Canines For Disabled Kids

Having Snickers in My Life

By: Emily Catalfamo
March 10, 2008

 

I remember when I found out about hearing dogs. I thought it was a pretty cool thing to have and I begged my mom to get me one so I could wake myself up and try to hear things without her help. I also wanted a dog because my life was boring and lonely besides school and dance.

There are not a lot of kids around my age that I can hang out with and hearing kids are so hard to understand. I was hoping that a dog would help keep me company. I imagined that it was going to make things better and I would not be so lonely.

After we applied for the dog a long time seemed to pass. I was worried if I was even going to get this dog. Well I have waited and waited for a long time. It was about two years. I even thought that I was not going to get a dog. I used to get upset and cry a lot because it felt like it would never come. I got news in June 2006. One day I came home from school and my mom told me the N.E.A.D.S program was ready to work with me. I was extremely excited. I was so happy I could not stop smiling.

N.E.A.D.S. told my mother and me that we should be prepared to stay there two weeks. When it was time to leave the end of July we got ready for our one and a half hour drive. We said good bye to the family. My little sister was very sad. The ride was long and full of excitement. The first day of the training they described what was going to happen for the training and all other stuff like introducing each other, where we were going to stay, and then discussed what was going to happen for each day. All that talking was making me crazy. All I wanted to do was meet my dog.

When I first met Snickers for the training I was happy to see her but we had to stand like super man and not make any eye contact. We worked hard in the hot sun. I couldn’t wait to pat her and tell her I love her. Finally the day came that she could come back to the house we were staying at. That first night with her was fun but I had a hard time sleeping. Snickers felt anxious being in a new place and I felt home sick. I missed my family and my own bed at home. Eventually, I found a comfy spot and I kept peering over the bed to make sure that this wasn’t a dream. Snickers was cuddled up on her bed sound asleep.

When I brought Snickers home, I was happy to be getting home but still I was nervous because I didn’t know how people were going to react. I didn’t know how easy or hard it was going to be. The easy part was that I knew how to give commands and make her obey me. The hard part was that I had to do it in front of people which made me nervous. But I enjoyed getting back home and we celebrated her arrival. I think it has been both times of easy and hard things but mostly it is pretty good. I have discovered more people want to be around me when I am with her. It’s plenty of fun to play with her. She always has a way to wake me up that makes me smile. She’s a smart dog that’s for sure. She can even tell when I’m sad and she seems to find a way to make me feel better.

In the morning I walk her with my dad and sometimes I am crabby because it is too early or too cold. I like to take walks at night with her and my older sister because it’s a way we can talk without any interruptions. Sometimes when I get home from school or at night I give people a hard time about walking her and I need reminders to feed her. It makes me mad when they get mad at me even if they are sort of right. It makes me mad when instead of reminding me they just take over but I know sometimes I am not being fair to Snickers to make her wait for me or my attention. It is a lot of work. Some other things are hard like I can’t seem to find time to do sound training with her as much as I should.

My parents get upset when I don’t tend to her needs. Sometimes I wish I could change the time or give up my things to be with Snickers but I can’t. Some days it feels very hard. I think about how hard it is to be in school, work on my goals for acting, singing, and dancing and I just want to give up. I will feel for a moment like I wish I did not have Snickers. But things would be different without her. Now she is attached to a place in my heart that will not ever let her go never ever, ever. I would advise kids who are younger than me that want a hearing dog to wait to get a little older and be able to take all that responsibility. Because once you get the hearing dog it becomes a big part of you. So you might want to wait.

I would recommend for kids at least 12 or older to think very carefully about the responsibility and commitment before getting a hearing dog. You also need to be sure you have parents who will help you and understand who hard it is to be so young and have such a big responsibility.