Submitted by Karen Stallings
Canine Assistants - www.canineassistants.com is a Milton, Georgia-based nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs free of charge to adults and children with physical disabilities and special needs. Because training can take up to a year and costs nearly $20,000, BJ Warehouse has partnered with Milkbone in sponsoring 25 service dogs since 1999.
One of the dogs, Polly, is a helper and best friend to seven-year-old Justin Narvaez, son of Tampa, Florida BJ's member, Sary Narvaez. Justin has Alexander Disease, a rare condition that damages nerve cells in the brain. Because he can't speak, his mother can't always tell how much he understands. But when Justin met Polly, his physical limitations were transcended by what Jennifer Arnold, founder of Canine Assistants, calls "a dog's power of unconditional acceptance."
Everyone, Narvaez says, could see the love and happiness on Justin's face: "Polly kissed his face - and he actually started laughing!" Communication is very hard for him. But he made a huge effort to tell Canine Assistants he wanted Polly. The trainers were worried that Polly wasn't advanced enough but Narvaez says she told them, "It was love at first sight. How can I say no?"
According to Narvaez, Polly sleeps with her head on Justin's chest and can tell when he's having a seizure. She also invents her own tricks. Trained to open doors, Polly lets the family's pet rabbit, Flowers, go into the house and open the pantry door. "Polly and Flowers open the Milkbone bag together and I can't get mad because Justin is laughing. That's what it's about - hearing his laughter. I just want him to laugh and be happy." View videos of Canine Assistants training camp sessions at http://www2.canineassistants.org/category/gallery/.
Karen Stallings is the Executive Director of the Association of Self-Advocates of North Carolina, Inc., an organization that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. ASANC has over 12,000 members and 42 local groups around the state of N.C., who meet and advocate for themselves. Karen attended the University of South Carolina, and is the CEO and founder of Disability Express, Inc. a newsletter for the disabled community. Karen has 25% cerebral palsy which affects her walking, speech and fine motor skills, but does not stop her from being heard regarding disability rights. For more information, visit http://www.asa-nc.org.