If you follow me on Instagram then you know who Lyssa is. But for those who don’t….Lyssa the Doberman is my medical alert dog. She is the Doberman we rescued the week I did the 2015 NYC Marathon. At first she was shy and very quiet. We came to find out that her previous owner gave her up after keeping her outside chained to a heavy chain that was embedded in her neck that has forever scarred her.
Fast forward a bit, we noticed that she would always act “different” whenever I had a seizure, migraine or headache. So we wondered if she had some kind of ability to sense it. We have a service dog trainer friend that we asked to evaluate her. She agreed and while out being evaluated, Lyssa suddenly got up and started heading towards a woman sitting on a bench. The trainer asks her “Pardon my intrusion and if you don’t want to answer me it’s ok, but do you suffer from migraines or headaches?” The woman responds with “Yes, I do actually, it’s why I’m sitting down so I can take some migraine medication.” My husband and the trainer look at each other and she just smiles at him and says “Is that a good enough answer for you?” From that moment we started training Lyssa to become my medical alert dog.
She only alerts me to seizures, migraines, and headaches. I mainly use her at home and she hasn’t missed an alert. I don’t really take her out because I don’t really go out. But she does go with me to Disney. She also goes with me to restaurants, and if I have to go to the store and I’m feeling funny you better believe she is by my side. She also goes to the movies with me.
All of that can make her cold because she has thin skin. And going to the places to eat after she stands up, she will settle her coat thus dog hair can go in air. Even though I can control when she does it. And sometimes she gets skin allergies which is tough because she will scratch and I can’t have her in a cone. I need her to be able to access me easily 24/7!! I have found the PERFECT solution to ALL of that!
I had the opportunity to have Lyssa the Doberman, try SHED DEFENDER . This thing is uber cool! Some might think it looks silly, but to those of us who put our pet’s health and our own first, this thing works!
It keeps the hair from getting all over the place for one. So if you’re expecting company and you just vacuumed and some guests have dog allergens, problem solved. Dobermans tend to have issues with their skins and Lyssa is no exception. I have to give hey Benadryl at times. This helps keep her skin clean after I use a special shampoo. It can also help dogs who suffer from anxiety because of the snug fit. It isn’t super tight, just snug like you are hugging your dog.
Lyssa loves the black Shed Defender she has because Orlando might not get too cold but the stores we go to do, so I slip it on then I put her harness on and she is ready to go. And when we are home and she needs to be walked and it’s in the 30s like last week, it has a zipper from back to front. Super easy and Lyssa gave me no problem to put on and take off.
Shed Defender has tons of different colors and styles and for sizes. I have even seen them on cats!! AND Shed Defender was seen on ABC Shark Tank! I’m telling you, this is the coolest thing for your dog. And your dog will thank you. Especially if you pick this over the cone of shame 😉 Make sure to follow them on Instagram.
-gelcys
Empire Unleashed 
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