Canine Companions
Life with a Canine Assistant
Richard Wallack
After being on the waiting list for about 4 years, I finally got my canine assistance dog Ebbet in January of 2004. Ebbet is a playful 3-year-old golden retriever. I have LOTS and over the past few years have experienced a lot of muscle and nerve degeneration. In my early twenties, I experienced a marked increase in degeneration. My handwriting got worse and I had hand tremors. In just a few years time, I went from a cane to a rolling walker and am now confined to a wheelchair. I have lost many of the fine motor skills in my hands and arms and have noticed increasing weakness in my arms in recent months. Ebbet helps me with so many tasks I used to be able to do myself. He is able to turn lights on and off and can pick up keys, the phone or the TV remote control if I drop it. He ensures my safety at home and when we are out. Before, when I was out at a store or on the train, I was unsure of myself. Now when he is with me, I feel more secure. He’s also a great companion.
I first heard about canine assistance dogs from counselors at the Shepherd Spinal Center and we were discussing how to best adapt to everyday tasks as my disease progresses. At that time, I was not yet in a wheelchair. By the time a dog became available, I was in a wheelchair. I went through a week-long on-site training at Canine Assistance Center before I could take Ebbet home. At the center they let the dog pick their person, and Ebbet picked me. I thought it was fitting since I was born in New York and Ebbet was named for Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.
One of the great things Ebbet has done for me is open doors of communication. Many times before I got Ebbet, I’d be out in public and people would never look at me or try to talk to me. They seem to look right through you. I felt like the invisible man. When I have Ebbet with me, many people are attracted to him and they ask me about him and then they ask about me. I enjoy telling people how helpful he is to me and what a great personality he has. When he is with me, it lessens the fact of my disability and puts the focus on him.
Ebbet is helpful to me in other ways without even knowing it. Brushing his teeth and brushing out his fur helps keep my hands and arms in shape. Feeding, watering and walking him help keep me on a schedule and give me a daily purpose. It keeps me in a routine where I don’t get bogged down and bummed out thinking about my future and my disease.
I guess the best parts about him aren’t really the tasks he helps me with. It’s his companionship and that he makes me laugh. He’s my child, my partner and my friend…and, oh, yes, he is my second Jewish mother! He gives me independence and makes me feel like I am not such a burden on my parents and my family. He’s the official greeter at my apartment. When he knows someone is at the door, he is right there to say hello. When the phone rings, he’s off the couch and at the phone like it was for him. He makes me smile and laugh every day.
Sometimes, when I’m down, he acts sad too, but it’s hard to stay down if you have him around. When I just look at him, it makes me smile. He has such funny quirks and mannerisms. Sometimes he will lie on his couch and make a groaning noise like he has such a tough life. Other times, he challenges me with his favorite toy, a tug-of-war rope.
Resources for Assistant Dogs
Assistance Dogs International, Inc. (ADI) |
Canine Assistants |
Canine Assistance Partners Inc. E-mail: CAP@anlol.org Website: www.canineassist.org Canine Assistance Partners is a non-profit agency dedicated to the training and provision of specific ally qu ali fied working dogs to assist physic ally and emotion ally disabled individuals so that they may obtain a greater degree of personal freedom, independence, and self-reliance. |
Canine Companions for Independence ( CCI ) |
International Association of Assistance Dogs Partners |
Loving Paws Assistance Dogs |
Paws With A Cause® (PAWS) |
Support Dogs, Inc. Website: www.supportdogs.org |