Spinal Cord Injury

Jul 13, 2010

“He Makes Me Cry A Lot, Because I’m So Grateful For Him”

Al , , Service Dogs

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.

“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. … Read More

Jun 30, 2010

“Out Of Everything I’ve Done To Try And Improve My Life, Nothing’s Even Come Close To Getting My Service Dog, Napal”

Al , , , , , Service Dogs

I’ve written about my friend Air Force veteran Jason Morgan and his Canine Companions for Independence service dog Napal before here, here, and here.

This short news video from KXAS in Dallas yesterday pretty much speaks for itself and really captures them very well.



“Local Veteran’s Life Changed By A Dog”

… Read More

Jun 3, 2010

OIF Veteran And Canine Companions For Independence Graduate Matt Keil Talks About ‘Homes For Our Troops’

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

KDVR Channel 31 in Denver just did a great news story a coupla days ago with Canine Companions for Independence graduate Matt Keil and his wife Tracy promoting a wonderful organization, Homes For Our Troops, who built their beautiful house.  Matt’s CCI Service Dog Gus, who was raised in the prison program at the Kit Carson Correctional Center in Burlington, Colorado, makes a brief working appearance in the video, too.

As Matt explains in the video, he’s a wounded warrior who was paralyzed with the exception of his left … Read More

Dec 14, 2009

Spinal Cord Injuries Are Rising Sharply Among Troops In Afghanistan

Al , , , Service Dogs

Recent short article from the Nov 4th USA Today (“Spinal injuries up among troops”) didn’t get much public notice, but it sure got my attention.

Turns out that, contrary to everything we’ve been hearing for some time about how spinal cord injuries are way down in Iraq, those injuries are actually way UP in Afghanistan.


And that plays directly with future placements of service dogs with OEF veterans. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that with the recent increased troop levels, the reality … Read More

Dec 1, 2009

Every Service Dog Placement With A Veteran Should Be As Great As This One

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

I said I was gonna stay positive and show you examples of how things should be rather than ones where I know they are not, and this story is a great start.

When you see someone talking about service dogs for veterans, I want the image of this team to immediately pop into your head, because this is the model, on both ends of the leash.  Beyond just being a great story on its face, as you read it, compare what you see here – and, just as importantly, don’t… Read More

Sep 8, 2009

Finally, The Real Story About The VA And Service Dogs For Veterans

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

While I’ve addressed this subject before (“Why The VA Has Provided No Money For Service Dogs – In Their Own Words”), I’ve really held off and pretty much kept my mouth shut, hoping that some of the behind-the-scenes discussions I was aware of with the VA regarding service dogs for veterans would bear fruit, and not wanting to possibly mess those up.  Plus, I really think some of the VA people working the issue are good guys and want to help, and I didn’t wanna risk torquing them … Read More

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