Star is not available, she is serving as a Service Dog now!
PROGRAM SERVICE DOG, “Star” – Searching for Placement
Star is a 30 pound (medium size) Australian Labradoodle, who turns 2 years old in March. She has been with us since she was 8 weeks old and is from a health and temperament conscious breeder. Star was brought into MLU as a Program Service Dog. This means that she has and will continue to live with me in my home, while being trained in all phases of Service Dog training – including obedience, public access, and task training. By the time Star is placed with her fur-ever handler, she will have a strong working foundation and I will continue to work with her handler in order to successfully transition her and all that she has learned with us.
Star’s dam is a working Service Dog, and her breeder has produced many reliable Service Dogs that have gone on to work in the departments of Psych, Autism, and Medical Alert & Response.
I’ve had the luxury of spending a considerable amount of time working with and getting to know Star. Given her unique strengths and temperament, I believe she would most excel as a Psychiatric Service Dog and I intend to continue training and finding her a placement for this purpose.
Health
Star’s health clearances at this time include passing results in OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) Cardiac, OFA Eyes, Preliminary OFA Hips, Elbows, and Patella, Pennhip, and DNA testing.
She is a very healthy dog. Aside from a single UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) which was detected and treated quickly, Star has never had any health issues – including allergies, ear infections, or gastro-intestinal issues (as sometimes are associated with Labradoodles).
Temperament
Star thoroughly meets the criteria that I look for in the temperament of a Psychiatric Service Dog. She loves to work, is naturally handler focused (even while off-duty). She is attentive while at home and in public, and pushy in all the right ways.
In public, she will engage with me without any prompting by voluntarily continuously pushing her nose into my left hand while she is in Heel position (this is one of her trained Alert/Response and Dissociation Interruption tasks). I can easily reinforce this by giving her a pat on her head, verbal acknowledgement, or a treat because her providing that tactile stimulation is such a natural reinforcer already.
In addition, Star is extremely confident in nearly all situations and works through stress quickly and efficiently. She is soft enough to readily adjust her behavior when she is being corrected, but emotionally stable enough to adapt and recover quickly.
One of the things I love about her is her outgoing, friendly disposition when it comes to meeting new people or going to new places; yet, her preference to stick with and focus back onto her person.
When she is working, she will readily ignore other dogs that pass by (no need to remind her to “leave it”) and is very easy to handle once you’ve established a routine and a bond with her. I can literally pass her leash to a 5 year old child during a walk, and she will automatically heel beside them as they move forward.
As a result of her drivey temperament, Star loves to learn new things and work. She can be demanding at times, but it tends to come out in more tactile ways vs barking or making noise – in fact, I can’t remember the last time I ever even heard her bark.
Star is motivated by both food and/or toys, and will easily engage in a game of tug at any time. She isn’t sensitive to her environment, so it doesn’t matter what types of distractions or stimuli are present – if I want to play, she will play! If I don’t have any rewards on me, she will also very willingly jump into a game of play, even without a toy present. To Star, her person is EVERYTHING!
Star has been socialized around a variety of animals and environments. She has been to Disneyland, Jurassic World exhibit, a bunch of road trips, visited beaches, etc. and I can confidently trust her off-leash around my chickens, horses, and cat. Her recall is phenomenal; partly due to how much she enjoys being near me. Even with her drive to stick by my side, I can easily leave her for a period of time with a trusted friend or in a fenced yard and walk away without her feeling uncomfortable.
Star is also an easy keeper. While she is drivey and will give herself a job, she is not one to jump on or chew furniture, try to escape a closed room, bark to be let out, etc. She simply doesn’t get into trouble easily. She is comfortable being in a crate for any period of time, and is used to having to be flexible with her freedom and sharing it with other dogs in the house. She is easy to handle in terms of grooming, veterinary appts, etc., and has been getting professionally groomed since she was a puppy. I’m pretty sure she thinks her groomer and vet are her best friends.
