“I’m sure this is how people with a new baby feel,” says Meg, having received Mobility Assist Dog Zoie recently. Noting her copious amounts of photos, Meg admits, “I’m obsessed with her,” but also concedes some anxiety about their first meeting. “I was super nervous 'cause she's so smart and I want to make sure that I don't break her. Right? Like trying to make sure that I help her continue to be the best that she can be.”
Now Zoie, too, is trying to help Meg be her own best self, given that Meg sustained a break.
In 2008, just before her 16th birthday, Meg had a swimming pool accident, resulting in a cervical spinal cord injury. She says that she became what is considered a “functional quadriplegic,” but made a remarkable recovery. While she is able to stand and pivot, she uses a power chair to get around. She has regained significant use of her upper body, but the dexterity in her right hand is limited. Meg explains, “I don't really have much movement in my fingers.”
Dropping items is a common occurrence for Meg, who lives alone and describes what life was like before getting Zoie. “If I had my hands full or if I would try to do something and then drop something, then I'd be frustrated and then it's this whole cascade of things. So, honestly, [Zoie] has just helped make life easier and more enjoyable as far as doing some of those tasks for me that I either couldn't do or had to wait to get help to do.”
Whether it’s picking up her leash for Meg or snagging Meg’s phone (to which Meg has added a suction ring with a loop, making it easier for Zoie to grab), this black beauty defines her Labrador Retriever breed. And Zoie has other tricks up her sleeve. She tugs open doors and drawers, presses elevator buttons, lifts Meg’s foot onto her footplate, and more.
Speaking to the added assurance brings to her life, Meg says, “I feel more confident in trying new things or pushing myself because I have a safety net there. . .I don't have to not do something for fear of 'what if.'" She also appreciates avoiding awkward or embarrassing circumstances in public because people don’t know if they should help or not. “It makes me feel more confident in public to not need help from anybody else,” considering this a feeling of “self-sustaining.”
Meg’s absolute favorite moments with Zoie, though are when Zoie is performing a “visit” cue, “where she puts her little chin on my lap. My heart just burst into a thousand pieces when she first was doing that.”
Others who experience the benefits of sharing space with Zoie are Meg’s clients. A licensed professional clinical counselor, Meg brings Zoie with her to work every day. She says that although clients do not touch or engage with Zoie, “Just her presence is super helpful for a lot of people. It's funny how a dog just calms people and makes people feel happy.” There are the occasional moments of levity, too. “Sometimes she's snoring and I always tell the client, ‘You're not boring. She's just uninterested.’”
Zoie enjoys riding in the van that Meg drives, and the two have a goal of walking at least two miles each day. Meg discloses, “It's so funny, as a counselor, I tell my clients, ‘Go outside, go outside.’ I never used to go outside. So now I'm outside much more, which is good for me.”
She also explains that with her prior work in addiction treatment, she counseled many incarcerated individuals and believes in the advantages of our Puppy Prison Program. “I think that is so amazing…. That part just warms my heart as far as mental health goes and the importance for that.”
Meg’s heart feels full with Zoie in her life now. She is grateful to the many people who helped in Zoie’s care and gives special applause to her Client Services Coordinator. “Bethany has been such a godsend!”
Speaking of “godsends,” Zoie fits the bill as well, with Meg saying, “I don’t know what I did before her.”
Yes, that is a typical feeling for a “new mom.”
Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:
Whelping Home — Sue McLinn
Raisers — Katie Cormier, Sarah Jones, Casey O’Connell, Judy Proell, Clara Winter
Special Thanks — Federal Prison Camp-Duluth, Jackson Correctional Institution
Name-A-Puppy Donor — Elmer Schindel
Team Sponsor — Linda Calvert
Lobo Lights Up a Family in Work and Play
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