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ack in 2012, we applied to the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) for a service dog because Yeahsen’s behavior made it almost impossible for him to go out with us in public. Yeahsen was 10 years old and becoming more and more withdrawn and frustrated, not engaging or participating in life. We had to withdraw him from public school due to behavioral issues. After 2 years on a waiting list, Yeahsen was partnered with our first service dog, a golden retriever/Labrador mix named Harmony. She brought Yeahsen out of his shell, kept him safely with us (he was originally tethered to her harness) and eventually accompanied him back to public school. Unfortunately, in October 2019, Harmony was diagnosed with cancer and died 6 days later. She served Yeahsen until the end, including the night before she passed away. Harmony and Yeahsen were at the annual ICAN fundraiser that evening, attended by over 300 people and over 40 service dogs. Harmony met one dog, Paco, and the two of them seemed to really have a connection even though they had never met. We had no idea at the time that Paco would soon become our service dog, but Harmony knew. I believe she asked Paco to take care of her boy. In less than 5 minutes after meeting Paco, Harmony collapsed during the event. The following week, Paco, a yellow Labrador and Yeahsen met one another, and their journey began. Though Paco had some very big shoes (Jack’s) and paws (Harmony’s) to fill, the last few months have proven that he is prepared for the challenge. ICAN is committed to providing succession service dogs to clients whose dogs pass away, but there is not always an appropriate dog right away. We were so lucky that Paco was a perfect match (plus, he had made a commitment to Harmony). Yeahsen and I then spent a week in training with ICAN before we could bring Paco home. It was another week before Paco officially graduated as a service dog. Paco wears Harmony’s old vest so Yeahsen took to it right away as he was very comfortable with the handle and vest. Paco was already perfectly trained by ICAN, so the week we were in training, we humans were the ones learning the skills to work with him. Paco now has his full Service Dog status and can go anywhere the public has access, including all of Yeahsen’s hospital and doctor visits, school, restaurants, stores, etc.
ly training Paco to help Yeahsen, now 17, to run Unified Track, which includes both typical kids and special needs kids, for Zionsville High School. This will be Yeahsen’s 4th year in track, and he has never completed the 100-meter race without stopping. We hope that Paco will help him meet this goal, as he’s got a more task-oriented personality than Harmony did (she tended to be more social). The story of how Paco got his name is very touching to us. Jack Spohn had enjoyed going to Mexico every year at New Year’s with a group of dear friends, who eventually nicknamed him Paco. After losing her beloved husband Jack to kidney cancer, Nancy’s friends sponsored the costs of training an ICAN puppy and changed his name to Paco in Jack’s honor. Watching puppy Paco early on and knowing that he would eventually go on to improve life for a disabled individual helped Nancy immensely in her grief journey. She believes that Jack’s generous spirit lives on in Paco. The cost of training a service dog for 2 years is over $25,000, so ICAN does extensive fundraising to keep the cost low for families. We paid ICAN $2,500 as a placement fee for Paco. There are no extra charges for the ICAN trainers, who are always available, to assist us as Yeahsen grows and changes. Do you have a service pet? Would you like to nominate someone else to be in an upcoming issue of Special Needs Living? Email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com
Purchase an ICAN 2021 Calendar!
• Adorable images of ICAN pups-in-training! • PAWfect for holiday gifts and stocking stuffers! • Your purchase will help ICAN train service dogs for people with disabilities. To learn more, visit icandog.org
Photo credit: Liz Kaye
It’s worth pointing out that Paco is a “facilitated service dog” which means he obeys my commands rather than Yeahsen’s commands. The main reason for this is safety. There were many times when Yeahsen would wonder off, and if Paco were to go with him, they would both be lost. To solve that problem, I give the stay or “anchor” command and no matter how much Yeahsen pulls him, he will not move, thus keeping Yeahsen safely where he needs to stay. Likewise, there are times that Yeahsen refuses to walk with me. Paco is commanded to walk and no matter how much resistance Yeahsen gives, Paco will pull him gently with us. It helps that Yeahsen is 83 lbs. and Paco is 81 lbs. It has been 5 months, and so far, we have made more progress with Paco then we could have ever imagined. We are current-
Cold Noses. Warm Hearts. Dogs are amazing creatures. Their gifts to humanity are loyalty, love and service. For over a decade, ICAN has been successfully placing dogs into meaningful relationships with children and adults who have physical and developmental disabilities and may need assistance with daily activities. We also place dogs into special needs facilities throughout Indiana.
To learn more about the type of service dogs we place, please visit icandog.org or call 317-250-6450
5100 Charles Court | Suite 100 Zionsville, IN 46077
www.icandog.org November 2020 • Special Needs Living
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