Lean on Me
By Ricky Goupille
Addison has something that most six-year-olds wish they could have. It’s not one of her many great traits like her infectious smile that brightens the mood whenever she flashes it. Neither is it her no-quit attitude that has helped her improve her progress immensely over the last few years as she learns to navigate the many difficulties of Cerebral Palsy. What Addison now has that most wish they did is a girl’s best friend to lean on who accompanies her wherever she goes.
Her family began looking into service dogs and embarked on the long process involved with it. This is a very expensive endeavor. They went through Educating Canines Assisting with Disabilities (ECAD). The organization provided $25,000. Her family had to provide $25,000 on their own to total the 50 thousand’s worth of expenses. This was a daunting amount. While looking for grants, Addison’s mom, Kristi, found Canines for Disabled Kids (CDK). Kristi reached out, and the rest is history.
Her family qualified for and received a scholarship that helped them raise the money they needed. “We were very honored to be a recipient of that grant,” Kristi said. From there, the long journey began of finding the best service dog for Addison. “It felt like the forever waiting game,” Kristi said. It was a two-year process before they were able to find a match. Enter Fairway.
Addison was paired with Fairway, a female yellow lab, to help Addison with her day-to-day needs. Before they found Fairway, they had second thoughts. “We were worried that we started too soon, because we were like, ‘Is she too young for this?’” Once they got Fairway, it was evident she was going to help Addison in many ways.
Fairway is classified as a mobility dog. She helps Addy get through doors by jumping up and pushing the openers for accessible doorways. Fairway also helps Addison pick things up off the floor that she drops, which is a huge thing. “Say she drops her water bottle on the floor. She can’t get it. Fairway can pick that up, jump up on a table, drop it in front of her. Then Addison can reach it again and she doesn’t need to call Mom and Dad over. That’s the biggest thing that she does right now,” Kristi said. It gives Addy independence in ways she didn’t have before.
Fairway meets Addison’s physical needs with CP, but also has become a huge emotional help as well. “Addison, as she aged, got a little bit more of a startle and scared and would be overwhelmed in situations,” Kristi said. Fairway has now become a close companion to Addy. Fairway is Addy’s counterpart. Addy always has her to lean on during stressful situations. “When we sought out a dog, it was mostly for the mobility piece, and it ended up being a very big emotional support as well for her. It’s just this added piece that we just never expected,” Kristi said. They see that as an added bonus, making the two-year process all the more worth it.
They are currently trying to work with Addy on standing up in hopes that someday she will be able to walk. In addition to Fairway exceeding those prior expectations, she also has proven to have an intuition that is centered around serving Addison. “Every time I have her standing, Fairway goes in front of her and stands there so Addison can push down on her (to balance). I don’t even need to command her, I don’t need to tell her to do anything, she just knows. It’s weirdly natural,” Kristi said.
They have seen such an improvement since Addy met Fairway. “It gives me more confidence that Addy will be independent one day,” Kristi said. They are extremely grateful for what CDK and its director Kristin Hartness have done for them. “People don’t realize what a dog can do for people. And I think getting rid of that stigma and really opening people’s eyes to that is, I think, the more powerful thing that CDK does,” Kristi said. Kristin Hartness is working hard on educating about service dogs and what they do. “She’s just a magic person. I am so lucky that we have her in our life. She’s great at education. She’s going to come to Addy’s school and actually educate the staff as well as the kids,” Kristi said.
Through it all, the family remains grateful and hopeful that Addison will live her best life. Addison continues to grow and become more acquainted with Fairway. “She’s comfortable in her own skin. She’s comfortable where she is now,” Kristi said. Through the next several years of her life, figuratively and literally, Addy will have Fairway to lean on.
