They say a dog is a man’s best friend, and for those with service dogs, this adage takes on a whole new meaning. For someone like Sarai Deese, a senior in the Honors College, her lovable companion has proved to be much more than a friend. He’s been the door to independence and an incomparable tool to aid with her unique set of challenges.
Deese introduces her adorable 2.5-year-old black goldendoodle as Archer and makes sure to note that this “is his government name, but he primarily goes by Monster Man.” It’s obvious they have quite a special connection, one that runs deeper than the usual love between pet and owner.
Deese has Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, and suffered a significant drop in her health during October of her freshman year of college. She was experiencing up to eight seizures a day and desperately needed something to help her. Archer was the perfect solution. He can alert blood pressure changes and retrieve items such as medication, phones, water bottles, etc., as well as guide her back home in the case of an emergency.
Archer was the tool she needed at the time, though as she mentioned several times, not the end all be all. Living with a chronic illness requires a variety of different tools, and Archer filled the specific needs of Deese, ones that couldn’t have been filled by anything else.
“There’s not a lot of other tools that can accomplish what a service dog does,” Deese said.
Deese first met Archer through a company called Diverse K9, which collapsed underneath them when Archer was only 4 months old. Deese self-trained Archer and then placed him with a company called Love in the Lead, with whom she shares immense love and respect. Self-training is an option often taken by those who cannot financially afford to put their dogs through full programs, but it’s not the usual path.
“His story is very unique and not how it usually works," Deese said. "But, I ended up pulling him out of an original company, doing all his puppy raising and then placing him in a new company.”
By self-training him, she was able to form a unique bond and establish specific skills that pertained to what she needed. Archer is Love in the Lead, Pet Partners and American Kennel Club certified and considered a sighted guide, which means he can guide Deese back home. He is also a medical alert dog, which means he can sense a medical emergency, such as a seizure. Many service dogs have specific skills that are unique to what their owners need.
Through self-training, she was able to slightly shorten the usual timeline for training. The typical timeline of receiving a service dog is two years, and if you’re on a waitlist, this could be extended to five. They have to be trained, and this takes time.
It also takes money. A lot of it.
“Dogs can cost anywhere between $15,000 and $100,000,” Deese said. “They are not financially accessible in any way shape or form and they are not covered by insurance.”
Deese was lucky enough to be supported by her grandparents when purchasing Archer, but this is not the case for many people who are in need.
“Service dogs are inherently a class item," Deese said. "If you have a service dog, you have a certain amount of class privilege and recognizing that is incredibly important.”
Given that caveat, Archer is still the only way she can get through her day, and this is true for so many service animal owners and those in need of one.
Archer’s main job is as a service dog to Deese, but he also has a special “side gig” as a therapy dog. Service dogs are typically specifically trained to aid just one person, whereas therapy dogs and emotional support animals often can provide emotional support to many people. This means the Monster Man can help virtually everyone, just elevating his superhero status.
On Archer’s ambidexterity, Deese joked, “We all have to work two jobs in this economy.”
Deese sometimes brings Archer as a therapy dog to special events, like Spark in the Park, which is an autism resource festival. She speculates that Archer actually enjoys his work as a therapy dog much more than his work as a service dog, but he’s happy to do it for her.
“His service work is a resume builder to his retirement as a therapy dog,” Deese said.
The Monster Man takes his main job very seriously. Deese is his very first priority. He makes sure she is taking care of herself, even when she cannot tell something is wrong. He keeps her accountable for her health and pays attention to the things that Deese might overlook. Sarai depends on him to keep her safe and healthy, and Archer depends on her for the very same thing. This healthy amount of codependence is what makes their relationship so special, and ironically what makes it possible for her to have her own independence.
“I would not be able to live alone without him,” Deese said.
While Deese does not believe that Archer saved her life, Deese said, “He has completely saved my quality of life and what the next six years look like.”
Having an animal of any kind is a huge responsibility and many people do not realize just how big it is. One way Deese suggests college students learn how to take care of an animal, while also helping those in need, is puppy raising. Students can volunteer to train and raise puppies to be used as service dogs. Through companies like Canine Companions, students can fill out an application to train and raise puppies.
Even though she isn’t fully on board with most college students having dogs, Deese said, “If you are going to insist on having a dog, I do think that puppy raising is a great opportunity for college students.”
Archer, like many service dogs, can help bring a level of understanding to conditions like Deese’s, as it is a visible cue to the general public to what is going on. However, this has its downsides.
“You lose anonymity the second you get a service dog,” Deese said.
Deese often refers to Archer as a “3-year-old strapped to her waist,” and how this is a hard thing for people to ignore in public. She does not mind answering questions from people in public but knows that is not the case for all service animal owners. It is virtually impossible to have a service animal and go anywhere without stares, questions and, sometimes, unwanted attention.
Unfortunately, the very thing that’s improving people’s quality of life also interferes with their ability to anonymously move through their lives.
Despite the downsides, Deese is extremely grateful for Archer and the love the two of them have for each other is palpable. It would be hard to meet the Monster Man and not immediately fall in love with him. He is indeed much more than a dog; to Deese, he is a hero.
