While it is always exciting to go on an adventure, it is also great to
come home to Saratoga Springs. Many of my regular readers know I spent
the last two weeks as a student at the Northeast Regional Training
Center of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).
What an amazing experience! I was one of ten students with various disabilities who were invited to train at the center. After the first three days, each of us was matched up with a professionally-trained companion dog. Throughout the two weeks we worked 8 hours a day learning how to effectively handle the dog that would soon come home with us to be a helper and a faithful companion.
During this very intensive training period, the dogs lived with us in our dorm rooms. We heard lectures each day and engaged in group and/or individual practice sessions. There were daily quizzes, homework assignments, a final exam and very little down time. There were five professional dog trainers who were very demanding, At times it felt like we were in a type of boot camp. As you can imagine there were moments of frustration as well as moments of joyful success. During all this, the ten of us quickly became a tight group and before the end, we all had gained not only an assistance dog, but also many new friends--people we will never forget.
I am just beginning to sort out all that I learned at CCI, but I plan to devote my next several columns to describing what we learned about dog handling. It will be a real pleasure to share these stories with the readers of Saratoga Today. I thought I would begin by printing the graduation speech that I wrote for the group.
The CCI fall class of 2009 all agrees that this experience, this very special gift, has been an amazing event in our lives. I describe it as a "moment of time, out of time." What I mean by this is that these two weeks of working and living with these marvelous dogs seemed like a period when ordinary time stood still. And in that space of "time out of time" we could focus entirely on the one task--bringing these animals into our lives to help us cope with each of our personal challenges. Some of us have children with special needs. Others of us have had our adult lives interrupted by challenging illnesses. What we all have in common is the will to live life to the fullest and to do so with love and personal strength. But now we have a four-legged helping partner to accompany us on our life's journey.
During our time at CCI we found encouragement and guidance from a dedicated staff and highly skilled trainers. We also found among ourselves new friendships that we will never forget. We cheered each other on and helped each other out. We heard each other's stories but there was no pity, only admiration. We each thought we were given the smartest, the sweetest, or simply the best dog, and we all agreed our trainers knew what they were doing when they matched us up with our canine companions.
We all wrote a bit about how our two weeks of training with our CCI dog has already changed us. Here are a few excerpts from our personal essays:
For someone who has never had a dog before, this has been an amazing experience. In addition to my initial bonding with our CCI dog, Thea, it has been touching to see my son, Benjamin cuddling with "his dog" and taking the responsibility of feeding and brushing him. He has even promised not to open the car door prematurely and give the command "release!" - Lana Oresky
My son Marky has improved beyond my expectations. I can only imagine what it will be like as the months pass. The constant drone he makes while riding in the car has turned into giggles and laughter. He is a happier boy because of our CCI dog, Ivory. What a beautiful experience for me to see this change in him. - Mark DeMarzio Brandon was born healthy but at 13 months he was given a medication that caused muscle and brain damage. He is a sweet kid that loves animals so much that sometimes when the dogs are playing in the CCI yard, he thinks they are getting hurt and he cries. Brandon's father and I must fight for his equipment, his therapies, and more. With CCI, however, all we had to do was accept a tremendous gift. Our CCI dog, Elizabeth, is going to change Brandon's life. Brandon will always have a friend. Dogs love unconditionally and Elizabeth will be in Brandon's heart forever. - Alicia Judd
We also wrote about some funny moments at CCI. For example, pretty little Clare who at first was afraid of the dogs coming too close, was soon seen in the play yard smiling, squealing and laughing when a herd of dogs came flying by her almost knocking her over in her wheelchair. And we won't soon forget how Brandon flirted with the CCI photographer, Jennifer, by pulling his hood over his head and peeking out to see her in the lunchroom.
Hillary also made us all smile as she danced across the floor in her mini-skirt, black tights and boots. Then there was me getting lost every time while driving to our field trip locations. We also enjoyed how David's CCI dog, Kinsel, had a tail that wagged in tight circles like a helicopter ready to lift off the ground. It was also classic when Nancy's CCI dog, Monty, peed in the ladies department in Macy's. Finally, most of us learned with envy that soon Brittney's CCI dog, Shawnee will soon join the snowbirds migrating to Florida with her new family every winter.
