For years Goldens have been my dog of choice. I have even volunteer raised 8 of them to be service dogs for 2 different service dog organizations. I am disabled and my first service dog was a beautiful Golden Retriever named Abel who you can read about on the Land of Pure Gold website. He was by my side 24/7 watching over me and helping me. He was definitely my Angel. Sadly, I lost him suddenly to cancer when he was only 6 in April, 2007. I was so heartbroken and lost without him!
     Late summer, 2007, I started raising a Golden Retriever puppy, Pauli, to be my service dog. Then 10/26/07, I received an injection in my spinal cord to help with the herniated disks in my neck. I contracted Bacterial Spinal Meningitis from the injection and became deathly ill. I was in the hospital 27 days over 2 months and on IV antibiotics through much of 2008. Because of this illness, I had to give up Pauli because I was just too sick to take care of him. I am proud to say though, he has gone on to be a service dog for someone else.
     Late 2008, I attempted to rescue the sweetest one-year-old Collie to train to be my service dog. Almost immediately, I had a horrible allergic reaction to him. My asthma flared up making it difficult to breathe and I was sneezing and so congested. We kept him for a little over 3 weeks in hopes my allergies would calm down and I would be able to deal with them. No such luck so we sadly had to give him back. I am happy to say he is living on a 5 acre farm with a young boy now!
     At this point we realized I had no choice but to try a Standard Poodle. I had never been around a Poodle and was never fond of the frou-frou cuts you see in the dog shows so I wasn't sure how this was going to work out. But I couldn't imagine my life without a dog in it and really missed having a service dog to help me so I started looking for a rescue Poodle. That's when I heard about a cream colored Poodle named Romy.
     Romy, short for Romulus, was owned by a couple in Seattle. Apparently the one partner had him before they became a couple and I don't think the new partner was too crazy about having a frou-frou dog either. So unfortunately, the owner was looking for a new home for him. I'm very sad to say I don't think he was treated to well by the new person due to some characteristics he has exhibited. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure his owner was all that great either. He came to me with his coat cut down to the skin. There were several abrasions on him where he had been nicked and cut with the shears. His coat has been ruined in several places and the vet says this was mostly likely caused by these bad cuts. His medical records showed an injury caused by a plastic bag that had been rubber banded around his leg "because he stepped in his poop." The rubber band apparently had cut all the way through the skin almost to the bone. I think these are just some of the reasons he seems to be very wary of women though not so much of men.
     When Romy came home with us I promised him he would never be treated badly again. We have let his coat grow out and I immediately started working with him to be my service dog. He has done amazingly well! He goes out in public with me and is that steadying presence by my side. He can brace to help me get up from low places or if I fall. I'm excited to say he has just conquered the "get it" command so that he can pick up things I drop. I will next use that command to teach him to get the phone for me if I fall in the house. He completely trusts me and lets me do anything that needs to be done for him now. When I go out, I am confident again knowing he is there to help me. And most of all, he has helped to fill that great empty loss I still have from Abel. He is a sweet gentle loving boy and I feel blessed to have him with me.