Summer school is over for the furry students that spend their lives helping others in need.
The graduation ceremony for 35 newly-trained assistance dogs took place on Wednesday at the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. It was the organization’s first commencement since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic’s delays.
Assistance Dogs of the West is a nonprofit that helps disabled people match service animals with assistance dogs.
Mobility issues, autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities and seizure disorders are just some of the conditions dogs can aid.
During the ceremony, actress and longtime animal advocate Ali MacGraw said, “Assistance Dogs of the West has incorporated an innovative, powerful educational component where students of all ages, all walks of life, and all abilities learn to train service dogs under the guidance of our professionals.”
Even though no gowns or hats were available, the canines wore distinctive red harnesses as graduation signs. They will have many options, just as people who complete difficult programs.
Others will remain at the service of their owners while others will visit hospitals or courtrooms to comfort those in their most difficult times.
Some may use their training to aid warriors with PTSD. Hawkeye is an Australian shepherd.
Theodore “Ted” Skibyak, an Army veteran, remembered the night Hawkeye saved his life before beginning the training course.
“I got Hawkeye when he was a pup, and I wasn’t sure if we were going to bond until one night he woke my wife up because I wasn’t breathing very well,” according to Skibyak. “He was just whining and pawing at me, trying to wake me up. Since then, he has been really attached to me.”
Skibyak claims that he suffered trauma all his life. He was involved in a terrible vehicle accident that left him without his right arm, and also served a year-long combat mission to Iraq. He was finally diagnosed with PTSD.
“I’ve been in situations when you’re trying to save a kid, and you can’t, and it eats at you. It makes you wonder what went wrong. And then you’re in combat and people are shooting at you,” he recalled.
The group’s Warrior Canine Connections program, which pairs veterans with support dogs and instructs them on the training, included Skibyak. He said that he had tried to match a pet with Skibyak but failed.
According to the organizers, Assistance Canines of the West works to match prospective owners with the ideal canine companion while letting the dogs “choose” their new best friend for life.
“Their dogs can interview a whole bunch of people before they find out who the dog wants to work with,” Skibyak added.
According to Skibyak, he ultimately decided to purchase a puppy from a breeder in Los Lunas and train the canine himself as part of the group’s self-training program, which permits owners to teach their canines to function as service animals.
Skibyak said that Hawkeye aids him in daily tasks after completing six months’ worth of training. This included opening doors and locating items, as well as pressing buttons.
Skibyak stated that his service dog provides him with a lot of physical support.
Chuck Zobac, a veteran of the Army, claims Mitzi, his golden Lab, helps him to keep his cool and manage his PTSD symptoms.
“When the animal is there, and I can talk to or pet the animal, that reduces the tension,” he said.
After Zobac completed Warrior Canine Connections, Mitzi was paired with Zobac.
“I think the experience has been very positive because not only do they dot the i’s and cross the t’s, but they want to make sure that there’s a compatibility and understanding between the animal and the recipient,” he said.
Since their first meeting, Mitzi and her owner have maintained an unbreakable friendship.
“The dog looks at me — and, you know if you’re there and no matter how pretty you are and what kind of candy you have in your hand, the dog will look at me,” said Zobac.
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
