MAPLEWOOD, NJ — In many ways, Natchez is like a typical pet dog for 7-year-old Grant Weiss. The 2-year-old yellow lab-golden retriever mix loves to play and give his master kisses. At night he even curls up at the foot of Grant’s bed — in the great American tradition of a boy and his dog.
But Natchez is no ordinary pet. He is a service dog obtained from the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence to assist Grant, whose cerebral palsy makes movement difficult. And though the animal has only lived with the boy in his Maplewood home for two months, the Weisses already view Natchez as part of the family.
“Almost every time we go out somewhere with Grant, we bring Natchez along,” Grant’s father, Danny Weiss, told the News-Record in a July 29 phone interview. “We take him shopping, and he goes with Grant to many of his therapy sessions that he is engaged in, his horseback riding, his rock climbing. It’s just wonderful to have him in tow, especially for Grant, but really for all of us.”
Natchez has indeed become Grant’s constant companion, but he is also a great source of help as well. According to Grant’s mother, Mary Olive Smith, the dog has mastered a number of useful skills such as picking up objects and opening doors. Smith said this is highly beneficial for Grant, who uses a power wheelchair, because it means he does not need to rely as much on other people to complete tasks made difficult by his disorder.
In addition, Weiss said having Natchez has allowed Grant to connect more easily with his peers. Though Grant has always been smart and social, Weiss said he has seen his son grow more confident when interacting with others since getting his dog.
And Grant has become more popular, too. Smith said all his classmates at Clinton Elementary School have already become well-acquainted with Natchez, which has allowed them to get to know Grant better. As a result, she said they can now see past her son’s disability.
“A lot of times kids would approach him and say ‘Why are you in a wheelchair?’” Smith told the News-Record in a July 29 phone interview. “Now they’ll come up and say ‘What’s your dog’s name? May I pet him?’”
Having worked for CCI for the past 27 years, Northeast Program Manager Ellen Torop has seen a lot of success stories like this one. Yet Torop said it still amazes her every time she hears about the positive impact a CCI dog has made on a person’s life. From being able to re-enter the workforce to overcoming feelings of isolation, she said clients have reported back a wide range of inspiring ways the animals have helped them. And no matter if it is a service dog, hearing dog, facility dog or skilled companion dog like Natchez, Torop said all the various animals CCI trains provide one very special component — love.
“They love you no matter what,” Torop told the News-Record in a July 28 phone interview. “They don’t care what equipment you use, what medical conditions you have, whether you wake up cranky. They just love you. They just love you and they just want to be with you, and who wouldn’t want to start their day like that?”
Of course, not every loving dog is right for CCI. Every animal is culled from a rigorous process that has been responsible for 173 successful placements in 2016 alone so far and a total of 5,064 pairings since the nonprofit was founded in 1975. That process starts with breeding labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and mixes of the two, which Torop described as the best dog breeds to handle assistance work. After the puppies are born at the CCI national headquarters in Santa Rosa, Calif., the breeding program staff analyzes factors such as temperament to determine which ones will work best as CCI dogs and which ones will be adopted out as normal pets.
All puppies selected as CCI material are then sent out to one of the organization’s 1,053 volunteer puppy raisers nationwide, who spend the next 18 months socializing them. Natchez moved in with Gail Griffith of Virginia, who told the News-Record that she and her husband taught him 20 to 25 obedience commands and behaviors such as walking beside them. They also got him accustomed to people and places by constantly taking him out in public. That was important, Griffith said, because now the dog will not be distracted while assisting Grant.
When he was 20 months old, Griffith sent Natchez to CCI’s Northeast training center on Long Island for advanced training. Just as it was for the five puppies she raised before Natchez, she said it was difficult letting him go after loving him as her own dog for so long. But as always, she was comforted by the fact that she was losing him to a good cause.
“I see what they do for people,” Griffith said. She receives updates from Natchez’s new family about how the dog is doing. “They’re life-changing for people. So that’s how I can give them up,” she said in a July 28 phone interview.
Advanced training for the dog consists of two semesters — three months of obedience review and equipment acclimation followed by three months of learning 40 commands including “pull” and “light switch.” All trainees judged to be capable of becoming CCI dogs are then allowed to interact with potential masters to see which human and animal teams are most compatible. At the same time, Torop said CCI looks at its human clients’ needs and lifestyles to see which dogs are suitable for them.
After the pairings are announced, the clients then undergo an intensive two-week training session to learn how to properly handle and care for their dog. Once that is completed, all teams take a test to demonstrate they will be able to help each other outside of the CCI compound. Even after releasing graduates from the program, CCI keeps track of their dogs. Weiss and Smith said they are required to submit periodic reports, share veterinary data and undergo recertification. In return, they are always encouraged to seek help from the organization whenever they need it.
Grant and Natchez actually did not interact prior to being paired, Weiss recalled, so it came as a surprise when they were matched together. CCI likely saw that the dog had the personality of a skilled companion; Griffith said she knew from when he was a puppy that his quiet and low-key nature would make him a perfect fit to care patiently for someone in need. And those characteristics have indeed lasted into Natchez’s adulthood, as Grant himself has noticed.
“He always lies around,” Grant told the News-Record in a July 29 phone interview. “He likes to roll on his back because he wants me to rub his belly.”
Energetic or not, Grant said he is happy to have Natchez, and so are his parents. Weiss said it is nice to see the dog always stay close to his son, as if he already knows in the short time they have been together that Grant is “his person.” He is also thankful to CCI, which not only trained Natchez but makes sure recipients do not pay for any expenses prior to taking possession of the animal.
That is a major undertaking for a nonprofit organization like CCI, with Torop pointing out that it costs approximately $50,000 to ready a dog for placement. As a result, she said her organization needs all the support it can get; whether from volunteer puppy raisers or simply from donations to the cause. With International Assistance Dog Week starting Aug. 7, Torop is urging people to consider supporting the cause so that people like Grant can receive the support they need.
“The only way we can do what we’re doing is through support,” Torop said.
Photos Courtesy of John Bentzinger
Maplewood boy receives service dog, companion, friend added by Sean Quinn on
View all posts by Sean Quinn →