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Just Make It (through) 7      Rain or Shine

One of the more difficult things about being a service dog handler in the city is that I need to take the dogs out every day. I have no backyard to let them out in. So rain or shine, in sickness or in health, I’m out with the dogs.

The worst though, is when it starts pouring out of nowhere during the middle of the rare two mile trek. 

Image Description: Soul, with flowery rain boots and an umbrella walks Oakley.  The image is gray and the background has streaks that might be rain. There is text above the dog reading “Rain or Shine” with corresponding weather symbols. 

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Just Make It (through) 6

     Suit Up

Many service dogs are trained to step into their vests. I’ve been working on this with Oakley, and have progressed from luring him with a treat to simply holding the vest up. This means its time to add a command to the action...

Image Description: Soul stands on the left and holds a service dog vest out. Oakley is positioned to put his head through it. Soul is saying, “Suit up!”

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Just Make It (through) 5

     Why Are You Like This?

Oakley likes curling up between his dog bed and the walls of his crate. A few days ago he fell asleep with his head under his dog bed, instead of resting on it as is his usual.

Image description: a two panel comic. The first shows Oakley, a fluffy poodle mix, lying instead his crate beside  a large, luxurious dog bed. He has his head shoved under the bed. The image is labeled with an arrow pointing to each, “Dog Bed” and “Dog”. There is an ellipsis.

Bellow this panel the next is shows the entire room. Soul is on the left side, and has paused from their digital drawing to look at Oakley. His crate is all the way on the other side of the room. Soul is saying, “Why are you like this?”. In much smaller text wrapping around the speech bubble, Soul says, “Is that even comfortable?”

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Just Make It (through) 4       On Spectacles and Accessibility

When designing accessibly, people tend to think the distance to an elevator doesn’t matter. In fact, some designers seem to think putting it in a place as far and out of the way as possible is best. After all, it discourages people who don’t really need the elevator form using it. But this means that those who would benefit from the use of the elevator are discouraged from using it. And people who have no other option can also struggle with and suffer from the additional distance.

At this train station, the elevators are all the way at either end of the platform. They are so far away that two additional trains would be able to pull up and drop off passengers before running out of room. So every time I have to get off here with Storm I’m faced with a dilemma. When using an escalator with a service dog there is a risk of the dog getting caught in the mechanisms and getting injured or killed. So that’s not an option. I can either take the stairs, and risk fainting or causing a back up when the station is crowded, or I can use the elevator and risk fainting on the dim and mostly empty section of the platform.

Well, to work around this I usually hold my 60 pound dog on the escalator ride. And people tend to comment.

Image description: Multi panel comic that opens with Soul and Storm walking. The panel next to them shows the interior of a large train station, which is labeled, “train platform”. On the left track a train has pulled up. And on both platforms architecture containing stairs and an escalator are visible. Undistinguished figures walk the platform and disembark the train.

Beneath this is an aerial view or blueprint of the platform, an enlarged version is repeated just under this as well. There is an orange star labeled “You are here” and a dotted red line that passes a structured labeled “Stairs & escalators” and meanders all the way to the other side of the page where the accessibility symbol is labeled “elevator”.

Next there are a series of numbers and symbols. The first is the symbol for elevator, a symbol for service dog, equal sign, and a dog paw with the “don’t” symbol crossing it out. The second is the stairs symbol, an arrow, and a symbol of someone falling down the stairs. The third is the elevator symbol, and arrow, and a stick figure bent over to appear exhausted.

After this there is a small panel, which shows Soul holding Storm. Beside this there is a larger panel with the same view, but zoomed out so the surrounding structure of stairs and an escalator are visible. Also visible are two figures. They are saying to each other, “Squee!” “Oh my god!~” and “That is too funny!” surrounding these speech bubbles are heart emoji.

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Just Make It (through) 3      The First Fall with Marjorie

My sister is a nursing student at the University where I get my specialty care. She also acts as an aid for me, helping me to walk, reminding me when I need to leave home to make it to appointments, meeting me at the train station, signing in and out for me and so on.

Having a front row seat to my care enhances her education. But so does acting as a caregiver. However… sometimes things go wrong.

