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Kayne's Sad Update
(May 2007)

There are times when life just never seems to go quite as we expect it to no matter how well we plan and prepare. Sometimes it's what we hope for. Sometimes it's not. And sometimes it's a bit of both. Such has been the case this past half year with Kayne .

Sadly, after 2 years of training and just shy of going on to find his new permanent partner, Kayne's recent mysterious bout with paralysis and subsequent surgeries for a life threatening urethra blockage have put him on the permanently disabled list and disqualified him from being able to be placed.

To say that there is a great deal of sorrow here at SSD that he was unable to graduate on to team with a disabled veteran, does not begin to describe our heartsick disappointment. But while we're obviously saddened that he was unable to achieve his goal of helping one of of our country's brave military, we're also so incredibly grateful that he survived and conquered his illnesses and is once again the happy boy that we've grown to cherish!

Kayne sharing some TLC.

As long as he's willing and able, he'll continue to carry on the ultimate goal of helping others in need through his Therapy Dog work, his teaching new SSD trainees to become full fledged Service Dogs, and his painting skills to help raise funds for the training and care of the dogs of SSD. No matter what his future holds, he will always be a much loved and treasured part of the Shore Service Dogs family and we are very proud of all his accomplishments, both great and small!

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Kayne's Story
narrated by Mary Stadelbacher
December 15, 2004

Most of Kayne's 2 years of life has been one of abandonment and pain. For the first year, this poor guy was chained outside with little interaction and absolutely no training. Not only was he starved for attention but the people were so determined to make him look ferocious, they ended up shortening his tail and ears far, far beyond what they should have (but we think he's absolutely gorgeous even with his bad "haircut").

They entirely amputated his tail when they docked it, jaggedly cropped his ears much shorter than what is normally done, and must have cut off his dew claws with a dull pair of scissors if the scars are any indication. Dog people who have seen his "battle wounds" are amazed he didn't die from infections from such horrible treatment. He totally wore down his front bottom teeth so we're guessing that the stresses of this solitary confinement and terrible ordeal must have been pretty rough.

As if that weren't enough, the people that put him through that traumatic experience, decided he wasn't worth the effort of taking him with them when they moved and they abandoned him, leaving him chained alone in the back yard. For several days he was imprisoned there, exposed to the elements with no food or water. Finally, a kindhearted neighbor realized what these "caring" people had done and she brought Kayne back with her to give him a new home.

Unfortunately Kayne developed bladder and kidney problems (most likely due to the poor care he earlier received) which led to a severe and chronic bladder infection. His rescuer tried to help him but she didn't have the resources to fully take care of him. So when told he would need costly surgery and extensive follow-up care, she made the decision that many are sadly forced to make, to have their dog put down.

Kayne and one of his guardian angels.

Fortunately, fate stepped in and gave Kayne a reprieve from certain death. A guardian angel at the vet's office, named Debbie, felt so strongly about keeping this sweetheart alive that she accepted the responsibility of his medical bills and follow-up care. So Kayne was signed over to Debbie and together they started his long and arduous journey back to a healthy state.

During Kayne's surgery, Dr. Melanie Wilkins of Johnson-Mckee Animal Hospital in Salisbury MD, found his bladder to be almost entirely lined with extensive layers of scar tissue. The severity of the infection was one of the worst she had seen and while she repaired as much as she could, she was concerned that he might not ever regain proper bladder function after so much injury to the tissues. On top of that, the infection had so severely taxed his system that this big guy was almost a walking skeleton. A normal dog of his height and build should have weighed a lean 80-85 lbs. but he was barely reaching the low end of 65 lbs. In all likelihood, if the infection hadn't outright killed him, it would have caused him to starve to death in fairly short order without medical intervention.

After several days of recovery, she felt that Kayne had safely gotten through the critical period so she sent him to his new home with Debbie. There he began his treatment of antibiotics and other medicines to try to repair the damage that had been done. Gradually he started to regain his health. He still could not hold his urine well and he had quite a ways to go with his weight but even so, he was beginning to show that he was feeling much better. He started to perk up and play with both Debbie and her other 3 dogs.

