by Darbi Haynes-Lawrence, PhD Edited by Susan Wells Courtney The Joys and Challenges of a SERVICE DOG PARTNERSHIP © Liz Kaye Photography / ICANdog.org How a Service Dog Can Help I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June 2009. Never in a million years did I see a service dog as part of my future. I had absolutely no idea how a service dog would be able to assist me in my daily life. As my disease progressed, mobility and fatigue became greater issues. In the summer of 2015, my health took a turn for the worst. I always had difficulty with fatigue and balance, as well as issues with my legs. However, I was now having difficulty walking, along with a new tremor that caused me to jerk so powerfully that I would lose my balance and fall. While I did not want to walk with a cane, I had to do so, and started using a wheelchair periodically as well. 4 MSAA’s The Motivator Summer/Fall 2016 My husband asked me if a service dog could be of benefit. I was baffled. A service dog? For mobility issues? I thought service dogs were only for people who are visually impaired. Thus, I began my search for just what exactly a service dog could do, for someone like me who had mobility issues due to MS. The investigation into “all things service dog” was a double-edged sword. On one hand, the information on the role a service dog could play specifically in my life was awesome. I am a college professor and have very ambitious goals. Having MS is not going to interfere with those goals! On the other hand, as noted later, the search for a service dog would prove to be quite disheartening.
The Motivator Summer Fall 2016: Page4
