Open to a New World with Vinnie

By Tracy Will - 

Katie was originally drawn to Can Do Canines as a way to train her own dog, Pewter, as an assistance dog. Katie knew she needed help because, among a range of medical issues, multiple sclerosis was causing her serious balance and mobility problems.

During the application process, an accident tragically cut short Pewter’s life, and Katie and her family were devastated.

Katie’s doctor encouraged her to continue her process with Can Do Canines, and she did so, believing the waiting process for a dog would give her time to grieve and heal.

As soon as she met Mobility Assist Dog Vinnie, a yellow Labrador Retriever, Katie's outlook shifted. "I couldn't have picked a better dog for what I need emotionally and physically," she says. "He's such a happy, sweet, sweet dog. He's very in tune with me."

Now Katie and Vinnie are a tight-knit pair. Each day, he helps her navigate a wide variety of tasks. But more than that, Vinnie gives Katie the freedom she's longed for.

"I'm doing things that I didn't do before because I didn't feel safe," she says. "Having Vinnie has given me so much confidence."

However, getting to this point was not easy. Throughout her early 20s, Katie struggled with a host of vague symptoms. She dealt with dry eyes, dry mouth, chronic pain, fatigue, balance problems, and, most disturbingly, a feeling that she was losing her ability to think quickly and clearly.

"I was used to being cognitively sharp, with a witty comeback for everything. But I had lost that. In conversations, I was no longer an active participant," she says. "I finally went to one of my specialists and said, 'I think something is wrong with my brain.'"

The doctor disagreed. But Katie persisted, so they ran tests. The results revealed lesions on her brain. That discovery added the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis to an already complex medical situation involving several other autoimmune disorders. Together, they triggered a constellation of challenges that made it hard to get through the day.

"Simple tasks like bending down to grab something was difficult because I'd lose my balance," Katie says. "If someone invited me out, I usually wouldn't go because I didn't feel comfortable. My world became small."

Since Vinnie came home with her in January, though, Katie's life has begun to open up again. In fact, one particular experience, soon after Vinnie moved in, helped to quickly cement their bond. Katie experienced a medical emergency when her husband was away. Vinnie successfully retrieved Katie's medical bag and stayed with her until help arrived.

"That happened before we had finished our in-home training," Katie says. "At that point, he hadn't successfully retrieved the bag from very far away. But I was in distress. I gave him the command, and he did it. That was the point where we, as a team, really clicked into place."

A therapist in private practice, instead of working from home, as Katie so often had done in the past, now she can go into her office more frequently. She also feels more comfortable running errands and going for walks with Vinnie.

Katie shares that she is also more comfortable with the whole idea of having a disability. “I found through this process I held more shame about my disability than I had thought. However, from the very beginning of this process, the client services coordinators have done an incredible job of talking with me about my disability in a way that I don't hide what is happening. Rather, by opening up about it, I have gained support that actually helps and makes things better for me. Now, I am not ashamed of my disability and because of their guidance, I actually feel more empowered.”

Reflecting on the progress she's made with Vinnie at her side, Katie's beyond thankful. "Nothing seems sufficient to say how grateful I am. What you're doing makes a huge difference," she says. "Logically, I knew it could help. But what I had in mind wasn't even close to the degree that he has truly helped me."

And each day, on Vinnie's light coat, Katie sees a small, tangible sign of the role he plays in her life. "Over his shoulders, Vinnie has distinct white marks," Katie says. "They look like the place where wings would go. It's like he's an angel in my life."

 

Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:

Whelping Home — Diana Adamson & Paul Oberhaus
Raisers — The Kittock Family, Trever Connett, Erin Bonneau, Emelia Wieber
Special Thanks — University of Minnesota FETCH Program, Federal Correctional Institution-Sandstone