IamA multiply disabled service dog handler and glassblowing major AMA!

Can people make a living off of glass blowing? Serious question

Sure. It's actually one of the easier mediums to make a living with because there are so few schools that teach it.

You can be the head artist, who's making and coming up with the designs, or get a job assisting a head artist in creating their work and caring for their studio.

There's jobs making custom lamp shades, science equipment, and so forth.

There's jobs teaching, the sort of class where someone comes for a day to make a paperweight are really common in tourist area's. Of course there's also teaching at the university's or the additional education glassblowing camps.

There are also jobs at tourist places and amusement parks to make glass while people watch.

I think that I would most enjoy being an assistant or a shop monitor.

Chemist here. Scientific glass blowers make bank but are a dying breed. You ever consider blowing herb burning apparatuses?

Bongs? Sure, we're not banned from making them or anything.

So far my interest has mainly been hot sculpting, not specifically blowing, so I couldn't really make a good bong with my skill set.

They do well on Etsy though.

Head shops pay really well for artsy hand blown stuff.

haha, that too. :)

Look into scientific glassblowing if you want to make money. You can always do art stuff on the side.

Sure. I'm not super fused about what I'm going to do with my degree. I don't have my heart set on anything. Though I do love science and have some amazing pictures from the chemical heritage foundation.

[deleted]

There's a very small circle of glass blowers that make exorbitant amounts of money, last year a collaboration piece sold for $101,000.

Edit : Collaboration was between Mothership and Sagan Glass

The collab that sold

That is a stunning piece.

OP is a glassblowing major so at the moment she's surrounded by people telling success stories. Yes some people make a living blowing glass but MANY more try and fail. It's a hard industry to get a leg up in unless you have someone bankrolling you. Lots of freeloader kids live off their parents and apprentice for free. It means the low level jobs don't pay jack. If you can't afford to live for nothing or have 2 full time jobs it's tough. It's a great career for half of a double income couple where the other person has something really stable. It's also a really expensive art to do. Building a studio for glass is 1000x the price as building one for painting for example. Renting time is upwards of a few hundred dollars for a few hours. You might get a gig where you work in exchange for time but out of the 100 or so kids I knew who scored jobs like that, very few actually used their 'free' time. After working 60hrs in a hot shop all week most people use their Saturday to get other stuff done.

I have a masters degree in glass sculpture. I've known literally hundreds of students who majored or minored in glassblowing. Maybe 30-40 of those are actually working full time making glass and maybe 15 of them have real strong careers that could support a comfortable life (like ever being able to retire or have health insurance)

So OP might not be the best source for what the job market really looks like since they are still in school. Not saying OP can't make a life of it. It's just not all roses like they tell you in school.

tl;dr: it's not thaaaaat easy to make a living as a glass artist but it's possible.

Source: been there.

This is a good alternative perspective. I'm also not personally fussed to work full time in the glass blowing studio. Sure, it would be nice.

But, really, I got a scholarship to this really good art school and my family encouraged me to do both what I loved and what I was good at. Maybe I'll do something totally unrelated to art from 9-5.

To you, OP, and any other glassblowers:

I practiced (two semesters of classes) glassblowing in high schools. Some sculpture, but mostly blowing and cold work. My university doesn't have glass facilities. - I know renting benches can be expensive. Any tips on finding less expensive places to continue glasswork as a hobby (like, criteria to look for)? - What sort of abilities do maestros (or even just glassblowers looking to employ other people) look for in hiring people? If I'm at the bottom of the pecking order, could I still assist with glass? I'm busy with school, so I'm more interested in part-time work. - Any tips for getting into scientific glassblowing? I've never done it before but it seems like it would complement my Life Science-oriented education well. Thanks!

Edit: apparently my uni has a scientific glassblowing dept that appears to be made up of one person and may be experiencing difficulty due to staff shortage. I think I'll email that one person.

This is a question for the future me who (hopefully) has graduated and gotten a job. I'll be interested to hear other's opinions though.

Real quick, from my AMA last night which was taken down because I did not provide proof of my disability,

/u/noshore4me asked

"What services do you train dogs to perform?"

my response, edited for spelling and grammar

He his currently proficient at

• blocking and posting (where he comes to stand between myself and someone walking toward or behind me at a hand queue.) This task is useful for me because I have an intense panic reaction to people invading my personal space. I have also used it to get away when someone was threatening and trying to corner me. I signaled Storm to step between me and this other person, forcing the aggressor to keep stepping back until I was out of the narrow aisle and free to leave.
• clearing my airway in the event of a seizure or other episode of impaired consciousness and vomiting, such as an extremely negative reaction to a drug (he does this by eating the vomit from my mouth, because it was easier to train than having him push me into recovery position as well as being more reliable.)
• deep pressure therapy (Storm or Branka lies in my lap on queue or occasionally when self directed by them as an alert that they think I'm anxious) I already use deep pressure therapy in the form of a weighted blanket, but being able to feel the dog's respiration and heart beat is an additional source of calming stimulation which I can use to time my breathing and other calming exercises to. Storm is not as skilled at this task as I would like, as he only preforms it while I am sitting and not when lying down and he is not as comfortable and adjusted to the position as Branka is.
• pick up dropped items This is useful because I have chronic back pain and it eases my pain significantly to not have to bend over to pick things up. Also, I have memory issues where I will drop something and forget about it. This is how I lose my wallet and phone. Storm will pick them up and give them to me so I don't lose them.
• alarm clock Storm will wake me up when he senses a certain level of awareness from me and will not allow me to return to sleep until after I have fed and given him a walk. This helps greatly with my depression, as he can also sense when I am ill or am experiencing drug induced drowsiness and will leave me alone to rest. I have seizures triggered by sound which is why I do not use a traditional alarm clock. When I did I did not find them helpful during my extremely depressed days.

tasks Storm is currently being trained in but has not yet mastered

• retrieving my medication from a set location as I will often get up to take my pain medication and then forget why I am in the room I am in, or am in too much pain to move from my location.
• retrieving my water bottle a similar issue to the medication. It might also be possible to train this where the queue is not a signal form me, but Storm sensing that I am dehydrated, which I chronically am.
• help handler to an exit is useful post seizure or during other episodes of cognitive impairment.
• lie down in front of door on command PTSD related
• check room or apartment for intruders PTSD related
• assist handler into more upright posture post seizure
• and bracing handler post seizure when mobility is impaired

I am also fiddling with training seizure detection itself. However, that's tricky for multiple reasons, including that it is unknown how dogs detect seizures. I'm going to try to use saliva samples but if the dog is not detecting the change in the saliva than it will not work. It is possible he may pick up on the change by himself which can be reinforced in training, but that's really up to chance.

[/u/SxeRpw saw this and sent my this private message:

I saw your comment about your service dog and saw your ama got removed so thought I'd just ask here, how do you train a dog to do all the things it does for you?](http://imgur.com/2C4j8uC)

The Basics

The first thing I was taught in my service dog training program was CAMPER. It's the structure used to communicate with the dog.

