In this case, it happens to be a Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) graduate team – Heidi Miller, her son Mitch Ball, and their Skilled Companion Dog, Lynelle – who live in Citrus Heights, CA near Sacramento. Mitch is 24, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) with almost no ability to move his body, and, as such, requires constant care.

Tough as this story is, it’s also very inspirational in that it shows the lengths to which some will go to try and make life better for another person.

I also have to be honest and say that, if I seem pretty touchy about the term “service dog” and how loosely I see that term tossed around nowadays, these kind of stories are why I’m that way.  I realize that assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes and perform many different types of valuable functions for all kinds of people, but when I see those with severe needs like this family has…well, read the article for yourself and I think you’ll understand:

“Mom’s home care of son confronts a harsh illness”

UPDATE:  Thanks to a fellow graduate from Mitch’s Team Training class, here’s the link to Mitch’s blog:

http://mitchballsworld.blogspot.com/