Acquiring a Service Dog: Pepper!

I've written a lot about Pepper over the years that she has been with us, so many of you are familiar with her story already. Still, I wanted to collect some of those stories together and write a quick synopsis of her life as a Seeing Eye Dog and then as our pet.

Guiding Sarah

Pepper was born and bred at The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog training facility in the United States. After time with a puppy raiser, she began tests of intelligence and obedience that were required for her to pass before begin training for what was intended to be her life's work as a Seeing Eye Dog.

Because a Seeing Eye Dog's partner is so dependent upon their dog to keep them safe and get them places (including making independent decisions) many of the puppies do not make it through the initial tests or the training for harness. These dogs often become service dogs in other capabilities.

Pepper completed all those tests and that rigorous training, passed her final exams, and was deemed ready to be paired with her partner. 

That partner was Sarah Blake LaRose who spent three weeks at The Seeing Eye where she was paired with Pepper. Together they began training to work as partners. 

From puppy to harness is an expensive process, currently costing between $50,000 - $60,000 per dog. Costs are covered almost completely by donations.

Pepper's sister, Paige, also made it through all the tests and training and was paired with a woman named Kathy. 

Pepper's Seeing Eye tattoo in her ear; the first number is her mother and the second is Pepper's birth order.

Pepper spent a very busy year with Sarah. Sarah was a minister and she was also working on her doctorate at Anderson University. Pepper went everywhere with her, guiding her through tasks associated with those two activities along with the day to day tasks of grocery shopping and running errands.

Getting a lift to another building at Anderson University one day.

It all suddenly came crashing down. Pepper collapsed. Sarah knew something was terribly wrong and she got Pepper the high level of care that she needed. No one knew that Pepper had been born without adrenal glands and so she had no cortisol to help her handle stress, including the stress of guiding Sarah through all her activities and commitments.

They discovered that Pepper had Addison's Disease, and she was in a full blown Addison's crisis and nearly died. Thanks to Sarah's quick thinking, Pepper survived.

But, she had to be retired immediately or the continuing stress would kill her.

A New Life with Craig & Me

I cannot imagine what it was like for Sarah during that time. She was losing the dog who gave her the freedom to work, study, and move around her community. To live an independent life. And, she was losing a dog that she loved and who was a close companion to her. It had to have been very difficult.

Sarah and I have a mutual friend, Kathy Nimmer, who is visually impaired herself. Sarah told Kathy that she needed to retire Pepper and was looking for a good retirement home, asking if Kathy knew anyone who would take good care of her.

Kathy recommended us.

Pepper off duty and playing with Sarah in their basement.

Kathy called me, explained the situation, and asked if we might be interested in rehoming Pepper with us. Zeus had been gone for 8 years - he had left such a hole in our lives that we simply had been unable to consider getting a new dog. But we decided that we were ready to try loving a dog that deeply again.

So, we spoke to Sarah who invited us to come over so she and Pepper could meet us.

It was love at first sight for us all.

Sarah interviewed us and then we asked our own questions of her. When we finished, we confirmed that we would be happy to take Pepper into our home. Sarah replied that she had three more couples to interview and that she would let us know when she decided who she felt would be the best placement for Pepper.

A few days later, we got the call that Pepper was ours.

Another black Lab service dog, albeit a much smaller Lab and one with different service training from Zeus. We were thrilled. 

Our life with Pepper had begun.

Stay 'tooned!

Pepper on Amazon!

First Post of the Day

Check out Amazon and you will find Pepper!

Well, a book ABOUT Pepper, to be more accurate. Other guide dogs, too, along with the cats in the LaRose household.

The woman Pepper guided, Sarah Blake LaRose, has written a book about her thirty years with her guide dogs. Pepper was her sixth and had to be retired early when it was discovered that she has Addison's Disease.

Sarah knew that something was very, very wrong with Pepper and quickly got her the care that ended up saving her life. Sometimes I get the shivers when I think about how deathly ill Pepper was and just how close a call it was. That experience is detailed in the book.

My favorite parts of the book are (naturally) those about Pepper. I learned a lot about her history as a Seeing Eye Dog, things that I had been unaware of. Here's a brief excerpt:

 I love Sarah's description of Pepper in that excerpt.

Pepper's sudden retirement was difficult for Sarah. I could only imagine losing a dog I had loved so much, let alone partnered with through life. And so I started a blog for Sarah, My PenPal, Pepper, where letters to Sarah were written from Pepper. 

I had hoped the blog would be helpful and meaningful to Sarah, and in chapter 20 I learned that it had.

As Sarah writes, I did give permission for her to include some of those blog entries in her book and I found it interesting to see which ones she'd selected. The blog is public; click here if you'd like to read it. 

One of the very first photos of Miss P in our home.

I will always be grateful to Sarah not only for the gift of being Pepper's retirement home, but for her heroic efforts in saving her life, too.

Dogs of Our Lives: Connected by Trust

This is the story that Sarah LaRose shared with me about Pepper's abilities to think for herself when guiding. The story is incredible and the stress must've been tremendous, but Pepper got the job done.

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Sarah was at a convention for the blind and visually impaired and they were staying in the convention hotel. Many conference attendees were also staying there. 

An afternoon break was scheduled during the conference, and a lot of people, including Sarah and Pepper, had returned to their rooms.

Sarah settled in for a bit of a breather. Since Pepper was no longer working, she removed her harness and they both began to relax.

Suddenly, a loud announcement boomed over a speaker.

"All people in the building must evacuate immediately. We have a fire situation. All people in the building must evacuate immediately." 

The fire alarms began blaring and the evacuation began.  