• Command - the handler gives the command, either a word or hand signal
• Action - the dog preforms the action
• Marker - the handler marks the action as correction
• Praise - the handler gives the dog it's reward, which takes the form of praise, pets, food, or a favorite toy, depending. The reward depends on what the dog finds more rewarding and the level of reward the handler wishes to give. For example, once a dog understands it is meant to sit when the handler tells it to, the handler should not reward with food every time because the uncertainty of the reward is more reinforcing than certainty. However, other forms of praise are still given so the dog knows that it did preform the correct action.
• Release - A release queue is given telling the dog that it is no longer expected to continue to follow the current command. In early training an additional reward is given for waiting until the release.

I am currently having problems with Storm because I stopped relying on my release queue part way through our training, instead giving him the next command right away. This means that when I put him in a sit or down he does not relax into the posture I have asked, instead, it is like he is at the edge of his seat, waiting for the next thing I am going to ask of him. To correct this I just need to use the release queue much more reliably and practice in exciting environments that make him more prone to that edge of the seat feeling, then rewarding for calm behavior and waiting to change posture until I give the release queue.

For my task of clearing the airway, I will want to later use the sounds I make while at risk of aspirating on vomit a release queue as well as the queue for Storm to clear the airway. This isn't too tricky, but it's an example of a situation where the dog is expected to "break" posture, even when the breaking is trained. It is also an example of intelligent disobedience should the dog pick up on it on its own.

As for training the basic tasks themselves, we mostly use luring.

• Sit - most of our dogs will sit when shown that the handler or trainer has a treat, even when they have not been introduced to the command before. I'm not sure if this is because of the temperaments we choose in our dogs or something else. So we show the dog we have the treat and say, "sit". Then, and this may take several seconds, the dog sits. Follow the rest of CAMPER.

• Down - when the dog is in the sit, we put our hand with the food toward the ground, close to the dog, luring it into the down position.

• Mat - we throw the food on the mat and then tell the dog to sit and down once it has eaten the food.

• Under - when the dog is in a down beside the handler's chair, the handler holds food under the chair on the opposite side the dog is. This one took Storm a long time to understand.

And so on.

Self Taught and Reinforced Tasks

Some dogs will naturally alert to seizures, sounds for the deaf, panic attacks, and other useful things that are considered work and tasks under the ADA. However, the dog doing this by itself is not enough to consider it a service dog, the tasks the dog teaches itself have to be shaped (adjusted) and reinforced.

For an example we can look at Storm's alarm clock behavior (his leaving me alone when I am sick or drugged is another good example of intelligent disobedience). When he started sleeping in bed with me, he would lick my head, jump off the bed, run around the house, and jump back on when he sensed I was waking up. When he first started this he would give up relatively quickly if I decided I wanted to go back to bed. And if I put him in my bedroom and went to sleep on the sofa for a few more hours, he wouldn't complain at all.

Now, after he has received the reward (breakfast and a walk) as well as an aversive (waiting a few extra hours to eat, sometimes in a different room than me) he is much more persistent. I also did not reward consistently. Sometimes, I would get up and shower before feeding him. Or I would listen to the news over the radio.

After some time of this he's gotten to the point where he will stand in the door way and whine at me continuously for half an hour (that's as long as I could stand trying to ignore him). He will refuse my attempts to try to get him to go back to sleep. When I am more awake but not yet ready to leave my bed he will jump on me and try to lick my face. He will jump on and off the bed. He will even sometimes bark at me.

This is all behavior that takes considerable effort on my part and which he would not exhibit if I hadn't reinforced it.

** Other Tasks **

There are multiple ways to teach each of these tasks, but here's how I did it.

blocking and posting. I use a "touch" command which is a hand signal telling Storm to press his snout to my open palm. When Storm is in a heel position at my side I show him my palm, and before he can complete the touch, I move it across my body so he has to move with it to complete the command. I am hoping he will come to see the queue for preforming this action being someone walking straight toward me or walking up to me from behind.

He has shown some promise in this area. However, he is also struggling with being reactive to people who invade both our personal space (by vocalizing). So I'm continuing working to counter condition this negative response to the stimuli to help him feel calm enough to be able to face away from the stranger that is causing him anxiety and instead show them his side.

clearing my airway. I have a video for this one. It's the link for the word "training" in the sentence "evidence of dog training." To summarize, Storm is a very mouth focused dog. If you blow air at him instead of shying away like most dogs, he will come closer and sniff the air for as long as you blow it at him. He also prefers to manipulate things with his mouth and face (I did not train the touch command by telling him to press my hand with his face, he could have used his paw but quickly decided he preferred using his face) instead of his paw. So when I put food in my mouth and rewarded him for investigating (by spitting some of it out for him to eat) he was able to pick up on the exercise quickly and eat the vomit directly from my mouth.

Now, if I clear my throat of flem he will come running, and, well, because the noise that makes is a lot like the noise of my aspirating, I reward him by letting him eat the flem. (Sorry, I know it's really gross.) He picked up on this amazingly quickly, and, as shown in my early comment history, saved my life.

DPT. I also use the touch command for this one, asking him to touch in such away that he has to rest his upper body on my lap. I would then use a treat in the hand when asking for the position and show it to him, but not let him have it, to increase the duration he will spend on my lap. Because he is an incredibly bony dog I don't think I will be able to have him do DPT while I am lying down.

Dropped items - we started by training retrieve which took him a while to understand, but once he did he was all over it. I would drop something and say "get it" and he would get it. I'm starting to phase out using the word and having the dropping of the item be the queue.

Exit - I put peanut butter on a door. He eats the peanut butter, I tell him "good exit!" and give him another treat. We back up and repeat and repeat and repeat. At some point I stop using the peanut butter and just tell him "exit". We are very early on in training this one.

We also have not really started training the rest of the tasks so I'm going to stop here.

Damn OP, you thorough as fuck.

Thanks! :D

Thank you so much! That is so interesting I never knew how smart service dogs were

They are just all around incredible. And I've heard it said they can hear a heart beat from across the room

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking into a SD for my PTSD and panic attacks but have had a hard time finding places that will place PTSD dogs with civilians.

I've heard that a dog capable of being a SD is "one in a million". How do you evaluate or otherwise determine what dog is a good candidate to be a SD?

I absolutely know the pain. I found a dog trainer who would do a SD for my PTSD and then one day she just dropped off the face of the earth and so did her training organization. Weird.

I think one in a million is a bit of an exaggeration. And I actually didn't temperament test my dog so I don't feel confident answering that. It was pure chance that Branka was suited for service work. And she's the only dog that I know super well who's also been through the test.

I mean, there's also all the other dog's in the program, but I wouldn't have met them if they failed.

¯\(ツ)/¯

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

I thought they detected incoming seizures via eye movement

Could be. I'm not actually all that up to date on the science behind it.

