Getting a dog, gaining hope 


By Katie Leslie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For Will Orsini, a 60-pound vessel of golden fluff named Potter brings him one step closer to independence.

The 16-year-old from New Jersey has suffered daily seizures for 10 years, debilitating episodes that have affected his development and keep him tethered to his family.

Potter, a golden retriever, can help change some of that.

Will’s family has waited four years to receive a “seizure dog” from Canine Assistants, an Alpharetta-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that trains dogs to be aides and companions for the disabled. Once a family is selected to receive an animal, recipients are flown to Alpharetta for an intensive two-week camp in which they are paired with their new best friend and learn how to become its master.

Will bonded with Potter almost instantly at this week’s camp, said his mother Eileen. Because her son’s seizures are often quiet, Eileen hopes Potter will alert the family when one begins and comfort Will until help arrives.

“He very much wants to be independent,” Eileen said. “We want to offer him a little independence and dignity, some time on his own without me calling after him every few minutes.”

Will knows having Potter means his life is about to change for the better, even if some hopes are a little too high.

“He asked if he could take driver’s ed now,” Eileen said.

Founded in 1991 by Jennifer Arnold, Canine Assistants has six camps per year and has provided more than 1,000 assistance dogs since its inception. This month’s camp has a dozen participants from across the country, each with their own needs and hopes for a better life.

The first couple of days at each camp are spent mixing and mingling with the dogs, with trainers helping match participants with the dog best-suited for their needs. The dogs, mainly golden retrievers, Labrador retriever mixes and the occasional “goldendoodle” (a teddy-bear cute, mixed breed of standard poodle and golden retriever) perform skills beyond sitting, staying and rolling over. They all excel at picking up dropped items, opening up cabinets and doors and operating basic light switches.

Some of the precocious pooches, like Potter, specialize in higher-level skills such as seizure detection.

Pairing the right dog to each owner is crucial to the success of the program, said trainer Chris Casatelli, who has worked with roughly 150 dogs since joining Canine Assistants seven years ago.

“You don’t want to give a person who is really introverted an extroverted dog, but you also don’t want to give an introverted person an even more introverted dog,” Casatelli explained. “You need a dog just bold enough to bring them out of their shell.”

The dogs, the training, the travel, and in some instances, lifetime food and care are free, sponsored by companies such as Delta’s SkyWish Program and Milk-Bone, Casatelli said.

Canine Assistants is also on hand after the camp to help owners troubleshoot potential challenges.

Families like the Orsinis can wait years for a service animal as the organization has a list of 700 to 1,000 hopeful recipients, Casatelli said.

Some people are repeat patrons. Madge Williams, an East Cobb County woman who uses a wheelchair following a car accident at 18, said she received her first dog from Canine Assistants 15 years ago when the nonprofit was still developing. Murray, her black Labrador retriever, helped her with daily tasks and even introduced her to her husband. Williams jokes that hubby Brent first approached her in church in 1997 to pet Murray. Three years later, they were wed.

After Murray’s death, the Williamses’ returned to Canine Assistants two years ago and were paired with Tahoe, a yellow lab.

Having a service dog means more than getting help with life’s daily tasks, she said.

“You don’t realize it, but people are nervous to talk to you when you are in a chair ... they don’t know what to say,” she said. “But if Tahoe is with me, I almost feel like I should leave him at home because so many people [approach us.]”

And in those moments, it is she and Tahoe who are helping others.

“[With him] I feel like I can make an impact on someone’s day.”