by Jessica Ebersole
A young girl rolls up in her wheelchair with her bouncy pigtails and a one thousand watt smile. A young dog with his tail wagging and a distinct zipper down the center of his nose is brought to the girl. The dog leaps on to her lap and slobbers her with kisses and it was love at first sight.
Hunt was born on September 13, 2002 in California. He was then placed with puppy raisers named Jamie and Chris who taught Hunt how to live with a family. After fifteen months, he was sent back to Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) and trained intensely for six months where he learned how to open doors, turn off light switches and many other commands. As a result of the intensity of their program, CCI places 30% of their dogs to serve someone. The other 70% are released and live out their life as pets with various people.
Hunt came to our family in 2004 as a trained skilled service dog from CCI. Before Hunt arrived at our home, we had to go through a three-year process. We filled out an application along with a video describing why we needed a service dog. Then we were called for a phone interview and placed on a two-year waiting list. Finally one day, we got the call that Amanda and my mom were going to be able to go to Ohio and get a service dog. They attended a two-week intensive course where they were matched with Hunt and then worked with him.
Amanda and Hunt had a beautiful bond from the beginning. Hunt served Amanda for twelve years as her friend, skilled companion and social bridge. Some of the things Hunt could do included: opening doors, turning off light switches, picking up clothing or items dropped on the floor. We even taught Hunt to make Amanda’s bed at one time! Amanda says that one of her favorite memories of Hunt is when we went to Colorado and he got to swim in the Colorado River. Amanda’s advice to people who are interested in having a service dog be part of their family is to find an organization like Canine Companions for Independence that is reliable and sound. Some organizations out there are not and so you have to be careful. In addition, Amanda says that the final goodbye is hard but the in between years are definitely worth it.
We said our final farewell to Hunt on March 28, 2017. He served Amanda so faithfully and so well and died at the ripe old age of 15 and a half. Yes, Hunt was Amanda’s dog first and foremost, but he became a member of the family and has left paw prints on our hearts for forever.
If you would like to find out more about Canine Companions for Independence you can visit www.CCI.org.
Jessica Ebersole is a twenty-something who lives in Chicago and explores life through the eyes of someone with a disability. Jessica has cerebral palsy but she does not let that stop her. She spends her days at a children’s museum and enjoys serving the community in various ways. She loves spending time with family, connecting with friends and photography.
