MDF Magazine Issue 53 August 2017

People
My assistance
dog, Dalton
By David Morgan
I have had dogs for most of my life and really enjoy
having a dog. After being diagnosed with a progressive
condition like inclusion body myositis (IBM), I
knew it would affect the use of my hands. I thought
it would be useful to have a dog that could help me
with things I could no longer do.
I started to research charities that provide assistance
dogs, and wondered if they considered people
like me (with my condition) in their profile.
I realised I had to think about whether I was worthy
and capable of looking after a dog, especially
thinking about the future. With all these questions in
mind, I found a charity called Canine Partners who
seemed a good fit for me. I began the application for
an assistance dog.
This involved firstly a form-filling exercise. Then I
had to get three health professionals to report that I
was ok to take care of a dog and that I fit the charity’s
profile for having an assistance dog.
If the process goes well, you are approved and invited
to their training facility to meet them and some
trained dogs for a demonstration of their skills. Then
you go on a waiting list, which – as their dogs are in
demand – is around 12 to18 months.
The puppies are trained in basic obedience by a
“Puppy Parent” – volunteers who raise the puppy
for roughly a year. Then they go for advanced training
at the charity’s facility for 16 weeks. When they
have met a standard, they are matched with someone
on the waiting list.
When I was matched with my dog, I was invited
down to meet the dog for a day. We discussed the
requirements of my personal situation, in an effort
to match me with the qualities of the dog and to
finalise his training to meet my needs as much as
possible.
After the dog finished his training, I was booked
on a two-week residential course to train me and
the dog together. The first week was mostly training
in an inside arena where all basic situations
were practised together. Then in the second week
we spent every day at a local shopping centre practising
going through shops, lifts and so on. It was
a very valuable experience. The staff and trainers
were encouraging and very positive.
My dog, Dalton, is a three-year-old Labrador. He is
still a definite teenager in the way he acts, on his
down-time off lead in the park he is a manic teenager!
Everyone I meet thinks he is gorgeous and he
loves the attention. He gets distracted easily, so it is
a job to keep his attention and keep him focused.
At home he is quiet and compliant until the doorbell
goes, then his exuberant nature often gets the
better of him! But that’s what makes his character
interesting.
Dalton is able to help me by picking up dropped objects
from the floor, opening and closing doors and
lowering footplates on my wheelchair. He also helps
me to take off my socks and put on and take off
my coat. He is trained to activate the Lifeline emergency
call machine; on the command “ALARM”, he
touches the button with his nose. This has to be
practiced monthly and from different parts of the
house so he doesn’t forget how to do it.
I have had Dalton now for 10 months. It has been
demanding and because of my muscle and general
fatigue, it can be extremely tiring at times. But the
situation is a positive and growing experience. It
gets me out there exercising the dog, and I enjoy
how other people react to seeing my assistance dog
and engage in conversation.
The company/partnership bond with a dog is a special
one. It’s different from having a carer, although
it isn’t an either/or situation; I need the help of a
carer too in doing the things a dog can’t do.
Article published 28/11/2016 online at: http://
www.musculardystrophyuk.org/blog/ my-assistance-dog-dalton/
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