Sarah later shared, "We were told at The Seeing Eye that, if there is a fire emergency and your dog is not in harness, to not take time to put the harness on. Put the leash on your dog and get out immediately." 

And that is what Sarah did - she leashed Pepper and headed out into the hallway, joining the throngs of other blind and visually impaired folks trying to get to safety.

There was a lot of chaos. She remembers hearing cries from others who were scrambling to harness their dogs and yelling at them to just get out and not take that time. "Go, go, go!"

Pepper and Sarah made it safely outside but in all the confusion, Sarah became disoriented. She knew she was near the building, but she was completely lost. And while Pepper was with her, she was out of harness and on a leash, the signal to her that she was off duty and not expected to guide.

However, Pepper figured out very quickly that Sarah needed her. And, she knew where they were. As Sarah told me, "She is brilliant." 

When the all-clear was sounded, Pepper took over and began leading Sarah. No harness, no stiff handle for Sarah to hold onto, just a simple leash and a whole lot of trust connecting the two of them.

Pepper guided Sarah all the way around the outside of the hotel and to an entrance. She then led Sarah through that door and into the hotel. Still disoriented, Sarah continued to let Pepper make the decisions and to go where she thought they needed to go.

Pepper guided Sarah over to a bank of elevators. When they got off on their floor, Sarah was still not sure where they were in the building or where their room was in relation to the elevator that they had used. But Pepper knew and she took Sarah right to their hotel room door. 

She did this all on her own. Using her ability to think and make decisions, Pepper had realized that Sarah needed help and so she guided her first to safety and then back to their room when the fire was out.

No harness to indicate that she needed to work, no directions from Sarah as to where to go, Pepper remembered where their room was in the hotel and got Sarah back there safely.

Nowadays, Pepper is my constant companion. She rarely leaves my side, looking out and caring for me as only she can. I love my sweet girl.

But when I get those occasional glimpses into her Seeing Eye past, I realize that not only is she my sweet girl, she is also a brilliant dog and one who is very much a hero. 

Thank you, Pepper.

 

Dogs of Our Lives: Pen Pals, Pepper, & Peeps

A few days ago, I got a call from Sarah LaRose, the woman Pepper had guided prior to retiring and coming to live with us. That's not unusual; Sarah calls once in a while to say hello, ask about Pepper, and share what she has been doing.

Like Kathy, Sarah is a very active woman. She has a doctorate in Divinity, is a minister, teaches university classes in Hebrew and Greek languages, translates those languages for others, does public speaking, and is an author. 

When Pepper came into our life, it was an unexpected transition, both for Sarah and for Pepper. Pepper had collapsed one day while working. Realizing that the collapse meant something was seriously wrong, Sarah immediately raced her to a specialist. 

In doing so, Sarah saved Pepper's life. She nearly died and was ill and in the vet hospital for several days. The diagnosis was a severe Addison's Disease crisis and Pepper had to be retired from guiding immediately. Thanks to a recommendation from Kathy who is also a friend of Sarah's, we were selected as Pepper's retirement home.

Me, Sarah, Craig, and Kevin LaRose doing a group hug with Pepper in the middle of us.

Sarah missed her Pepper, and so I started writing pseudo pen pal letters from Pepper to Sarah (which were very much a precursor to the current iteration, Dogs of Our Lives.) The letters helped Sarah stay in contact with Pepper and reassured her that Pepper was adjusting, healthy, and happy.  

Currently Sarah is working on another book, one that includes traveling and working while being assisted by the dogs who have guided her.  Naturally Pepper is included.

Sarah and Pepper as new partners at The Seeing Eye in 2017.

While we were chatting, Sarah asked, "I was wondering if I could include some of the pen pal letters Pepper wrote me after she went to live with you in my new book. They helped me so much after losing her, and I'd really like to share some of them."

That admission that they had helped her brought tears to my eyes. The fact that Sarah gave up Pepper because she put Pepper's health first and at a tremendous cost to herself... well, I can't imagine what that was like. I told her to use the letters as she wished.

And then Sarah shared an amazing story about Pepper with me, one I had not heard before. "She is a brilliant dog," Sarah said after concluding the story.

I'll share that story next, but in the meantime and just for fun, here is one of my favorite pen pal letters "written" by Pepper for Sarah. Enjoy it, and stay 'tooned! 

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Thursday, April 9, 2020

Greetings, Mom!

I am so excited. Easter is coming, and Lynn said that the Easter Bunny is going to bring me an Easter basket! Even better though, the Peeps for my basket are already here! Last night Lynn took me out to do my business and we could hear the Peeps calling to me from the woods!

I tingled all over withe excitement and asked Lynn if we could go and get those Peeps. I really wanted a purple one, but you know me, I'd settle for pink or yellow or just about any color. Lynn started laughing (she does that a lot) and said, "Oh, Pepper! You big goof!" (She says that a lot, too.)

Lynn explained that there is a difference between Peeps and spring peepers, and that what we were hearing were the spring peepers. I responded that I don't mind if my Peeps talk; I am sure that talking Peeps are just as good. (Maybe a little more expensive, but I'm worth it, right?) But then Lynn told me that the spring peepers were really frogs that were talking to each other in the woods.

Frogs?? FROGS?? Eeew! Why are there frogs in the woods! They're supposed to be in ponds and creeks. And why are the frogs talking? Are they telling each other where the Peeps are hidden? Even worse, are they eating my Peeps?

Mom, I am so confused and could really use your help. Will you please talk to Lynn and tell her to let me go to the woods and get the Peeps before the frogs eat them all? I would really appreciate it! (You know how hungry I can get.)

Wags and licks,

Hungry for Peeps Pepper