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Faithful Service
By LOGAN D. MABE
© St. Petersburg Times, CARROLLWOOD -- Cari Randall watched helplessly as the ballpoint pen she was using rolled gently off the table and onto the floor next to her motorized wheelchair. Randall, a 31-year-old Brandon resident, has no use of her legs and only limited use of her right arm. Picking up anything off the floor involves a couple of U-turns until she can reach it with her left hand. Things will be easier for Randall very soon when she is paired off with one of four golden retriever "service" dogs being trained in the school district's Kids and Canines program. For Randall, it is a fateful union. Back in 1994, years before she became paralyzed, Randall was interested in volunteering with a similar service dog training program. She contacted the director and got an application, but never filled it out. Then in 1998, Randall was playing coed soccer, a sport she had loved since she was a preteen. She collided with another player and fell in a heap. A spinal cord injury left her paralyzed. Now she's on the receiving end of the much-needed help of a furry friend. "I've always loved animals," Randall said. " "Horse,' was the first word I said." Randall was able to do most things for herself until she injured her arm in 1999. That's when she started thinking seriously about applying for a service dog. This class of retrievers (all with names beginning with the letter "A"), are an eager and energetic bunch, bounding around the portable classroom where students have trained them for about 18 months. The trailblazing Kids and Canines, now in its fourth year at the Dorothy Thomas Exceptional Center, serves two masters. First, it is a method of dropout prevention, enrolling troubled kids who skip school too much. The responsibility of caring for and teaching dogs provides these children with discipline and motivation to stay in school. Secondly, the program brings highly skilled dogs to people who need help in their daily lives. Most of all, though, it brings love. "It'll help a lot emotionally for me, because I live alone," said 43-year-old Robert Jobe, a Citrus County man who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1984. "It gives me security in case I fall over, which is the biggest fear for me. Plus, I'm getting a pal. After 17 years in this wheelchair, I'm looking forward to it." The dogs -- Abbott, Andy, Arthur and Austin -- can guide wheelchairs, turn on light switches, open doors, fetch and hold items, and navigate streets and stores. As for the students, the experience of doing something positive for others enriches their education and their outlook. "Some of them have made incredible strides in their lives," said Kids and Canines director Jennifer Wise. Wise launched the program four years ago with the help of an $80,000-a-year grant. That money has since expired, and the program is funded through corporate sponsors and private donations. Randall, whose career is in social work, recognizes that the dogs bring as much out of the kids as they will bring to her. "This program and these dogs are helping these kids," Randall said. "I thought, "How awesome.' I worked with teenagers before I got injured, and I like the whole theory behind the program. The dogs have a purpose in life, while the kids learn animals skills, people skills and human life skills. . . . Plus, I get a buddy." Anybody interested in applying for one of the dogs, or donating to the program, can contact Wise at (813) 975-7355.
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