For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at: service dog, service dog law, service dog etiquette, service dog puppy raiser, guide dog.

1. Anything’s Pawsable with a Little Pixie
Dust – Part 1
Pixie isnowapproachinganage where mostservice dogsintraining(sdit) are workingonlearning
specifictaskskillstheywill needtoaidtheirpartner.We are now readyto make some bigdecisions on
Pixie’sfuture,anditisnotwhat we were imagining,orexpectingwhenwe originallystartedthe process
of raisingher.Thisisa bit of a long read,andI am takinga little bitof a risk,andopeningupabout a
verypersonal journey;here Igo…
Whenwe startedour journeyraisingPixie we were notsure whatourplanwas or whatthe outcome
wouldbe.We embarkedonnewterritoryandforthe firsttime we were onour ownto make decisions
and workthroughissuesthatcame up.Pixie belongstoGrowing UpGuide Pup(GUGP), notanother
organization,norwasshe promisedtoa specificorganization.IwasexcitedbutIwasalso nervousatthe
same time..Ireallywantedtostepoutof my comfortzone anddo more than justthe basicsof what
mostpuppyraisersdo,but I had no ideaif Icould actuallydoiton my own.Pixie isabitof an
experimentforus.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: service dog, service dog
law, service dog etiquette, service dogpuppyraiser, guide dog.
For more details,please visitus at: http://www.growingupguidepup.org/

2. WhenPixie’slitterwasbornwe whelpedall nine of the puppiesandthe original planwastoraise one of
the two puppies beingdonatedto BrigadoonService Dogs. Ihadmyeyeson chunkyboyMr. Yellow,
whowas laternamedPaddington.Don’ttell Pixie,butshe wasn’tmyfavorite of the nine inthe
beginning,butshe wasalwaysalittle uniquedue tothe factshe neededextra attention,includingbottle
feedings,the firstcouple of weeksbecause she wasthe smallestandnotthrivingaswell asthe others.
Because she hadsome special needsinthe beginningof herlife,we offeredtokeepherandtake onthe
responsibilitiesof whatshe needed,ormayhave needed,asshe grew.Atthe time we were uncertain
howshe woulddevelopphysically.Turnsoutshe didjustfine,beingthe runtof the litter,she just
neededalittle extraattentionasa baby.
My original thoughtprocesswastosee whatPixie didnaturallyasshe grew upand thenmake a decision
on whattype of service dogshe wouldbe bestsuitedfor.Thatwouldhelpme decide where she would
potentiallygoforformal trainingandplacementata service dogorganizationor if I wouldtrytraining
and placinghermyself.EarlyonI thoughtshe wouldmake agreat medical alertdog,she wasvery
interestedindifferentsmells,especiallywithpeople.Diabeticalertwashighonmy possibilitylist.She
likestosmell mybreath inthe morning,andif Matt or I have any type of cut or scab on our body,she
findsitand wantsto investigateiteverydayuntil itishealed.She doesthisalsowithotherpeopleshe
meetsorfriendsshe greets,she alwayswantstogive everyone afull sniff overandinvestigation.
So where doesPixiegofromthispoint?Whatwill she be trainingtodo? That isthe big question.In
October2019 I didget some newgearto try out withPixie.We have beenworkingonsome momentum
pull workand some lightbalance assistance.Now these tasksare alittle differentthanwhatthe natural
instinctsthatI have describedabove andI’mgoingtoexplainwhywe wentthisroute.
We have founda potential placementforPixie where she canutilizethese skillsthat she islearning.
Where we are placingherwasthe lastplace I thoughtthat she wouldendupwhenwe started,butit
seemstobe the mostfittingnowforeveryone involved.If itall worksout,and Pixie cangetpast her
trainingobstacles,itwill be quitethe storytoshare.You see…we have decidedtotryplacingPixie with
me.
