Canine Companions for Independence sends out a quarterly newsletter about their great organization, the graduates, puppy raisers, and everything wonderful going on with their wonderful service dogs.
Yours truly and Caleb the Super Dog made it on the front page with this article:
Caleb the Super Dog
Something changed inside me this past May. It happened during my third day of team training at CCI’s Northeast Regional Campus, and my first day working with Caleb. I remember going back to my room that evening feeling the most incredible sense of happiness and inner peace I’d experienced since before my skiing injury. Over the next days these feelings only intensified as the CCI trainers taught me and Caleb how to work together and Caleb showed me all the incredible things he could do and his super desire to help out and please. This all culminated to the final day at CCI when Caleb and I graduated, and we got to share the perfect day with his puppy raisers and all the wonderful people that dedicate so much of their lives and love to CCI. I quickly realized how much this whole experience was going to change my life!
Upon returning home Caleb was an instant success! I was in the midst of building a super energy efficient, smart, automated home nicknamed Quadomated and Caleb quickly jumped to my aid opening/closing doors so that I could be a part of the construction (errr… check on the contractors) and even help the builders out by allowing me to get them a tool they forgot in the garage. He’s become so adapt at opening doors I’m starting to wonder if it still makes sense to automate them! And, all the smiles! As the weather’s grown nicer, I’ve been traveling all over town with my wheelchair doing all sorts of errands I would have never thought of doing before. We stop at the farm store where Caleb helps pay for veggies by grabbing my wallet off my lap, handing it to the cashier, and then carries the bag of produce back home. We go to restaurants together, watch Little League baseball games together, and spend days volunteering around town. All the while people are always smiling and approaching me in a way they never did before Caleb. He just makes everyone happy!
\Even now I can only smile as Caleb brings me his leash letting me now it’s time to get started on another day. CCI and all the folks who make your vision a reality, thank you for your tireless love and devotion to making these wonderful companions. I know you have certainly made such a wonderful difference in my life! Thank you!
If you’d like to read the whole newsletter or download a copy of your own click the front cover picture above and you’ll be directed to the newsletter at Canine Companions for Independence Northeast Regions site.
