Tag: animals
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how I manage sensory overload with a demand-barker…
I have often gotten questions about how I deal with sensory overload when working with animals as an autistic person. Working with animals can feel very overwhelming. When I trained dogs in shelters, there would often be hours spent with 50-200 dogs barking at top volume in loud, echoey hallways. When I worked at an…
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January 22nd, 2024 – Sorrel’s Gotcha Day!
Three years ago I drove 2 hours to Washington to pick up a raggedy shitzu mix of unknown age and history who had been living in the streets for a long time. I was doing canine hospice care through an organization and was ready to welcome a new hospice pup into my home after taking…
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| Lessons my first service dog, Mico, taught me to raise my new service dog puppy
As I begin a new adventure with a new service dog prospect puppy, I find myself reflecting frequently on Mico and I’s journey. I think of the difficult times we faced, the things I would have done differently, and the things I am proud to have done and want to continue with Aisling, my German…
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October 29th, 2023 – Different ways I process the grief of losing my service dog…
– Writing letters to her – Wearing her collar – Offering her food by burning incense – Rewatching videos – Creating scrapbook pages – Working with an artist to preserve her and plan her aftercare – Making shadow boxes with her favorite toys, service vest, etc. – Crying alone – Reminiscing about her life with…
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Canine compassion and consent – understanding and respecting our animal’s “no”.
…We have extremely high expectations of our dogs, and even higher expectations for working animals. We train them to tolerate anything and everything. For a service animal, it is essential to be able to prioritize their handlers’ needs over their own, and I have seen many service animals in training “wash out”, or be unable…
Dani Shapira 