When
You Need a Helping Paw...
the
Role of Assistance Dogs for the Disabled
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