Hair from The Dog That Bit Her: A Love Story

      

      I am sure if Nadiya's Allergist read this article he would want to shake me.  That is probably why I haven't told him that we got a dog yet.  Sometimes as a parent you have to weigh the risk of something with the benefit.  David and I do that a lot with Nadiya.  Her case is not black and white but every shade in between. I think also you have to look at a situation and realize that there are always exceptions to the norm.  Many doctors have a difficult time accepting that maybe rules don't always apply in every single situation.  At least that is what I think.
        Nadiya tested positive for dog allergies.  I did too for that matter though I have never experienced a symptom from a dog.  Nadiya did.  Anytime she was near my sister's over sized Basset Hound her face swelled up in hives.  It was pretty bad.  There were other breeds that caused an outbreak of hives wherever the dog's tongue touched her.  There would be a strip of pink swollen bumps on her arm or the side of her face where the dog had licked her.  She seemed to also get itchy.  Her eyes would get very red and she would keep rubbing her nose.  The interesting part is that this only happened with certain breeds.  That is where the Allergist had a problem with our story.  I will say he did believe me and he tried to understand how this could be though he firmly believed extended exposure would prove positive allergy symptoms with any breed.  I hoped not because I always knew I was going to do it anyway.
  

Clara

          I spent years conducting my own clinical trials while nervous dog owners allowed Fido to lick all over Nadiya.  Armed with Benadryl we'd anxiously wait to see if there was an outbreak of hives.  Sometimes it did cause a reaction but sometimes it didn't.  Basset Hounds seemed to be the worst of all with Beagles and Dachshund Hounds causing a much less reaction.  There was also a mild reaction to Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.  However, there were many breeds that induced no reaction at all such as German Shepherds, Pugs, Several Terriers, Boxers and a variety of mixed breeds. This was interesting though to an allergists it may not make sense.  Our allergist said that it is not the breed that one is allergic to but the dog itself and if Nadiya lived with any of the "safe" breeds she was likely to have symptoms.
           I was not convinced.  I had high hopes of Nadiya having a Therapy Dog someday to detect and alert us if Nadiya had a seizure in her sleep.  I explained this to the Allergist and he understood.  He suggested that we wait and see what happens and should Nadiya need desensitization shots then we would deal with that then.  It made sense.  He wasn't saying, "Don't ever get a dog ".  It was more like, "If you must get a dog we will deal with any allergies if they occur".  At least that is the way I chose to interpret this. 
 

Anastasiya with Clara in Nadiya's room

    I checked out many of the websites for assistant dogs and the outlook wasn't good.  Most would not give a service dog to a person under 16 years of age.  That would be too late since Nadiya has the potential to become unstable during puberty.  That is when we could see a lot of seizure activity.  One site was willing to give a service dog to a child but the cost was $30,000.  Now they would not necessarily charge a family for the dog but the wait would be long and there were no guarantees.  To expedite the wait a family could fund raise.  I can't imagine taking that on.  managing Nadiya 's case is a full time job that I must balance with the rest of my family obligations; I do have another typical child.  This seemed very unrealistic for us.  Most of the dogs were Golden Retrievers which Nadiya has had a reaction to.
            This was just research. Truthfully I was not eager to have a dog.  I could not handle the responsibility and I felt Anastasiya was too immature to help.  I did not want to be the one to care for the dog alone so we waited.  I needed to be ready.  I saw Anastasiya mature and take responsibility for her turtle and her activities and schoolwork.  I felt like our children were missing out on an opportunity that I had growing up.  I wanted them to know what it was like to have a dog but I wanted the right dog for our family.  I needed an intelligent and obedient dog who would improve our family life not strain it. This would have to be a careful and thoughtful decision.  Not every dog is good with a profoundly disabled child.  My friend Lisa recommended the Mid Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue (MAGSR) http://www.magsr.org/ which was where she had rescued her German Shepherd almost 15 years ago.  He had recently passed away and she was ready to start looking for another rescue herself.  The timing was good for both of us.

Anastasiya works with Clara.

