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NEW FRIEND: Blake
Bowden, 7, of Athens pets Maddox the dog during a Canine
Assistants sponsorship event at Sam’s Club in Tyler on Wednesday.
(Staff Photo By: Lindsay Randall) |
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The Bowden family of Athens has a miniature pinscher and a handful of
Great Pyrenees, but soon, 7-year-old Blake will have a unique,
impeccably trained golden retriever all to himself.
The dog will pick up dropped objects, turn light switches on and off,
and open and close doors for Blake, who has Friedreich's ataxia and
hypertrophic dilated cardiomyopathy and has trouble doing everyday
tasks.
"The idea of the service dog is just really special," said his
beaming father, Cliff Bowden. "They'll become lifelong friends, and very
dear to each other."
The ataxia has caused Blake to lose his sense of balance, and his father
said he walks around clumsily, and often requires the use of a
wheelchair.He also has an enlarged heart, due to the cardiomyopathy,
but the Bowdens have had success battling the rare disorder with various
treatments and medications.
These types of dogs, trained by Canine Assistants, cost around
$10,000, but Milk-Bone and Sam's Club are giving the puppy - along with
two weeks of training camp and lifetime veterinary care - to Blake as
part of the Milk-Bone Canine Heroes Program.
Representatives from Milk-Bone and Canine Assistants came to Sam's
Club on Wednesday morning to host the program's first sponsorship event
in Tyler.
"The truth is, there is a lot of need for these dogs," Walt Lassiter
said. "It does change people's lives."
Blake will attend a special training camp to play with puppies,
choose his own and learn how to interact with his new dog. The dog will
gradually learn to fulfill the everyday needs of his new owner.
"I want him to do tricks and play with me," Blake said, chomping on
pizza. "He can help me open doors."
Canine Assistants trains golden retrievers and Labradors to assist
disabled adults and children around the country. The pooches are
assigned to their new owners at a young age according to the
individual's needs and personality.
"The most special part is how this will change Blake's life
socially," said Cynthia Craft, certified trainer for Canine Assistants.
"Although it doesn't seem like Blake needs it!"
Most of Blake's extended family arrived to celebrate Blake's gift,
and his parents cheered heartily when he was presented with a framed
photograph of two fuzzy puppies and a Canine Assistants T-shirt.
"This is just a whole new world to adapt to," Bowden said. "We're so
thankful." |
