RECENTLY . . .
By Valarie Schwartz
Assistance dogs have come a long way since the days when they only led the blind. Today they can be trained to detect a dangerous shift in the blood-sugar level of their human partner, bring the medical kit when needed or, if their partner becomes groggy or unresponsive, use the telephone to get assistance.
That’s only some of what they can do for diabetics. Dogs can gain long repertoires of abilities to assist all manner of disabled humans.
But they have to be trained as puppies. And after training with their “puppy parents,†the people they will assist need training. The closer, geographically, all of this happens, the better the outcome.
Until two years ago, no place in the Triangle provided this training. Then a local couple founded Eyes Ears Nose and Paws (EENP) in Carrboro. They find the puppies, recruit the volunteer puppy parents, provide weekly training (after an intensive weekend-long training) and pair each trained dog with a client living within a two-and-a-half hour radius.
“The closer they are, the better service they’re able to get,†said Maria Ikenberry, executive director of EENP. “Our puppy parents tend to be quite close – Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham.†That helps ensure the parents make it to the end of the 18-month-long commitment.
Ikenberry didn’t intend to get into the assistance-dog business, but when her partner, Deb Cunningham, discovered that this was a way she could make her career dreams come true while providing a means to continue living in this community, Ikenberry volunteered to begin the 501(c)(3) process during the year Cunningham trained in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Cunningham grew up in Rolla, Mo, the youngest child in a large family where no animals were initially allowed. By the time she was 12, the rules were relaxed and her persistence paid off with a puppy she named Fenner.
When Cunningham went off to college, her father insisted that Fenner go with her. Fenner followed her around campus and (more persistence) was eventually allowed into all classrooms except computer labs, libraries and the dining hall. After she and Ikenberry moved back here to Ikenberry’s hometown, Cunningham and Fenner, a shepherd/Lab mix, had their first formal training with a local search-and-rescue team. There Cunningham learned the power of the partnership between human and dog.
“We searched 300 acres of land for a person I couldn’t find, but Fenner could,†she said.
When Cunningham learned about the training at Canine Companions for Independence, and of the absence of an assistance-dog program in the Triangle, she knew starting such a program was what she was intended to do.
While she learned the training side of it, Ikenberry started learning the business side. “I realized the need for someone to do administrative work,†Ikenberry said. Cunningham’s dream turned out to be big enough for both of them.
Now they spend their days recruiting puppy partners, puppies and clients from their office on Lloyd Street.
Gretchen Aylsworth has been a puppy parent several times. “Deb is a good teacher who tells you all you need to know. If you just listen to her, it will be fine,†she says.
As to the fear most people would have of falling in love with the puppy: “It’s very much like having a foster child that you love as best you can until it’s time for them to go and you have to let go,†Aylsworth explained. “It’s easier than you think; but that’s not to say it’s not poignant and a little painful.â€
The graduation ceremony at the end, when puppy parents hand over a well-trained dog to a client in need, helps a lot.
“It was the most joyful moment,†Aylsworth said. “We could be proud of what we had done and what the dog had done; and happy for the person getting the dog.â€
A fundraising event at which the community can learn more about the program was originally slated to be held at the Hogan’s Magnolia View Farm. But due to the tragic accident and resulting death of Rob Hogan, it will now take place at the newly opened Maple View Farms Agricultural Center on Dairyland Road from 3 to 6 p.m. this Sunday. Barbecue, home-baked desserts, live music by The Bluegrass Experience, hayrides and a hay-bale maze are among the fun elements of a great family outing.
See: eenp.org for more details and advance ticket rates.
Valarie Schwartz can be reached at 923-3746 or valariekays@mac.com
What an inspirational story. Congratulations to Maria and Deb for their vision in seeing a way to make real differences in peoples’ lives and for their persistence in turning that vision into a working nonprofit that makes the vision a reality.
I’ve been involved in nonprofits for a long time. So I have an inkling of the hard work and love that must be at the heart of what they do every day.
I congratulate these two women for combining their passion into their livelihood. It takes vision and hard work, but I am so happy to see the success. Animals are so therapeutic. Great story.