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Comment by Kitty Kirwin on November 22, 2009 at 4:25pm

OMG thats so cute!! David thank you! Hi Beth well I drop stuff,she will try to help me so cute, she can give me keys! I walk well but this is mainly for later in our lives & we fear the worst sadly. I am so thrilled for all the sweet & very thoughtful help everyone gives me here. Thank you very much! I just love her she loves me too ;) She is a lap dog!

Comment by Beth on November 22, 2009 at 9:39am

Thanks for that video, David. That made my day!

Kitty, traditionally larger dogs are used, for practical matters (they can reach more, carry more, etc) but there are instances where people use other breeds. When the societies select/breed puppies, they are usually labs, Goldens, or German Shepherds but when people put their own dogs into programs they will use other breeds, I think.

I agree with contacting the Delta Society. I have ankylosing spondylitis, a severe form of spinal arthritis, and the issue of service dogs came up on a spondylitis board that I sometimes post on. If you need a dog to help you pick stuff up and the like, then a Corgi would be great! If you have trouble bending, you might want to keep Gwenie as a companion dog and look into getting a larger service dog to meet your needs.


Good luck! And good for Gwenie for helping you out. What a sweetie.

Comment by David on November 22, 2009 at 8:21am

Your question just reminded me of this video, see it here.

Comment by Kitty Kirwin on November 21, 2009 at 11:59pm

Thank you all very much. Gwenie is on a diet. Our Vet a corgi owner said she isn't surprised about Gwenie her road trips put the pounds on her chubby bum. We also were told we gave her too many treats. She now has treats of apples, green beans, celery and baby carrots. She loves this. She is now getting 2 walkies a day, before it was one. She runs a lot we have a very large yard.Thanks for worrying with me on her weight.
I will be checking in to the Delta Society. You are all so sweet to answer so quickly, Thank you so very much it really means so much to me. Kitty & Gwenie

Comment by Jane Christensen on November 21, 2009 at 11:47pm

If you have a fenced in yard you could also play ball with a chuck it possibly. These are so fun and you can buy shorter ones that you might be able toss...this is much easier than tossing a ball! Also green beans to replace a portion of her food may help her lose weight! Good luck!

Comment by Elaine on November 21, 2009 at 11:43pm

You may want to check out the website for the Delta Society, which has lots of resources about service animals: http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=304 (the site's FAQs page).

I've most often heard of corgis as service dogs for people who are deaf, so it would be great to hear whether Gwenie could be a service dog for you, 'cause I 've never heard of a corgi as a service dog for someone with that condition.

Comment by Gail and Ashton on November 21, 2009 at 11:41pm

Hi Kitty and Gwenie! I'm in the same boat. I have severe RA and would love to train Ashton to be a service dog for me too. We are currently working towards his CGC and I've talked to some of the folks at the Delta Society about getting him into therapy work and the like. I want to be able to take him to hospitals/nursing homes for visits as well as help me. I'm also looking into a program called Reading with Rover which allows kids who have trouble reading time to sit and read with/to dogs. Ashton is such a sweetheart and already lifts my spirits when I am down with a bad flare up so I know he will do great with these activities. We just gotta keep working on obedience and get out of this awkward "teenage" stage. He just turned 1 so we are just starting out.

What I think would be great is to take him with me for infusions to keep me company as well as those getting their chemo (if it is even allowed). I know I would be much happier sitting for hours in a chair hooked up to IVs with a corgi by my side than without! :)

Comment by John Wolff on November 21, 2009 at 11:26pm

I know they use corgis for hearing-impaired assistance. They're not trained as seeing-eye dogs because they're considered a bit too low-to-the-ground or something. But they're smart enough for anything.
3 lbs is over 10% of a corgi's body weight, so that's significant. Restrict the diet. There are people who advertise dog-walking services in my neighborhood. You might consider hiring somebody in the neighborhood to exercise her, if you cannot do that yourself.

Comment by Jane Christensen on November 21, 2009 at 9:08pm

Hi Kitty and Gwennie,

I'm afraid I can't help but I would think there would be alot of info online or some groups you could contact!

Good luck and let us know what you find out!

Jane