TBNH began as Super Dogs in 2013 with the purchase of my very first service dog, Will-o-the-Wisp. She and I worked together until 2015 when she was diagnosed with a progressive illness that quickly retired her and subsequently took her across the Rainbow Bridge. During our time together, Willo and I were active in the rescue community and saved countless cats, dogs, and various other small animals (even a wild Pigeon, bunnies, and ducklings). Willo and I were also volunteers with a special needs children program called SOAR and focused heavily on service dog education. Together we guided new service dog handlers down the path of service dog ownership and formed a bond with each other that I never thought could be rivaled.
Willo passed away in December of 2015 at 3 years old due to an unforeseen and incurable illness.
Fast forward almost a year...
One night, I was browsing the puppy ads. By this point I had looked into many different breeds and breeders and had yet to find the right pup or breeder for me. I eventually came across an ad for Dobermans. The breed scared me due to their reputation, which I knew was ignorance on my part, and I decided not to let that ignorance keep me from a possibly great match, so I clicked on it. I never expected to see any particular pup that would call out to me in any special way, however, as I was scrolling through the pictures, I found “the one”.
Yuriko was a lanky thing. At 4 months old, she was all ears, legs, and paws. I showed my husband, who thought she looked cute and we agreed to meet her. I knew next to nothing about Dobermans at this point, so of course we binged on videos and as much information as we could before the meeting.
FYI: Impulse buys rarely ever work out and I NEVER suggest them for anyone. Especially for a service dog. Researching the breeds your considering, carefully choosing a breeder, and really considering your needs vs the dog’s needs are all extremely important to find a proper match that will work with you for many wonderful years. I did none of this and there have been many issues that could have been avoided had I been patient and not let puppy pictures sway me.
Anyway, despite the many red flags from the breeder I found online, I brought Yuriko home on July 4th. I played with a few names but ultimately decided to name her Lady Deathstrike from the X-men, who’s human name was Yuriko Oyama. Yuriko subsequently learned to respond to the names Death and Yuriko.
Bonding with Yuriko took what seemed like forever. Bonding with a Service Dog is on a whole different level than bonding with a pet. Don’t get me wrong, pet bonds are something so amazing and I have had many awesome pets in my life, but bonding with a Service Dog is an entirely different experience.
This dog will be with you literally 24/7 and as such will become an extension of you. This dog can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. As such, the bond between you runs stronger and deeper than you can possibly imagine. Loosing that bond with one dog who’s passed away and then trying to form it with another takes time and is a very emotional experience.
I’d say it took about a year of training together and working through challenges as they came at us for she and I to truly form that special bond and once it was formed, it was as if the flood gates opened and she and I became a true team.
Yuriko now works tireless for me with an entirely new set of tasks to mitigate my disabilities specifically chosen to keep from burning her out by putting to much of my needs on her shoulders. While she does work hard, Yuriko also has plenty of time to just be a dog with my kids, goof off at the dog park, run around on hikes, and even around laze about the house. I call her my “part time Service Dog” as I try very hard to utilize as many avenues as possible to mitigate my needs.
Together Yuriko and I have jumped head first back into the rescue world (that’s how we ended up with her 3 feline side kicks, Carnage, Poison, and Riot) and she helped inspire my children’s book series. In addition Yuriko is in classes with me for competition obedience and agility! We also participate in CaniX, mountain style, and go on many adventures as possible together!
So far, Yuriko and I have fed sharks, flown in crop planes, fed giraffes, played with robot dinosaurs, traveled all over the eastern USA states, went dolphin watching, and more! The list keeps growing so please follow our page for more fun adventures, fun updates, kitty side kick stories, and more!
Update:
As of 04/2020 Yuriko now has a new sidekick: Maleficent the Asian Black Chicken! Shes a fun little feather ball and keeps us all on our toes! Keep watching the page for more feather, whisker, and fur fun!
