For
quite some time organizations have been providing dogs to individuals with
special needs. These organizations have enabled disabled people to live
independent, productive lives through the placement of specially trained
canines. Most organizations tend to specialize on a particular service
such as Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs, or Service Dogs though some organizations
are now stepping forth and providing dogs for individuals with multiple
needs. What happens though when an individual has the need for an assistance
dog that can accomodate all of these dimensions? After years of attempting
to get a dog trained for me, I realized that training a dog for my multiple
needs would require such an enormous effort, that the option to owner-train
my own assistance dog through the knowledge, encouragement and support
of an independent dog trainer might be the best avenue for me to pursue.
This approach takes a lot of dedication and for most people it is really
not a viable option; although, if you have the time, energy, and
desire to be a part of your dog's training, the rewards can be enormous.
The result of my realization was Chimette.
A beautiful Border Collie/ Shepherd cross born in December 1996. He became
a part of my family through the wonderful efforts of the CARE
facility when he was six months old. Though the road has not been the one
of the path most travelled with him, the life impact has been enormous-
not just for myself but also for Chimette. After 9 years of service, he
continues to faithfully mitigate my multiple progressive disability
needs enabling me to remain independent in my daily life. The independence
I have had over the past 9 years is solely due to our magnificent partnership.
It has made every moment and dollar spent on this endeavor seem insignificant
compared to what he has given in return.
I have multiple disabilities which encompass
mobility, visual, and hearing issues along with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
(Also known as Environmental illness). It takes a special kind of dog to
assist a person in just one of these areas- to find a dog who can take
on such an enormous job is frankly unheard of. It didn't take long for
me to realize what a gem I had been blessed with.
At nine months of age, he alerted me to
a signal device for my doorbell that was smoking because it had malfunctioned
and remained on. I kept trying to ignore him and catch some more rest,
but he was ever vigilant and insisted until I finally got up to see what
he wanted. He soon began alerting me to the telephone and the door as well.
It's natural for dogs to tell you about the door- but the phone was a signal
that I really needed and Met sensed this. If I missed a flashing light
signalling the door or phone, he would get my attention and show me the
light. Today Met is my signal to sounds unheard.
More times than I could count, he instinctually
intervened to provide me with the assistance he felt I needed. At under
1 1/2 years of age he prevented me from falling off curbs due to my failing
vision by simply refusing to walk any further- when I finally asked him
to show me what was wrong, he redirected me the right direction to where
the curbcut really was. Fine tuning his instincts along with training some
non-instinctual skills into his routine has given me the independence I
had only dreamed of.
Today if I drop items, get disoriented
with my visual loss, or just need a friend- it is Met who I can lean upon.
He is an extension of me. I no longer have to worry about not hearing the
door or phone. I no longer have to worry about falling off curbs or crossing
busy streets. I no longer have to grab a cumbersome reacher device when
I drop things or ask strangers to help. I no longer fumble through change
and worry because I dropped some on the floor. I no longer have to struggle
to get my shoes, socks, or pants off when my body is refusing to cooperate.
I have a 24/7 partner who jumps to the task at hand. He certainly fills
the shoes of his knickname, as he certainly has *Met* all my needs. And
yet, as this writing is hitting the web, I am dealing with this gut wrencing
pang in my heart, that one that all of us partnered with aging service
dogs has, the pang that his working days may be on borrowed time. So each
outing we take, each morning we get up and each night as we hit the sack,
I make certain to make the best of each day we have. He may wind up retiring
and live for years to come or he may work until the very end... but reality
is that sometime I will be forced to take on another partner, to break
the working bond I have with Met and move towards the future. It won't
be easy for me or for the successor dog, but when the time comes we will
know, it will be the right thing. The pup will have awesome paws to fill-
living up to Chimette's legacy.
Words
from the Heart
Bonds
that Can't Be Broken
© 1997 - 2010
page design, graphics and photo editing
by Karyn LaGrange
