Those are the emotional words of Canine Companions for Independence graduate Kelly Bussio describing her service dog Tadaki in this new video from Salt Lake City station KSL-TV yesterday.

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“Amazing dog services Salt Lake paraplegic”

Beyond the obvious emotional story, the video does a great job showing many of the skills of a properly trained service dog, in particular pulling someone in a manual wheelchair, an often misunderstood but very important function for some.

I am well aware that many are not comfortable with dogs pulling someone in a chair. Although, to my surprise, I just noticed the other day that probably the most promoted veterans-only service dog organization specifically says right at the top of their application in italicized print “It is (our) policy that our dogs do not pull a manual wheelchair.” Something to very definitely consider if you’re a veteran in a manual chair with a specific need for your dog to pull you, because that organization just ruled itself out for you.

I’ve always chalked people’s dislike of this task up to misconception, but having just seen an apparently older Lab of unknown origin last week at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Denver straining to pull a large man in a chair, I now have a better appreciation for why some are concerned.  When trained properly, with the proper weight restrictions and health examinations, as CCI does, it can be a very safe and essential task for some.

I personally know a number of CCI graduates who make use of this function daily, and at some point I plan to write something about just why it’s so useful for them – a longer discussion for another time.

For now, though, I think seeing Tadaki and Kelly rolling through that mall says a ton all by itself.