I am trying to self train my dog too. Drop items is one I'm having a hard time with any advice on that?

Teach trade first and then for the dog to drop.

Or, offer food while giving the drop word, he will drop it to get the food.

Hey OP, I used to work with a service dog organization as a SD handler. We had success with training the dog to recognize the "symptoms" of the seizure (by recreating them and using them as the signal for the dog to respond and go find someone to help) in hopes that the dog would eventually pick up on whatever it is that dogs sense before the seizure happens (therefore becoming a seizure-alert instead of a seizure-response). Obviously everyone has their own training techniques, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. Like you said, it's up to chance, which is hard.

This is also something I've been thinking about doing. I do just want to wait until he's a little more solid on everything before introducing a task where he is suppose to leave my side while I'm in public and possibly unconciseness. Of course training it would start with something easier, still, I worry.

And for most of my seizures I don't need assistance and spend almost no time unresponsive. I also have an aura head ache and cognitive impairment that I could try to figure out how to use to teach the alert.

(The problem with the cognitive impairment is it keeps me from thinking, "oh, I'm impaired, and my head hurts, that likely means I'm going to have a seizure." which of course would make my life 10x easier.)

Sorry I missed your previous AMA, and I hope this isn't rude to ask, but what are your disabilities?

I notice that you seem to have some scars on your head?

So I'm diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

I have some sort of seizure disorder, possibly caused by a chiari malformation type one. I also have chronic back pain which I originally thought was due to the poor posture and binding practices I used to obscure my breasts at a young age. Now I know it is also do to the malformation. So are issues I have with hearing.

I haven't been diagnosed with Autism because the diagnosed would not aid in getting the assistance I need. However, my doctor does agree I have it.

I am also severely dyslexic and read almost everything using text to speak. It is not uncommon for me to go through a day reading a total of less than 100 words.

The scars are from a surgery to remove a non cancerous tumor when I was ten and eleven years old. They used skin expanders and it required 4 surgeries.

I shave my head because I think my scars are beautiful and I want to show other people that they can be confident about the things they've survived and the marks it left. At this point it feels weird if my hair gets too long.

Here is a self portrait from when I had my skin expanders. It was drawn while I was in high school as part of a larger exploration of identity.

http://mypronounsarefaefaerfen.tumblr.com/image/154872694781

Congrats on overcoming your obstacles and achieving your goals

Thanks!

youve overcome a lot of bad shit and still managed to get a job where you get to be around dogs all the time? you are a legend

Dog handling isn't actually a job I'm paid to do. I'm training the service dog for my own personal use. It's still pretty awesome that I have the chances that I do though. Thanks :)

Beautiful art! I love it. And I love that you keep your head shaved and aren't afraid to share your own struggles to inspire others. We need more brave people like you in this world :)

Thank you so much! So many lovely sentiments in one short paragraph. I'll be returning to this on rainy days. :)

What are skin expanders? I thought that for brain surgery stuff they just kinda cut into it/ cut skin off temporarily but then again I've never thought about it much. Did you wear them for a while? Could you take them off for stuff like showering?

It wasn't brain surgery, it was surgery on my scalp. I could not take them off, they were silicon implants, not unlike breast implants, that were injected and filled with saline solution to cause the skin to grow.

Here are some pictures, sorry they are going to be a little graphic.

Damnnnn and you just went around with a big saline filled bulge on your head? Did that not interfere with regular life stuff? I don't mean to be rude just curious

Yep. That was two years of my life.

It absolutely did get in the way. It was so uncomfortable to sleep. It got to the point where I had to always wear button up shirts. I couldn't do any sports or intensive physical activity do to the risk. And going through the skin actually expanding made me feel tired a lot of the time. I was much more mellow and lived a lot in my head.

if you don't mind, I'm going to copy and past from my memoir. (unpublished)

---

Every morning my mother - already dressed in business attire, make up done, pin on her blazer - would take me into her closet and have me pick out a silk head scarf from the many she owned. Every morning I complained about having to wear one, it was hot and it made the itching worse. She would calmly explain that I had to wear one because the sight of the blood filled tubes would upset my class mates, and that the school required me to, and that I was required by law to go to school. When my tantrum was over, and I picked out my scarf, she would delicately tie it around my head and ask me how I looked.

My eyes were still bruised from the surgery, I hadn’t been allowed to properly bathe in days, and the head scarf could not hide the skin expanders which would grow to be larger than a soft ball. I told her it looked wonderful, because in that moment, looking into her full length mirror, I didn’t see myself. Instead, in the elegant folds of the beautiful fabric, I saw my mother’s love for me.

At around lunch time, when my vials had to be changed because they were full, the head scarf was often unbearable. My middle school only had air conditioning in the computer labs, the library, and, thankfully, the nurses office. My scalp was sweaty, and the sweat did not help the itching caused by the sutures, growing skin, dried blood, and so on. While I did not enjoy the procedure of changing the suction vials, my dad would let me sit in the office for between ten and twenty minutes and enjoy the air conditioning on my abused scalp while we talked. It was the only break I got during the day and I looked forward to it immensely. He would have to go eventually, and I needed to go back to class. So he’d tie the scarf off again, and walk me back to where I was suppose to be.

One day, toward the end of school, I was navigating the rush in the hall to my next class, when I came close to a teacher I didn’t recognize. She grabbed my arm, and barked at me, saying that head scarfs were not allowed in the building. I had some difficulty taking it off. I was glad to be rid of it, but also very scared of this stranger.

She gasped once I’d freed myself.

I straightened the tubes in my gauze head band to a more comfortable position and pulled at my blood matted, greasy hair.

“Put it back on.” She told me.

“I can’t.” I said, folding the scarf and placing it in my back pack. “I don’t know how.”

She escorted me to the nurse. The nurse told the teacher that no one but myself or my parents could put the scarf back on me. So I had to wait for the last two class periods in the nurse’s office and the substitute teacher got to give a note to my other teacher’s explaining my absence for those periods.

While not having to wear the scarf was very nice, and getting to sit in the air conditioning was even nicer, I very quickly got very bored. After this incident, I don’t think I complained about having to wear the scarf again, and my parents bought a few hats for me.

Did you know right away when you got these disabilities that you would use them for attention and karma whoring?

Well I got most of them when I was born, so no. However, I'm sure when god asked my mom what sort of baby she wanted she picked a cripple so I could latter bask in the gold.

Ah I see. And when you realize that not everyone falls for this karma whoring bullshit, what will you do then?

Not care.

I'm enjoying myself answering people's questions and doing the education work I haven't been able to do in person (because of my health) online.

Do you encounter much pushback in public establishments from people who don't know how the ADA protects you and the dogs?

How do you feel regarding people who lie about having a service animal to bring their pet somewhere it's not allowed?

Oh, right, there's a second part to the question.

