Mome reads Mommy, My daughter's way to spell it when she was younger... It stuck. My son calls me Mome... just like it looks. I now sign all my notes to them "Love, Mome". It's our inside secret and makes them smile. I always want them to smile.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Dogs for the Cause


I've mentioned Paws in previous posts but after my visit home and seeing first hand what a help My Step-Mom's dog Colonel is to her, I felt an urgent need to revisit this very worth while foundation.
Paws is celebrating 30 years of training and placing assist dogs with individuals of varying disabilities and each dog is trained specifically for their owners own needs. I had been told how helpful Colonel is, but it took seeing him in action to fully realize what a magnificent job Paws has done in their training of this dog.
My Step Mom has Multiple Sclerosis, and has pretty much lost all feeling in her legs, but she refuses to give in and is determined to walk for as long as she is able. Due to the lack of feeling and her unwavering stubbornness, she frequently loses her balance and falls. Colonel places himself staunchly in front of her and allows her to use him as a brace to lift her off the floor. I personally witnessed this on 2 occasions and it was amazing.
Colonel is also trained to retrieve fallen or out of reach objects, which proved to be a challenge...for me. Anything at eye level or below is to be picked up and taken to his owner. Upon our arrival, I set my purse on the floor and went to retrieve the rest of our luggage from the car. I came back into the house only to realize that my purse was gone. Colonel had dutifully picked it up and had taken it to "mommy". This went on all weekend. While changing Puddin Pop, I would have to wedge her PJ's between my legs so they would not instantaneously be picked up and taken to grammy. I finally caught on. While cooking, if a utensil is dropped, Colonel is right there to pick it up. He also retrieves a ringing (or not) phone, opens and holds doors and on top of all that, is one of the sweetest, most loving dogs I have ever met. I should have pictures, but neglected to take my camera. I will post picks as soon as I receive the ones others took during our visit.
Thank You Paws for a Wonderful Assist Dog and allowing My Step-Mom her independence.
Thank You Colonel for being a loving and very helpful addition to the family.


For more information on Paws with a Cause or to make a donation to this very worthy cause click the logo above.
Thanks

1 comment:

  1. Rachele, I believe you have photos of colonel now. I also have ones of the step mom with him. Let me know if you'd like to post them here.

    ReplyDelete

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