Training a new lifeline

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, October 16th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: service dogs.

For some families, the help of a service dog is essential. Today, we meet one of those families … and the Golden Retriever puppy in training to fill a big need. WORLD associate correspondent Rachel Coyle has the story.

AUDIO: Let’s wait for Faith to get you out.

RACHEL COYLE: Grace Littlejohn waits in the family van for her wheelchair. She’s at Costco today with her sister, Faith, her mom, Allison, and her Golden Retriever puppy, Sandy. Sandy’s wearing a pink “service dog in training” vest, and today’s mission is to work on her “good manners.” She doesn’t quite have them yet, but she’ll need them if she’s going to serve Grace well someday.

This is the family’s first time raising a puppy, but not their first canine assistant.

ALLISON LITTLEJOHN: When Grace was two, we noticed that her hand didn’t work one day. We put her to bed like any normal night and she woke up screaming and basically in the end we found out she was having strokes...

Allison says that was the beginning of a nightmare for her and her husband, Larry. After weeks in the hospital, doctors diagnosed Grace with an extremely rare syndrome called Moyamoya. They were told she might remain in a vegetative state. Larry recalls those early days.

LARRY LITTLEJOHN: The Lord held us up. I mean, I remember walking around the hospital, crying, and literally, it felt like somebody was holding me up by the back of my collar.

Grace had surgery and beat the odds. But when the family returned home…

ALLISON: Her life was nothing but therapy, learning how to do everything again.

For 10 years, Grace exceeded expectations in many areas. But she spent most of her life in a wheelchair. Seizures came on without warning. So, Allison began looking for a service dog. The family endured the extensive application process... and when Grace was 18 they finally got the call.

LARRY: Diggidy just walked right up to her, sat down, and laid his head in her lap, and, well, that was it. That’s who he picked out.

After completing a two-year program, Diggidy joined the family ready to work. It was life-changing for everyone. Many people know what it’s like to love and care for a pet, but Allison made it clear…

ALLISON: Diggidy wasn’t our pet. And until you need a service dog and you have one, you can’t understand the difference they make in your life. They’re an extension of that person because they can do the things for that person that they can't do.

Through specialized education and a unique bond with Grace, Diggidy could anticipate Grace’s needs and alert the family. He could open the door for her or retrieve items out of her reach. He also provided something far more valuable…

ALLISON: When she received Diggidy, people started coming up because they wanted to see Diggidy and talk to him. And then in turn, they started talking to Grace. And so she came out of her shell and started being more social and talking to people. And she felt seen.

For five years, Diggidy and Grace were inseparable. Until he suddenly died from cancer. The family was devastated.

ALLISON: It’s a huge loss when you lose your service dog. You lose so much of your independence. So it’s been a huge adjustment for us to not have him in our lives, to know that he’s not here to take care of her and to let us know to get her help if she needs it…

That’s why the Littlejohns have welcomed Sandy and they’re partnering with service dog instructor Jennifer Arnold to teach Sandy how to serve like Diggidy. Jennifer knows how hard it is to bring home a second dog.

JENNIFER ARNOLD: They remember their first dog as being perfect from the very beginning. By the time they lose their dogs, they’re so in sync with each other and so in love. But when they allow themselves to lower those walls and fall in love again, it works brilliantly.

LARRY: Look out, zoomies! [Sound of dog running around]

Allison says raising a puppy to be a service dog is not for the faint of heart. The demands are a lot like having a toddler. They have to start small. They begin with helping Sandy learn to be in tune with Grace. They look for indications that the two are bonding. For now they can’t leave Grace alone with Sandy, but they’re encouraged that Sandy doesn’t want Grace out of her sight.

GRACE: She likes to follow me and lay down in the way, like, how Diggidy used to. And she’s really sweet.

The Littlejohns are trying to be patient and have realistic expectations.

ALLISON: Everything has been very challenging, going to the store because she doesn’t know how to walk beside you and not get run over by the buggy. We’re working on that.

At Costco, Sandy becomes distracted by interesting smells, like any ordinary puppy.

AUDIO: You want to say hello? Say hello! How you doin’?

Near the end of the trip, Sandy catches the attention of an older gentleman who asks about her, and then asks about Grace.

AUDIO: How long you been in a wheelchair?

It’ll take about two years of instruction before Sandy can do for Grace what Diggidy did.

ALLISON: She will never take Diggidy’s place in our lives. But we’re hoping that she will be able to be a service dog as good as he was.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Rachel Coyle in Boiling Springs, SC.

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