Do any of you use pets as helpers?

Wow, Mike! That is a great idea. I love dogs, but I never thought of having them help me. I don't have any dogs at the moment. I do have four cats...two inside, two outside. The outside cats stay in garage when it is cold outside.

I was just talking to my husband this evening that if/when I ever get to retire, I would like to adopt a mutt. I want one I can handle. LOL I love golden Labs, but they are too difficult for me to walk, etc. I thought maybe a smaller dog might be best for me. I guess if they are trained well, it wouldn't matter that much...???

I love the idea of your pet helping you, and it sounds like your pup enjoys it too. Was it hard to train him/her to retrieve items?

Great post!

V

I think that its awesome that you have taught your dog to help out. I have a Brittany Spaniel and Golden Retriever that are great company to me. They are full of entertainment no doubt but they are not what I would call a working dog, more the other way around, meaning spolied rotten to the bone. But, we have made them that way and they serve their purpose with us just fine. If either get their mouths on something they should not have like a shoe they head straight to their kennel with it and hide it in the back. Then I have to take the grabber and fish it out. The Britt is a full blown thief, he waits for my husband to get up out of his chair and runs over and gets the tv remote and then high tails it to his kennel. He will also grab his shoes and do the same if they are left laying around. This goes on every day and it has become a game to him. I have to laugh because my husband knows what this little guy will do if given the chance. Even when he was a small puppy he would hide stuff under the pillow in his bed. I would find all sorts of stuff under that pillow and he really worked hard getting the stuff too.

My dogs aren't trained as service animals, but they are some of the best medicine for me. I have 3 golden retrievers -- ages 7, 6, and 2 -- and they are my world. They have such huge hearts and such compassion. It's is amazing how can they can sense our feelings and help make us feel better, and all that they ask is for love in return. They have so much to teach us. I would be absolutely lost without my dogs. My two year old in particular has helped me though some of the roughest periods of my life. I owe him everything.

hugs,
Skeye

Thats so cool Mike ! I have two cats but they can't do any chores , but they keep me company and are very sweet and nice to have around . Dogs are different though and it sounds like you've got a great friendship with yours . Awesome ! Mikel

Thanks so much, Mike, for all the wonderful ideas! I know down the road I had wanted to get another dog again, probably a shephard, but I hadn't thought about the potential for training it to help me out. I know with my Mom, who has a degenerative spinal colum issue my father and I have long talked about filing for her to get a service dog specifically once she gets her chair; right now because I live with my family my son is her service pet.

I myelf have a couple cats, and a horse. My cats, being very affectionate, actually do help. Frequently if I am sitting on the couch one of them will come sit on my lap, and I am able to rest my arm along their warm fuzzy sides; at least in the winter this is a great comfort to me. Sometimes just being able to rest my arm on them helps, and the sensation of purring is a great comfort.

My horse is physical therapy. My last horse, rest her soul, was a dear friend, and in the early stages of my inury she kept me sane. She also kept me safe. It was easier to fight the depression of the pain and the meds when I could have someone saddle my horse and go ride for awhile. One day thought I had so much fun I started to laugh, which triggered a vertigo spell. Bout dumped myself off the back of my horse, which woulda been a first. However, Sierra Rose felt me losing my balance and came to a complete halt, waiting. When I got my balance back she slowly walked all the way back to the barn. It wasn't the first time she'd stopped for me so I could get my balance, and it wasn't the last. She was always careful with me. I had even gotten her trained so I rode more with my body weight and verbal cues, plus she was trained to neck rein anyway so I really never had to use my bad arm. The day after Thanksgiving though her health caught up to her and I had to put her down. I'm hoping with a little time the new boy in my life will be just as wonderful as Sierra was, and just as good at keeping me safe and taking care of me. Life without a horse... well, I just can't imagine it. It gives me something positive to work through my pain for, and something emotionally helpful too.

Mike,

Thank you for starting this thread. I have 2 dogs, one golden retriever named Achilles and boston terrier pug mix named Monty. They are a comedy act and entertain me everyday. They both serve very special needs in my life. Achilles does pick up some things for me when asked to fetch, but not as many as I would like. Monty has a knack for knowing when I am feeling faint and stays by my side like glue. This lets Achilles know something is up and if he isn't already following me, which is rare, he high-tails it over and walks with me. Many times I have fainted only to find them both beside me, one on each side, and Achilles is always ready to let me use him as leverage to get off the floor. Monty is around 30 lbs but is still my lovey lapdog! He sits on my feet while I work on school.

The best part of both of my boys is that when we walk outside, they are trained to stay beside me no matter the pace. On my slowest days they stay beside me and do not pull. It is rare that they pull me, but as I saw in the snow it can happen! If I stop on our walk, they come to a halt as well which helps greatly. Who wants to walk a dog that pulls so hard your arm feels like it is being yanked out of its socket?

Great topic!

Mindy

 

That is wonderful that you have taught your dogs to help you. I have 3 dogs, Oliver age 3, an australian terrier, japanese chin mix, 18 pounds, he's a riot, and great for comic relief and a pretty good cuddler. Oscar age 2, a lab/rott mix, 120-130 pounds, he's a VERY BIG boy, he's a great cuddler and loves giving affection. Then there is the baby, Gavin age 6 months, an italian greyhound, he's a ham, very cuddly, and thinks he can fly, always leaping from the couch. Having fur babies really helps keep the stress down, and their unconditional love in the form of kisses and cuddles is great when you're in pain or having a bad time.

The little guys aren't helpful with getting things for me, but Oscar does help me get up from sitting on the floor, if on the odd occasion I do. They pets are very in tune with how I'm feeling.
I would love to teach them all to help me more around the house, but I'm not really sure how to go about doing it, or at least how to consistently do it.

That is fantastic that you have a little furry helper around the house.

Any dog can contain the gift of helping us. For example, my "Baby", promise not to laugh... but shes a miniture maltese is self taught to tell us off any anything medical.
Ie: Diabetes, she runs around barking and we have her trained to "show me" and she will take you to where the coma person is

Ie: Dad who is in bad health does not belong cleaning gutters on roof, Baby knows and tattletails on him

Ie: Appendix, she licks, she checks on the sick one, she runs in another room and barks...run back checks on the sick onne, runs to get help again and keeps it up til we get up and do what she wants
Ie: Allergic reactions-- I say "Got get mommy" and she actually goes and gets my mother LOL

No, I could never get my cats to help out like that, and I don't have any dogs. But my 3 year old daughter is my little helper. If she's around, and I drop something on the floor, or need something that's down low, she's always happy to help me out :) She can be a pain in my butt sometimes, like all 3 year olds can, but she can be a real sweetie as well.