pandp@bigfoot.com
Life began over for me again with the loss of feeling to most of my body, with all the extra problems to deal with. My opinion was life was meant to be lived. With this entered into my life Kazam, he became my partner and help me raise two hyper active children; one an epeleptic (another of my problems) and one deaf. This introduced me even more to the world of AAT. This followed a career that I would not trade, the happiness, the results are payment a hundredfold easy.
The longest and ongoing case is with Mike, severe brain injury from an accident, changing a young man's life to near vegetable at first. As the doctors made progress and started to retrain his brain, as he made progess I became involved. The first was a Christmas visit, as he had been a dog lover. The first results was sound, not angry but the first sounds they had heard did not result in grinding of teeth as every new thing had to this point. Tig-ger was used during exercises to train the eye to follow (grooming, ball throwing and many more). Tig would lay beside him during the stretching exercises and we found he relaxed and more could be done. This progressed to Tig-ger and Toklat pulling his wheelchair so he could get out.
As the time neared that Mike was ready to be placed in a group home, I got Smidget my Shih Tzu. To this point I had only worked with the bouviers with Mike. This brought about the idea to get Mike his own dog. As when we visited Smidget lay in his lap, where with Tig-ger I needed a grooming table. So with all the things we discovered that Mike liked, I went looking and Smidget's half sister was acquired and trained to be Mike's companion.
Moxie now lives with Mike, sleeping near or on his bed. Goes for walks with Mike helping to hold the lead, riding in his lap when she gets "tired". She is the darling of the home visiting everyone who loves dogs, enjoyed by staff. The amazing thing is, is even off lead she never strays far from Mike. For someone who had a life of hospitals, nurses and little companionship. Mike now has a companion that shares his time when people do not have time. Give a reason to move hands, even if it is only a slight amount. Something to watch and retrain eyes to work at any minute of the day not just when therapy occurs. Moxie has made for both Mike and his parents, a slight bit of normalla>
l. Moxie is love touching love an unending circle of love and giving that no human could ever match, no matter how hard we try. As she now lives and breathe and does things for Mike and Mike is her main person.
Mike has never forgot Tig-ger, Toklat and Smidget. He will get angry with me if I do not bring them. Well the next visit he will meet Tig-ger's replacement and my new service dog Trapper. Tig-ger is still here, he is the old timer now and due to retire. An ongoing circle of doggy love, companionship and helpmate. These dogs are freedom.