I am seriously not a fan of people who claim their pets are service dog when they're not. When that pet misbehaves it gives manager's a poor impression of all service dogs. Since I don't necessarily look disabled (it really depends on who you ask, but most able people don't think I look it, whatever that means) it means that these gate keepers who have had "service dogs" shit and piss on their floor, growl, jump up on other customers, and so on, colder to me because they think my dog might do the same.

It's also like... I need this dog. He has saved my life and I could not do the things I do without him. For someone who doesn't have that same need to just bring their pet in just because they want to... I'm trying to find the words for it and it's hard.

When people look at me and Storm I don't want them to have to worry if we are faking. I don't want them to see us and think, "Oh cool, I wish I could bring my dog with me!" I want them to look at us and see the hundreds of hours of training we've gone through. I want people to see him as a professional. And I want people to respect the fact that I need him, and what impact that fact has on my life. (That's partly why I'm doing this AMA.) And having people bring their pets with them because they can jeopardizes that.

We can be the best most perfect and professional service dog team that exists, but if someone's untrained pet just came in and shat on the restaurant's floor the manager is not going to see that.

And you know what, it's not possible for us to always be the best and most perfect and professional. Storm's still in training and he has his off days. He breaks his heel. He get's off to have a quick shake. He sniffs things and occasionally pokes people who come to close. He's a dog not a robot.

And fakers put extra scurrility on us. Our flaws are magnified. At least, in my mind they are. A lot of my therapy these days centers around the anxiety I have that the two of us aren't good enough.

IDK. Thoughts. Sorry if this is not as put together as it could be, the number by that mail sign keeps getting bigger.

Given all that, don't you think it's kind of absurd that there's no larger governance regarding service dogs? Every so often where I work someone will come in with their pet and try to claim it's service dog. Invariably they always slink away with a shitty attitude claiming they have papers, but there is no such thing as papers or documentation.

It's crazy to me that there's no legit certification and all I can do is ask them two questions that anyone who was halfway intelligent could prepare an answer to. Thankfully everyone who has tried it has been dumb, but it's so crazy that there's no legit certification to present.

Mhh.

I am very much not for certification. In parts of Canada, you have to present a doctor's note. Which you also have to do in the US, but only for your housing situation. I think there are pros to the doctor's note thing, however I also think it works a lot better in country's with better access to health care than the US.

I just in general don't think a registry would be a good idea. Especially given the US's history with eugenics and the whole Muslim registry everyone was protesting. But people bring it up when it comes to service dog's like it makes perfect sense.

How would get registered work? Who would pay for it? How would you register Red Neck Bob who lives out in the middle of Bumble Fuck and only brings his hearing alert dog that he trained himself into town three times a year? What would be the criteria? How would one prove training and the dog's skill?

It would just be another hurtle that some disabled people who need the dogs wouldn't be able to pass.

Certifications, registration, and "papers" are all highly controversial topics in the service dog world. Here are the problems with each:

Certification: how often does a dog have to get re-certified? What classes or tests must a dog take to get certified? How do you qualify what is appropriate for a service dog to do when each service dog has very specific tasks that it performs to mitigate its handler's disability? How much does it cost to take these classes or this test?

Registration/papers: Are we to act as if people with disabilities are second-rate citizens who have to carry ID cards with their full name and their medical information? Whose right is it to know what disability a person with a disability has? Who do you go to for registration--is it something you do online, and if so, how does that help to prove that your dog is "a real service dog?" If it's in real life, again, how do you determine if a dog is "good enough?" Do they have to have all of their tasks fully trained or just one? How much does it cost? Why does a service dog have to be registered, but a wheelchair or a cane doesn't have to be? (This question only makes sense when you know that service dogs are legally defined as pieces of medical equipment, akin to the two listed above).

Etc etc. Basically the issues boil down to "qualifying" a service dog and also treating people with disabilities like second-rate citizens by forcing them to carry identification that entails their disability and show it to people as "proof." Nobody deserves to know your medical history besides you and your doctor.

Many people also believe that an ID or registration wouldn't help because, regardless of the fact that the ADA had existed for two decades, businesses still don't know what is legal when it comes to service dogs. The information is online and easy to find. They could even call the department of justice and ask. The problem is more that people do not know the laws, don't know what they're allowed to ask, and are afraid of getting sued. A person that doesn't know that an ID is "legal" (if it were legal) is no better off than a current person who doesn't know the laws around service dogs now. This is not the fault of people with disabilities, though. They shouldn't be punished for businesses not knowing the laws.

This is a very good summary, thank you.

I do get some push back, and it's actually more often from strangers who also happen to be frequenting the same public establishment. For example, there have been multiple occasion where I'll be on the bus or subway and someone will notice my dog (sometimes after sitting down and being unaware I have one for several minutes), scream, and move seats. On three occasions people have seen my dog on public transit and ran out of the bus or subway car.

A blog post from one of these insistences, "A bunch of teenagers fled when Storm and I stepped into the subway. There was a lot of screaming and it took a while for things to settle down. I decided I could either feel upset at what had occurred, or like a bad ass. I chose the later. Clearly they were running because I am the devowerer​ of souls."

I also once was asked by a bus driver what the dog's for, which is pretty rare, and told her seizure response. I sat down, and had my dog tucked under the seats. A few stops later I guy got on, and once he noticed my dog started yelling about how vicious my dog was, how it was going to bite him, how I was probably just faking PTSD, on and on. The bus driver finally shut him up by telling him I had seizures.

And from that day forward I answered that question by saying medical response.

When trying to get into the subway platform once I answered thusly and had the person manning the booth repeat the question. I gave the same answered. He asked me four times until I lost my temper and shouted, "THE DOG KEEPS ME FROM ENDING UP IN THE GOD DAMN ER OR FUCKING DYING WHEN I HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY." I really wish I had written into SEPTA about that one but it wasn't okay.

I've explained the ADA to a few restaurant manager's. I only ever eat out with family, so while I take the lead on the explanation my mom as help's the conversation from dissolving into... well, "THE DOG KEEPS ME FROM ENDING UP IN THE GOD DAMN ER OR FUCKING DYING WHEN I HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY." It turns out not to be a big deal and it's good practice.

I've also had my school's security follow me around campus, while my dog is vested, to make sure I clean up after him if he poops. I've had security guards say things to me like, "That dog better not fucking bite! I'm going to rip your head of if he so much as fucking touches me!" No one will do anything unless I get their names so.

I get a lot of people asking to pet. Or petting without asking. Sometimes when I go to the zoo I feel like an exhibit.

Just the other day, someone said from right beside me, "Hi!"

It was a ten year old girl who almost walked right into me, staring at me dog. I said, "Hi!" before turning, because of course I thought she was speaking to me.

She looked up at me with an expression that said, "Why the fuck are you talking to me? Werido."

It was hysterical.

