Hello World: Our Backstory.

 Hello World – Blog Entry 1: 08-27-2024.

Good Morning Party-People! Welcome to my new blog ‘The Girl and Her Spirit Dog’. To tell you more about myself, I’m Julia and this is my Service Dog, Partner in Crime, and Best Friend: Spirit!

Our Happy Place: The Beach.

I got Spirit on April 4th, 2018. At the time I was ~Struggle-ing! My family was going through a difficult time marked with chaos and pain. I was surrounded by struggle, both my own and those close to me. A lot of us kids were strongly considering an early exit from life.

My school performance crashed, I dropped out while losing most of my days as a Xan-zombie with a mild drinking problem. Breakfast bong hits in bed? Yeah that was a thing. Rather than work through my challenges, I just wanted to turn them off. I think a lot of people misusing substances are shamed when it was shame that pushed me to drugs in the first place. Anyways, for some reason, I was able to convince my parents that I was going to buy a puppy, train it as a world-class service dog, and it would all be a flawless process ending with a fully functional, unbreakable me. This is our story of the trials and tribulations over all these years. The highs and lows, the process of training a service dog and what that has meant for how I view the human experience. Of course there will also be lots of Spirit content!

Since my days of drug abuse and hospitalizations, I can proudly say that Spirit and I are thriving. Together we have climbed mountains (literal and metaphorical), go to University, and are travelling the world. Not to mention the thousands of friends we have made along the way.

If you are reading this because you are a dog lover or just

Day 0: April 4th 2018.

curious about service dogs: I hope that you get to enjoy our silly antics and get to love Spirit at least half as much as I do. If you are reading this as someone struggling with mental illness, chronic illness, identity crisis, or have your own service dog I hope you leave with just this one message: It is difficult out there, but that does not mean there is anything wrong with you! Life is a beautiful, confusing, and terrifying thing.

Every day you have the opportunity to work one step closer to your dreams. Even on the worst days, hold onto the love because when all is said and done, we only have this one life, and Spirit has taught me how truly short it is.

Anyways, here we go!

Today is August 27th, 2024. I sit at my desk on call with a good friend of mine, wondering about which of my dreams will come true. I’ve already accomplished so many things that a few years ago seemed impossible. Never did I believe I’d be traveling the world with a dog at my side.

Well, I imagined it. But a lot of people called me crazy, and I had serious doubts in my head. Spirit is asleep in her crate. We tried to complete a 500 kilometer Thru-hike of the East Coast Trail here in Newfoundland. Unfortunately, Spirit got sick and we called it off. While a small part of me want to be a sore loser, in truth I sit here so worried about her and feeling incredibly guilty that I got her into this mess.

As I have gotten healthier, it seems some days that my capabilities surpass her limits. Some people might retire their service dog at this point, but I think if anything, this is just another lesson she is teaching me: To choose the ones I love over chasing another high. It is in our sacrifices that we prove our values. Sure, I have dreams of backpacking around the world and completing some of the most intense trips backpackers can.

However, I made a commitment to this furry little creature 6 years ago. She literally rescued me from myself. What would the accomplishment of that hike mean, if I did it at the expense of my best friend? Life is funny like that. We cannot have it all. We can have a lot, but at a point, love is sacrifice. In choosing her, I think I become a better me. We only have another 10 years together if we are lucky, I am sure there are adventures I can plan that are just as amazing, that she can do with me.

Spirit has been my adventure buddy for years. When she was younger, it was her constant energy which forced me to take a hard look at myself. I taught her to run along the bike one summer, so she started waking me up each morning at 4am to go. I think one of my favorite feelings in the world is when no one is watching, it is just Spirit and I, and I let her run off leash in the twilight, completely free for just a moment. She has always been a fast dog, even out-running some sight hounds.

That's what I saw in her all those years ago. Of all the puppies in her litter, she was always off to the side, wanting to chase a bird or climb something. Some people would warn me that this made her a poor choice for a service dog. I believe this is the reason she had to be my service dog.

I saw in her a piece of myself – that deep longing for freedom and adventure. Learning to be enough for her, while still training her to the very high standard of a service dog, forced me to be more than myself. I would not trade a moment of it for the world.

Don’t get me wrong, if you are looking to get a service dog, the common advice is to get a dog with a more laid-back temperament, and while I agree with the common rhetoric, I want to offer another perspective. Get the dog, which is meant for you, and keep on going until you have won.

There were many points in my journey that perhaps someone else would have failed Spirit. Yet no matter what, we kept on going and viewed every challenge as something to overcome. Now, do not go and get a truly aggressive or dangerous animal – that’s just irresponsible- but within a reasonable margin of error, own your decisions. If you choose to go a more challenging route, you cannot be apologetic about it, and you cannot go looking at an online community for validation.

I have worked with many mentors, friends, and trainers to help me, but ultimately, I know myself best, I know what my life aspirations are. I refuse to let the haters tell me to slow down or even worse – to give up. Afterall, this is your life, and only you can live it for you.

With a gentle push and no space for judgement,

-          Julia & Spirit