To close, I would like to read a short poem that Nancy shared with the rest of us in the Fall 2009 graduating class:
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
you are his life, his love, his leader.
he will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
you owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
There was hardly a dry eye in the audience at graduation. It was a tremendously moving occasion. My new dog is a male lab and Golden mix named Moses II. Next week I will write more about him and more about the CCI team training. Happy Thanksgiving!
During this very intensive training period, the dogs lived with us in our dorm rooms. We heard lectures each day and engaged in group and/or individual practice sessions. There were daily quizzes, homework assignments, a final exam and very little down time. There were five professional dog trainers who were very demanding, At times it felt like we were in a type of boot camp. As you can imagine there were moments of frustration as well as moments of joyful success. During all this, the ten of us quickly became a tight group and before the end, we all had gained not only an assistance dog, but also many new friends--people we will never forget.
I am just beginning to sort out all that I learned at CCI, but I plan to devote my next several columns to describing what we learned about dog handling. It will be a real pleasure to share these stories with the readers of Saratoga Today. I thought I would begin by printing the graduation speech that I wrote for the group.
The CCI fall class of 2009 all agrees that this experience, this very special gift, has been an amazing event in our lives. I describe it as a "moment of time, out of time." What I mean by this is that these two weeks of working and living with these marvelous dogs seemed like a period when ordinary time stood still. And in that space of "time out of time" we could focus entirely on the one task--bringing these animals into our lives to help us cope with each of our personal challenges. Some of us have children with special needs. Others of us have had our adult lives interrupted by challenging illnesses. What we all have in common is the will to live life to the fullest and to do so with love and personal strength. But now we have a four-legged helping partner to accompany us on our life's journey.
During our time at CCI we found encouragement and guidance from a dedicated staff and highly skilled trainers. We also found among ourselves new friendships that we will never forget. We cheered each other on and helped each other out. We heard each other's stories but there was no pity, only admiration. We each thought we were given the smartest, the sweetest, or simply the best dog, and we all agreed our trainers knew what they were doing when they matched us up with our canine companions.
We all wrote a bit about how our two weeks of training with our CCI dog has already changed us. Here are a few excerpts from our personal essays:
For someone who has never had a dog before, this has been an amazing experience. In addition to my initial bonding with our CCI dog, Thea, it has been touching to see my son, Benjamin cuddling with "his dog" and taking the responsibility of feeding and brushing him. He has even promised not to open the car door prematurely and give the command "release!" - Lana Oresky
My son Marky has improved beyond my expectations. I can only imagine what it will be like as the months pass. The constant drone he makes while riding in the car has turned into giggles and laughter. He is a happier boy because of our CCI dog, Ivory. What a beautiful experience for me to see this change in him. - Mark DeMarzio Brandon was born healthy but at 13 months he was given a medication that caused muscle and brain damage. He is a sweet kid that loves animals so much that sometimes when the dogs are playing in the CCI yard, he thinks they are getting hurt and he cries. Brandon's father and I must fight for his equipment, his therapies, and more. With CCI, however, all we had to do was accept a tremendous gift. Our CCI dog, Elizabeth, is going to change Brandon's life. Brandon will always have a friend. Dogs love unconditionally and Elizabeth will be in Brandon's heart forever. - Alicia Judd
We also wrote about some funny moments at CCI. For example, pretty little Clare who at first was afraid of the dogs coming too close, was soon seen in the play yard smiling, squealing and laughing when a herd of dogs came flying by her almost knocking her over in her wheelchair. And we won't soon forget how Brandon flirted with the CCI photographer, Jennifer, by pulling his hood over his head and peeking out to see her in the lunchroom.
Hillary also made us all smile as she danced across the floor in her mini-skirt, black tights and boots. Then there was me getting lost every time while driving to our field trip locations. We also enjoyed how David's CCI dog, Kinsel, had a tail that wagged in tight circles like a helicopter ready to lift off the ground. It was also classic when Nancy's CCI dog, Monty, peed in the ladies department in Macy's. Finally, most of us learned with envy that soon Brittney's CCI dog, Shawnee will soon join the snowbirds migrating to Florida with her new family every winter.
To close, I would like to read a short poem that Nancy shared with the rest of us in the Fall 2009 graduating class:
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
you are his life, his love, his leader.
he will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
you owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
There was hardly a dry eye in the audience at graduation. It was a tremendously moving occasion. My new dog is a male lab and Golden mix named Moses II. Next week I will write more about him and more about the CCI team training. Happy Thanksgiving!
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