Mobility assistance dogs: companions on the way to freedom

Living with a spinal cord injury (Refers to damage to the spinal medulla. ) means having to cope with a limited mobility… whether the injury is high or low, complete or partial, individuals with spinal cord injuries all face this challenge. Losing the freedom of going anywhere anytime can be terribly frustrating.

Such is Patrick’s case.

After my accident, I felt like I lost a lot more than being able to walk. I felt like I lost my freedom. Of course I had a wheelchair to get around, but each trip seemed daunting, and that discouraged me from going out.

Then in rehab, Patrick had his first encounter with a mobility assistance dog (MAD). Much as guide dogs that help individuals with a visual impairment (Loss or diminishment of function. ) get around, MADs are trained to help individuals with limited mobility in different ways. The type of support these dogs can provide varies based on user needs: they can pull wheelchairs, pick up objects, serve as support during transfers (Movement of the body from one surface to another, for example from the bed to a wheelchair. ) or for individuals who can walk, and MADs can provide assistance in maintaining balance.

Patrick tells us about his first encounter with an assistance dog:

A few months after I became a tetraplegic, a guy in a manual wheelchair pulled by a dog seemed to fly right by me at the rehab center. I was struggling to get around in a motorized wheelchair and to see a “tetraplegic” climb the slope that led to the parking lot (that looked to me like a mountain impossible to climb) as if there was nothing to it immediately convinced me I wanted a MAD

Member Content

To access all content, you must be logged in with a member account.
Sign in