The reality of the future was starting to sink in. Nathan is a beautiful boy who is one of 5
children in our family and has the diagnosis of Autism. Nathan has such a tight bond with his
siblings that we have worried what he would do and how he would feel as
everyone grew up and moved on. Upon
attending a conference at Nathan’s school, the Carmen B. Pingree Center for
Children with Autism, our journey began.
The organization Canine Companions was in attendance at the conference
with two of their amazing dogs. Knowing
that Nathan loved dogs, I went and got him out of class and brought him to see
the dogs. The moment Nathan saw the dogs
he dropped to the ground and started snuggling and playing with the dogs. He was in total heaven. This could be a possible answer for
Nathan. A dog is not going to grow up
and move on with life. A companion dog
would do exactly that, be Nathan’s companion and buddy for its whole life. Not only that, this was a skilled dog that by
law was allowed anywhere Nathan went.
The dog was protected by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and
could go into any public place with no questions asked. This dog could go to the doctor with Nathan,
stay with him if he needs to stay in the hospital, go to the grocery store,
travel on the airplane (without needing to buy an additional plane ticket and
sitting by Nathan’s feet), go into any theme park, stay in a hotel room, movie
theater, restaurant, etc. So, I took
their information and immediately contacted them to start the process of
getting Nathan a Canine Companion.
After filling out all the necessary paperwork and going
through the interview process, we got the call.
Nathan had been matched with 2 possible dogs and they wanted us to go to
their training facility to be matched and get trained. Canine Companion is a non-profit organization
founded in 1975 that breeds, raises, and trains Golden Retriever, Labs and Golden
Retriever Lab mixed dogs. Through
donations and volunteers, families who apply and are accepted receive the dog
at No cost to themselves.
Nathan and I packed our bags and we were off to training in
Oceanside, California. Canine Companions
invites and allows you to stay at their facility free of charge. You stay in a private room where you share a
kitchen with the others participating in the training. Upon entering our room we found the largest
gift bag that I have ever seen. The
attention to detail was unbelievable.
The teachers in each class were very personable and understanding of
those with disabilities attending the class.
There was plenty of time to ask any and all questions or receive
additional help when needed. Amazing volunteers came each and every day and
donated their time to make us lunch.
These were not ordinary lunches; they could and often did feed us again
at dinner time.
We worked with different dogs each day until the day of
matching. Upon being matched it became
very obvious that this organization looked into every detail. The temperament and strengths of the dog was
taken into consideration and how that matched the needs of the child or
individual. These guys knew and
definitely know what they are doing.
Upon returning home we have found Nathans canine companion
to be such a blessing to his and all of our lives. The dog meets all the needs that Nathan
has. When taking Nathan and the dog out
into public I have found that we get more stares but not always in a bad
way. Nathan looks so “normal” that the
dog and his vest helps other to see that there is a reason that he is acting
the way he does.
I would strongly encourage anyone who has ever thought about
getting a canine companion for their child or individual with a disability, to
do it. You will not regret your
decision and it will benefit the person more then words could ever express.
Canine Companion has changed our lives in so many ways I
would not even begin to express or put into words. They truly are the best and unbelievable!! Canine Companion ~ 1-800-572-BARK(2275), info@cci.org or www.cci.org
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