A Service Dog Life

About the Book

This book will become a valuable tool for parents, teachers, and educators for the future development of the ADA culture. Educational materials do not provide necessary information to educate people, especially young children, the importance and great abilities service animals provide their handlers. New vocabulary is introduced, and dog commands are typed in capital letters to guide the reader in the necessity of one-word commands for a service animal. I wrote this book based on the fact that after becoming permanently disabled, I needed a service dog. I was trying to find books to introduce the idea to my family and especially my young son. There were not a lot of books available to explain the situation of bringing a service dog into a home to help with disabilities. I further became aware that there were even less materials available that mentioned any aid beyond using a wheelchair or being blind. Where were the books to explain to people and their children the need for service animals for people that can be visually and not visually seen as having a disability? Therefore, it led me to believe that I should write a book that shows that there are many needs for service dogs and service animals for many different people. Service dogs and service animals serve a great purpose to many individuals for many different reasons.

About the Author

I am a 41 year old young woman that at a very young age had many neurological and skeletal issues that always went unexplained. I went through life not knowing anything else but the pain I suffered daily and that it was only getting worse. No doctor could give me any reasons for my conditions but were always willing to give me different prescription cocktails to aid the pain to go along in my daily life. I graduated high school with honors and went on to get a Bachelor Degree in Business and Advertising and after a short successful career I decided to changed course by getting my Master Degree in Special Education K-12. Where I taught for 11 years. As of 2008 I could no longer deny my body could no longer keep up with me and what I wanted to do in life. I was fortunate to have my husband to support me and encourage me to do what I needed to do to have a quality life. So I stopped working out of necessity and after some years had passed I eventually signed up for the rigorous endeavor of getting Social Security Disability Benefits. That took 4 years once I had finally admitted I was in need of the support to help my family. My husband and I also looked for other ways for me to be more independent because I was barely leaving the house unless it was with him because I had fallen a few times in public and had problems being on my own. So we decided to get a Service Dog to be my go to helper and give me back some of my independence. I decided to write this book to educate all ages, especially the young that Service Animals are not a crutch but a gift. To get back to a life we can achieve given with our limitations/needs. Not every ones limitations or needs are the same. A Service Animal does not make you everything you wanted to be and do, but it stops you from losing who you still are as an individual and gives you hope and your pride back. Jäger is now my sidekick buddy and now I can’t imagine not having him to rely on.