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I have
been blessed. After I found out that I had Parkinson’s Disease, I
took on the challenge to raise a puppy for someone with a disability.
Little did I realize I would be the beneficiary of the fruits of my
labor. Cary came to me at eight weeks of age. It was such a
wonderful time in our lives, and luckily still is. It’s amazing how you
can integrate work into your daily life and have it turn into fun. Cary
brought out the kid in me that I didn’t realize I had tucked so far
away. Cary is now 2-1/2 years old. I taught him all of his
obedience commands and introduced how to “brace” for when I lose
balance or need help getting up. He learned to check on me with a
slight turn of his head when walking on a leash.
A trainer from Canine Helpers came to my home for a week to help
expand Cary’s training so he could do more for me. Cary now knows how
to guide me through tight spaces. Part of my Parkinson’s symptoms is
freezing up while trying to walk through narrow spaces; for example,
between parked cars or tables in a restaurant, etc. If I need to find
my family, I can tell Cary to “go get help”. He will find them and
bring them back to me. I tend to overestimate my capabilities at times…
Thankfully Cary is there to save the day. Cary is unquestioning,
patient with my hesitations in speech, and connecting thoughts to
words. He just looks at me and waits kindly until what needs to be said
can be vocalized.
Cary is not only a great helper, but emotionally he has
a calming effect on me. He seems to know just when a nudge is needed to
sooth me. A while ago Cary had a severe reaction to his booster
shot. Shortly after, he climbed into his kennel, put his head down,
closed his eyes and didn’t move. I yelled in such a panic, “Cary, let’s
go!” A second later he picked himself up and wobbled out. God gave him
back to me. He had a higher purpose to attain before his time was up:
to be my helper and to spread the word about how important dogs can be
for Parkinson’s people and others with disabilities. |
