I had wanted a service dog long before I knew of Summit, even long before they began. The problems of getting a service dog then were multiple, but the two biggest were the long waiting list and the fact that they were in California and I was here in Washington. I found Summit on the internet about four or five years ago and everything seemed to work; the wait wasn’t as long as other organizations, I could devote the time and energy, and, best of all, they were only three hours drive from where I lived.
When I finally was paired and knew I’d be going to team training, I made sure I studied everything I was given and read the book that, while I wasn’t sure if it was mandatory, I finished before training began. I was in my late twenties and had wanted a service dog for over a decade – this was serious business to me. There are so many people that need and deserve service dogs and so for me to finally be paired with one, I wanted the people at Summit to know I knew what I was getting and that I appreciated it. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have fun; I did. But the fun was an added benefit to what I was doing there, what I was working for.
I’ve had dogs as pets my whole life, so I already knew a fair amount about taking care of a dog, some of their reactions to situations, etc. What I added to that was the knowledge of how to work with my service dog, whose name is Crystal. I was paired with Crystal after a few evaluation sessions where you work with the dogs ready to be paired and after, you fill out a form saying which you preferred. Other factors in pairing are personality, lifestyle, and the size of the dog.
Jenna
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