By Shannon Coga | Wave 3 News, Louisville, KY
Click here to watch the video and read the entire story
As parents, we want the best for our children. We want to help them in any way possible.
My son Colt had medical complications at birth that included open heart surgery, followed by a cardiac arrest, which has impacted his life. That’s why when it was suggested a dog from Canine Companions for Independence would help our son Colt, my husband and I did what we could to make that happen.
It started with applications, followed by a phone and in-person interviews at the North Central Training Center in New Albany, Ohio, near Columbus. In all, it was a two-year wait. Then, we learned that Colt and I were invited to take part in the two weeks of what is called team training. It’s when the recipient is hopefully matched with a dog, and gets comfortable using all of the nearly 50 commands these dogs know.
We were at the team training with six other children and their parents, each putting a pause on their lives for two weeks, hopeful that the dog will make a big difference for their child’s life.
For the first two days, the trainers have the teams (child and parent) work with many different dogs to determine the right match. It’s sort of like matchmaking for dogs and people.
“So we’re making a match a lot based on its temperament, and trying to match those with how a person’s lifestyle might be,” said Gwen Dudek, Program Director for Canine Companions for Independence.
Colt had worked with a 2-year-old lab/golden cross named Wink, and immediately fell in love. For two days, he talked about how he hoped he would be matched with her. And he was. “She’s cuddly, she hugs me, she’s fluffy, and I love her,” Colt said.
As parents, we want the best for our children. We want to help them in any way possible.
My son Colt had medical complications at birth that included open heart surgery, followed by a cardiac arrest, which has impacted his life. That’s why when it was suggested a dog from Canine Companions for Independence would help our son Colt, my husband and I did what we could to make that happen.
It started with applications, followed by a phone and in-person interviews at the North Central Training Center in New Albany, Ohio, near Columbus. In all, it was a two-year wait. Then, we learned that Colt and I were invited to take part in the two weeks of what is called team training. It’s when the recipient is hopefully matched with a dog, and gets comfortable using all of the nearly 50 commands these dogs know.
We were at the team training with six other children and their parents, each putting a pause on their lives for two weeks, hopeful that the dog will make a big difference for their child’s life.
For the first two days, the trainers have the teams (child and parent) work with many different dogs to determine the right match. It’s sort of like matchmaking for dogs and people.
“So we’re making a match a lot based on its temperament, and trying to match those with how a person’s lifestyle might be,” said Gwen Dudek, Program Director for Canine Companions for Independence.
Colt had worked with a 2-year-old lab/golden cross named Wink, and immediately fell in love. For two days, he talked about how he hoped he would be matched with her. And he was. Click here to continue reading and watch the video.