That's rough, I'm sorry. I have two small dogs (Boston terrier and Boston/bulldog mix) and it always surprises me how many people are scared of them. People often walk on the sidewalk or even cross the street. My dogs are friendly and don't bark and I make sure to keep right so there is room for people to pass. I have not been yelled at though. I am really surprised that the vest doesn't help you, I'm thinking maybe because your dogs are not golden retrievers? (One of the only explanations I've come up with for why people are scared of my dogs is that they look bulldogish and are assumed to be aggressive for that reason?)

On a lighter note, I definitely have people talk to my dogs all the time! And it's super awkward! They just say hello or hi and I stand there like... should I say something? Or not?

I come from a poor area where all the children have a story about being bit by a dog. Sometime's a neighbor's, sometime's a stray. I just keep that in mind when people lose their minds and it helps.

Yeah, people talking to dogs is weird. Then again, the children who swarm me when we go to the park, bombarding me with questions can also be exhausting.

We live in a city, I thought one of the other notes is that everyone shuts up and goes on their way. Jeez.

Nah, most of the time it's really nice to talk to the kids, explain for the 100th time that my dogs don't bite.

Is there a big market for multiply disabled service dogs?

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Lol

A big problem with the "boarding school" style programs, where the dogs are breed, raised by puppy raisers, and trained in a compound before being given to a person when they are two, is that they do not usually train dogs for someone with multiple disabilities.

This means that there is a shortage of dogs for the multiply disabled. So demand is high.

No one works dogs with multiple disabilities, although some people will work dead dogs, so demand there is non existent.

😜

Where did you attend your service dog training program? Did you have then help you pick out an appropriate puppy?

I have Cystic Fibrosis and it's always been an interest of mine. I'm not yet quite at the point to where I'd need one, but it would definitely come in handy as my disease progresses. I've just never knew exactly where to start besides my general training knowledge.

I hope you don't mind the plug, but my blog hopeandhandler has some info. There is a section I was doing on helping people just thinking about a service dog figure it out.

Handler helper, is what I think I called it.

Anyway, I work with a program called Deputy Dog. It's not currently registered with Assistance Dogs International, but the program recently change to try and meet their requirements.

I hope you're able to get the support you need to live your best life, whatever that support may be!

Thank you! I'll for sure check it out. I have a year old Doberman that I've been low-key prepping for it through general CGC and therapy behaviors just as training practice for myself, besides the fact that it's just good for him to know. As of right now I don't think he has quite the right personality to be a true service dog, but I also didn't buy him with that intention.

To my knowledge, there's currently just one CF specific service dog. He helps his handler by being a brace during coughing fits and can pull her along while walking so it's not as tiring for her. I think he's also trained to check for blood sugar levels. From my understanding they picked him out as a puppy and then sent him off for his assistance specific training as a one year old.

It's reassuring to know you've had so much success training Storm yourself:)

Did you pick Storm out as a puppy with help through your program or did you just happen to luck out on getting a dog with the right mindset?

Edit: Just started your blog and I see you adopted him at 11 months old and not a puppy. To rephrase: Did your program help you pick him out as having an appropriate personality or did you luck out on your own?

Dobes are lovely dogs. I recommend looking at doberbutts and there's someone else with a dobe service dog, although I think that second do I'm thinking of is retired.

I think you're talking about Ollie? From Youtube?

Yes, my program did temperament test him. They tested two other dogs from a different rescue and recommended I look at them, but this other rescue adopted them out before I could see them. (So we don't work with them anymore.)

I sometimes wish I passed on Storm, to be honest. He spent 8 months in the shelter and I can see how that's negatively effected him today in terms of being more sensitive than his baseline personality would suggest. Other than that I've always preferred the way my friend's service dog, a shepherded mix, looked. We've also had a lot of access challenges, which I can't talk about too deeply because lawyers are involved. And I wonder, if I had a different dog would we have had the same issues? Maybe, maybe not.

How many marijuanas do you smoke per day?

I actually have never tried any recreational drugs because of concerns about drug interactions with the ever changing prescriptions I am already on.

I'm trying to get off the ones that have a known adverse reaction to booze before I turn 21, but that's looking unlikely.

I dont feel drawn to experimenting with drugs, even though I know that makes me an incredibly boring art student. I just have enough episodes of altered mental status that I don't really feel like triggering one for recreation.

Power to the rest of you, though.

Marijuana contains molecules that are extremely effective in preventing seizures. I would look into it if you're interested in getting off some of the prescriptions you take. There are specially prepared oils and tinctures that you can take that do not get you "high", but still have been shown to drastically reduce the amount and severity of seizures.

medical marijuana is legal in my state, cool! I'll be seeing my pill's therapist (I have two, one prescribes and one does not) soon so I'll bring it up then and with my brain doc.

The thing /u/likewhaaaa was talking about is called CBD or cannabidiol, and like they said, it's a chemical component of marijuana like THC, but unlike THC, isn't a psychoactive, so doesn't get you high.
Here's an article about CBD and its potential uses in healthcare and here's one about the promising studies being done on CBD for use as an epilepsy medication. I am not a doctor, but it does seem to have a lot of promise so maybe it could help you.

I'm a little familiar with CBD. I'm not very far along on figure the whole seizure thing out in the first place. The ER has tried multiple times to put me on medication but the last one almost killed me so...

Yeah, it will likely come up during my future doctor appointments. Even if it's not right for me, I hope it can help other people.

Serious question, have you ever considered hallucinogens? You seem to have such a healthy mind set and being an art student, maybe could discover some inspiration?

I actually will hallucinate on my own if deprived of sleep. And I don't mean force me to be awake for multiple days, I mean 5 days on 5 hours of sleep. I'm Incredibly sensitive to it.

The hallucinations themselves we're kind of cool, but I felt like a scream shoved into a human shape and that was much less cool.

Once, in a very open conversation about what drinking and the stages of getting drunk felt like, she told me, "You seem like the type to get high on life. I bet when you first get drunk it will be a familiar sensations."

She's really not wrong. I have an easily swayed emotional disposition and a weakened grip on reality.

Also, I've heard that it takes a lot of trust and a feeling of safety to have a good trip, and with PTSD that's not a state of being I think I can sustain for an extended period doing something I have been told is bad for you and illegal.

If I was a different person, I think I would really like drugs.

Edit: This was on mobile and the she was my mom.

Sorry you're being down voted. I enjoyed the chance your question gave me to discuss my truly weird nurology.

I've never looked into it, so pardon my ignorance. But how long does it usually take from start to finish to finish a glass piece based on complexity? Also, can one blow glass at home without any fear of toxic chemicals being needed or released and neighbors complaining?

I'm having lunch right now, will address the rest of this after

But oh my God no you can not blow glass at home. Later today I'll film a quick video of the studio explaining why that would be a terrible idea.

I'm just addressing the part about blowing glass at home. I'm not a glassblowing major but have taken a few college level glassblowing classes. The answer really depends on the type of glassblowing you want to do. To do the more "traditional" style (where you see people work with molten glass on the end of a blow pipe) would probably take 10s of thousands to build and operate your own home studio. That's not to say you couldn't do it but there'd be limitations related to cost, city codes, etc. Now there is another style where you use a propane/oxygen torch and a much smaller kiln (to anneal the glass work). This can can easily be done at home as long as you're in a well ventilated space.

