Some of you may know that my mother is a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence. Because the North Central office of that organization is near where I live, I have had the opportunity to attend a number of the organization’s graduation events. At these events, puppy raisers turn in the dogs who have been part of their lives for over a year, and dogs who have gone through advanced training are placed with the people they will be helping. I wrote about Larkin’s turn-in back in August, and would like to share a bit about his graduation that took place this past Saturday.
First of all, these events are always real tear-jerkers, but in a good way. They always do a video presentation of pictures of those pups growing up with the people who are about to turn them in for advanced training, and it’s set to music. Saturday, one of the songs they used was “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins:
“So take a look at me now, oh there’s just an empty space
And there’s nothing left here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face
Ooh take a look at me now, well there’s just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against all odds and that’s what I’ve got to face”
Sniff.
Larkin has been placed with a social worker who works at a rehab care center with individuals in need of inpatient physical rehabilitation. This is from the part of the ceremony right before my mom presented him to her.
She plans to utilize him to help ease the adjustment of patients to the unit, and offer a temporary diversion to the shock of their situation. Not only will the dog help patients develop social, speech, and occupational skills, she hopes the dog will also be utilized by staff members as a way to relieve the stress of working in such an emotionally demanding environment.
In addition to her work in the rehab unit, she also hopes to have the dog accompany her when she volunteers at … a hospice for the homeless who are terminally ill.
When asked what famous person her dog would be, she answered “Superman. He can leap tall tables in a single bound, and can accomplish superhuman feats. Like Superman, he has a Clark Kent side to him: kind, gentle, unobtrusive, and he looks like any other beautiful lab. But when he dons his blue cape, he is ready to fly into action at the first command.”
I’m certainly proud of my mom and of the work people at CCI do. It’s an organization that is definitely worthy of your support if you feel so inclined.