Witnessing the Healing Cycle of the Human-Animal Connection

I am constantly amazed at the life-altering connections we make every day here at CBR YouthConnect – with our programs, our youth, and the greater communities we serve. This was driven home yet again at our first Colorado Handicapped Children’s Program, sponsored by the local Otero County Health Department and hosted by CBR this spring. Accompanied by a local news reporter, I walked into the Oak Lodge building on campus, which we volunteered to the cause. I watched as the program’s physicians, therapists, receptionists and a host of others greeted and worked with the steady flow of grateful families who traveled to the clinic from the nine rural counties served by the health department. I was drawn to one little boy who was extremely affected by cerebral palsy. He sat in his wheel chair with an attentive, obedient dog beside him. The mix-breed dog wore a bright orange vest inscribed with the words “Companion Dog – I am working – PLEASE DO NOT PET.” This dog was proud, on task, and knew exactly what he was doing. I complimented the boy’s father on how the dog was so stern and well-trained. He chuckled and said that when he takes off the vest the dog is a “nut. He loves to play and run.”However, the minute the vest is strapped on, the dog becomes focused, controlled and obedient. His one and only job is the safety and well-being of the child. The father told me that the boy and dog eat, sleep and do everything together. If the child has a seizure, the dog immediately alerts the parents. If the boy falls or needs help, the dog rushes to retrieve the parents.
I was about to say what an exceptional dog this was, when the father emotionally confided, “You know. This is one of yours—from your New Leash on Life Program. Other than what he received here, he has never had any additional training. This dog saves my son’s life.” I was speechless. We know that the more than 200 dogs from local and regional animal shelters brought into our New Leash on Life program the past 12 years have made a big difference in the lives of our boys on campus. Caring for and training the dogs over a 10-week period help our youth become more responsible, compassionate individuals. What I saw before me was proof that once unwanted dogs that are lovingly trained by often hurt and neglected young men can make a huge, huge difference in the lives of those who adopt them.mNot all that long ago, this very dog sat in an animal shelter waiting for another chance at life. He was given that by a young man who also needed another chance at life. Guided by the gentle care of our staff and program, that youth was able to train this dog to become the companion, friend and lifesaver he is today to another child in need.
The reporter next to me exhaled and said, “Now, that’s a story.” And, indeed, it is—the kind of story that occurs time after time thanks to the magic of CBR and the power created in the healing relationship between a troubled young man and his dog.

— Martin Masar, Executive Director, CBR YouthConnect

This entry was posted on 22. June 2009 at 17:37 and is filed under Family, Youth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.