Bark Vader the Service Dog

25/05/2022

✨ B R A G T I M E ✨

As you may have figured this past Saturday (May 21) was my graduation day for my Bachelor of Arts degree. I had to be there at about 8:15 for pictures and lineup (the ceremony started at 9:30). I haven’t had a migraine attack in probably about a month…well of course graduation day of all days would be the day I would get a migraine attack. WELL, this AMAZING pup began alerting to me at about 8:45 that I had a migraine attack coming on. He alerted once while walking back from the restroom and again once I got back in the lineup area. I had plenty of time so I ran out to my car and took my fast acting meds (and put another dose in his vest). Sure enough towards the beginning of the ceremony my attack began. The meds I took when he alerted kept it from getting too severe. However, the woman helping us lineup wouldn’t let me take my water bottle in so I couldn’t take another dose mid ceremony (despite me telling her about my condition). I also want to give a huge shoutout to a good friend and Vader’s biggest fan, Gracie, for making me feel loved and supported while sitting next to me in the ceremony.

I ended up crying towards the end from the pain and frustration. Frustrated because that day was supposed to be MY day to celebrate all of my hard work…and I had a migraine attack. While processing out I cut out of line as soon as I saw my family because I just couldn’t do it anymore. I took another round of meds, dad got me some water, and I was hugged by my boyfriend while I cried it out.

We went and got some quick lunch after to see if it would help any. The food helped enough to where I could drive (very slowly and followed by John) to my parents house to rest up before my graduation party at 6. I took some more meds later at my parents and was able to get rid of my attack by party time!

If it weren’t for Vader alerting I can’t imagine how much worse it could’ve gotten and I’m SO thankful for him doing so. I love this pup so much and I couldn’t be more grateful

22/05/2022

Vader agrees that the pup cups at Big Red's Cafe are 12/10 pawsome

19/05/2022

First photo: “Mom please take this stupid hat off of me. You’re embarrassing me and I hate you”

Last 4 photos: “Oh my gosh it’s my mom! Hi mom! I’m coming to give you kisses! I love you so much!”

18/05/2022

Look at this ✨distinguished✨ gentleman

More graduation pics to come soon

18/05/2022

No thought only ball

Tbh I just wanted an excuse to post this photo

04/05/2022

May the 4th be with you.
With love, your one and only Bark Vader

Please swipe to the end to see Vader try to catch a treat

Bandana by (on Etsy)

02/05/2022

We had a great time at Tuckfest 2022. We had a rough night Friday night which made me worry about the next two days but after consulting some of our favorite people (Diverse K9 Training, LLC and Smokey Oaks K9) we were able to work through some stress and overstimulation. Overall we had fun and got some sun.

17/04/2022

Happy Peepster from this handsome man to you!

08/04/2022

We attended part of Future Koala Day to ask a few questions about the Master’s program that I’ll be attending and about accommodations. I’ll be getting my Master’s degree in Trauma Informed Education and I’m so excited to start this fall!

Since the program is fully online it can be difficult for people who struggle with chronic migraine to work SO much on the computer. Accommodations are a great way to ensure I can get my degree and still take care of my health.

One thing I loved about Converse University and now Columbia College is that they are both small institutions so getting accommodations and actually KNOWING your professors and advisors is so much easier.

08/04/2022

Hey y’all!

We’re going to be receiving our custom stickers soon and will be selling them to help pay for some of my grad school fees. They are 1 for $5 or 2 for $8 (Venmo or Cashapp)

If you want to reserve one (or more) please message me with your name and how many of each you’d like. Once they arrive I’ll send you a message to get payment and address. There’s a limited stock of each and are first come first serve. Thanks!

As of April 7 we have:
33 Heckin’ Howdy stickers
6 Team stickers

31/03/2022

Y’all means all. No matter what this account is and always will be a safe space for all.

Martingale collar by Little Bear Biothane (Instagram)
Pride Puppuccino toy from Gift Spawt made by FuzzYard

23/03/2022

Happy National Puppy Day to my sweet Vader who’s not really “puppy size” anymore. It’s been so fun to see you grow up and into the Service Dog that you are today.

17/03/2022

Today we went on a shopping spree with my mom. We left the house at about noon and got back at about 5:45 this afternoon.

Overall he did really well. I was worried about his heel work since we haven’t worked on it a ton recently but we only had to correct a few times. Towards the end we started to struggle with body location awareness. We went to Tractor Supply and Pelicans last so he got to go off duty for a bit while he got his first pup cups of the season. Now we’re just trying to cool off inside before we go play some fetch later.

