At his request she picked up the car keys on the floor, a hard task for someone like her. But, she was bound to him with their years together and even though she was retired, she did it for him.
They had been visiting the Shartlesville Lions Club, telling the story of their lives together with the help of his parents and now it was time to leave.
The young man is Dan Farmer, his dear friend is Marjorie, a service dog matched to him through Canine Partners for Life some 9 years ago due to Dan’s having epilepsy, up to multiple times a day.
Dan has been seizure-free for two years and Marjorie is now his pet, but she still knows many of the things from before her retirement two years ago.
“She has enriched all our lives,” said Dan’s mother Brydee as she told the story that captivated the Lions gathered at the Blue Mountain Restaurant in Shartlesville while her husband handled the technical things and Dan demonstrated with Marjorie. Both added to her presentation.
The training for a dog serving persons with disabilities is two years, they said. The first year is in a volunteer home and the second includes extensive and intensive training at the Canine Partners for Life in Cochranville.
Among the guests listening attentively were Michelle Schrefler and her mother. Michelle is a potential recipient of a service dog.
Such specially trained dogs can serve persons with muscular dystrophy, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, Parkinson’s disease and more.
The dogs that are used for this program and the specialized training must be “really intelligent,” said Brydee. They learn such skills as picking up dropped objects, retrieving a manual wheelchair, take purchases and wallets to a cashier, open doors, do seizure alert, operate lights and elevator buttons, and so much more.
Those wishing to learn more about Canine Partners for Life, a non-profit organization, can call 610-869-4902 or visit the web site www.k94life.org. Those wishing to learn more about the Shartlesville Lions Club can call Lions Berger at 610-488-6305.
