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Lee Peetoom and |
Y OUR BEST FRIEND says and
Usul, a large Belgian Malinois-greyhound, is Lee Peetoom's best friend. Usul's devotion to Peetoom exemplifies the gift a human receives when a good dog commits her heart to be a partner for life.
Usul came to Peetoom after a great deal of specialized training to assist him with daily living activities and after exhaustive matching and analysis by the staff at Canine Partners for Life (k94life.org).
Before being matched to Peetoom, Usul had to graduate from a volunteer puppy foster home where she was socialized and obedience-trained. Next, she trained at the Canine Partner For Life facility to master specific skills that Peetoom required from a canine partner.
CPL staff explain that before Usul came to live with Peetoom, "the dog has completed a year of formal work with the CPL trainers. Next, the human half of the new team is brought to the training facility." The human half of the team is "taught all aspects of dog care and handling. Three weeks later, the hard work pays off: graduation and the start of new freedom. The dogs sense they have an important purpose in life."
How has Usul changed his life? Lee Peetoom explained, "I can walk again and go out to places without worrying that I'm going to fall. Usul has given me the confidence to do things on my own."
Peetoom described Usul's workday: "She knows as soon as I put her harness on in the morning that her day has begun. She is on duty for about 16 hours a day. Occasionally during the day, I take off her harness to give her a short break and playtime. At the end of the day, once I'm ready for bed, I remove her working harness and Usul knows she is off-duty for the night."
Peetoom, Usul and his wife, Sue, and Sue's trained working dog, Perl, visit area schools and other public events to spread the word about contributions that a Canine Partner for Life dog can make to individuals needing assistance. Sue Peetoom is an active facilitator and evaluator for many local dog teams who belong to Spiritkeepers, a chapter of Therapy Dogs International. Spiritkeepers sponsors area handler-dog teams who visit nursing homes, schools, homeless shelters, hospitals and other facilities where therapy dogs are needed.
At a gathering at Dew Middle School, Lee and Usul delighted the audience when Usul demonstrated her ability to use her very gentle mouth to retrieve a dime off a slick floor and to bring to hand many objects Lee asked her to retrieve.
Dragging laundry baskets to the laundry room, opening and retrieving desired items from cabinets, shelves and even a refrigerator, are ways that a CPL dog serves her companion.
Canine partner dogs can help their companions dress. They are remarkable at skills like yanking off socks and holding shoes and jackets.
Some CPL dogs that exhibit sensitivity to seizures in their humans are specially trained as "seizure alert dogs."
Usul may be asked to pick up paper money to give to cashiers, and to push open heavy store or office doors.
CPL dogs are not asked to pull wheelchairs, but they do stand very still and provide balance and support when their human needs assistance rising from a wheelchair, or for walking.
Peetoom sounds like a man who has found his canine soul mate when he describes life with Usul. He explained, "Usul was chosen for me by Darlene Sullivan, the founder of CPL, and the two trainers, Megan and Debby.
"I'm 6 feet 2 inches and I needed a tall dog that could help me balance when I walked. It took them 18 months to find a dog that would be strong and tall enough and to 'customize' her for me."
"She was found at the Delaware Humane Society--a 'throwaway.' Usul and I bonded right away on the first day we met.
"She gives me her whole life. She is simply amazing in what she is willing to do for me. She instinctively knows how to adjust her stride and balance to keep me on my feet."
Peetoom continues, "She is so intelligent. It is awesome how quickly she learns what I need or want. Usul has opened so many doors for me. Because of her, I had enough confidence to travel around the United States after I had only had Usul for nine months. In Missouri, I visited with relatives I had not seen in many years. In Colorado, we saw Denver, Boulder and the Garden of the Gods; we crossed the Great Divide and saw Vail and the Indian reservations, the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert. I saw so many things that I would have missed without Usul having given me the confidence to go out into the world again. I love her so much, I cannot imagine life without her."
Peetoom's deep appreciation to Canine Partners for Life is apparent when he speaks of the organization that made his life with Usul possible.
The price to house and train these partners for life is high: $18,000 to $20,000 per dog. Pups are often donated by breeders who want to see their dogs fulfill a magnificent purpose of service. Twenty percent of the dogs in the CPL program are mixed breeds from rescue and shelter organizations. Breeds who have become CPL dogs include border collies, English pointers, German shorthair pointers, poodles, English setters, Dobermans, smooth-coated collies, greater Swiss mountain dogs, Gordon setters, Portuguese water dogs, flat-coated retrievers and greyhounds.
CPL welcomes donations, large and small. Checks can be sent to Canine Partners for Life, Box 170, Cochranville, Pa. 19330. Read more about CPL at its Web site and have a look at their photo gallery.
Everyone needs a dog to love them and listen to their commands. Usul sets an example that every dog can be proud to follow.
SARAH A. FERRELL of Spotsylvania County runs Dogs Manners and Obedience. Contact her by mail at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va., 22401; by fax at 373-8455; or by e-mail to her attention
