NEWS!!!
Service dog to the rescue
Rio Communities Dog would help Rio Communities woman at home, on the go
Sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends. In the case of Cynthia Joy North, her friends are helping her get a friend. North, who spends most of her time in a wheelchair, is in need of a service dog to help her with day-to-day tasks — everything from shopping to checking the mail to helping with laundry.
An organization in Santa Fe, Assistance Dogs of the West, has a dog it thinks will be a match for North, but she doesn't come free. A service dog through ADW is $3,500, Garringer said.
"If you are blind, the Shriners will pay for it, but if you need a physical assistance dog you have to pay, and that can be a daunting task," she said. So far through the generosity of local organizations and individuals, North is just $680 short of her goal.
"I got a $1,000 scholarship through ADW, so that really helped, but it's still a lot," North said. "And if we raise more than we need, the extra will go directly to ADW for the next person that needs a scholarship."
Both North and Garringer are hoping a silent auction at Tomé Gallery on Saturday, Dec. 15, will bring in enough to finish paying for the dog. "I'm really excited about this silent auction," North said. "The people at the gallery are so great. They have helped so much."
Garringer has been taking classes at the gallery for almost two years now, and about eight months ago, North began going to the Saturday classes as well. "It's really good for me," she said. "It's a really peaceful environment, and it is someplace I can go without my chair. I can park close to the door and walk a short way in."
The silent auction will have a wide variety of items up for bid, Garringer said. "We got gift cards from local shops and places in Albuquerque. We have artwork and even a quilt," she said. "We really can't thank the folks at Tomé Gallery enough for helping us out."
North moved to New Mexico in 1989 and to Rio Communities in 1996. "I came here for medical treatment I couldn't get in Oklahoma," she said. "Things like massage therapy and body work. There are a lot of alternative medicine available here that isn't in Oklahoma."
Ironically, it was the summer of 1996 when North sustained the injury that eventually led to her dependence on a wheelchair for most of her mobility.
"I was dealing with a 90-pound dog that was having a seizure," she recalled. "I was trying to get him into the house, and my hand got tangled in his collar. I fell off a porch and onto a pile of junk."
The fall damaged North's spine, neck and hips, severely limiting her mobility. "I couldn't get up and around very easily, and I started putting on weight," she said. "Eventually I got to the point where I didn't want to go out in public. It was so hard to do."
North saw a television ad for a power wheelchair, and a whole new world opened up. "It was so nice to get out of the house easily again," she said.
But North knew she needed more than a wheelchair. She answered a newspaper ad for "puppy, free to good home." And so Stewart, a yellow lab and boxer mix, became a part of her life.
Before she needed the chair regularly, North trained Stewart to be the service dog she needed. "He was so smart and easy to train. He had a very gentle mouth," she recalled. "We were in the grocery store, and a bunch of bags of marshmallows were in the aisle and I couldn't get past.
He picked them up one at a time and brought them to me so I could put them on the shelf. You could give him anything, and he wouldn't bite down on it."
Stewart served North in instances that might be a nuisance for most folks but were an impossibility for her. "One day, we were coming home and I dropped my keys as I was unlocking my door," she said. "Of course they fell under the porch. There was no way I could crawl under there. I told Stewart, 'go down and get the keys.' He went right down and got them."
Not only did Stewart serve as a mobile pair of hands for North, but he was also a huge emotional support for her. A sufferer of major depression and prone to anxiety attacks, North relied on Stewart to help her through stressful times.
"I don't do well out in public. But he would always know when I was getting upset. He would put his paw or chin on me," North said, patting her left knee.
Unfortunately, in the summer of 2005 Stewart died. "I was in the hospital, so he had to be in a kennel," North said. "While he was there, his stomach twisted and cut off circulation."
The loss of a pet is always devastating, but losing Stewart was a huge blow to North. "He was a service dog for physical things, but he was such an emotional comfort," she said. "That was the hardest part of losing him."
North's friend Carolyn Garringer realized that she would need support until she found another service dog. And then there was Fiona, a sweet-faced terrier in a Christmas sweater.
As soon as Garringer met her, she knew Fiona was the one to help North.
"Fiona had such a sweet disposition and temperament," she said. "I knew that Cynthia would be getting another service dog and Fiona was mellow enough, she would never be a typical alpha dog even if she had been here longer."
While Fiona is a great companion and comfort, North still needs a service dog to help with everyday tasks like going to the store and turning off lights. "Sometimes I get so tired, I fall asleep with lights on," she said. "I know it's a huge waste of energy, but I just can't get back up.
"Just reaching up to pay for something at a store can be painful sometimes when my arms just aren't in good shape."
In January, North will go to Santa Fe for two weeks to train with the service dog ADW has matched her with. The first week consists of lectures and classes. The second week will put North and the dog through their paces in the real world.
She was matched with a dog named Melvin from them once before, but after the first week of training, ADW decided they weren't compatible. "That was rough," she said. "After the first week, they decided he wasn't the right dog. Hopefully, this time around, it will go better because they are more attuned to my needs and personality."
The dog North has been matched with this time is named Little Maisy.
"To have a service dog is a really big deal for me," North said. "I can't describe how fulfilling it is to have a dog with me. Just out in public, it helps me so much."
The dog will also motivate and help North be more physically active. "He or she will help me, but it also gives me someone who depends on me to fulfill their needs," she said. "The people at ADW told me I couldn't be sedentary with these kinds of dogs. They need stimulation and activity."
Tax-free donations to help North receive her service dog can be made directly to ADW at: Assistance Dogs of the West, c/o Cynthia Joy North, P.O. Box 31027, Santa Fe, NM 87594.
The organization asks that donors who send checks to help North clearly indicate who the money is for on the memo line of the check. Any money over and above the $680 remaining to pay for North's dog will stay with ADW for the next scholarship.
