Jenga

Hi! My name is Jenga. I was trained for two and a half years by Helping Paws of MN to become a service dog. I can do more than 80 tasks, such as turn on lights, take off your socks, open doors and retrieve items you may need. I can even pick up a dime. I know how to do some other cool things like “take a selfie,” or “do yoga”. Kids I worked with in the past taught me these tricks. I love to learn new tricks and can pick up commands pretty quickly, so don’t be afraid to ask me. Two years ago, I found out that I had Arthritis in my back hip and was told that I was going to have a career change. I was sad when I found this out because I had been training to be service dog for my entire life. After meeting Ashley and finding out what my new job, as a facility dog entailed, I decided it was a good change for me. When my job title was “service dog,” I was responsible for working with one person. As a facility dog I get to work with all kinds of people, and now everyone gets to give me love and attention.

You would never guess it by looking at me, but I was anxious when I was in training. I was one of the most anxious dogs to complete training at Helping Paws. Because I have some social anxiety, sometimes I can get shy when I meet new people. Please be patient with me while I use my coping skills to calm down. Once I calm down, I will come over to you and we will become really good friends.

Being able to work with Ashley has really helped me to calm down and feel confident in myself. I now have much less anxiety. My experience with anxiety helps me understand people better.

It is okay if you don’t like dogs, or if you do not want me in a session with you. I won’t take it personally. Working with me is your choice and you don’t ever have to feel pressured to have me in sessions with you. All you have to do is let Ashley know, and I will go hang out somewhere else.

If you do decide to have me in session with you and Ashley, I can’t wait to meet you!