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Volume 19, No. 1 - Winter 2011 |
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Pooch Power: Dogs for Independence
Darlene Sullivan
Executive Director
Canine Partners For Life
George takes a hesitant first step away from his bed in the morning. His legs are weak, and the halting nature of his walk from Parkinson’s disease has the potential to send him to the floor with a crash. It’s tough for this veteran—who was always in shape and took pride in his physical abilities—to accept the challenges now facing him. However, he knows that the balance and support his canine partner provides will keep him safely on his feet. He grabs Smokey’s handle and they begin to walk, together.
Smokey is a service dog. George no longer uses his cane and walker, now that Smokey is in his life. Smokey’s assistance is much more stable and reliable. Smokey, who has learned George’s gait, is able to adjust his support in order to provide counterbalance or stabilization as needed. George has regained a sense of security about walking on bumpy ground, up steps and curbs, or on angled surfaces. With Smokey, the job of walking is no longer so fatiguing or dangerous. George loves that people are not looking at him with pity anymore. Instead, people are fascinated by his canine partner and the help he provides.
George’s story is not unique. For the past 20 years, Canine Partners For Life (CPL), http://k94life.org, located in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, has placed more than 400 full-service and home-companion dogs in 43 states with people who have a multitude of disabilities. CPL, an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International, focuses on creating independent person-dog teams and providing extensive follow-up support after graduation from its training program. CPL wants its dogs to make a person’s life easier, happier, safer, and more independent. They form partnerships that are unique and life altering, both emotionally and physically. CPL’s dogs give people the physical and mental strength to face life’s challenges, big and small.
Smokey’s help goes well beyond his walking support. He retrieves dropped items such as coins or keys; carries the newspaper, a lunch bag, or a brief case; alerts family members in the house when George needs help; opens and closes doors; tugs off clothing such as socks, pants, and jackets; and more. As helpful as all that is, the unconditional love that Smokey offers is what gets George out of bed and through his day. Now that his wife has passed away, Smokey is the key to helping George maintain his independence. They are partners in everything—24 hours a day.
Service dogs go through a two-year training program. They spend their first year with volunteers (either community volunteers or inmates in local prisons) who teach them basic obedience and social skills. At the start of the second year, the dogs are returned to the Canine Partners for Life kennel to work with professional trainers who thoroughly evaluate each animal for physical health, behavior, and temperament to determine its potential to help recipients with a variety of disabilities such as paralysis, amputation, arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, stroke, and seizure disorders. Some clients are ambulatory, while others use wheelchairs, scooters, canes, or walkers. Once a dog is matched with a human partner, the CPL staff trains each dog to meet his or her partner’s particular needs. The training is intense and wide-ranging. When it is complete, the dog is prepared to share the life of a human partner, increasing his or her independence, security, and health.
Anxiety, fear, and uncertainty often accompany disabilities. Service dogs can dramatically change these reactions. The presence of a canine partner can help ease stress and allow people to approach new things and no longer avoid difficult situations. In addition to their new emotional connection, people with service dogs notice a reduction in the wear and tear on their joints once their canine partner takes on physical tasks; this often allows them to walk and exercise long after doctors’ projected timetables.
Here is another scenario: Tim received his service dog, Painter, more than a year ago, pictured on the right below. “The greatest feeling in the world since I got Painter, my yellow Labrador,” he says, “is now people notice my dog and are not focused on my disability. Life has certainly changed since “Power Pooch” (that’s what my students call him) came onto the scene. I no longer have to worry about how I’m going to manage going up the steps at school and carry my briefcase at the same time, or negotiate the many curbs I encounter throughout the day. I also use a lot less energy because I do not have to exert as much picking up the many items I drop throughout the day. Yes, that’s right: Painter is there to help me with all of this and so much more. One of the first things I tell everyone about my new best friend is that I have not fallen since Painter came to join me. Sure, I still trip because of my toe drop caused by my Multiple Sclerosis, but Painter has picked up on my condition—now when I do trip, he slows and braces himself so I don’t go down. I can’t tell you how much that means to know I have that kind of support along with me everyday.”
“Besides the physical support I’ve been given with Painter, I have also been given a loyal, loving friend that accepts me for who I am no matter what. No matter how bad a day I’m having, he always seems to have a smile on his face and wag in his tail to cheer me up. He’s always there right beside me to listen to my troubles; he somehow understands and knows just when to give me an encouraging kiss. He truly is a Power Pooch.”
The application process to receive a service dog varies from organization to organization. CPL requires an application and an interview process. This is often done at the CPL campus, but it can be done by video or webcam. Applicants then complete a training course to help prepare for a service dog partner. Applicants attend a three-week team training at CPL’s campus to learn to work with, manage, and care for their canine partner. Teams receive extensive follow-up after graduation to ensure that they are meeting the goals they set out to achieve and remaining safe and independent.
If you want to learn more about service dogs, or you would like to apply for a service dog, make sure that you are dealing with an organization that is accredited by Assistance Dogs International. Visit assistancedogsinternational.org to ensure you are receiving a partner who has been trained to the highest standards and ethics within the industry. Click on “Member Program List & Links,” and then click on “Accredited Members.” Of course, we would be delighted if you visited us, as George and Tim did. For more information about our program, please visit k94life.org.
Canine Partners For Life (CPL) is a nonprofit organization located in Cochranville, Pennsylvania that trains and places dogs to assist individuals with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities. ■