        I started to think about how smart German Shepherds are and how trainable they are.  Nadiya had spent hours at a time on the floor with Lisa's Shepherd even when he was shedding.  There had never been a reaction. 
            I have always been partial to mixed breeds.  I think they are unique and have the potential of inheriting positive traits from what ever they are mixed with. Whenever the genetics are watered down so to speak genetic disorders that purebreds can have tend to be bred out in a mutt. I had hoped with a smaller mix the hip dysplasia that German Shepherds tend to get would be less likely to occur.  I also think mixes are really cute because of their unique and sometimes random appearances. 
           From the beginning Clara stood out to us.  David and Anastasiya especially liked her and seemed drawn to her.  We completed our application and turned it in.  The next day we went to a Petsmart where we knew MAGSR was scheduled to be.  We hoped Clara or some of the other dogs would be there.  No dogs were there but we were able to speak to two women who were volunteers from the organization.  When one of woman took one look at Nadiya in her wheelchair and said out loud, "Clara would be perfect for this family!"  I told her that we had put Clara's name on our application which was submitted the evening before.  It was then that we were told that Clara's foster thought she would make a great service or companion dog.  I couldn't believe it.  From a picture alone we were drawn to this dog and then we were told there was potential for her as a service dog.  We were excited but there were many people interested in Clara.  She had attended a lot of events and people liked her.  The ladies said they would contact the foster and the adoption coordinator and discuss our family and let them know about Nadiya.  Still it was out of our hands.  Our three references were interviewed and then we had a home study.  After that we were approved for adoption and Clara was brought to meet us.  She never left our house.  We loved her immediately and she bonded with Nadiya right away.
     

         We have had Clara for almost 5 weeks and I still can't believe we found each other.  At 10 months old she is very smart and already has many commands.  She is completely housebroken and is great with the kids.  She is protective of Nadiya and checks on her frequently.  Even now as I work in my office upstairs Nadiya is playing with a musical toy in her Rifton Chair.  Clara is sitting downstairs near Nadiya. I offered to let her come up with me but she did not want to leave Nadiya.  At first she was obsessed with Nadiya's breath because it smells of Ketosis.  Dogs can smell that and so they are trained to alert a diabetic if they reach Keto Acidosis.  It took some time for Clara to realize that is normal for Nadiya but it did highlight the potential for Clara to be an assistance dog.  A few weeks ago Nadiya had an unusual Absence Seizure that wasn't like the rest.  Clara barked at Nadiya and looked at David.  This is exciting.  We will put her through train classes and then look for someone who can help us train her to bark when Nadiya has a seizure in her sleep.  The possibilities are exciting.  Clara was definitely supposed to be a part of our family.  We had Clara assessed by a trainer and she will be skipping level o ne and going right into intermediate.  Then she will do the advanced class and end with the "Good Citizen" class for a certificate.  That will be the last step before service dog training.  She has learned many additional commands and walks nicely along Nadiya's wheelchair.  Clara goes to and from the bus with Nadiya and is excited to see her after school when she returns. 

Clara watching over Nadiya

 

      Strangely Nadiya has not had any allergy symptoms from this dog.  Clara has licked her face up and down.  One day Nadiya desperately needed a bath and Clara took it upon herself to start bathing Nadiya like a puppy.  Nadiya thought it was hysterical but other than her giggles there was no other reaction.  Though I was not happy about Nadiya sustaining a concussion at school, the fact that she was home for a week and a half when Clara first came to us was a blessing.  It allowed the two to bond right away and I think it helped Nadiya recover from her head injury and endure being kept out of school for so long.  It was a risk; albeit a well thought out risk.  I am glad that we did it because sometimes the very thing that could make a child sicker is the thing that makes them well.

Me with Clara and Lisa with her new dog Simone a German Shepherd Sight Hound mix.
Lisa is a former dog trainer and has given me a lot of advice and information.  Clara and
Simone met before they were adopted at an event for the rescue.  They were happy
to be reunited and chase each other at the dog park.

There are always some funny things that happen when you are training a dog.  I'm not sure who is providing more entertainment Cara or Nadiya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadiya managed to get into Clara's crate without help.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess Nadiya thought she'd try out the dog bed.

 

 

 

 

 

We have since corrected this behavior but Nadiya seemed to like this.  Now Clara is permitted to wake Nadiya in the morning and put her to bed at night she can put her paws up on the side of her bed but not get in!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                   That's more like it!