And build your house out of concrete and cinder block. Torch work isn't a huge part of my glass blowing practice, but it would be much more realistic to have a little torch studio.

You would need to have a supply of propane​ and oxygen and I'd just be to shit scared of blowing everything up to have one.

Do you pet your service dogs a lot? Do you boop their noses?

Yes. My dogs get hundreds of pets a day. And Storm, who likes nose boops much more than Branka, gets many of those too.

Will you give them some pets for me? Such good doggos

Of course! :P

Do you quote a price for people if they say "blow me?"

No, I just bite.

SO dope what you do, do you have an Instagram DoNoHarm-TakeNoShit?

Hopeandhandler are my Instagram and Tumblr handles. Some of the links are too my Instagram posts.

I'm also not like, an Instagram guru. My memory issues have been getting a lot worse in the past few months and I'm constantly forgetting I even have an account, so not posting much. 😛

okay, just wanted more ways to check you out is all :) i wish nothing but the best

Thank you! That's so sweet!

What school do you attend and how do you like? I am a glassblower thinking of going to Sweden for school. I'm not particularly fond of Salem' s location in New jersery and haven't really found any other schools in America giving actually degrees while really only focusing on glass work.

I'm at Tyler School of Art. The first year there a foundation year, and very few people take a glass class but it certainly is possible. After that though, it's all hands on deck when it comes to glass.

There's also Rhode Island School of Design.

I'm having trouble with Temple's disability support. But the Tyler professors have done so much to support me. The glass blowing program is a great community and I really do adore it.

I'm also a big fan of living in the city, it gives me a lot of opportunities, like going to the zoo and attending the service dog program I am, and I might not have if I lived in a suburb.

If you have more specific questions feel free to ask!

For someone that has always been interested in Glass Blowing, where would you suggest one starts?

How long have you been training dogs for service, and what is the hardest part about that would you say?

It depends where you are in life.

Temple has a glass blowing major, but they also have classes for non majors and even for people who are no longer, or not yet, college students.

I think taking a class at a college (instead of like, someone's private studio) is a good way to get into glass blowing because there's a lot of people just sort of around that you can about glass blowing.

I'm not really sure how the "getting a job" part works. I'm not really there yet :P

But I have heard that networking is a really important thing. So, in addition to taking a class at a university I might look into buying studio time at a glass studio where you can work to hone your craft but also meet other glass blowers. In a lot of these studio's you have to bring your own assistant, finding someone who needs one would be an in.

Sorry I couldn't be more help there.

I've just been training Storm for service dog a year now. Branka I got in February two years ago, and I've been training her the day I got her but had much less support and knowledge in doing so.

I think that hardest part is understanding what the dog needs from you. Sometimes Storm will follow a harsh sounding queue and sometimes he will follow a softly spoken one. It's all about communication, and understanding what the dog is saying is the hardest part.

Also, self confidence.

You have a Major in glassblowing ?

Sorry, I am majoring in glassblowing. I am getting a BFA at Tyler School of Art, in glass blowing.

Temple University! I go there, too! I've heard that TU has a really good/popular glassblowing program. What got you interested?

I was already going to Tyler. I didn't know as a freshman what I wanted to major in. I didn't think I'd want to do glass, it seemed to physical and uncomfortable (being around all those hear sources). My mom told me she'd disown me if I didn't take the chance to take one glass blowing class.

Well, I did. And i feel in love. I really like that everyone is basically starting at the same level. You don't get to see that in other major's. Of course, we were all good enough to get into Tyler, but the skill in craft still ranges wildly.

Some people went to high schools that had access to print making tools. Some didn't. Both can be majors.

Almost no one goes to a high school that has access to glass blowing.

There's also something almost magical about the glass blowing process. It's calming and meditative. And I love feeling the change in the glass object while I work. I love knowing how hot or cold it is, knowing what I need to do to shape it a certian way, so on.

IDK.

Why major in glassblowing and not underwater basket weaving?

Already answered

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6t0e2f/iama_multiply_disabled_service_dog_handler_and/dlhekmw/

Not any funnier the second time.

Can you just get a dog?

Is there a register or paperwork?

(not ESL, but for a dog trained for emerged action and to help those with diagnosed disabilities)

I have a friend who has decided she has epilepsy and randomly got a puppy and has been telling her friends it's a service animal. She has leashes and vests that say service animal but no paperwork. It just seems very suspect to us all.

Thank you for your time and I hope everything is going well!!

To tag onto OP, there is no national registry or paperwork for service dogs to go into public. National registries in the US are scams to get your money and mean absolutely nothing. A service dog is also not required to wear a vest. It sounds like your friend is probably a fake, but it is possible she has a service dog in training.

Okay!

So just so I am clear: can I purchase a golden retriever as a puppy, watch YouTube and the internet, and train it to be a service dog?

Basically I just want to know if what she is doing is ethical.

Thank you so much for your time and help!

To qualify for a service dog, she first has to have a disability as defined by the ADA. If she has epilepsy and she has spoken to her doctor about getting a service dog to mitigate her disability, then yes. Owner-training is allowed, service dogs do not have to come from an organization. If her dog has at least one task that it is currently training or is trained that mitigates her disability, she's legit. If the dog barks in public or is otherwise unruly, that dog is either a fake service dog, or that dog isn't ready for public access.

Okay thank you!

We suspect her "seizures" are panic attacks. She had CAT/EEG/MRI with nothing coming up abnormal.

And the way she describes doesn't sound like either type of seizure I am familiar with (petit and grand mal) - they really sound like panic attacks (I have those as well)

But thank you so much for all your insight and help! ❤️

Not so fun fact: Familiarity with epilepsy as likely caused an increase in people who experience non-epileptic seizures related to mental illness.

It's not that these people are faking epilepsy, but that sometimes their panic attacks present as seizures do to them understanding what a seizure is.

This doesn't really sound like what you're friend has, since her episodes sound like panic attacks.

It kind of sounds like your friends sucks. Not that she has to show you her ER paperwork or anything (I didn't to do this AMA). But like, epilepsy is a huge part of my life and even if someone hasn't seen me have a seizure they've heard about my ER adventures and the struggle's I've been having getting in to see a doctor. And, I mean, I guess she doesn't have to share that with you, but you're friends, right?

Whatever.

Anyway, no, you can't just get a dog. It takes about 1-2 years to train the dog and young puppies can not be considered service dogs as they can not master tasks. Of course, with Storm I was bringing him into public fairly quickly because service dog's in training have public access rights in my state. And Branka mastered DPT in three weeks, so I started her public access then.

There is a lot of training. I've done over 400 hours with Storm this past year. Almost 18 days of nothing but training out of 365

Being a service dog handler is not just slapping a vest on a dog and bringing it places.