[Image Description: A multi panel comic. The first row has four panels of Soul leaning against, and circling around, a pole. Soul is saying, “Marjorie, I’m lost” / “I’m dizzy.” / “Help.” as fae circle.

The second row is one long panel. Marjorie has appeared in front of the pole. She is dressed in a white lab coat. She says, “I’m here. You’re okay. Why don’t you stop walking?” Soul responds with, “K”.

The next row is another set of four panels, Soul staggers across the background before going “Splat!”

The next panel pulls away, showing Soul prone on the ground and Marjorie standing with her hand on her hip. She says, “Soul!” / “You’re such a disaster.” Soul responds with “Yea.”

Marjorie helps Soul up, one arm under Soul’s elbow, the other on faer shoulder. Marjorie says, “Are you alright?” Soul says, “Yeah.” Then, in a smaller panel inside this one, a man that has been in the background speaks up and asks, “Ma’am is everything alright?” Marjorie says, “What? Oh, yes, this is normal.”

The next panel is a close up of Marjorie and Soul. Marjorie looks alarmed and is saying, “Wait!” / “They don’t know I’m your sister!” / “They think I’m your nurse”. Soul says, “Deep breaths.” and looks unamused by faer sister’s freak out.

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Just Make It (through) 2       Because We’re Here

Things have been challenging lately. Watching John Green’s latest vlog, of the same title, was one of the few true comforts I’ve experienced over the past few weeks. The lyrics over rode my intrusive thoughts of failing Storm, of not being good enough, of how much pain I was in, and how little energy I had.

I played a clip of a World War I soldier singing the tune on repeat. I heard and felt the words. And I understood them to be both rejoicing in the triumph of survival and acknowledging the near meaninglessness and pure happenstance of the same.

I see it both as the way the soldiers of World War I meant it and as the way John Green has come to interpret it. I held both truths in my heart as I held Storm in my arms and I cried.

And after a while I felt better.

You can support this project on Patron, where I am HopeandHandler. There is a link on my sidebar.

[Image Description: Soul and Storm lay down on a bed. Soul holds Storm, his forehead resting against faer chin and his nose almost poking faer eye. Soul has one arm petting Storm’s jaw and another around his lower neck. The bed has a purple cushioned head board and rainbow sheets. Over this background are the words “we’re here because, we’re here because, we’re here…” repeated over and over again, falling off the image in every direction.]

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Just Make It (through) 1       The Cow Says Moo

I purchased a toy off warehouse deals on amazon. Little did I know it had a speaker which played prerecorded animal noises at a rather high volume in the center. Allowing the dogs access to it got in the way of my studying. So I decided to take it with me to my service dog training class and leave it there. It would be useful to train distractions.

Little did I know that my walking would jostle the toy enough to set it off. We got a couple of strange looks that day.

You can support this project on Patron where I am hopeandhandler. Additionally, you can find the link on my side bar.

[Image Description: Soul and faer service dog, Storm, are viewed from behind as they walk down a block of row homes. Soul has a back pack that is emitting several sounds including, “AAWHOO!,” “Oink Oink,” “Moo,” “Ribbit Ribbit,” “Baaaa,” “RAAWR!,” and “Gobble Gobble”. The text for the sounds covers large sections of the background.]

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Artist Statement for Just Make It (through)

You can support this project on Patron where I am hopeandhandler. Additionally, you can find the link on my side bar.

[Image description: a lined note book page with the sentence “I will not let perfect be the enemy of good” written over and over again. The hand writing changes, becoming more loose and messy the further down the page it goes.]

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Just Make It (through) stars me! I’m a disabled art student just trying to make it through college. My lovely costars are Branka and Storm, service dogs who help me out each step of the way. These comics share the stories of our ADLs (Adventures of Daily Living).

You can support this project on Patron where I am hopeandhandler. (Link in side bar.)

[Image description: Soul walks with faer service dog Storm. Both are in profile. Soul has a shaved head with two large scars on faer scalp. Fae is carrying a box full of art supplies and has plaster dust on faer jeans. Storm watches Soul as he walks. He has a curled tail and white markings with tan points. Above the two of them  are the words “Just Make It (through)” in a hand written font. The world “through” is lower case and in parentheses.]