At Home
At home, Star will follow me around everywhere if I allow her to. This isn’t in a “I’m afraid to leave you” kinda way – but in a “I love you and want to work” kinda way. If I’m sitting on the couch and watching TV, she will either sit and stare at me like a statue or rub her body back and forth across my feet over and over until I ask her to go and lay down.
As a result of her drivey temperament, she doesn’t have a natural off switch and will always try to be doing something. However she will completely relax and shut her mind off when told to lay down or go to her place (Down Stay on a dog bed). Once she is in her place, she can technically lay there for hours without any reminder, and will often put herself to sleep. Dogs and puppies can be running around, the TV may be on, I could be in another room, someone may be walking through the front door, and She. Will. Not. Budge.
In Public
Literally NOTHING phases this dog, and it seems like she is always in a good mood. Her tail is always up and wagging. As a young dog, I find her to be appropriately curious of new situations and environments. She will sometimes look around, but readily focuses back on her handler. I have brought her into some unusual environments, and she has taken to every new and/or odd situation with extreme confidence and ease. She trusts her person immensely, even in the most absurd of circumstances. She is reliable with public access and walks beautifully by my side, including through malls, grocery stores, and movie theaters. At her age, she ignores most distractions without much prompting or guidance, and will settle quickly and easily while on the job.
She travels perfectly in a car, whether it’s on the passenger floor underneath the glove compartment or in a crate.
Star is also a strong swimmer, and LOVES the water! She has also gone kayaking, and does great in a boat.
Star is ECollar conditioned and responds very well to leash and/or collar pressure. In public, my tool of choice for her is often a flat collar with a hands free leash attached and an ECollar.
On hikes, I can easily have her off leash and she will have fun and explore, but never feels like running far enough away to where she can’t see me. She recalls quickly and does very well passing other hikers and leashed dogs. She has been on pack hikes with multiple other dogs as well, and has done very well being around different types of dogs and temperaments.
Task Training
In addition to Behavior/Dissociation Response tasks, Star can perform Crowd Control in the form of a Back Block or Circle in public settings.
Star also LOVES to retrieve, and has shown a natural drive to retrieve since she was 6 weeks old. In fact, she will retrieve and hold items that are 3x the size of her head (don’t ask me how I know this) if you allow her to.
She also has a great nose on her, and is in the process of learning how to find and retrieve a scented object – a task that will become customized to her handler’s needs once she is placed.
Star will also be trained in Pressure Therapy and various forms of Tactile Stimulation/Pressure before going home.
The Best Fit
My wish is for Star to be placed as a Psychiatric Service Dog for a handler who may experience symptoms that are often associated with PTSD, Schizophrenia, Depression, and/or Anxiety.
Due to her drivey nature and a desire for personal space at times, I believe she would do best in a home where her routine can be managed. I imagine her in a home where she is an only dog or perhaps living with one other dog who is older and/or of low to medium energy, as well as a home with kids no younger than 10 years old.
Because Star is adventurous, loves to run, and is always looking for a job, she would do great with a handler that can keep her mind engaged and her body active. If her handler wanted to do some type of sport with her, she would easily excel in Rally Obedience or Dock Diving.
Lastly, Star needs a handler that can remain firm when needed, and who isn’t afraid to set limits – as Star isn’t afraid to push her boundaries and is clever enough to know when she can get away with something.
Contract
Star is an MLU Program Service Dog, and will come with a Buyer’s Contract, as well as a health and training guarantee.
Star will be spayed prior to being permanently placed, and it is required that if her handler can no longer keep her for any reason, that she comes straight back to us; she will never see a shelter or rescue in her life.
If you or someone you know may be interested in Star, please reach out to Lisa Lior Lima.
My Life Unleashed Dog Training & Luminary Service Dogs
lisalima@mylifeunleashed.biz
(719) 626-3090