Becoming a service dog handler actually required me to go through therapy, as I was having a identity crises about if I was the right kind of disabled. It's hours and hours of my life. It's, well "Something uncommon that plays a central role in your life"

I hope you ask her how training her dog is going, and if she says she's not training him then socially shame her. That and having businesses stand up for themselves and kick out dogs that break ADA standard are the only way to stop people like this.

Also, there is no registry.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Hi DNH-TNS,

I produced a documentary about a service dog that is coming out this fall/winter, and learned a ton about the legal stuff surrounding it.

What are the worst experiences you've had in terms of being denied access or service because of your dog, and what are the best stories you have to tell that will make everyone forget about the previous answer?

Documentary! That's so cool!

I was almost decked by a SEPTA employee on regional rail. Although that wasn't really over my service dog. (It sure did help that he was there though!)

I can't really share my worst experience because there's an on going legal dispute over it.

Someone once dropped her purse while we were walking in the grocery store and Storm went over and picked up and handed her items. The woman looked like she was having a really rough day and thanked me for my dog's help.

He maybe shouldn't have done that, he's meant to be focused on me, but he loves picking things up for people so much.

The greatest thing about service dogs is how much they love to help. It's really humbling to watch.

The doc is about a woman with an untreatable heart condition that used to make her faint every day, the service dog (Adele) who saved her life and what happens when she has to retire Adele. It's called Adele and Everything After. LMK if you'd like to watch - we can probs arrange you a pre-release viewing.

Oh my god you would do that!

I'm! Smiling! So! Big! Right! Now!

I know someone (Jaz, who is doberbutts on tumblr) who also has a service dog (named Creed) for a hear condition.

I know I'm already retiring Branka in a way, but it's not the same as retiring Storm will be, if that makes sense. I know that that's going to be a really tough struggle.

How does it make you feel when someone claims their dog is a service dog but you know it's not?

Hmm.

I've seen people call me a faker over facebook and things like that because they saw my dog on and off day, or when he wasn't working, or because, especially earlier on, I didn't appear to know the laws.

So, when I see another service dog team, I do try to face the fact of their existence with compassion. But I also take steps to protect my dog and myself should something go wrong, because chances are actually fairly good that it will.

Over all, I am not a fan of people doing this. At all. I haven't encountered anyone yet where I'm like, "Yep, that's definitely a fake." and I'm grateful for that.

I will also refer you to this thread https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/6t0e2f/iama_multiply_disabled_service_dog_handler_and/dlh9xkt/

Which is a similar question.

Thanks. I'm work in the hotel industry and we have all types of people come in with their "service dog".

The latest one was a lady with her chihuahua that would bark at other people, never on a leash and left in the room for hours at a time... We asked her to leave.

Yep. I follow /r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk. I'm really proud of you guys who stick up for your business, and also real service dog teams, like that.

Yooooooo another Philly person! I was born in Wynnewood and now I live in Perkasie in Bucks County.

I've always been fascinated by glass blowing. What would you say is the most difficult thing you've tried to make out of glass, and why is/was it so difficult?

I've barely graduated the basics. When you're starting out you make cater pillars (which, if we're going to call the glory hole the glory hole, we might as well call cater pillars what they really are -- anal beads) and roses. The cater pillars help you get used to the jacks, and the roses help you get use to the pillars.

Then I just made cups and bottles. I also did hot sculpting work, like the hand in the evidence link spam.

I tried at one point to make a sculpture of a tea pot (not a functioning tea pot). It would have had bubbles in it from the pineapple mold. Middle two on the left. It fell apart when I tried to add the top / lid thing. I think I still have it somewhere. Basically, I should have shaped the lid separate and added it later. I ended up making a mess and then just shaping that mess into a sphere and calling it quits.

This is what the item I was trying to make ended up as

Would you like to go to a glass blowing festival in Vermont next time it pops up?

Hell yeah hell yeah!

Sweet. Next time I hear word we'll message this account and get things going. We drive up from Philly. You go to Temple right? If not the invite still stands of course. But I didn't want to invite you someplace that was super inconvenient for you without a ride availible for you.

Thanks so much! And yeah, I'm at Temple. :)

Please don't kidnap and murder me. Thanks :)

That sounds like too much work. It's a vacation. Oh AND that's illegal, immoral etc. Lol

Oh btw there is a small dog in the group so your pup will have company.

I actually think our guild goes to that festival. So I might not need a ride, just see you there.

Since your name is Soul Cooke, why didn't you wanna start up a restaurant serving Soul Foode? :D

Because I still routinely burn toast. And that's while cooking, not while blowing glass. :P

Haha! Well, play to your strengths I guess!

Edit: And if you start up your own shop, you could call it Soul Cooke'd Glass!

That's great! :D

Can I see some more pics of the dog please? Also, what's its name? ^{-^}

Storm

Branka

More pictures!! <3

http://hopeandhandler.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/photo

https://www.instagram.com/hopeandhandler/

Aww they're so cute! :D What kind of dogs are they?

Both are mixed breeds from rescues. I think Branka is a rottweiler newfound land mix. Storm is probably a hound (gray hound maybe?) and a lab.

How does Zwilling Henckels blow this double walled glass? Only a tiny hole is on the bottom of the outmost wall and the hole points up. latte double glass

The same way you'd blow a goblet base. Though oh my god doing that for a whole fucking glass would piss me off.

When trying to break off the glass from the punty you'd be likely to creak the glass or mar it with water. Let me draw a quick diagram for how I think it's done.

Actually, as funny as the drawing turned out, with instructions not to touch the molten glass and "why are you doing this" "fuck you" written in the margins, I'm just going to explain it.

Shape a cup. Break that cup off. It is no longer attached to the blow pipe. You can not now put it back in the glory hole. It is getting cold. It will crack or explode if it get's too cold. Be quick!

Get a new punty (because fuck you you got to make this complicated), shape it so it has a little delicate taper to it. Stick it to the bottom of the cup. Hope that the cup didn't cool off so much it rejects the new punty.

Assuming you now have the cup attached to the punty, but the inside of the cup because you want to kill yourself, go stick that thing in the glory hole so you don't destory it.

Pull out a cup you already made that as been chilling out in the garage, reaching the right tempature. This cup is slightly larger than the one you just made, and likely you didn't shape the rim of the old cup because that would have meant attaching a punty to it's bottom.

Have your assistant hold the old cup in place with those super cool heat reistant gloves. Then stick the new cup into the old cup.

This also requires that the old cup be shaped in such away that the new cup doesn't drop to the bottom and fuse to the old cup. It has to do with how you would shape the rim, which you can't finase because you don't want the old cup to have a punty mark and you just really hate yourself.

Now, you have a two cups, stuck to each other by the rim, and you're punty inside the cups. Shape the rim because that's actually the easiest part.

Now you need to reach in there (Yes! reach into the hot glass cup! and get some water onto the glass connecting the cup to the punty.

