SIX FEET TO INDEPENDENCE
The service dog journey is harder than most people on the outside have any idea about. That’s where Six Feet to Independence comes in: it’s the flashlight in the cave that someone should have handed you on day one.
Ebook · Physical Book · Audiobook · Workbook — $30
“It may not show you everything, and it doesn’t promise perfect results. But it does promise help, hope, and clarity.”
SOUND FAMILIAR?
The service dog world is full of conflicting information, which can lead to expensive mistakes. People who don’t know what they don’t know, and most first-time handlers go in underprepared. The cost of that is measured in years, money, and heartbreak.
You’ve Googled everything you can think of, and still aren’t sure if a service dog is right for you. To be honest, you’re not even sure you’ve Googled the right questions.
You’ve found trainers but have no idea how to tell the legitimate ones from the scams. And, even if one is legit, how do you know it’s right or wrong for you?
You’re worried about investing thousands of dollars and years of effort into a dog that washes or doesn’t do what you need it to.
You just want someone who’s been through it to tell you what you actually need to know, and what to do.
WHY THIS BOOK EXISTS
I started trying to get a service dog at eighteen. At twenty, I’d been through three false starts. That cost thousands of dollars, years of my life, and more heartache than I care to own. My fourth dog not only made it through, but is now mostly retired, because my health has improved so much. (Thank you to my doctor husband – but that’s another story.)
I interviewed service dog trainers, breeders who breed specifically for service dog temperament, handlers, and the families of handlers. I found patterns and boiled it down into six areas that most don’t stop to think about before getting into this world.
You can read this book in a single day, and it could save you years.
What could that buy you back, in freedom?
A REAL EXAMPLE
Consider someone looking for a service dog for absence seizures. They find a trainer promising a fully trained dog in six months, from any rescue, for $1,000. (Not that I ever ran into that or anything.)
This sounds not only reasonable, but like a dream when compared to what some other companies dictate. …Until you know what to look for.
WHAT YOU GET
The bundle walks you through the six things every handler needs to understand before they start — and the workbook gives you the tools to apply it to your specific journey.
How to set realistic expectations so the hard moments don’t derail you.
Exactly what to look for in trainers, breeders, and rescues. What should you look for, and what are the red flags that should send you running?
What nobody tells you about living with a service dog candidate: teething, accidents, public access, and more.
How to navigate access challenges, unwanted attention, and miscellaneous moments that you don’t know to prepare for.
Ideas and strategies on how to handle and answer family members (supportive and not).
Tips and angles with which to view the question with its multiple nuances and decide with confidence. That way, you can either move forward with certainty, or choose another path without regret.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
WHAT READERS SAY
This book showed me a side of service dog life that I did not know of. The author has a great writing style that I truly enjoy. Great book to open one’s eyes to service dogs and their owners.
Amazing, insightful, and authentic. Ms. Walton will help bring understanding to the world of service animals in a way that we haven’t seen before. The editor clearly left the author’s own voice in place.
A very detailed blueprint of what having a service dog means — physically, emotionally, and financially. A good read for everyone who wonders about service dogs and what to do if you encounter one.
YOUR GUIDE
I’m a differently-abled mama, service dog handler, and the author of Six Feet to Independence. I started the service dog journey at eighteen and spent years navigating false starts, bad information, and the steep learning curve nobody prepares you for.
Six years later, my service dog is mostly retired — because I’m doing so much better. I created Service Dog Doula, and later The Able Life, because the resources I needed simply didn’t exist when I needed them.
This book is the thing I wish someone had handed me on day one.
Read it in a single day. Use it for every service dog you ever get.