Dog Training Man: Arrow the Pharaoh Service Dog

I first noticed the Pharaoh service dog in the red vest as he and his owner walked through the airport in Atlanta. He was a magnificent creature. He had a long torso, a lean conformation, and a sleek head. He looked a lot like the dogs pictured at the pyramids in Egypt. In fact, they were his ancestors.

I didn't expect to ever see the man and his beautiful dog again. My husband and I boarded the airplane to Los Angeles. As the plane roared down the runway for takeoff, my husband said, "Did you notice the dog under the seat next to you?"

There he was, the lithe, royal-looking Pharaoh dog. He rested under his owner's legs and spread out under the legs of the man in the center seat as well. The man mentioned to me that Arrow was new at flying.

I petted the exquisite dog's head. Arrow became nervous and started to shake due to the airplane floor vibrations in takeoff. He scooted over to my side of the aisle and leaned up against my legs. The dog felt comforted when I slowly stroked his back and cooed to him that everything would be all right. Eventually, he stopped shaking and the owner encouraged Arrow to climb back under his legs, Arrow's assigned resting place.

My curiosity was piqued, and so I asked the owner, "What function does Arrow perform for you?"

"He senses when I'm about to have a seizure," he replied.

"What does he do when that happens?" I inquired.

"He goes crazy and jumps all over me, which is to remind me to take my medicine," the owner smiled.

"That's remarkable," I replied with astonishment. "How does he know? Does your scent change?"

"Some doctors have told me that, and some have said that it's because of the increased activity in my brain waves," he explained. Now, all the people surrounding us on the plane listened to the conversation, too.

"That's very interesting," I replied with wonderment. I giggled and said, "I have a male Westie at home who goes berserk when I walk or talk in my sleep. I guess he's a service dog, too. My female Westie could not care less. How do you train your dog or find the right animal?"

"They test the dogs for certain characteristics and awareness. I train the dog myself, or I should say, he trains me, and then we can travel anywhere together." We chuckled together. The owner continued, "I was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Arrow and I retired to our room and turned in for the night. In the middle of the night, he barked crazily and jumped all over me. People talked loudly in the hallway outside our room. I thought perhaps that they had set him off, and so I turned over and went back to sleep. An hour later, I woke up on the floor and all the bedding had been torn off the bed. Arrow laid on the bed with his legs crossed and stared down at me with superiority. He threw me his smug 'I told you so' look."

I laughed at Arrow's sense of humor and attitude. "I guess it pays to listen to your service dog," I smiled in return at the man.

We returned home to Los Angeles, and finally crawled into bed around two o'clock in the morning. I awoke to the furious barking by my male Westie, MacGregor, and realized that I was sleeping on the rug in the hallway. Every time that I venture out on my nocturnal meanderings, MacGregor is the catalyst to wake me. I understood that God had given me a service dog, too, to help protect me, and that knowledge gave me peace. "Gregs, thank you for your alert demeanor and caring heart. You're a good little service dog," I cooed to him as I cuddled and petted him profusely.

Sometimes we think that we choose the animal, and sometimes we think that the animal chooses us. Maybe the truth is that God pairs us together because of our natures. In other words, he created the person and dog to have an affinity for each other. It's just another way that God looks out for his children. If in that small way, the Lord protects his sheep, how many more ways do you think there are of which we are completely unaware?