him with some of his anxiety along with coach me with training methods, I recently hired a private trainer to come to my house. My hopes are to get him comfortable with other people and dogs. She is going to work with me to get us ready for him to go out in the public. I’ve already learned some things about him that I didn’t realize before.

For example, I always thought he had aggression towards other people and dogs because he was protecting me. He barks at other dogs, strangers and people walking in the woods. Although she told me that he actually has "fear aggression" which means that he is afraid so he goes into a mode of needing protection by barking, nipping, and even hiding next to my wheelchair. Instead of trying to protect me he was looking for protection from me.

The trainer gave me some tools to work with him in order to listen to me better so that I have more control over situations that occur. Hopefully over time I will be ready to bring him places outside my home without hesitation or having him fearful. I’ll update everyone throughout on how the progress is going.

Jenni

Minnesota Weather

The last couple weeks I’ve been hibernating in my house. The weather here has been frigid and cold, with most temperatures below 5°F. I used to go out no matter what the weather was outside, although my body has a hard time adapting to temperature. Having a spinal cord injury at my level I get cold fairly easily. Unless I use the thermometer to check my temperature I don’t know how cold I actually am, which could lead to hypothermia if not watched frequently.

Even while indoors, I usually have a blanket on throughout the day and sit by an electric fireplace that I flip on if my body or the room gets too cold. At night I sleep with a heated electric blanket that has the ability to change temperatures from 1-High. Depending on what I put it at, it helps regulate my body temperature better than any other sort of heating system. I also have a small heater in my room alongside the indoor heat.

We do have central air and heating, although it’s difficult for it to register in specific areas. This is especially true if I have the fireplace on. When my house was being remodeled, we put in floor heating which also helps (and keeps people’s feet warm). Although it does nothing for me as only my wheels hit the floor!

Other than it being cold, we also get a lot of snow here. That is also one reason that stops me from getting out, especially from taking Brody for walks. In the neighborhood where I live there are a lot of back roads and they don’t get plowed during the winter unless it snows above 2 inches. Sometimes they just use salt before if they know it’s going to snow and then they don’t even plow. This just makes the roads slushy although most of the time there pretty icy and slippery.

I have written blog posts in the past about temperature and weather. The last one I wrote was similar although I stated that despite temperatures being low outside I tend to venture out. It’s different this year, as my body has changed and the temperature affects it even more. My body also used to be able to regulate its temperature better, although for some reason over the years it’s changed. I wish things were different because it’s difficult spending my days indoors all the time.

Jenni

A Way to Live

To me, being paralyzed does not mean the end. It can be difficult and challenging at times but I'm able to handle whatever comes my way. I believe my accident happened for a reason. Throughout this journey so far I've met some amazing people and learned new things. My paralysis hasn't limited me or stopped me from pursuing my dreams. There are many things I can do, I just do them differently. I'm not in a stage of depression and don't in any way feel sorry for myself.

I know that there are people in my situation out there who do not have the same feelings. I realize that everybody handles and deals with things in different ways. What may be easy for some may be extremely difficult for another. I'm writing this for those who feel their life is not worth living because of their situation or experiences. I'd like to offer my help in any way possible. My goal is to inspire others to live on through change in their life.

Let this New Year bring joy and fulfillment in life. I want to go on more adventures, be around good energy, connect with more people, learn new things and grow.

Jenni