Furry Angels

We have had Shamar for, roughly, three-and-a-half years. She is a German/Austrailian Shepherd and boy did I not understand what I was getting when we picked her up. I Quickly learned how affectionate, energetic, intelligent (still learning this), and loyal this combination breed is. When we started her training I remember the trainer saying she would never do a shepherd. We asked why and she stated "I would never do a breed smarter than me." She was so right, Shamar shows us this frequently and we love her for it!

When we first got her she was six-weeks-old, a very calm and reserved puppy in a bad situation. My husband and I just had our son and he was looking for something to get me out of the house and to help with anxiety, but we had no idea just how much this little puppy would actually do! She bonded very quickly with me and we started noticing some unique and powerful qualities within her. This led us to pursue service dog training and boy was it worth it!

She is currently three-and-a-half and looking back through the years it was hard to pick one moment. There are so many memories with her that were breath taking and wonderful. She has saved me from nightmares, comforted me through many panic attacks, comforted my children in the night, and many more instances. The more I thought about it I was able to boil down everything to one moment where she showed us what she was made of.

Since she became a part of our family she was a natural with noticing PTSD symptoms and managing them. When we got her I was house-bond and afraid. She bonded with me and started displaying great service dog qualities that started us into the training process. Training her was quick, and easy, she took to everything very quickly. The moment she proved that I could trust her with my life was during the night of July 4th, 2021.

We were nearing the end of her service dog training when I decided to see if I could take a walk alone with her. The sun was starting to set, there were a lot of people around, and it was loud. I wanted to get back into taking walks although I could have picked a better time to test it. We were walking along when someone came up behind me and a loud noise sounded.

I fell into a panic attack and froze, but she sprung to action. She pulled me along to a safe location and got me down to her level. It happened so quickly and no commands were given, she did what she was trained to do. I wasn't speaking, just crying, but she calmed me to the point where I was able to say "Home."

My newly trained service dog took the initiative and got me home. I was a wreck, but where I lacked she was amazing! We got inside the house and while I decompressed she layed with me the entire time with her back against mine. Her breathing and warmth helped to calm me and bring me into the reality of safety.

This was such an important moment to me. I realized that the little puppy we rescued had become the dog that was rescuing me. Since that moment she has continued building new skills to meet the challenges of our family. She has worked with me and helped me build confidence. There are still moments that she has to jump to action, but the more time I have her the more healed my mind feels.

Let me end with saying thank God for furry angels.