Legendary Dog Trainer Chronicles Her Pioneering Work

Legendary Dog Trainer Chronicles Her Pioneering Work
Steve Dale

In her 27th book, legendary dog trainer Carol Lea Benjamin comes out of the closet.

For friends and neighbors in New York's Greenwich Village, it isn't news to see Benjamin walking down the street with a service dog.

Still, some might assume Benjamin is training the dog for someone else. In fact, for years, Benjamin has benefited from a service dog, though she hasn't written about it until now. Her latest book, "Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?" with co-author C. Denise Wall (2011; $20 only available for online purchase: Amazon.com), is about raising her own service dog.

At 21, Benjamin was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic and painful intestinal disorder. "At times, I was unable to go out, unable to work," she recalls. Back in 1990, Benjamin was about to make a series of TV appearances to promote a book she'd written on choosing and raising a puppy. To do so, she sought to "borrow" a pup from the ASPCA. At the shelter, one little dog 'connected' with her. Dexter wound up as Benjamin's pet and ultimately her first service dog.

Today there are many dogs serving people with a variety of so-called "invisible disabilities." Some can predict seizures or heart irregularities, while others help the hearing-impaired. Even the federal government is on board these days, helping returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder procure service dogs. In fact, the need is greater than the number of available dogs.

The government has figured out what Benjamin learned years ago. With a service dog, a person with limitations is more likely to contribute to society, and less likely to need as much support from government services.

However, back when Benjamin hooked up with Dexter, she had no idea a dog could help her with Crohn's disease. Having a service dog wasn't Benjamin's idea, but the dog's. "I don't know how Dexter knew about my pain, but he began to help me by pressing against my stomach," she says. "Over time, I learned that Dexter was clearly sensing I was in pain, and that he really was helping me a great deal. I taught Dexter good manners so he could go places. Dexter taught me that a dog could help."

As Dexter began to age, Benjamin sought another service dog. "Clearly, having Dexter changed my life," she says.

If anyone could train a dog to go out into world, Benjamin could. After all, she was admitted into the International Association of Canine Professionals Hall of Fame (a Hall of Fame for dog trainers). But she'd never trained Dexter to help her. How did she know her next dog would or could?

"I suppose I didn't know," says Benjamin. "I decided to get a Border Collie, knowing they are smart and pay careful attention to their people." At first, Flash seemed uninterested in helping Benjamin, and was far more focused on playing. The idea of having a new dog replace her beloved Dexter seemed likely to fail. Then one day, nearly overnight, Flash got the idea. Indeed, he grew up in a flash.

Where Dexter left off, Flash picked up. If it was possible, Benjamin's connection to Flash grew even more intense. When Flash began to age, Benjamin began thinking about a second Border Collie to follow in his four-paws. She contacted Border Collier breeder Wall in North Carolina.

In the book, Wall writes that she had become adept at choosing just the right dog for the right family, but she'd never before picked out a pup destined to be a service dog. When the puppies in one litter were still very young, one named Moss became separated from the others and began to cry. Sky instantly came over to console his littermate, curling up next to him. Sky was chosen for Benjamin in January, 2008.

The book follows Sky and another littermate named May. Border Collies are happiest (as are most dogs) when they have a job. Sky became Benjamin's service dog, while May became a sheepherder. The book chronicles how the two dogs from the same litter followed two very different career paths.

A pioneer among dog trainers, Benjamin was also a pioneer in utilizing dogs to help people with invisible disabilities. While today, Sky is accepted nearly everywhere, that wasn't always true. Or people just assumed Benjamin was blind. After all, why else would you travel with a dog? Once, when Benjamin was on a plane, reading a book, a flight attendant asked the person seated next to her if she'd help Benjamin off the plane when it landed. "It seemed obvious I wasn't blind since I was reading a book," says Benjamin. "But if I was blind, that wouldn't have meant I couldn't hear. Besides, if I was blind, the dog would have led me off the plane."

So how has Sky helped her? And do Border Collies dream of sheep? Benjamin answered as a seasoned author who knows how to sell books: "You have to read the book."