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Watch Jennifer Arnold of the Canine Assistants Program give a wonderful description of the amazing connection between a person and a dog in this ministry.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Watch Jennifer Arnold of the Canine Assistants Program give a wonderful description of the amazing connection between a person and a dog in this ministry.
Oh dear — I am sitting next to my boy who is not yet out of anesthesia from some work that had to be done on his paw at the vets — the paw got pierced by some fishhook thorns while outdoors training.
What an absolute blessing he is. A gift from God right to me.
He’ll be taking it easy today near a little sun heater while I work at home. I am so fortunate to have Brand.
My wife is a recipient of a Golden Retriever from Canine Assistants. We went there in October 2004 for a two-week class. There were 13 recipients and 15 dogs for them to work with. After each class in which commands were taught to us, the recipients worked with a different dog for about 5-minute cycles for a total of 15 minutes. We kept track of the virtues and vices of each dog, for help in selection. Before we went, Debi filled in a questionnaire, as did I, her aide, her mother, and the supervisor of her volunteer work. That gives the trainers a chance to best match the personality of the dog with that of the recipient. Rufus was Debi’s last dog of the first day. The second day he was third in her rotation. When she went to get him, instead of putting his muzzle on her lap(“visit”), he leapt into her lap, put a paw on each shoulder, and laid his head next to hers. The dogs were all put in kennel cages during our classes, and Rufus whined and scratched to be let out to find his human. To this day, if we are in a doctor’s office and she has to leave him with me, he whines, paces, and tries to go find her. People now recognize Rufus, and sometimes will call from a doctor’s office to remind Rufus to tell his mistress that she has an appointment. He is next to her all day, provides companionship and support while I am at work, and if she drops something he is on the spot to pick it up for her.
The folks at Canine Assistants are wonderful. Deb was on a waiting list for about 4 years, as dogs are given to recipients based on location and local sponsorship. Our sponsor, in addition to Milk Bone, was Bi-Lo stores. Every day is a delight, and a great blessing. We thank God daily for the gift of Rufus.