If you're not perfect with the water, it will get on the inside of the cup and mar it! So be really careful! And pray! And fucking kill yourself!

Once the punty has been wet, which you should do at least twice, spinning the punty 180 and doing it again, try to break it off and hope it breaks off at the punty instead of splitting your entire fucking cup in two oh my god why would anyone do this to themselves?

Good fucking lord that was a lot to take in. Thanks for the explanation, I have a better understanding of it now. It’s one of the coolest and good feeling fucking cups I’ve ever held in my hands.

Well, at least all the craziness is worth it. :P

Can you have one of the service dogs do an AMA?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwvknYo_ZymiX21tSC0ySGpBTU0/view?usp=sharing

They are both so cute!!

Thank you!

Any tips on how to train a dog? I have a 6 month old lab who listens great when he wants to

https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

She is incredible and I love her channel and it cover's so much. Without knowing you and your dog better there's not much in the way of training tips I can actually offer.

I would recommend trying to find other people with dogs and who are interested in dog training so you have a social support network, some extra motivation to the do hard work, and people who know you and your dog better to offer an new perspective.

These three things are all something people who buy dog's from reputable breeders get in addition to the dog.

[deleted]

Already answered ;)

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/my-drive

And sorry to be pushing these vids on google drive, I don't have the time to wait around for youtube to process them and keep up with the questions.

I've been trying to get a service dog for awhile but it seems like there are so many barriers. I also go to college and one of my issues is that I don't know if I would have enough space for a dog. I live in an apartment-style dorm (I have my own room and bathroom, and I share a kitchen/living room space) so I do have more space than most. Do you live in a dorm? How do you handle this problem? Does the school give you trouble?

Another issue is that I have enough money for month-to-month costs but not enough for buying a dog or paying for training. Most organizations I've looked at help with service dog costs if you're a veteran, but I'm not. Do you have any suggestions?

I know I asked a lot of questions. Thank you so much for doing this AMA! I'm glad you shared your story.

I can't talk about the trouble the school as or has not been giving me.

I did alright in a high rise dorm, studio apartment, with both dogs. And they are big dogs. It's absolutely possible, although it is a lot to add to your plate. Of course, so is living without the assistance you need.

Due to the trouble with the school I can't talk about, I had to move to an apartment off campus. It still doesn't have a backyard so I need to walk the dogs 2-4 times a day.

I think my organization could wave the monthly training fee, although most other's that use this style of training (instead of the borading school one) can't. There are other programs that fundraise themselves and you just have to wait. I'm not familiar with any programs other than my own, though.

There's also like, YouCaring, but that didn't do much for me. Winning the lottery. Having rich parents.

Sorry. :/

No, thank you for your reply! I don't want to put any dog in a living situation that's bad for them so I'm glad to hear that you've managed. Good luck with all the trouble you may or may not be having! :)

Haha! Thanks!

Yeah, it's totally do-able. Most people give there dogs too much physical exercise. Make sure to give them lots and lots of mental exercise, it helps the dogs be calmer in the house as well as being more fulfilled. Service dog training itself should help with that.

Do you have to take a pay decrease from SS for selling? I am disabled but, I have found a massive amount of petrified wood on my property. My son keeps digging up chunks and logs. I already own a rock tumbler. I would love to polish it up and sale. I am afraid I will lose my disability benefits.

I'm actually not on SS because my malformation only started giving me seizures after I could have entered the work force (but chose not to because college).

Anyway, yes, you would have to take a pay decrease and they will sometimes round down. It's a huge, huge, huge pain in the ass. I wouldn't do it.

First of all I want to say that I absolutely love this. I have a SDiT and a lot of our commands are the same, which is really encouraging to see!

That being said- I, too, have multiple disabilities and have come into some issues with training my SDiT- a lot being that I feel like I'm overwhelming her. Do you have any advice for other people out there with multiple disabilities that require animal assistance?

Thank you so much for this!

mmm. Can you be more specific?

There's also this post I made

http://hopeandhandler.tumblr.com/post/153296765473/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-becoming-a-service-dog

Woops, sorry, I realise I didn't put the whole question in there. I feel like I'm overwhelming her with the amount of tasks that I'm training her.

For example, she picks ups/brings me items, reminds me of medications, blocks/posts, finds exits, DPT, alerts me to calls/knocks, and scans rooms before I enter them. Sometimes I just worry like it may be too much for her. She's not bad at them- she's actually really good at those tasks, but now has issues with basic tasks (her down stay is back to being atrocious, for example, sob).

Also, hope you don't mind, I gave you a follow!

How old is she?

If she's preforming well and she seems happy to train, then I wouldn't worry about overwhelming her.

It is also common for puppies to go back to not understand some commands, and needing to be reintroduced to them. Storm just suddenly forgot stay one day. Fortunately, when you train it the second time around it goes faster.

I understand the concern, but nothing you describe worries me.

I have 2 questions:

1) Have you ever thought about applying to Corning Glass in Corning, NY?

2) What advice would you give to someone looking at getting and training a service dog?

Hmm. I mean, they come up a lot in our studies. I don't think my craft is currently good enough for me to be accepted there. They do a lot of really cool things though. In the future, when I'm more confident in my work and have greater skill I believe I will think often of Corning and if I might like to work there and if so in what capacity.

I already answered you're second question, and this blog post of my mine is the best answer I have for it.

http://hopeandhandler.tumblr.com/post/153296765473/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-becoming-a-service-dog

I'd say it's hard work, but most people already know that. I'd say, it will change your entire life, but most people already know that.

I will say though, that a squeegee is the best thing to get dog hair out of carpet. Most people don't know that.

That's so cool about the squeegee. I'm disabled myself and considering a SD but so overwhelmed with where to start.

I asked about Corning because I'm fairly local and it's such a cool place.

Corning is incredible.

And considering getting an SD is a super overwhelming thing. I knew right away when I needed on that I needed on, but it still took a year to actually get Storm. And then of course all the training...

why not underwater basket weaving?

Because I prefer tasks that risk melting my face off if I trip on a shoe lace.

Whose a good boy?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwvknYo_ZymiU1ZZNkhQTjdZanM/view?usp=sharing

Storm is! And he knows it!

i wouldn't say being a glass blower qualifies you as disabled. sure, it's a hipster excuse to work on a seemingly artisanal craft while having no necessary talent to impress people who know nothing and have made nothing, but disabled? close, but no, not disabled, just a very poorly thought out choice, reinforced by the easily impressed and uninformed.

I'm sorry you're stuck in a shitty office job that is eating your soul. :/

hey man, I'm defending you! Don't take their guff when they say you're disabled! You keep blowing those globs of hot glass into misshapen blobs of pseudo vases. There's a huge need on Pinterest!

I'm a crip and proud.

Added: fuck off.

Do they really offer a degree in glass blowing? Seems like the single biggest waste of time and money on earth.

They offer BFA and MFA and are second to RISD.

https://tyler.temple.edu/programs/glass