So far onlyMatt, my family,afewfriends,andmycoworkersknow aboutthispart of me.In June 2017 I
was diagnosedwithabenigntumoronmypituitarygland.AtfirstI had veryfew symptomsanddidn’t
have a huge impact onmy life.Iwasprescribedsome medicationtohelpshrinkthe tumorandhelp
regulate myone hormone levelwhichwasoutof normal range.Evenmy endocrinologistmade itseem
like nobigdeal.UnfortunatelyI hada lotof side effectstothe medicationandIwasneverable totake
the full dose thatwas prescribed.Because of the lowerdose Iwastakingit tookalmosta year,but my
hormone levelswere finallystabilizingafew monthsbefore Pixie wasbornand wasable to taperback
my medication,butwasstill experiencingsome side effects.
Because there wasso muchgoingon that summerI stoppedmymedication.We had9 babypoodle
puppiesanda mothertotake care of,Oscar, our youngpuppyintrainingtoworkwith,twopet dogs
that neededtheirusual care,myfull time jobatthe clinic,Matt’swork,some side jobswe engagedinto
helppaythe bills,inadditiontoafewextracanine house guestscomingandgoingthroughoutthe

3. summerthat we hadalreadypromisedthatwe wouldtake care of before we agreedtowhelpthe
puppies.Mybiggestside effectsfrommymedicationwasbeingtiredandmental fogginessthatcaused
me to be forgetful andunable toreallyuse mybrainthe wayI neededandwantedittobe. The more
tiredI became,the worse mysymptomswere.There wassomuchto be done each andeverydaythat
we were upand busyfrom 7am until about2am. There was noroom for beingextratiredorunfocused
froman outside source,myhealth,togetthrough the work neededtobe done athome and still be
focusedwhile atwork.There isreallynoroomfor errorin myline of workand I had to be able to
functionatboth home andwork.
Afterthe summerof 2018 most of the puppieswere gone andthingscalmeddownsome,butthenwe
had bothPixie andhersisterScarletttotry and trainindividually(before ScarlettwenttoBrigadoon) and
Pennywasreturnedtous and thataddeda thirdpetdog thatneededcare.I didn’treallygetbackonto
my medicationuntilwellafterthe holidaysandIstruggledwithstayingonthem.Ifeltreallycrappyon
themso I wasn’tveryconsistentwiththem.The medicationmade me feel worse thanthe tumordidand
it wasreallyhardfor me to keeptakingit.I wastakingit on andoff, but itwas enoughconsistencyto
make a difference.
Overthispast summerItriedto be more consistentwithtakingmymedicationandIfeltthe worstI ever
had.I was exhaustedall the time,nomatterhow muchI slept.Iwouldfeel wornoutlike Ihaddone a
majorworkoutat the gymjustwalkingthe dogsaroundthe neighborhood.Iwaslightheadedanddizzy
at timesandwas not comfortable standingstill andreallyjustwantedtositall the time.The bestwayto
describe itisthat I feltlike Iwas“buzzed”asif I hadbeendrinkingall the time.Notdrunk,buttipsy.I
was alsobecomingforgetful.Iwouldforgetthingsathome thatI neededforthe day,orthingsI needed
to put onmy to do list.Iwas alsoforgettingwords.Like whenIwouldbe talking tosomeone,Iknew
whatI wantedto say,but I struggledtogetthe rightwordsthat I wantedout.The interestingthingis
that Pixie seemedtonotice thatthere wassomethingoff withme aswell.
WhenPixie isatworkwithme she laysundera deskwhere there isacomputerthat isusedby multiple
people throughoutthe shift.She hasalwaysbeenquietandstayedinherspotwithoutbeingnoticed.
