Morey: How it all began

I've had a connection with Morey since before he was born. My family raised his mom, Cleo, a golden retriever, from an 8-16 week old pup. I've also known his dad, black lab Jammer, since he was a pup. I worked with Jammer for 6 months and considered keeping him as my service dog, but instead he became a breeding dog. Enter Morey!

Morey was born on October 17th, 2008. His puppy name was "Little Boy Blue" because his puppy collar was blue to distinguish him from his siblings. Morey was part of a program called Puppy Prodigies, which starts training puppies when they are only a few weeks old. By the time Morey was 8 weeks old, he was already doing behaviors like "sit" "down" "up" "under" and "touch" to prepare him for his future career as a service dog. My mom was one of the people who trained the puppies and "Little Boy Blue" was one of her favorites!

Morey's next stop in his education was prison (ICAN uses offenders in prison to train service dogs; benefiting the dog, the offender/trainer, and the person who receives the service dog when training is complete) . This was where he spent most of the next two years of his life, learning all the tasks and behaviors necessary for service work. He was renamed "Sagamore", but called "Morey" for short. He looked a lot like ICAN's Executive Director Sally Irvin's personal dog Maury and the picture shows Maury and Morey together.

Since I was working for ICAN at the time, I saw Morey throughout his training. Last spring, I had the opportunity to take him for a few weeks to give him a "test drive". He accompanied me to school and work and I enjoyed having him. I was asked several times if I wanted to keep him as Jessie's successor, but because of the uncertainty of my plans after graduation, I decided to say no and he was scheduled to be partnered with someone else.

I went to the prison before I moved to Texas to say good bye to the dogs and offender/trainers. Morey came right over to me, did a very nice "heel" next to my wheelchair, and looked up at me as if to say "Ok, let's go!" His trainer and I were both surprised by this unexpected behavior and she half jokingly asked "Are you sure you don't want him?" I laughed and said no again, but I did wonder if I was making a mistake.

Fast forward to December. I'd been living in Texas for 3 1/2 months and unexpectedly got an email from ICAN saying that Morey's future placement wasn't going to work out and asking if I would like to have him as my service dog. I could hardly believe it! At first I was concerned about the logistics of adding a dog to my life, but everything seemed to fall into place and I knew that it was no coincidence that I was being given a second chance at having Morey.

Introducing My New "Significant Other"

It’s taken me a long time to get to the point where I am ready to welcome someone into every part of my life. A few years ago I thought I had found the one I would be with “’til death do us part”. But it was not to be. Even today, part of my heart still belongs with my first real love and it has taken me a long time to be able to let go and move on. Since that time I've had several short term relationships that have left me longing for something more. There have been several guys who have come into my life and made my heart skip a beat when I wondered if he might be “The One”. But each time I’ve questioned and hesitated, and as a result, I have had to sit back and watch as he walked out of my life and started a new life with someone else.

Now, I’ve come to a point where I’m ready to fondly remember the past, while stepping forward and embracing the future. I’m ready to take a chance on love again and let someone else share my heart and my life. And I think I’ve found the perfect candidate!

I’ve known him since he was a kid, but never thought of him as more than a casual friend. We hung out a lot last spring, but his career was in Indiana and I was moving to Texas, so eventually we went our own ways. People have been telling me for months that we're a perfect match, but I wasn’t ready to listen...until now. Three weeks ago, I found out he was offered a job in Austin and suddenly everything has changed!

He’s tall and blond; quiet with a goofy side that surfaces every now and then. He’s laid back, but he is always ready to go along on an adventure. He makes me laugh, but he is also good about knowing when I just need a hug or a listening ear. He’s patient with my idiosyncrasies and is one of the most reliable guys I’ve ever met. At first, he was awkward around my chair, but now it's just part of who I am. He sees past my disability and is always willing to help when I finally decide to ask. He’s never seen me play rugby, but I’ll change that in a hurry!

Our families get along really well and I love his parents. We’ve spent time together over Christmas and then will be flying back to Texas together. It might seem like we’re rushing things, but really our relationship is just taking on a new dimension. I think we’re both ready to take this new step and I’m excited to see where it’s going to take us.

I can’t wait to introduce you to Morey…my new service dog! : )

Some background notes

I was matched with Jessie, the sweetest golden retriever ever, in 2007 as a junior in college. I had been a volunteer for ICAN for two years and Jessie had been one of the first dogs I had helped to train. Imagine my surprise when her first placement didn't work out and she became my service dog! We had two glorious years together as a service dog team. She helped me through a lot of struggle and uncertainty as I dealt with the effects of a progressive neurological condition. Unfortunately, her hips began to give her trouble and she was no longer able to keep up with my busy and hectic college lifestyle. It broke my heart, but I had to do what was best for my dog and so she went to live with my mom, her "grandma" in the country. She lives a very happy life, but I still miss her and the partnership we shared.

I continued training service dogs through ICAN and would have them a few weeks at a time. I was often asked if I was going to get another service dog, but my heart still belonged to Jessie. There were two dogs I seriously considered keeping as my successor dog, but the timing just wasn't right and so I let them go and watched them go on to their new lives.

I graduated and accepted a position at the University of Texas at Austin. One of the hardest parts about moving was leaving Jessie behind. I was also lonely and not used to being "single". When ICAN contacted me in December and asked if I would be interested in having Morey, I only hesitated a moment before saying yes! So, now I have two wonderful dogs in my life: Jessie, my retired service dog, and Morey, my new service dog. I love them both and am so glad they are both part of my life!