The following is a letter from a young man who was unfortunate enough to sustain a serious accident but fortunate enough to be able to benefit from having a service dog to help him. The dog's name is Reesa. She is a prime example of a dog with a lot of heart. She was found starving, and had mange and heartworms. She was brought back to health by Twyla's Friends and donated to THSD (Texas Hearing and Service Dogs). Several other dogs from Twyla's Friends have also gone on to become service and hearing dogs as well. Following is a letter received regarding Reesa:
Dear Hamman Foundation,
A huge "Thank you" is overdue to every that was/is involved in the training of Reesa, my Service Dog, but also to you the sponsor for your very generous contribution. I should call and "Thank everyone" every day, because Reesa provides an immeasurable amount of help, assistance, and love.
I remember when I first heard of a person in Nacogdoches [TX] having a Service Dog. Immediately I wondered if a dog would be something for me. I did not pursue the matter for approximately one year, but with some encouragement from a girlfriend I decided to ask some questions. I talked with Jaimey Dubois about his dog and asked what the dog did for him. Some of the things he told me were things that I had problems with also. The diving injury that I sustained left me with an incomplete C5-6 break [in the neck area]. I have partial function of my arms and no finger function. Since I can't grasp items very tightly, they quite often get dropped. I knew a dog could help retrieve items I drop during the day without having to rely on calling a neighbor or stopping a stranger and asking for help.
The first time I saw Reesa I fell in love. It took about one minute to decide that she was the dog that I would want to be my Service Dog. I only hoped that THSD [Texas Hearing and Service Dogs] thought that we would make a suitable match. The night that I returned home from visiting the training center and got a phone message from Angie Sumpter, the training director, stating she thought Reesa and I would make a good match, I was filled with excitement and joy that are indescribable.
Reesa and I have only been working together for about three and a half months, but that short amount of time, we have gone from simple sit, retrieve, and heeling exercises to complicated traversal in public buildings. Reesa used to want to play with cats, but she is getting better about ignoring them and paying attention to me. Every week her obedience gets better. Reesa wants to do things for me all the time. On several occasions she has picked items off the floor or the couch and brought them to me with no prompting. She did it, because she wants and likes to do things for me. When I am working on my computer she often comes in that room to check on me and then will go back and lay down on her pillow.
It is always such a thrill for me to find something she can do that we have never worked on or she picks up on immediately. She knows that she has done something new and is proud of herself for accomplishing the task. The first time Kathy (my in-home trainer) and I took her into a public building (the university library) Reesa behaved far better than either of us expected. She walked right beside me and had no interest to do anything but be there to help me. She performed several tasks and then we went home. I was so proud of Reesa that day.
I look forward many time when Reesa and I go someplace and experience new things together. The training that Reesa received at THSD must have been fantastic, because I had to do very little work with Reesa to get her to follow my commands. I want to thank everyone involved with the THSD and to the Hamman Foundation for their donations made to THSD. If there were no donations, I certainly would have have been able to have a service dog.
Sincerly,
Tim Parrish
Send comments and questions to:
k9twyla@aol.com