She hardlymovesmyentire shift,withthe occasional “Ineedtopotty”look.Overthe summerthere
were a fewtimeswhileIwassittingatthe deskshe hitme numeroustimeswithhernose,abehavior
that she had neverdone before.She wasalsostartingtolayoutfrom underthe deskwhere she could
watch me more.At firstI thoughtshe wasjustbeingpersistentthatshe neededtopottyorthat she was
boredand readyto go.These thingsusuallyhappenedwhenthe clinicwasreallybusyandIwasrunning
aroundmore.But I didalsostart noticingthat I washavingdizzyspellsandfeelingoff balance while at
work.I startedto wonderif Pixie wasactuallytryingtotell me somethingthatwasaboutme and not
her.She has alwaysbeenveryattachedtome,but there were multiple timesthatshe outrightrefused
to leave myside,orwasveryuneasyif I did.Some daysshe followsme almosteverywhere she can.Even
if I go to use the restroomat the clinicwhichisfive stepsawayfromwhere she staysshe will paw atthe
restroomdoorwhile I’minside (whenshe isnothookedtoatie down).There can be multiple other
people inthe roomwithher,butshe still followsme.AtfirstIjustfeltlike she wasaneedypuppy,but
nowI wonderif there issomethingmore toit.

4. Pixie sticksveryclose tome alsowhile athome.If Istepoutside she jumpsuptofollow.If Igo upstairs,
she insistsoncomingwithme.We have a babygate at our stairsand there have beentimesthatPixie
has climbedoverthe gate toget to me.ThishappensevenwhenMattishome and downstairswithher.
WhenI lookback and rememberPenny’straining;she hasalsobeenveryclingytome.Butnevertothis
extent.There are some dayswhenthere isalittle competitionbetweenthe twodogsregardingwhocan
be closerto me.
I decidedtotry beingoff mymedicationagaintosee if thiswasall side effectsdue tothe medicationor
if there wassomethingmore goingonwithme.I didn’ttake mymedicine foramonthand I didfeel a
fairamountbetter.I wasn’tas dizzyandfoggybrained,butI wasstill wakingupnotfeelingrestedand
chronicallyfatigued.Iwasalsostill feelingoff balanceattimesaswell.WhenIstoodstill formore than a
fewminutesIwouldfeelmyfeetrockingandwouldbe slightlyadjustingconstantly.Iswayedvery
subtly.Ifeltbettersittingorleaningagainstsomething.I wasalwayslookingforaplace to leanon when
standing.Pixiestoppedwiththe nose bumpsbutwasstill keepinganeye onme afterI acknowledged
that somethingwasn’trightwithme andstartedadjustingmyroutine atwork.I trieddifferentthingsto
see if I couldfigure outwhatwas goingon withme.Iwas keepingtrackof my bloodpressure incase I
was feelingtiredandoff balance because Itwaslow.Itypicallyrunonthe lowerside,butnotlow
enoughtoexplainmysymptoms.Itriedeatingmore frequentlyincase mybloodsugarwas being
affectedbythe hormone imbalance orthe tumoritself.Ithelpedslightly,butitwastime to visitthe
doctor againand figure outwhyI washavingincreasedsymptomsandwhatwascausingit.
Since SeptemberIhave seenmyprimarydoctor,my endocrinologist,opthamologist,anda
rheumatologist.Ihave beentestedfornumerousthings,butwithalmostall negative resultsthatdidn’t
give usmore in the way of answers.My repeatedMRIshowedthatmy tumorhad grownsome,I have
an increase inmyEAR (erythrocyte sedimentationrate) testwhichjusttestsforoverall inflammation
and myprolactinhormone level over200 pointshigherthanitshouldbe.I recentlystartedadifferent
medicationtohelplowerthathormone level andshrinkthe tumorwiththe hopesof lessside effects.
