When I was very young and still living with my mom, she used to gather us all together in the evening and ask us as we drifted off to sleep, “Are you a catalyst, a bridge, or a practical application? Now that may sound like a strange thing for a mother of ten puppies to ask, but in retrospect I can now see that she was planting a seed for the path we were going to follow. Several of my very dominate brothers were obviously catalysts. They had a deep sense of self and were able to hold their ground when challenged. While several of my siblings were practical applications of unconditional love. These puppies would most likely find themselves into families or into situations where unconditional love is needed to help people through trauma. It became clear to me very early on that I was a bridge. So, what is a bridge? My version of a bridge is being a medical alert service dog, with an additional job of educating the public about the capabilities of a dog and how to support dog that really is in service to others.
So, what does that look like? I am with Nancy 24/7 and am always tracking the biological balance of her system. Why? Nancy has Addison’s Disease, a very rare condition in humans (About 100 people out of 1 million people) which means her body doesn’t make the hormone that is needed to handle stress. This means she needs to administer it manually. I was train to let her know when she needs to increase that hormone manually. (We always laugh about how this condition is more common in dogs.) Now beside supporting Nancy, my second job is to educate the public, with the assistance of Nancy, about how dogs can help support humans, and how humans can help support service dogs.
Quite often, because there is so much misinformation created by what Nancy refers to as “pretend Service dogs” Nancy is bombarded by people wanting to pet me. Nancy always takes the time to explain that not petting me is for my benefit. This is because when I walk into a store, I can smell all the people that have been there and are present in the store. Sometimes I can also smell the animals they have previously petted. I then must sort through all of that data to make sure I stay on track with Nancy. This process takes a lot of focus and clarity, which is why Nancy says no to the petting because it can be distracting. Though being aware of people’s desire to connect with me, Nancy always says, “If you see us out on the street and Alex doesn’t have his jacket on you are welcome to come and pet him.
I wish there wasn’t so much disinformation, be as long as there is, Nancy and I will continue to focus on helping the public understand the profound relationship between canine and humans.
If you would like some help remembering how to connect more deeply with our canine companions,
I suggest you explore the I Create What I Believe (ICWIB) program where my friend Luke will demonstrate the ICWIB activities and/or attend the FREE Drawing in the Now classes that are taught by Nancy Marie over Zoom the first and third Monday of the month from 4:30 pm-5:00 pm PST.
To view archived classes or for more information about the FREE Drawing in the Now Classes
visit: https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/drawing-in-the-now/
For more information about the ICWIB Online Training Program
visit https://icreatewhatibelieve.com/online-training/
If you would like to leave a comment for Alex regarding his Insights,
please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/
or you can email Alex at Alex@icreatewhatibelieve.com
In a recent interview Dr. Bruce Lipton said, “…Freedom is the ability to create without the limitation of generational programming. The I Create What I Believe! (ICWIB!) Program is a gateway and a pathway into a new and better future because it allows children and (adults) to fully express themselves and to not be limited by the beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. This program also frees up children’s and (adults’) minds and allows their creative nature to create a better world for all of us, which is what we need right now!”
