Barley graduates - He did it! We did it!

These photos share a glimpse of the utter delight we experienced on the special occasion of Barley's graduation:

Sarah-Hope and her Barley

 

Libby and Sarah-Hope with Barley and the Honey's Garden trainers

 

The girls with Barley and his foster parents, Dean and Sharna

 

And.. the service dog certificate!

In order for Barley to graduate, he had to pass an assessment. This included performing the main tasks he does for Sarah-Hope in three different locations (home, school and at the local shopping centre). It also required him to passing his public access test, which includes assessing that:

- the dog enters, rides and exits any transportation in a safe and controlled manner

- the dog can calmly and confidently enter, ride and exit an elevator

- the dog does not bump shelves or interfere with any merchandise

- the dog can leave dropped food items on the floor when passing

- the dog can maintain calmness among the many distractions in the shopping centre 

- the handler can position the dog as to not disrupt the flow of business when sitting at a table

- the dog can go calmly and confidently into a public restroom and not cause a disturbance

- the dog can maintain appropriate service dog behaviour in the presence of children playing or other dogs

These are just some of what the dog needs to be able to do... it takes hours of exposing the dog to public settings and training him to restrain himself to stay and obey his handler so that they can respond to their person's needs instead. 

Barley was an absolute star and smashed his test! Will this mean that Barley will perform perfectly for Sarah-Hope from now on? 

No:) It is up to us to keep up the level of obedience, task training and public access exposure. Barley isn't a robot and we'll likely need help to integrate Barley into a new school or setting one day. We've got to keep up the good rhythms and habits that we've established... so it is true to say that we did it! And that we'll need to keep doing it!

How much this guy has grown since he was a pup (pic below from trainers as we didn't know him back then!) - what a beautiful dog he has grown into in three years!

Huge thank you to Honey's Garden for their support on the journey; Barley's foster family who just loved and believed in him so; those who generously helped to sponsor Barley's training costs; family, friends and neighbours who have had to patiently adjust with us to having a furry member of the family; church and school friends who've either been so brave embracing Barley as a regular presence, or restrained in accepting they can't enjoy him as any pet - this has been a full community project and we're so grateful!

Q&A: What’s the story with Sarah-Hope and Barley, her service dog?

What’s the story with Sarah-Hope and Barley, her service dog?

Sarah-Hope has a condition where she was born without any arm bones, knee caps or cruciate ligaments. She does have little hands, walks on her knees, and has naturally adapted to be incredibly functional despite her physical disabilities. However, as she gets older, movement is increasingly taxing on the body. Barley performing tasks for her gives her some independence as she matures.

Honey's Garden for Medical Alert Dogs is training a beautiful golden labrador, called Barley, as a multipurpose service dog for Sarah-Hope. The tasks that Barley helps Sarah-Hope with are:

·      To retrieve and carry objects for her

·      Pick something up off the floor for her (as in the picture above)

·      Open doors

·      Brace (stand still and strong), so she can lean against him when trying to stand

·      Comfort

Will he bite me? Does he bark?

Barley will not bite. He is a very gentle dog. He may bark if he is scared or uncertain, as this is his instinct. However, he is always corrected when he barks as protection is not part of the work he is trained to do for Sarah-Hope. We help Barley be introduced to new people by giving him high value treats which create a positive association and make sure that we approach them rather than them approaching Barley as that can be seen as intimidating.  

How is his training going? What are we busy working on at the moment?

It’s going well. Since Barley moved in to stay with us in July 2022, he has really settled down beautifully. 

When he graduates, Barley should be able to perform his tasks reliably for Sarah-Hope at home and in public. Dogs don’t generalise automatically, so as there are various life changes, we’ll likely have to train him for new contexts. 

As a family, we’ve been working on developing the habits and routines that will set Barley up to succeed. Barley should be with Sarah-Hope as much as possible in terms of their bond. He is also doing tasks that we would usually do for her… so we have to stop that in order for Barley to do them!

Can I touch him?

No. When Barley’s working jacket is on, he is only allowed to be touched by Sarah-Hope and the other family member helping her. 

Can I feed him?

No. Only Sarah-Hope or the family member helping her can feed Barley. If food is on the floor or ground, he is required to leave it. 

Is Barley working when he is just lying down?

Yes. Between performing tasks for Sarah-Hope, Barley will be required to stay in his place until he is released. It is hard work for a dog to stay “ready and on duty”, especially with interesting activity taking place around them. 

How is a service dog different from a pet?

A service dog is a working animal. For any working animal, such as a search & rescue / police / conservation dog, you can expect that 80% of the time they are in training in order for them to perform the other 20% of the time. There are much higher expectations of obedience and a Silver Canine Good Citizen award for obedience has to be obtained in order to become a service dog. The bond with the person they work for is essential so they are the only person that feeds them, and they also connect and play. 

Barley is given ‘free time’ to just enjoy being a dog, but the same level of obedience is expected.

What if the dog needs to go to the toilet?

Barley will go to the toilet before going into public with Sarah-Hope. He may also be taken for a toilet break if out for a long period of time. Barley does not go to the toilet with his working jacket on. The family member helping Sarah-Hope with Barley will take him to the toilet. Libby is the main handler of the dog at school. 

You can find out more about service dogs and the amazing pioneering work that Honey’s Garden for Medical Alert Dogs does on https://medicalalertdogs.co.za/