So far I am toleratingthe newmedicationmuchbetter,butstill sufferingfromthe chronicfatigue,
headaches,andfeelingoff balance andswayattimes.Iam alsonoticingnew symptomsof jointpainand
stiffnessaswell asmuscle soreness.Iamstill uncertainhow muchof thisiscausedby the medicationor
the tumor and hormone imbalance.Forawhile IthoughtthatI wasbecominglazyor I wasimaginingthe
problems.Italkedtomydoctors aboutmy symptoms,butI reallydidn’tgetthe answersastowhyI felt
thisway,nor didI feel like the doctorstookmyconcernsaboutmy symptomsseriously.Iwasjust
passedaroundfromdoctor to doctor.For a little while IthoughtthatI hadjust made upthese
symptomsinmyheadsince the doctors neververifiedthattheywere actuallyreal.HoweverIwasable
to finda greatsupportgroup online withpeople whohave the same conditionthatIdo.I foundout I’m
not alone.Iam amazedby the varietyof symptomsthatpeople have fromsucha small growth.People
sufferfromeverythingfromfatigue,where theycanbarelygetoutof bed,monthlongmigraines,vision
loss,dizziness,moodswings,depression,anxiety,multiple hormone levelsoutof normal ranges,hot
flashes,coldsweats,vitaminddeficiency,osteoporosis,weightgain,andotherthings. Iactuallyfeel
prettyluckythat mysymptomsare not more in numberandnot worse inseveritysofar.Somany other
people talkaboutsomanydifferentsymptomsandhow theyaffecttheirlife,andmostof themare not

5. recognized,mentionedortalkedaboutbymostdoctorsor literature onthe topic.Beingable toask
questionstothe membersof mygroupand seeingwhatotherpeople gothoughIhave a better
understandingthatthe tumoritself,constantlychanginghormonelevels,andmedicationsall canaffect
howI feel andthat howI feel changesfromone dayto the next.
My mostrecentDr. visitwasto a holisticdoctor,andfor the veryfirsttime a doctor tookmy symptoms
seriously.He noticedthatIswaywhenIstand still.He noticedthatI am off balance whenIwalk(granted
not always,thiscomesandgoes).He evendiscoveredthatone of myeyeswasn’tworkingasitshould
(yesIhave seenan opthamologistinthe lastfew monthsaswell),andthatI developedanystagmusif I
focuson somethingmovingatarapid pace.
So where doesPixiefitwiththis?WellPixie isstill abitof an experiment.Ihave beentestingoutthe
momentumpull withhertosee if ithelpsme conserve energyandtoallow me todo more.RightnowI
have justenoughenergytogetthroughgoingto work andnot much else,althoughmynew
supplementsfromthe holisticdoctorseemtohelpsome.Some daysitishard forme to make itthrough
an 8 hourshift,otherdaysI make it throughjustfine.Thenthere are timesIneedtopushmyself to
“powerthrough”my commitments. If Idomore thanI can handle inaday, the followingday,oreven
the next,I feel completelyexhaustedandalmosthungover.Mywhole bodyistiredandachy. Every
morningPixie isletoutof herkennel byMatt andshe hops upon the bedto sniff me.Some morningsit
isa quicksniff andshe isoff to go pottyand be fed.Othermorningsitisa longsniff followedbylaying
downnextto me.Matt will call herto go downstairsandshe refusestobudge until Igetup.Nightime
can alsobe similar.She willsometimescuddle withme onthe bedand as Matt comesto bedshe will
hopoff and go right intoherkennel without evenbeingasked.OthernightsMattwill tell herto“kennel”
and insteadof jumpingoff the bedshe will getupandthensiton me and refuse tobudge.Ihave not
beenable tofigure outwhyshe doesthis,butI do feel like she ispickinguponsomethinggoingonwith
me.Is she tryingto alertme about something?Canshe pickupon inflammationhappeninginmybody?
Can she sense myhormone levelschanging?OrevenpickupthatI will geta bad pressure headache
before ithappens?Ihave recentlystartedtokeepalogof whenshe displaysdifferentbehaviors.Iwrite
downhowI feel atthat pointintime and thenI write downhow Ifeel laterinthe day to see if Ican
connectthe dots.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free to visitus at: service dog, service dog
law, service dog etiquette, service dogpuppyraiser, guide dog.