Paws with a Cause Touching Lives

By: Ana M. Menendez

When Patrick Schmitt heads out of his Port Washington home, his assistance dog helps him open the door and closes it behind them.  Aries, the dog Schmitt received from the Michigan-based group Paws With A Cause (PAWS), has opened more doors for him than he ever imagined.  “Before I got her, I didn’t care even to go outside,” said Schmitt, 25. “Now that I have her, I get out. It’s nice.”

Schmitt, a quadriplegic since a motorcycle accident on Sept. 1, 2006, suffered a spinal cord injury that left him unable to move from the chest down. He can move his arms, but his hands are nonfunctional.  This is where Aries, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador, comes in.

She is able to bring him a dropped cell phone, remote control and even loose change. Aries also brings him something else.  “Socially, it’s done wonders,” said Schmitt, who loves to talk to people but sometimes felt alienated when he went out.  “When I used to go to a (Brewers) game, people would just look at me like, ‘There’s a kid in a wheelchair,’ ” he said. “Now, with (Aries), people will come up and have a conversation with me.”  Schmitt and Aries have only been working together since May. Before then, Aries spent several months being trained to become a service dog at PAWS‘s headquarters in Wayland, Michigan.   

Paws With A Cause began 30 years ago when co-founder Mike Sapp helped train an acquaintance’s pet Cairn Terrier, Crystal, to be a hearing dog. Sapp had trained Dobermans for show as a hobby. He then realized how great the need was as he began receiving requests from other people who were deaf or hard of hearing and wanted him to train their dogs. Since then, the organization has grown to train more than 2,200 assistance dog teams in several areas of service including seizure response and social support. PAWS dogs help people challenged by more than 25 different disabilities.

“There is such a need for diverse service dogs,” said Deb Davis, national communications manager for PAWS. “And, there is no disability that strikes two people the same way.”  Which means each dog must be trained for a client’s specific needs. The first step is connecting a potential client with one of 66 PAWS field representatives around the country. The field representative then assesses the client’s needs and sends the information back to PAWS.  One dog may need to be trained to help a person with multiple sclerosis keep his balance while walking; another may be trained to open doors and retrieve items; and yet another may be trained to comfort a person during a seizure.

According to Davis, although PAWS once used dogs from shelters or trained clients’ pets, a breeding program was developed about 10 years ago. Most of the dogs now come from that program. Selected puppies then stay with a foster home until ready to begin formal training at about 12-15 months of age.

Once trained, the dog is sent to the field representative who then works with the dog-client “team” for six to eight months. They work together to become a certified team through PAWS and are re-certified every two years. The cost of training and lifetime care of each dog is approximately $20,000. That cost is funded by donations and other fundraising projects, but clients do not pay to receive a dog.

Cindy Dasbach, one of three PAWS field representatives in Wisconsin, has been with PAWS for about two years. Schmitt and Aries are her first team.  Dasbach, of Saukville, has been involved in obedience training for 11 years. She said training service animals is something she has always wanted to do and that working with her team has been a rewarding experience.  “The client, the puppy and I have gotten so close,” she said. “It doesn’t feel like a job to me. I love it so much.”  Her hope is to help Schmitt, and others, lead a more independent life.  “Right now, (Patrick) relies on other people for his needs,” Dasbach said. “I want to make it so he no longer has to ask people for help.”

In the three years since his accident, Schmitt’s family has been his support team.  He lives with his parents, Mary and Mike, in a new home built completely accessible for him and his mother has become his main caregiver.  His older sister, Katie, lives nearby and helps him get out and about.  Aries is the newest addition to that support team.  She performs tasks for Schmitt able-bodied people might take for granted. And she provides him with a new sense of independence.  “It’s amazing what a dog can do,” he said.

If you would like more information on Paws With A Cause, fostering a puppy or obtaining an assistance dog, visit www.pawswithacause.org or call (800) 253-7297.

Ana M. Menendez is a freelance writer from Milwaukee who loves hanging out with her dog, Wrigley.