A quote from American novelist Jamie McGuire reads, “A mother’s love is the strongest energy known to man.”
Jensen, who received Mobility Assist Dog Stormie in late 2022, easily senses the maternal energy of Stormie, who came to Jensen after being in our breeding program. Jensen explains, “She had two litters, and I think that really shows in her personality, because of how caring she is.”
Stormie’s nurturing presence has been a welcome relief for Jensen. Diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Jensen struggles with muscular weakness and hypermobility. She previously had a Can Do Canine who had to be career-changed early. After experiencing the improvements that her first dog brought to her life, Jensen knew she didn’t want to be without another assistance dog for long. “It made us decide to go through with a second placement just because of how much more freedom it did give me from my husband,” Jeff. She adds, “I don't want to burden our relationship with him having to take care of me. He already has to do so many medical things for me. It’s not fair to him to have to do all of it.”
A 4-year-old black Lab, Stormie feels no burden at all in taking care of Jensen. She helps Jensen remove clothes, braces Jensen for rising off the floor, tugs Jensen’s walker to her, and retrieves needed items. One day, Jeff was outside when she was experiencing some symptoms in bed. She recalls, “I asked Stormie to go get my medical bag because I knew it had my phone in there. She got off the bed to go get it, and she came back, and she just chucked it up on the bed, like, ‘Here you go, I got it for you.' Stormie knew what was needed. I was really proud of her in that moment.”
Another skill Stormie demonstrates is elevating Jensen’s legs. Jensen says, “If I'm having a really bad POTS flare, she'll go under my legs and lift them up.” Stormie doesn’t stop with just lifting up Jensen physically, though. Jensen speaks of their emotional connection too, stating, “You can tell that she is just such a sweet sweet dog.” Jensen senses Stormie communicating to her, “You are my person; you are my world.”
The two of them venture out into the world on regular walks together. Jensen mentions that Stormie is “really respectful if we're walking on my walker, but much prefers their wheelchair walks, because “we can go really fast!”
Stormie also accompanies Jensen to her job as a supervisor for their city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Whether at work or not, Jensen enjoys seeing how much her four-legged partner like to work too. “She definitely is so smart, and her critical thinking skills are exceptional. You can see her brain working when she's stumped and when she's challenged and when she wants to do something.”
Jensen knows that these conscientious, nurturing, and devoted traits that Stormie has are not to be taken lightly. “You can just tell that she was a really loved animal,” shares Jensen, who is quick to credit Puppy Program volunteers. “It's neat to be able to know that somebody helped aid in that development of her and who she is. I think that just really shows the compassion that was put into her kind of development.”
Because of how Stormie was raised, her strong energy is now bringing Jensen the independence that motherly love can offer.
Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:
Puppy Raiser — Sarah Jones
Name-A-Puppy Donor — Gracie Mickschl
High Fives for Dov Ber and Cinco
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