"Meeting My Juno" - Featured in an anthology

During Bianca Rose’s training, I inadvertently discovered that she prefers her commands given in French. I found this comical and had a lightbulb moment when it occurred to

 me that she is, after all, a French Poodle.

Bianca Rose has taken on so many roles for me, including mobility aid, alert, and life-saver.

While I have both a walker and wheelchair due to my serious mobility issues and vertigo, I was determined to get past the use of those medical instruments. I preferred Bianca Rose to become the medical device of choice.

Bianca Rose alerts me when my blood pressure reaches dangerous extremes, whether too high or too low. She learned this through a combination of training and the connection we have. She even alerted my friend when her blood pressure was out of balance.

Bianca Rose amazingly chooses the appropriate action to help my mobility and prevent me from falling. She does this in a variety of ways. She helps me either by sitting between my legs, doing paws up on my shoulders to steady me, or by bracing against my legs.

I now have the confidence to go out in public without using an inanimate medical object, such as a wheelchair, or walker. Because of her, I have experienced healing, self-empowerment, and improvements in my life in numerous indescribable ways.

My wonderful dog has also saved my life. Sleeping is always of concern to me, because of sleep apnea. I have read numerous circumstances of individuals with this condition passing away in their sleep. One day when I fell asleep, Bianca Rose once again found the perfect actions required to save my life. She threw a tennis ball in my face, licked my face, and alerted my husband.

My amazing companion also provides life-saving support when my bradycardia makes my heart rate drop. When dizziness and sickness ail me, I am now confident I have help.

Recently, when I was helping with set-up at our community center, I called Bianca Rose out of a down-stay to help me. She responded immediately by bracing me with her paws on my shoulders. Before her, I would have fallen on the floor.

Even if she can’t prevent me from falling, she helps me. When I recently fall, she stood over me, guarding me until help arrived.

While Bianca Rose is only two years old, the numerous ways she has saved my life and empowered me feel like a lifetime. She knows me in a way that no other can. She knows every time I am out of balance in any way. And like all canines, she seeks to restore me to balance. She alerts me to oncoming dizziness, sickness, or mobility impairments, often long before I am aware of the oncoming problems.

I used to stay at home most of the time. Now, Bianca Rose has empowered me to go back to going out in public and having a social life with confidence. Previously, this would have created fear for me. Because of Bianca Rose, I am once again able to live my life’s purpose with dedication to help humanity.

Our journey together is beyond description. She helped me turn fear into confidence, embarrassment into pride, and discouragement into empowerment. Before her, I had become sheltered at home. Now, I am driven to live my life and empower others.

I know our journey will be a long fulfilling one with numerous ripple effects for myself, her, and others.