Unfortunately, fate then showed its fickle side and just as Kayne was about to settle in to his new family, one of his new "brothers" decided he was a very unwelcome addition to their group. Jeb himself had been a rescue and still had quite a bit of feral aggressiveness towards other dogs. He had learned to live with Debbie's other 2 guys but Kayne was a totally different matter. Jeb decided he wasn't going to be low man on the pole anymore so he started bullying Kayne unmercifully. While Kayne initially accepted it, as he began to feel better and gained strength and Jeb became more physically abusive towards him, he tolerated it less and less. Eventually, the 2 of them came to blows and Kayne started to defend himself against Jeb's continued attacks.

Debbie quickly realized that if Kayne stayed there, he and Jeb would end up in a much worse fight and one or both of them risked becoming severely injured or possibly killed. So she contacted a representative of D.A.R.E to see if they could assist her in finding a new home that would be safer for Kayne.

Kayne when he first came to SSD.

That was when Kayne began his journey with Shore Service Dogs. We were contacted and asked if we would evaluate and determine if he could become a Service Dog. Up until Jeb's bullying, his temperament had been wonderful and Debbie felt certain he had the potential to be a fantastic partner for someone in need.

We do not normally train a dog without a specific client in mind but Debbie was persuasive enough that we decided to evaluate him and determine whether he was in fact all she felt he was. Surprisingly, considering his past, Kayne showed great promise. We offered to take him on a trial training period if he was able to pass a thorough medical exam for hip and elbow dysplasia and eye health. He sailed through them with flying colors and we took him on to start his probationary period.

As a sad irony to this whole story, the very day before he was to come to us, Jeb and he rumbled again and this time Jeb got in a few good bites that almost injured one of Kayne's eyes. Kayne was extremely lucky not to have lost his sight, but he still ended up with a pretty nasty gash right below his eye. Debbie's worst fears had almost happened and she was deeply concerned that this may have ruined Kayne's chance to become a Service Dog.

While he had passed his initial medical exam, it was yet to be known whether he could overcome his dog attack fear, pass our Bootcamp Obedience program, and regain control of his bladder muscles. We weren't certain he would even succeed with one of those let alone all of them but he had made such a strong impression on us that we felt it was worth the effort. If he was unable to qualify by the end of his month with us, his training would at least ensure that he'd have a much better chance of being adopted and finding a good home.

Kayne, Sammy & Major eagerly waiting for the ball to be thrown.

Initially it was definitely touch and go. His bladder muscles continued to be very weak and even after 6 weeks with Debbie's tender loving care, he still hadn't quite gotten over all of the infection. We continued with his medications and provided physical therapy to help strengthen and tighten his abdominal muscles. Even so, he had difficulties with dribbling and there were quite a few mornings when his crate was puddled from him not being able to hold his urine through the night. Fortunately for us, he tolerates baths very well! Gradually though, he started to make progress and fewer and fewer accidents occurred.

His dog fear though was a different story. Jeb had made a pretty large impression on Kayne and coupled with his lack of early socialization, he had no reference to know that not all dogs were going to attack him. But he had a loving heart in him and eventually, time, and training using Maj to desensitize him, brought Kayne around to realizing that he could enjoy the company of dogs and could play with them without fearing for his safety. Now the two of them are the best of friends and eagerly anticipate their play sessions together. His dog attack fear has disappeared entirely and he has behaved beautifully around strange dogs, people, kids, and even the cats and parrot that deign to share their home with inferior beings such as dogs and humans.

Kayne acing the supervised separation part of his Canine Good Citizen test. He passed with flying colors!

While Kayne is just starting on his path to becoming a Service Dog, he has already shown an incredible desire to please and an amazing ability to learn. His enthusiasm and dedication will make an enormous difference in the life of the disabled veteran he eventually partners with.

He has progressed beyond his health problems, conquered his fear of dogs, and has shown every day that he is not only eager and willing to learn each new lesson he is taught but excels at them too. He has definitely shown he is an incredible dog to have achieved and exceeded all three of his requirements.


We have such high hopes for him and we're looking forward to the day he graduates and starts his fresh journey with his new partner in life. Please help us to help him reach that wonderful day.

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Click here to read a letter from Kayne's Guardian Angel mom, Debbie.

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