Dog trained for woman with multiple personalities
A Regina dog trainer is preparing an animal to be a companion pet for a woman with multiple personalities.
The dog, named Angel, will soon be sent to live with Gayle Dixon, a Saskatoon woman who has a condition known as MPD, or multiple personality disorder.
In Dixon's case there are 10 personalities, a situation which could be confusing to a dog not trained on how to interact with different individuals emanating from the same person.
The animal also helps to stabilize the condition and allow Dixon to get out of the house more often.
Angel will be the woman's second specially trained dog, a replacement for a beloved companion, Murphy, a black Labrador that died of cancer.
"She was incredible, almost human," Dixon told CBC News recently in describing Murphy, who was with her for 10 years.
She explained how having the animal changed her outlook on life.
"I have some emotional problems," she said. "I had a fear of leaving my home. And then I was watching a program on TV from the States where it showed that dogs helped people that were diabetic, that had all kinds of things wrong with them. So I went to my counsellor and I asked her, 'Do you think a dog could help me?'"
It turned out that a specifically-trained dog could make a difference in her life.
"She got me out of the house," Dixon said. "We went shopping together, went to appointments, everything. It was fantastic. I just thought I had a brand new life."
Dixon explained that her different personalities come to the fore when she becomes stressed or anxious. The dog not only helps to keep her calm, but it also senses when her personality has changed.
"She got to know all my different personalities," Dixon said. "So that when one of them came out she could tell when I was going to switch and she'd stay right by me. And when another personality was out, she made that one feel calm."
Some of Dixon's personalities are children, and were only able to ensure her dog was let out when it needed to go to the bathroom. Others were keen to give the dog treats, so Dixon put a sign on the fridge saying no one, but her, could feed Murphy "because I think everyone would give her all kinds of treats."
Training Dixon's new companion Angel began not long after the puppy was identified as a likely match. It has been going on for about six months.
Dixon has already met Angel, and they have formed a bond.
"She knew she was mine. We just connected," Dixon said. "And we're going to have a great life. I can't wait to have her."
"She'll help me feel a lot safer. I won't get as depressed and stuff because I will have somebody here to depend on and help me," Dixon added.
