Zeus was just a puppy when I brought him home, but there was an immediate connection. I knew that I wanted to train him to be my assistance dog. I had a wonderful friend that gave me so much invaluable information. Finally, I contacted Positive Response Dog Training, when Zeus was 2 years old. It was the best decision of my life. I was really nervous and so scared that I was going to ruin my dog or do more harm than good. I didn’t trust myself to be successful in this journey. You see, it doesn’t just depend on the dog, but also how much work you are willing to put in.
Let me give you some background information about myself. I have been diagnosed with Complex PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder. This comes with a lovely side dish of depression and social anxiety.
I booked a PRAD initial assessment to see if Zeus was suitable to be an assistance dog. When I went to the meeting place and I was an absolute wreck. I see this lady walking up to us and my heart is beating out of my chest. Zeus is all tail wagging, but gives me a reassuring lick on the hand. We get to meet Dee Scott. She was absolutely lovely and made me feel at ease really quick. We went through the assessment and Zeus passed! Dee gave me a full report on the areas that we needed to work on. Training was booked in shortly after, and the reality of this actually happening was both exciting and scary, because I still didn’t trust myself to do this right.
Zeus was already performing certain tasks. He would wake me up from nightmares. He would lie on my lap when I had a dissociative episode, licking my face to bring me back. On days where I would walk around aimlessly, Zeus would follow me around and paw at me until I stopped and paid attention to him. This was very grounding.
Dee went over and beyond helping us with our training. She was firm, but also encouraging and caring. Dee made a big difference in how I saw things. She helped me realize that I could actually do this. She was with me throughout the training process, giving me feedback and encouraging me. Zeus absolutely loves her. After long and intense training sessions, Zeus passed his PAT, and it was such an amazing feeling. We have been a team for almost 3 years now, and Zeus has just grown so much.
He is more than an assistance dog. He’s there through the highs and lows. He saved my life in so many ways and he picked up a lot of tasks along the way. Zeus has stopped my several times from walking across a busy road, because I had zoned out and wasn’t paying attention. He would place himself in between the road an me. He’s pretty solid, so it’s an instant stop that brings me right back to the present moment.
I have very maladaptive ways to deal with stress… Self-harm isn’t something that I’m proud of, but it does happen. Zeus has stopped me from doing it on several occasions. When I’m about to do it, he will put his paw on my arm, pushing it down. He will not stop doing this until I give up and stop what I’m trying to do. It’s like he knows how painful it is for me, because he’ll snuggle in for a cuddle, as if to say that it’s all going to be okay. With mental health comes periods of darkness. That feeling of hopelessness and feeling that there’s no way out of this constant spiral. I’ve been there… here’s where Zeus really stepped up. He became my shadow.
I couldn’t go anywhere without him following me. He wouldn’t allow me to close doors behind me; he kept close to me. Zeus is crate trained and mostly sleeps in his crate. He’ll get out to wake me up from nightmares, but he usually sleeps in his crate. During this dark time, he didn’t wait for an invitation. He was on the bed watching me. When I couldn’t sleep, he would lie close to give me comfort. He saved my life. I isolated so much, but he was always there bringing me toys, licking my face and hands, keeping me grounded with his whole body on my lap. He stayed so close and always had his eyes on me. He licked away tears and gave me comfort with his head on my lap when I didn’t have the strength to get off the floor.
Having an assistance dog is a privilege. It’s also life changing, it’s lifesaving… It’s hard work too, because the training doesn’t stop. But it is so worth it. I’ll forever be grateful for Dee and the Positive Response Team. They do amazing work and are always helpful and friendly. I am so grateful for Zeus. He’s so much more than just my assistance dog, he became my guardian angel
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