Chain martingale and multi-way leash by Little Bear Biothane
St. Pawtrick’s Day Vest by Grandma

14/03/2022

I want one

Buy What The Heel 2.0 merchandise from Diverse. Featuring Grey Triblend Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

04/03/2022

We had our first mall outing the other day and Vader did really well! We went near closing time so it wasn’t too incredibly busy which I think was best for him. We also only went into one store but for it being his first experience I’ll say it was a win. He passed those kids toy ride thingies will no problem and stayed in a down-stay while I tried on clothes. I’m so so proud of this boy and I’m so excited for our journeys to come

A huge thank you to the Torrid employees who were so kind and respectful of us. They made sure we had the ADA changing room and made sure to speak to me and not Vader. I love going places where I’m going to be treated like any other person

I’m still trying to figure out how to carry an ecollar remote, my cross body bag, treats, and his leash across my body but I think that’ll come with practice (or at least I hope it does)

02/03/2022

Happy birthday to the trainer that turned Vader’s leash manners and recall around. He’s Vader’s favorite trainer at DK9! Happy birthday Griffin!

Wishing a very very happy birthday to our O.G. team member, Griffin! We are grateful every day for you 🧡 Leave some kind birthday words in the comments!

27/02/2022

Blūm where you are planted

Tried a new local coffee shop a friend and we had a great time!

What’s your go to coffee order?

25/02/2022

My concussion and migraine story…let me start before the concussion occurred.

I began swimming for a summer league team and then for my high school team in 2012. So when I was provided the opportunity to swim for an NCAA Division II team I wasn’t going to let that pass. I LOVED swimming. Until November 7, 2017…I’ll remember that date for probably the rest of my life. It’s the day my life became permanently altered.

Our Swim Team was at an away meet (we had to stay the night) in North Carolina. The meet was over and it was time for warm downs. The way the pool was designed the side was slanted at a weird angle. When I pushed off the wall to start my laps I bonked the back of my head on the wall. Practically instantaneously I felt nauseous, dizzy, and overall blah. I thought maybe I was just sick from swimming hard and not eating enough. When we got to dinner at Cracker Barrel I spent half the time in the bathroom throwing up and couldn’t keep any food down. Coach soon realized that I had a concussion (I don’t even think I had realized it at that point). I’ve had numerous concussions in my life and this one was the icing on my little brain cake.

It took me roughly a month and a half to recover and start swimming again. I had even visited the hospital over winter break because my blood pressure had gotten too high (from pain). Once I started practicing again I began having the most intense migraine attacks. My blood pressure stayed high and the pain rarely ceased. My grades went down and so did my mental health. I began getting bullied by teammates that were saying I didn’t want to practice when in reality I would spend hours crying because the main reason I went to a Converse was to swim. I decided that summer to retire from swimming, I figured if I couldn’t swim bc of my pain why stay getting bullied over it.

Ever since then the migraine attacks have gotten worse. We still don’t have a definite answer on what causes the migraine attacks to occur. I still miss swimming to this day and hope to one day return to it.

I hope this answered some of your questions. Please feel free to ask more!

22/02/2022

Queen energy 🧡

We love Michele and Kaze!

Kamikaze and I were asked to do two more segments with our local news! Tune into WCNC Charlotte at 11am today to see the first one 🧡 Such a great opportunity and we are so thankful!

22/02/2022

I posted these on our Instagram yesterday and forgot to share here…

Happy National Love Your Pet Day to my ball loving, treat monching best friend. He brings me so much joy whether he’s working or not. I love every second we spend together. Love ya buddy. (Swipe to the end for a surprise)

Question of the day: What’s your favorite thing about your pet?

22/02/2022

We love Diverse K9 and Michele! Thanks for everything you’ve done over the last 4 years!

✨Cheers to 4 years!✨ Wow…. What a wild few years it’s been. 4 years ago today I took a leap of faith. 4 years ago today I decided to stand up for what I believed in. 4 years ago today I never would have imagined being where we are now. From Paws 2 You… to Diverse K9. Voted top 5 dog trainers in North Carolina, featured on the news (keep an eye out - we’ll be recording another segment with tomorrow morning!) We have grown from a one man show to a team of 5, and I truly couldn’t be more proud. I don’t think it will ever actually feel real that this is my job and my life, but I’m grateful every damn day. Thank you for the most incredible last 4 years. Here’s to MANY more 🧡✨

21/02/2022

We just received ours and we LOVE it! Our two favorite items are our handmade leash for Vader and a dinosaur Beanie Baby (named Tooter) for myself! Thank you so much to the Chronically Beautiful team!

To all of my Winter Care Package Recipients:

It has been SO WONDERFUL getting to know you through your applications, reading your stories, and personalizing your packages. Thank you for sharing your journey with me and giving me a little glimpse into your heart.

