Good dogs! Summit Assistance Dogs is a heart-warming CFD choice
| By Peter Kelley University Week |
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Editor's note: Through the 2010 Combined Fund Drive campaign, University Week will spotlight agencies that receive CFD funds and members of the UW community who volunteer for such organizations. The theme of this year's drive is "Imagine the Difference We Can Make."
Michelle Munro is not only president of the board of Summit Assistance Dogs of Anacortes -- one of 2,800-some agencies that get support from the Combined Fund Drive -- she's also a contented client whose own assistance dog helped her rejoin the world after illness.
"He changed my life," Munro said of Hayden, the shaggy "Labradoodle" who came her way through Summit after being donated by a dog breeder in Idaho. Hayden helps Munro with balance and mobility, coping with the effects of a rare autoimmune disease that struck her several years ago, and its after-effects.Read More
Dana, who lives in East Wenatchee, Washington, was matched with professional therapy dog Marley in April of 2010. Dana is pursuing a career in Long-Term Care Administration and recently earned his Nursing Home Administrator’s License and his Assisted Living Administrator’s License. He wanted a professional therapy dog to brighten the lives of people living in long-term care facilities. Marley rises to the occasion every day when she accompanies Dana to work and brings sunshine and smiles to the residents at his facility.
Louise, who lives in Seattle, had to have one of her legs amputated above the knee due to a post-surgery infection. She uses a manual wheelchair, and cloud is able to help her with tasks like opening and closing doors and retrieving dropped items. Louise works at the University of Washington’s Cascadia campus two days a week and uses public transportation to get to work, with Cloud at her side and always eager to help. She was paired with Cloud, a lovely Yellow Lab, in April of 2010 after a three-year wait as an applicant. They bonded very quickly and have become a wonderful partnership.
Sherry, of Orcas Island, Washington, was paired with service dog Luc during our spring team training back in April, and her life has changed dramatically since Luc came into her life. She says he has brought incredible joy to her life and helped make her more approachable. Sherry has primary lateral sclerosis, a progressive disorder that affects her speech and mobility. Luc helps her with a variety of tasks, including picking up items that she drops, opening doors, and transferring laundry from the dryer to the clothes basket. He also braces her if she starts to fall. Luc knows many other commands, but it’s obvious there is much more to their relationship.