I hope when you open your care package you will feel that I've now given you a little piece of my heart and I hope with each item you know how much you are LOVED and CARED for.

We weren't meant to suffer this much alone. And I'm sure there are people who think I'm totally nuts for doing what I do with . But my short response to that is that I LOVE being nuts. I love throwing my heart to people who need an emergency life jacket. I've been the one who needs it sometimes, so you're not alone when you need it too.

My favorite part of shipping is when we pray over all of the boxes. I know that the love of God is in each of your boxes as well, and He is with ALL of you through your journey.

Hang in there fellow warriors. There are better days ahead. ❤️❤️❤️

18/02/2022

Did you know we’re hosting a giveaway on our Instagram? Details listed below!

We wanted to give back to all of the amazing paws and people that follow us! What better way to say “thank you” than with a giveaway? Read below for more details:

Prizes include:
- $10 Tailgate Pups gift card
- A custom collar from Yellow Pawprints
- SYCBSirius Star Wars bandana courtesy of Anna(kin)
- A bag of Nutro Mixed Berry treats (Vader’s favorites)
- Darth Vader squeaky toy
- $5 Starbucks gift card
- Star Wars Socks

How to Enter:
1. Follow us and all of our featured friends on Instagram
2. Comment your favorite Star Wars character
3. Tag a friend (up to 5 people)

For additional entries:
1. Share to your story and tag us every day for an additional entry (one per day)
2. Donate to Diverse K9 Training, LLC “Service Dog for a Veteran” GoFundMe for extra entries (link in my about section). Each dollar donated is worth 1 extra entry. For example if you donate $10 you get 10 extra entries. Send me a screenshot of your proof of donation for the entries to be added.

Additional Details:
- Giveaway ends on Vader’s 2nd birthday (September 20, 2022) or when we reach 1,000 followers, whichever comes first
- Must be following us and all shops on Instagram to be eligible
- US residents only (if you are outside of the US you will be required to cover additional shipping costs)
- This giveaway is not in affiliation with Instagram
- Winner will be announced in a post and on our story!
- Please feel free to message me with any questions

👇🏻Click on this link to go to our post and enter👇🏻
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfh8GLLtAV/?utm_medium=copy_link

18/02/2022

Confidence building…some people don’t realize that building a dog’s confidence is a CRUCIAL part in working with dogs. Myself included until Vader went to Diverse K9. Vader used to be so skittish of anything loud, big objects moving near him, and strangers (specifically men). I’ve had to learn how to build up Vader’s confidence to set him (and myself) up for the best situation possible. Vader’s current favorite confidence builder is doing his tricks. I’ll put him on a cart, pallet, or rock and just ask him for a few “howdies” or “kisses” and he’s ready to work soon after. Since getting him back almost a month ago we’ve worked on confidence every time we go somewhere and it’s made a major difference in our handling and experience.

Question of the day: What’s your favorite confidence builder?

17/02/2022

We had a great day of training with all of our DK9 and Smokey Oaks friends. We also had lots of great conversations and laughs. I’m so glad I’ve met this group of incredible trainers and handlers. I’m even more grateful to be able to call these people our friends. Thanks for the memories.

Swipe to the end for a grumpy cowboy pic.

16/02/2022

Hey y’all! We have some new followers on here so I wanted to reintroduce myself. My name is Rainy and I am Vader’s handler. Vader is my first Service Dog so we’re learning a lot together. I live with chronic migraine. My chronic migraine affects my everyday life even if I don’t have an attack. I also deal with chronic pain and fatigue on a regular basis. I just recently finished my undergrad at Converse University and became a certified Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I am the Head Coach for 2 Special Olympic teams, Stand-up Paddleboard and Swimming (Fundamental Group). I am applying to teaching jobs and grad school at the moment. While I wait I’m taking my free time to train Vader and have fun.

A few fun facts about me:
1. My favorite color is lavender.
2. I can say my alphabet backwards.
3. Me and my boyfriend have 2 pet basset hounds named Marley and George (they appear on my story sometimes).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaCOAqlL0N5/?utm_medium=share_sheet

16/02/2022

Some virtual Valentine’s Day cards we made for some of our friends on Instagram!

16/02/2022

Hey y’all,

My name is Rainy and this is my Service Dog in Training, Bark Vader.

I have an Instagram account where I share our journey of Vader’s training and cute photos of him doing his job but figured I’d bring it to Facebook as well. I hope to be able to bring y’all some fun, cute, and educational content! Thanks for the like and follow!

Feel free to follow our Instagram as well if you’d like it’s .sd